Missouri Life August/September 2015

H E E - H AW !

~ TRUMAN'S TIES TO THE PENDERGAST MACHINE ~

T I M E F O R R E C E S S : G O O U T A N D P L AY AT 1 1 2 E V E N T S

THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY

$ Délicieux

MULE MANIA Kahoka’s 3-day Festival

French Flavor for Foodies AUGUST 2015 | $4.50 (Display until Sept. 30)

GUNSLINGERS Modern Cowboy Competitions

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www.missourilife.com

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EXPERIENr

THE TRANSFORMATION

Upon your arrival you will notice improvements to our expanded lobby area, a new guest registration desk and The Signature gift shop.

HK's Restaurant & Bar is taking on a new look as we complete the dining room renovation, with a central bar lounge experience.

Most exciting is our new expanded main pool complex renovation featuring a standard pool depth with underwater benches and a new grotto with cascading waterfall and fire bowl at the top to give the illusion that the water is on fire.

The main pool complex also has a large pools ide sun deck with new mesh pool furniture. Adjacent to the New Fire & Ice Lakeview Patio and Bar.

We have added a large fire pit area overlooking the lake with ample sitting room for all to enjoy an evening around the fire.

You'll also begin to notice new guest rooms and public areas being renovated including the entry, meeting rooms, hallways, and exterior building enhancements, as a part of the multimillion dollar remodeling.

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THE LODGE OF FOUR SEASONS GOLF RESORT , MARINA & SPA

Ideally located at the Lake of the Ozarks, approximately two and a half hours between St. Louis and Kansas City, MO. The Lodge has always enjoyed being the lake's destination for families, reunions, and invigorating meetings--and transforming every aspect ofa stay into a rejuvenating experience.

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Contents AUGUST 2015

featured >

[26] MO MUSIC Incorporating storytelling, traditional Missouri fiddle styles, and shared love of American music, Rogersville-based bluegrass band Shortleaf has the chops to tour the world but really just want to play small, intimate shows.

[28] MISSOURI ARTIST New Bloomfield doctor-turned-artist Henry Domke has found a fitting home for his gorgeous nature photography: hospitals and health care centers.

[46] GUNSLINGERS Cowboy Mounted Shooting enthusiasts have turned the Wild West into a sport.

[60] MUSINGS ON MISSOURI Multi-tasking and short attention spans have run rampant in modern society. Or at least Ron Marr thinks so, and he isn’t afraid to tell you why.

special features >

[32] MULESTOCK 2015

[84] SHOW-ME HOMES

Over the past thirty years, the Clark County Mule Festival in Kahoka has grown

It looks like a giant box of crayons exploded in Karen Kalish’s historic Clayton mansion, and it’s the best place for her to show off her extensive collection of art from around the world.

from a small group of Missouri mule enthusiasts into a three-day festival packed full of wacky rodeo events and affordable family fun.

[38] BACK TO SCHOOL Step back in time to a bygone era, and relive the school days of a simpler time at these one-room schoolhouses. Although no public one-room schools still operate in Missouri, many across the state are still open to visitors and tourists.

[54] THE PRESIDENT AND PENDERGAST When the spoils system ran rampant in the 1920s, no one exemplified the role of a political boss better than Kansas City’s Tom Pendergast, and perhaps, no one benefitted more from his machination than Missouri’s only US president—Harry S. Truman, who was even once referred to as the “senator from Pendergast.”

HARRY KATZ

[70] FRENCH FOOD FRENZY French food is undoubtedly the basis for all contemporary culinary schools. And with Missouri having such strong French roots, it makes sense that chefs across the Show-Me State are still waving the flag of this classic European cuisine.

special sections > [61] FALL OUTDOOR GUIDE Discover the best fall festivals, and celebrate apples while they’re in season.

[82] OVER THE LINE Art! Who goes there? Leave the state to find fine art and ancient artifacts that will dazzle you.

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Contents

CONTENT BY LOCATION 32

80 38

AU G US T 2 0 1 5

38 38 14 24 24, 46, 19 16, 80 46 38 16, 24 54, 80 12 20 84 28 38 20

departments > [12] MEMO

[20] MADE IN MISSOURI

Publisher Greg Wood is revved up for

Wentzville’s Nate Hogan makes truly

the Missouri Life Motorcycle Guide,

all-natural soap. Smithville’s Jim Jef-

and Editor-in-Chief Danita Allen Wood

fries has a new reason to season, and

reminisces on her school days.

a tool and die shop in St. James make

26 16 38 38 38 22

38

metal guitars.

[14] LETTERS A reader from Los Angeles brings Mis-

[22] SHOW-ME BOOKS

souri Life to Machu Picchu, Tina from

West Plains author’s debut novel

[89] ALL AROUND MISSOURI

Belton talks about state parks, and a

tackles animal cruelty, and six more

Get the rest of your summer ya-ya’s out

media veteran gives us some praise.

Missouri books make our reading list.

before the school year starts at these

[16] MO MIX Step back in time in Columbia, discover

[80] DINING WORTH THE DRIVE

[106] MISSOURIANA

how Missouri’s tallgrass prairies are far-

Go inside Columbia’s pizza paradise,

President Harry S. Truman gives some

ing, learn the Japanese art of Ikebana,

find Maryville’s diamond-in-the-rough

advice to career politicians, and we

and cruise into Boonville’s collection of

diner, and get tropical at Kansas City’s

present a few more tidbits of trivia.

vintage cars.

tastiest popsicle shop.

112 events and festivals.

– THIS ISSUE –

On the Web

Sign up for Missouri Lifelines, our free e-newsletter, and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/MissouriLife or on Twitter @MissouriLife.

FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER

SUCCULENT, SWEET ONIONS

There are so many great one-room school-

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to ride

Missouri’s own Black Kettle Seasonings have

houses that you can visit across the state. Find

on a horse at full speed while shooting a .45 pis-

many purposes. Find some of the best ways to

a few more in this online tour.

tol? Find out with this online-exclusive video.

use them, plus some recipes, online.

Back-to-School Books

We have all the Missouri books your heart could desire. Order yours at MissouriLife.com.

on the cover> AUDRAIN COUNTY SCHOOL As a part of the Audrain County Historical Society Museum Complex, the Audrain County One-Room School is only $5 to visit, which includes admission to the rest of the museum. Inside, the classroom displays relics from a bygone era. Visit audrain.org or call 573-581-3910 to learn more.

HARRY KATZ AND MORGUEFILE

MORE ONE-ROOM SCHOOLS

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www.visitmarshallmo.com

Photo: Bonnie Hunter

Stitch By Stitch Quilt Guild Trunk Show The Stitch by Stitch Quilt Guild invites you to spend two days with internationally known quilter Bonnie Hunter. On September 20 there will be a trunk show and presentation at 1:30 p. m., followed by a halfday workshop. On September 21 Bonnie presents an all-day workshop. All events take place at the Martin Community Center. For details, visit www.stitchbystitchquilters.org.

Photo: Country Patchwork Quilt Guild

Photo: Jacob I. Hatfield

Santa Fe Trail Heritage Days Santa Fe Trail Heritage Days honors the 19th century trail that ran through Saline County. The event takes place September 11-12 on the historic Downtown Square in Marshall. Plan to stay all day for all the activities, craft show, parade and chuck wagon dinner. For details visit www.marshallculturalcouncil.com or call 660-229-4845.

Country Patchwork Quilt Guild Quilt Show Country Patchwork Quilt Guild will host its 28th annual Quilt Show on September 26 and 27 at the Martin Community Center. This year’s guest artist is Toby Lischko. View beautiful quilts and purchase chances for this year’s Opportunity Quilt. Admission to the quilt show is $5. For more information, visit www. countrypatchworkquilters.com or call 660-886-8300.

Missouri State Corn Husking Championship Marshall is proud to host the 2015 Missouri State Cornhusking Championship on the Saline County Fairgrounds.

From Septemer 24th – 26th. Enjoy all the activities you’ve come to expect at this event, along with a barbecue contest and homemade cookie contest, both new additions this year.

Plan to come and stay for the weekend. You’ll want to see it all. Visit www.visitmarshallmo. com or call 660-631-2862 to learn more.

Photo: Marshall Democrat News

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Plan to stay with us in Marshall:

Photo: Friends of Arrow Rock

Arrow Rock Be sure to take a trip to The Village of Arrow Rock before the season ends. Enjoy the quiet pace with a leisurely stroll on the Boardwalk and a stop in the shops. Dine at a fine restaurant. Watch a production at the Lyceum Theatre. Explore the Arrow Rock Historic Site.

For more information visit www.arrowrock.org or call 660-837-3231.

Photo: Old Trails Region Tourism Partnership

Comfort Inn - Marshall Station 1356 W. College Ave. 660-886-8080 www.comfortinn.com Super 8 of Marshall 1355 W. College Ave. 660-886-3359 www.super8.com Marshall Lodge 1333 W. Vest St. 660-886-2326 www.marshall-lodge.com Kitty’s Corner Guest Houses 228 E. North St. 660-886-8445 Courthouse Lofts 23 N. Lafayette St. 660-229-5644 Claudia’s B & B 3000 W. Arrow St. 660-886-5285

Photo: Boonslick Tourism Council

Boonslick Trail Come to Boone’s Lick State Historical Site along the Boonslick Trail on Labor Day for the annual Folk Festival. This much-loved event is free and takes visitors back to a time when the Boonslick area was a salt mining region. You’ll spend your day with exhibitors, crafters and musicians. To learn more visit www.boonslicktourism.org or call 660-248-2011.

Old Trails Region If you haven’t explored the Old Trails Region yet, make plans to do so. Late summer and early fall are perfect for traveling through the center of Missouri to a number of destinations in the area. Whether it’s great food, delicious wines, historic attractions, or unique shopping, the Old Trails Region has something for everyone. For more details or help in planning your adventure, visit www.oldtrails.net or call 660-259-2230.

Upcoming Events

Be sure to visit the Marshall Welcome Center on the northwest corner of the Square!

Saturdays - Marshall Market on the Square – Downtown – 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. www.marshallfarmersmarket.org or call 660-886-3324

August 2 – Friends of Pennytown Homecoming – Pennytown Freewill Church, Marshall 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. – www.pennytownchurch.com or call 660-886-8300

August 1 – First Saturday Lecture – Arrow Rock State Historic Site Visitor Center – 10:00 a.m. – www.friendsofarrowrock.org or call 660-837-3231

September 5 – Ice Cream Freeze Off – Arrow Rock Boardwalk – www.arrowrock.org or call 660-837-3231

August 2 – Marshall Bowhunters Budweiser Shoot – Indian Foothills Park, Marshall – 7:00 a.m. – www.marshallbowhunters.org or call 660-886-2714

September 24 - 26 – Viking Stampede Rodeo – Saline County Fairground – 7:00 p. m. – www.moval.edu or call 660-831-4230 Photo:MIssouri Valley College

Scan this QR code to visit our website!

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Bent Tree Gallery The

THE SPIR IT OF DISCOV ERY 501 High Street, Ste. A, Boonville, MO 65233 660-882-9898 | Info@MissouriLife.com

now open at our new location The Bent Tree Gallery Wed-Sat 9-5 and by appointment 27619 E 340th St Bethany, MO www.thebenttree.com

Rustic Furniture, Handcrafted Handbags, Fiber Art & Baskets 660-425-2131

Publisher Greg Wood Editor in Chief Danita Allen Wood EDITORIAL & ART Managing Editor Jonas Weir Creative Director Andrew Barton Art Director Sarah Herrera Custom Projects Editor Nichole L. Ballard Associate Art Director Thomas Sullivan Graphic Designer and Staff Photographer Harry Katz Calendar Editor Amy Stapleton Copy Editor Evan Wood Editorial Assistant Shannon Murff

Hand Stamped •Personalized •Wax Seal Jewelry

Made in Missouri • Gift Certificates Available Shop online at www.CrowStealsFire.com & in independently owned boutiques

Quality Hand-Crafted Leatherwork and Shoe Repair

Contributing Writers Andrew Bridges, Amy Burger, Phil Cobb, Lisa Waterman Gray, Porsche Moran, Kelly Moffitt, Sheree K. Nielsen, Eddie O'Neill, Martin W. Schwartz, Ron Soodalter, Christopher Walljasper

Saleigh Mountain Co. LLC. 124 East 4th Street Hermann, MO 65041

Contributing Photographers Angela Bond, Phil Cobb, Curt Dennison, Notley Hawkins, Sheree K. Nielsen, Carmen Troesser, Christopher Walljasper

AAA BEST OF THE MIDWEST DESTINATION

573-486-2992 • www.saleighmountain.com

MARKETING •800-492-2593 Advertising Director Marynell Christenson Advertising & Marketing Consultant Brent Toellner Advertising Coordinator Sue Burns Marketing Assistant Jenny Janssen

Getaway ay Vintage charm

Columnist Ron W. Marr

Circulation Manager Amy Stapleton DIGITAL MEDIA MissouriLife.com, Missouri eLife, Facebook, Twitter Director Jonas Weir Editor Sarah Herrera Missouri Lifelines Harry Katz

timeless beauty

TO SUBSCRIBE OR GIVE A GIFT AND MORE Use your credit card and visit MissouriLife.com or call 800-492-2593, ext. 101 or mail a check for $19.99 (for 6 issues) to: Missouri Life, 501 High Street, Ste. A, Boonville, MO 65233-1211 Change address Visit MissouriLife.com

TO MISSOURI WINE COUNTRY

OTHER INFORMATION Custom Publishing For your special publications, call 800-492-2593, ext. 106 or email Greg.Wood@MissouriLife.com.

Back Issues Order from website, call, or send check for $10.50.

Wine & Jazz Festival August 22 Civil War Days September 18-20 Heritage Festival September 18-20 BarBQ & Brats September 25-26 Oktoberfest First four weekends of October Holiday Fare Wine Trail November 21-22 Kristkindl Markt First two weekends of December

VisitHermann.com • 800-932-8687 WINERIES • B&Bs • HISTORIC DISTRICT • DAILY AMTRAK STOPS

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Come See. Come Do ... there's something for everyone!

Offering romantic getaways and historic characters, boating and roller coasters, casinos and walking trails ... and so much more!

More information at VisitCiayCountyMO.com.

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Come See. Come Do.

EXCELSIOR SPRINGS I GLADSTONE I KEARNEY [ LIBERTY [11] August 2015 NORTH KANSAS CITY [ SMITHVILLE 011 ML0815.indd 11

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MISSOURI

emo

GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNIN’

A FOUR-ROOM SCHOOL

AND HEAD out on the highway. Okay, I’m feeling a little like Easy Rider, and not just because my first mode of transport after a horse was a Yamaha 250 street bike. It’s more because we just published the first motorcycle guide for Missouri. Our creative team here produced an in-depth, pocket-sized guide that features twenty of our state’s best motorcycle routes. One great thing about Missouri is that there are plenty of great routes from which to choose.

We collaborated with the Missouri Division of Tourism to produce this sixty-four-page guide. In fact, it all started when I ran into Dan Lennon, the new Director of Missouri Tourism. Some of you may have seen Dan on stage in Branson at some point as part of the original GREG WOOD, PUBLISHER Lawrence Welk family; he’s the brother of one of the famous Lennon Sisters. I’ve known Dan since he was director of the Branson Convention and Visitors’ Bureau.

I saw Dan at the State Capitol flipping pancakes for our state legislators on a cold day in March at 7 AM. It was the annual Capitol Days for Tourism, sponsored by the Missouri Travel Council. After I demolished a short stack, I spotted Dan across the room and made my way over. Before I could even say hello, he asked me if I had ever considered publishing a motorcycle guide for Missouri. Coincidentally, I had been pondering doing one because I had a copy of the Arkansas motorcycle guide sitting on my desk and thought it was pretty cool idea. And that’s about all it took for us to get busy. We’re glad Dan and his crew thought about it and decided to help make a motorcycle guide because Missouri should have one.

Of course you don’t have to own or ride a motorcycle to make good use of the guide. You’ll find every route is also a great scenic drive by car or even bicycle—if you like climbing hills. That’s why we are making the guide available to everyone. You can pick one up at any Missouri Tourism Visitor Center, or just let us know you want one, and we’ll ship one out to you for a small shipping and handling fee. Visit missourilife.com/motorcycle for details.

Now if I just had that Yamaha 250 back. Or maybe a new Harley or Kawasaki! After all, they are both made in Missouri.

IT WASN’T quite like Little House on the Prairie, but I did grow up on a farm near a prairie. And I didn’t attend a one-room school but instead a four-room school. Technically, it had six rooms, including the auditorium and cafeteria, but there were two grades per classroom.

There was something comforting about going to a small school in rural Missouri with a stable group of classmates: Jim Hetherington, Randy Newell, Sandra Riley, Jerri Williams, and me the whole way through.

Some of my fondest memories happened there. I started school in a two-story brick building in Mrs. White’s class. During a birthday party, back when you could have both cupcakes and candles at school, the boy behind me, Jerry, set my ponytail on fire. I’m not sure if it was on purpose or DANITA ALLEN WOOD, EDITOR accidental, but Mrs. White coolly dunked my ponytail in his Kool-Aid, and no harm was done.

Each teacher taught two grades, so I had Mrs. White for another year, Mrs. Lena Lane for third and fourth grades, and Mrs. Roxie Lane for fifth grade. We loved Mrs. Roxie Lane because she would read Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys to us after lunch each day. However, that year, 1967, the school burned. Later, it was rebuilt and is still used today.

The following year, Mrs. Ragland was my first teacher in the new school.

And finally, I had Mrs. Hagar and Mr. Hibbs for seventh and eighth grades.

I liked them both. I recall Mrs. Hagar was demanding, but I didn’t mind because I loved reading and even doing homework. Mr. Hibbs helped me learn how to project my voice from the stage, something that came in handy this past May when I was on that very same stage, speaking to a graduating class.

Thinking back, I was lucky to go to a small school. I got to do everything from performing plays to playing sports. I was never good at those things, but I enjoyed them and learned a lot. I think there must have been some value to being in a mixed-grade classroom—essentially hearing lessons twice. I’m sure there was value in the stability of our small community, too.

It was a great pleasure to speak to the graduating class at Shawnee R-3. It also felt strange, yet familiar. There are still good teachers, close classmates, motivated students, and a sense of community among those proud parents.

It’s nice that some things don’t change.

With school beginning again soon, we’d love to hear your own school-time memories.

Email me at Danita @missourilife.com or post to our Facebook page.

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38TH Annual

HERITAGE FESTIVAL & CRAFT SHOW

3 stages of entertainment featuring: Saturday & Sunday, September 19 &20 • Haskell Indian Nation Dancers 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Nifong Park, 3700 Ponderosa • Traditional, Americana, Bluegrass, Cajun, Folk, Swing Columbia, Missouri Revival & German Music Highway 63 to Grindstone Parkway Exit, • Dancing

FREE ADMISSION!

Festival Attractions include: • Traditional Arts and Trades - knitters, spinners, blacksmiths, tinsmith, carver, basket weavers, lace makers, and more!

• Handmade Crafts • Fun for Young’uns area • Lewis & Clark Outpost, Prospector Camp, Mountain Man Camp • Museum, village & historic homes tours • Concessions will be available

then west to signs

Coordinated by:

Sponsored by:

Boone County Historical Society Missouri River Communities Network

For more information, call 573-874-7460 or visit www.GoColumbiaMo.com (search Heritage Festival) Stay overnight!

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AUGUST

LETTERS from all over You write them. We print them.

MISSOURI LIFE WORLD TOUR I am an architect in Los Angeles, originally from Springfield, with lots of family still there. And I am a big fan of Missouri Life.

So when I saw you publishing pictures of the magazine in faraway places, I jumped at the chance.

In November, I trekked to Peru and hiked Machu Picchu with your magazine in tow. On the second day, I hiked the very steep Huayna Picchu.

That is the sugarloaf mountain in the background.

The second picture shows the gatekeeper and me with Huayna Picchu in the background. He asked if I would lend him my copy of Missouri Life, so he could read it while I took the three-hour hike to the top. He loved it.

I would really enjoy it if you would include a picture in your letters section. If you include the picture of my friend the gatekeeper of Huayna Picchu, I will send him a copy!

Machu Picchu is amazing, and Missouri Life was there!

—Donald Randall, Los Angeles, California

LOVE AND STATE PARKS Back in late 2004, I met Chris, and in 2006, I married him. We had a lot in common and a couple of things we both loved were camping and history, though I’m awful with dates and names. During 2005 and 2006, Missouri State Parks was promoting their Passport program. During that time, Chris and I visited every single state park and historic site in Missouri and got every single passport stamp to fill our books. We even took a full week vacation just to get to some of the far-out locations. And we enjoyed it so very much. Even after that program ended, Chris and I loved to drive around the state just for the chance to get away sometimes, making sure to take the back roads whenever possible. We learned so much of the history of Missouri and enjoyed the diverse and beautiful scenery.

The cemetery is next to the Confederate Memorial State Historic Site—one that Chris and I had visited a couple of times. The location turned out to be very appropriate because of that and because of the beautiful, serene rolling hills.

I had a subscription to your magazine at one time but failed to renew it. Even so, I continued to pick it up at the grocery store whenever I saw a new one. I read it cover to cover and quite often see and read about places that Chris and I visited.

Thank you. Your magazine is well-written, diverse, and informative, but most of all it’s a wonderful reminder of those awesome times with my Chris.

—Tina Thompson, Belton Los Angeles architect and Springfield native Donald Randall (right) brought his October 2014 copy of Missouri Life to Machu Picchu in Peru. His guide (left) loved the magazine. Take Missouri Life on vacation with you, take pictures, and send them to us.

Chris passed away in February of 2014. He had served in the Marine Corps, so I wanted him to be buried at a military cemetery. There were two choices: Leavenworth and Higginsville. Chris was never a huge fan of Kansas, so I decided on Higginsville. It turned out to be an awesome choice.

COMPLIMENTS FROM A MEDIA VET I walked into my doctor’s office and saw your magazine. I’ve been in the media business for about thirty years, and I have seen a lot. I must say that your publication is very impressive. I’m not sure when you started publishing. If it’s new, congratulations. If not, it was nice to find it. I left it in the waiting room for others to find and enjoy.

—Paul Sly, Kirksville Correction: In the review of Nature's Housekeeper (June 2015), we misidentified the author's former teaching post and his "quest.” Michael Gurnow was a English professor at Southeast Missouri State University and his quest was for the nonexistent Missouri Tree Snorer.

SEND US A LETTER Email: Facebook: Address:

Donald Randall, Los Angeles, California

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COZY UP

TO PROPANE THERE’S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO INSTALL A PROPANE FURNACE. When your furnace is powered by propane, your family enjoys unmatched comforts that only gas appliances can provide. Besides reducing your overall energy costs, propane-powered furnaces are proven to provide warmer air delivery and reduce CO2 emissions by half when compared with electric heat pumps. And with the state incentive available now, you can’t afford not to add a propane furnace to your home.

Talk to your propane provider about a $300 rebate on a new propane furnace, or visit moperc.org/for-homes for more information.

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Mo MIX Columbia

Frontier Fiesta FOR ONE weekend every year, Columbia steps back in time to the nineteenth century.

With traditional trades people, a Lewis and Clark outpost, old-fashioned cowboy chuck wagons, and more, the annual Columbia Heritage Festival celebrates Missouri’s frontier past. However, the festival is just as much about live entertainment as it is historic crafts.

