Missouri Life February/March 2010

�Pony Express Celebrates 150 Years �

T H E S P I R I T OF DIS CO V E RY

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Y R A N I L CUCHOOLS S

10 things we love Top Picks in St. Louis

quick wit

The Improv Trick

winter fun

Calendar of Events

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M

U senior forward Keith Ramsey proves his toughness on the basketball court. Six-yearold Margaret proves her toughness, too, adjusting to disability following a car accident. One thing Keith and Margaret share is determination and a fighting spirit.

Please join Keith and the Mizzou Tigers in cheering on Margaret and the dedicated specialists at MU’s Children’s Hospital.

To support Children’s Hospital, please call (573) 882-7500.

University of Missouri Health Care

www.muchildrenshospital.org [66] MissouriLife

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[3] February 2010

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[4] MissouriLife

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CONTENTS Features

February 2010

33 ❊ 10 Things We Love in St. Louis

Our favorite picks for fun things to see and do in St. Louis, from exquisite Italian food to the best attractions at the zoo, live entertainment, and more.

40 ❊ 150 Years of the Pony Express

Discover the wild side of America’s original mailmen.

From outlaws to Indians, getting the mail from St. Joseph to California was no easy feat.

46 ❊ Fear and Loafing in St. Joseph

The King of the Road finds shock and awe at St. Joseph’s 11 museums, from violent Pony Express tales to psychiatric therapy devices at a former state lunatic asylum.

54 ❊ What’s My Line?

Comedy star and St. Louis native Bill Chott has revived the city’s improv community with The Improv Trick, a school for comedy enthusiasts and aspiring stars.

82 ❊ Get Gourmet: 14 Culinary Schools

4

3 PAGnEthe Missouhrei

Get in the kitchen and whip up some gourmet treats while you learn a new skill at these culinary schools.

on t ri o nture r adve uri River. e iv r A o y Miss Might

In Every Issue

Safa

21 ❊ Zest of Life

The state folk dance, Homes for our Troops, artists Michael Buesking and Is’Mima Nebt’Kata, Liverpool Legends, All Around Missouri editor’s picks, and more.

53 ❊ Missouri Lifestyle

A St. Louis milliner makes it big in New York, the Unreal Housewives of Kansas City poke fun at a popular series, plus Missouri’s top civil rights lawyer Arthur Benson.

58 ❊ Musings

Ron Marr reflects on 2009, ponders the new year, and vows to keep it simple.

89 ❊ Restaurant Recommendations

Gourmet happy hour at Springfield, contemporary cuisine at Kansas City, and catfish at Broseley.

90 ❊ Wine

Wine guru Doug Frost admires the wines from blufftop winery Les Bourgeois at Rocheport.

93 ❊ All Around Missouri JUSTIN LEESMANN

Winter meets spring with the Polar Bear Plunge, St. Patrick’s Day festivals, and more. Visit MissouriLife.com for the most complete listing of events around the state.

98 ❊ Missouriana

Broken hearts, tornadoes, Daniel Boone, and more.

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CONTENTS

February 2010

In Every Issue

8 ❊ Memo

19 ❊ Letters

The publisher thanks Missouri’s healthcare pros, and the editor finds adventure close to home on the Missouri River.

Watkins Woolen Mill and holiday cookie recipes make lasting memories, and Concordia has a unique town slogan.

Cover photo: The Missouri River by Justin Leesmann.

.

This Issue on MissouriLife com Culinary Schools: Go Pro Find out where the pros go to kick-start a culinary career in Missouri, plus bonus recipes from Missouri’s best cooking schools.

Give Us Your Ten See our 10 favorite things about St. Louis on page 33, and if we’ve missed your favorite pick, visit MissouriLife.com and share it with us!

Favorite Authors The votes have been tallied and 41% of web site visitors chose T.S. Eliot as their favorite Missouri author. Laura Ingalls Wilder and Mark Twain both tied for second with 19% of the vote each.

Our #10 pick

Lawyer Up See profiles on four of Missouri’s best lawyers, plus some unusual areas of law practice.

Maritime law in Missouri? You bet.

Oldie But Goodie Make time for yourself and indulge in a getaway with travel ideas for the lover in you. Read “Selfish Indulgences” in our online archive.

ANDREW BARTON; COURTESY OF THE SAINT LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER; COURTESY OF STONE HILL WINERY

More Safari Photos See how the adventure unfolded in our online extended photo gallery of the great Missouri River Safari! Plus find out how you can join in on the fun in 2010.

[6] MissouriLife

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KCPT VIDEO

Watch entire episodes of your favorite regional programs at www.kcpt.org.

It’s all about the music…

19th Annual

Big Muddy Folk Festival April 9 – 10, 2010 Thespian Hall Boonville, Missouri

Call 1-888-588-1477 for tickets and visit www.bigmuddy.org for more information.

KCPT EVENTS

Information and tickets at www.kcpt.org.

KCPT Presents: Riverdance Saturday, February 20 The Independence Event Center

ON THE STAGE

RORY BLOCK ICONIC BLUES, PHENOMENAL PERFORMER THE RAMBLERS OLD-TIME STRING BAND MASTERS SWING DEVILLE ACOUSTIC SWING WITH TWIN FIDDLES AND GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR

BOB SCHAD

AND

JAZZOU JONES

RAGTIME AND NOVELTIES FROM DELTA QUEEN FAVORITES

Skate with Clifford Saturday, February 27 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Crown Center Ice Terrace

DAVID GRIMES SONGS AND STORIES FROM AN ALASKAN TRICKSTER

LIL’ REV BLUES, RAGS, AND TIN PAN ALLEY KATE POWER AND STEVE EINHORN OREGON BARDS AND MULTI-INSTRUMENTALISTS CATHY BARTON & DAVE PARA BALLADEERS OF THE BOONSLICK, FESTIVAL FOUNDERS

Sponsored by the Friends of Historic Boonville.

Funding for this ad provided by City of Boonville Tourism Commission.

[7] February 2010

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O I MEM MISSOe TaUleR s Behind the Stories Telling th

Just before Christmas, I sustained a stress fracture of

my

lower femur, the big bone in my right leg. How I found out is a story to

OXYGEN-INSPIRED THINKING

share because it celebrates Missouri’s medical community.

my wife Danita’s nagging—I meant pleading—I made an appointment with our local clinic. After examining my leg, the doctor there thought I had a condition called “jumper’s knee,” or a form of tendonitis that would go away with a little rest and some ibuprofen. This was a logical diagnosis, as I spend a lot of time walking creeks, jumping down banks, over logs, and from rock to rock.

But three days later, I could hardly walk and decided to seek a specialist. I called Columbia Orthopaedic Group and got in to see Dr. Patrick Smith. He ordered x-rays, but they didn’t show anything. He then ordered an MRI, which was done the next day, Friday. He had told me he would be in Detroit teaching a class on Friday but would call me on Sunday with the results. I said I could wait until Monday, but on Sunday afternoon, he called and told me that the stress fracture was “very apparent” and that this was a “big deal.”

Second Opinions

I was outfitted the next day with a brace, which I may have to wear for three months, and I’m using a crutch. The reason it’s a “big deal” is that my leg can’t heal if I don’t stay off of it. And, if it gets worse, we could be looking at surgery.

The moral here is to seek help, and second opinions, until you get solutions and are satisfied you’re getting the best possible care.

Plus, thanks to all who work in the healthcare field. You give your best effort, and we are all the better for it.

I have had life-changing experiences because of Missouri’s doctors and health practitioners. Read my sleep apnea experience for another story

Greg Wood, Publisher

on my blog at MissouriLife.com.

Award-Winning

Misisfoeu.r..i L

2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2008 2008 2008 2007

OUR ADVENTURE floating the Missouri River is described on page 34, but I’d like to share more here.

First, many people thought we were doing a dangerous thing, floating the Missouri River. Of course the Big Muddy can be dangerous, as can any body of water, including the swimming pond in my back yard. But we found the float easy, mild, and relaxing, except for one evil buoy that seemed to chase us.

Second, there is magic in mixing a Danita Allen Wood, Editor in Chief mild physical challenge, the outdoors, and leisure time with special people. My friend at Wapiti Adventures, Kevin Miquelon, aptly calls it “oxygen-inspired thinking.”

Third, the adventurers on this trip became totally relaxed around each other easily and quickly. I’ve traveled with many groups, and in my experience, it’s rare to be so totally comfortable around strangers. The Wapiti Adventure leaders get a lot of the credit for turning us into friends.

Fourth, I’ve had the privilege of rafting white water in Alaska, climbing Dunn’s Falls in Jamaica, backpacking in the Wind River Range in Wyoming, horseback riding on a few ranches in Colorado, hiking a volcano in New Mexico, snorkeling in the Caribbean and Hawaii, parasailing in Puerto Vallarta, and biking up (and down!) Copper Mountain in Colorado. I can assure you that biking the Katy Trail and floating our Missouri rivers are prime adventures that compete with the very best.

Fifth, we had this amazing wilderness resource running through the heart of Missouri almost entirely to ourselves. Over and over, I thought to myself, this vista might be the very same thing Lewis and Clark saw when they rounded this bend. There are a few reminders of humans, of course, but there were so many times, with no other boat or canoe in sight, that I felt a million miles from civilization, right here in Missouri.

I’m going again. In 2010, the second annual Safari on the Missouri will be August 27-29. Visit MissouriLife.com if you’d like details.

Finalist, Magazine of the Year, International Regional Magazine Association Silver Award, Overall Art Direction, International Regional Magazine Association Silver Award, Single Photograph, International Regional Magazine Association Bronze Award, Department, International Regional Magazine Association Best Issue, August/September 2008, Missouri Association of Publications Best Single Article Presentation, Missouri Association of Publications Magazine of the Year, International Regional Magazine Association Gold Award, Overall Art Direction, International Regional Magazine Association Best Magazine Design, Missouri Association of Publications Gold Award, Travel Feature Writing, International Regional Magazine Association

EVAN WOOD, TINA WHEELER

My diagnostic journey began first with me playing internet doctor.

After a painful week of limping around, my own clumsy brace, and

[8] MissouriLife

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B.B. KING Wednesday, April 28, 2010, 7 p.m.

Jesse Auditorium

Kris Kristofferson Thursday, February 11, 2010, 7 p.m.

Jesse Auditorium

Doobie Brothers Sunday, March 21, 2010, 7 p.m.

Jesse Auditorium

Tickets at 573.882.3781 or 800.292.9136 Performances in Jesse Auditorium at the University of Missouri-Columbia

www.concertseries.org [9] February 2010

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The Spirit of Discovery 515 East Morgan Street, Boonville, MO 65233

660-882-9898

info@missourilife.com

Publisher Greg Wood Vice President, Business Development Erik LaPaglia

Editorial Editor in Chief Danita Allen Wood Executive Editor & Web Editor Rebecca French Smith Assistant Editor Callina Wood Editorial Assistants Cassandra Belek, Lesley Grissum, Molly Moore Contributing Writers BJ Alderman, John Fisher, Doug Frost, Nina Furstenau, Lisa Waterman Gray, Amy de la Hunt, Tanja Kern, Ron W. Marr, John Robinson, Matt Sorrell, Whitney Spivey, Kathie Sutin

Art & Production Creative Director Andrew Barton Art Director Tina Wheeler Contributing Photographers and Illustrators Glenn Curcio, George Denniston, Bob Holt, Justin Leesmann, Mark Schiefelbein

Marketing Senior Account Managers Linda Alexander, 816-582-7720, Kansas City area Sherry Broyles, 800-492-2593, ext. 107 Josh Snoddy, 800-492-2593, ext. 112 Advertising Coordinator & Calendar Editor Amy Stapleton, 800-492-2593, ext. 101 Marketing Coordinator Marcey Mertens, 800-492-2593, ext. 104

To Subscribe or Give a Gift Use your credit card and visit MissouriLife.com or call 877-570-9898, or mail a check for $19.99 (special offer for 6 issues) to: Missouri Life, 515 East Morgan Street, Boonville, MO 65233-1252

Custom Publishing Get Missouri Life quality writing, design, and photography for your special publications.

Call 800-492-2593, ext. 106 or e-mail Publisher Greg Wood at greg@missourilife.com.

MissouriLife.com Find Missouri-made gifts, services, and other Missouri products at our web site, or sign up for Missouri Lifelines, our free e-newsletter.

Back Issues Cost is $7.50, which includes tax and shipping. Order from web site, call, or send a check.

Expiration Date Find it at the top right of your mailing label.

Change of Address Visit mol.magserv.com/scc.php and enter your e-mail address or magazine label information to access your account, or send both old and new addresses to Missouri Life, 515 East Morgan Street, Boonville, MO 65233-1252

International Regional Magazine Association MISSOURI LIFE, Vol. 37, No. 1, February 2010 (USPS#020181; ISSN#1525-0814) Published bimonthly in February, April, June, August, October, and December by Missouri Life, Inc., for $21.99.

Periodicals Postage paid at Boonville, Missouri, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Missouri Life, 515 E. Morgan St., Boonville, MO 65233-1252. Š 2010 Missouri Life. All rights reserved. Printed by The Ovid Bell Press, Inc., at Fulton, Missouri.

[10] MissouriLife

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May 21-23

T S E B t‫ה‬

of

Festival

Visit Missour iLife.com for Mo re Informa tion

In the Heart of Missouri at Boonville

The Best of Missouri Life festival is a weekend long celebration of food, wine, art, music, other products made in Missouri, and the cultural heritage of the state.

A Celebration of the Best of Missouri Culture Through Story, Song, and Taste [2] February 2008

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promotion

Girlfriends Getaways inColumbia

Looking for a fun getaway with the girls?

Columbia is the perfect spot to spend a weekend with your best friends. You can’t beat its central location, and the opportunities for exploration and relaxation are endless.

Planning a great girlfriends’ weekend couldn’t be easier: Just choose any (or all!) of these exciting itineraries tailored to your interests, paired with one of our hotel suggestions, and the work is practically done for you. Pack your camera and get ready to make memories with a weekend full of fun in Columbia!

Svens

Kafé &

Galler

y

Art-y Outing

Explore the North Village, Columbia’s up-and-coming arts district, take an art class, and admire museums, galleries, and boutiques around Columbia.

Friday: Discover one of Columbia’s Artrageous Fridays and enjoy art, events, and live music at shops and galleries in The District. The dates for 2010 are April 23, July 23, and October 8-10. For more information, go to www.artrageousfridays.com.

Saturday: 9 am - Start the day with a leisurely breakfast on Orr Street at Sven’s Kafe and Gallery for Swedish pancakes, muesli, gravlax, or a lingonberry parfait. Check out the gallery of Swedish art as well as works by local artists. Look for special events posted on their website at svenskafegallery.com, or call 573875-0840 for more information.

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10 am - Take a class at Village Glass Works, located at 315 N. 10th Street.

Here’s just a sampling of classes offered this spring: ● Soldered Art Jewelry, Feb. 27 ● Glass Beadmaking, Feb. 20, May 15 ● Mosaics, two-session class beginning March 20, May 22 ● Stained Glass: Copper Foil, Feb. 13 or April 17 Visit villageglass.com or call 573443-0393 for more information.

Noon - Grab a bite to eat at Ingredient, where salads and burgers become works of art with toppings like ovenroasted mushrooms, caramelized pecans, gorgonzola cheese, and more.

Located at 304 South 9th Street.

Poppy Arts Fine

Craft Gallery

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promotion

Here is a list of even more artsy destinations in Columbia to pick and choose from. Spend your afternoon wandering around downtown to these various studios, galleries, and shops: ● The Mud Room Ceramics Studio, 1103 East Walnut ● Bluestem Missouri Crafts, 13 S. 9th Street ● Mustard Seed Fair Trade, 25 S. 9th Street ● Columbia Art League, 207 S. 9th Street ● Living Canvas Tattoo, Body Piercing & Art Gallery, 520 E. Broadway (if you’re feeling adventurous!) ● P.S. Gallery, 812 E. Broadway Poppy Arts Fine Craft Gallery, 920 E. Broadway At the University of Missouri campus: 1 pm - Make your way back to Orr Street where you can visit the Orr Street Studios, open from noon to three. More than 25 artists work out of the studios, and you might be able to chat with a few if their doors are open. If the artists’ studio doors are closed, you’re still in luck—each studio door is a unique work of art in itself. Afterward, explore the North Village area and its artsy boutiques, like Artlandish Gallery, located at 1029 E. Walnut. Until February 14, Artlandish will feature “Lovefest,” an exhibit and sale with art, jewelry, and pottery for Valentines Day.

Village Glass Works

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● George Caleb Bingham Gallery, Fine Arts Building A125 ● Museum of Art & Archaeology, 1 Pickard Hall ● The Craft Studio - gallery and workshops (www.crafstudio.org), N12 Memorial Union

6 pm - Meet for drinks and dinner at Teller’s Gallery & Bar at 820 E. Broadway. Grab one of the coveted spots by the window so you can people-watch as you enjoy your meal.

After dinner: If you’d like to take in a show, try the We Always Swing Jazz Series: See the Branford Marsalis Quartet on February 13 at the Missouri Theater. For a complete schedule, visit www.wealwaysswing.org or call the box office at 573-449-3001.

Or, book a Pin-Up Party with Moonshadow Studio, and have fun with a private photo session for tasteful “pin-up” shots. For more information, visit www.moonshadowstudio. com or call 573-268-3321.

True/False Film Fun

Feb. 25-28, 2010 The True/False Film Fest is one of Columbia’s favorite events, and it’s easy to see why: innovative films, fun parties, exciting discussions, and more, all staged in downtown Columbia.

The best way to enjoy True/False is with a pass that lets you into all the fun: Super Circle Pass $500 For the ultimate True/False experience, splurge on this pass, which lets you into any film throughout the festival, admission to all the field trips and parties, including the Filmmakers Fete, Reality Bites, and more. You’ll also get a personal consultation with one of the festival directors to help plan your film selections and activities, as well as an invitation to join the submissions committee for a pre-fest screening, exclusive access to ticket reservations, a True/False swag bag, and more.

Silver Circle Pass $300 Get in on all the action at True/False, including admission to any film, all the parties and field trips, early access to ticket reservation, preferred access via “the Q” to films at all the theaters, a swag bag, and news about festival happenings and film selections throughout the year.

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Girlfriends Getaways inColumbia

Lux Pass $145 This pass is a great value for all the festival fun. Get admission to any film, special events and parties (except the Filmmakers Fete), and reserve your tickets online 24 hours before Simple passholders.

Simple Pass $60 A no-muss, no-fuss pass that lets you into any film Friday through Sunday, reserve tickets online before the box office opens to the public, and get into the @ction party on Friday night for $10.

Visit TrueFalse.org to get a glimpse of what True/False Film Fest is all about, with photos and videos from 2009’s festival. You can also purchase passes and merchandise.

Volunteering: A True/False Tradition Want to see all the movies but don’t want to break the bank? Volunteer!

Give 15 hours of your time helping to set up for events, take tickets, usher guests, or man the box office, and in return get a t-shirt and a pass that lets you into films, and you get to go to a volunteers-only party and screening.

True/False Confessions: What happens here, stays here While this may not be Sin City, there are plenty of chances for after-film fun with Columbia’s nightlife scene. Indulge in a little teenage nostalgia and take the “True/False” theme into the night with a round of Truth or Dare, or dish your latest secrets over a frozen cocktail at Tropical Liqueurs, located at 515 E. Broadway. Then put your dancing shoes on and sing and dance along to the dueling pianos at The Penguin Dueling Piano Bar. Enjoy the live jukebox atmosphere and don’t be afraid to request your friends’ favorites!

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Coutu

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Retail Therapy

Columbia is the perfect girlfriends’ getaway destination for fabulous shopping, from eclectic boutiques to popular chains. Columbia has shops to suit everyone, whether you’re looking for a bargain or wanting to splurge. Here’s a suggested itinerary for a day full of retail therapy that takes advantage of the best retailers in Columbia—bring your comfy shoes, there’s lots to see—and buy!

10 am - Start your shopping downtown–The District is a fun place to walk, shop, and people-watch during the day. Start north of Broadway to explore boutiques like Butterfly Tattoo in the artsy and eclectic North Village. Then take your time browsing up and down Broadway for gifts and jewelry at Poppy, home accents and décor at Calhoun’s and A la Campagne, trendy apparel at Elly’s Couture and Swank Boutique, vintage clothes at Maude V., music and games at Slackers, unusual items at Cool Stuff, and much more.

Noon - When you’re ready for lunch, refuel at Addison’s at 709 Cherry Street, a relaxed restaurant featuring a delicious menu with items like crab rangoon dip, goat cheese and black bean quesadillas, burgers, wraps, and more.

Evan Wood

Evan Wood

Frameworks

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promotion

ore

Sycam

Bleu

The Candy Factory Martin Spilker

Foodie Finds

1 pm - Stop by the Candy Factory at 701 Cherry Street on your way out for a sweet snack to savor later, then check out the shops south of Broadway. For something to take home to the guys, visit Jon’s Pipe Shop at 12 South 8th Street, then head over to 9th Street for fair trade goods at Mustard Seed Fair Trade, unique books at Get Lost Bookshop, t-shirts with funny sayings at Acme, and much more.

3 pm - Pop over to Frameworks, located at 901 Old 63 South, for an excellent selection of gifts, home décor, and the ever-popular Vera Bradley handbags. Explore the south side of town and find beautiful backyard bird-watching and home and garden accessories at Songbird Station at 2010 Chapel Plaza Court and lovely home furnishings Keeping Good Company at 1100 Club Village Drive.

5 pm - Go for an early dinner at Murry’s, a Columbia favorite, at 3107 Green Meadows Way. Try famous items like Brock’s Green Pepper Rings and sandwiches like the Chicken Philly.

6 pm - Hit the Columbia Mall and the Shoppes at Stadium and take advantage of the evening hours when there are fewer crowds at stores like Macy’s, Old Navy, Coldwater Creek, Chico’s, and more.

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You can easily pretend like you are Anthony Bourdain discovering the cuisine of an exotic destination with this epicurean itinerary, which highlights the best food finds in Columbia, from ethnic markets to the best local gourmet.

Friday: There is no better place to kick off a gourmet weekend than dinner at Sycamore, located at 800 E. Broadway. Sycamore uses lots of local ingredients to craft its inspired menu, which changes often with the seasons. Find items like the Goatsbeard Cheese Plate, which features local artisanal goat cheeses with smoked almonds and fig compote, or cider-brined pork chop from Newman Farm in Myrtle, Mo. Saturday: 10 am - Start the day off at the Columbia Farmer’s Market at Clinkscales and Ash (open 8-noon March through November). Grab one of Show Me Farms’ famous breakfast burritos and take a look around at the fresh produce, baked goods, and more offered by local vendors.

11 am -Set out to explore the ethnic markets of Columbia, starting along I-70: Find eastern European delicacies like caviar and old-world style meats at Natasha’s Euro Market, 705 Vandiver Drive. Try the sesame buns and shop for Asian items at Hong Kong Market, 3510 I-70 Dr. SE. For fresh tamales and Latin American products, check out Los Cuates Latin Market at 2908 Paris Road.

1 pm - Venture to the south side of town to World Harvest, located at 3700 Monterey Drive, where you’ll find thousands of items from all around the world, from Asia to Europe, South America and beyond, and sample fresh olives and cheeses. Just down the road is Hoss’s Market, located at the corner of Forum and Nifong.

Hoss’s features gourmet products like cheese, condiments, seasonings, chocolate, wine, beer, and more.

5 pm - Make your way back downtown and stop by the Root Cellar at 814 East Broadway to browse a great selection of Missouri-made food products like barbecue sauce, condiments, preserves, and even rice. Taste a few wines before dinner at Top 10 Wines located at 111 South 9th Street. Then eat your way through downtown’s best restaurants with a progressive dinner of your own: Share a small plate like the Caribbean Ahi Sliders paired with a Mango Pomegranate Mojito at Room 38 at 38 North 8th Street, then continue to Bleu at 29 South 8th St. for more tapas-style dishes like roast turkey pot pie, fish and chips, samosas, and more.

Finish off the evening at Wine Cellar and Bistro at 505 Cherry Street, and savor decadent chocolate desserts like a molten chocolate fondue pot or chocolate souffle cake, paired with the perfect port.

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Girlfriends Getaways inColumbia

Main

Sunday: 11 am - Enjoy a late brunch at The Upper Crust (choose from their locations at 3107 Green Meadows Way or 904 Elm Street). Their weekend brunch features items like Belgian waffles, crème brûlée french toast, salmon and brie crepes, and more.

Noon - If you’d like to burn off a few calories after your weekend foodfest, tie on your sneakers and take a long walk on the Katy Trail before you head home.

Spa-aaaah!

There’s no better destination than Columbia to take a weekend for yourself—and your friends—to relax and rejuvenate your mind and body.

In Columbia, you can spend a morning on a peaceful hike in a beautiful setting and then pamper yourself all afternoon at one of Columbia’s luxurious spas. This itinerary includes suggestions for a weekend of well-being in Columbia.

Saturday: 10 am - Wake up your mind and body with a late-morning yoga class at Alley Cat Yoga on Cherry St. between 7th and 8th streets.

Visit www.alleycatyoga.com or call 573-289-3007 for information.

Noon - Eat a light and healthy lunch at Main Squeeze Natural Foods Cafe, which offers juice drinks and smoothies, as well as soups, salads, sandwiches, and hot dishes like the Buddha Bowl, which includes brown rice, tofu, carrot, broccoli, cabbage,

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eze

Kelani Aras tasia Pottin ger

scallions, sesame seeds, sprouts, and a sesame ginger sauce. After lunch, stop by Makes Scents, located just across the street, where you can get custom-scented bath and body and aromatherapy products.

1 pm - Arrange an afternoon full of relaxation at one of Columbia’s spas.

Kelani Salon and Spa offers a wide selection of spa packages, starting at just $75 for a massage and reflexology. If you’re looking for a lovely allover glow, the Total Skin Rejuvenation package at Salon Adair includes a skin refresher treatment, full body exfoliation, Swedish massage, a 50-minute facial finished with a scalp massage, shampoo, and style.

Or, check out the Chakra Balancing Massage at Green Meadows Hair Company and Spa, which centers the chakras with massage techniques used on the back and feet, along with a guided meditation. Or try the Rosemary Mint Awakening Body Wrap, which exfoliates your skin and stimulates your senses with this cool treatment.

