BREAK THE HABIT OF HURRY PAGE 8
The stories of Columbia’s advocates teach us lessons of equality and justice. Now it’s our turn to pick up the mantle. PAGE 16
BECOME A ZINESTER PAGE 13
SPRITZ UP YOUR SPRING PAGE 29
WHERE TO PAINT YOUR PEACE PAGE 35
You’re a big girl now/ You’ve got no reason not to fight/ You’ve got to know who they are/’Fore you can stand up for your rights!”
Although I wasn’t alive in the early 1990s to see Bikini Kill perform live, frontwoman Kathleen Hanna’s guttural voice on “Double Dare Ya” splits my eardrums whenever I need a mental rage room. Bikini Kill was the blueprint for the riot grrrl movement, which was molded by the mid-’70s punk rock, nonconformist force and brought a whole new meaning to the doit-yourself mentality.
During this era of rebels and advocates, zines gained new purpose. These tiny pamphlets proclaimed revolutions and expressed anger at society’s systems of oppression. Zines are still relevant today — and it is easier than you think to make your own (p. 13). The creative freedom and tangible product is appealing as an alternative to the overconsumption of media online.
For me, Bikini Kill’s song marked a true beginning of alternative third-wave feminism. This era recognized the concept of intersectionality and opened up a Pandora’s box from which intersectional feminists can learn. Hanna’s lyrics reflect that.
Although it is important to remember the efforts of suffragists like Luella St. Clair Moss (p. 21), who founded the Columbia Equal Suffrage Association, women of color still didn’t have the right to vote after the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920. White suffragists didn’t take intersectionality into account in the fight for enfranchisement. Women of color were excluded from the vote until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, with the help of Black feminists and Civil Rights activists such as Fannie Lou Hamer.
Giving a voice to those historically underrepresented in history can change a community. Wynna Faye Tapp Elbert (p. 26) spent decades educating people about Columbia’s Black history. She spoke up about Black landmarks and recorded oral histories. Rather than letting one person write Columbia’s Black history, she gave her peers the power to tell their stories.
Remembering the advocacy of historically marginalized and nonconforming people matters now more than ever. Keeping their experiences alive is a reminder that society isn’t always stagnant — it is ever-changing. So find a cause and riot; these women show that history fights back.
OLIVIA MAILLET Editor-in-Chief
“It’s 2025,” is a common lament. “How are we still having these conversations?” Since Boone County was founded in 1820, people have worked for better. People care about the ability to live authentically and safely, to pursue the ideals of life, liberty and happiness. The times we’re in might feel unprecedented, but they’re not. People who lived, breathed and died here fought for us to have better. For this issue’s feature (p. 16), we sought out locals who propelled the community through the very issues we’re contending with again. We used the Boone County Historical Society’s Hall of Fame to identify the change makers who walked before us; six of our seven figures came from that list. Even if history doesn’t exactly repeat, it echoes. And there’s much to learn. —Laura Heck
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OLIVIA MAILLET
MANAGING EDITORS GRACE BURWELL, CAYLI YANAGIDA
DEPUTY EDITOR ABIGAIL RAMIREZ
DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR MJ MONTGOMERY
AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT EDITOR ALEX XU
ART DIRECTORS VALERIE TISCARENO, LAUREN GREEN
PHOTO DIRECTOR ASHLEE KLOTZBUECHER
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR KATE RAMSEYER
SENIOR DIGITAL PRODUCER SARAH GASSEL
ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR EMMA RAE GERWEN
CONTENT STRATEGIST KALYN LAIRE
ASSOCIATE EDITORS LEVI CASE, HAVEN DAGER, KIANA FERNANDES, SARAH GOODSON, NAOMI M. KLEIN, DINA MURRAY, AVERI NORRIS, AVA ORR, ASHLYNN PEREZ, NATALIE-ELIZABETH TAN, YINAN WU
STAFF WRITERS MERCY AUSTIN, ALEX DAGGETT, AUSTIN GARZA, KATIE GRAWITCH, SYD MINOR, ALLY SCHNIEPP, EMMA ZAWACKI, SOPHIE AYERS, ALLI BEALMER, LAURYN RHODES, NEALY SIMMS, RAPHAEL STERNADORI, TYLER WHITE
DESIGNER SYD MINOR
SOCIAL & AUDIENCE ZOE SALEEM, CLAIRE WILLIAMS
DIGITAL PRODUCERS CHARLIE DAHLGREN, ABIGAIL LANDWEHR, CHARLIE WARNER
DESIGN ASSISTANTS LILY CARROLL, RACHEL GOODBEE, SOPHIA LINDBERG
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS BRIANNA DAVIS, MAYA DAWSON, AUDREY ELLIS, JASMINE JACKSON, SOPHIA KOCH, OLIVIA MAHL, DAVIS WILSON CONTRIBUTING PRODUCERS JARED ARCHER, ARABELLA COSGROVE, ETHAN DAVIS
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR HEATHER ISHERWOOD
DIGITAL DIRECTOR LAURA HECK
WRITING COACHES CARY LITTLEJOHN, JENNIFER ROWE
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MAY 2025
VOLUME 27, ISSUE 4
PUBLISHED BY THE COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN LEE HILLS HALL, COLUMBIA MO 65211
Cover design: Valerie Tiscareno
Cover photography: Various file photos
05
She supplies the soapbox
Allie Teagarden inspires women to claim their voices through the That’s What She Said Columbia live show.
From living to thriving
Randy Cole talks about the future of Columbia Housing Authority.
We’re good, just busy
Yes, you are too busy. Ashlynn Perez dissects the issue of time poverty amid an era of habitual hurry.
Laugh, learn, feast and dance — your guide to May’s must–sees.
Youths run wild again
The Untamed Youth is releasing a new album to reignite its Jell-O jammers.
Zines 101
Learn how to create your own minimagazine from start to finish.
He’s really kiln-ing it
Jeff Ferguson doesn’t claim to be an artist, but he knows the forms to function.
Activists
Here are some of the best seasonal cocktails to kick off patio season.
Honduras Restaurant is the place to go to taste the authentic flavors of Central America.
Sniffing out success
Learn about the global ruff and tumble canine sport of barn hunting, which originated right here in Columbia.
Find pieces of mind
Throwing pottery can help keep your mind from cracking during times of stress.
Allie Teagarden brought That’s What She Said to Columbia, empowering women to share their stories.
BY ALLY SCHNIEPP
I remember the moment well. I was attending the second That’s What She Said Columbia event at Missouri Theatre. Perched in the mezzanine, I watched the stage crew muscle a large instrument onto the stage. Musician Augusta Cooper was adjusting her mic, having just finished sharing a story.
It was perfectly still in the theater as Cooper played the first note of Neil Diamond’s “A Beautiful Noise” on her upright bass. Its strong thummm carried through every seat in the house, and Cooper’s deep voice rang out: “I have a voice. Started out a whisper, turned into a scream.” The air felt electric as
Cooper’s and Allie Teagarden’s voices filled the vast space. They turned to each other center-stage, locked eyes and harmonized the final line, “Now we have a choice ’cause I have a voice.”
Something special
When I talked to Teagarden, owner and producer of the show, she told me how the event started. In 2013, three women in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, wanted their daughters to feel publicly empowered and supported. From that desire, the She Said Project was born. The first shows circulated around central Illinois, and Teagarden put on her first Columbia
Allie Teagarden gets ready before the That’s What She Said Columbia event, April 12. Teagarden hosts the show alongside women who are willing to share their experiences.
show in 2023. The annual event features an array of local speakers who share their personal stories.
“She went bananas that first year,” says Erica Pefferman, chief development officer of show sponsor Flat Branch Bank. “It didn’t have a slow start at all. It was amazing right out of the gate.”
Pefferman stepped outside of her comfort zone to be a speaker at the third annual That’s What She Said show on April 12. She has been involved as a sponsor since its first year. “I want our brand represented by badass women,” Pefferman says.
Stage manager Barbie Banks can re-
late. Banks has been leader of the stage crew at the Missouri Theatre for That’s What She Said events. “When you meet Allie, you’re instantly like, ‘How can I stay connected to this human?’ ” Banks says.
Teagarden moved to Columbia in 2017 for a job in higher education at the University of Missouri. She’s lived around the Midwest her whole life, including Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, where she worked with Junior League, a philanthropic group that hosted an after-party for a She Said Project event. She says her experience with Junior League set her up for success.
Fast forward to 2020, when Teagarden had her daughter. She had recently quit her job at MU, eager to get more involved in the community.
“Becoming the mom of a daughter myself, I think it just feels like the stakes are much higher,” she says. “We need to continue celebrating contributions of women and local communities and providing a platform for women’s voices in any possible way that we can.”
The power of reflection
Teagarden picks the speakers, organizes the sponsors, edits the speeches, advertises the event and chooses a nonprofit to partner with. The first shows partnered with True North and Boone Health/MU Health Care. For the 2025 show, it partnered with Love Columbia. Twenty-five percent of ticket proceeds go to support Love Columbia’s efforts to provide single moms with housing.
Supporting local nonprofits is a big part of Teagarden’s passion for this event, but she says working with the speakers is rewarding as well. “Getting to hear their stories and just be in the presence of other incredible women who are doing wonderful things in very different areas of our community — that part of it is really a gift,” Teagarden says. She says she believes everyone has a story; they just have to claim their voice to tell it.
Teagarden helped Shaunda Hamilton, a speaker at the 2025 show, find that voice. Hamilton had posted on Facebook about writing a memoir recounting the
Join co-founder Kerry Rossow and national director, Jenette Jurczyk, for their weekly episodes that speak to women who have conquered the She Said stage and shared their stories. Listen on streaming platforms such as Spotify, NPR, Apple Podcasts, Podchaser and Pandora.
five years since losing her daughter in 2019. Teagarden immediately reached out. “(Allie) messaged me, and she said, ‘I saw your post. I just wanted to know, are you ready yet?’ ” Hamilton says. “I think that her doing that has been a part of my healing journey — having me get up here to do this.”
Teagarden helps the speakers identify what they want to talk about, sets up group meetings so the speakers can share their experiences with each other and edits the final written speeches.
To Teagarden, the power of storytelling is providing the audience with a mirror or window. A mirror represents stories the audience can relate to; a window allows the audience to look into experiences different from their own.
That’s What She Said carves out a public space for women to claim their voices, and Teagarden stays in the heart of it. “The age-old question is always, ‘Can women have it all?’ ” Bank says. “And I don’t know if you can, but you can sure do a lot, and Allie is proof of that.”
Columbia Housing Authority CEO Randy Cole discusses the organization’s goals and the realities of federal funding shifts.