With two stages and performances all day, live entertainment comes in many forms here, from a medicine man show to traditional cloggers. There will also be live music throughout the weekend, featuring hometown favorites the Ironweed Bluegrass Band and up-and-coming stars Cindy Woolf and Mark Bilyeu. Additionally, the crowd-pleasing Haskell Indian Nations Dancers will return to perform traditional Native American dances.

This year’s thirty-eighth annual festival will be held at

Tallgrass Comeback

Nifong Park in Columbia from 10 am to 5 pm on September

BACK IN the early 1800s—about the time that

19 and 20. For more information, visit gocolumbiamo.com or

Missouri was becoming the twenty-fourth state—tall-

call 573-874-7460.—Jonas Weir

grass prairies covered more than fifteen million acres in the Show-Me State. Today, fewer than ninety thousand

St. Louis

scattered acres of prairie exist here.

For forty-nine years, the Missouri Prairie Foundation

Beauty and Balance

has been working to protect and restore prairie and other native grasslands. This summer, the foundation

not something

past three years, it is also widely

Still, its ikebana classes are a high-

dedicated two prairies that it purchased this past fall:

to be filled but to be enjoyed,” says

known for the Japanese Festival, held

light. Each class lasts over an hour

Linden’s Prairie in Lawrence County and Pleasant Run

Chikako Usui, president of the Japan

every year at the Missouri Botanical

and includes the materials and a his-

Creek Prairie in Vernon County. With these acquisitions,

America Society of St. Louis and li-

Garden. To that end, cultural educa-

tory lesson. Classes are $10 for soci-

the Missouri Prairie Foundation now owns more than

censed teacher of ikebana, the Japa-

tion has become an important part

ety members, $13 for non-members,

three thousand total acres of prairie in eighteen differ-

nese art of floral arrangement.

of its mission, which also includes

and are held about twice a month

ent tracts for public enjoyment and nature conservation.

Combining a spiritual apprecia-

teaching traditional tea ceremonies,

on Sundays at the University of Mis-

“We have less than one-tenth of one percent remain-

tion of nature with an emphasis on

classes on wearing a Kimono, and

souri-St. Louis. Visit jasstl.wordpress

ing of that fifteen million acres in Missouri, and we know

minimalism and balance, ikebana is

outreach to local schools.

.com to learn more.—Kelly Moffitt

that temperate grasslands globally are one of the least

a symbol of its arranger’s intentions.

conserved, most threatened major terrestrial ecosys-

As a practice that dates to fifteenth

tems in the world,” says Carol Davit, executive director

century, it is also known as “the way

of the foundation. “Every piece that we can protect in

of flowers” and is meant to let par-

Missouri not only has statewide significance, it also has

ticipants contemplate humanity’s

national significance and even global significance.”

relationship with the nature.

Prairies support hundreds, if not thousands, of differ-

“It’s not just about the beauty or

ent life forms above and below ground, many of which

the blossom; you want to express

directly benefit humans, Carol says. For example, many

life,” Chikako says. “Sometimes the

of the pollinating insects found on prairies also pollinate

components are yellow or brownish.

our food crops. Prairie roots are also excellent mecha-

A very important part of the arrange-

nisms for storing carbon to help offset carbon emissions

ments is to incorporate and reflect

in the atmosphere.

the reality of life.”

For more information on the new prairies or to help

While the society has become

support Missouri Prairie Foundation, go to moprairie.org.

known for ikebana classes over the

—Martin W. Schwartz

COURTESY OF COLUMBIA CVB, BRUCE SCHUETTE, AND MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDENS

“SPACE IS

Mount Vernon

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! y a w a t e G r u o Y Pl a n L e ba n o n!

So m u ch t o s e e a n d d o in

Route 66 Museum and Research Center

915 South Jefferson www.lebanon-laclede.lib.mo.us 417-532-2148

Lebanon is known by its motto,

“Friendly people.

Friendly place.�

These events are only part of the fun we have to offer.

Step back in time when you visit the Route 66 Museu m. View one-of-a-kind artifacts and photographs revealing how the Mother Road looked and thrived in the Lebanon area.

21st Annual Case Knives Celebration September 12 Shepherd Hills Factory Outlet on Route 66 www.CaseXX.com 417-532-7000

Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival September 17-19 Conway, MO www.starvycreek.com 417-589-2013 www.lebanonmo.org | 1-866-LEBANON [17] August 2015

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La Quinta Inn & Suites

Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham

Stay and Play

Courtyard by Marriott

with ‘Go Ape’ in Maryland Heights

Hollywood Casino & Hotel

Drury Inn & Suites Westport

Unleash your inner Tarzan!

Visit www.more2do.org for more information about Go Ape Treetop Adventure.

Maryland Heights Convention & Visitors Bureau 888.MORE2DO • www.more2do.org Motel 6

Hampton Inn Westport

Holiday Inn Express

Comfort Inn Westport

Days Inn

Homewood Suites

Red Roof Inn Westport

Sonesta ES Suites

Doubletree Hotel Westport

Extended Stay America

Sheraton Westport Chalet

Sheraton Westport Plaza

Step back in time.

Plan your trip back in time through more than 250 years of rich history with the Historic Weekend Itinerary at VisitCape.com/BackInTime or call 800·777·0068.

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Mo

MIX

Boonville

Show Me a Mitchell LEWIS MILLER is proud of his family’s history. In fact, he has an entire museum dedicated to it.

Lewis is a third-generation descendant of the Mitchell and Lewis families, founders of the Mitchell-Lewis Motor Company—an early American automobile company that pioneered mass car production. With only a few steps, he can trace himself right to Henry Mitchell.

Henry Mitchell founded the Mitchell Wagon Company in 1855 in Racine, Wisconsin. For more than fifty years, the company made a diverse array of wagons. With nationwide distribution, it manufactured farm wagons that were specialized for different topographies, from Midwest-style wagons to California-style. Some wagons were made for rural areas, and others were meant to be delivery wagons in urban areas. Around the turn of the century, the wagon company also began making bicycles and then motorcycles.

Although Henry Mitchell died in 1893, his sonin- law and grandson continued operating the company, keeping the product line diverse. In 1902, the company produced its first car. It had a single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that could reach a top speed of fifteen miles per hour. Over the next decade, the car company became known for making large, fashionable touring cars. However, when it was sold to a group of New York investors, the Mitchell Motor Company began its decline, declaring bankruptcy in 1923 and fading into obscurity.

Decades later, Lewis Miller followed a similar

Mitchell cars. Now, he has one of the world’s most

extended version of his family’s history, too. Aside

path as his ancestors. When he graduated from

extensive collections of Mitchell automobiles and

from cars and car parts, Lewis has collected histori-

Hickman High School in Columbia, he decided to

artifacts.

cal documents and photos, including one photo that

start working on cars and motorcycles rather than

In an industrial building-turned-museum on Spring

go to college. He loved cars and found it thrilling

Street in Boonville, he showcases his collection.

that he could make a living working on them.

There, you can find everything from a Mitchell farm

“It’s in my genes, I guess,” he says. “I’m just good

HARRY KATZ

with a wrench.”

wagon to an 1898 bicycle to a 1920 touring car, and

shows Mitchell cars being loaded onto a train that took the MKT rails to Texas.

“Here’s proof that one hundred years ago these passed right by Boonville,” Lewis says.

Lewis has an extensive knowledge of each. There’s

The museum is open by appointment only. To ar-

Lewis went on to found his own successful auto-

also a story behind every item in his collection, and

range a visit, contact the Boonville Tourism Office

motive shop, and when he retired and moved back

he knows the history of each car model. He’ll explain

at 660-882-3967 or goboonville.com. To learn more

to Boonville, where he spent his early childhood, he

how the engines work, tell you why the 1906 Mitchell

about the museum, visit the car collection website

began researching his family history and collecting

Runabout has a basket on the back, and give you an

at mitchellcarcollection.com.—Jonas Weir

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Made IN MISSOURI St. James

Metal Machine Music IT BEGINS with a twenty-five-pound billet of aluminum, and it ends with a guitar. In between are months of design and fine tuning at Metalin’ Guitars’ headquarters in St. James.

The all-aluminum guitar is the brainchild of veteran tool and die maker and guitar aficionado Ken Wolfert, owner of Wolfert’s Tool and Machine Co. “The concept of a metal guitar is nothing new,” says Ken, who began tinkering with the idea in 2010. “Some welded guitars have been out there, but they weighed too much to be practical.”

After working on a number of prototypes, Ken and his team believe they have found the design that will move their guitars from novelty items to serious instruments. A basic model begins at $2,400— an attractive deal in the world of custom-made guitars.

Last summer, Metalin’ made its second appearance at the North American Music Merchants Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Ken says it was a huge success, and many guitar players who arrived skeptical left blown away.

“It took them about a minute before they were ready to get their own,” he says.

Ken hopes to debut an aluminum bass at the next convention.

To order your metal guitar, visit metalinguitars .com or call 573-265-0688.—Eddie O'Neill

Wentzville

His Dudeness VEGAN SOAP maker Nate Hogan’s most popular variety of soap mirrors his laid-back take on

Smithville

life. Named The Dude after the chilled-out hero in his favorite movie, The Big Lebowski, this black walnut

The Reason to Season Sweet Blend. But Jim still says

souri men, Jim Jeffries is a deer

the original is his favorite.

tea tree, and frankincense. Nate originally made it to “This sounds a little weird, but

bring men over to the organic side of things, he says.

I carry around a little backpacker

It’s a best-seller, but ironically, women like the re-

hunter and a barbecue enthu-

salt-and-pepper shaker with me

laxing smell more than Nate’s male customers. His

siast. Over the years, he’s ex-

because I like it better than salt

other best-sellers—such as Grateful Rose, Gyspy Soul,

perimented

seasonings

and pepper,” he says. “I just take

and Premium Tea Tree—aren’t far behind in popular-

and rubs, but in 2004, he struck

it with me everywhere and use

ity. All of Hogan’s soaps, which he currently sells exclu-

gold—black kettle gold.

it on about everything I eat, ev-

sively at the Wentzville Flea Market and on Etsy, are

erything except for ice cream or

100 percent organic and vegan made with plant mat-

jello.”

ter, therapeutic oils, and lye.

with

Originally designed for wild game, especially venison, his seasoning blend turned out to

Recently, Jim had hip and

“If you see something you can’t pronounce in a

be good on nearly everything,

knee replacements, so the com-

soap, don’t pick it up,” Nates says of the typical soaps

and his friends and family said

pany has slowed down its mar-

you see on the drug store shelf. “The words ‘all natural’

Jim should market it. Thus, Black

keting efforts. However, you can

are on everything these days, and it’s sad. I think it’s

Kettle Seasonings was born.

still find Black Kettle Seasonings

my job to remind people of what’s actually real.”

Now, eleven years later, Jim is

at the Silver Dollar City general

Nate’s soap bars sell for $5.50 a piece, and he also

still at it and has added two new

store in Branson and online at

sells vegan candles and sugar scrubs. Shop for his soap

varieties of his seasoning: Lacin-

blackkettleseasonings.com.

online at etsy.com/shop/NaturalNates.

da’s Smoky Blend and Jimmy’s

—Jonas Weir

—Kelly Moffitt

COURTESY OF NATE HOGAN; EDDIE O'NEIL AND HARRY KATZ

LIKE MANY rural Mis-

soap is infused with activated charcoal, lemongrass,

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The largest sutlery in the Midwest!

Carrying a complete line of Civil War Living History needs for Ladies, Gentlemen, Civilian, Military – featuring patterns, weapons, accessories, research. Our specialty: the Border Wars.

Custom orders at no additional cost!

Our clothing is American made!

111 N. Main, Liberty, MO • 816-781-9473 www.jamescountry.com • jamescntry@aol.com

August 1-2: Missouri State Elks Golf Tournament August 6-8: Downtown Sidewalk Sales August 8: Cruise Night with Ice Cream Contest and ‘60s theme September 3-5: Smokin’ in the Golden Valley BBQ and Craft Beer Festival September 12: Cruise Night with ‘70s theme October 10: Cruise Night with Halloween theme October 24: Wine Stroll on the Downtown Square

Visit ClintonMO.com for more information

Note to self

Visit Downtown Clinton!

[21] August 2015

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SHOW-ME

Books

SIT! STAY! READ!

West Plains author Annie England tackles animal cruelty in her debut novel.

BY SHANNON MURFF

INCORPORATING FAMILY recipes, rescue dogs, and small-

Sit! Stay! Speak!

Annie England Noblin 384 Pages, Paperback, HarperCollins Publishers, $14.99 share a passion for animal rights, and she adds that there are many lessons in the book that have real-world implications.

“One of the things that I hope at least some readers take out is that we desperately need tougher laws protecting animals,” Annie says.

Sit! Stay! Speak! isn’t just about animal rights activism, though. It’s a doggone good read with intriguing plot turns, lovable and quirky locals, and comforting surroundings.

COURTESY OF HARPERCOLLINS

town charm, Mississippi-born and Ozarks-raised author Annie England Noblin has crafted a therapeutic tale of love, healing, and rediscovery in her debut novel, Sit! Stay! Speak!.

The story begins with tragedy—a tragedy that spurs Addie Andrews to relocate from Chicago to the fictional town of Eunice, Arkansas, where she’s inherited her late aunt’s house, and perhaps more importantly, her recipe box. In this tiny community, Addie is faced with the difficult tasks of confronting her past and accepting her present. On top of her personal problems, she starts noticing that something sinister is unfolding in the seemingly innocent town.

It’s a lot for Addie to handle, but despite the miniscule population, she finds support in unexpected friends. A gang of locals with plenty of Southern pizazz makes for a quirky but caring group of companions. Addie finds redemption and uncovers a refreshing new culture in the Arkansas Delta with Jasper, the unnerving lawyer-turned-farmer with the gorgeous smile; Wanda, Addie’s best friend whose countless Southern idioms are often over-the-top but always endearing; Augustus, Addie’s elderly neighbor who spends most of his free time cavorting around his lawn in his skivvies; and Felix, the dog she saves from abandonment and certain death.

While at the county fair, during family dinners at Wanda’s and Jasper’s houses, and on numerous occasions in town, Addie witnesses customs and cultural norms that are wildly unfamiliar to her, but she gradually starts to feel at home in the oddball town.

Annie—an Arkansas State University English instructor who lives in West Plains and holds a degree from Missouri State University—says the time she spent in Helena, Arkansas, was a major influence on the novel. She also notes that her involvement with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals played a large role in incorporating Felix and other dogs into the novel.

Just as Addie found refuge from her grief in Felix, Annie has had similar therapeutic connections with rescue animals. Although the strong-willed, caring protagonist and the author are very different, Annie admits the two

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Presented By: Outlaw Rodeo Productions

Visit · Stay · Explore

There’s more to do here.

Naturally.

Visit www.salemmo.com for a full listing of events

Aug 1 Free kids fishing Aug 9 Hummingbird banding demo Aug 13-15 Dent County Fall Festival Sept 5-6 Salem Area Chamber of Commerce Rodeo Sept 7 Labor Day Parade Sept 12-13 Current River Blue Oval Rally Sept 12-13 Mo Trout Fisherman’s Tournament

[23] August 2015

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SHOW-ME

Books

MORE GOOD READS

BY SHANNON MURFF

The Book of Real Missouri Records

Guidebook to St. Charles

Ross Malone, 298 pages, softcover, nonfiction, $17 If you’ve ever felt stumped when asked the question, “What is Missouri known for?” this book is for you. With chapters ranging from Missouri’s “Best Sports” and “Biggest Mistakes” to Missouri’s “Scariest” and “Worst Villains, Outlaws & Dastardly Deeds,” The Book of Real Missouri Records is packed with trivia that is sure to leave you intrigued, and maybe embarrassed by your home state. Some of the facts are nationally renowned, some are state legends, and some Ross has plucked straight out of obscurity, but all of them have one thing in common: Missouri.

Justine Riggs and Vicki Berger Erwin, 216 pages, nonfiction, $19.95 Locally produced, this in-depth guidebook is a definitive trip planner to St. Charles County. The knowledgeable voices of residents Justine Riggs and Vicki Berger Erwin provide the most up-todate and honest insider information on one of the country’s fastest growing counties. The portable book features more than two hundred pages of detailed descriptions, including contact information and photos of many attractions, restaurants, and historical sites worth visiting. Plus, there’s a furry bonus: thanks to Justine’s love of traveling with her dogs, pet-friendly businesses are specially noted.

Ghost Writer Edwin Frownfelter, 386 pages, softcover, fiction, $14 In this novel, Kansas City-based attorney and author Edwin Frownfelter brings new meaning to the phrase “It’s all in your head.” Readers are situated in the inner thoughts of a hotshot young lawyer whose mind is suddenly being inhabited by his apartment’s former resident: a deceased mystery novelist. As the two men share a brain, they must simultaneously balance penning one last book with the demands of an esteemed law firm, not to mention a complicated love life and some very shady dealings.

Growing the Midwest Garden Edward Lyon, 316 pages, softcover, nonfiction, $25.95 “Midwest gardening means using plants that will thrive in our unique conditions,” writes gardening guru Edward Lyon in Growing the Midwest Garden. A lifetime gardener, Edward’s goal is to encourage Midwesterners to garden in spite of the region’s challenging climate. This book is full of helpful tips on design, maintenance, what plants to use, and working with our unique climate. Edward also offers wise insight to new and veteran gardeners alike on managing expectations and nurturing a balanced and vibrant garden. Leaving no stone unturned, this how-to guide could be a key addition to your gardening success.

Joe, the Slave Who Became an Alamo Legend Ron J. Jackson Jr. and Lee Spencer White 352 pages, hardcover, nonfiction, $29.95 In a riveting, dramatic exploration of history, authors Ron J. Jackson Jr. and Lee Spencer White delve into the story of the slave, known simply as “Joe,” whose life led him into the pivotal Battle of The Alamo.

Throughout Joe’s life, his many adventures and trials lead him across the United States, passing through the heart of Missouri. The authors offer several snapshots of Missouri’s complex history that shed light on the slave trade, historic agriculture, and economic recessions of the nineteenth century.

Sir Christian de Galis and the Fish Gravy Carl E. Ramsey, 244 Pages, softcover, children’s fiction, $19.95 Combining faith with fish, prayers with pomp, and an unlikely hero with a ragtag band of fantastical characters, St. Louis-based author and Marine Corps veteran Carl E. Ramsey has put together a children’s novel worthy of knighthood. An adventure book peppered with comical illustrations by fellow veteran Paul Dillon of Maryland Heights, this Arthurian slapstick takes readers on a quest where they’ll learn lessons of spirituality, bravery, and ingenuity in fun and unusual ways.

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See our website for downloadable audio tours www.VisitLexingtonMo.com

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660-259-4711 [25] August 2015

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MISSOURI

Michael Fraser and Tenley Hansen recorded their latest album with a host of guest musicians from around Missouri.

DYNAMIC DUO

“I ASKED Michael if he would give me some fiddle lessons, and he said no,” says singer and multi-instrumentalist Tenley Hansen while laughing.

When Tenley met fiddler Michael Fraser in Kansas City ten years ago, he was obstinate at first. However, the two began to talk and bond over shared musical interests, and he eventually agreed to teach her the fiddle. From then on, their relationship grew. Today, they are a couple and the core duo behind Shortleaf, now based in Rogersville.

Before Tenley met Michael, the only music she had performed was musical theater. She majored in theater at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and had even toured Europe performing in Godspell. However, when she began listening to female folk singers like Ricki Lee Jones and Joni Mitchell, her interests began to lean away from theater and towards Americana.

Michael, on the other hand, has almost always been a bluegrass and country enthusiast. While his youth was filled with Southern rock like Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young and the Marshall Tucker Band, Michael converted to the gospel of traditional American folk music back in his college years when he saw the Ozark Mountain Daredevils perform at Truman State University in Kirksville.

“It just made a connection for me to put this rock ’n’ roll music together with this hillbilly music, this traditional music,” Michael says. “It just really spoke to me.”

After that, he was fascinated with rural American music. When he moved to the Ozarks, Texas County to be specific, he completely fell in love with the culture and was even further enamored by fiddle music. During his years in the Ozarks, he served as an apprentice to legendary fiddler Bob

Holt and became a fiddle expert in his own right before forming Shortleaf, named after the shortleaf pine, and eventually moving to Kansas City.

As one half of a band that plays both traditional and original music, Michael operates as more of the left-brained, mechanical side of the band. He studies different techniques, especially focusing on different styles found throughout Missouri. A new fiddling style is more likely to inspire him to write a song than anything else.

“Music for me has always been about learning,” he says. “I just really enjoy learning about music; that’s what really drives me.”

On the other hand, Tenley operates as the more right-brained, emotiondriven side of the band. When she learned the story of the 1863 Lawrence Massacre, she immediately wrote the song “Who Will Avenge” on the band’s album Missouri Roads.

“A lot of times, I think songs that come to me come from a place of deep hurt or deep sadness or deep empathy for someone else,” she says.

“It comes from the heart. It’s kind of like when someone needs a good cry.”

The two balance each other out. Michael provides intricate, melodious fiddle in the Ozarks tradition, while Tenley adds a sweet-voiced softness to the tunes. The band’s latest album, Standing on the Rock, provides a little bit of both but places an emphasis on the driving square dance music of the Ozarks. Although the album is a point of pride, touring and playing shows for people is more important to both Tenley and Michael.

“We most enjoy concerts where there’s a captivated audience,” Michael says. “Those concerts are our favorites because we do a lot of storytelling.”

Visit shortleafband.com for more information.

STEPHEN GOLDBLATT

Rogersville’s Shortleaf exemplifies Ozarks-style music. BY JONAS WEIR

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Wildwood Springs Lodge POCO

PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE

THE GUESS WHO

BREWER AND SHIPLEY

2015 concert Lineup MARSHALL TUCKER BAND

BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS

FOGHAT

SEPTEMBER 19: PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE SEPTEMBER 26: THE TURTLES FEATURING FLO AND EDDIE OCTOBER 3: THE GUESS WHO OCTOBER 9-10: POCO, RUSTY YOUNG AND RICHIE FURAY OCTOBER 16-17: MARSHALL TUCKER BAND OCTOBER 23-24: BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS FEATURING BO BICE OCTOBER 30: BREWER AND SHIPLEY OCTOBER 31: FOGHAT NOVEMBER 6-7: OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS FOR TICKET INFORMATION VISIT WILDWOODSPRINGSLODGE.COM

wildwoodspringslodge.com 573-775-2400 Steelville, mo wildwood1922@misn.com [27] August 2015

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MISSOURI

Henry Domke’s photographs of New England aster flowers are printed on glass and adorn the walls of the ground floor of the Hershey Children’s Hospital in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

THE Picture OF HEALTH AFTER SPENDING more than two decades of his life in the medical field, it seems fitting that doctor-turned-artist Henry Domke prefers to display his work in hospitals rather than art galleries. Healthcare facilities in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, England, Germany, and Saudi Arabia showcase his nature photography in their patient rooms, hallways, and waiting areas.

Despite his international reach, Henry does most of his work in his own backyard in New Bloomfield. He and his wife, Lorna, live on a six hundred-acre property with many plants, animals, woods, prairies, ponds, streams, and limestone bluffs. Part of the area is the Prairie Garden Trust—a nonprofit the Domkes are developing.

“These days, I rarely leave the property,” Henry says. “Home is my favorite place. It is where I take the majority of my photographs.”