Salon Nefisa offers thermal touch treatments for areas like your scalp, décolleté, arms, and the whole body. Or, try a deep tissue massage at Riversong Spa to work out any knots or tension, and follow it up with a Sugar & Spice Glow, which exfoliates skin cells and stimulates circulation.

6 pm - Once you’re refreshed and revitalized, keep up the spa theme with a delightful dinner at Jina Yoo’s Asian Bistro, located at 2200 Forum Boulevard. Try fresh sushi and rolls, appetizers like shrimp ceviche or salads like the cucumber salad served in a martini glass. For a lighter entrée, try the miso glazed black cod with cucumber relish. Make sure to save a little room for a slightly decadent fruit sorbet at Sparky’s Homemade Ice Cream at 21 South 9th Street.

9 pm - After dinner, relax in a hot tub at one of the many hotels in town.

See our list on the next page.

Sunday: 10 am - Energize your body and admire nature’s beauty at the trails at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. You can see the Devil’s Icebox Cave or go on a longer hike on one of the park’s seven hiking and mountain biking trails, ranging in distance from a half mile to two and a half miles.

Pass sinkholes, creeks, and admire maple and sycamore trees, grasslands, and wildlife while you hike.

Noon - Have brunch (or lunch) at Café Berlin, located at 220 N. 10th Street.

Enjoy wholesome dishes like the veggie and egg scramble or huevos rancheros made with local ingredients.

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Alley

ga Cat Yo Quality Inn 1612 N. Providence Road 888-354-8447 Stoney Creek Inn & Conference Center 2601 S. Providence Road 800-659-2220 Ken McRae

1 pm - Stop by Clover’s Natural Market at 2100 Chapel Plaza Court and stock up on healthy products like organic, gourmet, and specialty food items, as well as alternative therapies like homeopathic remedies, supplements, herbs, and more. Finish out your spa getaway with a quick chair massage with aromatherapy at Greenway Massage Team at 201 N. 10th Street.

Get Your Beauty Rest

We have organized lodging by categories that are important to us in getting away with our girlfriends. Several hotels could have been listed in multiple categories.

Hot Tubs and Pools for Soaking while Chatting Comfort Inn 2904 Clark Lane • 573-814-2727 Country Inn and Suites 817 North Keene Street 573-445-8585 Courtyard by Marriott 3301 Lemone Industrial Drive 573-443-8000 Drury Inn 1000 Knipp St. (I-70 & Stadium Blvd.)

1-800-DRURYINN Econo Lodge 900 Business Loop 70 SW 573-442-1191 Hampton Inn 3410 Clark Lane • 573-886-9392 Hampton Inn & Suites 1225 Fellow’s Place • 573-214-2222 Hilton Garden Inn 3300 Vandiver Dr. • 573-814-5464

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Wingate Inn 3101 Wingate Court • 800-228-1000

Suites Available for Pajama Parties.

America’s Best Value Inn 1718 N. Providence Rd. 573-442-7908 Best Western - Columbia Inn 3100 I-70 Drive SE • 573-474-6161 Candlewood Suites 3100 Wingate Court 888-CANDLEWOOD Comfort Suites 1010 Business Loop 70 West 573-443-0055 Holiday Inn Select Executive Center 2200 I-70 Drive SW • 800-HOLIDAY Residence Inn by Marriott 1100 Woodland Springs Court 573-442-5601 Staybridge Suites 805 Keene Street • 573-442-8600 Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott 1115 Woodland Springs Court 573-886-8888 Ramada Inn & Suites 901 Conley Road • 573-443-4141

Downtown for Party Girls

Regency Hotel Downtown 1111 E. Broadway • 573-443-2090

Basic and Budget Friendly Comfort Inn 2904 Clark Lane • 573-814-2727 Days Inn Conference Center 1900 I-70 Drive Southwest 800-DAYSINN Deluxe Inn 2112 Business Loop 70 East 573-449-3771 Eastwood Motel 2518 Business Loop 70 East 573-443-8793 Extended Stay America 2000 Business Loop 70 West 573-445-6800 Holiday Inn Express 801 Keene Street • 573-449-4422 La Quinta 2500 I-70 Drive SW • 573-445-1899 Motel 6 West 1800 I-70 Drive SW • 800-4-MOTEL6 Motel 6 East 3402 I-70 Drive SE • 800-4-MOTEL6 Super 7 Motel 1306 Rangeline • 573-442-3191 Super 8 - Clark Lane 3216 Clark Lane • 573-474-8488 Super 8 - Columbia East 5700 Freedom Drive 573-474-8307 Red Roof Inn 201 East Texas Avenue 573-442-0145 Travelodge 900 Vandiver Drive 800-578-7878

B&Bs for Cozy Gab-Fests The Gathering Place 606 South College Avenue 573-443-4301

University Avenue Bed & Breakfast 1315 University Avenue 573-499-1920

For more ideas for yo

ur

Girlfriends Getaway

s

in Columbia, go to www.visitcolumbiam o.com

.

12/31/09 2:44:26 PM

Checking out art in their own backyard New Season!

Connecting Mid-Missouri Travelers to the World www.FlyMidMo.com (573) 874-7508

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The guys revisit sites in Missouri!

Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations

Watch Thursday nights at 7:30 p.m. on KCPT or online at www.kcpt.org.

Check local listings for broadcast times on KETC St. Louis and Ozarks Public Television

[18] MissouriLife

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1/4/10 10:10:00 AM

YOUR LETTERS

Sharing Opinions & Your Stories

EARLY EXPLORERS The book (Lewis and Clark’s Journey Across Missouri) looks very interesting, and I am anxious to read it thoroughly. It is a Christmas gift for my husband, as we are both interested in Missouri history. We plan to visit many Missouri historical and natural sites of interest in the next few years, and this will add to our understanding of their significance.

Michelle McKee, Hartsburg

BRETT DUFUR

Holiday Trip My husband and I went to the Farm Christmas at the Watkins Woolen Mill in Lawson. We didn’t arrive until 6 PM, so we only had

an hour, but it was perfect.

You walk the one-third-mile path to the old pre-Civil War home, with kerosene lanterns lighting your way. It was a perfect winter night to do this. The house is lit with kerosene lamps, and everyone is wearing period clothing. Carols around the piano. St. Nicholas. Cookies from the recipes of the Watkinses. One relative from Colorado was present, and he shared more information. Had a really great time and wanted you to know we spotted it in Missouri Life.

all the homemade treats from some Missouri winners (December 2009). Yum, Yum!

Debbie Drane, Armstrong

Address:

Holiday Recipes We enjoy Missouri Life regularly, especially

Bill Vardiman, Marshall

What’s in a Town Name Check our Concordia, MO Slogan: “Hearts in Harmony … since 1860.”

Sharon Oetting, Concordia

Thanks for sharing your town slogan, Sharon.

(See Missouri Memo, October 2009, for the story.) —Editor

Send Us a Letter E-mail: info@missourilife.com Via web site: MissouriLife.com Fax: 660-882-9899 Missouri Life 515 East Morgan Street Boonville, MO 65233-1252

[19] February 2010

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#1596

±I@R± DNNP + JI?<T± @±@Q@MT Read HJMIDI B Ron Marr’s

A Great Gift Idea!

Published weekly from Ron’s shack in the woods.

Career Training Close to Home with 7 Missouri Campuses!

Joplin, Kansas City, Springfield, St. Joseph, St. Louis area - O’Fallon, NorthPark and Sunset Hills.

1-877-206-5844 www.vatterott-college.edu

TroutWrapper.com is the online newspaper for people who hate online newspapers.

Trout Wrapper is sort of a giant blog/online almanac/ literary humor thing, dedicated to hunting down & publicly tormenting the humor-impaired since 1994.

Ron W. Marr Falcon, MO ~ 417-453-6340 www.troutwrapper.com

Family Fun, By Nature.

We are Clinton, Missouri, where smalltown life is still alive and well. From the trail head of the Katy Trail to the shores of Truman Lake, from our Historic Square to our welcoming Hotels and Inns, we invite you to come be our guest. This Golden Valley in which we live offers a multitude of opportunities for you to connect with our natural surroundings, so if you are a hunter or fisher, biker or hiker, or even a professional shopper, come see what Historic Clinton has to offer. Visit our amazing Henry County Museum, dine with us, and let us show you that We are Clinton, and we are great people, by nature.

For more information, call 660-885-2123

or visit www.clintonmo.com

Written for novices and Civil War buffs alike, The Civil War’s First Blood: Missouri,1854-1861 takes you by the hand and walks you down back roads, with thorough reports on ALL the action in Missouri during the war, with 143 photos and illustrations of every major player. This 144-page, softcover, illustrated publication will be a great addition to any bookshelf.

$24.99

(plus tax, shipping and handling)

800-492-2593, ext. 102

MissouriLife.com

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ZEST OF LIFE People, Places, & Pleasures

STAGE TO SCREEN BRANSON’S LEGENDARY PRESLEY FAMILY will soon be seen in more than forty million homes worldwide on RFD-TV, a rural-themed television network. Presleys’ Country Jubilee, a half-hour variety show, will begin airing in March for a twentysix-episode season. After forty-two years on stage, the Presleys will translate their successful format to the screen on Saturday nights at 7:30 PM CST as part of RFD-TV’s “music row” lineup. The Presleys’ show features three generations of Presleys performing family-oriented humor and music. Steve Presley, vice president of Presley Entertainment, says, “The Presley family and our entire cast could not be more excited about this opportunity to showcase Branson entertainment to millions of new viewers.” Viewers can expect guest appearances from other Branson performers as well.

Visit www.rfdtv.com for more information. —Cassandra Belek

Homes for Troops

STATE FOLK DANCE: SQUARE DANCE >  Square dance today evolved in America from the merging of 1600s French quadrilles and cotillion dances and English country dances in New England, with Scotch and Irish dance influences from the Appalachian regions of Virginia and the Carolinas.  From the Revolutionary War until the late 1800s, square dancing was popular at community celebrations and required the services of a good fiddler.  Henry Ford helped preserve American folk dances after square dancing lost popularity by the mid1920s, publishing a book of folk dances with Benjamin Lovett.  International Association of Square Dance Callers standardized square dance terminology in 1974.  The square dance became the state American folk dance May 31, 1995.

—John Fisher, author of Catfish, Fiddles, Mules, and More: Missouri’s State Symbols

The Mid-Missouri Credit Union in Fort Leonard-Wood was inspired. During the 2008 Democratic and Republican national conventions, the Credit Union National Association partnered with nonprofit organization Homes For Our Troops to build homes for two severely wounded veterans near the sites of each of the conventions. After witnessing the success of these homes, the Mid-Missouri

COURTESY OF THE PRESLEYS; ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM; COURTESY OF HFOT

Credit Union approached the Missouri Credit Union Association about funding Homes For Our Troops projects in Missouri, and the MCUA committed to funding two homes.

Plans are underway to build a house for Staff Sergeant Robert Canine, a Mexico, Missouri, native. Robert suffered injuries in May 2009 that resulted in the amputation of his legs when an explosively formed projectile (a so-called “superbomb”) blasted into his Humvee while on patrol in Baghdad. Currently, he lives in Maryland and receives daily therapy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Homes For Our Troops works with local communities to build specially adapted housing for wounded veterans whose needs make life in a conventional home difficult. Once HFOT acquires land, it finds a general contractor to help pull together groups of professional tradespeople to volunteer in the construction process.

Mexico native Staff Sergeant Robert Canine will eventually move to a home in Columbia with his wife, Jennifer, and eight-year-old son, Sebastian.

Visit www.homesforourtroops.org for more information.

—Molly Moore

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ZEST OF LIFE

MO Info

Winter’s Bone

Winter’s Bone, a film adapted from the novel

by Daniel Woodrell from West Plains, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in late January. The 2006 novel follows an Ozark teenager who must care for her brothers and mentally ill mother after her meth-addicted father disappears.

The film, adapted for screen by Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini, was one of sixteen dramatic films selected from among 1,058 submissions.

China in Branson Chun Yi: T‫ ה‬Legend of Kung Fu, a new Branson show that will feature a cast of sixty Chinese performers, some of whom performed at the Beijing Olympics, will open in May. The show is produced by China Heaven Creation, which bought the former White House Theatre. This is the first time a Chinese production has purchased a theater outside of China.

ART AND PROPHETS WHEN MICHAEL BUESKING entered the Army at seventeen, he wanted a job as an Army illustrator or a chaplain’s assistant. He became the latter, but one day his faith and art would merge.

Michael teaches art at Evangel University in Springfield. He says that growing up in Strasburg, Illinois, he enjoyed art but never thought that becoming an artist was an option for him. However, when he enrolled in college at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale after four years in the Army, he decided to study art. His studies led him to the University of Missouri at Columbia where he pursued an MFA while teaching at Evangel. Michael included the spiritual in his work, but he often veiled spiritual subjects behind metaphorical paintings.

During one critique, Michael was surprised when classmates pointed out spiritual themes in his work and encouraged him to make them obvious. He was hesitant to go in the direction of illustrative artwork and portray scenes from the Bible. Instead, inspired by the performance art movement, he realized the prophets of the Old Testament were doing performance art in order to convey God’s message.

Michael thinks that people tend to glance over the stranger actions of the prophets in the Bible. “Maybe it’s because I grew up in a TV generation, but I tend to picture things as I read scripture,” he says. The visualizations of the prophets’ actions are what led him to create his series Prop‫ה‬t as Arti . Michael uses self-portrait in depiction of the prophet because he sees connections between the prophets’ spiritually dark times and today. “I think any true Christian sees everything they do in life as impactful and important, so that obviously includes the artwork I do and things I make,” he says.

Michael works with oil on canvas, but he has also done drawings and some landscapes.

Call 573-876-7233 for more information.

—Cassandra Belek profits. Is’Mima wants her students to appreciate the act of creating. Her projects emphasize the power of positivity and spirituality.

She recently received a Kresges Foundation grant to pursue her Indigo Dreams lessons in textile collage and sculpture. Indigo Dreams looks at the importance of indigo in the cosmology of the Yoruba people of West Africa and incorporates science and math.

Amid volunteering and teaching, Is’Mima develops her artwork.

Seven of her pieces showed at the Regional Arts Commission a show at the Saint Louis Science Center in February. She is currently creating stories, drawings, and low-relief sculptures for her

Is’Mima Nebt’Kata

would

Mississippi Mermaid series.

teach the whole world if she

Her work is inspired by St. Louis, the hometown she returned to

could. Is’Mima is a quilter, low-relief sculpture artist, painter, textile

in 1999. “The people in St. Louis made me continue to dive off the

artist, and jewelry maker. She gives workshops on multicultural art

surface of myself and into the depth of my being,” she says.

to St. Louis public school teachers and has worked with several non-

Call 314-229-4233 for more information. — Molly Moore

COURTESY OF MICHAEL BUESKING; GLENN CURCIO

Indigo Dreams

Gallery in St. Louis in 2009, and her work will also be included in

[22] MissouriLife

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2C@

@IOÂą2M@@Âą%<GG@MT

HISTORIC CLARKSVILLE MISSOURI

0PNOD>Âą$PMIDOPM@Âą <I?Âą >>@ION *@<OC@MÂą <BN <NF@ONÂą Âą$D=@MÂą MO Mon.â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Sat. 10â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4:30 â&#x20AC;˘ Sun. 12â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4:30 â&#x20AC;˘ We offer classes!!!

573-242-3200 â&#x20AC;˘ www.thebenttree.com â&#x20AC;˘ www.stacyleigh.etsy.com

CURL UP WITH A GOOD BOOK...MARK! Bookmark features original hand-etched scrimshaw on a recycled antique ivory piano key with genuine leather and handmade paper accents. $22, plus $2 shipping/handling Check/Money Order/Visa/MasterCard 31 High Trail, Eureka, MO 63025 â&#x20AC;˘ www.stonehollowstudio.com

-!#!! !D PDF 0-

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ZEST OF LIFE > MISSOURI BOOK S

Architecture and Early Homes of Saint Joseph

Book List Days Like This Are Necessary

By Ashland author Walter Bargen, BkMk Press, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 223 pages, $15.95 softcover, poetry

Things Worth Remembering

By Springfield author Jakina Stark, Bethany House, 320 pages, $13.99 softcover, fiction

Just One Restless Rider: Reflections on Trains and Travel

By St. Louis author Carlos A. Schwantes, University of Missouri Press, 224 pages, $34.95 hardcover, nonfiction

Momma, Don’t Ya Want Me To Learn Nothin’?: Reflections on a Young Man’s Life

By Caroline Castor, Serpent Noir Press, 36 pages, $16.95 softcover, nonfiction

As St. Joseph anticipates the sesquicentennial of the Pony Express in April and May, prepare your visit to the celebrations with Caroline Castro’s Architecture and Early Homes of Saint Joseph. Castro presents in beautiful color photographs the restored homes of the Museum Hill District around the Pony Express National Museum. The book creates a walking tour with addresses and a map, and it provides glimpses inside some of these homes, most of which are not open to the public.

This diverse array of houses was built between 1859 and 1896. By presenting the homes in chronological order, Castro brilliantly takes the reader from one of the oldest frame homes built in the year before the Pony Express began through Italianates, Queen Annes, and other fancy grand dames of the Victorian era. Along with photos and information about the architecture, Castro gives perspective to each year with facts about what was happening on a national level. —BJ Alderman

By Eugene M. Munger, Jr., Center for Regional History, Southeast Missouri State University, 313 pages, $17 softcover, nonfiction about growing up in southeast Missouri

Animals Always: 100 Years at the Saint Louis Zoo

By Mary Delach Leonard, University of Missouri Press, 208 pages, $29.95 hardcover, nonfiction

A Concise Biography of Original Sin

By St. Louis author John Samuel Tieman, BkMk Press, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 36 pages, $11.95 paperback, poetry

Books reviewed or on the Book List can be found at bookstores and at Amazon.com unless otherwise noted.

St. James: The People of Missouri’s ‘Forest City of the Ozarks’ Edited by Joshua Bickel, Missouri School of Journalism, 176 pages, $19.95 softcover, nonfiction

Black-and-white photographs reveal a brother and sister making their way to a hidden swimming hole, an older woman falling asleep with her gas bill in hand, and a six-year-old praying before his baptism. Published in 2009, St. James: The people of Missouri’s ‘Forest City of the Ozarks’ illustrates the people and way of life in St. James.

Archival photos and an introductory essay welcome readers to the town. Captions provide context, and the photos reveal intimate moments in small-town life: A misfit teen attracts stares from his peers, and a mother takes her four sons out to dinner. The book is a collaboration between Missouri School of Journalism students and professional photographers and was edited by Joshua Bickel, a master’s student at the time.

“I really came to respect the small-town culture in Missouri,” Bickel says. “The people were open and receptive from day one.”

St. James: The people of Missouri’s ‘Forest City of the Ozarks’ is the first installment in a five-part series that will document life across Missouri. Photojournalism students and professionals immersed themselves in Crystal City and Festus this past fall, but the 2010 location is still to be decided.

St. James can be purchased by calling 573-882-4882. —Molly Moore

[24] MissouriLife

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Search our statewide listings at

MissouriLife.com Plus add your own listing for free!

Art • Attractions • Dining Shopping • Food & Drink Lodging • Higher Education Real Estate • Weddings

N O BO DY C AR E S MO R E .

The commitment by America’s pork producers to quality, safety and responsibility goes back decades. From ethical principles to industry-leading education, we have a track record of responsible practices and continuous improvement.

We’re proud to say that today, more than ever, our production practices are focused on food safety, responsibility — from the environment to animal care — and the quality of life in our communities.

Every day, here in Missouri, and on farms across the country, pork producers continue to demonstrate our dedication to the care and concern that is our legacy.

Funded by Missouri Pork Producers and their Pork Checkoff Program © 2009 We Care Initiative

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• Graceland Museum Complex • Presser Performing Arts Center • Miss Missouri Pageant • Concerts in the Park • Chamber of Commerce Vault Gallery

Shopping

• Quilt Shops • Antique Shops • Specialty Furniture Shop • Scrapbooking Store • Wedding Shop • Wine Specialty Shop

Eating Out

• Hot Diggity • Porky’s Smokehouse • Pig Up & Go • Liberty Diner • Diner 54 • Jackson Street Diner • Pizza Hut • Coachs’ Pizza World • Pizza Works • Dos Arcos Mexican • Casa Del Sol Mexican • China Restaurant • China Star

Upcoming Events

• February 1–28, 2010 Water Color by Laura Pitts, March 1–31, 2010 Water Color by Lynn Porter, Chamber of Commerce Vault Gallery • February 27, 2010 2nd Annual Altrusa Scrapbooking Fundraiser, United Methodist Church • March 6, 2010 Audrain/Montgomery County Chapter American Red Cross Dinner Auction, 4-H Center • March 25–28, 2010 Mexico Area Community Theatre Presents “On Golden Pond,” Presser Performing Arts Center

Liverpool Legends

the first Beatle to set foot on American soil was George Harrison. He landed at Lambert Field in St. Louis when he was thirteen years old, here to visit his sister Louise who was living in southern Illinois. In later years when the Beatles were skirting across the continents, Louise was along helping George and keeping an eye out for her little brother. Today, she spends much of her time in Branson and appears regularly to introduce her hand-picked band, Liverpool Legends, and answer questions from the audience.

Headlining their own production in Branson since 2006, Liverpool Legends has been voted Best New Show, Best Band, and Best Show in Branson. They’ll be starting their fifth season off at one of the biggest venues in Branson, The Mansion Theatre, and their show once again has been spotlighted by receiving the prestigious Branson’s Visitor Choice Award for Best Show in Branson for 2009.

Each of the Fab Four not only look remarkably like the Beatle they represent, but they each sound and act almost exactly like their chosen persona. The band has toured the world, playing in historic venues, such as Carnegie Hall and The Cavern Club in Liverpool; recording at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London; and performing with Denny Laine (co-founder of Wings with Paul McCartney), Pete Best (the original Beatles drummer), and the Boston Pops. They appeared on The Travel Channel’s Beatlemania Britain and headlined International Beatles Week in Liverpool where one hundred thousand Beatles fans jammed Victoria Street to hear them in concert.

Liverpool Legends perform songs spanning the entire career of The Beatles, both as a band and solo endeavors. With precise attention to every musical detail, along with costume changes, vintage instruments, and special effects, Liverpool Legends is as close to the real thing as you can get. And Louise’s involvement with Liverpool Legends makes it the only Beatles tribute band in the world with a close, direct biological link to the original Fab Four.

Visit www.liverpoollegends.com for more information. —Greg Wood

For more information, call 800-581-2765 or visit www.mexicomissouri.net.

courtesy of liverpool legends

Culture

Zest of Life > Show-Me Sound

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a e l a z A d o o Dogw ival Fe s t 42nd Annual

10 April 15-18, 20

Our dogwoods and azaleas are the stars of the festival!

For more information, call Charleston Chamber at 573-683-6509 or visit www.charlestonmo.org.

St Louis, MO

ne Great selection of fi fine hand-built acoustics

by Bourgeois, Breedlove, Goodall, Martin, Santa Cruz, & more!& more!

Taylor CALL US TOLL FREE 888-MUSIC-00 www.FaziosMusic.com [27] February 2010

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EDITOR’S picks

ZEST OF LIFE > ALL AROUND MISSOURI

FOR 106 MORE EVENTS, SEE THE COMPLETE LISTING ON PAGE 93 |

By Amy Stapleton

MARCH 6-28, POPLAR BLUFF The vivid colors and intense brush strokes of impressionist painter Sean Shrum’s work create the quality of light and shadow that are consistent features in his paintings. Sean was born and spent his early years in Poplar Bluff. Some of his earliest memories are of hunting with his dad, brother, and other relatives on the family’s land in Wayne County. While in high school in Arkansas, Sean entered his

Tierra Suave

artwork in several competitions, one of which put his artwork on display at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Sean’s current exhibit, Tierra Suave, is showing at the Margaret Harwell Art Museum.

Open from noon to 4 PM

Tuesdays through

Fridays and 1 to 4 PM

on Saturdays and

Sundays, the museum is free to visit.

Call

573-686-

8002 or visit www. mham.org for more

MARCH 13, SPRINGFIELD “WHEN IRISH EYES are Smiling” might be heard at the Irish Idol contest, and a variety of vendors and food booths in Park Central Square will help you shop and eat to your hearts content. The festive parade with a Grand Marshal starts at 2 PM and ends at Park Central West. The celebration continues with an awards ceremony at Patton Alley Pub at 4:30 PM until late into the night. Events include children’s activities on the square and a Best Irish Pet contest. Trophies for parade entries include Best Irish Group or Family, Best Dressed Irish Pet, Best Musical Entry, Best Contraption on Wheels, Best Decorated Auto, Best Individual Costume, Best Youth Group or Entry, and Best Irish Float.

Held throughout downtown, this celebration is free. Call 417-848-7474 or visit www.springfieldstpatsparade.org for more information.

COURTESY OF SEAN SHRUM; COURTESY OF KATHRYN VICAT

ST. PATRICK’S PARADE

information.

[28] MissouriLife

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Greenhouse Stories

MARCH 27, INDEPENDENCE

FEBRUARY 7, 21, AND 28, ST. LOUIS As the sun sets,

candles will light The Green Center’s

Geodome Greenhouse on Blackberry Avenue in University City, and storytellers will spark your imagination as they weave yarns and perform to create an unforgettable experience.

TEA PARTY AND VINTAGE FASHION SHOW > Tasty tidbits and melodious music provide background for tours of the Vaile Mansion, a Victorian home decorated for a wedding. Guests are encouraged to wear vintage hats and fashions. Models show off vintage wedding dresses, and a collection of wedding dresses and bride dolls are on display.

Held at the Vaile Mansion on Liberty Street from 2-4 pm, this event costs $20. Reservations are required.

Call 816-305-3712 or visit www.vailemansion.org

You can also catch a sneak peek at the native plants being grown for sale later in the spring.

The stories are told from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. Preregistration is required, and admission is $2.

Call 314-725-8314 or visit www.thegreencenter. org for more information.

TRUE/FALSE FILM FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 25-28, COLUMBIA COURTESY OF INDEPENDENCE, MO TOURISM; COURTESY OF RICK WALTERS; MARILYN CUMMINS

THE FESTIVAL RETURNS for its seventh year and highlights innovative works with a cinematic scope. Most films have recently been to Sundance, Toronto, and other festivals.