BY KATIE GRAWITCH
Since Randy Cole began his tenure as CEO of the Columbia Housing Authority in May 2021, he has grown the program to include over $55 million in grants and loans for affordable housing expansion. But this work is nothing out of the ordinary for Cole.
Before joining CHA, he served as the housing programs manager for the city of Columbia, boosting community engagement in affordable housing initiatives. He also led coronavirus recovery efforts for small, minority- and women-owned businesses in Boone County.
Steve Calloway, a member of the housing authority’s board of commissioners, says Cole has prioritized public discourse as a pillar of the service. “What impressed me with Randy was that his seeking input was not about just going through the motions,” Calloway says. “It was his sincerity.”
After attending a Washington, D.C., conference on affordable housing in March, Cole says he felt more optimistic about the sweeping funding changes in the federal government. With that in mind, Vox sat down with Cole to discuss the future of affordable housing in Columbia.
What are the goals for the Columbia Housing Authority in 2025?
Our primary focus every day has to be dedicated to caring for the individuals living in these properties. The big goal is finishing up our Kinney Point Project. It’s a 34-unit housing development at the corner of Garth and Sexton. It represents our largest expansion since Patriot Place and has one-bedroom units, two-bedroom, threes and fours.
Another big goal for 2025 is getting our Park Avenue project off the ground. We’re converting 70 units from public housing to nonpublic housing, and that’s been an effort that’s been underway since 2013. We were one of the first housing authorities in the state to
start that process.
A part of converting the housing from public housing to nonpublic housing means a Section 8 voucher gets tied to the unit. It allows us to access funds through the Missouri Housing and Development Commission to invest in those properties, and then it converts to a more sustainable financial model that makes us more independent.
Who are some of the partners on these projects?
We have a lot of partners. The Food Bank has a food pantry on-site and other places down on Park Avenue and Bear Creek. Services for Independent Living helps us with some transportation. Love Columbia regularly helps a lot of our tenants get into housing and then keep some of that sustainability if they run into challenges.
Burrell Behavioral Health provides case management and mental health support services. We’re going to be expanding that impact on Paquin Tower. Having some kind of additional hands on deck and additional, deeper level of licensure and things like expertise on site would be really good for our residents.
What does that holistic approach accomplish?
It’s intended to bring additional stability to that household. Housing provides a lot of stability if people know they can have a roof over their head, but having a resource like a person to reach out to if you need help applying for a job — that can be daunting to work through. It just helps people have extra wind in their sails to move on to that next step in life.
Randy Cole was named Columbia Housing Authority’s CEO in 2021. “We have a really dedicated team that believes in the work,” Cole says. “The more support we have, the better we can serve our residents.”
How do you think the Columbia Housing Authority will be affected by federal funding changes?
I know there’s some really significant changes and a very different environment than where we were at last year at the federal level. We think the Section 8 program could be on a decent track through the end of September, which is good. But there’s a lot of deferred maintenance and capital project needs in public housing funds.
I’d say a bigger concern on the cuts would also be the staffing — the staff that oversee the Community Development Block Grants, HOME and Continuum of Care. A lot of these programs and projects, by nature, synthesize a lot of political viewpoints across the country. That means there’s a lot of different nuances and regulations. That’s a concern: just making sure that there’s enough staffing capacity at the federal level because I have never gotten the sense that these projects were overstaffed.
How do we find time to live in a society that prioritizes the grind?
BY ASHLYNN PEREZ
Each day, like you, I get 24 hours to spend.
Like you, I try to sleep for some of it. I’m averaging six hours these days, nestled in my twin bed in my college house on East Campus. Each day, I wake up and still feel like it wasn’t enough. (I know six hours is more than you might get.)
Like you, I try to eat regularly. It’s easy to turn to fast food. I know the money adds up, but those lost hours add up, too: picking up the groceries and putting them away, cooking, eating, washing the dishes three times a day. It takes 10 minutes to get a meal downtown.
Like you, I have things to do. I’m a senior in college, which means not only are the classes getting harder, but I’m also taking 15-18 credit hours. That’s not a joyride. Advisors will sometimes tell you to budget three hours of extracurricular study for every credit hour. I’ve done the math: That means I should be studying for up to 54 hours outside of class each week.
Sorry to my professors — that’s not happening. Only having 24 hours in a day starts to seem unfair.
Maybe your life looks a lot like mine, or maybe it doesn’t. Maybe you’re a young mother trying to wrangle your kiddos, wiped by the time they’re asleep, realizing you didn’t get to do much for yourself today. Maybe you’re a business professional working overtime — again — because there are quotas to meet or bosses to satisfy. Maybe you’re caring for an elderly parent, trying to cobble together a life where you help them, work and look out for your young family, too.
With only 24 hours in a day, it’s hard to find time for ourselves. Like (some) analog clocks, we only have two hands, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Eating, sleeping and socializing take up an important portion of our day. If our work overlaps with our leisure time, how many of our daily 24 hours are really for us?
Can I make a guess about something else we share?
See if this sounds familiar. Something you’ve heard, definitely. Something you’ve said, probably.
“Hey! How are you?”
“Oh, I’m good, I’m good.” (Here’s where there might be a sigh.) “Just busy.”
I’m good, just busy. I say it so often, the words feel tired in my mouth. Repeated over and over like a mantra, and I suspect that feeling doesn’t end with me. I hear it from my coworkers, my roommates and my parents. In his book The Power of Human, Adam Waytz tells the story of a non-native English speaker who assumed “busy” meant “good” because of this exact textbook interaction.
A 2019 study in Business and Management Studies: An International Journal asked 225 white-collar workers whether they see themselves as busy people. I don’t think any of us are surprised that 78% of respondents said yes.
the cult and the culture
In our society, busyness feels like a lifestyle. Sociologists call it “time poverty.”
There simply isn’t enough time to do everything and also engage in meaningful rest. Time poverty is being overwhelmed by your to-do list, choking under the weight of it, or waking up each morning and feeling exhausted by the go, go, go. In 2018, the Pew Research Center had similar findings: 60% of U.S. adults said they sometimes felt too busy to enjoy life.
I asked Jenna Wonish-Mottin, a therapist who serves clients in Missouri and three other states, about the effects of busyness. “When people are too busy, they also do not have time to take care of themselves and recharge,” Wonish-Mottin says. “This is something I see in my practice, which has helped me understand where the drive for staying busy comes from. Sometimes it comes from external pressures, and other times it comes from our own internal beliefs of what we need to be doing to make us feel secure and happy.”
It’s easy to see how this happened. We grew up with the American dream and a “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality. Achieving those ideals requires hard work.
In 2019, Gallup found that 52% of Americans reported working more than 40 hours a week. Of those, 39% said they worked at least 50 hours. We can take it a step further: 7% of Americans reported working 70-plus hours a week.
It’s not limited to the corporate world either. Gabi Castillo, 23, has been a stay-at-home mother in Columbia for the past year and a half after the birth of her second child. She says she feels constantly busy due to the ever-growing list of errands or things to clean up around the house — all while trying to take care of her young children.
I don’t think it comes as a surprise that, like most things, excessive busyness can affect us both physically and mentally. The stress hormone cortisol has been shown to impair memory retrieval. A 2022 study by Sara Festini in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience finds, “Uncontrollable stress and feeling overworked can disrupt not only cognitive performance but also interpersonal interactions and well being.”
According to a 2023 article in Verywell Mind, this constant state of hurry can lead to consequences such as anxiety and depression, loneliness and feelings of inadequacy. It can manifest physically in a lack of sleep, headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, changes in sex drive, or even issues like compromised immune function, digestive issues and cardiovascular disease.
We’re not meant to be this busy.
It’s easier to ignore the warning signs. A few headaches or sleepless nights can be brushed off with ease. We tell ourselves, “It’s just for a little while, and then it gets better.”
As someone who is about to graduate from college and get married, I’ve been thinking about my future. A professor of mine asked me recently, “What do you want your life to look like five years from now?” The thought was easy to conjure.
I want to write. At the end of the day, I want to turn my laptop off and feel the day’s to-do list wash away from me. I want to go home and cook dinner with my husband — food from home, made with our hands, even if it takes an hour — and I want to go to bed at a decent time so I wake up the next day refreshed. I want to indulge in my hobbies. I want
to volunteer and meet friends over coffee. Doesn’t that sound nice?
But what does my life look like now? Well, I told you. Rushing from place to place with little sleep and less food. Feeling my eyes burn in front of my laptop as I stay up late, yet again, trying to meet a deadline.
I’ll ask you the same question my professor asked me: What do you want your relationship with busyness to look like in five years? What does it look like now?
Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “You are what you do every day.” When there’s an extra activity in the evening, it’s easy to push rest away and say, “It’s just one night.” And next time something extra gets added to your plate, it’s easier to see how a little extra busyness met your needs more efficiently.
That’s habit formation. We’re making a habit of hurry.
Psychology Today has this to say about habit formation: “People develop countless habits as they navigate the world, whether they are aware of them or not. The knee-jerk nature of these behaviors can help people get their needs met more efficiently in everyday life. Yet the fact that habits become deeply ingrained in our brains means that even if a habit creates more problems than it solves, it can be difficult to break.”
Even if we hate this constant feeling of time poverty or these habits of hurry, it seems impossible to stop. Once we’ve started working past 5 p.m., it’s difficult to imagine an end to that lifestyle, where all those extra hours of productivity are snatched away from you.
Over the summer, I told a group of people at my church (real, grown-up adults) that it’s easy to work hours overtime or stretch myself too thin because I tell myself: “I’m in college! After I graduate and I start working full-time, that’s when I’ll set work-life boundaries.” All of them shook their heads vigorously and said, “Nooooo.”
After I graduate, I’ll start going to sleep instead of working extra. After I get married, I’ll start prioritizing my relationship even when I’m swamped. After I get recognized for the promotion, I’ll stop putting so much on my plate. After the kids are older, I’ll start taking
WE’RE NOT MEANT TO BE THIS BUSY. IT’S EASIER TO IGNORE THE WARNING SIGNS. A FEW SLEEPLESS NIGHTS CAN BE BRUSHED OFF WITH EASE. WE TELL OURSELVES, “IT’S JUST FOR A LITTLE WHILE, AND THEN IT GETS BETTER.”
some time for myself.
But that’s the kicker about habit formation and continuation: Habits are deeply ingrained. The habits we create now are the habits we carry into the next stage of our life, too.
I’m not a pessimist, but waiting for the next stage of life when things will be easier just isn’t going to fix the habits of hurry we’ve built for months or years or decades. Graduation, marriage, jobs, moves and grown-up kids won’t make us less busy.
Changing those habits? That might do the trick.
Being still can be a habit, just like busyness can. This might look like spending time in meditation or prayer. Laugh. Sleep.