Nature walks are a daily routine for Henry.

He treks through his vast acreage in central Missouri inspecting the wildlife. In addition to his camera, he carries a pair of binoculars to get close-up looks at the native birds and butterflies.

At age sixty-three, Henry Domke’s art career has really just begun, as he was a family practitioner for over twenty years.

“I’ve been interested in nature since I was a kid,” he says. “I’ll often get lost in what I’m doing in a really positive way. I lose my sense of time, and I’m totally in the moment.”

Henry didn’t take a traditional path to becoming an artist. After high school, he enrolled in art school but never attended. Instead, he went to the University of Kansas to major in biology, went on to attend medical school at the University of Missouri, and spent twenty-three years as a family doctor in Jefferson City.

“My parents thought I was crazy when I said I wanted to be a doctor because I’d always been interested in art,” he says.

Although he put his artistic aspirations on the back burner, they never completely went away.

During a yearlong study abroad trip in medical school in 1977, he had the opportunity to

COURTESY OF HENRY DOMKE

Henry Domke’s nature photography finds a home in hospitals. BY PORCSHE N. MORAN

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As with many of his photos, Henry Domke captured this image of water lilies on his property in New Bloomfield. The photo can be found in a healthcare facility in Rancho Mirage, California.

hospital has even continued to incorporate more of Henry’s work with each renovation and expansion.

“I didn’t expect any of this,” he says. “My art career has been like riding a wild horse. It has been a lot of fun, and the path keeps changing.”

Although photography offers Henry freedom and creativity, he still approaches it with the precision of a doctor. He rejects the majority of his photos, and the ones he keeps go through an extensive editing process that includes months

COURTESY OF HENRY DOMKE

sharpen his photo skills. He shot rolls of film in Denmark, Papua New Guinea, Kenya, and New Zealand. Decades later, he reduced his hours at his practice to study fine art at MU. Henry’s photography finally made its big debut in 2002 at an art show at the Kemper Center for the Arts at William Woods University in Fulton.

“I think that the definition of an artist is someone who can’t say no to art,” Henry says.

“The desire to do art was always there.”

In 2003, Henry fully embraced his art career and founded his company, Henry Domke Fine Art. The purpose of his business, which he co-owns with Lorna, is to provide better and more appropriate art for healthcare facilities.

“The problem that I saw was that the people picking the art for hospitals were choosing edgy, conceptual art that would fit in a high-dollar gallery,” Henry says. “That’s not what people in a hospital want to see. If you’re in a hospital, you’re likely nervous. You might be in pain. You don’t want to be challenged by the artwork. The purpose of art in healthcare should be to reduce stress. There are studies that show that images of nature have a calming effect.”

Henry’s first major installation was a huge success. In 2003, Blessing Hospital in Quincy, Illinois, ordered forty large prints. The

of revisions. He currently has more than five thousand images on his website.

“Some of the things I learned in medicine have been helpful to me as an artist,” he says. “I have to be thoughtful, professional, and consistent.”

Henry’s clients go beyond paper and canvas when displaying his work. Some have put his images on metal, acrylic, and glass. Recently, a national textile company began using his photos for a line of fabrics. He also works with a company in Iowa that backlights his work on LED panels.

“It’s so cool to see my work transformed with these various materials,” Henry says. “It’s an ahha moment when I see it for the first time.”

Henry might not be able to predict where his business will go next, but he has an idea.

“The goal is always to get realistic, attractive images of nature,” Henry says. “The way that a great photograph of nature can make you feel is a visceral thing that can’t be described in words.

If an image makes my heart sing, then I consider it to be a good piece. I’ve failed if a client doesn’t say ‘wow’ when they look at my art.”

Henry’s art is on display at health centers throughout the state. For more information, visit henrydomke.com and prairiegardentrust.org.

These photos of flowering dogwood trees hang in at the Stewart Cancer Center at Boone Hospital in Columbia. Henry also has other works on display throughout the hospital.

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AWAKEN to Fulton’s rich history with exciting sights and sounds all wrapped up in the warmth of small-town charm in the Brick District with elegant architecture and 67 buildings on the historic register.

IMMERSE yourself in the arts at the new Art House in Fulton's Brick District where there are classes to take and fine art to admire and purchase.

CONNECT to our history at the state-of-the-art renovated National Churchill Museum. This $4 million museum, inside a priceless piece of architecture, offers a look back at living history.

MARVEL at the impressive collection of 84 historic automobiles displayed in Hollywood-style sets for their era at the new Backer Auto World Museum.

SAMPLE some distinctive Missouri wines at Canterbury Hill Winery, or bottle your own at Serenity Valley Winery.

SAVOR scrumptious dining at one of our great restaurants for a down home or uptown experience.

CAPTURE a sense of local history at the Historical Society Museum, or pay your respects at the Missouri Firefighters Memorial.

SMILE at the offbeat collection at Crane’s Museum in Williamsburg, and before you head out, stop by Marlene’s Restaurant. A pulled-pork sandwich and warm slice of pie will leave you grinning.

The National Churchill Museum features interactive displays that engage and educate visitors of all ages.

Callaway County Fair brings fun with rides, music, food, and events.

REVISIT the 1930s by sharing a shake made with locally made premium ice cream at Sault’s authentic soda fountain.

UNWIND at a Missouri top 10 inn, the historic Loganberry Inn, where Margaret Thatcher and other famous guests have stayed.

Backer Auto World Museum displays an impressive collection of 84 historic automobiles in Hollywood-style sets.

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Wonderful breakfasts and romantic accommodations await you at Loganberry Inn B&B.

Calendar of Events Callaway County Fair July 27 to August 1 Callaway County Fair Grounds, Route C Fair Events, Tractor Pull, Demolition Derby, Livestock Events and more callawaycountyfairfultonmo.com Bluegrass & BBQ September 13 noon - 6  600 East Fifth Street, Fulton Five groups performing and great food $7 per person, 16 and under free with parent 573-642-7523 43rd Annual Hatton Craft Festival October 3 , 9  - 4 Throughout Hatton 175+ exhibitors with handmade items for sale: dolls, hand-painted china, paintings, pillows, wooden toys, florals, seasonal items hattoncraftday@gmail.com www.fultonstreetfair.com

Enjoy great wine and a great view at Serenity Valley Winery or Canterbury Hill Winery.

Celebrate the joy of painting, pottery, and creativity with weekly events at the Art House in Fulton’s Brick District.

www.visitfulton.com

Come tour our seven historic Civil War sites on the Gray Ghosts Trail!

www.callawaycivilwar.org www.mocivilwar.org

Savor a Brown Cow at Sault’s authentic soda fountain.

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For your next getaway or family vacation, visit Fulton and Callaway County. For more information and calendar of events, visit www.visitfulton.com or call 573-642-3055.

6/29/15 9:50 AM

a Mule’s Go for a wild ride at the Clark County Mule Festival.

— STORY AND PHOTOS BY — CHRISTOPHER WALLJASPER

Colton Weldon, a professional bull rider and the former Clark County Mule Festival king, shows off on his mule, Surprise.

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COLTON WELDON is everywhere. One minute, he’s preparing to ride his mule, a steady mare named Surprise, in the egg-and-spoon race. The next, he’s teasing a young cowgirl who’s braiding her mule’s tail. Later on, he’s entertaining a gaggle of young cowboys as he pulls out his gear to ride wild mules and bucking bulls at the Saturday-night rodeo, in front of thousands of rowdy onlookers and proud locals.

To say Colton is friendly would be putting it mildly. He has the energy of the hunting dogs he breeds and the laid back calmness of an old farmer. And if you ask him why he loves mules, you’ll get a frank answer: “I just like their dispositions a lot better.”

Colton is not the only one to shower praises on Missouri’s official state animal. Ask any one of the more than six thousand visitors to the Clark County Mule Festival in Kahoka each year, and most will jump at the chance to celebrate the mule’s work ethic, smarts, and proper place in America’s history.

Most of the mules at the Clark County Mule Festival are friendly and love human attention, but it’s a good idea to check with their owners before approaching, petting, or feeding the mules.

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President of the Clark County Mule Festival, Mike Shantz, on the far left, makes last minute plans before the annual festival’s opening ceremonies.

A Case for the Mule Despite their depiction in popular culture as stubborn, obnoxious animals that constantly infuriate their masters, mules have proven themselves time and time again to be dependable working stock that outperform their thoroughbred cousins where it really counts.

Dr. John Dodam has advised the Mule Club at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine for twenty years and has

two draft mules that he uses to mow pastures, plow snow, rake hay, and do other chores. As an expert on mules, he says that it is important to realize that it’s intelligence, not ignorance, that makes mules behave differently than horses.

“Mules are intelligent and possess a strong survival instinct,” John says. “Mule trainers need to be more intelligent than the mule and more patient, too.”

Historically, a mule’s toughness and cunning could have meant the difference between life and death for a pioneer who depended on draft animals for farming and hauling. John says that mules helped build the West as the frontier expanded past the Mississippi.

“In the late 1800s and up to 1900, Missouri had more mules than any other state,” he says.

They were bred big and hearty and were sold in markets where farmers, pioneers, freighters, and the military would buy them. John explains that in the early twentieth century, the Army took advantage of these markets to acquire animals that met its needs. Missouri mules were shipped to the front lines in Europe to help dig trenches and move machinery.

But the Clark County Mule Festival is about much more than the animals and their rich history here in Missouri. It’s also about the community. When you ask die-hard Mule Fest visitors about their life, they measure it in Erin Bash and Alex Hopper take some time off in the barrel riding practice ring. Barrel riding is one of many typical rodeo events found at the Clark County Mule Festival.

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The back-to-back event is one of many contests that test both a mule’s steadiness and a rider’s toughness over the festival weekend.

festivals: the year the Mississippi river flooded so badly that it almost swallowed up the Mule Fest grounds nearly ten miles away, or the year Mike Schantz, the festival’s president, got married and was at the festival the next week.

However, it doesn’t matter if you have never stepped foot in Kahoka or if you’ve been coming to the Mule Fest since 1986 when it began with a handful of mule riding fanatics in northeast Missouri. Once you cross the threshold of that old metal arch that reads, “Clark County Fairgrounds,” you become a member of the Mule Fest family.

All Work and No Play

An enthusiastic member of the Mule Fest team, John Metzner helps corral mules and set up activities in the arena.

Most rodeo events are born out of some reallife skill. Breaking horses begot bronco busting, and without cattle drives, barrel racing and calf roping probably wouldn’t be spectator sports.

But it’s hard to see the utility in a grown man struggling to pull a bra over his shirt, stuff water balloons in each cup, and race a mule down

a dirt track. Festival president Mike Schantz explains it away with a logical answer over a plate of biscuits and gravy the morning before the games begin.

“It’s just people having fun,” Mike says.

“There’s nowhere in the world you could go to watch a three-day event for two dollars.”

Fun and affordability are the keys to the festival’s success. Many of the events that take place on Saturday and Sunday are exactly that: fun.

The “back-to-back” event puts two riders on a mule without a saddle. The first team to successfully switch places without touching the ground wins. A steady mule that won’t mind a person fumbling over its hindquarters is crucial to a successful team. More skittish mules leave their riders in the dust when the contortions get too rowdy.

For a few of the events, it’s not hard to imagine the skills on display in real life scenarios, despite how zany they are to watch in the arena. The egg-and-spoon race requires balance and a steady steed if the egg is going to stay in the spoon, the handle of which happens to be

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A Partnership Built on Trust Colton Weldon’s trusted mount, Surprise, has practiced many of these events beforehand.

Colton rides her regularly on his farm in central Iowa, running down calves or hunting coyotes and raccoons. He says he rode horses for most of his life until the day his uncle gave him Surprise.

“I’ve got a horse, and I don’t like her,” Colton says.

Surprise won him over almost immediately.

Colton talks about her with a smile that gives away their connection.

“That just comes from using them, working them,” he says. “If you’ve got to get in there, rope a baby calf, and drag him up to the house, I tell you what, you better be riding something you can operate and handle.”

Among all the mules and mule owners, Colton and Surprise’s relationship stands out as one of steadfast trust and mutual respect.

A Community of Mules

The mule jump is one of dozens of events throughout the weekend-long festival. Four separate mule jumps happen on Saturday and Sunday of the Mule Fest this year.

in the rider’s mouth. Then, there’s a mounted version of musical chairs called “musical carpets.” When the music stops, the riders race to get their mules to the nearest three-by-three patch of carpet that’s been placed around the arena. The rider has to dismount and make it onto the square and, as in the childhood game, the last one on a square is eliminated.

Other festival competitions have clear ties to life on a farm. Friday night is filled with more traditional rodeo events, only executed by mule rather than horse. The team sorting event puts two riders, this time on separate mules, up to the task of herding specific calves out of a nervous bunch. Roping is a similar idea—only the

calf is alone, racing across the arena at a breakneck speed, and looking for anywhere to go that’s away from the rider.

And then, there is the one event that typifies the mule’s stubbornness but also its selfpreserving smarts—the mule jump. A long metal pole is suspended from two posts, and the mules engage in a sort of reverse limbo, each round jumping higher and higher to clear the pole. But despite their owners prodding, pulling, screaming, pleading, and cajoling, some mules know their limits and simply will not budge if they think they might get hurt. Two things make mule jumping fun to watch: the ridiculous heights some of these mules can hurdle and the ridiculous lengths to which some mule owners will go to coax a mule into jumping over a bar.

The thirty-year history of the Clark County Mule Festival is largely contained in a corrugated tin building in the middle of the festival grounds. T-shirts from years gone by are for sale in various sizes and colors. Old buttons are on display alongside handbills and faded pictures.

Mike says in the early days, the town of Kahoka looked at the mule riders with some uncertainty.

“The first couple years, everybody laughed at it or didn’t know what we were doing,” he says. After a few years, however, the community came around: “It’s just a ton of involvement—total community involvement.”

Student groups now pick up trash on the grounds, host fish dinners, and park cars. In town, homemade signs advertising yard sales fill the streets and tempt visitors with handme-down treasures. The otherwise sleepy town, population 2,078, is abuzz the week of the Clark County Mule Festival.

Mike says family reunions are planned around the festival, and families are started there, too. Mike’s daughter attended her first Mule Fest before she turned one month old. In 2012, Richard and Evelyn Van De Kerckhove

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Dottie Tonnies is a Clark County Mule Festival legend of sorts. She is known for her delicious funnel cakes and her remarkable memory of her past customers.

got married on the festival grounds, and the festival has been their anniversary celebration ever since.

Dottie Tonnies’ funnel cakes are another tradition at the festival. As she fries the dough, she does as much catching up with old friends as she does cooking. Although she may not remember everyone’s name, she says the faces are familiar and they make her job fun.

Dottie shakes a freshly fried funnel cake.

Grease glistens as it hits the metal counter top. The hot soft cake splits apart, and Dottie scolds herself for the error but finds a way to make it positive. Glancing at the customer, an old regular, she says, “She’s going to say, ‘You’ve got to break it to eat it anyway.’”

Dottie dusts the cake with powdered sugar, which covers the split in the cake and fills the little trailer with fine white dust.

“Alright, I kind of broke it,” Dottie says, admitting her error as she hands the cake through a little door in the trailer’s screen.

“That’s alright. We’ll break it anyhow.”

Across the arena, a new generation of cowboys and cowgirls are practicing barrel racing and roping in a rough corral. The mules are patient with the children, who are eager to learn what they see in the ring. Some of these kids are already riding on their family farms,

while others only get a chance at country living this week when they visit family at the Clark County Mule Festival.

The Steadiness of the Mule Colton Weldon doesn’t need to prove his trust in Surprise.

“I could walk off, go eat, and she’d stay right here,” he says.

Instead, Colton hoists himself from the saddle and stands on her back. Then, he points his toe, connecting with the saddle horn that juts from the front of the seat. Arms extended, he lifts himself onto one toe and smiles with satisfaction.

Surprise barely bats an eye. Her straw-colored tail swats a fly away, but her rust brown hindquarters don’t even twitch as Colton low-

All the activity surrounding an event can sometimes prove too much for a mule. The animals will rear up at any sign of danger, even if it’s not a real threat to them.

ers himself back down to her saddle. He settles himself into a reclined position and crosses his legs like he’s a guest on a late night talk show.

“She’s a superstar in her own right,” Colton says with a grin. “She knows she’s cool.”

And just like Surprise, the Clark County Mule Festival is steady. For the past three decades, it has been a constant in the lives of the hard-working people who live in northeast Missouri. But it has also slowly grown from a handful of trail riders to a jam-packed weekend of family fun, touched with just enough rowdy roughness to remind visitors of the Western frontier that gave the mule, and Missouri, its proud legacy.

The festival has a steady presence, much like the mule itself—dependable, a little quirky, and a whole lot of fun.

Thirtieth Annual Clark County Mule Festival September 18 to 20 Clark County Fairgrounds Highway 136, Kahoka The festival kicks off when the vendors open at 8 AM on Friday, and events start later in the afternoon. Events are held throughout the weekend until Sunday night when the arena race closes out the festival. Admission is $2 a person. Children under ten are free. Camping is available. Visit clarkcountymulefestival.com or call Mike Schantz at 660-866-2330 for more information.

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back to

School

Discover Missouri’s Historic One-Room Schoolhouses.

BY AMY BURGER Long before the days of Common Core and standardized testing, many Missouri students, particularly those in rural areas, gathered in one-room schoolhouses to learn the three Rs: reading, writing, and arithmetic. Perhaps one of your grandparents attended one of these schools, trudging for miles through the snow or rain (both ways) to be taught in a mixed-grade class by a single teacher.

The first school in what would become the Missouri territory was organized in 1774 in St. Louis. From that time until around 1865, many more schools were established across the state and the first steps toward developing a public school system were taken.

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COURTESY OF PATRICK F. EVENSON

The Pony School was built as a part of the Pony Express National Museum in 2011. Although it is not an original oneroom schoolhouse, it is an authentic representation and has historic artifacts.

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The Moser School in rural Dent County was photographed by Charles Elliott Gill in 1929.

The school, near Salem, was named after a local land owner, F.M. Moser.

“Everywhere people settled, there was a school; it was often the first building to be put up in an area, and it was built with community support,” says author David Burton, a communication specialist with University of Missouri Extension in Greene County and the founder of the Missouri Historical Schools Alliance. “The community would get together and build and maintain the buildings, which is why they all look different. What they were built with depended upon the resources available.”

The majority of one-room schoolhouses taught students in first through eighth grades in a mixed class environment; kindergarten didn’t exist at that time. County superintendents would often oversee all of the schools in their county, and they would also hire the teachers and assist them with the curriculum.

Sometimes, with only one teacher instructing a large number of students, it was difficult to provide much undivided attention. Often, the older students would help teach the younger students, and younger students would overhear lessons being given to the older students and pick up on some of those. Students could perhaps even skip a grade or two simply by osmosis.

However, spending less individual time with the teacher meant that students had to be self-motivated and independent in their learning.

Class sizes varied greatly depending on the school and community. The Storeys Creek one-room schoolhouse near Alley Mill in Eminence had an enrollment of forty-two students in 1903.

David knows of one school in Greene County that had seventy-eight students and just one teacher. He notes that, due to these high numbers, not all students were necessarily in school at the same time. For example, some schools would teach odd-numbered grades one year and even-numbered grades the next. Older boys were often only at school if there was bad weather and they couldn’t work on the farm.

During that time, high school was a luxury. They were typically only located in the larger towns and cities. Once rural students completed their education, they’d have to travel to the city to attend high school, not to mention providing their own transportation and paying a small tuition.

In 2008, the State Historical Society of Missouri in Columbia began an ongoing project to collect the oral histories of people who both attended

“One-room schoolhouses are a part of Americana

that has been romanced and captures people’s

reflective of the people and culture of the areas they existed in.”

COURTESY OF MISSOURI STATE ARCHIVES

imaginations. They are

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COURTESY OF MISSOURI STATE ARCHIVES

and taught at one-room schoolhouses throughout the state. The idea for the project grew from the One Read community-wide reading program at Daniel Boone Regional Library, where participants read and discussed the novel The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig, which takes place in a one-room school in rural Montana.

Since then, the State Historical Society of Missouri’s oral historian Jeff Corrigan has collected around fortyfive interviews about one-room schoolhouses.

“They have historic value and people like to hear about them,” Jeff says. “If we don’t capture these stories now while these people are still here, it will become such an anomaly. We won’t be able to capture them ten or twenty years from now.”

One of the common themes that emerged from Jeff’s interviews with former students was the resourcefulness of the children in relation to recess and play.

“They didn’t have entire teams or full equipment, so they often had to modify games based on the number of people or things they could use,” he says. “Or they’d just explore their environment—play in a ditch, play in a creek. Most of the schools didn’t have a playground—at most maybe just a swing.”

Taking care of the school was a communal effort. Students often had chores, such as stoking the fire, sweeping, or bringing in water from the well.

Another commonality Jeff discovered was annual pie-supper fundraisers, which were typically the school’s main fundraiser for the year.

“The women and girls would bake a pie or boxed supper, and the whole community would come out and bid on them in an auction,” he says.

“Whoever bought the pie got to sit and eat with the person who made it, so the older boys would get into bidding wars to sit with the girl they liked.”

Jeff found that one-room schoolhouse alumni thought having a mixed-age class was integral to their learning. Most also thought they received a quality education. Many students remained farmers, while others pursued higher education. Two interviewees were MU professors with PhDs.

This photo from 1908 captures a class singing in front of the Antioch School in rural Dent County. The school took its name from the nearby Baptist church.

Charles Elliott Gill photographed many rural schools in Dent County in the early part of the twentieth century. This photo has been dated back to 1915.

Dr. Joseph Vandepopuliere, a professor in the College of Agriculture whom Jeff’s colleague William Stolz interviewed in September 2008, recalled: “We had to do a lot of stuff on our own; and so you learn how to work and do things on your own; and so that helps in graduate school ’cause you have to do a lot of things on your own in graduate school. They don’t spoon feed you in graduate school.”

Joy Starr Zumwalt, also of Columbia, both attended and later taught at one-room schoolhouses. In an interview at her home in June 2011, she remembered a particular student she taught: “She was the only student in that grade. So she would beg me at recess, ‘Miss Joy, don’t go outdoors. Sit down here and help me with my English.’ And so with my ear tuned to the playground, I would spend part of my recess with her because she’d never had individual help before.”

Most school districts began consolidating in the 1950s for various reasons, including the improvement of county roads, the development of bus transportation, and parents’ desires for more amenities for students, such as full athletic programs and a wider variety of subjects. However, some areas didn’t consolidate until later in the 1960s. The last public one-room school in Missouri was closed in 1973, forced by state law. Amish communities in Missouri continue to use them today, and there are a handful of public oneroom schools still operating in rural western states like Montana and Idaho.

Although no longer in operation, quite a few historic one-room schoolhouses are still standing throughout the state, and David Burton says there has been a growing interest in preserving them, particularly over the past ten years. When he began his research, there were 124 of them in Greene County; seventy-two of those are still standing in one form or another.

“One-room schoolhouses are a part of Americana that has been romanced and captures people’s imaginations,” David says. “They are reflective of the people and culture of the areas they existed in.”

To further explore one-room schoolhouses, check out the two books David has penned: Driving Tour of One-Room Schools in the Ozarks and A History of Rural Schools in Greene County, Mo. Both are available on Amazon; all proceeds benefit Missouri Extension Services.