Others are brand new at this festival. During these four days, Columbia is transformed into a movie lovers Mecca. There are nonstop movies, parties, debates, and field trips. The main venues are Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts, the Blue Note, Ragtag Cinema, the Forrest Theatre at the Tiger Ballroom, and Stephens College’s Macklandburg Playhouse and Windsor Auditorium.

Passes range in price from $60 to $500.

Visit www.truefalse.org or call 573-442-8783 for more information.

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PROMOTION PROMOTION

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

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

In the heart of Missouri is Fulton, voted one of the top ten places to visit in the Midwest and Callaway County’s gem. Named after steamboat inventor Robert Fulton, Fulton has a rich history with exciting sites and sounds all wrapped up in small town charm.

Fulton’s downtown, made famous in the Ronald Reagan movie Kings Row, has kept its historic charm with brick streets, elegant architecture, 67 buildings on the historic register, great restaurants, romantic B&Bs, antiques, and oneof-a-kind boutiques. Whether you are looking for a handcrafted gift, local art, great food, or outstanding museums, you will find that and more in Fulton.

The newly renovated Churchill Museum at Westminster College features interactive displays that engage and educate visitors of all ages. In addition, you can walk through actual pieces of the Berlin Wall as you explore Edwina Sandys’ magnificent Breakthrough sculpture for another look back at living history.

For those interested in the local art and music scene, Kemper Center for the Arts at William Woods University is a must-see, and The Lighthouse Theater in nearby Millersburg offers live gospel and bluegrass concerts.

For outdoor lovers, there are Tanglewood and Railwood golf courses. Or rent a bike and tour the Stinson trail crossing a covered bridge and meandering below the lover’s leap bluffs. Or hike the historic Katy Trail. While you’re exploring the outdoors, enjoy the view and taste some distinctive Missouri wines and a creative bistro menu at Summit Lake Winery. Enjoy the view and unwind on the outdoor terrace or relax indoors by the snug fireplace.

Museums offering everything from whimsical to wheels are a draw for visitors to Fulton. The new Backer Auto World Museum displays an impressive collection of 84 historic automobiles in Hollywood-style sets for their era. Capture a sense of local history at the Historical Society Museum, or pay your respects at the Missouri Firefighters Memorial. A museum of sorts, the whimsical collections at Nostalgiaville will also entertain all family members as will the Treasure Hill Doll House Miniatures museum and shop. Crane’s Museum in Williamsburg has been voted 3rd best in off beat attractions with over 4,000 square feet of regional history. Before you head out, stop by Marlene’s restaurant.

Crane’s 4,000-square-foot museum is a one-of-a-kind viewing experience featuring rural Missouri history dating back to the 1800s.

Savor a “brown cow” at Sault’s authentic soda fountain.

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PROMOTION PROMOTION

A pulled-pork sandwich and slice of seasonal FOR fruit pie will put a smile on your face.

FULTON GET-A-WAY Whether you prefer down-home country COUPONS or uptown gourmet, you’ll savor scrumptious VISIT dining. Try Bek’s restaurant for a unique blend of old and new, where Internet and espresso WWW.VISITFULTON.COM meet 1902 architecture. In addition to fabulous food, including amazing Parmesan Artichoke Dip and decadent homemade desserts, Bek’s has a welcoming atmosphere, and on Saturday nights, there is live jazz.

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

For overnight stays, great getaways, unique weddings, and fabulous pampering breakfasts, Fulton has two of Missouri’s top ten inns: the historic Loganberry Inn where Margaret Thatcher stayed or Romancing the Past Bed and Breakfast in the historic Jameson home where you can create a romantic memory.

For your next getaway or family vacation, visit Fulton and Callaway County, Missouri.

For more information and a calendar of events, visit www.visitfulton.com.

Enjoy outstanding food and wine at Bek’s restaurant and wine bar.

Apple Wagon Antique Mall & Home Decor Outlet has 20,000+ square feet full of Antiques and outlet-priced home décor.

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

Calendar of Events Get-A-Way Spa Weekend All January Weekends Loganberry Inn Bed and Breakfast 573-642-9229 www.loganberryinn.com Pam Rubert Quilt Exhibit February 2 to February 27, 2010 Mildred Cox Art Gallery William Woods University Campus Fulton, MO Chocolate Lovers Weekend All February Weekends Includes chocolate and wine tasting Loganberry Inn, Fulton MO 573-642-9229 www.loganberryinn.com Chocolate Tasting & Food Paring February 13, 7pm, $25 Crane’s Museum Williamsburg, MO 877-254-3356 Cranesmuseum@yahoo.com Watercolor Missouri National National Watercolor Competition and Show April 1 - May 17, 2010 Winston Churchill Memorial 501 Westminster, Fulton, MO 573-592-5369 www.mowsart.com

Kansas City

128 miles

I-70

St. Louis

100 miles

FULTON

Watercolor Missouri National exhibition was selected by national magazine Watercolor Artist as one of the top 20 water media society exhibitions in the USA.

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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.

Apple Wagon Antique Mall and Home Decor Outlet has more than 20,000 square feet full of antiques and outlet-priced home décor.

12/28/09 2:28:41 PM

Great Adventures www.visithannibal.com

Start Here.

800-769-4183

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GET GOING Adven

tures, Getaways, & Road Trips

10 THINGS: ST. LOUIS Compiled by Callina Wood

WE SEE THE BEST in the state, so you can trust us when we share ten things we love about St. Louis and advise you to include these experiences, sights, and souvenirs from Forest Park, the Loop, and beyond on your next trip. Share your favorite thing about St. Louis with other readers at MissouriLife.com.

1

At the Enchanted Caves in the City Museum, you’ll maneuver through the

tunnels of an old shoe factory’s spiral

6

From freight cars to steam engines,

Other collections include autos, aircrafts, and

train-lovers should see the railway

boats. www.transportmuseumassociation.org

equipment at the Museum of Transportation.

sculptures along the way. 314-231-2489 I www.citymuseum.org

COURTESY OF CITY MUSEUM; COURTESY OF FOREST PARK FOREVER/JAMI MCNALL; COURTESY OF THIRD DEGREE GLASS FACTORY

I 314-965-6885

7

conveyor system and marvel at fascinating

2

Visit the Penguin House and Hippo Window at the St. Louis Zoo in Forest

Park. Cool off in the icy penguin house, or get

Enjoy the mini donuts and the ven-

up close to a hippo at River’s Edge, a ten-acre

dors at Soulard Market year-round,

exhibit with wildlife from around the world.

but Mardi Gras is the main event from

www.stlouiszoo.org I 800-966-8877

January until Fat Tuesday on February

8

16. www.soulardmarket.com or www.

The intimate ambience at I Fratellini in

mardigrasinc.com

Clayton is as elegant as the authentic

3

Italian food itself—try the ravioli. Reservations

Go to O’Connell’s Pub for its laid-back

are recommended. 314-727-7901

atmosphere and its roast beef sand-

9

wich, piled high with roast beef cooked to perfection. 314-773-6600

4 5

Located along the St. Louis Walk of Fame, Blueberry Hill is the center

for live entertainment, perhaps a Chuck

The Jewel Box at Forest Park is renowned

Berry show. Enjoy the famous burgers

for its Art Deco architecture and stun-

or jerk chicken before the show begins.

ning floral displays. 314-531-0080

www.blueberryhill.com I 314-727-4444

Take a class in glassblowing, shop the gallery, or watch artists work at Third

Degree Glass Factory. Admission is free, but some activities cost extra and require reservations. www.thirddegreeglassfactory. com I 314-367-4527

From top: The Enchanted Caves at City Museum are built within the spiral conveyor tunnel system of the old shoe factory in which the museum exists. The Jewel Box is located on a seventeen-acre site. Third Degree Glass Factory makes contemporary glass art accessible through artists, education, and events.

10

See a dazzling night sky at The Planetarium

at

the

Science

Center. Or go deep into space at the Orthwein StarBay, where you can see what it’s like to live on the International Space Station. www.slsc.org I 800-456-7572

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get going

Safari on the Missouri mighty relaxing |

Story by Nina Furstenau, Photography by Justin Leesmann

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It’s never a good sign when the earth itself gives warning. So when the mud made quiet sucking sounds around my feet as I walked to the canoe, I was apprehensive.

It felt as if the moving mass of the Missouri River was coiling around the boats, ready to launch us, heedless, into a force beyond control. I like to launch on my own volition, thank you very much. Plus, it was disconcerting the way my eyeballs had to slide side to side quickly to watch the speed of the water.

That just goes to show what I know. I’ve always thought that the Missouri River is not something to mess with, but Danita Allen Wood, editor of Missouri Life, invited me to test our mettle on the current of a nearly forty-mile river float. Granted, we started out with a rather different idea for our float: It was going to be one canoe, something quiet with more than a nod to nature—and our husbands planned to motor ahead to be our safety net. We went instead with Wapiti Adventures and enjoyed the fellowship of a delightful group.

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GET GOING > SAFARI ON THE MISSOURI

From top: Nationally acclaimed artist Billyo Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell, from St. Charles, painted en plein air along the way on sandbars and banks of the Missouri River. His depictions of the river and those on the float trip made lasting memories.

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This trip was definitely much more of everything. Before leaving, I took an informal poll, and no one I met wanted to float the Missouri.

Some shuddered or looked perplexed. I became a mite worried. Turns out, we quickly became so comfortable with the river that we completely abandoned a couple of river rules set by Wapiti leader Bill Martin: We often got separated on the river from other team canoes, and we shucked our life jackets as soon as it got hot. Early, it became easy to see that because of Wapiti leadership, the low water levels free of debris, the fact that barges were easy to spot and avoid, many available sandbars for pit stops, plus beautiful fall weather, the Missouri River was our very own best kept secret: beautiful, easy, and underutilized.

If I had been the cook, there would have been much more worry.

Wapiti Tour fare was on a whole different plane than my classic outdoor menu of hot dogs and chips. I’m talking quail, citrus-marinated lamb kabob, fresh-fig-and-honeycomb kind of fare that was sometimes served on sandbars in the middle of the river and always delicious. Incredible, savory dishes were produced sunrise and sunset à la sandbar by Chef Gabe Meyer and Sous Chef Tom Sasseen.

My canoe and kayak experience has been on smaller waterways in Missouri: the Current River, the White and Jack’s Fork. With water being touted as the most important future resource across the globe, the Missouri, one of the world’s major arteries, is on a totally different scale than our small, twisty Missouri streams. It has undergone much change in past years, its channel penned so that the tempestuous, swift and unpredictable river that the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery crew encountered and wrote about from 1804-1806 has narrowed to a third of its original width. Two hundred years ago, the Missouri had more violent tangles of debris and double the water area. The bridled river today averages 48,000 cubic feet of water per second (cfs) in September at Boonville during our trip September 10 through 14, or about 21.5 million gallons of water every minute, says John Skelton, environmental compliance coordinator of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Missouri River Office in Napoleon. In flood stage in 2007, the Missouri River averaged 200,000 to 220,000 cfs at Boonville.

Immediately, I think, 48,000, psshaw.

As the date for our float trip got closer, I began watching the weather and checking water stage levels; we wanted sandbars available for breaks, camping and

for reassurance. As the levels declined over the days prior to the float, I began looking for visual evidence of the ten feet or below our group wanted for safe floating. In fact, it was 8.91 feet at the start of our trip and 8.33 feet by the finish on September 14.

Our personal gear list included sunscreen, water bottle, rain jacket, dry as well as wet shoes, a light fleece, socks, hat and extra pants or shorts. We all brought camp chairs, sleeping bags and tents, though some were available from Wapiti as needed. Kansas City Paddler provided the canoes. Owner Lynn Lyon had intended to float, too, but a family health emergency prevented him from joining us.

Day One: Slipping Sideways Our adventure begins with trees on the horizon that drip trailing branches into each other. Blue herons fly across the wide vista. We put in at Franklin Access at river mile 195 and float fifteen miles through some of the most beautiful prairie regions of the state. The rippling, rushed sounds of water going around a bend accompany our canoes and soothe tension away. This, as close to Lewis and Clark’s view of our state as possible, reminds me that being in this state is much different than passing by it in a car with tinted windows. The texture of wind, the silk of water, and warmth of sun cannot be substituted. Plus, there’s something to be said for scale when you’re down on the water and not rushing over it on massive bridges. We begin “river time” that was surely felt by legions of waterway travelers before us. The absence of cell phones and computers let us hear the birds and the near-silence of wind. Demand-free total relaxation is quite a statement, but we felt such stirrings on the Mighty Missouri. If two somewhat driven journalists can shrug and think, so what?, when our canoe drifted sideways for awhile, I’d have to say it is a unique retreat from the world— somehow different from vacationing in an interesting city, touring a monument, or even cycling the Katy Trail. The river, in its steady dash homeward to the ocean, is the driver. Such is its gift to us. Recognition, too, comes on the water that only a few things are important, and that nature is one of them.

From left: A sandbar at the confluence of the Missouri and Bonne Femme rivers made a beautiful camp site. Editor in chief Danita Allen Wood and writer Nina Furstenau set out to make friends with the river.

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GET GOING > SAFARI ON THE MISSOURI

From top: Greg Wood, Gabe Meyer, and Bill Martin have an impromptu jam session near the fire. The occasional tug boat and barge created big wakes.

Chef Gabe’s gourmet breakfast included duck and sausage hash with duck-fat asparagus and chive-ale eggs.

Later, we pass Diana Bend and Rocheport Bend and cruise along Overton Bottoms. At marker 182 Boone Cave is alongside our canoes.

At day’s end, we camp near Katfish Katy’s at Huntsdale, where showers, a masseuse, and a sumptuous meal await, and Billyo O’Donnell, adept at art and conversation, is setting up his easel and facing the sunset.

Day Two: A Sunken Boat I wake to a cat-footed river. It seeps into the background sounds of the campfire’s pop and crackle, a few low voices and a tin cup being set on a stone. There is another hazy sky with distant trees sporting fuzzy edges.

I sit on a canvas chair that had been tipped forward so no dew settled on its seat and look through waist-high, lime green grasses at the moving water of the Missouri. A small yellow butterfly flits between the stems, and the sun warms the back of my neck. No motors so far.

After breakfast, we shove off toward Cooper’s Landing. California Island, not far from McBaine, is the first stop. Billyo paints a portrait of the hull of a huge sunken wooden boat—about twenty-four feet exposed

from the sand at the edge of the island—and Greg Wood walks off in search of arrowheads. Wapiti team members Doug Thompson and Kevin Miquelon lash an odd piece of driftwood that happens to look like a horse, a giraffe, or some exotic safari animal, to their canoe, and Danita and I watch a large Coast Guard vessel moving upstream. The wake seems too much to battle from eye level, and we paddle off after it clears. We pass the Missouri River Relief Stream Team campsite on the far side of the island and notice Kevin choosing the channel on the other side of the island, which most of us avoided because we could see a riffle across it.

He sped through it with ease.

That night, we camp on a sandy shoreline, upstream from Cooper’s Landing near the mouth of the Bonne Femme Creek. The sun takes its time dropping past the trees, and its long rays illuminate our new driftwood mascot, having survived its river trip from California Island, standing sentinel at the shore and sporting a bandana. The sinking sun creates a shiver of gold around its stick head. Twenty feet from the water, Chef Gabe tips white wine into a bubbling sauce, and as the sun

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From top: Nina and Terry Furstenau enjoy the dusk. Gabe Meyer can’t get the bait on fast enough. The gang with the safari mascot: (back, from left) Billyo O’Donnell, Ron Engemann, Greg Wood, Bill Martin, Tom Sasseen, Danita Allen Wood, Terry and Nina Furstenau, Gabe Meyer, (front, from left) Doug Thompson, Kevin Miquelon, and Justin Leesmann.

sets, Greg and later Gabe and Bill begin to play guitar, drum, and sing.

Billyo, finding the scene compelling, paints swiftly in the dying light.

Day Three: No Fear After waking again to a sumptuous meal, signaled by a universal sigh from the group, we paddle off on the five- to six-mile-per-hour current.

Today, it especially feels like the river cradles us, and we relax into its force. I turn to see Gabe and Tom turning lazy circles in their boats as they drift in the current. We pass several pallid sturgeon spawning areas and even paddle our way into one: The driftwood here on the shore is a bleached full-sized tree, and the mud is deep. Along the way, Doug, who mans the motor-powered boat on the team and carries supplies and drinks under a shaded umbrella, occasionally checks to see if we’re hydrated. We call over the “butler” once or twice. For lunch, he finds an unlikely twenty-by-thirty-foot sandbar in the middle of the river, revealed by the declining water level. Inches from waves on all sides, under an umbrella, we feast on salmon, blue cheese, hummus, olive

tapenade, slices of tenderloin, and homemade pickles. Perfection.

The last few miles go too fast through Marion Bottoms Conservation Area, and our take-out at Marion Access at river mile 158 is suddenly upon us. All along, Danita and I have traded positions in the canoe: sometimes steering from the back and sometimes paddling in front.

When with our husbands, this changing of the guard would have been unlikely. New to the tricks of back-canoe steering, we had moments of challenge but found a sweet discovery in the fact that, despite some nerves and occasional squeals when crossing currents to land, we were equal to the challenge. The fear factor for us was about seven to start, zero on finish. But our recommendation for anyone seeking a mild adventure: A solid ten.

Wapiti Adventures will repeat the Safari on the Missouri August 27-29, 2010. Visit www.wapiti.com for details. Visit www.billyoart.com to learn more about Billyo O’Donnell’s art and his book, Painting Missouri. Visit MissouriLife.com to see more photos, Billyo’s images from the float, and Gabe Meyer’s menus for fine campsite dining.

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ďż˝

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the pony express

Raining HOGS Running Ponies

&

courtesy of The Pony Express National Museum, Inc., St. Joseph, Missouri; courtesy of the pony express National Museum, Inc.

G

rown men wept in fear in the back of a train barreling across Missouri from Hannibal to St. Joseph on April 3, 1860.

The locomotive reached speeds of sixtyfive and seventy miles per hour, setting a record over portions of track still missing a full complement of ties. To those on board, all that mattered was getting the mail through from New York so it could get to California via the Pony Express.

In St. Jo, Johnny Fry waited on his horse at the Pikes Peak Livery Stables.

Executives of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad were trying desperately to make up time after the delay back east so the Pony Express could commence its first run. Track between Chillicothe and St. Joseph would more accurately be described as nearly built rather than newly built.

The engineer, Addison Clark, who’d equipped the appropriately named loco-

150th Anniversary of the Pony Express

William Russell

William Waddell

motive, the Missouri, with a “cattle catcher” attached to the front had received orders from rail executives to “Run wild from Hannibal to St. Joseph!” With regular trains sidetracked, it was said to be raining hogs in Missouri that day as free range pigs and cows that didn’t clear the tracks quickly enough were sent skyward.

A Placerville newspaper article described how three railroad officials fared in the one coach: “Part of the time one of them was in the wood-box or tangled up with the stove, and the other two trying to render first aid until they,

in turn would be thrown over a seat back and knocked silly. Occasionally, during periods of semi-consciousness, when they could see out of the rear door through an almost impenetrable cloud of dust and cinders, one would point upward and exclaim: ‘There goes another cow.’”

All along the route, at places like Shelbina, Bevier, and Kidder, crews stood by at wood yards and water tanks to replenish the needs of the twenty-nineton Mason locomotive. It took just over four hours to complete the trip.

Johnny Fry and his horse had waited in what is now Patee Park across from the stables. Fry eventually had to return to the stables because some in the huge crowd had started pulling individual hairs from the steed’s mane and tail as souvenirs, causing much distress.

Why did William Russell and William Waddell, two Lexington millionaires, partner with Alexander Majors, a Waldo

� By BJ Alderman �

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Weather played more havoc on the riders than attacks by native tribes although stations were sometimes burned and, more often, stock was stolen. Jack Keetley was once forced to ride 340 miles in 31 hours because at station after station he found no one to take over the ride to Salt Lake City. At the same time, Thomas King set out from Salt Lake to Ham’s Fork. When questioned later, King reported he’d not seen Keetley. It appears that both men passed each other while sleeping as their horses raced the familiar trail. �

Republic of the

Pacific �

Because of the gold rush of 1849, some in California thought they ought to declare themselves an independent nation. Both U.S. senators from California were pro-slavery as was the governor. As tensions between North and South escalated, the independence movement was fueled by secessionists who anticipated that a Republic of the Pacific would align itself with the Confederacy and bankroll the rebellion.

“Today practically all of the gold of the world is in the treasury of the United States,” stated the committee to create a memorial park for Russell, Majors, and Waddell in the 1940s. “In 1860, the treasury was empty, and the gold was in California where it probably would have stayed, had not the Russell, Majors, Waddell stage line (following the Pony Express route) been already established and in perfect running order.” The stage line brought $186,012,460 in gold for the North.

According to Glen D. Bradley, writing for the Collectors Club publication Philatelist: “When the Southern States withdrew, a conspiracy was on foot to force California out of the Union and organize a new Republic of the Pacific, with the Rocky Mountains for its

million dollar contract with Russell, Majors, and Waddell, giving them sixty-seven days to create enough Pony Express stations to fill the gap until a working telegraph united the coasts. More than 150 stations had to be built, stocked, and staffed by April 3. The Missourians did it.

With the inaugural ride, a tradition began.

As mail arrived from the east, a rider emerged from the stables and rode full out to the Patee Hotel where he and his horse entered through double doors, nabbed the mail pouch without dismounting, and exited through another pair of double doors. As he rode for the river, a cannon fired, alerting the ferry captain to either wait at or return to the Missouri side of the Missouri River for the rider.

Sorting fact from fiction about The Pony is difficult because the partners left no records. The University of Missouri at Kansas City’s Western Historical Manuscript Collection contains a memoir written by Hank Avis about his stint with The Pony.

Avis is acknowledged as an authentic rider

by The Pony Express National Museum in St. Jo. Born in St. Louis, Avis left home in

�

Eastern boundary.” During James Buchanan’s early presidency, John B. Floyd of Virginia served as Secretary of War. As the Civil War officially started, it was found that Floyd “had removed 135,000 firearms together with much ammunition and heavy ordinance from the big government arsenal at Springfield, MA.” These were distributed in the South and Southwest. Some 50,000 were sent to

courtesy of pony express museum

Sleeping in the Saddle

Junction millionaire, to risk their fortunes to get mail to Sacramento, California, in ten days instead of a month via stagecoach or months via ship? Missouri marked the Western border of the United States until California came into the Union in 1850.

Nothing lay between the two but plains, buffalo herds, deserts, mountain ranges, and American Indians who had lost patience with invading settlers and gold miners. Telegraph lines were being strung from Sacramento to New York. By the beginning of 1860, the New York line had reached St. Joseph, as had the railroad. This is why Waddell and Russell chose St. Joseph as the eastern terminus of The Pony (as it was known in the West).

The nation couldn’t wait for completed telegraph lines because there was no time to waste. Secessionists wanted California for the Confederacy. Official mail, government dispatches, and business letters took months to go by boat around South America and up the coast to either New York or Sacramento. Stage lines via the Southwest also took a month, and stringing telegraph lines was taking too long.

By mid-January of 1860, the Feds signed a

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California, “where 25,000 muskets had already been stored, and all this was done underhandedly without the knowledge of Congress.”

When Floyd died in March of 1861, the Atlantic Constitution eulogized him for being foresighted and patriotic to the South: “He saw the inevitable doom of the Union, or the doom of his own people. Who sent 37,000 stand of arms to Georgia? How came 60,000 more prime death-dealing rifles at Jackson, MS? Truth demands it of us to declare that we owe to John B. Floyd an eternal tribute of gratitude for all this.

Had he been less patriotic than he was, we might now have been disarmed and at the mercy of a nation of cut-throats and plunderers.”

According to the memorial park committee, “Had California become a Republic of the Pacific or been attached to the Confederacy, this gold would have gone to the South and perhaps enabled the South to win, as bankruptcy was a chief reason for her final surrender.” It also reported that the Pony Express played a vital role after Fort Sumter fell, “Every word from the East was awaited with bated breath beyond the Rockies just as we await the radio announcements today (during World War II).”

Burros Walking William Cates signed up to ride for the service at the beginning and continued until the end. He had the honor of being one of the riders who flew like the wind across the trail to deliver President Lincoln’s inaugural address to Sacramento. The passes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains were still deep in snow at the time. A crew of men had been employed to walk burros back and forth, day and night, to keep the passes open for the Pony riders. Between the telegraph and the Pony Express riders, Lincoln’s words reached California in less than eight days.

�

courtesy of st. joseph cvb; legends of america

From left: Early newspaper spots advertised mail routes from St. Joseph to Sacramento in ten days, fifteen in winter. Most Pony Express riders who made the perilous journey were young, unattached men.

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Wild Bill Hickock Some reports about the Pony state that Wild Bill Hickock rode at the age of twenty. The memoirs of rider Hank Avis, housed at the Western Historic Manuscript Collection at UMKC, confirm that Hickock was employed as a stockman. “When I was laying over at Mud Springs, Bill Hickock, afterwards known as “Wild Bill,” had just come from his home in Illinois. He was about twenty years old, a nice quiet young man, the last man in the world I would think of becoming a desperado. Shortly after that Slade sent him and another man to distribute mules along the road.” �

From top: The Pony Express Stables that were home to the ponies have been rebuilt and restored over the years, but they still stand on the original site and are now home to a museum.

A statue in St. Joseph pays tribute to the riders.

1857 and eventually worked as a stockman for Waddell and Russell. Needing riders on short notice, they drew upon their freighting crew and that of Alexander Majors.

According to the National Museum, riders were given “two minutes to get a drink, go to the bathroom and change the mochila (pouch) over to the fresh horse” or next rider. In 1861, Avis completed his ninetymile ride in Nebraska, and hopped off his horse to discover that no one waited to take the mail. Word had arrived that five hundred Sioux had surrounded the next station. The scheduled rider refused to go and was fired on the spot. Of the fifteen to twenty men at the station, not one of them

would go. The boss, named Slade, promised Avis that he’d benefit from continuing his ride. Avis described it this way: “I was very careful whenever I came to a hill. I would stop my horse, pull off my hat and walk slowly to the top and take a good look all around, and if I didn’t see any Indians, I would go as fast as my horse could carry me until I reached the next hill. I kept on doing that until I got to the station, but the Indians had gone before I arrived” taking all of the stock with them.