“I think society is changing its value on busyness and staying productive since mental health is being talked about more often,” Wonish-Mottin says. “People are starting to realize that resting isn’t a reward but a need.” For her clients, she recommends scheduled times for rest, self-care, walks outside or carrying snacks and water.
A professor once asked me, “When’s the last time you walked to class without listening to music?” Can we be content doing just one thing at a time? Each Friday, an old boss of mine posts on her Instagram story, “Slamming the laptop shut until Monday.” It’s a hard-won celebration.
When it comes to her children, Castillo says she makes it a point to be present with them however she can, even if that just means taking a pause to breathe while buckling them into their car seats. These little habits have allowed her a sense of stillness and presence as she goes about her day.
As for me, I try to spend my 24 hours well. I have grace for myself when I don’t, when I work too long again. We’re living in a culture that has become cult-like in its busyness, and people say the first rule of escaping a cult is recognizing that you’re in one. Some days, as I turn off the light by my bed, I let that understanding — and mercy for myself — be enough.
Each month, Vox curates a list of can’t-miss shops, eats, reads and experiences. We find the new, trending or underrated to help you enjoy the best our city has to offer.
BY SARAH GOODSON AND NATALIE-ELIZABETH TAN
Learn about next-level science during a two-hour Science Friday live show that’s coming to Columbia. Science Friday is an NPR show that covers topics varying from the common cold to outer space. Be a part of the SciFri party and attend the live recording of its show and podcast — presented by KBIA 91.3 FM. There will be interactive moments, an audience Q&A and science demonstrations.
6 p.m. May 10, Jesse Auditorium, 801 Conley Ave., $34.50-$64.50, kbia. org/science-friday-2025
Laugh until you can’t breathe with stand-up comedian Greg Warren at The Blue Note. Warren started his comedy career at the University of Missouri and now is a full-time comedian, so you won’t want to miss his return to the city that started it all. Prepare to slap a knee with the Jif peanut butter specialist — seriously, he really knows his peanut butter — by checking out his TV specials Greg Warren: Where the Field Corn Grows and Greg Warren: The Salesman, which take a deeper dive into his world of comedy and his days in peanut butter sales. 7 p.m May 2, The Blue Note, 17 N. Ninth St., $25-$30, gregwarrencomedy.com/events
Feast at Asian-owned restaurants around Columbia during May’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Chow down on egg tarts, cakes and more at U Knead Sweets before you let Nuu Thai fire up your taste buds with some authentic and affordable Thai cuisine from its food truck. Wash it all down with some refreshing boba from Tiger Tea. And because you deserve to finish things off with another sweet treat, savor a few (or a bunch, we don’t judge) artisanal chocolate bonbons from Tsokolate, a Filipino-owned chocolate shop. U Knead Sweets, 808 Cherry St.; Nuu Thai, 3300 S. Providence Road.; Tiger Tea, 2101 W. Broadway Suite 1; Tsokolate, tsokolate.com
Dance from the safety of your seat as local celebrities compete with extraordinary performances during Dancing with Missouri Stars. The Mareck Center for Dance is celebrating its roots through its annual rendition of the ABC show Dancing with the Stars. Enjoy delectable delights from Eclipse Catering and come dressed to impress for the red carpet. Support this high-spirited event and live out your dance competition dreams vicariously through the competitors. Come catch Thursday night fever!
7 p.m. May 22, MizzouRec, 1000 Rollins St., $30; $15, students, mareckcenterfordance.org/ events
Trot over to Warm Springs Ranch in Boonville during Mother’s Day weekend for The Mane Event. You’ll see how Budweiser’s majestic Clydesdale horses are trained to carry their iconic carts and witness how these professional handlers get everything picture-perfect for adoring fans. Choose from a variety of food trucks, and those over 21 can enjoy the day with an Anheuser-Busch beverage in hand. 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., May 10-11, Warm Springs Ranch, 3118 25270 Missouri 98, Boonville, $30, warmspringranch.com/tours-andexperiences
After 27 years, 1980s cult favorite The Untamed Youth announce a new album; Jell-O wrestling to be determined. BY
ALEX DAGGETT
The Untamed Youth started in a classroom. Linda Harlan, a teacher at Rock Bridge High School, had guitar legend Chuck Berry speak in one of her classes after meeting him at a fundraiser in St. Louis. One of the students watching was Deke Dickerson, the eventual frontman and guitarist for The Untamed Youth.
Dickerson was starstruck by Berry’s music and stage presence. He would soon begin performing in local bars, playing Berry’s songs on guitar and showing traces of the antics he would later be known for: crawling on his back while shredding or standing atop the bar.
The group was more than just a rock band — they provided fun for the city in the pre-internet days. After almost three decades, The Untamed Youth plans cause some chaos yet again.
Early in his teenage years, Dickerson began sneaking into The Blue Note to catch local acts. He admired the lives of these performers traveling from city to city and playing their music. “It blew my mind,” Dickerson says. “Immediately, I was like ‘This is what I want to do, I want to play live music.’ ”
After his first band fizzled out, Dickerson recruited fellow Rock Bridge classmates Steve Mace on bass, Doug
Walker on keyboard and Joel Trueblood on drums to form the inaugural version of The Untamed Youth. The band’s first gig was a New Year’s Eve party in 1986. By early 1987, they were opening for other acts at The Blue Note. After this, it didn’t even take a full year for the band to start performing solo shows.
Dickerson says the band tried to be countercultural like a 1960s group; they played everything very fast and aggressively to modernize the sound and fit into the alternative scene. “We decided that we wanted to put something together that would be kind of garage band music, and also incorporate some surf music,” Mace says.
Most importantly for the band members, they liked the sense of intimacy with the audience and the music at smaller venues. “The Untamed Youth is like the greatest band in the world in a bar that has about 100 capacity,” Mace says.
After their first few shows, the band members realized they needed something special to draw people in. Joe Bargmann, a friend of Dickerson, told the band that no one wanted to see a group of guys perform the same songs over and over again. This prompted the band to start employing notorious
gimmicks at its Blue Note shows.
“They had this showmanship about them,” says Kevin Walsh, former owner of Streetside Records. “It was just crazy. And it was really infectious.”
For one show, the band burst through a paper screen that projected films of an experimental New York City filmmaker. For another show, the band had a garage sale on stage during its set. Before one performance, Dickerson got his hands on a guillotine prop, so they brought it up on stage and advertised the show as the live execution of Mace.
Richard King, a former owner of The Blue Note, had a front row seat to many of these wild acts. “He’s just a very talented young man,” King says about Dickerson. “His unique shows — they’re just fun, they’re funny. And believe me the world needs a lot of that.”
Most infamously, the band hosted a Jell-O wrestling contest on stage that used 600 packets of red gelatin. The band disposed of the remaining Jello-O in the Dumpster by The Blue Note, staining the gravel red and causing the police to question King about a potential crime scene and animalistic sacrifices.
The band’s antics and high-octane sound caught the attention of Norton Records, which signed The Untamed Youth to a
record deal in 1987, and followed it up with its first real tour, playing a handful of shows in the New York City area.
The first iteration of the band changed after the members returned to Columbia, with Trueblood and Walker leaving. Dickerson and Mace found new members: Steve “Sammy” Rager and Chris Fletcher, and the group kept performing and recording.
“It was kind of nice because none of us were in school,” Mace says. “We could pretty much tour whenever we wanted.”
Like most things in rock ’n’ roll, The Untamed Youth couldn’t continue indefinitely. Dickerson and Mace moved to California in 1991 to pursue other ventures, triggering the end of the band.
Deke Dickerson played his first guitar — a 1966 Gibson — at The Untamed Youth’s performance at the Roots N Blues Festival in 2017. The band is known for its gimmicks during shows, including Jell-O wrestling and fake guillotines.
“If you knew (Deke) at 13, you could tell he was definitely on his way for something,” Walsh says. “You couldn’t keep this kid here.” It was in California that Dickerson knew he was in the right spot to continue his music career. He started playing with other musicians and still lives there. Mace moved back to Columbia, saying Los Angeles just wasn’t for him.
The Untamed Youth’s story doesn’t end with its frontman leaving Columbia. In the following years, the group had several reunion albums and reunion shows, including performing at the Roots N Blues Festival in 2017. “It was pretty exciting,” Rager says. “I was glad to be back on stage in the band’s hometown.”
In the summer of 2024, the band played two shows in California. During the week between the two shows, Dickerson proposed that the group record a new album at his house.
The Untamed Youth’s top three songs on Spotify are “Git Up and Go,” “Full Blown 426 Hemi” and “F.U.J.I.M.O.” Follow the band on Instagram @untamedyouth band
Over 27 years since its last release, The Untamed Youth have a new album coming out this fall. The 18-track project was recorded in the span of a week.
A lot of care went into these songs, and the band hopes the passion will shine through. “It’s probably about the best quality thing we’ve ever done, just in terms of a lot of the production work,” Mace says.
The album is guided by Dickerson’s fighting words: “These songs have to rock. They have to be really fast, and they have to have to rock.”
*Turn this page sideways to read.
What do deer carcasses and 1990s politics have in common? They’ve both been the subject of a Columbia-produced zine. Zines (pronounced ZEENS) are self-published mini-magazines that can be about basically anything. Milo Miller, co-founder of the Queer Zine Archive Project, says zines are vehicles for storytelling, education, community building and outreach. If you want to start a new hobby, connect with your community or share a story you’ve been meaning to tell, this guide is for you. Vox spoke with creators and curators of established zines to help you become a zinester.
Learn how to make your own from local zinesters.
BY KIANA FERNANDES AND SYD MINOR
1930-1970 1970-1990 1990-present Little magazines are published by Harlem Renaissance creatives. Sci-fi and other genre enthusiasts create fanzines about their favorite works.
The punk sub-culture and gay liberation movement adopt zines. Riot grrrls publish feminist zines. E-zines emerge online.
Ever Cole, KCOU Zine
1900-1930
“The resistance is to structures that impose hardship when there are other ways of doing it,” Miller says. “And how do we write about that? How do we communicate that?” According to the Library of Virginia:
Zines are used in various ways but historically appear within marginalized communities as a form of creative resistance.
“Pick something that you’re super passionate about, that you could write an entire essay about to begin with, and then the possibilities are limitless .”
“Sometimes things need to be done, and you might be the one asked to do it.” –Boone Stigall, The Trouble with Normal
Miller says zines are a tool that can be used in many ways. Here’s some advice from local zinesters about how to get started and find your zines’ angle.
“Just seeing people so enamored with the final product was really cool.”
“And then our little baby was born –our zine baby was born,” Cole says.