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Black Schoolhouse at Barry County Museum Cassville Deeded to the school district in 1879, Black Schoolhouse at the Barry County Museum was one of 112 rural Barry County Schools.

Originally located on Route Y north of Cassville, it was renovated and relocated to the museum site as an exhibit. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm, and admission is free. For more information, call 417-847-1640 or visit barrycomuseum.org. Find the museum at 15858 Route 76 in Cassville.

Higgerson School Historic Site New Madrid Open to the public and fully restored to the traditional one-room school that operated at Higgerson Landing in 1948, the Higgerson School provides a glimpse into the typical school day of children in rural America during the early twentieth century. The schoolhouse is open to tour for a small admission fee on Monday through Friday from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm and on Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm. Ticket prices range from $1.50 to $3 for adults. Children under five are admitted for free. For more information, call 573-748-5716 or visit higgersonschoolhistoricsite.com. Stop by the school at 307 Main Street in New Madrid.

COURTESY OF BARRY COUNTY MUSEUM AND MISSOURI DIVISION OF TOURISM

Franklin Academy Lawson Located in the Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site and operated by Missouri State Parks, this unusually shaped school house was built in 1856 of locally manufactured brick. It was originally used by the Watkins family and their employees until the mid1870s, when it became a residence for mill workers. The building was restored in 1981, and it is now used for school programs from March to November. Reservations are required for the interpretive program. For more information, call the park office at 816-580-3387 or visit mostateparks.com. Visit the park at 26600 Park Road North near Lawson.

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Mt. Gilead School Kearney

COURTESY OF CLAY COUNTY AND LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY

This one-room schoolhouse was originally built out of logs in 1835, and then it was rebuilt as two-story building in 1879 to replace the log structure. The current building, which was open as a school until 1946, is operated

by Clay County Parks, Recreation, and Historic Sites and is currently used for special events and one-room school programming. For more information, call 816-736-8500 or visit claycountymo.gov/historic. Visit the school at 15918 Plattsburg Road in Kearney.

Mount Hope School Defiance This school was built around 1837 and originally located in St. Paul, just outside of O’Fallon. It was relocated to Defiance to the Historic Daniel Boone Home and Heritage Center and is generally open for special events and can be visited during a tour of the village. For more information, call 636-798-2005 or email BooneHome@lindenwood.edu. Visit the Daniel Boone Home and Heritage Center School at 1868 Route F near Defiance.

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Pony School at the Pony Express National Museum St. Joseph Although not a historic building, the Pony School at the Pony Express National Museum in St. Joseph was completed in 2011 and is an authentic reproduction of an 1860s one-room schoolhouse, complete with rustic desks, slate boards, period maps, a thirty-three-star flag, and a pot-bellied stove. The Pony School is open by appointment for tours and traditional classes led by costumed schoolmarms. For more information, call 800-530-5930 or visit ponyexpress.apptily.com. Visit the school and museum at 914 Penn Street in St. Joseph.

The Rock Ford School Harrisonville

COURTESY OF MISSOURI DIVISION OF TOURISM

Originally located five miles west of Harrisonville, this historic one-room school was dismantled and relocated on a site in Harrisonville and is used as a living history classroom for area elementary students to relive the experience of a typical day in a one-room schoolhouse. For tour information, call 816-380-4545 or visit casscountyhistoricalsociety.com.

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Star Schoolhouse Point Lookout In 1981, this schoolhouse, built in 1910, was relocated from its original site in Barry County to the grounds of The Ralph Foster Museum at College of the Ozarks near Branson to be preserved. The Star Schoolhouse, which is open to the public at no charge, is authentic to the time period with historic desks, McGuffey’s Readers, and an authentic schoolmarm dress.

It is open to tour Monday through Saturday from 9 am to 4:30 pm. For more information, call 417-334-3407 or visit fostermuseum.com. Find the Ralph Foster Museum at 1 Opportunity Avenue in Point Lookout.

Storeys Creek Schoolhouse Eminence

COURTESY OF NATIONAL PARK SERVICES AND COLLEGE OF THE OZARKS

Storeys Creek one-room schoolhouse, adjacent to Alley Mill six miles west of Eminence on Route 106, was built in 1896 and used until 1957 when the local school district was consolidated. Now located in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways park, the grounds are always open, but access to the school is limited.

The school is open 9 am to 5 pm daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day. An interpretive park ranger can guide your experience as staffing allows. Find more information at the park headquarters at 404 Watercress Drive in Van Buren between 8 am and 4:30 pm on weekdays. To learn more, call the park office 573-3234236 or visit nps.gov/ozar.

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Kenny Rasnic, a member of the Missouri Big Irons Mounted Shooters based in Farmington, drove from southern Missouri to attend a competition in Ashland.

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staring a

BARREL

i

Meet Missouri’s modern-day gunslingers.

BY ANDREW BRIDGES | PHOTOGRAPHY BY HARRY KATZ

MISSOURI WAS ONCE home to

some of the most notorious gunslingers of the Old West. Outlaws like the James brothers and Younger brothers later joined together to become one of the most infamous gangs of the West but were born in Missouri.

Outlaw Johnny Ringo spent time in Missouri before his big gunfight at OK Corral. Hyman G. Neill—also referred to as Hoodoo Brown—is considered the baddest of them all in some eyes.

And we can’t forget about the legendary Miss Calamity Jane, who was born in Princeton, Missouri.

Even future lawman Wyatt Earp settled in Lamar, where he had a few scrapes with the law, until his wife died. Earp, of course, went on to become one of the most legendary sheriffs of all time.

Hollywood has done its best to enthrall Western enthusiasts with movies like Tombstone, McClintock, Lonesome Dove, and many more. And what kid didn’t play cowboys and Indians growing up?

Now, there is a new Wild West competition that brings the child out in all of

us and allows the competitor and spectator to act and feel as if they were part of the James-Younger Gang or riding beside Wyatt Earp to chase down some desperados. It’s called Cowboy Mounted Shooting, and it blends horsemanship, marksmanship, and showmanship into a few hours of gun blazin’ action.

Cowboy Mounted Shooting is a trademarked sport that started in 1990 in Arizona, but it wasn’t until 2002 that a group of horse enthusiasts brought the sport to the Show-Me State.

Unlike many sports, this competition has more than enough adrenalinefueled moments to satiate spectators’ appetites for action.

Something about watching a cowboy or cowgirl speeding through a course with pistols in hand, shooting balloons with accuracy, and still keeping his or her horse under control makes you want to go out and try it.

Is it the smell of burnt gunpowder?

Is it the crack of thunder followed by a cloud of white smoke billowing from the barrel of a gun? Or is it the sure speed of the human and horse, companions competing as one?

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Harrisburg resident Travis Smith is currently the state champion in Cowboy Mounted Shooting after he scored the highest at a shoot earlier in 2015.

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Riders for the Show Me Mounted Shooters and the Missouri Rawhide Mounted Shooters gather for a joint competition in Ashland.

p Rare Breed v Travis Smith has long been fascinated with horses and warfare. He’s traced mounted combat history back hundreds of years. However, it wasn’t until 2002 that Travis got the chance to join his passion for riding horses and his fascination with the war horse when he, his wife, and a few others came together to bring the sport of mounted shooting to Missouri and start the Show Me Mounted Shooters club.

“I have always been fascinated by the war horse history that spans back to before the Roman Empire, the technology of the ancient world, and how well the horses were bred and trained for battle,” he says. “It’s fascinating to think that all of those secrets to training horses that way have been lost or forgotten in the past one hundred years in the age of mechanization.”

Travis, now the vice president of the Show Me Mounted Shooters, has seen the sport grow from just a few competitors to a movement. Show Me Mounted Shooters now boasts more than fifty members, and two new clubs have started in Missouri since Travis and friends founded their club. Each club is located in a different region of the state, and each is responsible for having its own competitions, also called shoots.

“When this started about twenty years ago, you just needed a horse that you could do a collected lope, and you could win a lot,” he says. “Now, there is more horsemanship involved, and it has gotten more competitive.”

As vice president, Travis is involved in all the big decisions for the club. He is also a certified range master at all of the events. Being the range master means he’s responsible for standing in the arena, ensuring the safety of all the

“It’s fascinating to think that all of those secrets to training horses that way have been lost or forgotten in the past one hundred years in the age of mechanization.”— Travis Smith, Show Me Mounted Shooters

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Kingsville resident Jessica Retzke rounds the barrel in an attempt to shoot a balloon. The black powder cartridges create a lot of smoke when fired.

Live rounds are prohibited at Cowboy Mounted Shooting Events. Instead, competitors use these brass cartridges loaded with black powder.

competitors, and enforcing the rules.

Along with his many responsibilities to the club, he owns and operates two businesses.

At his day job, Travis works as a professional farrier, where he is responsible for trimming horses’ hooves as well as getting them re-shod. He gets calls from across central Missouri for his farrier services. He shoes horses for the University of Missouri Equine Clinic and has had the opportunity to shoe Windfall II, an Olympic medalist. He often gets the chance to see firsthand how different horses react with different riders.

“I get to personally watch a lot of other horses run as well as my own,” he says, “and I get to find ways to help a horse keep a competitive edge.”

But Travis doesn’t stop there. When he gets home from a long day of work,

he and his wife, Laura, go straight to the barn, which houses their second office, smelting foundry, and branding shop.

There, Travis creates the patterns and runs the foundry to pour custom brands.

Laura does the design, makes sales, and runs the website—flying45.com. Katie, their nineteen-year-old daughter, sand casts and finishes all of the brands while she attends college.

“Our branding iron business is a totally family-run business in which we create custom freeze brands and hot brands for customers all over the world.” Laura says. “We deal mostly with ranch and farm owners who are interested in protecting their livestock and tying together their ranching operations with a distinct symbol that they can register and use for a logo.”

Travis and Laura started their branding iron business because they couldn’t

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THE RULES In mounted shooting, there are three divisions: men’s, women’s, and seniors’.

Each division has classes that are ranked one through six. Beginners start at class one, and they must get four qualified wins in their class to move up to a higher class.

Much like the Old West, Cowboy Mounted Shooting uses two .45 caliber single-action revolvers. A single-action revolver must be cocked each time before firing. The guns do not shoot live rounds, only blanks. These blanks can pop a balloon up to fifteen feet away. The riders are scored on time and accuracy.

There are more than sixty possible patterns for each competition. Each competition could consist of three to six randomly selected patterns. The patterns that everyone will ride during the competition are pre-determined before the start of the competition. Each pattern consists of two sets of five balloons, each set a different color. The rider will follow the pattern and shoot the first set of balloons before engaging the second. Once they shoot the first set, they holster their first revolver and pull their second revolver for the second set. After all the balloons have been shot at, the rider then crosses the finish

Mounted shooting fans and participants come in all shapes and sizes. While Keagan Loeffler is on the younger side, Jim Gumm is closer to your average age shooter.

line. There is a five-second penalty for dropping your gun or for each balloon missed. There is a ten-second penalty for not running the course correctly and a sixty-second penalty for falling off your horse.

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President of the Missouri Rawhide Mounted Shooters, Benjiumen “Ben” Denney competes with a video camera mounted on his hat. Visit missourilife.com to see the footage from his shoot.

find a brand they liked and couldn’t find a company that helped design brands. They finally settled on the Flying 45 logo and name because it symbolized the caliber of pistols used in mounted shooting and the speed at which they compete. For now, their company brings in a little extra money to support their shooting hobby.

Although the sport is more competitive than ever, Travis and Laura know that it is still all about family. The mounted shooting accomplishment they’re most proud of is involving both of their children in the sport.

“I have a seven-year-old boy and a nineteen-year-old daughter that are into the sport,” Travis says. “I get to pass on my love and passion for horses and the respect of firearms to them, which is very rewarding.”

p Horsin’ Around v It takes more than just the cowboy or cowgirl to compete in Mounted Shooting;

the horse has everything to do with the success in the arena. The horse and rider have to have a certain kind of bond or trust that only exists after a lot of hard work and fun times in a saddle. Much of this bonding comes from the beginning of the horse’s training.

“The key to training a mounted shooting horse is just the same as any other horse, really,” Laura says. “It’s all about establishing a bond and trust with the animal and putting in a lot of riding time. To me, mounted shooting is all about the bond between the horse and the rider. You have a gun in one hand and reins in the other. If you don’t have a willing partner and your horse doesn’t trust you, then you are not going to do well.”

Laura not only spends her time raising two kids, but she also has a full-time job as a secretary at Columbia College in Columbia, is the treasurer for Show Me Mounted Shooters, and has her

hand in the day-to-day dealings of the family branding iron business. On top of that, she also helps Travis train their horses for mounted shooting. Working together, they both found that one of the keys to starting a new horse with shooting is to have them around horses that are already gun-broke. That way the horse gets used to the sound, sees the reaction of the other horses, and learns it is okay. Eventually, you have to take the snap sound to the next level and get on the horse.

“When we start shooting off of them, we start with just toy cap guns that make a loud snap, and then we progress to half loads which are only half as loud, then slowly move up to the full blank cartridge.” Laura says.

The Show Me Mounted Shooters club hosts a beginner shooting clinic at least once a year where all the current members come and share their techniques and knowledge with novice

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With a couple of onlookers, Travis Smith rides a tractor and prepares the Ashland Arena in Ashland for a three-day competition of all classes.

shooters. On some occasions, the experienced shooters have even had beginners and their horses grow remarkably comfortable with the sport in just one day of practice.

“The hardest part is putting it all together,” Laura says. “We practice our shooting on the ground and walking the patterns, and then we get on our horses and run the patterns. But to put it all together and have a smooth, fast, clean run is hard to do.”

Friendly p Competition v Benjiumen “Ben” Denney, a battalion chief for Raytown Fire Department, quickly understood that he needed to learn the basics before he started trying to compete in 2009. Now a member of the Missouri Raw Hide Mounted Shooters, Ben says the easiest way to get started is to introduce yourself to people at competitions.

“Get in touch with someone that is doing it, go to a match and introduce yourself, and ask questions,” he says.

“I saw a video of it and did a lot of research on it. I even went to the world championships in Amarillo, Texas, just to watch and meet people. Within the first few hours of watching the sport, I knew I wanted to do this.”

There are currently three different sister clubs in Missouri for mounted shooting: Show Me Mounted Shooters, Missouri Raw Hide Mounted Shooters, and Missouri Big Irons Cowboy Mounted Shooters. Between each of these clubs, there are competitions nearly every weekend of the warmer months across the state.

Ask some mounted shooters, and they’ll tell you that one of the hardest things to achieve in Cowboy Mounted Shooting is consistency, not just shooting from the horse but being consistent

in every aspect. This sport not only relies on the relationship between the rider and horse, but on each rider’s hand-eye coordination. You have to ride your horse, shoot, and manage to stay within a designated pattern that you may have never run before.

“You have to work on consistency on riding your horse, become a better rider, and work on your consistency shooting a gun, and then you’ll become a better shooter,” Ben says. “The hardest part about this sport is doing it enough. The more you do it, the better you get.”

Since his start, Ben has often come out a winner in mounted shooting, but in his eyes, the lifelong friends are the true reward for competing.

The relationship he has with Travis is one of a kind. They live nearly a hundred miles away from each other, but when they get together, they could be mistaken for brothers. And though they compete against each other, with no shortage of jousting, they will always put the competition aside to help each other.

“No matter if you do good or bad,” he says, “you will always have a good time with these people.”

Much like Travis and Laura, Ben also gives credit to other competitors. He says that most, if not all, would help any stranger learn.

These cowboys and cowgirls, along with their horses, are a special breed— one that overcomes the fear of the speed of the horse and the hammer of the gun to achieve success.

LOCAL GUNSLINGERS Whether you want to ride and shoot or just watch, Missouri’s cowboy mounted shooting clubs have competitions throughout the state. Check with your local club.

CENTRAL MISSOURI Show Me Mounted Shooters showmemountedshooters.com 660-841-5351

KANSAS CITY Missouri Raw Hide Mounted Shooters missourirawhidemountedshooters.com 816-304-6876

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI Missouri Big Irons Cowboy Mounted Shooters mobigirons.net 573-701-2849

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“T H E

SENATOR from

PENDERGAST”: Harry Truman, “Boss Tom,” and the Pendergast Machine

It is perhaps impossible to attain public

office without incurring at least some political debts.

Even when played cleanly, the game of politics requires a give-and-take that frequently places office-holders in positions that are at best uncomfortable and at worst compromising. Our chief executives are not even immune. From the time of Washington’s inauguration, presidents entered office in debt to their supporters, and Harry Truman, the only Missourian to be elected president, was no exception.

From the moment he decided to seek public office, Truman was closely linked with the most influential and corrupt political boss in Missouri. Throughout his career, his name was joined with that of the notorious Tom Pendergast, right up to the moment Truman took the oath of office as Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vice president.

Many voters of the 1930s and 1940s and historians ever since have asked the question, “How can a man lay claim to honesty and diligence while owing his very career to a man who used the law as a mere tool for self-aggrandizement?”

A farmer, bank clerk, and failed businessman, the unostentatious Truman appealed to voters as the embodiment of the common man. He was admired for his plain speaking, which at times dangerously skirted character defamation.

He once referred to Adlai Stevenson as “no better than a regular sissy” and called Richard Nixon a “no-good, lying bastard” who could “lie out of both sides of his mouth at the same time.”

Meanwhile, no one—least of all Truman himself—questioned that Truman owed his political career to the man who strong-armed voters, rigged elections, formed alliances with organized crime, ran the largest protection racket in Missouri, and virtually owned Kansas City and Jackson County. For decades, Tom Pendergast controlled the Kansas City police force and dictated how regional business and government would be conducted.

“Boss Tom” Large and beefy with a bulldog countenance, Thomas J. Pendergast was a daunting figure. He was born in St. Joseph in July of 1872, the ninth and last child of a poor immigrant couple

COURTESY OF TRUMAN LIBRARY AND INSTITUTE

BY R O N S O O DA LT E R

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From Left, Senator Harry S. Truman, Thomas J. Pendergast, James P. Aylward, James Farley, N. G. Robertson, and David Fitzgerald attend the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 24, 1936.

from County Tipperary, Ireland. Although he later claimed to have attended college for two years, no evidence exists to indicate that he went to school beyond the sixth grade.

Few promising occupations were open to a young Irishman in nineteenth-century America, so Tom initially worked as a laborer, grocery wagon driver, and clerk. At twenty-two, he relocated to Kansas City to work as a bookkeeper for his older brother James, a successful businessman, saloonkeeper, and local politician. Two years before Tom’s arrival, James had been elected alderman of the working-class First Ward, and he used his position both to improve the lives of his constituents and to enhance his own personal fortunes.

The spoils system was alive and more than healthy throughout American politics at this time, and it was nowhere more faithfully practiced than in Kansas City. Before the advent of James Pendergast and others of his ilk, jobs had formerly gone to white American Protestants from established families. Now, they were being made available to Catholics, people of color, and immigrants. In exchange, political movers and shakers such as Pendergast benefited financially from their constituents in the form of bribes,

kickbacks, and favors. The standard quid-pro-quo system benefited all involved and allowed many—who otherwise would not have had the opportunity—to advance. It was less about qualifications and more about connections, and James was a deft practitioner of the system. As the owner of a major saloon, he also oversaw and protected gambling, drugs, and prostitution in his district.

Shortly after Tom’s arrival in 1894, James secured him an appointment as deputy constable of the First Ward City Court. Young Tom learned Democratic politics at his brother’s elbow, and he was a quick study. By 1896, he was appointed deputy marshal for the county court and, four years later, superintendent of streets. The latter position was by mayoral appointment, a by-product of Mayor James A. Reed’s friendship with James Pendergast.

Apparently, James was not a healthy man, and when he began to flag, Tom stepped in to oversee his brother’s duties as alderman. When James died in 1911, Tom ran for his city council seat and won. Four years later, Tom resigned his position and, over the next ten years, proceeded to build the most powerful political machine in the city.

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“Boss Tom” Pendergast talks with his nephew James “Jim” Pendergast, a close friend to Harry Truman.

Beginnings The Truman-Pendergast relationship began around the turn of the century, shortly after Truman graduated from high school. His parents had lost their land and moved to Kansas City, directly across the street from Mike Pendergast—another of Tom’s older brothers and a small-time politician in his own right. Mike became good friends with Truman’s father, John A. Truman, and the friendship passed along to their sons. When the United States entered World War I, young Harry served in the same regiment as Mike’s son James—Jim for short—and the two formed a bond that lasted their lives long.

After the war, in 1922, Harry Truman was unsuccessfully running a men’s clothing store when Mike and Jim asked him to stand for the western judge position of the Jackson County Administrative Court. The name was something of a misnomer; it was not a judicial court but rather the combined executive and legislative arms of the Jackson County government. Thanks in part to the financial backing of Jim’s uncle Tom Pendergast’s machine, Truman was elected to a two-year term. Although he lost the election in 1924, he was elected presiding judge in 1926 and again four years later, largely through the money, influence, and vote-rigging of Tom Pendergast.

Clearly, Truman owed his budding political career to Tom Pendergast—in fact to three Pendergasts. Yet, it proved a

COURTESY OF TRUMAN LIBRARY AND INSTITUTE

Tom had learned many valuable lessons from James, but none were more important than the need to take care of his constituents. During the Great Depression, Tom provided food, clothing, and fuel to countless people in and around Kansas City and sponsored Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners for residents of the First Ward. Largely due to his efforts, Kansas City enjoyed what came to be called “Pendergast Prosperity” and was spared much of the desperation America endured during the Depression.

The people responded by voting for “Boss Tom’s” candidates, while the various projects he supported were often brought to fruition by his own construction companies. Meanwhile, Prohibition was still in full swing, and Tom ensured that vice flourished while he reaped substantial payoffs from the owners of brothels, speakeasies, and nightclubs.

To ensure the growth of his machine, Tom also courted the white-collar middle class through a program of favors and special events, social and sports clubs, picnics and dances. In fact, he was so deft at consolidating power that the governor’s mansion came to be referred to colloquially as “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” His organization grew so powerful that, by the early 1930s, Pendergast was in control of the city, the county, and—for at least a time—the state legislature in Jefferson City.

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COURTESY OF TRUMAN LIBRARY AND INSTITUTE

“There are few who have not fallen into line. ... All of we heads of departments are strong for and working daily for Mr. Truman.”— Governor Guy B. Park mutually beneficial arrangement. For his part, Truman gave “Boss Tom” what Kansas City historian William Worley refers to as a “fig leaf of legitimacy.” Truman had a number of qualities that made him an ideal face of the organization. For one thing, he was not a slick, big-city politician. Voters and constituents responded to his everyman way of addressing them.

In addition, he had served during the recent war, belonged to the American Legion, and was a devout Baptist. By stopping the payoffs and kickbacks rampant in the court, he soon developed a strong reputation for honesty, too. At one juncture, Truman openly invited a grand jury investigation, stating, “I am proud of the record of the county court.”

Tom Pendergast benefited from basking in his light, despite the fact that Truman continually cost him money. No longer were Tom’s companies, or those of his supporters, the automatic choice for construction projects. Truman ensured that only the lowest bidders won the contracts, and he refused to be bribed or to countenance graft within the court. Truman came across as so incorruptible that he was actually known as a reformer.

However, the reality was far less clear-cut. Despite cleaning up the county court, Truman was a strong believer in the spoils system. He drew his own line between blatant corruption and favoritism, which he perceived as totally separate issues.

