Page 27 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2019

OVERCAME SHYNESS ON STAGE
Delk made his directorial debut with “Graceland,” a two-woman show by Ellen Byron. It tells the story of two women camping out at the gates of Graceland, the home of the late Elvis Presley, three days before it’s supposed to open to the public. “I was really drawn to the play because there were some really funny moments and you could get the audience laughing but then there was also some poignancy in the drama, as well,” he said.
His next job as a director will be for a popular musical that will be making its South Mississippi debut in the spring of 2019. “We will be bringing ‘Mama Mia’ to the Mary C. O’Keefe Center in Ocean Springs in April and we are very excited about it,” he said.
But Delk’s commitment to community theater is only one aspect of his service
to the community. For his day job, Delk owns ABC Rental Centers, which has three locations on the Coast. He took over the business from his father, Charlie, who opened his first store in 1968. “My dad is 90 years old and he still comes down to the store a few days a week, Delk said. “He has no intention of fully retiring.”
His day job has made him a “go-to”
guy in the community. He was one of
the team members involved in bringing the Mississippi Aquarium’s Splash Bash to life at Jones Park. “He’s the guy we call when we need something and he’s always willing to help,” said Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes. “He’s the go-to-guy for event planning. He’s very reliable and you can rest assured he’s going to get it
done and it’s going to be great.”
One thing he’s called on to do time and
time again is emcee some of the many events that happen along the Coast. Delk said he honed his hosting skills out of necessity. “I’ve been performing with
the Coast Big Band for years,” he said. “There have been many times when we were on stage that someone had to tune their instrument or something so I just started talking to the crowd. Emceeing is just another extension of acting. It’s not really me, it’s an amped-up version of myself.”
As much as the Coast loves Delk, he said the feeling is mutual. “I love the Coast; it’s been my home since I was five,” he said. “I went to New York recently and I loved it, but at the same time, I couldn’t wait to get home. There is no place I would rather live than the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”
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JJanuary 2019 • SOUTH MIISSIISSIIPPII Living 27
The Coast’s “go-to-guy” for everything from community theatre to event planning.
He has been singing with the Coast Big Band for years and shares vocal duties with Karen Abernathy.