Because zines today can be made digitally, physically or both, the sky’s the limit on how they can be designed.Stigall’s designs have developed alongside technology. The Trouble with Normal began as a combination of digital typography and cut-and-paste visuals. Now, it is fully designed online. Cole says she and her team at KCOU Zine will combine physical elements like handwritten text , illustrations and collages with digital elements put together in Adobe InDesign based on what each spread needs.
(Make this page into a zine)
*Cut here!
Miller recommends several methods of distribution.
The best way to establish a community, Miller says, is to include your contact information in your zine so people can reach you with pitches, comments or orders.
There is also a wide array of options for printing zines. Cole says she uses the University of Missouri’s Riso Room for her personal projects and for KCOU Zine . Stigall used to print issues of The Trouble With Normal at print shops on campus and around Columbia, but he has since switched to using his own printer. Stigall says other zinesters in the community will borrow friends’ printers for their publications. In addition, Columbia is home to print shops like Minuteman Press and Grindstone Digital Im aging . Stores like UPS, Walgreens and CVS also offer printing services.
Local potter Jeff Ferguson mixes art and function in the kiln.
BY EMMA ZAWACKI
University of Missouri anthropology professor and potter
Jeff Ferguson doesn’t consider himself a creative person. Full stop.
“I’m definitely not what I would call an artistic potter,” Ferguson says. “I don’t paint stuff on it. I (am) not coming up with crazy new forms.”
Instead, the art of his craft is evident in the care he implements into each step of the process. He builds his own kilns, makes all his own clays — mostly with Missouri clay soil — and mixes up his own glazes. Ferguson’s source for his clay is located near the halfway point
between Columbia and St. Louis.
Spun with care
Ferguson built his wood kiln in 2016 with the mentorship of retired MU ceramics professor Bede Clarke. From there, his collection of kilns and equipment has continued to grow. After all, what is a technique without its tools?
“Every couple of years, I think I’m never gonna do anything more,” Ferguson says. “Then I build a wood kiln, and then I build a gas kiln and then keep adding on.”
He’s got clay mixers, pug mills and
Jeff Ferguson carves a rim at the top of a vase at his backyard studio. He says that a pot with a heavier rim actually will seem lighter in weight.
multiple wheels, but the next project he has his eye on is a soda kiln. It would give Ferguson the ability to add more surface effects and color to his works. This is achieved by firing the pottery while the kiln sprays a baking soda solution on the piece.
“There’s this collaboration between the potter and the kiln,” Clarke says, “and Ferguson’s very interested in that.”
Sometimes that collaboration looks like manufacturing items like bowls and mugs. Sometimes it looks like reforming the method. This is Ferguson’s everlasting experiment.
“I’ll constantly text and call (Clarke) and say, ‘What if I add 10% of this or 20% of that?’ ” Ferguson says. “And he’s like, ‘No, don’t do that; do something different.’ He’s 99% of the time right on with his initial guesses.”
But due to a busy schedule and life outside of his pottery workshop, Ferguson doesn’t have the time to deal with failed firings.
“I can’t do total experimental guesswork that just may all fail,” Ferguson says. “I’m kind of operating in this window between being a little creative on the technical side while also trying to make sure things work out.”
While Ferguson experiments with his techniques, he keeps his creations quite utilitarian.
He crafts cups, bowls and other kitchen equipment; his favorite piece to make is ever-changing.
“If I haven’t made mugs for a few weeks, then I’m really excited to make mugs,” Ferguson says.
Although Ferguson might not think his endeavors are artistic, Stacia Schaefer, an artist and a senior communications associate at the State Historical Society of Missouri, would disagree. “His pieces are so beautiful, and he goes to so much
trouble to develop them from scratch,” Schaefer says. “This is an artistic process in itself, and he’s amazing at it. If that’s not art, there’s no art in the world.”
Ferguson’s creations are masterpieces in their own right.
“The lines of his pottery are really beautiful,” Schaefer says, “but they don’t seem so fragile that you can’t use them. It’s a great balance between beauty and practicality.”
The beauty of his work comes from the care Ferguson puts into each step, but the approach comes from his personality.
“I like the actual forming process,” Ferguson says. “Doing things highly decorative just slows that process down. I’d rather make a lot more simple, functional (hardware).”
Not a self-proclaimed artist, but a creator nonetheless, Ferguson unites utilitarianism and beauty with his pieces. Each meticulous step of the process shines through in the end, making something as simple as a bowl into a masterpiece.
Ferguson sits at the pottery wheel and shapes clay into a vase. He finds joy in each piece he makes. “I don’t like to make things that I don’t enjoy,” he says.
Want to check out Jeff Ferguson’s work? He displays and sells pieces at Bluestem Missouri Crafts. And to try your own hand at throwing, explore our guide to mid-Missouri’s potteries on p. 35. Bring out your inner potter and throw your own pottery or get creative painting personal masterpieces.
The history of the United States is revolutionary — and complicated.
From abolition to women’s suffrage, from anti-war demonstrators to LGBTQ+ advocates and beyond, Americans from every century fought for the promise set forth in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal” and they have “certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
The dedication to creating an equal and just society has run through the veins of American activists for generations. Seven notable Columbians — Henry Kirklin, Annie Fisher, Luella St. Clair Moss, Jane Froman, Donald Sanders, Wynna Faye Tapp Elbert and Victor Estevez — stood up for what they believed in, regardless of what they were told they couldn’t do. In this issue of Vox, we reflect on their historic contributions, knowing that, ultimately, the work is never done. Here in 2025, when certain history is being scrubbed — transgender individuals removed from the description of the Stonewall National Monument or stories about women and people of color purged from the Department of Defense — it’s vital to look back and remember their fights for a better present and future.
Design by Valerie Tiscareno
Edited by Levi Case, Kiana Fernandes, Natalie-Elizabeth Tan and Yinan Wu
Written by Alex Daggett
A figure once lost to time but now recognized as the first Black instructor at the University of Missouri, the story of Henry Kirklin is one of achievement and overcoming unjust odds. Kirklin was a trailblazer — decades before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against MU in 1938 for unlawful discrimination in accessing higher education. He predated the first tenured Black professor at the university by more than 75 years.
Planting seeds
“He’s somebody who faced adversity,” says Billy Polansky, executive director of the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture. “He faced the naysayers, and he pushed through and he broke barriers.”
In 1858, Kirklin was born enslaved in Boone County, just east of Columbia, seven years before the Missouri Constitutional Convention approved an ordinance to abolish slavery. Around 1872, local business leader Joseph Douglas hired a teenage Kirklin to work in his greenhouse.“From these humble beginnings, he gets a really well-learned life lesson in agriculture and horticulture,” says Sean Rost, assistant director of research at the State Historical Society of Missouri.
Although many men were employed to do physical labor at the Douglas gardens, Kirklin quickly stood out as a fast learner who was dedicated to the craft of horticulture. His work was managed by two European-born gardeners who were “severe taskmasters.” To live up to their lofty expectations, Kirklin would often go to the gardens in the middle of the night to check on various projects. “This rigidity, this structure, guides him later on in life and in his own work in agriculture and horticulture,” Rost says.
Kirklin’s dedication caught the attention of Douglas himself, who took note of his hard work and raised his pay from 30 cents a day to $1, which is about $30 today.
In 1881, at the age of 23, Kirklin was hired by MU’s horticulture department as a gardener.
Having Douglas as a reference helped. Samuel Mills Tracy, the department’s head, visited the Douglas gardens, where he noticed Kirklin. “Tracy saw his talent, hired him, and — we believe — basically put him in charge of the university’s greenhouse,” says Chris Campbell, executive director of the Boone County Historical Society.
Additionally, Kirklin was involved with Tracy’s classes. Kirklin taught students about horticulture, grafting and pruning — skills Kirklin had learned through firsthand experience.
After the Civil War ended in 1865, Missouri had adopted Black Codes — also known as Jim Crow laws — which legally enforced racial segregation and discrimination. As a result, people of color hired by MU were prevented from assuming high-level positions and were restricted to physical labor roles. While Kirklin was the first Black person to be in a teaching role at the university, such discriminatory practices prevented him from being formally recognized as an instructor. “He wasn’t allowed in the buildings as a person of color,” Campbell says. But the university still employed him.
Kirklin didn’t let racial segregation on MU’s campus stop him from teaching students. Instead, he held classes outside in the greenhouse or on fields like Sanborn Field.
Three years after Kirklin was hired at MU, he had to resign due to inadequate wages. Afterward, he purchased a plot of land to grow his own produce, gaining acclaim for his ability to yield large harvests on only 3 acres. Kirklin sold his produce across Columbia at farmers markets and the university’s dining halls — even receiving media attention. The magazine The Country Gentleman published an article on Kirklin, later discovered by Leah El-Amin, Kirklin’s descendant. She purchased a copy, had it framed and displayed it in the entryway of her home. “I found it extraordinary, because let’s face it, an article about a Black man (at that time) is sort of unheard of,” El-Amin says. “He was a trailblazer. He was hardworking, and all those values have certainly been passed on to his offspring.”
The U.S. Supreme Court decision
Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 created the standard of “separate but equal,” allowing for legalized Black Codes and segregation.
Kirklin also kept supporting Black students’ education at Lincoln University by paying for their tuition out of his pocket.
In the past five years, there has been a movement to bring Kirklin’s life and accomplishments back into the public eye. In 2020, Kirklin’s unmarked grave at Columbia Cemetery was given a proper marker as a result of a GoFundMe campaign spearheaded by Campbell and the Boone County Historical Society. In 2021, MU honored Kirklin with the naming and dedication of the Henry Kirklin Plant Science Learning Laboratory. At the lab’s opening ceremony, MU Chancellor Mun Choi spoke about Kirklin’s history as the first official Black instructor at the university. In 2024, the city of Columbia purchased the Kirklin home at 107 Switzler St. with hopes of establishing a historical site to commemorate his legacy.
In the face of enslavement, segregation and racism, Kirklin — like millions of Black Americans — worked to succeed despite persistent opposition. Kirklin’s passion for and knowledge in agriculture and his teaching at MU deserved to be recognized in the 19th century, and it deserves to be recognized now. As diversity, equity and inclusion policies in academics and elsewhere are under fire, Kirklin’s story is a reminder that these topics matter.
“This was not somebody who just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Rost says. “Through his experience, all the way back to the Douglas greenhouse and nursery in Columbia, (he) developed a knowledge base that was education-driven.”
Kirklin was never given the opportunity to attend classes like his contemporaries did. Still, he learned, taught and succeeded.
Written by Mercy Austin
“This is my recipe, but you won’t have any luck until you put some elbow grease into it.” Those were the words of Annie Fisher, a local legend in Columbia, about her biscuit recipe. About 120 years ago, she was known across the world. Fisher was an award-winning Black chef and caterer who was reported to have once produced a million biscuits a year and 50 dozen biscuits an hour.