As chronicler Lyle W. Dorsett stated, “Truman [gave] the machine charge of the court’s patronage. He saw nothing wrong with that because he believed that the victors deserved the spoils.”

To Truman’s thinking, it was all part of the political game.

He considered it appropriate to reward the right supporter with the right position—generally in the Roads Department, the county government’s biggest employer. And although he did so openly, without subterfuge or apology, he walked a fine—and somewhat invisible—line. Truman was, in the strictest sense, a willing functionary of Pendergast’s machine, kicking back jobs in return for the support that had placed him in office.

In 1925, “Boss Tom” Pendergast was at the height of his power after a new city charter was passed in Kansas City.

In 1934, Tom Pendergast put forth Truman’s name as the next senator from the state of Missouri. Ironically, Truman was The Boss’s third choice; the first two, chosen out of political patronage, refused to run for various reasons. But having finally picked Truman, Pendergast swung into action.

The Boss had been instrumental in the election of the current Missouri governor, Guy B. Park, and he now called in his marker. The governor put state employees throughout Missouri to work on Truman’s behalf. The governor wrote, “The Grain Department and Police Department are thoroughly organized, and there are few who have not fallen into line. ... All of we heads of departments are strong for and working daily for Mr. Truman.” Again, through Pendergast’s influence and the power of his machine, Truman won election, this time in a four-way race for the US Senate.

Once in Washington, Truman held fast to his belief in the patronage system. As he saw it, he owed a debt to Tom Pendergast and his political machine, and within the confines of both the law and good judgment, he continued to repay it.

When, for example, the freshman senator was approached

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COURTESY OF TRUMAN LIBRARY AND INSTITUTE

In Independence, upon Truman's arrival from Washington, D.C., childhood friend James “Jim” Pendergast has the ear of the President.

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by Missourians seeking employment in the federal government’s new relief programs, he would always confer first with Tom Pendergast.

The benefit to “Boss Tom” was enormous. Thanks in part to his well-placed new senator, he controlled the federal work relief effort in Missouri and profited hugely, both in political and financial matters. If he hadn’t been so before, he was now the most powerful man in the state, thanks in large part to Harry Truman.

However, not all of Truman’s senatorial colleagues shared Truman’s views on the patronage system. During his first term, Truman was viewed askance by several of his fellow senators, as well as by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was widely known that the new senator had gained office, at least in part, through the machinations of “Boss Tom.” No less a political scoundrel, Louisiana’s demagogic senator Huey Long publicly mocked Truman for his connections. Following the tradition that new senators give a speech to the assembled body, Truman gave his address, whereupon Senator Long stood and loudly welcomed “the Senator from Pendergast” to the US Senate.

For his part, Truman was far from naïve. After serving in public office for several years, he was a seasoned politician and well-versed in the art of self-preservation. By the time of Truman’s second senatorial campaign, Tom Pendergast had fallen from power, and it behooved the candidate to distance himself politically from his friend and former sponsor. On his own, and without the support of the now-defunct machine, Truman won re-election by a mere eight thousand votes.

Endings “Boss Tom’s” political empire came crashing down in 1939. He had taken a bribe of hundreds of thousands of dollars, which he had understandably neglected to declare. Governor Lloyd C. Stark, a politician whose career had ironically been forged by Tom Pendergast, launched an investigation. Charged with tax evasion, Tom entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to fifteen months in prison and five years probation. His political influence dissipated virtually overnight. Upon his release, the ill and aging boss retired to his home in Kansas City, where he lived quietly until his death in 1945.

Meanwhile, Truman was tapped to serve as Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vice president. Again, he was the third choice— a compromise candidate strongly recommended by Democratic National Chairman Robert E. Hannegan, who happened to be from St. Louis.

“Boss Tom” died just two days after Truman took the oath of office of vice president of the United States, and Truman attended the funeral. He was much criticized for it. Yet, visibly unconcerned with either Washington pundits or wagging tongues, Vice President Harry S. Truman paid a final obeisance to the man whose influence had paved the way for his ascendancy. By fair means and foul, Tom Pendergast had created and supported the public Harry Truman, and Truman was well aware that this often involved the buying or coercing of votes. For his part, Truman had repaid his mentor whenever possible—and in accordance with his own code of ethics.

The Portrait of the Political Boss as a Young Man: this photo of Tom Pendergast dates back to 1900.

COURTESY OF TRUMAN LIBRARY AND INSTITUTE

Harry Truman’s childhood friend Jim Pendergast and his family attended the Inaugural Gala on January 19, 1949.

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Musings ON MISSOURI

Revenge of the

KILLER GOLDFISH I NEVER had a burning desire to become a juggler. The idea of tossing a bunch of balls in the air, over and over and over, reminds me too much of real life. Oh sure, some folks jazz up their routine by flinging around chainsaws and flaming torches, but I remain unimpressed. These refinements are merely variations on a theme.

When you think about it, juggling is just the hobby version of multi-tasking. There are few things I hate more than multi-tasking.

It’s my fate to have been born in an era when simultaneously performing multiple, complex projects is both a cultural expectation and a career requirement. Human reaction to the technological innovations of the past few decades has had an inverse effect on quality and productivity. Used correctly, gadgets and doo-dads should simplify—or eliminate—mundane functions and pointless meetings. In an ideal world, we would celebrate this newfound freedom by looking at clouds, enjoying family time, petting dogs, killing fish, and gazing at our navels.

Unfortunately, because we’re often not happy unless we’re miserable, human nature can’t accept such largesse. We immediately fill the void by creating new sets of mundane functions and pointless meetings. Our species seems to have an insatiable desire to be overwhelmed and stressed.

Maybe it’s the Protestant work ethic run amok, or maybe we’re just masochists. Whatever the case, one of the defining characteristics of modern life is to load ourselves up with more problems, missions, and assignments than can be rationally handled.

The result is multi-tasking, which I define as trying to do ten things at once and doing none of them well. I’m not saying people shouldn’t be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. I’m not saying they RON MARR shouldn’t be able to grill a steak while baking a potato.

On the other hand, I really don’t want the ambulance guy playing Kwazy Cupcakes on his smartphone while trying to correctly apply the defibrillator. I don’t want him texting his supervisor about the upcoming diversity seminar or checking to see if healthcare.gov is still broken. Call me a narcissist if you must. Label me needy. But, if I’m in such bad shape that I need serious cardiac wattage, I want ALL the attention.

That’s not likely. Microsoft recently surveyed two thousand people—and monitored the brain activity of another 112—to see how our electronic pocket protectors affected daily life. What they found was that the human attention span is lower than it has ever been. In the year 2000, our average attention span was twelve seconds. That’s pathetic enough, but by 2015, it has fallen to eight seconds The attention span of a goldfish is nine seconds.

Another study, this one by the USbased National Center for Biotechnology Information and the National Library of Medicine, had equally disturbing results. They found that 79 percent of all respondents use their electronic gee-gaws while watching TV, and 52 percent checked their phone every thirty minutes. The study did show that people have gained in the ability to multi-task, but that’s not a good thing. An inability to pay attention to what you’re doing rarely turns out well.

Since I refuse to own a cell phone and a laptop with a cracked screen comprises my entire arsenal of high-tech devices, I’m fairly certain my attention span is still at pre-2000 levels. Thus, it’s obviously my burden to save the world from enslavement by highly focused, fascist goldfish. Beware the fearsome, midnight knock of a tiny pectoral fin, for none will be safe when the denizens of the glass bowl realize their inherent superiority.

Still, I’ll do what I can.

Assuming, of course, that I’m not busy looking at clouds and petting the dogs. That’s my version of multi-tasking.

ANDREW BARTON

BY RON MARR

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Fall

Fall may not be as lazy and hazy as it’s warmer precursor, but it’s just as crazy with ALL THE EXCITING THINGS TO DO. Missouri’s autumn calendar is BURSTING WITH FAIRS, FESTIVALS, and OUTDOOR ATTRACTIONS to help you make the most of the cooler weather.

We’ve gathered our TOP PICKS from the festivities for this year’s Fall Outdoors Guide.

2015

OUTDOORS

LES BOURGEOIS VINEYARDS, LUCI BRANYAN COURTESY OF MISSOURI DIVISION OF TOURISM

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I T TA K E S S TA D I U M S E AT I N G TO N E W H E I G H T S .

From the scenic bluffs of our great river roads, to the dramatic vistas of our Ozark Mountains, Missouri’s scenery is on another level. And as one of “The 5 Best Places to See the Leaves Change Color This Fall,” it’s sure to take your breath away.

Enjoy the view.

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Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Camdenton

Plan your fall getaway at VisitMO.com

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PROMOTION

CRUSH FESTIVAL

FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL

September 12, Rocheport > Les Bourgeois Vineyards in Rocheport rings in the harvest in a special way—by inviting you and your family to stomp their grapes at the annual fun fest, which also involves fishing, pumpkin painting and live music to go along with your purple-stained feet. missouriwine.com

October 17-18, Hannibal > This fall marks the tradition’s thirty-ninth year of providing a weekend filled with family fun and fabulous food at the Autumn Historic Folklife Festival. The festival brings together musicians, artisans, craft makers, chefs, and visitors from all over the Midwest for a proper nineteenth-century fair. While you’re in Hannibal, make sure to stop by a few of the Twain-kingdom landmarks, like the Mark Twain Cave, Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum, and the Huckleberry Finn House. If you plan to spend the weekend, book a room in one of Hannibal’s many historic bed-and-breakfasts, like the Garth Woodside Mansion or the Garden House Bed and Breakfast. hannibalarts.com

LAZY L. SAFARI PARK August-November, Cape Girardeau > If you’d rather be down under than downtown, head to Cape Girardeau’s Lazy L. Safari Park, open daily in August and on weekends from September until December. The walk-thru zoo is the perfect place to interact with and view exotic animals, some of which are actual movie stars, like the celebrity giraffe who starred in Evan Almighty. lazylsafari.com

HARVEST FESTIVAL September 18-19, Augusta > Augusta’s annual Harvest Festival is the quintessential rustic fall fest—enjoy hayrides through a pumpkin patch, live music, good food, and fabulous wine in the heart of Missouri’s wine country. You’ll have a chance to learn how local wine is made and view art from local artists. augusta-chamber.org/events

LOUFEST September 12-13, St. Louis > Forest Park will once again host the famous LouFest, St. Louis’s morethan-just-music festival. In addition to jamming to the music of thirty-four performers, you can sample delicious fare from local restaurants and take part in fun activities all over the park. loufest.com

THE FAMOUS KIMMSWICK APPLE BUTTER FESTIVAL October 24-25, Kimmswick > This festival is one of the most appetizing in the state.

The Kimmswick Historical Society makes and sells their famous apple butter, along with hundreds of other vendors selling crafts, food, and more. All of this, along with live music and pumpkin carving, makes for unforgettable and delectable fall fun. visitkimmswick.com/apple_butter_festival

CAMDEN COUNTY LIVING HISTORY APPLE BUTTER FESTIVAL October 11-13, Linn Creek > Enjoy the demonstrations at the Camden County Museum while you try the local apple pie and apple butter. Stay for the quilt raffle. camdencountymuseum.com

OLDE TYME APPLE FESTIVAL October 2-3, Versailles > Bring your fork!

This award-winning festival brings thousands of visitors to sample and celebrate the fall favorite and all things apples. There is an apple pie, apple dumpling, and apple tart contest as well as a car show, fiddle contest, sock hop, parade, tractor show, and much more in this two-day event. versailleschamber.com/applefestival

SEYMOUR APPLE FESTIVAL FALL FESTIVAL OF GOSPEL MUSIC October 14-17, Stanton > All fans of gospel and great acoustics, tune in. Gospel groups come together to perform live inside the Meramec Caverns in a four-day blowout event known as the Fall Festival of Gospel Music. thelesters.com/fallfestival

September 10-12, Seymour > There’s a 5K run, Johnny Appleseed contest, apple peeling contest, crowning of the apple princess, an auction—and that’s just on Saturday. Don’t miss this forty-third annual apple festival just outside of Springfield. seymourapplefestival.com

NICHOLE L. BALLARD AND COURTESY OF MISSOURI DIVISION OF TOURISM

FESTIVAL FEVER

APPLES!

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2015

OUTDOORS Fall

VISIT US Copeland-Shy House Visitor Center Ellington chamber of commerce

JUMP EXPERIENCE

ON IN ELLINGTON

Clearwater Lake • BLACK RIVER • CURRENT RIVER

155 W. Walnut (Highway 106) 573-663-7997 Monday-Friday; 1-5 pm

Brochures & Area Information Available Visit www.elingtonmo.com for more info

2015 Events MUSIC IN THE PARK, AUGUST MOVIES IN THE PARk, AUGUST Reynolds County Fair, September 3-5 Farmers market, now-October

WWW.ELLINGTONMO.COM

Funding for this advertising provided by the Taum Sauk Fund Inc.

f u e g R e t a C g i B r e i m e r P s ’ a Americ Guided Tours Hourly Education Station On Site Lodging Campground & RV Sites Groups Welcome 479.253.5841 • TurpentineCreek.org 7 Miles South of Eureka Springs on Hwy 23 239 Turpentine Creek Lane, Eureka Springs, Arkansas

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2015

OUTDOORS Fall

13TH Annual

FOLK FESTIVAL

Period craft demonstrations, children’s games, music, and food Labor Day - Monday, Sept. 7 10 am - 4 pm Boone’s Lick State Historic Site Hwy 187 near Boonesboro, MO FREE ADMISSION www.boonslicktourism.org

Sponsored by The Boonslick Area Tourism Council and Missouri State Parks

ShowMe ZIPLINES 816-699-9739 15510 Highway C Rayville, MO showmeziplines@gmail.com www.showmeziplines.com Find us on Facebook!

Enjoy the ride: We’re open 7 days a week!

Monday through Saturday: 9 AM-6 PM Sunday: 3-6 PM

9 lines, ranging between 300 ft. to 2,000 ft. long!

M s c a

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2015

OUTDOORS Fall Upcoming Events August 18: Brick City Bad Boys Cruise Night Hardin Park 573-581-2100 | www.mexico-chamber.org

August 21 & 22: Soybean Festival On the Square 573-581-2765 | www.mexico-chamber.org September 19: Brick City Bad Boys Cruise Night Hardin Park 573-581-2100 | www.mexico-chamber.org September 25-27: Walk Back In Time Audrain County Historical Society 573-581-3910 | www.audrain.org December 3-6: “Mary Poppins” Presser Performing Arts Center 573-581-5592 | www.presserpac.com

Mexico is a perfect combination of small-town charm and urban style. Artsy boutiques, jewelry, quilt shops, scrapbooking, antiques, and cultural offerings give Mexico a sophisticated air with a family-friendly attitude. Come visit us today!

Walk Back In Time

MEXICO AREA CHAMBER

OF COMMERCE We work hard as a Chamber of Commerce to be the pulse of the community, assisting all to provide services that will nurture and encourage our businesses and strengthen our community.

573-581-2765

The Audrain County Historical Society invites you to the Walk Back In Time festival. Held during the last weekend of September on the grounds of the Audrain Historical Museum Complex, with historical camps in a unique time line: Vikings in America, 1770s Colonial, 1830s Mountain Men, 1860 Pony Express, 1860s Civil War, Native American Village, 1880s Wild West, 1918 World War I, 1920s Between-The-Wars America, and 1940s World War II. Books and chalkboards have their place in understanding our proud nation’s history, but nothing can surpass taking a “Walk Back In Time” at the Audrain County Historical Society’s living-history chronology. A family-friendly event for Americans or visitors from distant lands. Don’t miss this most informative and entertaining adventure.

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2015

OUTDOORS Fall

Walk in the Footsteps of Daniel Boone!

The Historic Daniel Boone Home & Heritage Center 1868 Hwy F, Defiance, Missouri www.danielboonehome.com (636) 798-2005

JUST RIGHT FOR YOUR COFFEE BREAK! Bookmark features original, hand-etched scrimshaw on a recycled antique ivory piano key with genuine leather and handmade paper accents. $22, plus $5 shipping/handling Check/Money Order/Visa/MasterCard 31 High Trail, Eureka, MO 63025 • www.stonehollowstudio.com

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6/9/15 3:55 PM

shop. dine. play.

Centrally Located Just 30 Miles North of Columbia at the Junction of Highways 63 and 24

See what’s happening in Moberly at www.moberly.com [68] MissouriLife

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2015

OUTDOORS Fall

Coming Soon!

Katy Trail extension from the Missouri State Fair Trail Head to the Starline Brass Trail’s End Plaza on the Missouri State Fairgrounds.

Sedalia Convention & Visitors Bureau

600 E. Third Street • Sedalia, MO

www.visitsedaliamo.com 800-827-5295 Sedalia’s Katy Trail Head Champion Bicycle Shop

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SHOW-ME

Flavor

Pardon MY FRENCH Discover how the Show-Me State does the archetypal European cuisine.

BY JONAS WEIR

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COURTESY OF CURT DENNISON

BEFORE LEWIS and Clark ever stepped foot in the territory of Missouri, it was a French settlement, and vestiges of that era can still be found around the state. St. Louis is marked by the fleur-de-lis. Ste. Genevieve has faithfully preserved its French heritage.

The Missouri wine industry still touts that its rootstock once saved France’s beloved grapes.

And Kansas City is sometimes called the Paris of the Plains.

Just as France’s influence can be seen all over the Show-Me State, classical French cuisine has been embedded in the very fabric of modern cooking. From technique to recipes, French cooking is inarguably the base of contemporary Western culinary education.

So there is no better state to celebrate French food than Missouri. Many epicureans here still uphold the rich tradition of this classic European cuisine. From a Louisiana, Missouri, resident who traced her family history to the forefather of French cooking to a pair of French natives who do things the old-fashioned way to a Cottleville restaurant that ranks among the best in Midwest, the Show-Me State is reimagining what bon appétit can mean.

Karen Blumensaadt-Stoeckley proudly displays a photograph of her grandfather Axel Blumensaadt, a historic map of Paris, and vintage larding needles and cutlery.

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“I could see her passion, but I thought, ‘Could this be real: the story of a young man who came from Denmark at age sixteen to cook in Paris?,’” —Michel Escoffier, President of the Escoffier Foundation and Museum

The Gourmet Genealogist

When Louisiana, Missouri, resident Karen Blumensaadt-Stoeckley wrote A Culinary Legacy, she not only revisited her family history, but she also returned to the very genesis of modern cooking.

The story of Karen’s recipe book begins at the twilight of the nineteenth century. A sixteen-yearold Axel Eugene Blumensaadt left his home town of Odense, Denmark, in 1896 and traveled to Paris to pursue a career as a chef. After a year and a half, he took his first internship in the Grand Hotel du Parc in Heyres, France, near the Mediterranean. From there, he went on to cook at the 1900 Exposition Universelle on the Champs-Elysees and a restaurant called La Feria in Monte Carlos, France. Sometime during his years in Paris, Axel trained under one of the most influential chefs of all time—Auguste Escoffier.

Many people credit Auguste Escoffier with giving the world the gift of French food. He was called the king of chefs and the chef of kings, and his impact on modern cooking is immeasurable.

He was a restaurateur, chef, and author. He rose

to prominence as the director of kitchens at the Savoy Hotel in London in 1890, a post he held until 1899. However, he cemented his legacy in 1903 when he published Le Guide Culinaire—a classic work that catalogued French recipes and

Karen says that this version of an orange soufflé is the perfect way to end a French meal. You can find the recipe for this and seven other desserts in her cookbook.

technique of the day. The book is still a major resource for aspiring chefs.

After Axel spent time with the king of chefs, he was undoubtedly influenced by him, and he continued to work as a chef. Over the following decades, Axel took a long and winding path that led him to the United States, where he met Josephine Amelia Kramb, his future wife. After years as a professional chef, he and Josephine settled in Oak Harbor, Ohio, where Josephine’s family owned a dry goods store. There, they had two sons, Ernest and Christian, and lived out the rest of their days.

In 1980, at age eighteen, Karen was rifling through her maternal grandparents’ attic, where her father, Christian, had been storing his father’s belongings. She came across an old ledger book.

The book turned out to be a wealth of recipes, all handwritten in French, dating back to 1904. Next to it sat a packet of letters of recommendation from restaurants in France where Axel cooked.

Karen decided in that moment that she was going to one day translate and publish those recipes.

“I think things happen for a reason,” she says.

COURTESY OF CURT DENNISON

Karen Blumensaadt-Stoeckley named the bakery at her bed-and-breakfast after her grandmother Josephine—Axel’s wife.

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From left, Karen Blumensaadt-Stoeckley, Michel Escoffier, and Max Callegari all contributed to A Culinary Legacy: From Escoffier to Today.

Today, Karen has returned to running The Eagle’s Nest Winery, Inn, and Bakery in Louisiana.

However, Karen’s main passion has become promoting her cookbook.

Karen should take pride in the book. It is a trove of delicious French recipes, and it has even received the stamp of approval from Auguste Escoffier’s great-grandson, a skeptic at first.

“I could see her passion, but I thought, ‘Could this be real: the story of a young man

COURTESY OF CURT DENNISON

Karen carried the book with her for decades, but she finally had the opportunity to translate the recipes in 2012 when she embarked on what she calls “a much-needed sabbatical.”

That year, she traveled to France, Les Arcs to be specific, less then thirty miles from the Mediterranean. There, she met Max Callegari, owner of the hotel and restaurant Le Logis du Guetteur.The two made a connection and began working through her grandfather’s recipes, using Max’s skills and occasionally referring to Le Guide Culinaire. Her dream was finally coming to fruition. Within a year, A Culinary Legacy: From Escoffier to Today was complete.

who came from Denmark at age sixteen to cook in Paris?’ ” Michel Escoffier says.

Michel is a man who speaks boldly, jokes often, and isn’t afraid of offending. Despite the old adage, he’ll talk both politics and religion at dinner. However, with the book in hand, even a person with this much bravado only had good things to say. He even wrote the foreword.

“Thank God that Karen found the notebook, so we can now all share those recipes, but even better, try them and enjoy them,” he wrote.

With over a hundred recipes, scores of notes, and a complete history of the book’s origins, A Culinary Legacy is full of great dishes, from savory seafood to sweet soufflés, Steak Béarnaise to herbed mayonnaise. Karen is doing everything she can to pass down her grandfather’s legacy.

In fact, Karen now plays the part of a culinary expert. She’s assured in her abilities and recipes. A Francophile no doubt, she may be dismayed if someone doesn’t know a French cooking term, but she only wants to educate.

She lives and breathes French cuisine and even returns to Les Arcs each spring to teach cooking to American couples on vacation. With the same vitality that brought Axel to Paris, she is dedicated to preserving his legacy and keeping the tradition of French cuisine alive.

Karen slices into a leg of lamb cooked Provencal-style.

Although it was not one of her grandfather’s recipes, the recipe can be found in her book, A Culinary Legacy.

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Flavor

The Traditionalists

Amid white tablecloths, candles, and bouquets of fresh red roses in the two small dining rooms that overlook historic Main Street in Parkville, less than twenty minutes north of Kansas City, Café des Amis delivers an authentic French dining experience in a classic nineteenth-century building that dates back to the 1840s at least.

“It kind of takes you back in time,” says owner and pastry chef Guillaume Hanriot.

“We don’t try to be a modern place. We are embracing this old building.”