Slade made good on his promise by adding a fictitious rider on his books and collecting that pay for Avis, which doubled his pay for six months, as his reward for

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Sesquicentennial Celebration �

E v ents S ched u l e Today, at St. Joseph’s Pony Express National Museum, housed at the site of the original livery stables at 914 Penn Street (10th and Penn), life-sized models representing Fry’s wait for the delayed train are part of the permanent display.

In April 2010, re-enactors will replace the models as the nation celebrates the sesquicentennial of the inaugural ride.

The schedule includes: April 1:

Buffalo Bill Cody look-alike contest and chuck wagon dinner.

April 2:

george denniston; courtesy of missouri division of tourism

Re-enactments in Patee Park and the Museum.

April 3: Re-rides to and from the river to Patee Hotel every hour on the hour from 8 am on, with Pony Express Museum stamps available. Plus, first day covers, an envelope on which postage stamps have been cancelled on their first day of issue, will also be available.

11 am - Pony Express Bridle and Saddle Parade Noon - Re-enactments in Patee Park and Museum 8 pm – Michael Martin Murphy Concert at Missouri Theater.

Unscheduled bank robberies and train robberies are anticipated.

taking the risk. Regular pay for Pony Express riders was twenty-five to fifty dollars a month.

The two-minute stop became ingrained in horses as well as riders. According to Cindy Daffron, director of development for the Pony Express Museum, there was an instance in which one rider chatted too long with a stockman so the horse raced away with the mail and without him. That rider eventually caught up with the mail at the next station, but let this be a lesson for all readers: Don’t dawdle come the first of April, or you’ll be left behind as Missouri celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Pony Express in St. Joseph. See you there!

In May, a re-ride from St. Joseph to Sacramento is being organized.

Check the official website (www.ponyexpress.org) for updates on events in April or call 800-530-5930 or 816-279-5059 for more information.

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The rooms at the Museum Hill Bed-and-Breakfast are inviting and cozy after a long day on the road. Opposite: The Wyeth-Tootle Mansion is an 1879 Gothic Mansion, which illustrates the cultural, architectural, and economic history of nineteenth century St. Joseph.

Fear andLoafing

M

in St. Joseph

y progress stopped abruptly. A bridge was out, closed for repairs.

Backtracking to pick a detour, I smacked into a torrential downpour. My car skidded through a curve, but we stayed on the pavement. I spent an hour compensating for two wrong turns, and by the time I rejoined my intended route, daylight yielded to dusk, then to darkness. I could only catch strobe-like glimpses of my surroundings through flashes of lightning.

It was a rough day, driving the back roads of north Missouri.

I retreated toward my bed for the night, still hours away. With every passing neon diner sign, my chances dwindled for a sit-down dinner. I pressed on toward St. Joseph, reaching town before midnight.

Thunderstorms raged around me as my car pointed up a steep hill, the kind of incline that’s unavoidable in river towns. Ahead of me, backlit by lightning strikes, sat my des-

tination, the mansion atop Museum Hill.

Beth Courter loves her work. And it shows in every corner, every comfort of the Museum Hill Bed & Breakfast. She and her husband, John, pour heart and soul—not to mention mucho dinero—into this house. John is a retired navy chef with a moniker right out of Hollywood: Cookie Courter. Late as it was, Beth showed me the house and fed me leftovers that easily eclipsed anything I would have found under a neon sign. We talked late into the night about the history in this town and the challenges. “Tomorrow, you’ll see scores of wonderful old homes in these surrounding neighborhoods,” she promised.

She wasn’t exaggerating. I came to town with the goal of visiting eleven museums.

Next morning, early in my wandering, I realized that the entirety of old St. Jo is a museum.

I got my exercise following the walking tours around the historic districts of Museum Hill, and Robidoux Hill and Hall Street. The homes

�

� By John Robinson �

shout their character. Italianate delights stand next to gingerbread Queen Annes, Greek revivals, and federal revivals. Victorian eclectics provide a bridge to a Golden Age when St. Jo fed the insatiable hunger of westward expansion.

Some homes revel in their restoration. Others stand waiting, in peril of the capital punishment that comes from years of neglect. It’s a scary prospect for these old neighborhoods, their individual treasures standing together like teeth, some strong, some gone. And the tweeners beg for salvation.

The museums awaited with an unexpected surprise. A theme emerged as I visited each successive gallery. One by one, the museums unfolded like a celluloid suspense thriller, ratcheting up a tension that eventually exploded in outright fear. Think I’m kidding?

Come along for the ride.

The arrow smashed into his jaw, knocking out five teeth. He kept riding. It was his second wound delivered from his pursuers. He

george denniston

The King of the Road Finds Gruesome and Great

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george denniston

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From top: The beautifully restored Missouri Theater, owned by the City of St. Joseph, is rented to arts organizations as a performance venue as well as to the public. The Society of Memories Doll Museum, with more than six hundred dolls, and the Fire Museum entertain children of all ages.

George Denniston

had jerked the first arrow out of his shoulder and kept riding. Now Pony Bob’s mouth had an extra opening, and his shoulder was in pain. But he was young—a teenager—and his horse was fast. He rode for the Pony Express.

Hey, this job wasn’t as romantic as I thought.

Cindy Daffron, curator of the Pony Express Museum, smiled as I shook my head. Probably couldn’t find many people today who would work in those conditions. Pony Bob’s ride happened 150 years ago, come this spring. And the museum has big plans for the first three days of April to commemorate the riders’ feats (see page 45). I walked outside and saluted an old friend clinging to a galloping horse stuck atop a ten-foot pole. A giant neon arrow underscores his horse’s hooves and aims at the museum stables. Appropriate, I thought. It’s the Pony Express Motel neon sign, lovingly transplanted

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missouri division of tourism; George denniston

explore st. joseph

to the museum’s parking lot. Years ago, in one of my first jobs—conducting surveys for the highway department—I stayed many nights bathed in the glow of that old sign.

A block away sits the Fire Museum in St. Joseph Fire Station #5. Okay, there wasn’t anything really scary about the museum, until you start thinking about the stories this old WPA building could tell, adding a new tale of terror every time the doors opened, and the old LaFrance pumper’s siren would scream toward another distress call.

I walked up the hill to the Patee House, possibly the best museum ever. Surrounding the centerpiece 1860 Hannibal & St. Joseph locomotive, thousands of artifacts depict every aspect of life over the hotel’s 151-year history. At the beginning of the Civil War, the Union tried the hotel’s owner for treason and convicted him. The trial was held in his own ballroom.

Later, it was called the World’s Hotel and Epileptic Sanitarium when the widow of America’s most notorious outlaw was interviewed there, a block from the spot where Robert Ford’s bullet had lodged on the previous day.

Oh, and it served as the headquarters for the Pony Express. The museum has a sense of humor, poking fun at itself with a game you can play called “What’s Wrong With This Display?” Hint: The old covered wagon bears a Missouri license plate. But chuckles turned to shivers when I entered the St. Jo police exhibit and saw a century’s worth of actual murder weapons, including a drill with hair and skin still wrapped around it. Yikes.

The museums were just warming me up for the big scare. Next door to Patee is a little house where Dingus, alias Mr. Howard, alias Jesse James, died. Dingus is his nickname, although brother Frank probably was one of the few to call him that to his face. Among the displays of exhumations and bullet holes in walls and heads, one small exhibit gives insight into the madness of the James Gang.

In a frame on the living room wall, a tiny patch of the room’s original wallpaper may reveal the single-most scary background since The Pit & the Pendulum. I believe those ugly walls pushed Robert Ford over the edge to murder his host. Some St. Jo folks believe the

only shot more unsettling than Ford’s bullet was a recent movie about the murder ... produced by a Missourian but shot in Canada! It appears the producer had the same motive as the original James Gang: money.

By this time, walking toward downtown, I peeked into the Society of Memories Doll Museum, expecting to get a good boo from Chucky. More than six hundred dolls line the walls. But no Chucky. Down the hill, a Vietnam-era helicopter stands guard outside the National Military Heritage Museum. The museum saved the building in which it sits—the old jail—from the scary fate of the wrecking ball. In my humble view, it’s time for patriots to pay the museum back. Like all museums everywhere, the National Military Heritage Museum would benefit from the generosity of red-blooded American greenbacks. Easier said than done, I suppose.

Fact is, that’s the scariest thing about St. Joseph. There are more historic buildings in downtown St. Jo than Rome, I do believe.

Many are abandoned. The good news is that they’re still standing. Some get a facelift. Up the hill from the stunningly restored Moorish architecture of the old Missouri Theater, the Tootle Mansion shed decades of shrouds to reveal the original beauty of its parquet floors, ornate fixtures, and elaborate ceilings.

Within it, there are exhibits on natural history and, of course, Jesse James. True to the 2.2 billion legends of his exploits, that man was everywhere.

I drove down Frederick Boulevard to the second cluster of museums.

On my first stop, an old familiar face surprised me. Oh, I see him every time I fish a dollar from my pocket. But this time, big as life, he gazed at me from Rembrandt Peale’s canvas. The father of our country sits in good company at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, along with canvases by Mary Cassatt, Albert Bierstadt, and Wayne Thiebaud. Hopper.

Stuart. Wyeth. In a front room of this magnificent mansion museum, visages penned by Thomas Hart Benton peer from the walls. But in a side gallery I was greeted by a sight scarier than Hieronymus Bosch’s Last Judgment.

Glaring at me with a stare summoned from his vengeful God was John Brown, the stridently violent abolitionist. The tornadic portrait

� From top: The 151-year-old Patee House has a rich history that includes the Civil War, the Pony Express, and the James Gang. Next door, the James Home, where Jesse was shot dead, features several exhibits, such as pistols, paintings, and original wallpaper from the home.

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From top: Works on canvas adorn the walls of the Albrecht-Kemper Art Museum (top right), including pieces by Thomas Hart Benton, Mary Cassatt, Albert Bierstadt, and Wayne Thiebaud.

In the early 1900s, nurses attended patients at the St. Joseph State Hospital, known earlier as the State Lunatic Asylum No. 2. Today, it houses the Glore Psychiatric Museum and is dedicated to the people who once inhabited the hospital.

Nobody knows Missouri like John Robinson.

King of the Road

John, a former Director of Tourism for Missouri, is dedicated to driving every mile of statemaintained highways.

This makes him King of the Road. To date, he has covered 3,887 state roads, with 44 to go. As he drives each road, he marks it on his map, which truly has become his treasure.

instilled a fear that would only be crowned by a succession of displays at my next stop.

In the Black Archives Museum down the street, I was horrified by the graphic story of a lynching in downtown St. Joseph. Back in 1933, a crowd of thousands watched as a mob laid siege to the jail for hours, finally dragging young Lloyd Warner out where they beat, hanged, and burned him. He had been accused of rape. Many people maintain his innocence.

Regardless, it’s a horrific chapter in the town’s history. To the museum’s credit, it doesn’t hold back or whitewash the display. (The Patee House museum also recounts this story.) Newspaper accounts and photos detail the gruesome event.

The presentation overwhelms other great exhibits in the Black Archives, such as the Mathew Brady photographs of Abraham Lincoln and his generals on Civil War battlefields.

Next door in the St. Joseph Museum, I was grateful to see the amazing sophistication of American Indian cultures, but saddened that for the most part, native art and invention are relegated to displays. What did I expect?

The Sac and Fox, Algonquin, and Osage peoples no longer roam the Missouri Plains.

But no unsettling emotion compared to the final stop on my self-guided tour. The Glore Psychiatric Museum is America’s most straightforward presentation of the relics of past treatment of the mentally ill. At once disturbing and enlightening, the museum probes the dark recesses of imagination. The first thing I saw set the mood: 1,446 items swallowed by a patient, including nails and screws, bolts and bobby pins, and thimbles. Yes, the patient

eventually died of his self-inflicted torment.

Down the hall is a human treadmill resembling a giant gerbil wheel made of wood, with no windows. Near the tranquilizer chair was a revolving swing, a box that swiveled up to one hundred revolutions per minute, causing anxiety and vertigo, not to mention release of bodily fluids. One after another, the displays showed evidence of man’s inhumanity to man: a pillory and several coffin-like cages with names like the Utica crib and the lunatic box.

There’s even a boob tube version of a message in a bottle: 525 notes scribbled secretly and stuffed into the back of a television set by a resident who believed his mind was trapped in a pair of boxcars outside.

The Glore sits in a real-life setting, the former State Lunatic Asylum No. 2. Its rooms are stark, cold, and clinical, its doors reinforced, foreboding. The basement morgue peels away your defenses that this is just a representation. This stuff is real.

I asked Kathy Reno about the future of the Glore. She’s the public relations person for Saint Joseph Museums, Inc., the guts behind the Glore and three sister museums. “We’ve heard from several museum consultants,” she said.

“Some suggest cosmetic face-lifts, like, ‘Turn the entrance into a walk inside the brain.’ ” Then I asked her, “What’s the most unique response you’ve heard from visitors to the Glore?” She thought for a moment. “One lady said, ‘Why didn’t the doctors try these methods on themselves?’ ” For more information, call 800-530-8866 or visit www.stjosephmuseum.org.

courtesy of st. Joseph CVB; george denniston; andrew johnmeyer

explore st. joseph

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Luxury Lodging, Corporate Rates Victorian Home Tour, Meeting/Event Facility Military/Weekly Rates, Murder Mystery Dinner s WWW MUSEUMHILL COM &ELIX 3TREET 3T *OSEPH -/

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[52] MissouriLife

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After a year in business,

Jennifer Ouellette was taking a

MISSOU RI LIFESTYLE Inspired Ideas & Savvy Solutions

call from Vogue. The magazine wanted hats for dogs, and even though Jennifer was accustomed to creating accessories for the human head, she quickly obliged. Since then, the St. Louis native’s designs have been worn by such A-list celebrities as Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Lopez, and Britney Spears.

Jennifer, a graduate of the University of Missouri at Columbia, has run Jennifer Ouellette, Inc., in New York since 1996. Her work has appeared in Vogue, Glamour, and Harper’s Bazaar. Her headbands have even popped up on Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf.

Jennifer’s style was inspired by her mother’s vintage clothing store in St. Louis. “Vintage style is a huge part of my identity,” she says. Vintage, nature, and science are themes in Jennifer’s designs, and everything is made by hand. “We use couture sewing techniques and millinery techniques,” she says. “These are dying arts and that is why our products look very special.”

Jennifer still visits Missouri a few times a year. She loves

A Milliner’s Fame

Imo’s

Pizza

and

the ScholarShop, an upscale resale clothing store where her mother

volunteers.

Jennifer says she likes

the Midwestern attitude and can always tell when she meets a Midwesterner in New York.

Visit www.jenniferouellette.com for

COURTESY OF JENNIFER OUELLETTE; COURTESY OF MICHELLE DAVIDSON BRATCHER; COURTESY OF ARTHUR BENSON

more information. —Cassandra Belek

HOT HOUSEWIVES > Web-based parody Unreal Housewives of Kansas City is entering its second season and continues to put a Midwestern twist on popular national housewife shows. The brief internet episodes have spread largely by word of mouth, and the comedy series won a Mid-America Emmy Award last fall.

“We hope in season two to really give more depth to the characters,” says Michelle Davidson Bratcher, one of the executive producers, writers, and actresses.

“We also want to show off the husbands more because you learn a little more about the woman from the men they’re with.”

Cast and crew are currently working on a volunteer basis. To cover production costs, the show relies on sponsorships that highlight Kansas City.

Visit www.unrealhousewivesofkc.com for more information. —Molly Moore

LEADING MISSOURI LAWYER BEST LAWYERS ranks America’s top

Arthur Benson is Missouri’s leading civil rights attorney.

lawyers in various categories. Arthur Benson from Kansas City was the only lawyer in Missouri to make the Top Lawyers list for Civil Rights.

About 65 percent of Benson’s practice deals with civil rights law. “I suppose I am best known for having represented the class of school children in the Kansas City School Desegregation Litigation from 1979 to 2004, during which time the courts ordered the payment of about two billion dollars in improvements and salaries for the Kansas City School District,” he says.

Benson began practicing law in downtown K.C. in 1969 after graduating from Williams College and earning a J.D. from Northwestern University. Benson & Associates will celebrate its fortieth anniversary in September. Arthur calls his hometown of Kansas City a “wonderful place; it has the amenities of a large urban area on a small scale.”

Benson focuses on individuals whose rights have been infringed upon in some way. Many of his cases involve actions against government officials; his clients include people who believe police used excessive force or imprisoned them wrongly. Benson also represents employees and consumers who have been discriminated against, as well as students who have been victimized by a public educational institution. After years of advocating the civil rights of students from the outside, Benson was elected vice president of the Kansas City School Board in 2008.

Visit MissouriLife.com for stories on other lawyers in the state that are the best at what they do. —Whitney Spivey

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MISSOURI LIFESTYLE

WHAT’S MY LINE S T. L O U I S N A T I V E B R I N G S I M P R O V T O T H E R I V E R C I T Y |

FORGET CHICAGO, LOS ANGELES, AND NEW YORK; St. Louis was once the hub of improvisational comedy. In the early 1950s, the Compass Players, including legends like Del Close, performed in Gaslight Square before moving on to found the legendary Second City in Chicago and spreading the art of improv to the coasts. Now, The Improv Trick, founded by local-boy-done-good Bill Chott, is looking to bring improv back to the forefront in the River City.

Bill is a multi-talented performer who’s worked in all aspects of the entertainment industry. He has studied and performed with Second City in Chicago; he’s appeared in Hollywood feature films such as Dude, Where’s My Car?, Galaxy Quest, and The Ringer; he’s done voice-over work in Saturday Night Live short films; and he currently stars as Mr. Larritate in the hit Disney show Wizards of Waverly Place.

Guys like Bill Chott usually head to Los Angeles or New York and stay there; they make careers in the entertainment Meccas and maybe mention their roots in interviews. But Bill has decided instead to parlay his success into a way to give back to his hometown.

Improv Games Several improv students stand in a circle around one of their classmates.

The student in the middle scans the faces of those surrounding him, then locks eyes with a woman in the circle.

“Truck Driver,” he says and begins counting to ten. The woman pulls on an imaginary air horn while the students to her left and right begin making rolling motions with their hands to simulate wheels. But the “wheel” on the left isn’t quick enough and doesn’t start “rolling” before ten, so the “truck driver” must become the new center of the circle. With a sheepish grin, she takes her place and the game continues.

This is a variation of a classic improv game that has been used for years to hone reflexes and get students used to reacting instantly to situations.

This version of the game, though, isn’t being played in a seedy Hollywood theater or a gritty back room in Greenwich Village, but in a modest store front in south St. Louis, headquarters of The Improv Trick.

By Matt Sorrell

Bill started teaching improv in L.A. in 2005 as a way to supplement his acting income, but he grew tired of teaching for others and decided to go solo and start his own improv group. Instead of concentrating on starting yet another group in L.A., which already has a thriving improv community, Bill decided to return to St. Louis in 2006 and revive the art there. Currently, six instructors, including Bill during the five months a year when he’s in town, teach improv classes for all ages and experience levels, mostly at the group’s Cherokee Street headquarters.

Bill strives to create a safe, encouraging environment in the classes.

The core of improv is agreement and acceptance between participants, and Bill makes sure his classes embody this idea of “yes.”

“Everyone involved with The Improv Trick is incredibly giving and supportive,” says Keaton Treece, who has taken classes and has performed with the group as well. “That is what improv, comedy, and the theater experience is all about.”

Onstage Jams Originally the idea was to offer classes and not mount performances, but the group has evolved since its inception. There are anywhere from five to twenty-five students taking classes at any one time; with that many learning the craft, it was inevitable that they’d eventually want to hit the stage to show off their skills.

The Improv Trick sponsors performances of various types all over the city. Recent shows have included the Comedy Stage Match series, an improv-meets-professional wrestling match, which concluded a summerlong run at The Stable in the historic Cherokee Street Antique District; a series of Comedy Cabaret shows at The Gaslight Square Theater in the Central West End, where the original Compass Players used to perform; the weekly long-form jam at The Improv Trick headquarters; and the ongoing mid-week Improv Extravaganza at Mangia Italiano in South City, an interactive session where audience members shout out scene suggesBill Chott, far right, plays Ninja Tag with his students. Players are blindfolded and given a matchbox with a coin inside. Similar to Marco Polo, if the coin is rattled in the box by the person who is “it,” then the other player must rattle his or her box in response. The game teaches listening and trust.

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tions and occasionally go onstage themselves as part of the show.

The improv community in St. Louis is still finding its legs, so crowds for various Improv Trick shows range from sparse but enthusiastic to packed and raucous. But word is starting to spread about this unique group and its live events, and the group is beginning to get consistent turnouts. At a recent Mangia Italiano jam, the tables were filled with improvisors, fans, and a variety of curious onlookers who wandered over from the bar to see what all the fuss was about. Not bad for 10:30 on a Wednesday night in St. Louis.

GLENN CURCIO; COURTESY OF THE IMPROV TRICK

Workshops for Anyone Bill’s not really surprised at the success of The Improv Trick, just the speed with which it happened. “I’ve seen improv theaters grow in the past,” he says. “The infectious nature of an improv community—it spreads like a virus.

“It’s kind of fun to experience the uniqueness of what I do from the St. Louis perspective,” he says. “In L.A., everybody I know is working in television or on a film. I come here, and there’s a lot more enthusiasm about it. It’s a real source of pride for me that we now have an improv community here.”

As part of its mission to serve the St. Louis community, The Improv Trick offers internships, where participants work as production assistants in exchange for free classes. Donations are also accepted at Improv Trick

From left: Bill Chott and several students warm up for a class. Bill returned to St. Louis to open The Improv Trick.

performances to help under-privileged students attend classes for free.

Bill wants to get everyone on the improv bandwagon, because as he sees it, the art of improvisation is something that can benefit anyone. Any endeavor that requires teamwork can benefit from the lessons learned in improv training, he says. Some students are professional actors and comedians, but many aren’t looking to perform. They just want to get comfortable speaking in front of people or to learn to listen and interact with others more effectively—or just to play.

“Improv is good training for anyone who wants to do anything,” says Mike McGuire, another student and performer. Not only did becoming involved with the troupe help him gain the confidence to pursue standup comedy, he says, but it’s made him more comfortable talking with people in his real estate business.

“Bill just made it all seem like a possibility to me,” he says.

The group also does corporate training and coaching projects and sponsors a Cult Movie Night at its Cherokee Street location. Future plans include developing Spirit of St. Louis, a permanent performing troupe, as well as a second, more family-friendly performance group that would offer shows and workshops for schools, churches, and businesses.

Visit www.theimprovtrick.com or call 314-922-1998 for more information and a schedule of classes and upcoming events.

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MISSOURI LIFESTYLE > MADE IN MISSOURI

The black leather,

Heirloom Chocolate

handwritten recipe

book had been secreted away for twenty-five years. But with the relaunch of Mavrakos, a historic St. Louis chocolate brand, by the St. Louis confectioner Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company, those time-tested recipes are again making life a little sweeter.

Mavrakos chocolates were born in 1913, the candy child of first-generation Greek immigrant John Mavrakos and his wife, Madeline. Mavrakos soon became a leading name in the candy industry; it was the only company to ship candy to servicemen during World War II, and it had opened seventeen stores in the St. Louis area by 1969. John even held a conference for European candy makers where he introduced the idea of Valentine’s Day as a candy-making holiday.

However, in 1984 Mavrakos was sold to Archibald Candy Corp. The cherished recipe book was passed to Dan Abel, owner of Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company.

Once the Mavrakos name was available, Dan brought the legendary brand back in 2009.

Dan’s candy makers began testing various Mavrakos recipes, which call for simpler ingredients and specific equipment. After determining which recipes to revive, Dan reintroduced the chocolates last fall. Now old favorites like hand-cut caramels, Bon Bon Creams, Coconut Crescents, and Pecan Burrs can be enjoyed again.

Visit www.mavrakos.com for more infor-

PURE ILLUMINATION > Ladies, you don’t have to struggle to find a light and mirror when reapplying lip color anymore. The Lano Company out of Raymore offers you a solution in the form of a 3-in-1 lip gloss product.

Pure Illumination, part of the LanoLip line, is a tinted lip gloss with an LED light and mirror. Colors come in Wine Berry, Brown Frost, and Pouty Pink. The Lano Company’s lip gloss isn’t only set apart by its utility, but it also stands out from other lip glosses because it uses lanolin, an ultramoisturizing ingredient that company founder Miranda Coggins used to successfully treat her chronic chapped lips. Pure Illumination combines medical-grade lanolin, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, and vitamin E to keep lips soft and moisturized with a hint of color. The 3-in-1 lip gloss costs $20 for the twist-off LED. Visit www.PureIllumination.com for more information.

—Cassandra Belek

COURTESY OF CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE COMPANY; COURTESY OF LANO COMPANY

mation. —Molly Moore

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a sweet success story > Bitter Missouri winters are sweeter now thanks to Rio Syrup Company, Inc., a St. Louis company that manufactures syrups for snow cones and slushies. Founded next to the Rio Theatre in 1940 by Stuart S. Tomber, the company originally produced carbonated syrups to add to sodas. The product was then sold to area movie theaters and bars. In his day, Tomber found competition in soft serve ice cream, soda stands, and new cola flavors from the national cola companies. Today, Rio manufactures nearly 250 syrup flavors, a sweet success at festivals, fairs, and more.

The company ships syrups throughout the United States and to about twenty countries worldwide. Rio also sells shaved ice machines and kits for the convenience of shaved ice at home. The syrups have stayed in the family, and Tomber’s son Phil runs the company with his wife and son.

Visit www. Riosyrup.com for more information.

—Lesley Grissum

Germ fighters are popping up

in

workplaces and schools around the country.

And although it might appear to be everywhere, Germ-X, a leading hand-sanitizer brand, is from somewhere nearby. Germ-X is manufactured by Vi-Jon, a health and beauty care company located in St. Louis. From its manufacturing facilities in Missouri and Tennessee, its goods, including private-label products and Inspector Hector, a children’s hygiene line, are distributed globally.

John B. Brunner opened the company as The Peroxide Chemical Company in 1912, and by 1920, his company was shipping hydrogen peroxide to Mexico, Australia, China, and India. In 1933,

the

company's

name

changed to Vi-Jon Laboratories, a combination of the names of the founder and his wife, Viola.