She was born in 1867 — two years after the Civil War ended — during a period of rapid change and hostility toward Black people. Her parents were enslaved, and she received only a third-grade level of education. Despite this, she carved out a name for herself.
Jam-packed with orders
In the 1890s, she worked as a cook for the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at the University of Missouri and later for several other prominent families. Her beaten biscuits gained attention, and she left MU to create her own catering business near her childhood home in Columbia. It was reported that she owned a thousand pieces of silverware and catered massive events for the university and other local organizations.
As her acclaim grew, she began shipping mail orders as far as Los Angeles, Denver and New York City — almost unheard of at the time. Fisher’s biscuits won a gold medal at the world’s fair in St. Louis in 1904 and they were on the table in 1911 when then-President William Taft
visited Sedalia for the Missouri State Fair.
Fisher’s biscuits amassed her a fortune. She bought 18 properties in downtown Columbia and rented them out, and she owned a 14-room mansion in what became Sharp End, Columbia’s historic Black business district. She paid her daughter’s way through college and music school. By 1929, Fisher was worth $150,000, or $2.8 million today.
Rising with the times
So much is still unknown about Annie Fisher. Historians face the challenge of documenting her meteoric rise based on only a few newspaper clippings. How did a woman born into slavery grow into one of the most successful entrepreneurs of her time, especially when so many other Black women lacked the agency and access to do so?
Bridget Haney, a research historian at the State Historical Society of Missouri, says Fisher’s rise was propelled by both her own business acumen and housekeeping work that gave her access to upper-class white families. “It’s a uniquely Missouri story,” Haney says. “From the 1890s to the 1910s, it was really this kind of identity question — ‘What does Missouri’s post-Civil War identity look like for Black people?’
The world was shifting, and that uncertainty made Fisher extraordinarily poised for a rise to stardom.
In 1904, the St. Louis world’s fair opens, drawing in at least 19 million visitors over seven months .
Life did not get easier for Black business owners. Years after her death, in 1938, Fisher’s mansion was one of many buildings in Sharp End torn down during a period of urban renewal in the 1960s. The federal government funded the demolition of the property because it was deemed “blighted.” In Columbia alone, 634 families were displaced and cut off from avenues of business development. Ninety-six percent of them were families of color.
Fisher’s legacy matters in a world where wealth access is still racially and socially stratified. A study by research firm McKinsey found that in 2022, women received less than 2% of total venture capital funding for entrepreneurial startups, and Black people received only 1%. Less than 0.1% of funds went to Black and Latino women.
Equality is still far away for aspiring entrepreneurs of color. But Fisher’s unprecedented triumph provides a vision for what can be possible with access, investment in Black entrepreneurship and a bit of elbow grease.
Written by Emma Zawacki
Luella St. Clair Moss — known as the “steam engine in petticoats” — laid the groundwork for future Missouri feminists.
During a time when women were heavily restricted, from the clothing they wore to their ability to vote, St. Clair Moss created a lasting legacy by fighting for rights she strongly believed in during the early 20th century.
Educator and activist
“You have to look at it in context of its time,” says Marilyn McLeod, president of the League of Women Voters of Missouri.
At a time when women “were in the home,” St. Clair Moss shattered glass ceilings. She worked at Columbia College when it was still called Christian Female College. St. Clair Moss was the college’s first woman president, the first woman elected to the Columbia Board of Education and in 1922 was he first Missouri woman to be nominated for a national political office, two years after women gained the right to vote.
Local playwright Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri, author of the 2025 play LUELLA, says a combination of natural leadership and compassion drove St. Clair Moss to work to make her students’ futures brighter. Braaten Palmieri says the students’ love for St. Clair Moss was evident in the dedication of a 1910 yearbook. It reads “our president, our inspiration in all things worthy, our ideal of perfect womanhood, we dedicate this volume with the loving wish that for her sake, our best were better.”
While at the college, St. Clair Moss helped establish the Columbia Equal Suffrage Association to work toward securing the right to vote for women. “They had faith even before the amendment was actually ratified to rename the organization ‘League of Women Voters,’ ” says Mahree Skala, president of the League of Women Voters of Columbia-Boone County.
The past informs the present
More than a century after women’s enfranchisement and St. Clair Moss’ bid for a U.S.
House of Representatives seat, her fight is still relevant.
Missouri ranks 36th among state legislatures in the proportion of women lawmakers, according to the Center for American Women and Politics.
Lt. Gov. Harriet Woods made history as the first woman elected to that post in 1984. Missouri still has not had a female governor, and women make up less than one-third of both chambers of the Missouri General Assembly. Barbara Buffaloe is only the second woman mayor of Columbia, with Mary Ann McCollum holding the position from 1989 to 1994.
Systemic patriarchy and disenfranchisement made it difficult for women to occupy leadership positions during St. Clair Moss’ time. Now, it is a goal of the highest elected official in Columbia. “One of the things that I really enjoy about the job is getting to talk to young women,” Buffaloe says, “to hopefully inspire them to take up leadership roles in our community and to see themselves identified in the leaders.”
St. Clair Moss died in 1947 and is buried in Columbia Cemetery. While her body has been laid to rest for 78 years, her legacy lives on in Columbia and Missouri. St. Clair Moss’ accomplishments are extensive and League of Women Voters continues her mission by educating voters.
“It’s incredibly important that we do so in order to maintain our democracy,” Skala says. “It’s not the time — no time is the time — to be passive and just let the world happen without expressing your opinions and ideas through your right to vote.”
The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, giving women the right to vote (though it wasn’t until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that the right extended to women of color).
Written by Katie Grawitch
Jane Froman, microphone in hand, stepped onstage for the first time in a decade. That night, 10,700 people packed the Municipal Auditorium for the 1971 Kansas City Easterseals gala. For Froman, who was 63 at the time and accustomed to MGM film sets and Broadway theaters, this was light work.
The moment also symbolized something larger. It was a rare instance in Froman’s later years where she merged the two halves of her legacy: a trailblazing entertainer and a health care advocate who fought for the rights of people with mental and intellectual disabilities.
From local singer to national star Froman moved to Columbia in 1919 on the cusp of her high school years. Her mother taught at Christian Female College, now Columbia College, and Froman earned a twoyear degree there before leaving the city to join the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. This is where her career took off.
— former President Franklin D. Roosevelt personally invited her to perform for U.S. troops abroad during World War II.
But everything changed in 1943.
En route to her first United Service Organizations performance in Europe, Froman’s plane crashed in the Tagus River in Lisbon, Portugal. One of just 15 survivors out of 39 passengers, Froman suffered major injuries and used a leg brace for the rest of her life. Between 1943 and 1945, she underwent 20 surgeries. The crash didn’t just fracture her body; it affected her mind. In 1949, Froman checked herself into the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, for treatment of depression and trauma — an act almost unthinkable for someone of her status in an era when mental illness was heavily stigmatized.
Froman returned to the stage on crutches to complete her USO tour, using performance fees to pay her medical bills.
Jane Froman helped destigmatize mental health care.
While she slowly retired from professional performance, she redirected her energy toward advocacy.
In 1956, Froman established the Jane Froman Foundation to support the Menninger Clinic’s Southard School for Children, serving several terms on its board. Her foundation also funded mental health research and subsidized care for children whose families couldn’t afford it. Froman often visited the school in Topeka, to sing to the children.
Froman brought that same passion home to Columbia. In 1961, after another major surgery, Froman settled permanently in Missouri and focused on her public service. She chaired Missouri’s 1967 Easterseals campaign, which raised a record amount of money to support children and adults with disabilities — even as it took a toll on her health. The Rehabilitation Institute of Missouri later named an award in her honor, recognizing her advocacy for Missourians living with disabilities.
Through radio spots and public appearances, Froman helped destigmatize mental health care. Her public disclosure of her own clinic stay sparked a quiet revolution. Froman’s example may have helped normalize seeking mental health care in rural Missouri, says Mark Benton, a professor at the University of Missouri College of Health Sciences. “It’s a joke that ‘how do you know when a rural farmer is in really bad trouble? When he goes to the doctor,’ ” Benton says. “Representation like Jane’s mattered — it showed that even someone admired could need and benefit from help.”
Jennifer First, an MU assistant professor and social worker, calls Froman’s efforts foundational. “Bringing together the community and individual survivors, building support systems — that’s what Froman’s work facilitated,” First says. “And that’s what we’re still trying to do today.”
Though Froman died in 1980, her impact lingers. Her career might have lit up marquees, but it’s her persistent advocacy that endures in the mental health systems she helped shape. 1942
The American Federation for the Physically Handicapped in 1942 became the first national organization to lobby against job discrimination for people with disabilities.
Written by Austin Garza
Fred Thompson, Republican counsel on the Watergate committee, is usually credited with asking White House aide Alexander Butterfield a pivotal question during the Watergate investigation: “Mr. Butterfield, are you aware of the installation of any listening devices in the Oval Office of the president?”
But it wasn’t his question.
The discovery first belonged to Donald Sanders, deputy counsel for the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities investigation into the Nixon administration in 1973, who’d asked Butterfield about the listening devices in a meeting days earlier.
Sanders, a Missouri native and University of Missouri graduate, had an extensive resume, including service in the U.S. Marine Corps, work for the Atomic Energy Commission and the Department of Defense. Known for his meticulous record-keeping — more than 100,000 documents carefully organized — Sanders felt connected to history because he “felt like he was a
part of it.” Beneath the repertoire was a man who helped prove anybody can hold the government accountable, even at the highest level.
“Little-known man” with the big question Sanders’ government career began after he graduated from MU in 1954, where he spent a time in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining the FBI in 1959. His first assignment took him to Birmingham, Alabama — a city overflowing with Civil Rights tension — where he interviewed witnesses and survivors of a 1961 Ku Klux Klan attack on the Congress of Racial Equality’s Freedom Riders. Codenamed “Silver Fox,” Sanders worked at the FBI’s Miami headquarters from 1961 to 1964 and later at the D.C. headquarters from 1965 to 1969.
Sanders served as deputy minority counsel on the Watergate committee from March 1973 to September 1974. His focus wasn’t on publicity. To him, it was just another job. His plan to interview Butterfield was casually scheduled in his packed planner from July 1973, right below the note, “Took Howard (Baker) to Rep. club for lunch.”
Donald Sanders demanded government accountability.
Sanders’ daughter, Debi Sanders, says Howard Baker, a U.S. senator from Tennessee, asked her dad to interview Butterfield about the White House taping system on live TV. Instead, Sanders humbly declined, saying his boss, Fred Thompson, should have the opportunity.