Aside from the classic setting, Guillaume and his wife and head chef of the restaurant, Ingrid, also provide an authentic menu in the rich culinary tradition of France. From elegant entrees like Jarret de Porc and Os a Moelle to a lunch menu of crepes and omelettes, they offer dishes you won’t find on many menus in Missouri, or in the Midwest for that matter.

And as French natives, they both know all the ins and outs of French cooking.

Both Guillaume and Ingrid hail from the

Champagne region. Guillaume is from the small village of Château-Thierry, and Ingrid comes from the Châlons-en-Champagne, a regional hub. Both have been cooking since they were teenagers, and both went to culinary school for five years where they learned the most traditional French dishes, styles, and techniques.

The Bavarois à la Fraise is a signature dessert at Café des Amis. It is a light strawberry mousse on top of almond pistachio cake, served with a strawberry sauce.

The St. Jacques dish at Café des Amis features pan-seared, wild-caught sea scallops in a basil and red pepper puree with roasted vegetables and lemon as a garnish.

“When you go through school, they don’t teach you any other countries’ foods,” Guillaume says. “We just do French cooking.”

While Guillaume was finishing school, he did his dissertation during an internship at Napoleon Bakery in Kansas City in 1999. A few years after his internship, he was offered a job there in 2003. In the months leading up to the job offer, he and Ingrid had started dating, so when the offer came in, they decided to stay together and start a life in Missouri.

Now, twelve years later they own and operate their own restaurant and work closely with each other every day. While they both miss France and they visit their families there every year, they have also grown very fond of Kansas City.

“We love the Midwest,” Guillaume says.

“It’s our home now. People are just super, super nice.”

ANGELA BOND

SHOW-ME

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They believe using wild French escargot, traditional French cheeses, and French wine is paramount to providing the authentic French dining experience offered at Café des Amis; it’s not that there’s not good wine here.

“I would agree with you that there is a lot of good wine coming from the United States, but being a French restaurant, we try to deliver a pure French restaurant experience,” Guillaume says. “It’s not that you want every wine to taste like the ones from California or France. You want them to have their own personality. We have to be thankful for Missouri wine, though. They provided all the rootstock a couple of centuries ago.”

Although ingredients that fit into the flavor palate of traditional French cooking are crucial to what Ingrid and Guillaume are trying to accomplish at Café des Amis, the preparation of the food is another big factor. Almost every item found on the restaurant’s menu is done in the old-world style and handmade in house.

The only items made outside of the restaurant walls are the cheese, bread, and wine. And to Guillaume and Ingrid, there is no such thing as molecular gastronomy. The only modern cooking technique that they incorporate is sous vide—a method of cooking that uses airtight plastic bags to steam food for lengthy amounts of time and trap in flavor; the pro-

ANGELA BOND

Although Missouri is now the Hanriot family’s home, they still notice many marked differences from where they grew up.

“The relationship to food is quite different,” Guillaume says. “As most people know, in France, we take our time, and it’s really a part of our daily lives. Here, it’s more of a function.

You eat because you have to eat. That was one of the differences I saw. I mean people eat in their car. That is something that you will never, ever see back home in France.”

People’s relationship to food isn’t the only difference, though. Guillaume says that he has also noticed a good deal of difference with the ingredients, and most of these differences are for the better. He and Ingrid love using American meat. They consider the pork and beef to be much better than in France.

However, Guillaume is adamant that factoryfarmed chicken doesn’t meet their standards, so he has worked out a relationship with a local farm that will suit their needs. In fact, Guillaume says he has seen a dramatically higher quality of produce during the nearly fifteen years he has spent in the United States as a result of the local food movement.

However, some food items found in France cannot be matched here in the Midwest. For example, Guillaume and Ingrid import all of the cheese, wine, and escargot on their menu.

Guillaume Hanriot and his wife, Ingrid, won the Community Development Award from the Platte County Development Council for their work at Café des Amis.

cess can take more than ten hours for certain dishes. However, even sous vide has become a staple in French cooking over the past thirty years, especially when cooking foie gras, which is a staple at Café des Amis and one of the many items to look for on the menu.

However, with the traditional French dishes, it might be difficult to pronounce some of the menu items or even know what you’re ordering. It might be a good idea to pick up a French Cuisine for Dummies or a pocket translation dictionary for a night out at Café des Amis. If that’s too much trouble, Guillaume and Ingrid have a suggestion: try the bouillabaisse.

A traditional French Riviera dish, the bouillabaisse is Ingrid’s favorite to cook. It’s a light saffron seafood broth with salmon, monkfish, clams, mussel, and prawns served with a Herbs de Provence crostini and rouille sauce.

“It’s our signature dish here,” Guillaume says.

“We’ve been doing it now for four or five years.

I don’t think we can take it off of the menu or we’re going to have a riot at the restaurant.”

Split into two dining rooms, Café des Amis has seating for up to fifty people indoors. For lunch service, the bistro offers an additional fifty seats outdoors.

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The New Guard

This pitsou soup with tomato, zucchini, and cream is Stone Soup Cottage’s take on pitsou, a cold sauce native to the Provençal region of France that’s made of garlic, fresh basil, and olive oil.

taurant. In rural St. Charles County, just a short jaunt from St. Louis, the location had everything they needed for their vision of hosting intimate dinners with elegant European food, local ingredients, and a set six-course menu with two other small-plate dishes and a glass of sparkling wine.

Before opening the restaurant, Carl—in the true spirit of Midwestern neighborliness—approached Norman Wiese, who lived nearby and operated a long-standing, family-run nursery.

“I just came over one afternoon and talked to Norman, and I said, ‘Hey, I’m opening this restaurant just up the street, and I’d love to have some homegrown produce to offer my clients,’” Carl says. “He gave me a seed book and said, ‘Hey, pick out what you want. I’ll put it in the ground and see how it goes.’ And that started a wonderful, wonderful relationship.”

Since then, the restaurant has grown into one of the most notable in the state. Within a year of its opening, Stone Soup Cottage had already garnered the respect of local food critics.

By 2010, The Week named it one of the top five regional restaurants in the United States. But

Carl and Nancy also host private functions at Stone Soup Cottage. The summer is an especially busy time of the year for them because they host many small weddings.

Stone Soup Cottage has grown in other ways outside of name recognition.

In 2013, Carl and Nancy moved to a 6.5acre plot of land on the Weise family’s property, less than a mile from their original location. On the land, the restaurant moved into a refurbished nineteenth-century barn, which adds a level of ambience that takes the Mcconnells’ dinner service one step closer to the dream they always had in mind.

To that end, nearly all the produce is now grown on site. Norman and his family still do all of the growing according to what Carl and Nancy want to see on their menu. And recently, they have placed an emphasis on yearround growing in heated greenhouses.

“We grow every year, no pun intended,” Carl says. “Our produce program, our farming program, it grows every year that we’re here.”

However much the new location has added

CARMEN TROESSER

Many self-help books and articles state that getting laid off can be an opportunity. For Carl McConnell, that opportunity was opening an ingredient-focused, intimate, French-inspired restaurant.

“It was always a dream of ours to do it just like this,” says Carl, owner and chef of Stone Soup Cottage. “We didn’t think that we would do it so soon, but I was laid off from my job.

So those plans had to be hurried up a bit, hence the creation back in 2009.”

It’s true that Carl and his wife, Nancy, had wanted to open a fine-dining restaurant since the day they met aboard a Russian icebreaker, but they were both in the international travel business at the time. Carl was aboard the ship as the executive chef, and Nancy was the cruise director. When the cruise ended, Carl didn’t want to part from Nancy, so he, a Massachusetts native, decided to move to St. Louis.

“Nancy told me that I had to come here,” he says. “She wasn’t going to come to Boston, so I had to come here.”

The two settled in Cottleville, which turned out to be the perfect place to open their own res-

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This smoked duck cannelloni with brown butter, fried sage, toasted pine nuts, and petite vegetables is made with produce harvested on Stone Soup Cottage’s property.

on everything from seasonal soufflés and crepes to gougères and charcuterie boards in the winter. And lately, he’s been focused on savory, French pastries.

“We’ve been working with a lot of filled pastries,” Carl says. “Tonight, for example, I have this really beautiful cured and smoked Missouri trout that we’re wrapping in a pastry with red onion and crème fraîche, and then

CARMEN TROESSER

to its success, Stone Soup Cottage’s location in a larger sense makes the restaurant a success.

“I think French cuisine is far more familiar here,” Carl says. “And of course, it makes sense to do it in St. Louis because of the great French influence here of the mid-eighteenth century into the late-eighteenth century.”

While French cuisine works well in Missouri and Carl loves using local ingredients, his cooking style comes from a lifetime of training.

He is classically trained in northern Italian cuisine, and while working for a private jet travel business based in Seattle, he had the opportunity to extensively travel France. There, he gained a deep knowledge of the classic cooking style by visiting different markets and meeting different chefs. His time there piqued his passion, but that passion had lived within him since he was a child.

“On afternoons when I got home from school, my mother would allow me to put the homework off until closer to dinner time, so I could catch Julia Child on WBEZ channel nine at four o’clock,” he says. “Cooking is something that I’ve always loved to do and wanted to do for a profession. So once I got to culinary school, of course all of the education is rooted in French cuisine and French technique.”

Now, he gets to apply those techniques he has learned since he was a child to creating a new six-course menu each month. He works

we deep fry them. And we’ll serve that with greens out of my greenhouse and baby carrots, also out of my greenhouse, and French breakfast radishes, as well.”

Despite all the growth and natural evolution of the restaurant over the past five years, one thing will remain the same: Stone Soup Cottage’s dinners will stay true to their intimate nature. Thursday through Saturday, no more than thirty-four people will be seated at six thirty, and at seven, Carl and Nancy will personally serve their guests a multi-course meal with a menu that changes each month, adjusting to the season. It’s McConnell’s original vision for their culinary institution, and nothing will change that.

“We view dining as a ... how should I put this ... it’s a very personal thing, of course,” Carl says.

“Eating is the one thing that we all have in common. We all have to eat. It ties us to the earth.

And it’s a very, very personal thing. Nancy and I wanted to create an environment where people could come to us and sit with their loved ones for three hours, three and a half hours, undisturbed, creating memories and getting spectacular service in an incredible atmosphere.”

This rustic farm house can seat up to eighty people, but Nancy and Carl seat only thirty-four people for their regular dinners, Thursday through Saturday. Reservations are required.

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—MissouriLife —

JOSEPHINE’S PÂTÉ From A Culinary Legacy

Ingredients >

6 celery ribs with leaves 12 cups of water 12 whole peppercorns 2 tablespoons salt 1 bay leaf 2 pounds chicken livers 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 1/2 pounds of unsalted butter 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cloves 3/4 cup roughly chopped yellow onion 3 garlic cloves 1/2 cup Calvados or brandy 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon fine ground black pepper 1 cup dried currants or golden raisins

1. Chop the celery ribs in thirds, and add to the 12 cups of water in a large kettle or sauce pan. Add the 2 tablespoons of salt, peppercorns, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Add the chicken livers, and bring to a slow simmer. Simmer on medium low heat for 12 minutes.

3. Drain the livers, discard the celery ribs and peppercorns, and immediately place into a food processor. Place the butter, cut into pieces, on top of the livers. Add all the remaining ingredients except the currants, and process until very smooth, about 5 to 6 minutes.

4. Add the currants, and pulse 3 or 4 times. If using raisins, pulse for 5 to 6 times to only chop the raisins, not puree them.

5. Pour into a terrine, and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours. Garnish the top with the currants or raisins in the middle.

Makes 6 cups

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COURTESY OF CURT DENNISON

Directions >

7/6/15 10:45 AM

—MissouriLife —

POMMES ANNA From A Culinary Legacy

Ingredients >

2 pounds Idaho or Yukon potatoes

2/3 cup clarified butter Salt and pepper

Directions >

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 2. Use a glass or heavy metal pie tin or round cake pan, and drizzle 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in the bottom.

3. Using a mandoline, slice the potatoes very thin.

Lay them on a dry tea towel, and blot as dry as possible.

4. Spiral the potatoes into the bottom of the pan in the concentric circles, slightly overlapping each slice.

5. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of butter over this layer, and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat this layering, using the remaining butter.

6. Place in the oven, and bake for an hour until the top is crisp and golden brown.

7. Remove the potatoes from the oven, and allow them to cool just slightly to set. Invert onto a heated serving plate 8. Cut into pie slices, and serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

—MissouriLife —

SCALLOPS EN BROCHETTE From A Culinary Legacy

Ingredients >

8 bamboo skewers 8 slices of smoked bacon

24 sea scallops

Seasoning Mix >

1 tablespoon chili powder 1/2 tablespoon cumin 1 tablespoon curry 1/2 tablespoon table salt powder 1/4 tablespoon finely 1 tablespoon paprika ground pepper

COURTESY OF CURT DENNISON

Directions > 1. Soak the bamboo skewers in warm water for 10 minutes.

2. Begin with the end of a slice of bacon, and slide it part way up the skewer. Then, dip the scallop into the spice mixture lightly on one end. Spear the scallop, and bring the bacon over it, spearing the bacon as close to the scallop as possible. You are basically weaving the bacon around the scallops in an S fashion, with three scallops on each skewer.

3. Place the filled skewers on a rack under a preheated broiler, and broil for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, turning with tongs as each side begins to crisp.

Do not overcook the scallops, or they will be tough.

Note: You also may grill them. Serve with rice pilaf and sweet chili or a hollandaise sauce for dipping.

Makes 4 servings

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Dining worth the drive.

Maryville

Full-Service Station IF YOU’RE

looking for some

good comfort food in northwest Mis-

ily restaurant attached to the fueling station.

souri, the locals will tell you where to

This down-home diner is known for

go: Gray’s Truck Stop. The truck stop

its biscuits and gravy, roast beef combinations, and pork tenderloins. The biscuits are made from scratch daily, and so are the sausage and brown gravies. The roast beef is packed full of flavor, and the tenderloins are deepfried to perfection. The restaurant also has homemade daily specials.

From the service to the food, Gray’s Truck Stop is a fun, traditional experience. Some say it’s like a blast from the past. The gas station opens at 5 am

started out as a fruit stand in 1934

and closes at 11 pm, and the restaurant

and progressed into a full-service

opens at 6 am and closes at 10 pm, so

truck stop over time. Still today, the

visit when you can fill up your car and

workers will greet you with a smile,

your belly. — Phil Cobb

pump your gas, and wash your wind-

Facebook: Gray’s Truck Stop

shield. But the real gem is the fam-

22979 Highway 71 • 660-582-2412

Kansas City

Tropical Treats

Columbia

SINCE 2004, Paleterias Tropicana has offered refreshing Michoacán-style

Pepperoni Paradise

paleterias—otherwise known as popsicles—in Kansas City’s largely Hispanic neighborhood along Southwest Boulevard. The eatery offers more than a dozen

way of life. “Pizza party hard y’all”

varieties with fresh ingredients, including the complex and exotic tamarind, sweettart kiwi, and spicy mango with chili.

is his motto. Pizza-inspired art-

Freshness reigns supreme here. Huge bins of produce fill a floor-to-ceiling rack

work adorns the walls of the cozy

beyond the narrow seating area, while ripe bananas and citrus- and apple-filled

eatery. And Pizza Art is the res-

wire baskets await transformation behind the counter.

taurant’s most extensive menu

The family-owned business also offers creamy, handmade ice cream infused

section, which includes gourmet

with fresh fruit and other flavors. There are sundaes, tropical smoothies, and

pies that range from the Truffled

shakes, among other desserts. Delicious but simple, the Fresas Con Crema com-

Crimini to the Banh Mi, inspired by

bines fresh fruit with sweetened sour cream in a large cup, while funnel cakes and

the classic Vietnamese sandwich

churros are other sweet offerings.

style. With slices available all day,

Paleterias Tropicana serves savory treats, too. Try the chilindrinas, made from

Missouri beer on tap, and pies and

fried pig skin topped with tomatoes, cotija cheese, sour cream, avocado, and cilan-

sides for every palate, Pizza Tree

tro. The menu features burritos, tortas, quesadillas, and more.

is worth a pilgrimage for all those

Paleterias Tropicana is a bright and cheerful place, from several large flower bas-

who love a good, cheesy slice. —

kets hanging outside to the multi-colored patchwork patterned floor inside. Whether

Jonas Weir

you grab breakfast at 8 am or a sweet treat after a movie, this engaging eatery satis-

pizzatreepizza.com • 909 Cherry

fies sweet and savory taste buds seven days a week.—Lisa Waterman Gray

Street • 573-874-9925

paleteriastropicana.com • 830 Southwest Boulevard • 816-221-0192

COURTESY OF PIZZA TREE AND MSWINE VIA FLICKR; PHIL COBB

FOR JOHN Gilbreth, owner of Pizza Tree in downtown Columbia, pizza is a

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VISIT THE HISTORIC WESTPHALIA INN Serving our famous pan-fried chicken, country ham and German pot roast family-style since 1930 106 East Main Street Westphalia, Missouri

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Pouring on quality taps near you www.broadwaybrewery.com • Downtown Columbia • 816 EBroadway, Columbia, MD [81] August 2015

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S pecial Prom ot i o n

Crystal Bridges

Bentonville, Arkansas

Over

the

awe-inspiring glass-enclosed suspension bridges. However, what’s inside is as awe-inspiring as the complex, with constantly rotating exhibitions.

Until October, the museum is hosting a collection of nature images by legendary pop artist Andy Warhol and works by contemporary realist painter Jamie Wyeth, who studied under Warhol in New York. —Jonas Weir

LINE

Street Chalk

Ancient Artifacts

THERE IS A UNIQUE local art festival in the fourth largest populated city in Kentucky.

The East Bridge Art and Music Festival has a marketplace of more than seventy-five artists and has a chalk art contest literOwensboro, Kentucky ally in the streets. Professional 3-D chalk artist Shaun Hayes from Chicago makes the trip each year to create an interactive chalk installation. Last year he made a scene right out of the Disney movie Frozen.

Sisters Kathrine Taylor and Christy Chaney, owners of a small boutique retail shop, decided they were tired of traveling to get their art fix, Kathrine says. “My sister and I would go to art festivals around the state, and thought, ‘Why don’t we have one?’ ” Local musicians play live music throughout the day—mostly Indie with some bluegrass and other genres sprinkled in.

The festival is free and open to the public September 5 from 10 am until 6 pm. For the first time, the newly renovated Smother’s Park in downtown Owensboro is hosting the event this year. —Nichole L. Ballard

TAKE a trip to the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation to see the “Seals of Jeremiah’s Captors Discovered” exhibit before it comes to a close in October.

The foundation in Edmond, which is just north of Oklahoma Edmond, Oklahoma City and about a three-hour trip from Joplin, is located on the Herbert W. Armstrong College campus. Whether for religious or historic purposes, this multi-media exhibit is worth the drive.

Almost three dozen archeological artifacts from Jerusalem’s first temple period are on display and free to view. The most popular are two clay seals discovered by Dr. Eilat Mazar of Hebrew University while excavating the City of David. Inscriptions on the clay seals, or bullae, belong to the two princes that were Jeremiah’s persecutors in Jeremiah, Chapter 38 of the Bible: Jehucal and Gedaliah. “It’s not often that such discoveries happen in which real figures of the past shake off the dust of history and so vividly revive the stories of the Bible,” Mazar says. —Nichole L. Ballard

COURTESY OF KATHRINE TAYLOR, CRYSTAL BRIDGES, AND THE ARMSTRONG FOUNDATION

THE CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM of American Art is a work of art itself. Internationally renowned architect Moshe Safdie, who notably designed Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, intended for the building to blend harmoniously with the natural beauty of the Ozarks. Gently curved buildings complement the rolling hills with the two

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Over

the

LINE

Breathtaking views Cozy cabins, B&B's, hotels and inns

Victorian architecture Unique attractions Live entertainment and festivals World-class dining Thriving art community Relaxing spas and bath houses Eclectic shops and stores Plan your extraordinary escape now! 路 Find us on Facebook or visit us online.

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SHOW-ME

A World’s

Fair HOME

Karen Kalish’s Clayton mansion showcases her art collection. STORY AND PHOTOS BY SHEREE K. NIELSEN

BY 2001, Karen Kalish had been away from the St. Louis area for more than thirty years. After getting a graduate degree from the Harvard Kennedy School at age fifty-five, she decided to move home. While looking for houses, she was driving past the recently rehabbed Desloge Mansion in Old Town Clayton. “I love it,” she told the real estate agent, without so much as ever setting foot inside the home.

The Neoclassical masterpiece stands out with a hipped roof, one and two story columns, and a second floor balcony that hangs over the front entrance. Originally built by Judge and Ms. Shackelford in 1909, the mansion was one of two homes inspired by the Missouri Building from the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. Although some homes in the area were constructed from scrap lumber discarded from the World’s Fair building demolition, 225 Linden was not.

Today, you can spot the original architectural details, including stained glass window art, beveled and lead glass, a wrap-around porch, quarter-sawn oak woodwork, hardwood floors, crown molding, four

ornate fireplaces, and a balcony. Inside and out, recurring elements appear—columns and dentil molding. Amazingly, much has survived the past 106 years.

The home’s second owners were the longest residents. Firmin Rene Desloge purchased the mansion in 1927. Known by his middle name, Rene wed Ellen Jane Duross, and the couple bore three children. Their son, Jules Desloge, lived in the mansion for more than seventy years until his passing in 1996. After Jules died, his niece put the house on the market, but not before donating the entire 1950s kitchen—including the pink stove—to the Missouri Historical Society.

In 1998, Peggy and John Romer purchased the mansion and restored the home to its illustrious turn-of-the-century beauty. Just three years later, Karen moved back to St. Louis and bought the house, which was in for a change.

Her eclectic design style was markedly different from the Romers’, who were partial to dark woods and brown walls.

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Left: The house at 225 Linden was one of two modeled after the Missouri Building at the 1904 World’s Fair. Right: Karen sits with her dog, Fannie Lou Hamer, next to a skeletal art piece near the bay window in the living room.

When the interior process began, Karen selected home decorator Dana Romeis of Castle Design after interviewing more than nine others.

The two women immediately set to work to paint every room a different color, re-cover every piece of furniture, and weave Karen’s personal art collection throughout the six-thousand-square-foot, three-story home.

They added bookcases throughout the house to accommodate Karen’s book collection. In addition to hiring a professional house painter, Karen and Dana hired finisher Angie Pritchard to paint the black-and-white faux rug on the floor beneath the kitchen’s island, risers on the back stairs, and sayings on the walls of the kitchen.

“Karen wanted color, color, color,” Dana says, with a smile. “You can tell a lot about a woman’s design style by looking at their clothes, closet, and china. Colors that we want to be around and live in are the colors we pick for ourselves. The home has a happy, Crayola, cheerful palette.”

The array of color now on display is atypical to Midwestern houses; it would seem more at home in the Caribbean. Bright orange, magenta, teal, cornflower blue, and lime green pop from walls, paintings, furniture, and artwork. A sea-glass chandelier, designed by Florida artist Mark Peyton, hangs among the red walls and aqua cove ceiling in the eclectic dining room, which is the only addition to the original home.

The watercolor Rainbow by Paul Jenkins anchors the living room—setting the tone and color.

With black and white tiling, the dining room is the home’s only addition, and it houses an array of Karen’s eclectic art collection and Kalish family heirlooms.

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SHOW-ME

Color can be found all over Karen Kalish’s turn-of-the-century home in Clayton. From the floors to ceilings to the clocks, the color palette could be described as polychromatic at least.