Today, with the onset of the

Germ Fighter

H1N1 flu virus, Vi-Jon has been producing Germ-X at record levels. By late 2009, it produced nearly twenty-seven thousand gallons of sanitizer a day, which is three times the amount produced during the same time in 2008.

The Right Path

courtesy of rio syrup; courtesy of Vi-Jon laboratories; courtesy of labyrinth Enterprises, LLC

For more information, visit www.vijon.com. ­—Molly Moore

Walking a labyrinth is said to facilitate concentration, meditation, or prayer. So imagine devoting thirty-two hours to planning, drawing, and painting one by hand. Judy Hopen, codirector of Labyrinth Enterprises, LLC in St. Louis, has created nearly one thousand canvas labyrinths, in addition to working on stone and concrete installations.

Her interest in labyrinths was piqued in 1995 when she met Robert Ferré, the future founder of Labyrinth Enterprises. He and his wife were organizing labyrinth events for First Night, St. Louis’s family-friendly New Year’s Eve festival, and Judy was an eager volunteer. By 1997, she was helping the fledgling company produce canvas labyrinths for church groups, hospitals, schools, camps, and personal use. A high school track coach recently bought one to help her team get mentally balanced before track meets.

Although churches form only a portion of Labyrinth Enterprises’ clientele, the Episcopal Church has played an important role in the popularization of canvas labyrinths. Lauren Artress, a canon priest from San Francisco, created the first canvas labyrinths in the mid-’90s using the medieval Chartres design. It was Ferré’s fascination with this design that inspired him to produce canvas labyrinths in St. Louis.

Now, Labyrinth Enterprises carefully composes the Chartres design, among others, in an eight-thousand-square-foot studio that allows Judy and her team to work on as many as one 36-foot, three 24-foot, and a couple 12-foot labyrinths at once.

“Our belief is that anybody can walk a labyrinth … so that you can have a little bit of mental respite,” Judy says. “Just be like the kids. They get it—they run.”

Visit www.labyrinthenterprises.com for more information.

—Molly Moore

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MISSOURI LIFESTYLE

Musings

A DATE WITH FATE FOR MANY PEOPLE, or so I’m told, the advent of a new year brings a tangible feeling of rejuvenation. The simple act of flipping the last page of the calendar somehow provides the batteries of the soul with a fresh charge. It leads folks to believe, or at least hope, that what lies ahead will be more rosy than that which was left behind.

Apparently, this changing of the digits is the metaphysical equivalent of a Mulligan, a do-over, the cosmic commensurate of being allowed to not only pass “GO,” but to also collect two hundred dollars and be granted a boon from the Community Chest.

I’m not sure about the validity of such reactions, but that may be because I don’t own a calendar. Every year people send me calendars, and every year I stick them in a drawer. Actually, I’m beginning to suspect my drawers are merely off-ramps to a black hole. I cannot ever recall finding these dated gifts after stowing them away; they apparently vanish into the same sucking void that gobbles up socks, pens, lighters, sunglasses, and scraps of paper bearing very important phone numbers.

I’m just not big into times and dates, except in the case of historical context. They’re a good benchmark for looking back, but in terms of forward motion the demarcation of days, weeks, months, and years is trivial. I prefer more simple rules of thumb. The sun is high or the moon is low. There’s frost on the pumpkin, snow in the air, redbuds in bloom, or tourists on the river.

How much more information does a body need?

At any rate, reliable sources tell me that we have left 2009 and are now in 2010. I’m unsure if this is good or bad. The year 2009 started off with a case of the virulent gloomies and went downhill from there.

On the other hand, the prognosis for 2010 seems to indicate a continuation of the inclement state. Jobs are scarce, money is tight, and our current crop of elected busybodies seem determined to bankrupt us further by levying new taxes on everything from air to zucchinis. Maybe it’s just an Ozark thing, but I’ve a strong aversion toward folks attempting to pry more green from my wallet. I’m especially opposed to this odious practice when they try and tell me it’s for my own good.

Thus, since the Magic 8-Ball says 2010 could be a royal pain, I’ve devised a personal

methodology to assure acceptable levels of joy. You see, it recently struck me that, when a problem rears its ugly head, all a person need do is ask themselves a very simple question. That being, “Can I do anything about it?”

If the answer to that query is in the affirmative, then there should be no cause for alarm. If the response is in the negative, there is as well no need to stew or sweat. All events are either within your control, or they’re not. In the former case, one needs but to implement a solution.

In the latter case, since your actions will have no effect, the sole option is to relax to the inevitable.

I realize such an approach flies in the face of prevailing conventional wisdom, but conventional wisdom is nearly always a battle between the fashionable and the sagacious. It leads people to trust consensus over common senses, endorsing the popular belief that decisions are faulty if lacking in detail, complication, and an endless interrogation of mind and soul.

When we look at life in retrospect, our best and most effective actions and judgments are inevitably those with the fewest moving parts.

It recently hit me that I’ve spent nearly two decades living in backwoods locales where simplicity has been the rule rather than the exception. In these places, you cut the wood, dodge the twister, and do your best to avoid getting drowned, frozen, or eaten. You don’t really take more than you need, but neither do you accept less than what you’re worth. For best results, in both those places and elsewhere, life should be lived not year-to-year, month-to-month, or even dayto-day. For the happiest and most harmonious outcome, minute-tominute seems about right.

The point of all this, is that years don’t matter. Whether it’s 2009 or 2099 means very little when taken to the most basic of personal levels. It’s just a meaningless designation. Far more critical, since they are fleeting at best, are the minutes that make up one’s span of existence. You can spend it in worry, neckdeep in detail, or you can be thankful, enjoying the simple pleasures that are in abundance. You can have headaches, or you can have fun.

Ron Marr The correct choice requires no thought at all.

ILLUSTRATION BY TINA WHEELER

By Ron Marr

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Boonville MISSOURI

T H E L I T T L E R I V E R T O W N W I T H G R A N D H E R I TA G E ,

TINA WHEELER

E N G A G I N G C U LT U R E , A N D B I G D R E A M S .

N E W S C U L P T U R E AT V E T E R A N ’ S PA R K

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Big

Dreaming

WITH ITS FASCINATING HISTORY, attractions such as the Isle of Capri Casino and the Katy Trail, and devoted residents, this town of 8,000 is quickly becoming an ideal destination for tourism, as well as relocation.

Nestled right next to the Missouri River and not far from I-70, Boonville boasts the best of rural charm and modern convenience. It offers a change of pace for both city dwellers, who come to escape for a weekend, and for residents of smaller surrounding communities, who come to take advantage of its big-town amenities.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a short drive in either direction to larger towns like Columbia and Sedalia, and Boonvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lower cost of living is becoming increasingly attractive to folks who are looking for a little more breathing room.

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RURAL CHARM AND MODERN CONVENIENCE

research, including telephone surveys and focus groups, was conducted to find out what Boonville residents want for their downtown. The research results showed that Boonville residents rely on the downtown area for shopping, dining, and special events. Members of the community, including new residents and business owners, indicated that there is an interest in bringing a greater variety of retail businesses downtown, more activities for families and young children, as well as residential spaces like loft apartments that would appeal to young professionals.

Long-term goals have been established to address the desires of the community, including converting the historic Katy Railroad bridge into a natural crossing for the Katy Trail and the redevelopment of the Kemper Military Academy. Short-term projects such as signage and parking will improve the aesthetics of downtown. Gallagher is also looking for a shift toward mar-

The people of Boonville are working hard to make this small community a stand-out town in mid-Missouri. In 2008, Boonville was chosen as one of ten Missouri towns to be a DREAM community. The Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri (DREAM) is a project by the Missouri Department of Economic Development, Development Finance Board, and the Missouri Housing Development Commission to provide assistance for communities to help downtown areas reach their fullest potential.

For Boonville, this means morphing the downtown area into a thriving hub for entrepreneurship, tourism, and historic preservation. So far, Economic Development Director Sarah Gallagher says that Boonville is just in the first stages of gathering information about what the people of Boonville want to see the downtown area become. Extensive

keting Boonville as a destination for tourism, which she admits can be a slow process. However, she says that’s moved fairly fast for Boonville, probably due to the fact that the community has so much to offer. “We can attract people to our community for a lot of different reasons,” Gallagher says, citing popular attractions like Civil War historical sites, architecture, folklore, and more.

In addition to the DREAM project, Boonville is working to develop a strategic plan that will help the city capitalize on its many assets so the entire community can benefit. Gallagher wants to see the $2,269,260 in revenue generated by the casino to be used wisely for future projects like historic preservation and for promotion of the strong business community, among other things. She wants to see Boonville invest its sales tax revenue into sustainable projects to help grow the community, which is a slow and deliberate process that will help shape the city for the next decade or so.

TINA WHEELER

TINA WHEELER

TINA WHEELER

Boonville’s downtown area features charming historic landmarks, which are exceptionally wellpreserved and beautifully restored to offer residents and tourists lodging, dining, and more.

TINA WHEELER

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Clockwise from top left: Girlfriends Vintage Collectibles on Main Street; Linda Claas, owner of A Touch of Claas; Celestial Body Natural Arts owner Annie Harmon.

CELESTIAL BODY NATURAL ARTS When you walk into Celestial Body Natural Arts, the first thing you notice is the

aroma bar, where you can sit and enjoy a complimentary cup of tea while you discover natural treatments like organic essential oils and hydrosols. Don’t know what a hydrosol is? That’s okay—Annie Harmon, the owner of Celestial Body, is happy to explain everything while you learn about these natural treatments for common complaints like stress, digestive illness, skin ailments, and more.

Annie has been making and selling her all-natural, plant-based skin care and aromatherapy products since 1990. Her business started out as a mail-order company, but when a space opened up downtown near the newly restored Hotel Frederick, she decided to take the leap and open a retail business to complement her already growing skin care line. In addition to selling her skin care products, she began selling things such as clothing, incense, salt lamps, and more that she collected during her travels to India. Celestial Body also offers aromatherapy massage services, reflexology, body wraps, and aromatic steam baths.

Annie says since she has opened her shop she has “watched Boonville get better and better.” She enjoys being

EVAN WOOD

EVAN WOOD

Entrepreneurs help Boonville thrive, and a walk down Main Street proves that there are plenty of examples that the spirit of entrepreneurship runs high in this town.

Shops, restaurants, and services line the streets of downtown, but there is always room for more. Sarah Gallagher encourages those who are interested in starting their own businesses to scout out locations around town, then head to the economic development office, where a valuable network of resources is available to help in planning.

Boonville’s economic development team can help make connections with organizations that support new entrepreneurs through microloans, business development, education and training, and more. The Boonville Industrial Development Authority (IDA) supports entrepreneurs by assisting in the acquisition of real and personal properties that can be sold, leased, or rented; it can also issue bonds to help pay for larger economic development projects.

One example of a successful local business started with the help of the economic development department is Girlfriends Vintage Collectibles, located at 319 Main Street. “Girlfriends,” as it’s more commonly known, began with a grant from economic development. In return, the shop tracked visitors to its store and the downtown area on weekends, providing helpful information regarding new trends in downtown.

Go to www.boonvillemo.org for more resources for entrepreneurs.

EDWARD LANG

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENTREPRENEURS

downtown and visiting with the customers who come into her shop. “People are starting to understand natural healing,” Annie says, and tells of success stories with customers who have come in with an ailment like acne and, with the help of her products, are cleared up in no time.

Every product Annie sells is derived from the plants she grows and distills on her farm. Part of being a successful entrepreneur in Boonville, Annie says, is having a love for what you do. “You have to have a great desire and a love of something to succeed,” she says. While owning your own business may not always be easy, having a passion like Annie’s is a great start.

A TOUCH OF CLAAS Linda Claas has been making people look and feel great for 27 years. Before becoming a cosmetologist, she was a medical assistant and also took care of her terminally ill grandmother. When her grandmother passed, her aunt asked what she wanted to do with her life.

Linda had been considering either nursing school or cosmetology school. “She gave me 24 hours to decide,” Linda says,

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ANGIE WELLS

KAREN RATAY GREEN

At left: Kevin McClary, owner of Missouri River Monument Company. Below: the farmer’s market is anticipated to be a great benefit to Boonville.

she went with cosmetology. Her aunt helped finance her education, and since then, Linda has owned her own salon.

She started in Tipton and made her way to Boonville 17 years ago. In 2006, she opened A Touch of Claas Salon & Spa, which offers traditional salon services, body wraps, facials, meditation sessions, and reiki.

Linda has also expanded her business to include SereniTea House, a restaurant that offers breakfast and lunch on weekdays, as well as dinner on Fridays and Saturdays, plus brunch on Sundays. The tea house is ideal for spagoers who book multiple treatments and stay through the lunch hour. Linda also works with Isle of Capri Casino to offer spa packages to casino visitors. Linda’s salon and tea house has also become a kind of community gathering place, with groups that book meetings, parties, and showers with her.

A MONUMENTAL SUCCESS Kevin McClary is the talent behind one of Boonville’s more unusual familyowned businesses, Missouri River Monument Company. Kevin creates custom monuments, with services ranging from

engraving for memorials and cemetery monuments to garden stones, commercial signs, and desk plaques. Kevin learned the trade from his father-in-law in Ohio and then moved back to Boonville in 2006. Starting a business was a challenge for Kevin. “I’ve always been a craftsman and not a businessman,” he says. But he loves every aspect of the work he does, and his hard work to get his business up and running has certainly paid off. He has monuments in cemeteries all over Missouri, including Boonville’s Walnut Grove. He has also built a reputation for his hand-chiseled and laser-etched monuments. Kevin says his customers appreciate the fact that he gets to know them on a personal level and offers options that result in a truly customized piece of art.

FRESH FOOD AND FUN AT THE FARMER’S MARKET The Boonville Farmer’s Market is a new market in the community that grew out of a cultural heritage tourism project.

Starting on Saturdays in April from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., local farmers will share their produce in the Orscheln parking lot. Everything sold at the market will ei-

ther be organic or grown by the vendor locally. “The idea is for it to strengthen relationships with local farmers and to encourage people to eat locally,” says Karen Green, the farmer’s market director. Most of the vendors are local, independent farmers. “Some of our vendors are just people who love to garden and share what they have,” Green says.

She hopes that there will eventually be enough interest for a weekday afternoon market as well. Call Karen Green at the City of Boonville at (660) 882-4003 or e-mail boonvillefarmersmarket@gmail. com for more information.

GET ACTIVE AT THE YMCA The Boonslick Heartland YMCA is one of Boonville’s favorite amenities. The Y offers a large workout facility with cardio equipment, free weights, and stacked weight machines, as well as a four-lane, 20-yard indoor pool heated to a comfortable 84 degrees. Its aquatic facility hosts the Blue Marlins Swim Team and water fitness classes like deep water aerobics, aqua dance, and more. There are plenty of group exercise classes to choose from out of the pool, from yoga to aerobics to karate. Hundreds of

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A COMMUNITY FOR THE ARTS For a town of only around 8,000 people, there is a large concentration of visual and performing artists. Boonville’s history and culture make it an attractive community for folk artists in particular.

Dave Para and Cathy Barton are some of Boonville’s most prominent musicians. They tour the country performing with folk instruments, such as dulcimers, banjos, and even spoons and the mouthbow. They’re also responsible for creating one of Boonville’s annual festivals, the Big Muddy Folk Festival. The late Bob Dyer was another local folk musician who wrote songs about the history surrounding the area, including Lewis and Clark, pioneers, the Civil War, and Missouri artists George Caleb Bingham and Thomas Hart Benton.

The Friends of Historic Boonville, a 35-year-old non-profit organization, is

EVAN WOOD

Below: The YMCA offers a pool and water sports classes, as well as a fully equipped weight training facility.

EVAN WOOD

Boonville’s youth are involved in activities here, including soccer, basketball, cheerleading, wrestling, volleyball, and new sports such as Futsal, which is an indoor soccer sport.

Outside of sports, the YMCA provides services like Child Watch, which lets parents squeeze in a workout while their children are supervised. There are also enrichment classes such as chess and computer skills, and the YMCA plans occasional day trips to places such as St. Louis and Kansas City to see plays and musicals.

The YMCA has been providing youth and adults in Boonville a fun place to play since 1999. Theresa Hendrix, Executive Director, has 25 years of experience with YMCAs and has worked with clubs in Quincy, IL, Miami, Daytona, and Mexico, MO before coming to Boonville. It’s clear that the community has been quite thankful for Theresa and her team’s dedication to Boonville’s YMCA: There are 2,525 individual members, which is nearly 30 percent of the community.

DISCOVER OUR TREASURES

dedicated to preserving and promoting the art and culture of the community.

Each year, it hosts the Missouri River Festival of the Arts at Thespian Hall, a historic landmark the Friends work to preserve. The event features local artists such as Pete Christus, Pat Hanna, and Christopher Bolin, as well as regional and national talents. The Friends of Historic Boonville also support the preservation of the Old Cooper County Jail and Hanging Barn and the Hain House.

See page 70 for more information about the Friends of Historic Boonville.

In 2003, more art-lovers in Boonville came together and formed The Turner Hall River Rats for the Arts, a non-profit group dedicated to supporting the art community in Boonville, and also Turner Hall, a historic venue used to host gatherings and performances. The River Rats work to keep art alive by hosting activities like ballroom dance lessons,

art workshops, jazz nights, storytelling events, and more. Membership to the River Rats is open to everyone in the community. If you’re interested in sharing your talent or perhaps discovering a new one, go to their monthly meeting held at Turner Hall on the second Thursday of every month at 7 p.m.

Boonville itself has made it into the movies—Connie Stevens filmed much of the movie she wrote, Saving Grace B. Jones, in Boonville. The red carpet was rolled out and Boonville saw a glimpse of Hollywood glamour when the movie premiered at Thespian Hall in November 2009.

KATY TRAIL STATE PARK Whether you’re new to two-wheeled transportation or are a seasoned cyclist, the Katy Trail offers fun and fitness for anyone, and Boonville’s trailhead is one of the best places to enjoy it.

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Thespian Hall is center stage for the community art scene, from spectacular movie premiers to exciting events like the Best of Missouri Life Festival, the Missouri River Festival of the Arts, and more.

Boonville is located at mile 191.8 along this popular 225-mile biking and hiking trail that reaches from Clinton to St. Charles. Ride it to Boonville, and enjoy some of the best scenery the trail has to offer along the Missouri River, as well as attractions such as the historic MKT Railroad bridge and the restored Katy railroad depot that houses the Boonville Area Chamber of Commerce.

If you’re getting ready to hit the trail, Boonville is the perfect destination to get out of the saddle and rest for awhile. With restaurants that offer everything from burgers to Cajun to fine dining, it’s easy to refuel right off the trail. If your body needs a tune-up, get a massage at one of the day spas on Main Street, and if your bike needs a tune-up, you’ll find a bike shop just a few blocks off the trail. Then shop to your heart’s (or wallet’s) content at the downtown boutiques, or try your luck at

the casino. Finally, hang up your helmet for the night at one of the historic bed and breakfasts or hotels.

Boonville is an easy half-day’s ride from both Sedalia and Columbia, and you’ll have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the sights along the way, including wineries, cafes, scenic views of the Missouri River, and even a Native American etching of a Manitou, or “Great Spirit,” in the bluffs between Columbia and Boonville. If you’re athletically inclined and have more time to spare, start at the trail’s beginning at Clinton, stop in Boonville, and continue to Columbia and beyond the next day.

For help in planning your Katy Trail bike ride, visit www.bikekatytrail.com.

For the ultimate Katy Trail experience, plan a bike trip that also celebrates the 20th anniversary of the trail with events such as the Best of Missouri Life Festival in May or the Pedalers’ Jamboree on

NOTLEY HAWKINS

KAREN RATAY GREEN

KAREN RATAY GREEN

PROMOTION

Memorial Day Weekend. The Pedalers’ Jamboree is a group bike ride from Columbia to Boonville, featuring live music and refreshments at various stops along the way, culminating with a huge celebration in Boonville.

MORE RECREATION & LEISURE IN BOONVILLE When you’re exploring downtown, take a few minutes to relax at Morgan Street Park, located at the intersection of Morgan and Main Streets. Here you’ll find statues and busts dedicated to prominent figures in Boonville’s history. A statue of Hannah Cole is the main attraction. Cole is said to have been the first female settler to venture south of the Missouri River. Busts include those of Walter Williams, who founded the University of Missouri School of Journalism; artist George Caleb Bingham; African-American educator J. Milton

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Turner; and the founder of Kemper Military School, Frederick T. Kemper.

Harley Park is another destination you won’t want to miss. High on a bluff that overlooks the Missouri River, you can see great views of the river as well as four Indian mounds and the original starting point of the Santa Fe Trail.

Make plans to join the “Safari on the Missouri,” an excursion with Missouri Life magazine to float the Missouri River, starting in Boonville. The annual all-inclusive adventure will feature a weekend full of gourmet meals served on sandbars, luxury camping, and of course, floating the beautiful Missouri River. See www.missourilife.com for more information or call (660) 882-9898.

The Isle of Capri Casino and Hotel is a big draw for anyone looking for luck, but what you may not know is that the casino is home to many special events and live entertainment such as the Blues Brothers Experience.

JUSTIN LEESMANN

From biking and jogging on the Katy Trail to gaming, dining, floating, and festivals, Boonville has lots of leisure activities. Left: the Boonville Area Chamber of Commerce, located in the historic Katy Depot, is an ideal spot to stop when you’re in town to learn all about what Boonville has to offer.

KAREN RATAY GREEN

JULIUS UDINYIWE

EDWARD LANG

KAREN RATAY GREEN

PROMOTION

A CONVENIENT GETAWAY Make Boonville your destination for a getaway in the Boonslick region in Central Missouri. Escape the city and have big fun in this small town. Boonville is just over two hours away from St. Louis, an hour and a half from Kansas City, and just 30 minutes from Columbia.

Located right off I-70, it’s easy to find and is an ideal spot to stop while traveling through the state. Boonville is small

enough to navigate with ease whether you’re driving, walking, or biking around town, but it’s big enough to offer unique shopping, day spa services, fine dining, and plenty more.

While Boonville is a destination in itself, it’s also the perfect hub for exploring nearby communities in every direction. Here are a few suggestions for things to do in towns around Boonville—take a short drive and explore:

TOWN:

DISTANCE:

MUST-DO’S:

Sedalia Arrow Rock Blackwater Pilot Grove New Lebanon Tipton New Franklin Rocheport

45 miles southwest 20 miles northwest 19 miles west 14 miles southwest 22 miles southwest 26 miles southwest 4 miles north 15 miles east

Missouri State Fair, August Theater, antiques, historic sites Antiques, restored Main Street Antebellum Plantation Homes Historic village Dutch Bakery Bulk Food Store Annual Chestnut Roast, October Katy Trail, winery, antiques

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EDWARD LANG

CONNIE SHAY

Boonville~

KAREN RATAY GREEN

a look at Boonville’s festival lineup and plan your visit around your favorites.

For dates and more information about any of these events, contact Boonville Chamber and Tourism at (660) 8822721, or visit www.goboonville.com.

Above: Boonville’s thriving arts community hosts events each year, with plenty of activities for kids. Above right: A quilt barn near Boonville, and the Jaycees Rodeo.

THE QUILT TRAIL As you’re driving through the Boonslick, keep your eye out for barns with quilt displays scattered through the region. The Boonslick Area Tourism Council has a goal to have 60 eight-by-eight foot quilt patterns hanging on barns in Saline, Cooper, and Howard counties by 2011. The “quilt barns” are a part of a national movement of barn owners who hang these pieces of Americana art to honor their heritage. You can find quilts on barns at these locations near Boonville:

❖ 5 miles south of Fayette on Route 240 ❖ Interstate 70 & Route 179 ❖ 1 mile east of Marshall on Route 240 ❖ Highway 40 on the way to Blackwater

FESTIVALS & EVENTS There’s no doubt that Boonville is a town that loves to celebrate—the casino itself is evidence enough, but the streets of Boonville love to show off, too. Have

❖ ART AND MUSIC WALK - EARLY MAY Various venues downtown will host a visual artist and a musician on Friday night, then on Saturday artists will be invited to paint en plein air downtown. An exhibit of their works will be held on Sunday. ❖ BEST OF MISSOURI LIFE FESTIVAL - MAY A celebration of Missouri food, wine, art, music, other products made in Missouri, and the cultural heritage of the state. This year’s festival will also commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Katy Trail. ❖ JAYCEES RODEO - JUNE See traditional rodeo events like bull riding, barrel racing, roping, and more. ❖ HERITAGE DAYS - JUNE Wish Boonville a happy birthday with this annual celebration held on the last weekend in June. Heritage Days highlights include the Shriners Parade, a carnival, beer and wine gardens, live music, an outdoor movie, pet shows, a car show, and more. ❖ EMANCIPATION DAY - AUGUST The Concerned Citizens for the Black

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Community host this festival each year to celebrate freedom. This two-day event celebrates with food, vendors, music, and family fun. ❖ MRVSEA “BACK TO THE FARM REUNION” - SEPTEMBER

The Missouri River Valley Steam Engine Association presents its annual fall show at the Brady Showgrounds. Each year the show highlights a different steam engine manufacturer and also includes tours of the original Brady farm house, heritage craft demonstrations, antique engines, molasses making, flea market, live entertainment, and more. ❖ GIRLFRIENDS’ SHOPPING WEEKEND - NOVEMBER

A girls’ only weekend begins with a pajama party at the Hotel Frederick, complete with a wine tasting, chair massages, movies, karaoke, and more. The next day, you’ll go on a scavenger hunt downtown and explore Boonville’s shops, and finish the day with dining and celebration. ❖ CHRISTMAS IN HISTORIC BOONVILLE EARLY DECEMBER

Boonville’s annual Christmas festival will include tours of historic homes decorated for the holiday season, a strolling Santa, carriage rides, carolers, and a living nativity scene at the United Methodist Church.

CELEBRATING HISTORY ❖ CIVIL WAR SESQUICENTENNIAL Boonville will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War throughout 2010 and 2011. Festivities will begin on June 17, 2010 at Thespian Hall, and various organizations in Boonville will host a Civil War-themed event each month for a year, culminating in a huge reenactment on June 17, 2011.

Although details are still being worked out, there are plans for a Civil War period fashion show and meal, quilt displays, and more throughout the year.

Information about events will be listed at www.goboonville.com as details become available. ❖ TOUR AREA PLANTATIONS Visit Ravenswood, an antebellum mansion built in 1880, and see its working farm owned for generations by the Leonard family. Inside, the house is furnished with antiques and collectibles.