“We used to tease my dad and call him the littleknown man and say, ‘Dad, you could have been the very well-known man if you had asked the question,’ ” Debi says. “He would say, ‘Nope, that’s the way it was supposed to be.’ ”
Sanders, a member of the Republican Party, helped uncover the corruption of the sitting Republican president Richard Nixon. His efforts stand as a reminder that government accountability is not a partisan issue but is a crucial aspect of democracy. Debi was in college during the Watergate investigation and remembers her dad’s reaction when Nixon resigned. “When the president chose to leave, we saw that photo of the helicopter taking off from the White House lawn,” she says. “I very clearly remember my dad saying: ‘This is the way it’s done in democracies. We don’t use violence when there’s a transition in government.’ ”
Away from Washington, Sanders lived a quiet life at his farm in Midway, Missouri, with his wife, Dolores, and their children. “He was always so proud of his family and grandkids,” Debi says. “He loved taking his grandkids to the Boone County Fair when they visited in the summer and saying, ‘These are my grandkids.’ ”
Fame was never Sanders’ end goal. He spent the rest of his life working in behind-the-scenes roles for various organizations at the federal level and returned to mid-Missouri as a member of the Boone County Commission from 1988 to 1990.
Evaluating a legacy
Sanders’ roles in the FBI and Watergate investigation defined his career, but there were other moments that did not stand the test of time. Between his time at the FBI and on the Watergate committee, he worked at the U.S. House Committee on Internal Security from 1969 to 1973, a group investigating suspected communists in America. He worked under
Richard H. Ichord, a U.S. representative from Missouri, who aimed to prevent any so-called “subversive activities” that threatened the federal government.
While on the national committee, Sanders was interested in the Students for a Democratic Society’s local impact in Columbia. In a 1970 letter to Columbia Police Chief Paul Cheavens, Sanders wrote, “I would be appreciative of any significant information which comes to your attention concerning the development of the Black Panthers and SDS at the University (of Missouri).”
Sanders’ involvement with the U.S. House Committee on Internal Security complicates his legacy. Yet, his efforts to restrict the activities of Students for a Democratic Society and the Black Panther Party in Columbia are essential when looking back on his work.
Charles Zug, a University of Missouri assistant professor of political science, says he believes there are still valuable insights to draw from Sanders’ career. “You just have to be honest,” Zug says. “There are ways to talk about these things that are honest and don’t whitewash stuff, but you can also appreciate the good.”
Political legacies are seldom clear-cut, and reconciling an individual’s varied legacy can be challenging; Zug says this reconciliation is possible depending on the person and their work.
“No matter how morally upright a politician tries to be, they will make controversial decisions,” Zug says. “When someone is painted in such a negative light that you can’t see any of the good, you can’t inspire people to effect positive change that way. You can’t make people feel proud about their politics that way.”
Sanders’ career significantly affected national politics, and there are valuable lessons to learn from his life’s work. In an era when the ethics and accountability of federal governmental officials is in question, his legacy lives on as a reminder that the “little-known” people can shape history and make a big impact.
Written by Mercy Austin
Leaky roof. Rotted wood. Termite damage. Fiftyseven building code violations. When the Warren Funeral Chapel went up for sale in 1997, the Fourth Street building was dilapidated. Members of nearby businesses discussed razing the chapel and converting the land into a parking lot, says former Columbia Parks and Recreation employee Bill Thompson.
Yet, behind its crumbling walls, there was a powerful story. Long before the Warrens bought the property, it belonged to John William “Blind” Boone, a ragtime composer who achieved national fame despite losing his vision at a young age. With the demolition of the home, Columbia risked losing its strongest connection to one of the city’s most remarkable historical figures.
That was when Wynna Faye Tapp Elbert stepped in to save the house. “(She) called a bunch of people together, and we started working,” Thompson says.
Elbert, who was a Columbia Parks and Recreation employee, mobilized her connections across Columbia to convince the city to step in and buy the property. A board was formed, and two decades of restoration work commenced.
The home opened to the public in 2016, offering tours and serving as an event venue for the community. Situated behind the house is the Elbert Tribute Garden, a nod to the woman who saved the house and helped bring it back to life. “Historian — Teacher — Activist — Visionary,” reads its plaque.
The salvaged building represents Elbert’s lifelong commitment to Black pride, community resilience and relentless Civil Rights activism in Columbia. When Elbert was 15 years old in 1960, she was one of nine demonstrators thrown out of the segregated Minute Inn, a pivotal point in Columbia’s desegregation movement. She continued to advocate for Black rights throughout her life, acting as co-director of the MLK Memorial Association and spearheading the CARE community work program at Columbia Public Schools. She also served on the Boone County Judicial and Law Enforcement
Task Force. “She was just larger than life,” says Debra Williams, Elbert’s daughter. “Everybody respected her.”
Elbert spent decades researching and telling stories about Columbia’s Black history. Her exhibits about lost people and places in the city were displayed all over town, including the Douglass High School gym, the Parks and Recreation office and the J.W. “Blind” Boone Community Center.
“It was possible for (Black history) to be erased,” says Markisha Young, Elbert’s granddaughter. “It was possible for it to not even be counted or recognized, and she knew that wasn’t right. She knew that our lives matter and we should be accounted for.”
Elbert also hosted a radio show, Straight Talk, which aired on KOPN for two decades and covered issues about Columbia’s community, history, politics or even local gossip. “Everybody in this 31-county region who was Black listened to that show,” Thompson says.
Elbert earned her master’s degree in community development and education from the University of Missouri. Her thesis focused on preserving local Black history. With Thompson’s help, Elbert recorded over 150 hours of oral history interviews with Black community members across the city.
But after Elbert died in 2014, the tapes were tragically never recovered. None of the schools or the public library received copies, Thompson says. He has spent the last few years searching for the tapes, trying to recover a seminal piece of Columbia’s history. But he never managed to find them. Now, he is transcribing pieces of the interviews from his memory.
On Elbert’s deathbed, she told her family two things: She was going to die trying to make the world a better place, and she wanted people to continue her work after she was gone. Continuing her work would instill pride — in their histories, in their communities and in their city.
Nine demonstrators, including Wynna Faye Tapp Elbert, were thrown out of the segregated Minute Inn in 1960.
Wynna Faye Tapp Elbert worked to preserve her community’s stories.
When the City Council approved an ordinance protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination in 1992, it was the first Missouri city to do so.
Welcome to 1988. The sun is shining, Glenn’s Cafe just opened on the corner of Ninth and Cherry streets, and the red brick is still vibrant on the recently constructed Lowry Mall. Victor Estevez is a classical studies instructor at the University of Missouri by day and an activist for LGBT rights by night. And his story is still relevant in the struggle for equality today.
Prior to Estevez’s time at the university, in the 1940s and ’50s, MU went through the “gay purge.” Administrators fired openly gay professors and targeted so-called “dangerous homosexuals.” By the late 1960s and early ’70s, students were gaining more rights — this included the ratification of the 26th Amendment that allowed 18-year-olds to vote. U.S. Supreme Court cases like Healy vs. James also set the precedent that recognized student unions’ right to free speech. This required the university to recognize MU’s Gay Liberation student group.
Estevez, a member of the Human Rights Commission and a gay man, dedicated his life to fighting for civil rights for Columbia’s LGBT community — now more frequently referred to as LGBTQ+. He co-hosted the radio program The Gaydar Show!, spoke at LGBT events on Mizzou’s campus and went head-to-head with naysayers in the opinion sections of the Columbia Daily Tribune and Columbia Missourian
Estevez wrote to editors, legislators and the community directly. Not only did he stand for LGBT rights, but he also took an intersectional approach to the issues. “This much is clear: When one group’s freedoms are diminished in any way, it puts the freedoms of all groups in danger,” Estevez wrote in a Dec. 19, 1991 piece titled “Homosexuals, blacks unite for civil rights fight.”
Making his voice heard
If there’s a single takeaway from Estevez’s history, it’s that he was passionate and determined. One example of his strength and endurance as an activist came after an attack on a local columnist.
Clifford Moyers was a gay rights columnist for the Columbia Daily Tribune, known for his column and refusing to “act straight” in public. In May 1990, Moyers was at Denny’s with some buddies talking about gay rights when he was attacked and repeatedly thrown into a window. Moyers
Written by Ally Schniepp
was driven to the hospital and suffered injuries to his left leg and arm.
Although the attacker was apprehended by the police, Estevez refused to stay silent. After the attack, he spoke to media outlets about his outrage at the discrimination and abuse of a gay man with AIDS. He said it was “further evidence that it is time for the City Council to look into a gay rights ordinance.”
Another example of Estevez’s determination came in July 1992 with his work to pass the city’s gay rights ordinance. It paid off when the City Council approved it in a 5-2 decision. Columbia made Missouri history as the first municipality to pass a law protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination in employment, housing, religion or other institutions. “We are going to be in your face until you deal with this issue,” Estevez wrote in an article about the ordinance. “People say you can’t change people’s minds by passing laws. But you can and you do have ways of controlling their behavior.”
What he didn’t expect was that resident Eric Niewoehner would muster up a group to oppose the ordinance. Citizen Alert was formed to repeal the law protecting sexual orientation and prevent the council from passing the statute again.
Citizen Alert did not succeed in their attempts to repeal the law or bring it to a vote. The work of Estevez and other local activists kept Columbia citizens informed about what the Citizen Alert’s petition would mean for their community. Estevez donated his files to the State Historical Society of Missouri before he died in 1998.
In 2024, 32 years after the 5-2 vote from City Council to protect gay and lesbian rights, the council voted to designate Columbia as a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community. Without the dedication from Estevez and other activists in the 1980s and ’90s, Columbia might not be the inclusive place it has become. As recent legislation in Missouri and nationwide has attempted to remove protections for and the rights of LGTBQ+ individuals, it’s important to remember people like Estevez who fought for — and won — many of the city’s first protections for this community.
Whether your tastebuds steer you toward seltzer, rum or rosé cider, Columbia’s bartenders have a new drink for you.
BY ALLI BEALMER
With flowers blooming and warm weather returning, local bartenders have curated new beverages to give customers a taste of spring.
“When I think of spring, I really think of fresh, bright flavor profiles,” says Frances Fujiko Harvey, the bar manager at Barred Owl Butcher & Table. “Floral notes (are) also what really makes a spring cocktail delicious and season-inspired.”
Wondering where to indulge in a new drink? Vox has springy sips just for you.
Barred Owl Butcher & Table
This cocktail is a play on rum and Coke: keep the flavor, kick the Coca-Cola. The drink includes Planteray aged rum, Carpano Antica vermouth, Ramazzotti amaro liqueur, demerara syrup and club soda.