The living room features a quilted skeleton on a plastic frame designed by artist Susan Else of Santa Cruz, California, orange leather chairs, and a painting titled Rainbow by artist Paul Jenkins.

“Paint for the staircase and sturdy newel posts brought them to life,” says home designer Dana Romeis. Notice the small block repeating pattern in the post caps.

Karen has traveled extensively. She taught school in Washington, DC, before she landed a job at CBS-TV and eventually ended up as a reporter for Entertainment Tonight. During her teaching years, she visited Europe on three of her summer breaks. After teaching, she and her mother took a trip to China in 1981 to view the Xian six-foot tall figurines. Karen also hiked with friends to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in 2005 and took a trip to Antarctica in 2010. And although Karen did not usually buy art during her trips abroad, her art collection is as varied as her travels.

The collection can best be described as whimsical and fun and is on full display throughout the home. Sculptures, 3-D art, and paintings are catalogued on white mounts and framed in black in nearly every room. In the living room, you can find one of her first and most prized keepsakes—a hand-drawn picture of her face on a mirror, created by world-renowned kinetic artist Yaacov Agam. The modern glass table in the dining room displays a purple and white Dale Chihuly sculpture from Holsten Galleries in Lenox, Massachusetts.

Many pieces are one-of-a-kind originals, like the colorful paper-mache truck loaded with safari animals, which she acquired in Cuba in 2001; or the quilted skeleton on a plastic frame, which is titled Nothing to Fear, by artist Susan Else of Santa Cruz, California; or the interactive glass-top coffee table purchased from a gallery in Washington, DC. The table is probably the most fun piece, in the traditional sense of the word.

Small, metal ball bearings can be dropped in two openings on the top

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Above: Art of all kinds abounds in Karen Kalish’s historic Clayton home. The handmade wooden grandfather clock was made by the Sticks Gallery in Des Moines, Iowa. Top right: The paper-mache truck was acquired by Karen from a street vendor on a visit to Cuba in 2001. Right: A guest bedroom upstairs features a hand-carved bed frame.

of the table, and the bearings will travel separate routes, clicking and clacking as they maneuver down the metal track.

Other splashes of Karen’s personality are found in every nook and cranny. A whimsical zebra print runner spills down the grand oak staircase to the landing and invites visitors to study the original stained glass and painted figure of a woman dressed in white leaning over a harp. The four original fireplaces scattered throughout the home are surrounded with different colors of glazed tile.

Family heirlooms also abound in Karen’s home. Her father, Ralph W. Kalish, had a very large tin soldier collection. She and her siblings inherited some when he died. Karen houses her portion of the collection inside the beveled and leaded glass cabinets on the fireplaces. Karen also inherited the mahogany table from 1931 in the dining room from her grandmother; a salmon pink and violet quilt that her cousin made blankets the table.

“I want everyone to walk in, be in a good mood, and put their feet up,” Karen says. “My home is happy and comfortable.”

Karen lives at her home with her two cats, Jakey and Ethel, and her dog, Fannie Lou Hamer, named after the civil rights activist from Mississippi. With all the space for just four, she hosts fundraising events for various charities including Cultural Leadership and Home Works! The Teacher Home Visit Program.

Visit karenkalish.com for more information.

The black and white rug with the leopard print trim is not an actual rug. It was painted on the floor below the island in the kitchen by finisher Angie Pritchard.

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ALL AROUND

Missouri AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015

COOL CAVE MUSIC

COURTESY OF ONONDAGA FRIENDS ASSOCIATION

On August 1 at Onondaga Cave State Park in Leasburg, you can cool off to music in the cave with the Underground Ukulele Extravaganza. Start the night with refreshments from 6 to 7 pm, and enjoy the concert after. Tickets are $25. Call 573-245-6576 or visit onondagafriends.org for more information.

RIVER AND LIGHTS FESTIVAL

MUSIC ON MAIN

ST. LOUIS

Aug. 14 and Sept. 11, Hermann > Live music, food, and drink. Riverfront Park. 5-9 pm. Free. 573-4862313, visithermann.com

Aug. 19 and Sept. 19, St. Charles > Enjoy a concert by Silver Bullet: A Tribute to Bob Seger. Main St. 5-7:30 pm. Free. 636-946-7776, historicstcharles.com

TOWN AND COUNTRY FAIR

WURST MAKING 101

RIDE THE CAROUSEL

Aug. 15 and Sept. 12, Hermann > Learn the German tradition of sausage making, enjoy a wurst lunch and a wine and beer tasting, and take home the sausage you make. Hermann Wurst Haus.

Reservations only. 10 am and 2 pm classes. $59. 573486-2266, hermannwursthaus.com

Aug. 20, Chesterfield > Bring the kids to play games and ride the 1920s carousel. St. Louis Carousel at Faust Park. 10 am-4 pm. $8 per child/adults free. 314-615-8345, stlouis.com/parks/carousel

Aug. 5-9, Washington > Queen contest, bull riding, tractor pull, motorcycle races, and live entertainment. Fairgrounds. 9 am-9 pm. $10-$50. 636-2392715, washmo.org

HUMMINGBIRD BANDING Aug. 8 and Sept. 5, Leasburg > Join researcher Lanny Chambers to get a close-up look at the ruby-throated hummingbird and learn about its life. Onondaga Cave State Park. 10 am-1 pm. Free.

573-245-6576, mostateparks.com/park/onondaga -cave-state-park

3 DAYS OF JEWELRY Aug. 18-20, St. Louis > Make one-of-a-kind jewelry with metalworking techniques taught by Cindy Howenstein. Craft Alliance Center of Art + Design.

10 am-4 pm. $228. 314-725-1177, craftalliance.org

FESTIVAL OF THE LITTLE HILLS Aug. 21-23, St. Charles > More than three hundred craft vendors. Frontier Park and Main St. 4-10 pm Fri.; 9:30 am-10 pm Sat.; 9:30 am-5 pm Sun. Free.

636-946-7776, festivalofthelittlehills.com These listings are chosen by our editors and are not paid for by sponsors.

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HOME GROWN FARM TOUR Aug. 29, Potosi > Start the day at the farmers’ market, take a self-guided or a four-hour guided tour of local farms, and learn about the nearly 250 years of history in Washington County. Along the way, visit a pumpkin farm, pet an alpaca, and enjoy a dinner featuring locally produced foods. Throughout town and Edg-Clif Farms and Vineyard. 8 am-6:30 pm. $55. 573-438-4741, homegrownfarmtour.com

ines the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. LorettoHilton Center for the Performing Arts. Show times vary. $17.50. 314-968-4925, repstl.org

FARM FRIDAYS Sept. 11, St. Louis > Pony rides, hayrides, barn tours, fishing, candle-making, pedal cars, and beanbag toss. Suson Park. 10 am-1 pm. $10 per child; adults are free. 314-615-8822, stlouis.com

THORNHILL OPEN HOUSE

LIVING HISTORY HAYRIDES

Aug. 29-30, Chesterfield > Tour the home of Missouri’s second governor, the 1820 and 1860s barns, ice house, peach orchard, family cemetery, and blacksmith shop. Thornhill Estates at Faust Park.

1-5 pm. Free. 314-615-8328, stlouisco.com

Sept. 12-13, Lemay > Take a hayride, and see vignettes presented by living history reenactors who describe their uniforms and the equipment used during the era. Jefferson Barracks Historic Site.

11 am, 1 and 3 pm Sat.; noon and 2 pm Sun. $7. 314544-5714, stlouiscom.com

SIP AND SAVOR Sept. 3, St. Peters > Sample wine, craft beers, and local foods, and see live music. 370 Lakeside Park.

5-8 pm. $25-$35. 636-946-0633, foodfest370.com

CRUISE FOR A CURE Sept. 4, Washington > Cars cruise to raise money for medical research. Main St. 6-9 pm. Free. 314566-9776, washmochamber.org

ALL THE WAY Sept. 9-Oct. 4, Webster Groves > This play exam-

BURSTS OF

COLOR

Witness some of nature’s most beautiful displays while hiking some of the area’s best trails.

MAKE YOUR OWN CHEESE

OKTOBERFEST Sept. 25-27, St. Charles > German music and dancing, entertainment, antique car show, the Weiner Takes All dachshund race, vendors, traditional food, and children’s area. Frontier Park. 4-11 pm Fri.; 10 am-11 pm Sat.; 10 am-5 pm Sun. Free. 636-946-7776, stcharlesoktoberfest.com

GREEN LIVING FALL FESTIVAL Sept. 26, Leasburg > Educational activities, vendors, displays, demonstrations, green products, apple butter making, and information on farming and sustainable living. Onondaga Cave State Park. 10 am-4 pm. Free. 573-245-6576, onondagafriends.org

SOUTHEAST

Sept. 17, Hermann > Learn how to make goat cheese and hard cheese. Lunch is included.

Nature’s Organic Haven. 10 am-2 pm. $107.50.

573-486-5000, eventbrite.com

JOUR DE FETE CELEBRATION

CIVIL WAR DAYS

TUNES AT TWILIGHT

Sept. 19-20, Hermann > Living history event with reenactors, battles, cannon firing, blacksmiths, and broom makers. Hermann Farm. 10 am-4 pm. $5-$10.

573-486-2313, hermannfarm.org

Aug. 14, 21, 28; Sept. 4, 11, 18, Cape Girardeau > This series features different concerts each week.

Lawn of the Common Pleas Courthouse Gazebo. 6-7 pm. Free. 573-334-8085, oldtowncape.org

Aug. 8-9, Ste. Genevieve > Three hundred arts and crafts booths. Historic Downtown. 10 am-6 pm Sat.; 9 am-4 pm Sun. Free. 800-373-7007, visitstegen.com

TR U H E RO. TR U H I STORY. TR U D E STI NATION.

TRUMAN A MUST-SEE MUSEUM FASCINATING OUR KIDS LOVED IT! TripAdvisor Reviews

EXPLORE AMERICA’S BEST PRESIDENTIAL MUSEUM OPEN DAILY | $8 Adult, $3 Youth (6-15); 0-5 FREE

816.268.8200

Hwy. 100 & I-44 Gray Summit, MO 63039 ( 6 3 6 ) 4 51- 3512 • w w w.s ha w nat ure .org

MissouriLife_Aug2015.indd 1

TrumanLibrary.org 6/23/2015 4:01:58 PM

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Only 15o/o of employers say Missouri's high school graduates are ready for work.

-Gallup, commissioned by the Missouri Chamber

It's time for a solution .

•••• ~- · -

MISSOURI2030 An Agenda to Lead Learn more - mochamber.com

G) MISSOURI CHAMBER [91] August 2015 OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

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HUMMINGBIRD BANDING Aug. 29, Cape Girardeau > Watch banders catch hummingbirds, gather data, and fit the birds with an ID. Conservation Nature Center. 8 AM-noon.

Free. 573-290-5218, mdc.mo.gov

REYNOLDS COUNTY FAIR Sept. 3-5, Redford > Exhibits, games, food, car and lawn mower demolition derbies, bull riding, parade, and four-wheel races and mudding. Reynolds County Fairgrounds. 10 AM-10 PM Thurs.; 9 AM-10 PM Fri.Sat. $3-$6. 573-558-2290, ellingtonmo.com

BILLY JOE ROYAL Sept. 4, Poplar Bluff > Country music concert.

Rodgers Theatre. 7-9 PM. $15. 573-712-8991, rodgerstheatre.org

Sept. 11-12, New Madrid > Yard sales and an outdoor flea market (Saturday only). Throughout town and Davis St. Park. 7 AM (9 AM flea market)-2 PM. Free. 573-748-5300, new-madrid.mo.us

DAY ON THE RIVER Sept. 12, Cape Girardeau > Hands-on activities, live river animals, Asian carp samples, and boat rides. Riverfront Park. 9 AM-4 PM. Free. 573-2905218, mdc.mo.gov

FOR SALE

LABOR DAY AT FORT D

Join local reenactors on September 7 at the Fort D Historic Site in Cape Girardeau as they demonstrate rifle and cannon fire and Dutch oven cooking from the Civil War era. This fort, built in 1861, defended the town during the Civil War. The free event is open from 9 AM to 3 PM. Call 573-335-1631 or visit fortdhistoricsite.com/fortd/welcome for more information.

COURTESY OF CAPE GIRARDEAU CVB

CITY WIDE YARD SALE

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Prepare for Leadership is an excellent guide for employees and entrepreneurs at any stage of their career. 9” x 6”, 192 pages, softcover $15.99

MissouriLife.com/store or call 800-492-2593, ext. 101 Shipping and tax added to all orders.

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You should never need a calculator to figure out your bill.

Or a magnifying glass.* *At least that's what W8 think.

That's why when you gat a bll from • for phone and/or lntamat sarvica, It'll be exactly what we told you It would be. Seriously.

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You can buy home phone and high-speed Internet.

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Your taxes and fees are included in the monthly rate.

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You'll get unlimited Internet with no data caps on all packages.

V

We respect our user's privacy and data.

You'll always talk to someone here in Missouri.

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1-800-SOCKET-3 • www.socket.net • 2703 [93] August 2015 Clark Lane Columbia, MO 65202

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OLD MINE OPEN HOUSE

RIVER TALES CAR SHOW

Sept. 12, Park Hills > Tour the mining and mineral museum, and visit with special guests: retired miners, mill people, and lead company workers. Missouri Mines State Historic Site. 9 AM-4 PM. Free. 573431-6226, mostateparks.com/park/missouri-mines -state-historic-site

Sept. 20, Cape Girardeau > Display of classic cars.

Historic Main Street. 9 AM-4 PM. Free. 573-9792169, rivercityrodders.com

Sept. 12-19, Cape Girardeau > Celebrate 160 years of the SEMO Disctrict Fair with demolition derbies, exhibits, carnival rides, agricultural expos, and grandstand entertainment. Arena Park. Times vary. $5 (plus tickets cost for entertainment). 573-3349250, semofair.com

IMPRESSIONS OF THE CIVIL WAR Sept. 12-Oct. 25, Poplar Bluff > See Missouri native Dan Woodward’s paintings of events during the early years of the Civil War in Missouri. Margaret Harwell Art Museum. Noon-4 PM Tues.-Fri.; 1-4 PM Sat.-Sun. Free. 573-686-8002, mham.org

FALL CONCERT Sept. 20, Burfordville > Bring a lawn chair for a performance by Miss Crystal’s Pretty Good String Band. Bollinger Mill State Historic Site. 2-4 PM. Free.

573-243-4591, mostateparks.com/park/bollinger -mill-state-historic-site

Sept. 29-Oct. 3, Kennett > Parade, carnival, competitions, vendor booths, rodeo, art and photography shows, baby picture contest, live entertainment, tractor pull, and demolition derby. Delta Fairgrounds. 5-11 PM Tues.-Fri.; noon-11 PM Sat. $3-$4. 573-888-9051, deltafairfun.com

SOUTH CENTRAL LUCKY STIFF Aug. 2 and 6-9, Rolla > This murder mystery musical farce is filled with mistaken identities, millions of diamonds, and a wheelchair-bound corpse.

Cedar Street Playhouse. 7-9 PM. $12-$20. 573-3649523, ozarkactorstheatre.com

TRUCK AND TRACTOR PULL Aug. 7, Richland > Fast and powerful trucks and tractors roar down the track. Jeremiah Brackett Pulling Track at Shady Dell Park. 7 PM. $5-$15. 417533-4100, pulaskicountyusa.com

Events

•

Lucky Stiff

Aug 1-9

Hero’s Challenge

Aug 29

Hellbender Adventure Race

Aug 29

Mustache Dash 5K & 10K

Sept 12

The Hit Men

Sept 25

Presented by Ozark Actors Theatre Fundraiser for Wounded Warrior Fund

Presented by Leach Theatre

• • • •

COW DAYS

Here is your chance to win a cow. On September 18 and 19 in Dixon, you can enter a drawing for a cow, enjoy arts and crafts, join a street dance, watch parades, and see the stage entertainment. The festival is free, held downtown, and is open noon to 11 PM on Friday and 11 AM to 11 PM Saturday. Call 573-5281159 or visit dixonchamberofcommerce.com.

COURTESY OF VAN BEYDLER

SEMO DISTRICT FAIR

DELTA FAIR

Hundreds of Germanic/European flavored wurst, wine, bacon, beer and brats Indoor or outside deli seating In-house craft beer and wurst sodas Great German food & Amish made food gifts Download the Wurst Haus mobile app in the Apple store and receive 10% off in-store purchase

For more information on events visit

www.VisitRolla.com

Rolla Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center

Meats produced in house by Mike Sloan, two-time Hall of Fame Wurstmeister Mon to Sat 9-6 p.m. Sun 10-4 p.m.

Free samples

Located in historic downtown Hermann 234 East First Street, Hermann, MO 573-486-2266 | www.hermannwursthaus.com

Rolla Area Chamber of Commerce • 1311 Kingshighway Rolla, MO 65401 • 573-364-3577 or 888-809-3817

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KAYAK CLINICS

MUSTACHE DASH 5K/10K

Aug. 7 and 14, Salem > Learn the basics of kayaking (kayaks provided). Current River State Park. 10 amnoon. Registration required. Free. 573-858-3015, mostateparks.com/park/current-river-state-park

Sept. 12, Rolla > Enjoy a family 5K or 10K fun run where participants are encouraged to wear a real or fake mustache. The run is a fundraiser for Ozark Actors Theatre. Starts at Cedar Street Playhouse. 8-11 am. Free to spectators ($25 to run, includes a race t-shirt). 573-364-3577, thecedarstreetplayhouse.org

MONSTER TRUCK SHOW Aug. 21-22, West Plains > Monster trucks, giant robots, and UTV racing. Heart of the Ozarks Fairgrounds. 5:30-10 pm. Ticket prices vary. 417-5229891, waywardsonproductions.com

ORA RODEO Aug. 28-29, Dixon > Family rodeo fun with calf scramble, bareback riding, barrel racing, rodeo clowns, chute doggin’, team roping, and bull riding. Dixon Saddle Club. 7 pm. $4-$8. 573-336-5066, ozarkrodeoassociation.com

GUN, KNIFE, & ARCHERY SHOW Aug. 29-30 Saint Robert > Over a hundred tables of items. Community Center. 9 am-5 pm Sat.; 9 am3 pm Sun. $5. 573-433-6507, pulaskicountyusa.com

SHRIMP FESTIVAL Sept. 12, Dixon > Fresh water prawns, wine tasting, and music. Show Me Shrimp Farms. 9 am-9 pm.

Free (shrimp and dinners available for purchase).

417-664-2307, showmeshrimpfarms.com

CAR RALLY AND CRAFTS Sept. 12-13, Salem > Car show and cruise, art show, music, and crafts. Downtown. 8 am-9 pm.

Free. 816-719-5157, midwestblueovalclub.com

BORDERS OF THE MIND Sept. 18, Rolla > Psychic show features demonstrations of the powers of the mind. Leach Theatre.

7-9 pm. $15. 573-341-4219, leachtheatre.mst.edu

CENTRAL SANTA FE TRAIL FLOWERS Aug. 1, Arrow Rock > Lecture on floral designs inspired by the Santa Fe Trail. Arrow Rock State Historic Site. 11 am. Free. 660-837-3330, mostateparks .com/park/arrow-rock-state-historic-site

BATS Aug. 1, Camdenton > Learn about Missouri’s bats and watch them leave the cave. Ha Ha Tonka State Park. 8:30-9:30 pm. Free. 573-546-2986, mostateparks.com/park/ha-ha-tonka-state-park

FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS

BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL Sept. 24-26, West Plains > Multiple bands perform. You can join in the jam sessions, and camping is available. HOBA Bluegrass Park. Show times 7 pm Thurs.-Fri.; 1:30 and 6:30 pm Sat. $5-$25. 888-2568835, hobabluegrass.wix.com

Aug. 1, Fayette > Fine art show and competition, cake baking contest and auction, dramatic presentations, classic vehicles, and a quilt show. Historic Courthouse Square and CMU campus. 9:30 am3:30 pm. Free. 660-537-0484, fayettefestival.org

GUIDED WALK TO THE CAVE

SOUTHERN GOSPEL REUNION Sept. 25-26, Waynesville > Performances by gospel groups. Senior High School. 7 pm Fri.; 6 pm Sat. Free. 573-774-0404, pulaskicountyusa.com

Aug. 1-Sept. 27 (Sat. and Sun.), Danville > Guided forty-five-minute walk. Graham Cave State Park.

10-11 am Sat.; 2-3 pm Sun. Free. 573-546-3476, mostateparks.com/park/graham-cave-state-park

History as you’ve never seen it before.

Completely restored.

September 7-11

KMOS-TV broadcasts in HD on channel 6.1, and is carried in many communities on channel 6.

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DOG DAYS EXHIBIT Aug. 6-Sept. 24, Fulton > Fine arts and crafts exhibit and sale with a Dog Days of Summer theme.

Art House. 10 AM-6 PM Mon.-Fri.; 10 AM-5 PM Sat. Free. 573-592-7733, arthousefultonmo.org

WINE AND BREW FESTIVAL Aug. 8, Lake Ozark > Taste samples from local and regional wineries and breweries, and enjoy live entertainment and souvenir wine and beer glasses.

Country Club Hotel and Spa. 2-5 PM. $15-$20. 800451-4117, lakeareachamber.com

Aug. 9, Jefferson City > Top cyclists from around the state compete in the state championship bike race consisting of an 0.85-mile loop where the riders whip around corners at full speed. The fun day will feature family activities, a fun zone, and the perfect place to watch the racers. Downtown.

Free. 573-634-6482, jeffcitymo.org/parks

FAMILY FUN FEST Aug. 19, Columbia > Enjoy art, music, inflatables, face painting, dancing from various nations and cultures, and games at this family event with an Around the World theme. Cosmo Park at the Steinberg Playground Area. 6-8 PM. Free. 573-874-7460, gocolumbiamo.com

PRISON BREAK RACE

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to break out of prison? Here is your chance to escape from Jefferson Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 179-year-old Missouri State Penitentiary. On September 5, you can sprint through Housing Unit 4 and run an obstacle-laden five-mile race. Registration is from 7:30 to 8:30 AM. The race starts at 9 AM and costs $40 (includes t-shirt). Call 573-632-2820 or visit jcrprisonbreak.wordpress.com.

COURTESY OF JEFFERSON CITY CVB

MISSOURI STATE CRITERIUM

DAYS 3 D N SPE

WHERE THE CHILD

THINGS ARE.

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SOYBEAN FESTIVAL

HAM AND TURKEY FESTIVAL

CORN HUSKING CHAMPIONSHIP

Aug. 21-22, Mexico > Parade, carnival, beer garden, BBQ contest, vendors, 5K/10K run, concerts, and car show. Downtown square. Free (except carnival). 573-581-2765, mexicosoybean.org

Sept. 19, California > Turkey drumsticks and ham sandwiches, 5K run/walk, parade, car show, disc golf, three stages of entertainment, turkey bowling, diaper derby, barbecue contest, and a huge turkey club sandwich. Downtown around the historic county courthouse. 7 am-5 pm. Free (except special events). 573-796-3040, calmo.com

Sept. 25-26, Marshall > Corn shucking with assistance from horse-drawn wagons, barbecue showdown, antique tractors, kids’ corn toss, homemade cookie contest, a parade, and a biscuit and gravy breakfast. Saline County Fairgrounds and downtown square. 4 pm Fri. (parade); 7 am-5:30 pm Sat. Free (except special events). 660-631-2862, cornhusking.com

WINE STROLL

WALK BACK IN TIME

Sept. 19, Rocheport > Stroll the streets, sample wines from fifteen wineries, and take home your souvenir glass. Throughout town. 4-8 pm. $20. 573698-2088, rocheport-mo.com

Sept. 25-27, Mexico > Family-friendly living history event. Audrain County Historical Museum Complex.