Rumor has it that Ravenswood is haunted by an ancestor of the Leonard family.

Other area plantations include Pleasant Green, which was built in 1820 by the Walker family, with additions in 1830 and 1850; and Burwood, built in 1883, where you can see slave quarters. Both Pleasant Green and Burwood are located outside Pilot Grove.

EDWARD LANG

EDWARD LANG

KAREN RATAY GREEN

KAREN RATAY GREEN

There’s always something to do in Boonville, whether it’s the Festival of Lights in the fall, to Christmas events in December such as home tours and a living nativity scene.

❖ ROSLYN HEIGHTS When you’re walking down Main Street, you can’t miss Roslyn Heights, the state headquarters of the Daughters of the American Revolution. This historic home, known as the “Main Street mansion,” is a gorgeous example of Queen Anne-style Victorian architecture. The home is furnished with period pieces from the Victorian era, and the home also features eight fireplaces, stained-glass windows, and collections of antique shoes, dolls, and more. Roslyn Heights is open for tours by appointment throughout the year and open houses for the holiday season in December. Call (660) 8825320 for more information.

FRIENDS OF HISTORIC BOONVILLE Boonville is brimming with historical rarities, and thanks to the Friends of Historic Boonville, a non-profit community organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the culture and history of the town, there are lots of historical landmarks around town that are well-restored and worth a look during your visit.

Thespian Hall is one of the most noticeable buildings on Main Street. This stately Greek-revival-style building was erected in 1857 and, since then, has served the community of Boonville as

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KAREN RATAY GREEN

EDWARD LANG

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The Friends of Historic Boonville promote the heritage and history of Boonville with events such as an annual folk music festival and the preservation of historic treasures such as the Hain House and the Cooper County Jail and Hanging Barn.

not just a theater but also as a hospital for soldiers during the Civil War and even a skating rink after the Germans settled the area in the late 1800s. Today it is home to community arts programs, festivals, and recently was the site of the premiere for the Connie Stevens film, Saving Grace B. Jones, which was partly filmed in Boonville.

The Old Cooper County Jail and Hanging Barn, located at 614 E. Morgan Street, is another historical landmark that should be on your list to see. While it’s not glamorous, it is fascinating— the jail was used to house slaves and criminals, including Frank James, Jesse James’ brother. The building was also used for public hangings.

At Fourth and Chestnut streets, you’ll find the Hain House, a 19th century home where the Hains, immigrants to Boonville from Switzerland, resided. The Friends of Historic Boonville are happy to arrange tours of all three of these important community landmarks. Call (660) 882-7977 for more information or to arrange a tour.

The Friends of Historic Boonville also host several events throughout the year: ❖ BIG MUDDY FOLK FESTIVAL - APRIL The Friends of Historic Boonville bring

a fabulous lineup of folk musicians to Thespian Hall and other venues each year. Folk musicians, festival organizers, and Boonville natives Cathy Barton and Dave Para bring nationally known performers to town for this event. Visit www.bigmuddy.org or call (660) 8827977 for more information. ❖ THESPIAN HALL SUMMER THEATRE CAMP - JULY

Kids ages 9-18 learn about the theater in this three-week-long day camp.

Every camper plays a part in the final production, which is performed on the final day of camp. Spaces in this popular program fill up quickly, so call the Friends of Historic Boonville early to reserve your child’s spot. ❖ MISSOURI RIVER FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS - AUGUST David Halen, the St. Louis Symphony concert master, is also the artistic director for this classical music festival, and each year he brings in world-class talent.

In 1976, Thespian Hall was obtained through a generous grant from the Enid and Crosby Kemper Foundation and was transformed that year from dust and dreams to opening night magic. The festival is believed to be the oldest performing

arts festival in Missouri, according to the Friends of Historic Boonville. ❖ COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS CONCERT DECEMBER The annual Community Christmas Concert features a choir of more than one hundred local singers.

For more information about any of these events, call (660) 882-7977 or go to www.friendsofhistoricboonville.org.

JOIN THE FRIENDS OF HISTORIC BOONVILLE The Friends of Historic Boonville appreciate the support from its members to help achieve its mission to plan, promote, expand, and celebrate the cultural life of Boonville through the arts, history, and historic preservation for the betterment of the community. Membership levels range from $30 for an individual membership to $500 for a corporate sponsorship. Sponsorships support cultural events and programming as well as preservation of historic buildings.

Members receive a quarterly newsletter, invitations to members-only events, and advance notice of ticket sales. Call (660) 882-7977 for more information about how to become a member.

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PROMOTION

It used to be a popular stop for railroad travelers on their way to and from the Southwest, when the MKT railroad was in its heyday. Today, the Spanish-style restored Katy Depot is a popular stop for tourists traveling by any means, though its location on the Katy Trail makes it especially convenient for cyclists. The depot, located at 320 First Street, is home to the Boonville Convention and Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce, and here visitors can find information about the community, ideas for things to do, where to stay, tour information, and more. The Boonville Area Chamber of Commerce is more than 100 years old. The Chamber sponsors Heritage Days and Christmas in Historic Boonville, along with many other events. It also hosts the Festival of Lights, a business expo in a festival setting, which is held each Thursday evening in September.

BOONVILLE LODGING: LOTS OF OPTIONS Make plans to stay a night or two in this charming town. From budget to luxury, Boonville has plenty of lodging options, whether you’re looking for a hotel with easy access to the Interstate, a quaint bed-and-breakfast tucked away in the heart of downtown, or a chic restored hotel right next to the river. Here’s a list of everything you have to choose from:

GO BOONVILLE:

WHERE TO GO FOR INFORMATION TO PLAN YOUR TRIP VISIT

WWW.GOBOONVILLE.COM

OR CALL

660-882-2721

FOR

UPCOMING EVENTS, GIVEAWAYS, LIST OF LODGING, DINING, AND ACTIVITY OPTIONS, TOUR OPERATOR INFO, AND MORE.

KAREN RATAY GREEN

BOONVILLE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The Chamber of Commerce and CVB should be your first stop for tourist information.

❖ BLACK OAKS RV COMMUNITY 1338 West Ashley Road (660) 882-6420 www.blackoaksmhc.com ❖ COMFORT INN 2427 Mid America Industrial Drive I-70 Exit 101 (660) 882-5317 www.comfortinn.com ❖ DAYS INN 2401 Pioneer St. I-70 Exit 103 (660) 882-8624 www.daysinn.com ❖ ELOYSE’S BED AND BREAKFAST 809 Third Street (660) 882-7503 ❖ 4 DOORS INN BED AND BREAKFAST

315-A Main Street (660) 882-2536 ◆ (573) 808-3384 ❖ GARDEN GATE BED & BREAKFAST 108 W. Walnut Street (660) 882-8564 www.gardengatebedandbreakfastmo.com ❖ HANNAH COLE COTTAGE BED AND BREAKFAST

1209 East Morgan Street (660) 846-3061

❖ HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS 2419 Mid America Industrial Drive I-70 Exit 101 (877) 863-4780 or (660) 882-6882 www.hiexpress.com ❖ HOMESTEAD MOTEL 610 West Ashley Road (660) 882-6568 ❖ HOTEL FREDERICK 501 High St. (660) 882-2828 www.hotelfrederick.com ❖ ISLE OF CAPRI CASINO HOTEL 100 Isle of Capri Blvd.

(800) 843-4753 or (660) 882-1200 www.boonville.isleofcapricasinos.com ❖ QT INN I-70 Exit 103 (660) 882-7132 ❖ RV EXPRESS 421 Americana Court 1-70 Exit 103 (816) 916-3078 www.rvexpresscampground.com ❖ SUPER 8 420 Americana Road I-70 Exit 103 (660) 882-2900 www.super8.com

❖ HIGH STREET VICTORIAN BED & BREAKFAST 519 High Street (660) 882-7107 www.highstreetvictorian.com

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Boonville~

Isle of Capri Casino DISCOVER OUR TREASURES

Come and See What’s Going On Inside the Isle!

AT THE ISLE OF CAPRI CASINO HOTEL BOONVILLE, there’s always a reason to smile. From the way the staff pampers each guest to the myriad of fun activities, you’ll be spoiled from the start.

Enthusiastic team members make sure you don’t have to want for a single thing when you stay at the Isle—upon checking in, they’ll make sure all your needs are met.

And there’s always a reason to visit the Isle, from trying your luck at the games, seeing world-class entertainers like Diamond Rio and Tracy Lawrence, to dining on crab legs, or simply relaxing in a luxurious suite—not to mention all the special events, promotions, and giveaways the Isle is known for. There’s no doubt that when

you come to the Isle, you’ll have a good time right up until the minute you leave.

Currently, the Isle of Capril Casino Hotel on the river in Boonville has 28,000 square feet of hot gaming action. With more than 900 slot machines in denominations of a penny to $25, you’ve got plenty of chances to win big. Try your luck at the exciting table games including all your favorites like blackjack, craps, roulette, and more.

Foods and Flavors for Every Taste When you finally take a break from the hot gaming action, stop by one of the Isle’s three fabulous restaurants to get your fill. No matter what type of food you are looking for, the

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PROMOTION

Isle can suit your needs.

Settle in for an exotic journey of flavor at Farraddays’ Bistro. Savor thick yet tender choice beef, succulent lobster in drawn butter and many more of the favorites discovered by Farradday himself. A world of great food, all served in a relaxed atmosphere of casual elegance. The only regret you’ll have is that you may not be able to try everything on the menu!

Sit back and savor the delicious tastes of a bountiful array of fine foods in Calypso’s Buffet. Enjoy all-you-caneat lunch and dinner buffets that feature magnificent beef entrees and tender chicken, crisp salads, and savory side dishes. Calypso’s is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.

For a quick meal on the go, Tradewinds Marketplace hits the spot. Enjoy an abundant variety of foods and specialty snacks throughout the day or night!

Hotel and Convention Facilities When you’re done playing for the night, relax in one of the 140 hotel rooms—perhaps you’ll even indulge in one of the 27 suites.

Each room features a pillow-top mattress, 32-inch flat-screen TV, and complimentary wireless Internet. The suites also feature a jetted tub and a refrigerator.

If you’d like to take a break from the tables and slots, take advantage of one of the hotel’s spa or golf packages, which both include one night at the hotel, dinner for two at Calypso’s Buffet, and two rounds of golf at Hail Ridge Golf Course or spa treatments at A Touch of Claas Salon and Spa. The Isle of Capri is also an ideal place to gather with family, friends, or colleagues, with 12,000 square feet of convention space. The Flamingo Bay Ballroom is a wonderful destination to host conventions, reunions, receptions or any meeting needs you may have. The Isle also uses the ample convention space to host concerts, offering quality entertainment for

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DISCOVER OUR TREASURES

mid-Missouri at a value price. Artists such as Lorrie Morgan, Pam Tillis, Chubby Checker, Sammy Kershaw, The Drifters, Percy Sledge, Little River Band, and Louie Anderson have all performed here.

A Good Corporate Citizen The Isle of Capri employs more than 500 people, from dealers to food and beverage and housekeeping to valet. The casino also pays Admissions Tax and Gaming Tax to the State of Missouri. Year to date in 2009, the casino has paid $4,538,520 in Admissions Tax – of which 50% is paid back to the City of Boonville. Some of the city money was used to create more green space, new sidewalks, and new windows in the former Kemper Military Academy, now occupied in part by the YMCA. The casino also donates money to multiple organizations, such as Christmas in Historic Boonville Festival, Central Missouri Honor Flight, and the Heart of Missouri United Way. The Isle was a United Way pace setter company last year and raised more than $49,000 which is the most money raised to date. Whether you come to the Isle of Capri Boonville for the casino, the food, the hotel, a convention, a show, or all of the above, you’ll be treated with style and you’ll also get to see why the Isle is one of Boonville’s best assets. Come see what’s happening at the Isle!

Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Information and Reservations

1-800-THE-ISLE

www.isleofcapricasinos.com/Boonville

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Boonville DailyNews PROMOTION

BOONVILLE DAILY NEWS has served the Boonslick for almost a century. Its economic impact on the community has been significant. Many communities this size are not fortunate to have a daily newspaper. Even though the BDN is considered a small business, it publishes a daily newspaper that is delivered to 2,000 subscribers five days a week, and the Weekend edition is delivered each Wednesday to 10,300 homes. More news and information is available online at BoonvilleDailyNews.com.

In the fall of 2009, the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri released a study of readership habits with community newspapers. Hometown community newspapers provide readers with essential information, including both news and advertising. Readers spend about 40 minutes with their paper, and 81 percent of those surveyed said they read their community newspaper each week. In addition, 74 percent said that if their community

did not have its local paper, it would have a serious negative effect on their community.

The BDN covers a variety of news. It is committed to thorough and meaningful coverage that allows readers to connect with their government, schools and neighbors. BDN prides itself on accuracy and fairness. BDN believes that the community is best served by investigative journalism and human interest stories, by explanatory and slice-of-life information. We serve an engaged community with numerous citizen journalists who regularly contribute photos, articles, and calendar events.

The Boonville Daily News strongly believes in a partnership with its community. Each year, the BDN supports more than 30 organizations both financially and through volunteer efforts by BDN employees.

The Boonville Daily News and Publishing Company is the Boonslickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only source for news and information.

We look forward to providing the news for another century!

412 High Street, Boonville, MO 65233

660-882-5335 Fax 660-882-2256 In partnership with our community.

Winner of 5 awards in the Missouri Press Association Better Newspaper Contest 2008.

Most notably, placed 2nd in the General Excellence category.

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Warm Springs Ranch DISCOVER OUR TREASURES

Charles Kolarik/POPULOUS

Home of the World-Famous

Opening Spring 2010. Be one of the first to visit!

ENJOY A GUIDED TOUR through the Budweiser Clydesdalesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; state-of-the-art breeding facility located in the rolling hills of Boonville, Missouri. This incredible facility is home to more than 100 Budweiser Clydesdales, ranging from foals to stallions.

Be sure to bring a camera to capture the grace and beauty of the Budweiser Clydesdales as they move freely in their natural environment and provide once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunities.

BuschMedia_Clysdales.indd 76

Guided tours will be offered by group reservation only. Please visit

www.warmspringsranch.com or call 1-888-WS-CLYDE for more information.

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PROMOTION

Above: Jenni Hackman treats a patient in our Outpatient Therapy and Sports Medicine Center. CCMH Staff celebrate the “Thank you for choosing us” customer service campaign.

Cooper County Memorial Hospital and Clinics Exceptional Healthcare Right Here at Home

WE’RE HERE WHEN YOU NEED US. Cooper County Memorial Hospital and Clinics staff members are your neighbors, friends, family, and most importantly, your caregivers.

Built in 1972, the hospital has expanded and enhanced its services right along with the community and with the changes in healthcare. The 49-bed facility has a state of the art emergency room, an extended inpatient therapy area, and recently, a new outpatient therapy and sports medicine center and is in the process of expanding its outpatient clinics to include additional specialty physicians. The Cooper County Ambulance District contracts with the hospital board of trustees to run ambulance operations on-site, and the hospital has a helicopter pad for immediate transportation of the most critical patients.

“The Rural Health Clinic, located next to the hospital, is staffed by physicians Mona Brownfield, MD; Sally Ellebracht-Gerke, MD; Dennis Handley, MD; and Robert Koch, MD as well as nurse practitioners Ann McDowell, FNP and

Nancy Meyer, FNP,” says Mike Conway, CCMH Board of Trustees Chairman. “We also have a new entrance to the rural health clinic to make it more accessible.”

In addition to providing inpatient and outpatient radiology; laboratory services (Boyce & Bynum Labs); respiratory therapy; physical, occupational and speech therapies; and cardiopulmonary rehab, CCMH also offers home health services to ensure that when patients need additional care after being released, a staff of RNs and LPNs is availCooper County Memorial able to make house calls.

Hospital and Clinics The hospital is dedi17651 Hwy B cated to the four values Boonville, MO 63353 of giving back, service excellence, doing the 660-882-7461 next right thing, and takwww.coopercmh.com ing care of our people.

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DISCOVER OUR TREASURES

Derendinger Furniture

Dedicated to Downtown

Cooper County Voice

ELAINE, GEORGE, DANIEL AND DEBI DERENDINGER have owned and operated Denendinger Furniture since 1970, and the store has been at the same downtown location since 1963.

“We feature quality furniture by Ashley, Mayo, Livingston, and many others,” Elaine says, standing among rows of recliners, lamps, and dinettes. “We carry a wide range of mattress styles from Englander to Serta Five Star.” She smiles as she points out her husband. “He retired, but he’s still here a lot.”

That’s dedication.

Call 660-882-5148 for more information.

Start Your Story Today….

“CHARM” HAS A WHOLE NEW MEANING. Gordon Jewelers added the Trollbeads to their inventory last year. More than thirty years after the first Trollbead was born in Denmark, their team designers continue to “charm” collectors.

There are over 500 interchangeable Trollbeads from which to choose. New beads in intriguing shapes and colors continue to revitalize the collection. Let the Gordon Jewelers knowledgeable staff help you select just the combination of beads that will make your piece of jewelry unique and personal.

Gordon Jewelers specializes in fine jewelry and watch repair and while-you-wait jewelry cleaning.

Gordon Jewelers is a family owned store established by Dale’s parents in 1946. The Gordons remain committed to the tradition of providing customers with the finest quality jewelry and design, and the best customer service available anywhere.

They specialize in fine jewelry and watch repair and while-you-wait jewelry cleaning. Visit Gordons today and start your story....

Roz and Dale Gordon carry on a For more information, visit www.gordonjewelers.

Boonville tradition with fine jewelry. com or call 660-882-5512

TrollbeadsUS.com

Gordon Jewelers

Trollbeads

COOPER COUNTY VOICE hit the streets in November 2009.

The full-color newspaper features news from Cooper County and the surrounding areas. The Cooper County Voice strives to provide local news though a local voice by focusing on what’s important to our readers and advertisers. Free copies of the newspaper are available at various locations throughout the community. Visit www.cocomovoice.com or call 660882-2437 for more information.

every story has a bead™

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PROMOTION

Hotel Frederick

Glennâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cafe

501 E. High Street Historic Boonville, Missouri

660-882-2828

A Mid-Missouri Favorite Returns

OUR DELECTABLE MENU, world-class wine selection, attentive service, and relaxed, inviting atmosphere will assure you a truly unique dining experience. Enjoy contemporary cuisine to comfort food in our beautifully restored dining room or on the terrace overlooking the Missouri River. Perfect for private parties, receptions, group events, meetings, and seminars. We serve dinner Tuesdays-Saturdays and family-style dinner on Sundays. Groups and events are welcome anytime.

660-882-9191 at the Frederick

www.glennscafe.com

www.hotelfrederick@sbcglobal.net

Hotel Frederick

Come Visit and Escape!

THE HOTEL IS A HISTORIC PROPERTY on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River across from the Katy Trail and steps away from the Isle of Capri Casino.

Twenty-four spectacular rooms ranging from $125 to $295 per night. All rooms are equipped with Italian linens, flat-screen television sets, DVD players, complimentary WiFi, and fabulous bathrooms with plush towels, and heated floors and towel racks (winter only). Also provided is a continental breakfast with health in mind.

Check the web site for specials that change seasonally.

Hotel Frederick is the perfect getaway from the hustle of urban life. Sit on the porch or the veranda with a glass of wine and a book, and you might never want to leave.

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Boonville~ Never the Same

DISCOVER OUR TREASURES

Handcrafted Locally Made Items

AT NEVER THE SAME, you’ll find one-of-a-kind handmade furniture made by owner Laura Vollmer and her daughters, Amanda and Aaron.

This fascinating store has been in downtown Boonville for four years. Laura has recently been called the “Green Lady” because of her ability to recycle anything. The store’s inventory is 90 percent handcrafted items and is filled with new and exciting products for every season of the year.

Call 660-882-3530 for more information.

Savvy Seconds

Savvy Seconds employs ten people with disabilities.

THE UNIQUE RESALE STORE, opened by Boonslick Industries Extended Employment Center in 2004, provides jobs for adults with disabilities. Open 9-4 Mon.-Wed. and Fri.; 9-6 Thurs.; 10-4 Sat. In 1976 parents of adults with disabilities founded Boonslick Industries, one of 93 sheltered workshops in Missouri. They recycle paper, cardboard, and textiles, and have maintained the rest areas on I-70 near Boonville for over 25 years.

For more information, contact Savvy Seconds at 660-8823948 or visit www.uoi.org.

Find seasonal looks at this unique store.

KWRT

Tune In and “Keep Good Company” with KWRT KWRT came across Boonville’s airways for the first time on August 11, 1953. Dick and Pat Billings purchased KWRT from Bill and Audrey Tedrick in 1972, and their son Matt has been the General Manager for ten years.

KWRT is on the air 24 hours a day and is dedicated to community news, sports, and local events. AM 1370 KWRT, the little station on Radio Hill Road in Boonville, Missouri, continues to do big things with the best audience in the Midwest.

For more information, call 660-882-6686 or visit www.1370kwrt.com.

Sporting the new KWRT shirts are the staff, left to right: Charlotte Smarr, Sharon Korte, Dane Gregg, Pat Billings, Robin Billings, and Matt Billings.

Boonville’s historic City Hall located on Spring Street.

IDA THE BOONVILLE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY fosters economic development by increasing job and business opportunities in our community. The IDA is an experienced group of business professionals who identify new and unique opportunities to grow Boonville’s economy. The group focuses on more than traditional industrial businesses by assisting with Main Street redevelopment, heritage tourism initiatives, and infrastructure projects. Call 660-882-2332 or visit www.boonvillemo.org

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United Country PROMOTION

Todd & Associates,

LLC

Uniting Buyers & Sellers of Boonville, Missouri Real Estate Throughout Cooper County in North Central Missouri & the Surrounding Area

UNITED COUNTRY REAL ESTATE is the nation’s largest real estate brokerage and full service auction company focusing exclusively within the rural America real estate market. It has over 4,000 real estate profesionals working in over 700 offices in over 40 states.

Established more than 80 years ago, United Country Real Estate has helped America rediscover the dream that’s as old as America itself; love of the land, and the dream of owning property. If you’re searching for homes, farms, small acreages, recreational, or commercial properties in rural America, United Country is your best source!

The award-winning United Country website, www.unitedcountry.com, features listings of rural real estate across America. So no matter where you are thinking of living, you can see available properties that meet your specific needs all across the land.

United Country: Todd & Associates, LLC has two locations,

Marshall and Boonville. Rick and Kathy Todd have lived in Missouri their entire lives and own both franchise locations.

If you are looking to buy or sell real estate in Cooper, Howard, or Saline Counties, stop by and speak to one of our agents. Jeremy Stephens was born and raised in Missouri, has a background in farming, and proudly represents the Delta Waterfowl organization in Howard and Cooper Counties. Meg Matyas has lived in Missouri her entire life and has chosen Howard County to raise her family. Meg has a background in property management and downtown redevelopment. Troy Thurman has lived in Cooper County his entire life and maintains a construction and real estate development company and has developed several subdivisions in the area.

Be sure to visit the website, www.unitedcountrymissouri. com, which offers the finest selection of real estate for sale, along with area information and resource links.

400 Main St., Boonville, MO 65233

660-882-7145

1710 W. Arrow, Marshall, MO 65340

660-831-0100 www.unitedcountrymissouri.com www.unitedcountry.com

At left, Jeremy Stephens, Meg Matyas, and Rick Todd sell all types of rural real estate.

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R O V A L F E M W O H S urants, Recipes, & Culinary Culture

GET GOURMET

W H AT ’ S C O O K I N ’ I N 1 4 C U L I N A R Y C L A S S E S I N M I S S O U R I | IT’S AN OVERCAST Sunday afternoon, and the bright interior of Kitchen Conservatory in Clayton welcomes a steady trickle of customers. A dozen of us gradually find chairs at a homey table next to a huge, granite-topped island. We’ve barely begun to sip our coffee and ice water before we’re hustled up to don aprons, wash our hands, and get busy with brunch.

Two friends, who seem comfortable in the kitchen, are assigned to grate cheese and sweet potatoes.

Two college students, a male and a female, hand-juice citrus fruits. A pro football player’s spouse pours out two types of pastry flour, so we can all compare their textures.

Then she measures the flour for biscuits.

Next to her, a mother and her eleven-yearold son stand ready to stir cream into the dry ingredients.

About ten thousand students go through similar rituals in six hundred classes each year at Kitchen Conservatory, open since 1984 and the largest cooking school in the St. Louis metro area. When owner Anne Cori bought it thirteen years ago, she says, “The vast majority of classes were weekly daytime classes for women who were at home.” Now she sees all ages and skill levels. “We’ve undergone a sea change in the idea of what it is to cook at home, partly due to the Food Network,” Anne says.

Numerous instructors and chefs across the state echo her words. Cooking schools now showcase food as hands-on “edutainment.” Men are just as likely to enroll as women—and might be even more likely to seek gourmet-level skills. Nearly every school in the St. Louis metro area reports a steep rise in the number of men, especially retired men, with a serious interest in learning to cook. Anecdotal evidence suggests their spouses appreciate it. Kirk Warner, a former St. Louis restaurant chef who now teaches culinary classes worldwide through his company, Kirk’s Traveling Kitchen, says it’s a running joke with his staff that during home-based lessons, the women “choose to spend a little more of it as downtime, drinking wine in the corner, while the guys go at the class.”

At Kitchen Conservatory, we brunch chefs didn’t have the luxury of leaving the work

By Amy De La Hunt

to the men because there were only two, so we whisked egg whites, heavy cream, and waffle batter until our arms felt as if stiff peaks were forming in the muscles. Had she been there, Chef Liz Huff of J. Huston Tavern in Arrow Rock would have applauded us for not turning on the mixers. “The whole goal of me teaching this stuff is to empower people,” she says about the classes she teaches both privately and at Saline County Career Center in Marshall and Columbia Area Career Center in Columbia. “I teach courage through food.”

Perhaps that anyone-can-do-it attitude is the driving force behind the popularity of classes among children. Many cooking schools have added kids as young as kindergarten to their schedules; some go even younger with parent-and-child sessions.

Cooking doesn’t have to be particularly serious, either. Humor can even be a selling point, as it is with Jasper Mirabile Jr.’s Italian-theme classes at his Kansas City restaurant and at area Hen House Markets.