The bartenders at Barred Owl often find inspiration for their drinks by going to farmers markets to check out seasonal flavors.
“Spring is a time where a lot of new flavors are popping out of the ground,”
The CC’s Bloom (left) and the Strawberry Hydrangea are springing onto the scene in Columbia, bringing warm weather and fruity flavors with them.
Harvey says. “The great thing about Barred Owl is that we’re always emphasizing using what is in season.”
Try this rum creation: 4:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 4:30-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday Price: $12
Irene’s
The Strawberry Hydrangea has a base of Waves strawberry rosé cider, Cappelletti and strawberry rhubarb liqueur, with orange juice and a hint of lemon.
“It’s a drink you’re going to have two or three of outside because you’ve been inside all winter and you’re ready to get back into that warm weather vibe,” says Berrick Wahby, general manager at Irene’s.
Taste for yourself: 4-9 p.m. on Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday Price: $10
Room 38 Restaurant & Lounge
The four head bartenders at Room 38 have curated their own cocktails for spring. Danny Wheeler’s inspiration came from a couple who asked him to recreate a drink they had in Mexico.
“He gave me the ingredients, and I just ran with it,” Wheeler says. “I tried the rest that was in my shaker cup, and I was like, ‘This is one of the best drinks I’ve ever had in my entire life.’”
CC’s Bloom has RumHaven, banana and melon liqueurs, splashes of sour mix and pineapple juice and an orange peel garnish. The drink is named
after the couple who inspired it, Chuck and Clara.
Take a mental trip to Mexico: 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday Price: $13
Logboat Brewing Company
The Turtle Power seltzer is based on a decade-long taproom favorite cocktail of the same name. The Logboat team transformed the cocktail recipe into a seltzer-style beverage while maintaining its notes of grapefruit, elderflower and lemon.
“I would just encourage everybody that likes those Turtle Power flavors, or has had it in the taproom in the past, to give it a try once it’s released,” says Andrew Sharp, co-owner of Logboat.
Hoping to try it? Plan a trip soon: The drink is set to release by May 1.
Grab a pack: 3-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 7 p.m. Sunday Price: $9.49 for a six pack
For those looking for a nonalcoholic spring drink, Irene’s added a pink lemonade with hibiscus simple syrup to its menu.
The Shawn at the Beach is a staple on Flyover’s ever-changing menu, returning each week with a different take on the classic daiquiri. Each iteration contains rum, lime juice and syrup, but the flavor of the rum and tea syrups differ.
“It might be a pineapple rum in one iteration, (or) it might be a dark coconut rum,” says Dan Dethrow, co-owner of Flyover. “We’ll also change the syrup a little bit. So it might be a green tea blend, or it might be a white tea and chamomile blend.”
Flyover’s rotating slate of drinks is partially thanks to the collaborative process among bartenders. In the kitchen, they bounce ideas off of one another: a salt mist here, a new flavor there.
“We want to give (our bartenders) a chance to showcase things that they’re working on,” he says. “It keeps all of us attentive and creative.”
Get the tea-riffic drink: 4:30-10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 4:30-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday Price: $11
Honduras Restaurant is a taste of home for Columbia’s Central American community.
BY RAPHAEL STERNADORI
When you walk into Honduras Restaurant, the first thing you might notice is the lingering scent of smoked, salty meats wafting from the kitchen. Patrons watch fútbol (soccer to Americans) on the TV nearby. They chat in Spanish among themselves and with employees, sipping Honduran sodas, juices and coffee. Background music coming from the overhead speakers creates a relaxed, almost sleepy atmosphere, reflective of a slower pace of life in Honduras.
Carly Barahona and her mother, Francisca Mejia, opened Honduras Restau-
rant in December. Mejia opened a similar restaurant 30 years ago in Miami after emigrating from Honduras, where she served her grandmother’s recipes. She decided to move to Columbia to be closer to family and avoid Florida’s high cost of living.
Central American eats Mejia and her daughter still use her grandmother’s recipes in the kitchen, but the food served in the restaurant isn’t strictly Honduran. “We’re trying to keep it Central American,” says Denis Garcia, Barahona’s son who helps with customer service.
Delores Hernandez cooks pork rinds and other key ingredients on the stovetop at Honduras Restaurant. The pork rinds are ground with tomatoes and onions and cooked over a span of six to eight hours.
What Central American food is on the menu? Take pupusa, a staple of Salvadoran food. It’s a slice of thick flatbread filled with various ingredients like cheese, chicharrón (fried pork rinds) and beans. On the side is curtido, a spicy fermented cabbage similar to coleslaw, meant to tide you over and cleanse the palate.
Or how about baleada? At first glance, you might think it’s a taco, but upon closer inspection, you’ll find the tortilla is larger and thicker. Inside are beans, crema and other toppings like beef or avocado.
And the tamales? They’re massive. They make a traditional corn tamale from Mexico look petite. “We use different condiments than the Mexicans,” Mejia says, speaking through Garcia as an interpreter. “We have different tamales. We put more meat in them, or we put rice and potatoes in them.”
One of the most important things, according to the family, is making sure the food tastes authentic. Garcia says the flour they use in their tortillas is gluten-free — not for dietary reasons, but because it’s more authentic to tortillas in Honduras. The meat they use is also hormone-free.
Consistency is also vital. “We want it always to be the same thing,” Mejia says, with Garcia interpreting. Because everything is made fresh, the food is prepared the same way every time.
Drinks are also essential to the menu. The restaurant offers imported sodas from Honduras, along with homemade Honduran variants of drinks with hibiscus flavors and horchata.
Garcia says the items on the menu are meant to transport customers to Central America and invoke nostalgia.
“We also have Honduran chips called Zambos,” Garcia says. “Some kids in Honduras would put ground beef, purple onions — all that kind of stuff — on the chips. And that’s what we started doing here: just as a memory for the people that have come from Honduras.”
Jireh Nuñez, a regular customer, says she was excited when the restaurant opened. The owners are “welcoming from the minute you walk in,” she says.
“As a Honduran, being a part of that culture and not having that around here — a store or a restaurant or anything — it was very exciting to know that a Honduran restaurant was being opened here in central Missouri,” Nuñez says.
The restaurant serves as a cultural hub for the local Central American community. In a sea of restaurants with Mexican fare, Honduras Restaurant stands out as a beacon for an underrepresented demographic in Columbia.
Discover Central America at 1301 Vandiver Drive Suite E, Tues.–Sat., 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; 573-810-7349 or order ahead at hondurasrestaurant.com.
Finding a rat isn’t always a bad thing — in the sport of barn hunt, it’s your dog’s whole goal.
BY RAPHAEL STERNADORI
Has your dog ever seen a squirrel on a walk? You know what happens. It goes on instant alert — like Doug from the movie Up. It might start to whine; some will even try to chase after the squirrel. Dog breeds like terriers and pinschers were bred to hunt mice and rats. Barn hunt — which started in Columbia — is a canine activity that satisfies the dogs’ vermin-sniffing natures safely while strengthening the bond between dog and owner.
During a barn hunt, dogs and handlers work together to navigate a straw bale course of tunnels and jumps to locate rats, which are safely placed in tubes. Dummy tubes that are empty or contain only droppings challenge the dogs to find the real thing. It is up to the dogs to sniff out the live rats, and it is up to the handler to know when their dog has located one before time runs out. “It’s very much a team thing,” says Jennifer Riess, an instructor at the Columbia Canine Sports Center. “Both sides are learning to read the other one.”
The start of the hunt
Barn hunt has become a global sport with trials in the United States, Canada and Europe, but it began as a way for Robin Nuttall, a Columbia native, to find a sport for her dog.
In 2013, Nuttall was frustrated that her miniature pinscher, Zipper, wasn’t allowed to compete in the American Kennel Club (AKC) game of earthdog. In that sport, small dogs dig through
tunnels hunting for vermin, but at the time, it was restricted to certain breeds. “I thought it might be a good idea to come up with a sport not just for minpins, but for any dog that wanted to (hunt),” Nuttall says.
Nuttall created barn hunt with fewer limitations. The rules and courses allow large dogs to play, and it’s open to dog breeds that aren’t specifically bred to hunt. “When Robin couldn’t convince AKC to allow minpins to do earthdog, she developed barn hunt into an actual sport,” Riess says. “(She) came up with rules and levels of classes and all of the infrastructure.”
While the sport was in development, Riess and her team would set up a course, and Nuttall would bring Zipper and her other dog, a Doberman. These two canines, along with Riess’ German shepherds, would test out the course to make sure it was feasible for dogs of all sizes.
Part of why barn hunt exploded in the world of dog sports, in addition to its few limits on breeds and sizes, is how easy it is for dogs and their handlers to
pick up. “I consider barn hunt a gateway sport,” Nuttall says. “It’s very accessible to people who have never done dog sports before.”
Ashley Meyer and her American pit bull terrier, Turk, love to compete in barn hunt. “His tail will start to go a mile a minute,” Meyer says. “His ears perk up, he gets a little more intense when he finds a rat. Sometimes, he will dig out the tube.”
Meyer has noticed the benefits of the mental stimulation for Turk. “He’s both a very smart and very athletic dog, and it doesn’t matter how many walks you take a dog on, mental exercise is so much more beneficial than just physical exercise,” she says.
Nuttall says she hopes that people
who participate in barn hunt enjoy themselves and that it opens their eyes to the world of dog sports. Nuttall’s goal, however, goes beyond introducing new activities. “The more you can get people involved in dogs and dog sport, the less likely they are to give up their dog for a frivolous reason,” Nuttall says.
In 2024, the Barn Hunt Association held 622 events. That number will likely continue to grow as more dog owners are looking for a fun and active way to bond with their pooches.
“I didn’t invent this sport to be a huge, profit-making machine,” Nuttall says. “What has been important is growing the sport in a way that increases its availability to people, and that spreads it, but in an organic way.”
After completing a run, Memphis comes out at the end of a tunnel energized. Barn hunt provides your pooch with both mental and physical exercise.
Do you think you and your dog have what it takes to work together? Register for a barn hunt with the Barn Hunt Association for $32. Contact the Columbia Canine Sports Center at 573-8172272 or online.
Yep, it’s rats in tubes. There’s an element that sets barn hunt apart from the other games: It isn’t just about the dogs and the handlers. Rats play a critical role in the game, and keeping them safe is a top priority. “Rat safety is one of our very first concerns,” says Jennifer Riess, who is dubbed the “rat master” at Columbia Canine Sports Center. “Robin (Nuttall) devoted a lot of time in the rulebook on how to care for the rats and how they’re handled.”
Rats are put into aerated tubes and hidden in hay or straw for the dogs to sniff out. Barn hunt allows dogs and owners to strengthen their bonds.