10 am-7 pm. Free. 573-581-3910, audrain.org

MISSOURI RIVER ARTS FESTIVAL Aug. 27-29, Boonville > This festival features peformances by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the Kansas City Symphony and an art exhibit. Thespian Hall. 7 pm. $25-$65. 888-588-1477, friendsofhistoricboonville.org

BACK TO THE FARM REUNION Sept. 10-13, Boonville > Walk back in time and experience life on a farm and see steam engines, quilting demonstrations, classic cars, and horse and mule activities. Brady Show Grounds. 8 am5 pm Thurs.; 8 am-10 pm Fri.-Sat.; 8 am-4 pm. $10 (all four days). 573-295-6361, mrvsea.com

HERITAGE FESTIVAL Sept. 19-20, Columbia > Artisans dressed in Victorian attire, handmade crafts, live music, and children’s area. Nifong Park. 10 am-5 pm. Free. 573874-7460, gocolumbiamo.com

SANTA FE TRAIL DAYS

OKTOBERFEST

Sept. 11-12, Marshall > Chuckwagon dinner, oldfashioned children’s games, rope making, freight wagon team races, crafts, parade, Cowboy Street Theatre, and puppet show. Courthouse lawn.

5-8 pm. Fri.; 7 am-4 pm Sat. Free (except dinner).

660-831-1490, marshallculturalcouncil.org

Sept. 25-26, Jefferson City > Celebrate German heritage with traditional dinners, German music and dancing, a beer and wine garden, a kid’s corner, the Dachshund Derby, crafts, and a car show.

Old Munichburg (West Dunklin St.). Free. 573-6356524, oldmunichburg.com

QUILT SHOW Sept. 26-27, Marshall > More than ninety quilts including art quilts. Martin Community Center. 9 am5 pm Sat.; 10 am-5 pm Sun. $5 donation. 660-8866889, countrypatchworkquilter.com

SOUTHWEST BRUMLEY GOSPEL SING Aug. 5-8, Lebanon > Gospel groups perform. Cowan Civic Center. 7 pm Wed.; 2 and 7 pm Thurs.-Fri.; 2 and 6 pm Sat. $5-$85. 800-435-3725, brumleymusic.com

Bikes in stock • Road • Cyclocross • Mountain • Hybrid 1605 Chapel Hill Rd. Columbia, MO 65203 573-447-2453 Tryathletics@gmail.com www.tryathletics.com

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PADDLE STOCKTON Aug. 6 and Sept. 3, Dadeville > Bring your canoe or kayak for a 6.65-mile water trail. Stockton State Park Marina. 9 AM-noon. Free. 417-276-4259, mostateparks.com/park/stockton-state-park

BATTLE ANNIVERSARY Aug. 10, Republic > Commemoration of the second major battle of the Civil War. Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield. 8 AM-5 PM. Free. 417-732-2662, nps.gov/wicr/index.htm

INSECT-O-RAMA Aug. 14, Springfield > Join insect specialists to learn about creepy-crawly bugs. Conservation Nature Center. 6:30-9:30 PM. Free. 417-888-4237, mdc.mo.gov/regions/southwest/springfield -conservation-nature-center

Aug. 22, Neosho > Games and activities including wheelbarrow and bathtub races. Downtown Square. 4-8 PM. Free. 417-451-1925, neoshocc.com

BIRTHPLACE OF ROUTE 66 FESTIVAL

From August 14 to 16, celebrate the mother road with a classic car show, a motorcycle show, food vendors, a children’s activity area, a drive-in movie, live entertainment, and a parade. The festivities take place at Springfield’s Park Central Square, and the hours vary each day. The event is free. Call 417-864-110 or visit route66festivalsgf.com for more information.

JAPANESE FALL FESTIVAL Sept. 11-13, Springfield > Artists, performers, and demonstrations. Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden. 5-10 PM Fri.; 11 AM-10 PM Sat.; 11 AM-6 PM Sun. $3-$7. 417-864-1049, peacethroughpeople.org

COURTESY OF SPRINGFIELD CVB

SOCIAL ON THE SQUARE

55 Years of professional theatre in the heart of missouri!

AUGUST 8 - 15

AUGUST 22 - 30

SEPTEMBER 9 - 20

DECEMBER 11 - 20

call 660.837.3311 or go to Www.lyceumtheatre.org to order tickets

SEASON SPONSORS

Follow us on Facebook!

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CATCBOUR e,M, ~ rJLY PA_SS. c ~ !!!!l

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If you are looking for entertainment fit for the whole family, there's no better place than Presleys' Country Jubilee.

Fun is what the show is all about as Herkimer and Cecil take center stage with their hilarious comedy that leaves audiences laughing out loud. Does the sound of soulful music pull at your heartstrings? Generations of talented performers mix in everything from toe-tapping songs to the amazing grace of their gospel music. At Presleys', there's a little something for everyone, no matter how young you are or where you call home. And now, with a Presleys' Family Pass, it's an experience you can share with your whole family at a great price. So what are you waiting for?

Come on over and see what an evening of music can do for you and your family.

For Tickets, Call 800-335-4874

PRlESLEm Country Jubilee MA_KE OUR FAMILY TR.A_DITION ONE OF YOURS Visit Presleys.com

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BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

HERITAGE REUNION

MISSOURI STATE FAIR

Sept. 17-19, Conway > Multiple bluegrass bands perform including the Bluegrass Martins, The Grascals, Farm Hands Bluegrass Quartet, Joe Mullins and The Radio Ramblers, Jim Orchard and the Boys, and Rhonda Vincent and the Rage. Camping is available. Starvy Creek. Show times and costs vary.

417-589-2013, starvycreek.com

Sept. 26-27, Fair Grove > More than three hundred arts and crafts booths, turn-of-the-century demonstrations, parade, country music, dancing, horse and mule obstacle course, and antique tractor show. Wommack Mill, historic district, and District Park. 8 am-6 pm Sat.; 8 am-4 pm Sun. Free ($3-$4 parking). 417-833-3467, fghps.org

Aug.13-23,Sedalia>Midway, exhibits, grandstand concerts, agricultural competitions, children’s activities, livestock and horse shows, and vendors.

Missouri State Fairgrounds. 7:30 am-10 pm. $2-$10.

800-422-3247, mostatefair.com

FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS

STREET MACHINE NATIONALS

Sept. 19, Joplin > One hundred fine artists display and sell art work. The fest includes a stage for performing artists and music, children’s art area, and local nonprofit information booths. Downtown.

10 am-6 pm (music for 21 and over until 10 pm). Free.

417-529-3730, joplinartsfest.com

Sept. 26-27, Springfield > Fancy street machines, hot rods, and street trucks come together for the 27th annual national celebration of horsepower and dream machines. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds.

9 am-5 pm Sat.; 9 am-3 pm Sun. $13. 317-236-6515, streetmachinenationals.net

CIDER DAYS Sept. 19-20, Springfield > More than one hundred juried artists and crafters, hands-on children’s area, scarecrow village, and multiple performance stages. Historic Walnut Street. 10 am-5 pm. $4. 417831-6200, itsalldowntown.com

NIXAQUE Sept. 26, Nixa > Barbecue competition, live music, face painting, concessions, and more. Rotary Park.

11 am-3 pm. $5 (all you can eat barbecue). 417-7251545, nixachamber.com

KANSAS CITY TREASURES OF THE TRIANGLE Aug. 8, Knob Noster > Listen to a program and then go outside to view the night sky through telescopes, and see the Cub Scout star, the Ring Nebula, the Double-Double, Saturn, and maybe some speedy Perseid meteors. Knob Noster State Park. 8:30-10:30 pm. Free. 573-563-2463, mostateparks.com/park/knob-noster-state-park

STARGAZING PARTY Aug. 15, Lexington > Kansas City Astronomy Society presents a slide show and leads the group to the top of the battlefield to view the night sky through telescopes. Battle of Lexington State Historic Site.

7:30-10 pm. Free. 660-259-4654, mostateparks .com/park/battle-lexington-state-historic-site

IRISH FEST Sept. 4-6, Kansas City > Celebrate the area’s Celtic heritage with multiple music venues, traditional dancing, and exhibits. Crown Center Square and Musical Theater Heritage. 5-11 pm Fri.; 11 am-11 pm Sat.-Sun. $10-$250. 816-561-7555, kcirishfest.com

OLD REVOLVER SHOOT OUT Sept. 12, Excelsior Springs > Test your target shooting skills on Frank and Jesse James targets, and win a prize. Western wear is welcome and even encouraged. Jesse James Farm and Museum.

9 am-5 pm. Free. ($15 to shoot). 816-736-8500, jessejames.org 2013 ARock MissouriLife 1-6 August 2015 ad.qxp_Lay

WATCH FOR

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ARROWROCK.ORG Grape Stomp: Sept. 25-27, Hannibal, MO

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MUSIC AND BACK PORCH JAM Sept. 12, Lawson > Songwriters and musicians perform original songs and folk music, and you can bring your instrument and join the jam sessions.

Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site. Noon5 PM. Free. 816-580-3387, mostateparks.com/park /watkins-woolen-mill-state-historic-site

COUNTRY FAIR Sept. 12-19, Higginsville > Princess and Queen pageants, baby contest, chalk drawing contest, parade, ice cream social, more than one hundred vendors, youth activities, music, and art, photo, and flower shows. Downtown. Times vary. Free. 660584-3030, higginsvillecountryfair.com

OKTOBERFEST

COURTESY OF NORA OTHIC

Sept. 25-26, Lee’s Summit > Family-friendly event offers a variety of entertainment, crafts, food vendors, music, children’s contests, and a beer garden.

Historic Downtown. 5-11 PM Fri.; 10 AM-11 PM Sat. Free. 816-524-2424, lsoktoberfest.com

NORA OTHIC ART SHOW

Artist Nora Othic used pastels, watercolors, and colored pencils to create this whimsical series where she transforms Greek mythological figures into country fair headliners. The free show is at the Daum Museum at State Fair Community College in Sedalia from August 1 to 30. You can visit from 11 AM to 5 PM Tuesday through Friday or 1 to 5 PM on Saturday and Sunday. Call 660-530-5888 or visit daummuseum.org.

“You will

never realize your

full potential until you learn to choose the

hard right

over the

easy wrong.”

BURG FEST Sept. 25-26, Warrensburg > Craft and food vendors, musical entertainment, children’s activities, car show, barbecue contest, and Family GLO Run. Downtown. 4-11 PM Fri.; 10 AM-11 PM Sat. Free (except special events). 660-429-3988, theburgfest.org

Wagons Ho! Emigrants on the Overland Trail

The Wagon Trains of 1848

By Michael E. LaSalle $40.00 pbk 9781935503958 $29.99 eb 9781612480213

LaSalle’s work is at its best as it recaptures the travails of the long trip.... After the discovery of so many valuable journals and LaSalle’s tireless effort to retrace these settlers’ steps, 1848 can no longer be seen as the “lost” year. —Kansas History, Summer 2013

Merchants of Independence

International Trade on the Santa Fe Trail, 1827–1860

By William Patrick O’Brien $34.95 pbk 9781612480909 $27.99 eb 9781612480916

Winner of the 2014 Louise Barry Writing Award

Wentworth where potential is realized!

wma.edu •

800-962-7682

•

admissions@wma.edu

The Kansas City Star—100 Best Books of 2014 The book is a useful addition to the annals of western Americana. It forces readers to rethink their conception of the nature and meaning of the American Frontier. —CHOICE, September 2014

Truman State University Press

100 E. Normal Ave., Kirksville, MO 63501 tsup.truman.edu • 660-785-7336

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FALL FESTIVAL Sept. 25-27, Liberty > Crafts, children’s events, parade, carnival, and live music. Historic Downtown.

11 AM-9 PM Fri.; 9 AM-9 PM Sat.; noon-4 PM Sun. Free (except carnival). 816-781-5200, libertyfallfest.com

NORTHWEST MEMORIAL RODEO Aug. 21-22, Maryville > Team roping, calf roping, calf scramble, barrel racing, and more rodeo events. Ed Phillips Memorial Arena. 8 PM. $5-$10.

660-541-4696, rodeosusa.com

TRAILS WEST FESTIVAL

125TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Aug. 29, Mendon > Step back in time to celebrate the town’s birthday with a parade, crafters, antique tractor and car shows, pedal pull, pet parade, live music, and fireworks. Main St. 9 AM-10 PM. Free.

660-272-3490, mendonsummercelebration.com

JOESTOCK MUSICAL FESTIVAL

COURTESY OF JAY KERNER

Aug. 21-23, St. Joseph > Fine art, folk art, dramatic stage entertainment, live music, and food vendors.

Civic Center Park. 5-11 PM Fri.; 10 AM-11 PM Sat.; noon-5 PM Sun. $8-$10 for all three days. 816-2330231, trailswest.org

Come out to Felix Street Square in St. Joseph September 4 to 6 for a musical adventure. The line-up consists of national, regional, and local musicians. There will be a Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sunday. The festival is free and is open from 2 to 10 PM on Friday, noon to 10 PM on Saturday, and noon to 6 PM on Sunday. Call 816-617-5850 or visit stjosephmuseumfoundation.org for more information.

BIG BLUE LIVE Three Nights, Countless Wonders

Photo: Courtesy of Doc White

A LIVE event showcasing marine creatures as they converge on the west coast.

August 31-September 2

KMOS-TV broadcasts in HD on channel 6.1, and is carried in many communities on channel 6.

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KCPT IS MORE THAN JUST TELEVISIONâ&#x20AC;Ś WE OFFER VIEWERS OF ALL AGES A TERRIFIC JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE. Almost a million viewers like you rely on KCPT each week for quality national and local PBS programming that enhances their lives and strengthens our community.

kcpt.org

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Directory of Our Advertisers Arrow Rock, p. 100 Bent Tree, p. 10 Best Places to Work Contest, p. 104 Branson CVB, p. 7 Broadway Brewery, p. 81 Callaway County Tourism, pgs. 30 & 31 Cape Girardeau CVB, p. 18 Cave Hollow West Winery, p. 100 Clay County Tourism, p. 11 Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce, p. 21 Columbia, MO Parks and Recreation, p. 13 Columbia Orthopaedic Group. p. 88 Crow Steals Fire, p. 10 Eureka Springs A & P Commission, p. 83 Fayetteville, AR, p. 96 Greater Chillicothe Visitor’s Region, p. 23 Hermann Hill, p. 108 Hermann Tourism, p. 10 Hermann Wurst Haus, p. 94 Home for Sale, p. 92 Isle of Capri, p. 3 James Country Mercantile, p. 21 Jefferson City CVB, p. 96 KCPT, p. 103 KMOS, pgs. 95 & 102 Lebanon, MO Tourism, p. 17 Lexington, MO Tourism, p. 25 Lindsborg, KS CVB, p. 83 Lodge of Four Seasons, p. 4 Lyceum Theatre, p. 98 Marshall Tourism, pgs. 8 & 9 Maryland Heights CVB, p. 18 Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, p. 91 Missouri Life Books, p. 92 Missouri Pork Association, p. 2 Missouri Propane Gas Association, p. 15 Old Trails Region, p. 100 Presleys’ Country Jubilee, p. 99 The Railyard Steakhouse, p. 81 Rolla Area Chamber of Commerce, p. 94 Saleigh Mountain Co., p. 10 Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, p. 23 Shaw Nature Reserve, p. 90 Socket, p. 93 St. Charles CVB, p. 25 St. Joseph CVB, p. 21 Sydenstricker, p. 107 Truman Library, p. 90 Truman State University Press, p. 101 TryAthletics , p. 97 Walt’s Bike Shop, p. 88 Wentworth Military Academy & College, p. 101 Westphalia Vineyards, p. 81 Wildwood Spring Lodge, p. 27 Fall Outdoor Guide, pgs. 61-69 Boonslick Area Tourism Council, p. 66 Boonville Tourism, p. 69 Daniel Boone Historic Home and Heritage Center, p. 68 Ellington Chamber of Commerce, p. 65 Mexico, MO Tourism, p. 67 Missouri Division of Tourism, pgs. 62 & 63 Missouri State Fair, p. 68 Moberly Chamber of Commerce, p. 68 Sedalia CVB, p. 69 Show Me Ziplines, p. 66 Springfield CVB, p. 69 Stone Hill, p. 66 Stone Hollow Studio, p. 68 Sweet Springs, MO, p. 66 Turpentine Creek, p. 65

Is Your Business One of the Best Places to Work in Missouri?

Then share this with your employer, who will be happy to learn you think so!

We’re looking for the Best Places to Work in Missouri.

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This employee engagement research project will identify the top work places in Missouri.

Best Companies Group (BCG), our workplace research partners, will conduct the surveys and determine who is good enough to make the list.

The top-rated companies will receive statewide recognition at an awards celebration and their stories will be featured in a special publication profiling the winners and shared with Missouri Life and Missouri Business magazine readers.

All participants, whether ranked or not, will receive the BCG Employee Feedback Report detailing the anonymous employee responses. This valuable report also includes benchmark reports, written employee comments, and the opportunity to spend 30 minutes on the phone with a BCG expert to review your results. (A small participation fee funds the survey, study, and analysis by Best Companies Group.)

ENTRY DEADLINE: November 20, 2015 Visit www.BestPlacestoWorkMO.com or call toll-free 877-455-2159 for more information.

Sponsored By THE MAGAZINE OF THE MISSOURI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Connect with us!

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CHAUTAUQUA IN THE PARK Sept. 12-13, Chillicothe > More than a hundred booths of art, storytellers, and live entertainment.

Simpson Park. 9 AM-6 PM Sat.; 10 AM-4 PM Sun. Free.

660-646-4050, chillicothemo.com

JAIL BREAK POKER RUN Sept. 12, Trenton > Ride your motorcycle or drive a car on this 150-mile poker run. Meet at the Old County Jail. 1 PM registration; 2 PM run. $25-$40.

660-359-4324, trentonmochamber.com

BAND DAY AND FALL FESTIVAL Sept. 26, Carrollton > More than sixty bands compete in the field competition. Downtown square and high school campus. 8 AM-4 PM. Free. 660-5420092, carrolltonmo.org

OUTDOOR DISCOVERY DAY Sept. 26, Trenton > Outdoor demonstrations and activities including Dutch-oven cooking, archery, nature trivia contest, and nature hikes.

Crowder State Park. 1-4 PM. Free. 660-359-6473, mostateparks.com/park/crowder-state-park

NORTHEAST NORTH STAR BBQ CONTEST Aug. 7, Kirksville > Professional teams from around the nation compete for a chance to enter national competitions and local teams compete for the best barbecue in the area. NEMO Fairgrounds. 6-10 PM. $5. 660-342-0222, northstarbbq.org

CIVIL WAR REENACTMENT Aug. 7-9, Kirksville > Battle of Kirksville reenactment, living history displays, ladies’ tea, and dance.

Rotary Park. 3-9 PM Fri.; 8 AM-9 PM Sat.; 9 AM-4 PM Sun. Free. 660-665-3766, visitkirksville.com

ART OF FALCONRY Aug. 15, Kirksville > Missouri falconer Megan Duffee gives a presentation with her own birds on the art of hunting with raptors. Thousand Hills State Park. 7-8 PM. Free. 660-665-6995, mostateparks .com/park/thousand-hills-state-park

COURTESY OF KIRKSVILLE TOURISM

SALT RIVER RIDE Aug. 22-23, Kirksville > Ride your bike from Kirksville to Mark Twain Lake where you can camp and ride to the Mississippi River in Louisiana the next day. Across Northeast Missouri. 8 AM-dusk. Prices vary. 888-642-3800, visitkirksville.com

BIG RIVER STEAMPUNK Sept. 5-7, Hannibal > Celebrate Victorian inventions, culture, industry, and architecture with costume contests, a film festival, ballroom dancing lessons, a Nerf dueling competi-

BACONFEST

Kirksville celebrates everything bacon on September 26. There will be free BLT sandwiches, a bacon recipe contest, a Miss Sizzle and Little Miss Bacon Bits pageant, and lots of children’s activities. Held on the square in downtown, the festival is open from 10 AM to 2 PM, and admission is two non-perishable food items that benefit the local food pantry. Call 660-665-3766 or go to visitkirksville.com for more information. tion, croquet games, Vaudeville shows, and tea with Queen Victoria. Historic Downtown. Times vary. Free (except special events). 573-248-1819, bigriversteampunkfestival.com

HARVEST HOOTENANNY

GOLDEN HILLS PLEIN AIR

CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES

Sept. 12, Louisiana > Artists gather to paint outside. Art will be available at the evening reception to view and possibly buy. Throughout town and Masonic Hall. 7 AM-5:30 PM. Free ($30 to paint). 314578-3502, goldenhillspleinair.com

NEMO TRIATHLON Sept. 13, Kirksville > This race features .75-mile swim in Forrest Lake, 18-mile bike ride, and 5-mile run. Thousand Hills State Park. 8 AM-noon. $60.

660-626-2213, nemotriathlon.org

ARTS AND CRAFTS FESTIVAL Sept. 19, Kirksville > More than a hundred vendors feature handcrafted works. Downtown Square. 9 AM-4:30 PM. Free. 660-665-0500, kirksvillesrts.com

Sept. 25-27, Hannibal > Beer, music, and crafts. Mark Twain Cave Complex. 5-11 PM Fri.; 8 AM-11 PM Sat.; 9 AM-5 PM Sun. $5. 573-248-6533, visithannibal.com

Sept. 25-Oct. 11, Macon > This play features great songs and lessons. Royal Theatre. Show times vary. $16-$27, 660-385-2924, maplesrep.com

FREE LISTING & MORE EVENTS At MissouriLife.com PLEASE NOTE: TO SUBMIT AN EVENT:

TRUCK AND TRACTOR PULL Sept. 19, Kirksville > National-level tractor pull with a variety of classes. NEMO Fairgrounds.

3-10 PM. $5-$10. 660-342-4327, visitkirksville.com

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Missouriana These facts are increasingly more obscure.

BY JONAS WEIR

Truman had a sense of humor ...

Traditional attire is not only

ENCOURAGED in cowboy mounted shooting, it’s required. Participants must dress in either Western garb or clothing authentic to the late nineteenth century.

Famed bartender Joe Gilmore at American Bar in the Savoy Hotel in LONDON reportedly created the Missouri Mule cocktail for President Harry S. Truman. It contains bourbon, apple brandy, lemon juice, Campari, and triple sec.

In the first DECADE of the twentieth century, Missouri was home to more than nine thousand one-teacher schools.

a friend in

... And so did “Boss Tom” Pendergast.

"THERE'S NOTHING THE MATTER WITH ME. THEY PERSECUTED CHRIST ON GOOD FRIDAY AND NAILED HIM TO THE CROSS."

Washington?

Get a dog.”

—Kansas City’s “Boss” Tom Pendergast on the day he was indicted, Good Friday 1939

—President Harry S. Truman

ANDREW BARTON

“ You want

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D)

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[108] MissouriLife

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