The chef uses recipes from a newly released version of The Jasper’s Cookbook and lets Above: Kitchen Conservatory offers dozens of pizza classes each year, with a variety of pizzas and techniques, making the pizza dough and adding creative toppings. Opposite: The outdoor grill is used for many popular classes at the Kitchen Conservatory.

COURTESY OF KITCHEN CONSERVATORY

Resta

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“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.”

—W.C. Fields

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Show-Me Flavor > Get Gourmet

Debbie Dance Uhrig teaches culinary classes at Silver Dollar City’s new Culinary and Craft School in Branson. She makes her presentations entertaining with a little music.

the class in on the action from rolling fresh pasta to stretching mozzarella. And he teaches them his own methods—for example, how to tell if pasta is properly al dente: “I throw it against the wall to see of it sticks. If it does, it is cooked!” Jasper proclaims. “If it falls, two more minutes in the water.” Then there’s the class where the students bring their mothers. “I bring my mama, and she corrects my recipes and tells the class what I am doing wrong and her way instead.”

Likewise, Debbie Dance Uhrig, chef at Silver Dollar City’s Culinary and Craft School in Branson, breaks the ice in a memorable way. “Most days when the house opens, I come in singing a cooking song from the back room,” she says. “One never knows what it’s going to be!” Debbie’s resume includes performing and teaching music and writing about cooking. “I try to set an atmosphere so that the guests feel welcomed to share, to ask questions. We laugh; we have a good time.”

At Silver Dollar City’s one-hour demon-

strations, Debbie shows up to thirty-four students at a time how to make several recipes. Observation classes are a good starting point for those who are unsure about whether they want to invest a lot of time or money. At Silver Dollar City, classes cost ten dollars each, but Williams-Sonoma in Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza offers free in-store demonstrations of techniques like braising, sautéing, and making fresh pasta on Sundays at 11 am. The company sets the schedule and provides tested recipes to its in-store instructors.

On the other end of the spectrum are skill-based classes, such as the proper use of a knife. This is a common introductory class at many schools. The Columbia Area Career Center’s Professional and Community Education requires knife skills as a prerequisite for its popular Chef’s Table classes, taught by American Culinary Federationcertified chefs.

Just as there’s a wide range of students, there’s a wide range of instructors in Missouri cooking classes, even within a single school like the Career Center. In addition to chefs, the center welcomes non-chef instructors who are passionate about a par-

From top: Chef Liz Huff teaches children at Saline County Career Center in Marshall. As a culinary educator at Schnucks Cooks, Lucy Schnuck’s passion is sauces. She is also the Schnucks grocery chain founders’ granddaughter.

courtesy of Silver Dollar City; Courtesy of Karen E. Johnson; Courtesy of Bob Holt

ML

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courtesy of Silver Dollar City

ticular cuisine, and employees of the local Schnucks and Hy-Vee stores, who teach everything from sushi to baking.

Perhaps the ultimate example of equality in instruction is the Communiversity, the University of Missouri at Kansas City’s adult education program. “We’re here as much for the teachers as we are for the students,” says program coordinator Rick Mareske.

The Communiversity was one of the earliest Midwestern models of a free university, a movement started in the 1960s, and Rick says it hasn’t changed much over the years.

As long as they can demonstrate competence in a classroom, citizen-teachers can offer any topic they choose at the Communiversity, from Missouri mushrooms to bread baking.

“Bread’s really easy to bake, but it scares people constantly,” says Chef Ralph Filipelli of Luna’s Catering in St. Joseph. Bread is one of the most popular topics in his fully customized on- and off-site cooking classes.

“What people request is stuff they’re having trouble with at home.” His standard advice is this: “The secret isn’t in the recipe; it’s in the professionalism.” Like many chefs who offer classes, he says, “I focus on technique rather than recipes.” He teaches how to cook high-quality steaks, how to emulsify sauces, how to poach salmon, and how to perfect a make-ahead dessert like crème brûlée. He lets each person make every dish, a luxury of a very small class. Typically, instructors have at least a dozen students and assign one or two people to a recipe.

At our brunch class, this sort of random assigning of tasks is how my partner and I wound up whisking a dozen egg whites by hand while our fellow students had enviable jobs such as slicing peaches or marinating bacon with mango glaze.

Those who’d rather experience cooking without all the chopping and measuring— the set-up work that professionals refer to as mise en place, meaning “everything in place”—may want to consider the Kitchens With a Mission classes at L’Ecole Culinaire, a culinary school in St. Louis where the staff chefs teach twice-a-month classes to benefit charity. “When you get there, the student ambassadors have already done the prep, so

essential ingredients > n Columbia Area Career Center, www.career-center.org/adult.cfm, 573-214-3802 n Communiversity, web2.umkc.edu/commu, 816-235-1448 n Dierbergs School of Cooking, www.dierbergs.com, 636-812-1336 n Hy-Vee, www.hy-vee.com, call individual stores for details n Jasper’s, www.jasperskc.com, 816-941-6600 n J. Huston Tavern, jhustontavern.com, 660-837-3200 n Kirk’s Traveling Kitchen, www.travelingkitchen.com, 636-448-8721 n Kitchen Conservatory, www.kitchenconservatory.com, 866-862-2433 n L’Ecole Culinaire, www.lecoleculinaire.com, 866-532-6532 n Luna’s Catering, www.lunascatering.com, 816-390-9545 n Saline County Career Center, www.marshallschools.com/sccc, 660-886-6958 n Schnucks Cooks Cooking School, www.schnuckscooks.com/cookingschool, cookingschool@schnucks.com n Silver Dollar City’s Culinary & Craft School, www.sdcculinarycraftschool.com, 800-831-4386 n St. Louis Community College, www.stlcc.edu/FP, 314-644-5522 n Williams-Sonoma, www.williams-sonoma.com, 816-561-4358

Season to Taste with These Recommended Classes Couples Cook Hands-on classes and wine

quickly for these weekend classes for two.

tastings sell out well in advance, especially

—Offered at Kitchen Conservatory

around romantic holidays.

—Offered at Love Potion #9 A look at “the legendary and

Dierbergs School of Cooking

scientifically verifiable aphrodisiac nature of Culinary Cinema A foreign film is paired with

food.” —Offered at L’Ecole Culinaire

a guest speaker and ethnic cuisine from countries such as Iran, Egypt, and Brazil. Students

Ozark Cuisine

need to call within a day and a half after the

park’s menu is popular, especially the skillets

catalog comes out to snag a spot. —Offered

(stir-fry in a kettle). —Offered at Silver Dollar

by St. Louis Community College at Forest

City’s Culinary and Craft School

Anything from the theme

Park’s Continuing Education Program Vegetarian Ethiopian Favorite dishes from Date Night

for

Couples

and

Gourmet Club

Topics from sushi to Tuscan cooking sell out

the Blue Nile restaurant in Kansas City.

—Offered at the Communiversity

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Show-Me Flavor > Get Gourmet

you go in and have your mise en place; it looks like a cooking show,” says Robin Le Van, corporate director of marketing and business development for Vatterott College, which operates the school.

Once the egg whites were holding firm peaks, I did feel I had learned a new skill.

That’s the number one reason home cooks sign up for classes, though “some of them are testing the waters to see if they want to enroll in a culinary career,” says Jacqui Landau, a continuing education specialist at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. In fact, the reason the college started offering cooking classes was to reserve space in the culinary program for degreeseeking students. Now, it’s at capacity on three campuses as well as at a few high school teaching kitchens in the area.

Booming business prompted Schnucks to launch its own cooking school, Schnucks Cooks, last September. After choosing a brand-new grocery store in Des Peres for its location, Schnucks spared no expense in building a top-of-the-line facility. It has two induction burners because, explains Director of Food Education Kathy Gottsacker, “They boil water in ninety seconds, and when you’re cooking for a lot of people, the longest thing you wait for is the water to boil.”

Dierbergs School of Cooking, takes a different approach, outfitting its kitchens to “have a real comfortable, home-style feel to them,” says Director of Consumer Affairs Barb Ridenhour. “We use equipment people will have at home, so they can take our recipes and feel confident that they can reproduce them when they get home.”

With so many educational options, home cooks in Missouri have it made. They’re under only one obligation: Ask questions.

How do you measure flour? Is this plant thyme? How small should I dice the ham?

When are the soufflés done? “You’ve got the focused attention of your instructor for a finite amount of time, so take advantage of that,” says chef Kirk Warner. “I always tell people at the beginning of my classes that there are no bad questions. Anything is open—it’s part of the fun.”

Visit MissouriLife.com for more infomation on professional culinary schools in Missouri, plus more recipes from featured chefs.

courtesy of Williams-Sonoma; Courtesy of Bob Holt

From left: Williams-Sonoma at Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza offers free technique demonstrations on weekends. Heidi Hastings, Susan Schmidt, and Richard Schmidt make a cheesecake at Schnucks Cooks cooking school.

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SHOW-ME FLAVOR > MISSOURI RECIPES

– MissouriLife –

– MissouriLife –

White Asparagus with Orange and Almonds

Italian Macaroni and Cheese

Courtesy of Dierbergs School of Cooking in St. Louis

1 pound white asparagus 2 tablespoons butter, melted 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice or lemon juice 2 teaspoons orange peel or lemon peel, grated 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves ½ teaspoon coarse salt Black pepper to taste, freshly ground 2 tablespoons almonds, sliced and toasted Directions: Snap off and discard the tough ends of the asparagus. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer layer from the stems.

Pour 1 inch of water into a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven; bring to a boil over high heat. Place a steamer basket over the water, and add the asparagus spears. Reduce the heat, cover, and steam until the spears are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

Artichoke Soup

Arrange the asparagus on a serving platter. In a small bowl, combine the butter and orange juice; drizzle over the asparagus. Sprinkle the orange peel, thyme, salt, and pepper over the top. Garnish with the almonds. Serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6

– MissouriLife –

Artichoke Soup

For the sauce: 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 tablespoons onion, finely minced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 cup whole milk Pinch nutmeg, freshly ground ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano (1 ounce), grated ¼ cup mozzarella (1 ounce), grated 1 ounce Gorgonzola, crumbled Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste For the pasta: 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and divided 4 quarts cool water 1 ½ teaspoons salt 6 ounces penne pasta (2 cups) ½ cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) 1 teaspoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped 1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped 1 teaspoon Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated Directions: For the sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and add the milk all at once, whisking constantly. Return the pan to the heat and continue whisking until the sauce comes to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the nutmeg, Dijon, and cheeses, adding the cheese a little at a time. Stir until the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth (return to low heat if necessary). Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.

Courtesy of Ralph Filipelli, Luna’s Catering in St. Joseph

Ingredients: ½ cup white wine 4 small cans artichoke hearts 2 cups heavy cream 2 cups half-and-half 2 15-ounce cans chicken stock Optional garnishes: chopped almonds; freshly chopped parsley; diced, roasted red peppers; or puff pastry cut into shapes and then baked until golden-brown

For the pasta: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Use 1 teaspoon of the melted butter to coat the inside of an 8-by-8-inch baking dish or small casserole dish; set aside. Bring the water to a rolling boil in a pasta pot (with an insert, if you have one). Add the salt and bring back to a boil. Add the pasta, and stir to separate the pieces. Stir the pasta once or twice during cooking. Cook only until al dente (tender, yet firm), about 15 to 18 minutes. Drain the pasta, and pour it into the saucepan with the cheese sauce. Stir until pasta is evenly coated.

Pour the pasta and cheese sauce into the buttered baking dish.

Directions: In a small saucepan, bring the white wine to a boil over high heat. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.

Combine the remaining 2 teaspoons melted butter, panko, herbs, and Parmigiano Reggiano in a small mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the pasta.

Meanwhile, if the artichoke hearts are marinated, rinse off the liquid. If they are in brine, drain and reserve the liquid. Coarsely chop them, then add to a stock pot with the creams, stock, wine reduction, and reserved liquid, if using brine variety.

Bake until the cheese sauce is bubbly and the bread crumbs are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4

Gently simmer the soup about 20 minutes, then purée with a hand blender. Serve hot. Garnish, if desired, with almonds, parsley, roasted red peppers, or puff pastry shapes.

Serves 6 to 8

ANDREW BARTON

Courtesy of The Viking Cooking School in Brentwood (no 2010 classes)

Italian Macaroni an d Cheese

Note: Unbaked without bread crumbs, the Italian Macaroni and Cheese can be stored up to three days in the refrigerator or one month in the freezer. Add the bread crumbs just before baking. If frozen, cover with foil and extend the baking time by 25 minutes.

Remove foil in the last 10 minutes of cooking time.

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SHOW-ME FLAVOR > MISSOURI RECIPES

– MissouriLife –

Miner’s Stew

Gouda Mashed Potatoes

Courtesy of Chef Debbie Dance Uhrig, Silver Dollar City’s Culinary & Craft School in Branson Reduction ingredients: 1 medium onion, diced 2 tablespoons oil 1 cup Burgundy red wine* 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

– MissouriLife –

Stew ingredients: 1 ½ quarts beef gravy (canned or homemade) 2 pounds pot roast, cut into half-inch pieces 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes 2 to 3 pounds stew vegetables, such as carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, etc.; washed, peeled, and cut into large chunks

Winter Scallop and Frisee Salad with Warm Sherry Vinaigrette

Directions: In a saucepan, sauté the onions in oil for 4 minutes, then add the remaining reduction ingredients. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until the entire amount is reduced by half.

Courtesy of Chef Kirk Warner, Kirk’s Traveling Kitchen in St. Louis

For vinaigrette: ¼ cup sherry vinegar 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 medium shallot, minced ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Meanwhile, in a stock pot, bring the beef gravy to a boil. Add the beef, tomatoes, vegetables, and the reduction mixture. Simmer until the beef and vegetables are tender.

Serves 8 to 10 *When brought to a boil, the alcohol will evaporate, but not the flavor. However, if you prefer, 1 cup of water may be substituted.

For salad: 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more as needed 2 to 3 cups sunchokes (also called Jerusalem artichokes), scrubbed, peeled, and chopped Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste 16 to 24 medium-sized scallops, cleaned and patted dry 4 cups young frisee, endive, or arugula, washed and dried A few drops fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon truffle oil (optional) Sea salt to taste

Gouda Mashed Potatoes Florentine Courtesy of Chef Debbie Dance Uhrig, Silver Dollar City’s Culinary & Craft School in Branson

Ingredients: 2 ½ pounds red potatoes, skins on 4 slices bacon 6 small green onions, minced 2 cups (packed) fresh spinach, stems removed ½ stick butter (4 tablespoons) Milk or cream to taste Seasoning salt or salt and pepper to taste 8 ounces smoked Gouda cheese (or another cheese, such as Parmesan), shredded

Directions: Make the vinaigrette by mixing all the ingredients thoroughly; set aside.

Directions: Quarter the potatoes and cook until tender in salted water, then drain and cover. Meanwhile, sauté the bacon in a skillet until crisp, remove and drain, reserving the drippings to sauté the onions until tender. Remove the onions, and use the same skillet to sauté the spinach with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook until the spinach is wilted, 3 to 5 minutes.

Mash the potatoes, adding the butter, milk, seasonings, bacon, green onion, and half of the shredded cheese. Microwave the spinach if necessary to reheat, then place the potatoes on a plate, and surround the serving platter with the spinach. Sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese.

Serves 4 to 6

Combine chicken stock, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and sunchokes in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, and cook until sunchokes are tender, about 20 minutes. Using a hand blender or food processor, purée until smooth. Season to taste with kosher salt and white pepper and keep warm. In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan over medium-high heat and cook scallops until golden on one side only. Turn scallops over and turn off heat.

Meanwhile, toss lettuce with remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, truffle oil, and sea salt. Plate a 1/4 cup of the sunchoke purée on warm plates, and top with 2 or 3 scallops and a small amount of lettuce. Swirl sherry vinaigrette into the skillet used to cook scallops, scraping to get the scallop “goodness.” Spoon this sauce around the plate. Serve immediately.

Serves 8 salad or appetizer servings

– MissouriLife –

Miner’s Stew

Notes: The amount of milk is not specified because the amount needed to moisten the potatoes varies.

Leaving the potato skins on provides a “country” flavor, but they can be peeled. For a more authentic Italian recipe, mix the spinach into the potatoes.

ANDREW BARTON

Salad Scallop and Frisee

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Show-Me Flavor > Restaurant Recommendations

Springfield Everyone

knows

your

name

at

Springfield’s Metropolitan Grill. The darling of south-siders, Metro is the spot for post-work gab sessions and libations,

Ozarks Cheers

such as perfectly chilled martinis, a choice of thirty beers,

and a two-hundred-bottle wine list. Owner and Executive Chef Pat Duran’s cuisine fuses traditional favorites with fresh flavors.

R Bar

Kansas City

Think bacon-wrapped prawns stuffed with

A Lasting Impression

goat cheese and pepperoncini ($25) or

Since it opened in September amidst a reviving West Bottoms neighborhood in

grilled chicken dredged in Italian bread

Kansas City, R Bar Restaurant has become a destination for its clubby atmosphere and inventive cuisine. A giant salvaged, lighted “R” sign commemorates the neighborhood’s American Royal heritage, while a whimsical wall-spanning, sepia-tone photo of a horse beside the massive bar recalls that this building once occupied the city’s thriving stockyards. R Bar offers seasonal menus for dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays. Executive Chef Alex Pope, formerly of the American Restaurant, creates cold weather comfort foods such as pork belly and crispy polenta, smoked collards, pickled cherries, and cilantro pesto; scallops with sweet potato tart, bacon, scallions, and balsamic sauce; or smoked hanger steak with Parmesan hash browns, hollandaise, and Brussels sprouts. You might find fresh mussels in lemon grass broth plus garlic- and rosemary-infused chorizo and white bean soup, and not-too-sweet desserts—including roasted pear puff with rosemary sugar and caramelized white chocolate sauce or molasses cake with buttered rum sauce and pumpkin ice cream. Premium wine or a signature cocktail, one of nine savory “firsts,” eight gorgeous main dishes, and a handful of sweets will set you back about fifty dollars per person. But you’ll forget the outside world for hours and talk about the meal for days.

816-471-1777 | www.rbarkc.com —Lisa Waterman Gray

Sample

Metro’s

legendary

flash-fried

spinach with Parmesan sprinkles. Main courses are whipped up with similar gusto.

crumbs and prosciutto ($20). The bubbly atmosphere draws you in, but the cozy booths, attentive wait staff, and careful presentation entice you to linger and unwind.

417-889-4951 | www.metropolitan-grill.com –Tanja Kern-Motsenbocker

lisa Waterman Gray; mark schiefelbein

Broseley

ML Missouri Life braves

the many, tastetests the menus, and pays our own way to bring you restaurants worth the trip.

A Hideaway > Situated on a rural blacktop road in the midst of Butler County rice, soybean, and corn fields, the Hydeaway Catfish Inn is sheltered from busy highways, and after nearly forty years in the business, the owner knows just about everything about catfish. When you are seated you won’t be brought a menu (it’s posted on the wall) but there is a bowl of salted-in-the-shell peanuts to munch on. Yes, it’s okay if you drop a few shells on the floor. The draw is all you-can-eat dinners of catfish fillets (their specialty, of course, for $10.95), steaks, or fried shrimp, which include a variety of sides: baked beans, coleslaw, French fries, fresh onion, hush puppies, and if you ask, a bowl of fried okra.

The family recipes for baked beans and coleslaw, not to mention the star catfish, make meandering down the road from Poplar Bluff to Broseley a rewarding trip on Friday or Saturday evenings or Sunday afternoon.

573-686-9200 —John Fisher [89] February 2010

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ML Timeless Beauty

Inn• dulge Yourself

Rustic Beginnings

FIND INN•CREDIBLE LODGING DEALS AT VISITHERMANN.COM Chocolate Wine Trail | Feb. 20-21 Wurstfest | March 27-28 Tour of Hermann | April 17-18 Shelbyfest | April 24 Norton Wine Trail | May 1-2 Maifest | May 15-16

With Missouri’s French legacy, the name Les Bourgeois

800-932-8687 • WWW.VISITHERMANN.COM

Historic Downtown Sedalia Let our experienced staff make your shopping memorable! ✥ Distinguished spirits and wine ✥ Specialty and imported beers ✥ 1,000 international wines ✥ Over 250 Missouri wines! ✥ Large selection of gifts ✥ International foods ✥ Bulk coffees and teas ✥ Wine accessories ✥ Gift baskets ✥ Walnut bowls ✥ Prices to match your pocketbook!

Open Mondays through Saturdays, 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Call us at 660.826.WINE (9463) or visit 122-124 S. Ohio Ave.

www.mywineandmore.com

is ideally suited for a Missouri winery. But the winery takes its name from its owners, the Bourgeois family, and not only has the family built a beautiful bluff-side property just off of Interstate 70 west of Columbia at Rocheport, it has gone from strength to strength since the winery was founded in 1985. The winery was almost a second thought, though; the family had planted vineyards merely to beautify the place after they purchased the property in 1974.

It has been said that Les Bourgeois isn’t a serious winery because it does so much business at its Blufftop Bistro that it needn’t worry about the quality of its wines. However, Corey Bomgaars, Les Bourgeois’s winemaker, makes some of the state’s best wines, and he and his team continue to improve those wines year after year. For those of us who prefer Chardonel unadorned by oak spice, Les Bourgeois’ Chardonel offers a textbook example of the grape as something delicate and pure, instead of a simple wine tarted up in California Chardonnay’s finery of butter and spice. Their Norton Premium Claret has gained in balance and depth of late; the 2007 vintage is the winery’s best yet and one of the prettiest Nortons in the country.

Winemaker Bomgaars has elevated his craft in the last several years. Les Bourgeois’ estate-grown 2008 Vidal Blanc is more tart citrus than the apricot-flavored, simple thing that often shows up in bottles labeled as Vidal Blanc. The winery’s 2008 VignolesTraminette stands alongside other crisp and tangy white wines in the state. It’s aromatically complex and satisfyingly drinkable.

Today, the winery is still rustic. Missourians

By Doug Frost and tourists continue to enjoy the sunset over Doug Frost is one of the Missouri River just a mile to the north at three people in the the “A-frame,” the original restaurant on the world who is both a Master Sommelier and property. And Les Bourgeois wines remain a Master of Wine. He among the most reliable in the state. lives in Kansas City.

courtesy of les bourgeois winery; Seth Garcia

Vintage Charm

Show-Me Flavor > Missouri Wine

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Experience the Difference

Baltimore Bend Vineyard offers great wine without intimidation and pretense. Come experience a welcoming, fun environment, whether you’re a novice or a connoisseur. Learn more about Missouri wine, and find your favorite.

Gourmet breakfast • 5 luxury suites, most with jetted tubs • Within walking distance of Columbia’s downtown District with its 110 unique shops, 70 bars and restaurants and 45 live performances each week

Open: Wed.-Sat. 11-6, Sun. 1-6 Located at 27150 Hwy. 24, Waverly, Mo. Join our mailing list at www.baltimorebend.com or call (660) 493-0258.

Mizzou’s own bed and breakfast gatheringplacebedandbreakfast.com 573-443-4301

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[92] MissouriLife

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ALL AROUND

MISSOURI

Events in Your Area

February & March

COURTESY OF MATTEL™

Featured Event

50 YEARS OF BARBIE™ Feb. 1-Dec. 31, Kansas City. No other doll defines girlhood like Barbie. She is a fashion diva, career girl, and most of all, a friend. This exhibit takes a look back at her early years, and you can learn how she became an icon. Toy and Miniature Museum is open from 10 AM-4 PM Wed.-Sat. and 1-4 PM Sun. Admission is $4-$6.

For more information, call 816-333-9328, or visit www.toyandminiaturemuseum.org

>>>

Look for our staff ’s picks.

These listings are chosen by our editors and are not paid for by sponsors.

Visit MissouriLife.com for more events in your area!

Northwest & Kansas City Area

Jazz Ambassadors Embrace the World Feb. 1-19, Kansas City. Photo exhibit featuring images of jazz greats as they traveled the world on behalf of the U.S. State Department. American Jazz Museum. 9 AM6 PM Tues.-Sat.; noon-6 PM Sun. Free. 816-474-8463, www.americanjazzmuseum.org The Struggle for Freedom Exhibit Feb. 1-28, Lexington. Exhibit about black education in post-Civil War Missouri specifically featuring Lincoln University. Battle of Lexington State Historic Site. 9 AM5 PM Wed.-Sun. Free. 660-259-4654, www.mostateparks. com/lexington/index.html

Canadian Tenors Feb. 4, Lexington. Performance blends classical and popular repertoire. Wentworth Academy Chapel. 7:309:30 PM. $15-$25. 913-341-8654, www.liveinlexington.org African Americans on the Trails Feb. 4, 11, 18, and 25, Independence. Gallery walk discusses Jim Beckwourth, York, Hiram Young, and David Brown. National Frontier Trails Museum. 2 PM. $3-$5.

816-325-7575, www.frontiertrailsmuseum.org Chocolate Tour Tina’s pick Feb. 6, Excelsior Springs. Sample a variety of chocolates. Downtown shops. 1-5 PM. $5. 816-630-6161, www.exspgschamber.com Quink Feb. 6, Kansas City. Vocal repertoire stretches from the Middle Ages to contemporary music. Visitation Church.

8 PM. $15-$25. 816-536-3539, www.venuevisition.org

[93] February 2010

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All Around Missouri

The Amazing Love Song Tour Feb. 6, St Joseph. Richie McDonald and John Berry perform country hits. Missouri Theatre. 8 pm. $10-$45.

816-279-1225, www.paastjo.org Civil War Seminar Feb. 6, Liberty. Learn about the Civil War battle fought in and around the area. Corbin Theatre. 10 am. Free.

816-407-3650, www.claycountyachives.org Fairy Tale Village Feb. 6-April 25, Kansas City. Children’s tales come to life. Interact with characters from favorite stories and nursery rhymes and read a story. Crown Center. 10 am6 pm Mon.-Wed. and Sat.; 10 am-9 pm Thurs.-Fri.; noon5 pm Sun. Free. 816-274-8444, www.crowncenter.com An Evening With Kenny Rogers Feb. 10, Independence. Iconic performer known for his songwriting who has sold more than 100 million records.