Sensory arts and crafts like pottery can help ease mental health tension. Here’s where to go in mid-Mo.
BY OLIVIA MAHL
Feeling glum or stressed out?
Burnt out from work or bogged down from a busy schedule? Tapping into your creative side can aid mental health. If you have a taste for creativity or just want to give it a try, throwing pottery is a great option. Working with pottery might seem less accessible than other arts and crafts, but Vox found spots to try your hand at it in mid-Missouri.
Sandy Goff, co-owner of Pottery Island, says pottery is good way to unwind. From family gatherings and bridal showers to team-building and birthday parties, painting pottery is a good activity for all sorts of groups.
“Our line says, paint your own pottery; it’s cheaper than therapy. It’s absolutely true,” Goff says. “We have mental health people that send their clients here after a session because they need to do something positive and creative. We also have people that bring their clients in to talk to them while they’re painting. We have a lot of nurses come
to unwind — teachers too.”
Here are three places where you can paint existing pottery and one where you can try throwing your own.
When walking into Pottery Island, you’ll be greeted by an array of pottery of all different shapes and sizes. This is where you pick your soon-tobe masterpiece. Next comes underglazing: You paint the pottery before it goes into the kiln where the firing happens.
Owners Sandy and Vaughn Goff are there to give you any pointers you may need. They provide you with stencils, sponges, brushes and stamps for designing. After you finish, you’ll give it to one of them to put into the kiln to fire. Then, about a week later, you can pick up your personalized piece. What to know: If your group is five people or more, a reservation is required. There is also an option to book a private party room with a nonrefundable deposit of $50. To book a reservation in the studio there is a $20 deposit that will get credited back to your final bill.
Finding your zen space is easy with these mid-Missouri pottery places. Whether you just want to paint or would like to try your hand at throwing, there is something for everyone.
Where to go: 601 Business Loop 70 W. Suite 213C; Mon.-Wed., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thurs.-Sat., 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; 573-356-5234 or email businessoffice@ pottery-island.com
What you’ll spend: Prices start at $5 but can go up to $400 for the most complicated pieces.
The Mud Room
Here you can paint your own pottery as well as take a stab at a ceramics class. The Mud Room has a seasonal selection of pieces from which to choose your next art piece.
The staff will hand out instructions for painting, and they’ll be available to answer questions and equip you with the right tools to make the creative process easier. You can also bring your own acrylic paint and take 30% off your final total by only paying for the bisque: the ceramic item you would be painting.
Once you’re done, they’ll fire it, and you can pick up your masterpiece in one to two weeks. The Mud Room won’t throw pottery away, so if you forget to pick it up, just give them a call.
What to know: No reservations needed, but you are welcome to schedule appointments over the phone. Where to go: 11 S. Ninth St. Suite 140; Tuesday noon to 5 p.m., Wed.-Sat. noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday 1-6 p.m. Also open Mondays by appointment with flexible hours throughout the week for those who make a reservation; 573-441-1683 or email at mudroomstudio@gmail.com What you’ll spend: Prices start at $16 and depend on what ceramic piece you choose. An average visit costs $24-$30 a person, according to its website.
Unique Creations has a lot to offer beyond painting your own pottery. You can buy the pottery you want to paint ahead of time by hopping onto its website, uniquecreationsjc.com. Pick out what you want to paint and answer two questions: when you want to come in and where you want to sit. Unique Creations offers an array of other options including stoneware, wood projects and fused glass. You also can make your own candles or pottery by attending studio classes and events.
What to know: Contact the studio for more information about upcoming classes or products for sale.
Where to go: 120 E. High St., Jefferson City; Tues.-Thurs. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m.; 573-893-6111 or email uniquecreationsjc@gmail.com
What you’ll spend: Prices start at $12
If you’re looking for a weekly activity or a new hobby, Access Arts offers pottery throwing classes across several studios in Columbia. It’s recommended to sign up for your spot early to avoid cancellation of the class. Registration opens one month before the class starts and closes one week before.
What to know: Try a ceramics throwing class or perhaps take a shot at clay tile making. Find classes and memberships on its website at schoolofservice.org.
Where to go: 1724 McAlester St. (office and classroom); 800 Moss St. (Moss Studio); 2109 Cottle Drive (Cottle Studio). Hours depend on the studio and classes scheduled at each location. Refer to its website for more information; 573-875-0275 or email accessarts@schoolofservice.org. What you’ll spend: Cost varies depending on what classes and how many you sign up for. Open studio memberships are $120, with most small group classes ranging from $200-$220 per person.
Access Arts offers pottery throwing classes and open studio times at its Moss and Cottle locations. Get your hands dirty and come home with new ceramics.
by Thomas Gleason/Archive
Your curated guide of what to do in Columbia this month.
Latina Dramatists Panel
This interactive panel explores the impactful work of Latina and Latine dramatists and the lively theater scene of El Salvador. Listen as guest speakers discuss freedom in modern Latina and Latine theater, inspiring El Salvadoran community theater work and innovative theatrical movements. Plus, catch a glimpse of the upcoming production of Romero . April 24, 4 p.m., McKee Gymnasium, Studio 4, free, 573-882-2021
The Collections Fashion Show
Get a first look at the future of fashion design with the Stephens College Fashion Program’s annual student designer show. Witness the runway debut of six senior collections, a display of this year’s eccentric and unconventional theme, Curated Absurdity. April 26, 2, 4:30 and 7 p.m., Windsor Auditorium, $15; $10 students and children; $25 premier, 573-876-7194
Turn to Talk
Immerse yourself in the stories of a generation rewriting the narrative on mental health. Hosted by Columbia/ Boone County Public Health and Human Services, this documentary gives a behind-the-scenes look at a teen-led podcast about mental health, confronting stigma surrounding social media, identity and racism. May 8, 5 p.m., panel discussion at 6:45 p.m., Boone Electric Cooperative,1413 Rangeline St., free, 573-449-4187
Unleash your laughter for a paw-some cause with Unchained Melodies Dog Rescue. Listen to stand-up comedian Clay Foley, a former animal cruelty investigator, and give your funny bone a treat while enjoying local brews. May 9, 6:30 p.m., Bur Oak Brewery, $25, 573-814-8073
Photography by Bradford Siwak/Archive
Sashay your way to a drag-xtravaganza. Celebrate Nclusion Plus’ fifth anniversary with your best Judies at a fierce Celebrity Drag Show hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race alum The Widow Von’Du with performances by celebrated queens and local favorites. It’s 10s across the board for Nclusion Plus, which supports LGBTQ+ communities through entertainment and education. May 17, 9 p.m., The Blue Note, ages 18+, $10-$25, 573-874-1944
Root yourself in community at the Columbia Area Earth Day Festival. Attendees can buy from local vendors and learn how to protect Mother Earth all in one day. Grab your little ones and visit the Kids Park for an interactive environmental experience. April 27, 12-7 p.m., Peace Park and Elm Street, free, 573-875-0539
Spend an evening with NPR’s Morning Edition and Up First host Steve Inskeep
It’s a rock of ages when Compass Inc.’s Intergenerational Rock Band Choir takes the stage. The choir — made up of members ages 8 to 80 — will sing iconic songs from across the decades at its performance at The Blue Note. April 27, 6 p.m. The Blue Note, $8-$15, 573-874-1944
for a discussion of his new book, Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America. Hear about Inskeep’s exploration of Abraham Lincoln’s life and political legacy, bringing lessons from the past into the present. May 13, 6 p.m., Missouri Theatre, free, 573-882-3330
It’s time for the coolest event of the year, so grab your pals and chill out in The Arcade District. Celebrate all things cool, creative and nerdy with local artists, live music and food trucks. Consider joining the cosplay contest with cash prizes for the top three in each category. May 17, 1-7 p.m., The Arcade District, free, 210-882-6591
Taste the unique flavors of the Mississippi Basin, Delta and its French roots at Glenn’s Cafe. Enjoy four courses crafted by the restaurant’s executive chef and a wine pairing guided by its sommelier for an exquisite evening. May 13, 7 p.m., Glenn’s Cafe, $125 with a $25 deposit per person, 573-447-7100
Columbia Jazz Orchestra with Bobby Watson
Celebrate International Jazz Day with “We Always Swing” Jazz Series at its final Jazz Appreciation Month performance. Enjoy the melodies of the Columbia Jazz Orchestra as alto saxophonist Bobby Watson directs the music. April 30, 7 p.m., Missouri Theatre, $20-$40, 573-449-3009
Smells Like Nirvana
Journey back to the heyday of grunge and rock out to Nirvana classics as Dead Original pays tribute to the legacy of Kurt Cobain. Send your song requests to smellslikenirvanatribute.com before the show. May 8, 8 p.m., Rose Music Hall, $17 advance; $20 day of, 573-874-1944
The Music of Studio Ghibli
Experience iconic Studio Ghibli compositions with The Missouri Symphony. The concert will feature a variety of orchestral pieces by Joe Hisaishi and close out the symphony’s regular season. May 9, 7 p.m., Missouri Theatre, $39-59; $10 students and children, 573-875-0600
Honky Tonk Revival
Don your cowboy boots and mosey on over to Rose Music Hall for an afternoon of two-step dancing. Rose Music Hall calls the performance a “true Texas dancehall,” where Travis Feutz and the Stardust Cowboys will perform traditional country-western music. May 11, 2 p.m., Rose Music Hall, free, 573-874-1944
Help support eating disorder recovery and raise funds for treatment at Columbia’s third annual Freedom Walk, hosted by the Kirsten Haglund Foundation. The event will include a yoga warm up and a silent auction. T-shirts are available for purchase before the event. April 26, 10 a.m., Cosmo-Bethel Park, free, misskhaglund@gmail. com
Take a 1.5-mile garden tour of Columbia’s West Ash and Sunset Lane neighborhoods with retired horticulture specialist James Quinn and structural engineer Patrick Earney. The walk includes uneven terrain, and it’s best to arrive 10 minutes early. No public restrooms will be available. Attendees can park on nearby streets or at West Boulevard Elementary School. May 17, 9:30 a.m., southwest corner of West Boulevard and Ash Street, free, CoMoPreservation@gmail.com
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AVA KITZI
A Japanese flowering crabapple blooms in early April along Eighth Street. The trees are some of the first to bloom in spring, easily identifiable and visible throughout mid-Missouri with pink flowers followed by small, yellowish fruits. Crabapple trees are versatile plants that thrive in moist soil and sunny weather. They’re also a great alternative to the Callery pear tree, also known as the Bradford pear, which is an invasive species that the Missouri Department of Conservation is trying to replace. A Callery Pear Tree Buyback event was held in April, allowing Missouri residents to receive a new, native tree to plant in place of a Bradford pear. Learn more at moinvasives.org.