Independence Events Center. 7:30 pm. $47-$67. 816795-7577, www.independenceeventscenter.com Remodeling Show Sherry’s pick Feb. 12-14, Kansas City. More than 300 exhibitors, featuring contractors, suppliers, and home-service providers. Visit the GreenZone, the exhibit of eco-conscious living. American Royal Center. 10 am-9 pm Fri.-Sat.; 10 am-6 pm Sun. $8.50 (12 and under are free).

816-931-4686, www.patrihaproductions.com Monster Jam Feb. 12-14, Kansas City. Family-friendly experience starring monster trucks. 7:30 pm Fri.-Sat.; 2 pm Sat.-Sun. $15-$40. 816-949-7000, www.sprintcenter.com World of Wheels Feb. 12-14, Kansas City. Custom car show featuring hot rods and classics Convention Center. Noon-10 pm Fri.; 11 am-10 pm Sat.; 11 am-8 pm Sun. $5-$15. 816-5135000, www.autorama.com/casi/ Symphonic Metamorphosis Feb. 13, Liberty. Performance by the Liberty Symphony Orchestra. Liberty Performing Arts Center. 7:30 pm. $5-$18. 816-439-4362, www.lpat.org Art Crawl Feb. 13, 27 and Mar. 13, 27, Excelsior Springs. Tour art galleries and enjoy entertainment. Downtown. 5-8 pm.

Free. 816-630-6161, www.exsmo.com

Young Frankenstein Amy’s pick Feb. 16-21, Kansas City. Sensational cast performs favorite moments from the classic film as well as showstopping numbers from the stage production. Music Hall. 8 pm Tues.-Sat.; 2 pm Sat.; 6:30 pm Sun. $30-$61.

816-931-3330, www.broadwayacrossamerica.com Disney Live! Rockin’ Road Show Feb. 19, Independence. Join Mickey Mouse and friends on their latest musical adventure, which features classic characters in an original storyline. Independence Events Center. 6:30 pm. $18-$46. 816-795-7577, www. independenceeventscenter.com

B.B. King and Buddy Guy Feb. 19, Kansas City. At 76, B.B. King is still singing and playing the blues with relentless passion and style. Midland Theatre. 8 pm. $57.50-$132.50, www. midlandkc.com

Broke-ology Feb. 19-Mar. 21, Kansas City. Drama explores the choices between family loyalty, college, and breaking the ties of poverty. Copaken Stage at Repertory Theatre.

Show times and ticket prices vary. 888-5022700, www.kcrep.org Jazz Festival and Concert Feb. 20, Warrensburg. More than 50 junior high and high school jazz bands compete for scores, plus an evening concert by Eclectica. University of Central Missouri. Free ($5-$20 for concert). 660-5434909, www.ucmo.edu/music/camps/jazzfest.cfm

Riverdance—the Farewell Performances Feb. 20-21, Independence. Internationally known group that celebrates Irish music. Independence Events Center.

8 pm Sat.; 7:30 pm Sun. $39-$76.50. 816-795-7577, www.independenceeventscenter.com Puss in Boots Feb. 24-Mar. 7, Kansas City. Classic tale of the old miller, his sons, and an old cat. Paul Mesner Puppets Studio.

10 am and 1 pm Wed.-Fri.; 2 pm Sat.-Sun. $7-$9. 816-7563500, www.paulmesnerpuppets.org Western Farm Show Feb. 26-28, Kansas City. More than 500 exhibitors showcase farm equipment and tools needed on a farm.

American Royal Complex. 9 am-5 pm Fri.-Sat.; 9 am-4 pm Sun. $7. 816-931-3330, www.kemperarenakc.com Robotics Competition Mar. 4-6, Kansas City. Competition for high school students to design and build a working robot. The robot must then solve an assigned challenge and demonstrate the solution in a competition. Hale Arena. 8 am-4 pm. Call for costs. 816-513-400, www.kemperarenakc.com

125th Anniversary Gala with Nick Cave Feb. 20, Kansas City. Kansas City Art Institute celebrates with a gala dinner and performance by internationally acclaimed artist and KCAI alumnus Nick Cave. Grand Ballroom. 6:30-11:30 pm. $125-$150 and up. 816-8023483, www.kcai.edu Artifact Show Greg’s pick Mar. 6, Agency. Authentic Indian artifacts, artifact identification, and appraisals. Community Center. 10 am4 pm. Donations accepted. 816-253-9301

Manifest Destiny Mar. 4, 11, 18, and 25, Independence. Explore the concept of manifest destiny and how it shaped the world view of people of mid-19th century America. National Frontier Trails Museum. 2 pm. $3-$5. 816-325-7575, www.frontiertrailsmusuem.org

State Championship Chili Challenge Mar. 7, St. Joseph. Amateurs and professionals cook up chili. Taste samples, plus visit a flea market, live music, and silent auction. Civic Arena. 11 am-5 pm. $1.50-$3.

816-364-3836, www.ucpnwmo.org

Broadway’s Best Mar. 5-April 3, Kansas City. Revue of more than 50 years of musicals performed on Broadway. Quality Hill Playhouse. Show times vary. $24-$26. 816-421-1700, www.qualityhillplayhouse.com

Bus Stop Mar. 12-Apr. 4, Kansas City. Story of eight strangers caught in a storm west of Kansas City. Spencer Theatre at Repertory Theatre. Show times and ticket prices vary.

888-502-2700, www.kcrep.org

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change Mar. 5-Apr. 18, Kansas City. Celebrates the universal theme of love and pokes fun at life experiences.

American Heartland Theatre. Show times vary. $15.50$33.50. 816-842-9999, www.ahtkc.com

Main Street Music Hall Mar. 13, Trenton. Show features current and classic country, gospel, and patriotic music; comedy; and impersonations. Ketcham Community Center. 7 pm. $8-$25.

660-359-1434, www.trentonarts.com

courtesy Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, James Prinz

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ALL AROUND MISSOURI

Women’s History Weekend Mar. 13-14, Sibley. Costumed reenactors portray the role of women during the fort’s occupation featuring activities such as cooking, sewing, household chores, and gardening. Fort Osage. $3-$7.

9 AM-4:30 PM. 816-503-4860, www.jacksongov.org New Harmonies Mar. 13-Apr. 24, Unionville. Smithsonian exhibit celebrates American roots music. Putnam County Museum. 10 AM-5 PM Tues.-Sun. Free. 660-947-3970, www.mohumanities.org Children’s Literature Festival Mar. 14-16, Warrensburg. Brings authors from around the region and nation for workshops, book signings, book sales, and readings. University of Central Missouri campus. Various times. $7-$15 (luncheon $25).

660-543-4306, www.guides.library.ucmo.edu Bon Jovi Mar. 15, Kansas City. Widely popular band performs a mix of pop, metal, and rock. Sprint Center. 7:30 PM. $28.50-$128.50. 816-949-7000, www.sprintcenter.com Irish History Month Mar. 17, Kansas City. Family-friendly events are centered around Irish history, culture, tradition, and dance. HarrisKearney House. 10 AM-5 PM. Free. 816-561-1821, www. westporthistorical.com Yo-Yo Ma, Cellist Rebecca’s pick Mar. 18, Kansas City. One of the most beloved musicians of the day. Folly Theatre. 7:30 PM. $50-$150. 816-4155025, www.harriman-jewell.org

Woodcarvers Show and Sale Mar. 26-27, Lee’s Summit. Woodcarvings, turnings, woodburnings, tools, books, and supplies. John Knox Pavilion. 10 AM-5 PM. $3 (under 12 are free). 816-7418718, www.kcwoodcarver.org British Invasion Mar. 27-28, Kansas City. The Heartland Men’s Chorus performs a tribute to the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Queen. Folly Theatre. 8 PM Sat.; 4 PM Sun. $17$32. 816-931-3338, www.hmckc.org Memories of Korea Mar. 27-Dec. 31, Independence. Exhibit tells the story of this “forgotten” war through letters, diaries, photographs, films, and personal memorabilia. Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. 9 AM-5 PM Mon.-Sat.; noon-5 PM Sun. (9 AM-9 PM Thurs. May-Sept.). $3-$8. 800-833-1225, www.trumanlibrary.org John Coulter, Mountain Man Mar. 30, Independence. Historian and first person interpreter, Clint Wynn, brings frontiersman John Coulter to life. National Frontier Trails Museum. 2 PM. $3-$5.

816-325-7575, www.frontiertrailsmuseum.org

Northeast & St. Louis Area

Visiting Artist Series: Illustration Feb. 6-7, St. Louis. Join artist Cbabi Bayoc and create a group work of art depicting families at play at the Magic House. 10 AM-5 PM Sat.; 11:30 AM-5 PM Sun. $8.50.

314-822-8900, www.magichouse.org Prairies, Potluck, and Propagation Feb. 11, St. Louis. Potluck workshop focusing on tallgrass prairie ecosystems. The Green Center. 4-6 PM. Free. 314-725-8314, www.thegreencenter.org

Mardi Gras with Mark Twain Feb. 13, Hannibal. Progressive New Orleans food and wine crawl, plus live music. Downtown. Start at the Mark Twain Museum and Gallery. 5 PM. $30. 573-8225782, www.hannibaluncorked.com

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice Mar. 20, Independence. Luncheon and fashion show.

Bingham-Waggoner Estate. Noon. $20. 816-461-3491, www.bwestate.org COURTESY OF LUCINDA HUSKEY; COURTESY OF FABOULOUS FOX THEATRE

Art Feast Tina’s pick Feb. 6, Chesterfield. Gala fundraiser featuring dinner, dancing, live music, a silent auction, performers, and artists. Kemp Auto Museum. 6 PM. $125. 636-519-1955, www.chesterfieldarts.org

Sports Trivia Championship Feb. 12, St. Louis. 110 teams of 10 compete in one of the world’s largest sports trivia contests, plus silent auction and sports legends and broadcasters. Proceeds benefit St. Patrick Center. Chaifetz Arena. 5 PM. $1,000-$3,000 per table. 314-802-5445, www.stpatrickcenter.org

Spring Expo Mar. 19-20, Warrensburg. Informational booths featuring local businesses and organizations, plus bagpipe performances and door prizes. University of Central Missouri Multipurpose Building. 5-9 PM Fri.; 9 AM-3 PM Sat. Free.

660-747-9191, www.visitwarrensburg.org

Mamma Mia! Danita’s pick Feb. 16-21, St. Louis. Musical tale of love, laughter, and friendship set to the music of ABBA. Fox Theatre.

8 PM Tues.-Sat.; 2 PM Sat.-Sun. $29-$70. 314-534-1678, www.fabulousfox.com

Rigolette Mar. 20, 24, 26, and 28, Kansas City. Tragic opera featuring some of opera’s most memorable melodies. Lyric Theatre. 8 PM Fri.-Sat.; 7:30 PM Wed.; 2 PM Sun. $20-$80.

816-471-7344, www.kcopera.org

Excavating the Emptied Globe Feb. 19-Mar. 27, St. Louis. Photography by Michael Eastman in collaboration with archeologist Robert Mazrim centering on the derelict Globe Drug Warehouse in downtown St. Louis. Opening reception Feb. 19 from 5-9 PM. Duane Reed Gallery. 10 AM-5 PM Tues.-Sat. Free.

314-361-4100, www.duanereedgallery.com

The Church Basement Ladies Mar. 21, St. Joseph. Funny and down-to-earth musical featuring four characters that solve problems in their community and cook the food for a rural Minnesota church. Missouri Theatre. 2 PM. $10-$45. 816-279-1225, www.paastjo.org Anansi Returns Mar. 24, Liberty. Paul Mesner Puppets perform. Liberty Performing Arts Theatre. 10 AM. $5. 816-439-4362, www.lpat.org

Chocolate Wine Trail Feb. 20, Hermann. Visit six wineries, and taste wine and chocolate pairings. Throughout the area. 10 AM-5 PM. $30.

800-932-8687, www.hermannwinetrail.com

Patti Labelle and the O’Jays Feb. 12, St. Louis. Classic rhythm and blues, pop standards, and spiritual sonnets. Fox Theatre. 8 PM. $45-$65. 314-5341678, www.fabulousfox.com

Kidgits Book Blast Feb. 20, Hazelwood. Enjoy children’s stories, activities, and prizes. Bring a new or gently used book to donate to charity. St. Louis Mills. Noon-2 PM. Free. 314-227-5900, www.stlouismills.com

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All Around Missouri

Farm Toy Show Mar. 6, Montgomery City. More than 70 tables filled with pedal tractors, antiques, classics, and matchboxsized toys. Montgomery County Fairgrounds Merchant Building. 9 am-4 pm. $2 (12 and under are free). 573-5642979, www.montgomerycountyoldthreshers.org Brick City Bluegrass Festival Mar. 13, Mexico. Bluegrass gospel music. Audrain 4-H Center. 5-9 pm. $10 (10 and under are free). 573-8195071, www.brickcitybluegrass.com St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Mar. 13. St. Louis. Live bands, DJs, and food and drink vendors. Laclede’s Landing. Noon-11 pm. Free. 314-2415875, www.lacledeslanding.com Midwest’s Largest Garage Sale Mar. 20, Eureka. Huge garage sale and swap meet. Six Flags parking lot. 8 am-1 pm. $1 per vehicle. 636-9386062, www.eurekachamber.org

Polar Plunge Feb. 6, Cape Girardeau. All proceeds benefit Special Olympics. Lake Boutin at Trail of Tears State Park. Registration at noon; plunge at 2 pm. Free to spectators. Participants need to raise $50 or more. 573-339-6733, www.somo.org/capeplunge

Experience Hendrix Mar. 20, St. Louis. Line-up of rock guitarists. Fox Theatre.

8 pm. $40-$60. 314-534-1678, www.fabulousfox.com

Piwacket Theatre Feb. 28, Farmington. Performance of adapted fairy tales, Jack and the Bean Stalk and The Emperor’s New Clothes.

Centene Performing Arts Theatre. 2 pm. $2-$5. 573-5182125, www.mineralarea.edu

Wurstfest Callina’s pick Mar. 27-28, Hermann. Celebrate the traditional art of sausage making. Throughout town. 9 am-5 pm Sat.; 10 am-4 pm Sun. Free (except some special events).

800-932-8687, www.visithermann.com

Southeast Bald Eagle Viewing Day Feb. 5 and 20, Salem. Watch eagles in flight and view an eagle’s nest. Montauk State Park. 9 am on the 5th and 3:30 pm on the 20th. Free. 573-548-2201, www.mostateparks.com/montaul.htm The King’s Ball Feb. 6, Ste. Genevieve. Held for more than 250 years, this celebration crowns the King and Queen, a royal meal is served, plus dancing. Royal or peasant costumes are encouraged. VFW Hall. 6 pm. $5-$10. 800-373-7007, www.stegenevievetourism.org

River North Chicago Dance Mar. 2, Cape Girardeau. Brilliant artistry and robust performances dominate this dance show. Bedell Performance Hall at River Campus. 7:30 pm. $26-$32. 573-651-2265, www.semo.edu/rivercampus/events TAO—The Martial Art of Drumming Mar. 6, Cape Girardeau. Athletic performers and contemporary costumes meet traditional drumming. Bedell Performance Hall at River Campus. 7:30 pm. $33-$39.

573-651-2265, www.semo.edu/rivercampus/events 102nd Annual St. Pat’s Parade Mar. 13, Rolla. Huge parade, concert, and Grand Ball.

Downtown, Gale Bullman Building, and Havener Center.

11 am. (5:30 pm concert; 6 pm ball) Free (except special events). 573-341-6327, http://stpats.mst.edu/ 2 Busy 2 Cook Retreat Mar. 19-21, Ste. Genevieve. Tasting reception, private consult with a personal chef, tours of organic

Magical Memories World Tour Mar. 24, Cape Girardeau. Harlem Globetrotters familyfriendly performance is bound to create cherished memories. Show Me Center. 7 pm. $27-$62. 573-6512297, www.showmecenter.biz

Rumors Mar. 24-28, Cape Girardeau. Neil Simon’s hilarious farce.

Wendy Kurka Rust Flexible Theatre at River Campus.

7:30 pm Wed.-Sat.; 2 pm Sun. $13. 573-651-2265, www. semo.edu/rivercampus/events

Southwest Jacob Lawrence: Prints, 1963-2000 Feb. 1-28, Springfield. Exhibition of printmaking by one of the greatest African-American artists of the 20th century. Art Museum. 9 am-5 pm Tues.-Wed. and Fri.Sat.; 9 am-8 pm Thurs.; 1-5 pm Sun. Free. 417-837-5700, www.springfieldmogov.org

The King and I Feb. 5-21. Springfield. East meets West in this dramatic musical. Springfield Little Theatre. 7:30 pm Thurs.-Sat.; 2:30 pm Sat.-Sun. $15-$25. 417-869-1334, www.springfieldlittletheatre.org

Felix Valle’s Birthday Open House Feb. 14, Ste. Genevieve. Parlor games and refreshments of the 19th century plus a lecture series. Felix Valle House State Historic Site. Noon-4 pm. Free. 573-8837102, www.mostateparks.com/felixvalle.htm Poetry Out Loud Feb. 23, Park Hills. Regional competition. Fine Arts Theatre at Mineral Area College. 6 pm. Free. 573-5182125, www.mineralarea.edu

River City Ramblers Mar. 20, Park Hills. Traditional and Dixieland Jazz. Fine Arts Theatre at Mineral Area College. 7:30 pm. $2-$5.

573-518-2125, www.mineralarea.edu

Aluminum Show Feb. 28, Rolla. Performance combines movement, dance, and visual theater where inanimate objects come to life. Leach Theatre. 7 pm. $15-$20. 573-341-4219. leachtheatre.mst.edu

The Great Backyard Bird Count Feb. 13, Joplin. Learn to count backyard birds. Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center. 9 am-5 pm.

Free. 417-782-6287, www.wildcatglades.audubon.org

Courtesy of Special Olympics; Courtesy of Kfir Bolotin

Mark Twain Lake Antique Show and Sale Mar. 27, Paris. Premium dealers with a variety of antiques. High school. 9 am-3 pm. $3-$5. 660-327-4994, www.visitmarktwainlake.org

farms and stores, and a speed-cooking class. $225 (Sat. only $105). Call for information on lodging.

815-244-5602, www.learngreatfoods.com

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All Around Missouri

Gold For Your Valentine Feb. 13, Springfield. Symphony Orchestra performs a classical music concert featuring pianist Haochen Zhang.

Juanita K. Hammons Hall. 7:30 pm. $14-$29. 417-8367678, www.hammonshall.com STOMP! Feb. 19-20, Springfield. Percussion group combines music, dance, theater, choreography, and art, and uses everything but conventional instruments. Juanita K. Hammons Hall. 8 pm Fri.; 2 and 8 pm Sat. $15-$50.

417-836-7678, www.hammonshall.com Lawn and Garden Show Feb. 19-21, Springfield. More than 100 exhibitors feature lawn and garden products. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds.

9 am-6 pm Fri.-Sat.; 11 am-5 pm Sun. $4 (12 and under are free). 417-833-2660, www.ozarkempirefair.com

Harold and the Purple Crayon Feb. 23, Springfield. Based on a beloved book series, this play follows the adventures of young Harold as he creates a world to explore using only a purple crayon.

Juanita K. Hammons Hall. 7 pm. $16-$22. 417-8367678, www.hammonshall.com Tri-Lakes Building and Home Show Feb. 26-28, Branson. Booths feature home improvement supplies, remodeling, landscaping, decking, hot tubs, and kitchen and bath products. Convention Center. 2-8 pm Fri.; 9 am-5 pm Sat.; 11 am-5 pm Sun. 417-334-1200, www.tvcevents.com/homeshow Opening Day of Trout Season Mar. 1, Cassville. The Chamber provides complimentary coffee. Roaring River State Park. 6:30 am. Call for costs.

417-847-2814, www.cassville.com Horsefest Mar. 12-14, Springfield. Nationally known clinicians, trade show with hundreds of equine-related exhibits, educational presentations, and area breeders display their horses. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. 8:30 am5 pm. $5-$10 (12 and under are free). 800-356-8255, www.ozarkempirefair.com

Courtesy of UTurn Studios

Shrine Circus Mar. 12-21, Springfield. Clowns, elephants, and family circus fun. 11 am and 6:30 pm Mon.-Thurs.; 11 am, 4:30 and 7:30 pm Fri.; 11 am, 3:30 and 7:30 pm Sat.; 11:30 am, 3 and 6:30 pm Sun. $19-$6. 417-869-9164, www.abashrine.com

A Fungus Among Us Mar. 20, Joplin. Learn about fungi, edible mushrooms, and poison toadstools. Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center. 9:30 am-noon. $3-$6. 417-782-6287, www.wildcatglades.audubon.org

Opening Day of Trout Fishing Mar. 1, Lebanon. Catch the first fish of the season when the start whistle blows. Bennett Spring State Park. 6:30 am. Need tag and license. 417-532-4307, www.mostateparks.com/Bennett.htm

Central

The TurpinTyme Ragsters Mar. 2, Jefferson City. Ragtime concert. Miller Center.

7 pm. $10-$20. 573-681-9371, www.turpintyme.com

Rent Feb. 4-7, 11-14, and 18-21, Columbia. Rock opera that provides a glimpse into the lives of a group of Bohemians in modern day New York. Columbia Entertainment Company Theatre. 7:30 pm Thurs.-Sat.; 2 pm Sun. $7-$12. 573-474-3699, www.cectheatre.org Art Exhibit Feb. 8-28, Fulton. Painting and sculpture exhibit by artist Thom Smith. Mildred M. Cox Gallery. 9 am-4 pm Mon.-Fri. Free. 573-592-4245, www.williamwoods.edu The Band of the Irish Guards Feb. 10, Columbia. Marching band with 49 musicians, pipes, drums, and Highland Dancers make 80 performers on stage. Jesse Hall at MU Campus. 7 pm. $14-$32.

800-292-9136, www.concertseries.org Kris Kristofferson Feb. 11, Columbia. Iconic, multiple award-winning singer and songwriter performs from his latest album. Jesse Hall at MU Campus. 7 pm. $22-$32. 800-292-9136, www.concertseries.org

Products and Services Show Mar. 20-21, Lake Ozark. Home improvement, computers, electronics, financial services, boats and marine services, and building supplies. Country Club Hotel.

9 am-5 pm Sat.; 10 am-4 pm Sun. Free. 573-346-2227, www.camdentonchamber.com

FREE LISTING AND MORE EVENTS Visit MissouriLife.com for even more great events all around the state.

PLEASE NOTE: Event plans sometimes change.

Call before traveling.

To submit an event: Editors choose events for publication in the magazine, space permitting, but all submissions go onto the web site. Submit events well in advance. Please make sure there is a contact phone number with your event. Visit MissouriLife.com and fill out the form, e-mail amy@missourilife.com, fax 660-882-9899, or send announcement to Missouri Life, 515 E. Morgan St., Boonville, MO 65233

Bradford Marsalis Quartet Feb. 13, Columbia. Performance by one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most renowned saxophonists with his pianist, bassist, and drummer. Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts. 8 pm. $24-$34. 573-449-3009, www.wealwaysswing.org Ladysmith Black Mambazo Callinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pick Feb. 16, Columbia. Performance combines the rhythms and harmonies of South African musical traditions with gospel music. Jesse Hall at MU Campus. 7 pm. $14-$27.

800-292-9136, www.concertseries.com Home Show Feb. 19-21, Jefferson City. Builders and sub-contractors, hot tubs, fencing, and financial information, plus classes on a variety of remodeling topics. Firley YMCA. 3-8 pm Fri.; 9 am-6 pm Sat.; 10 am-3 pm Sun. $2-$4 (12 and under are free). 573-635-6001, www.jeffcityhomeshow.com

Tribute to the Dogs Onboard the Titanic Mar. 19 (ongoing), Branson. The new King Charles spaniels, Molly and Carter, will be brought out to pay tribute to the dogs on board the Titanic. Every day at noon. $22.

800-381-7670, www.titanicbranson.com

3 Men and a Melody Feb. 20, Versailles. Barbershop Harmony Society performs a fun-filled performance. Royal Theatre. 7 pm. $5-$10. 573-378-6226, www.royaltheatre.com

Talk Radio Mar. 19, Springfield. Pulitzer Prize-nominated play set in 1987 and shock jock Barry Champlain is doing what he does best on the eve of his national syndication.

Vandivort Center Theatre. 7 pm Fri.-Sat.; 2 pm Sun. Call for ticket prices. 417-831-8001, www.vctheatre.com

Tall Stories Feb. 23-April 17, Columbia. An exhibit by local artists who explore the theme of Tall Stories. Columbia Art League. Opening reception 6-8 pm Feb. 24. 11:30 am5:30 pm Tues.-Fri.; 11 am-5 pm Sat. Free. 573-445-8838, www.cal.missouri.org

Sertoma Chili Cook-off Feb. 13, Springfield. Costumed teams compete for prizes, and nine bands perform on three stages.

Exposition Center. 11 am-5 pm. $12-$15. 417-863-1231, www.sertomachilicookoff.com

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been lost,

but I will

admit to being confused for

several weeks.

—Daniel Boone

695

confirmed fatalities, but only 13 at the most came from Missouri. The tornado had a continuous track of 219 miles and measured more than a mile wide at times.

Creve Couer, a city named for Creve Couer Lake, means “broken heart” in French. Legend has it an American Indian princess fell in love with a French fur trapper who did not return her affection.

Heartbroken, she jumped off a ledge overlooking the lake, and it formed into the shape of a broken heart.

T‫ ה‬Missouri ate flag was adopted on March 22, 1913, almo 92 years after Missouri became a ate. Because Missouri was t‫ ה‬24TH STATE, t‫ ה‬flag features 24 STARS.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANDREW BARTON

I have never

On March 1, 1912, in St. Louis, Captain Albert Berry completed the first successful parachute jump from an airplane. He jumped from 1,000 feet in the air, but his parachute didn’t open until he was 500 feet from the ground.

The Tri-State Tornado, the deadliest tornado in U.S. history, touched down first near Ellington on the afternoon of March 18, 1925, before traveling from Missouri through Illinois, and into Indiana. There were

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Meet. Network. Enjoy.

Let us take care of everything else.

A Tradition at the Lake

THE LODGE of FOUR SEASONS G O L F

R E S O R T

&

S PA

S H I K I

Horseshoe Bend Parkway | Four Seasons, MO | Lake of the Ozarks 800-THE-LAKE (843-5253) | 573-365-3000 | www.4seasonsresort.com

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