2B FRIDAY, FEB. 28, 2014
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Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre plans to update lobby by Kelsey Alumbaugh Staff Writer The Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre will hopefully have a renovated lobby in time for the 2014 season. According to Managing Director Steve Bertani and Producing Artistic Director Quinn Gresham, renovating the lobby has been on their minds for several years. “Our goal is to at least complete the lobby, the hallway and the restrooms before the season and then kind of just have to do this in phases,” Bertani said. “The big thing is that the quality of our shows has increased over the years, so we feel the look of the theater needs to reflect what we do on the stage.” Bertani noted there had been upgrades to the outside over the last few years with the new sign, the painting of the theater and the new landscaping last year. Both agree it’s time to focus on the interior. “When the lobby was designed in 1993, a lot of people worked really hard to make it perfect in that moment, but ’93 was a long time ago so it’s just time to freshen things up,” Gresham said. “We’re trying to figure out a way to use the lobby to be a crossroads between historic Arrow Rock and the modernity of what we do on stage. The town has a wonderful 19th century feeling, but the plays we do are rarely from the 19th century. … It has to be both today and also matching the feeling of the surrounding town.” Bertani said they have discussed lightening the theater up in hopes of making the space feel bigger and be more inviting. “I know one thing we’ve talked about is lightening it up, just to make the space feel a little bit bigger than it is,” he explained. “Also, to be more inviting and just open that room up. We’ve got those wonderful tall windows in there, which bring a lot of light in.” Bertani noted they
Contributed photo
John Truitt, played by Aaron Young, and Esther Smith, played by Mallory Hawks, stand outside the Smith home as John professes his love for Esther in Lyceum Theatre’s “Meet Me in St. Louis” in July 2013.
have already had an initial discussion with an interior designer, but everything is still in the preliminary stages. “This whole process started a year ago with the architecture and design students at Mizzou who took on our lobby as a design project,” Gresham added. “We got lots of terrific ideas from them that are sort of being incorporated into this as well. We’re really looking forward to seeing it become a real thing.” Bertani said they have one digital board behind the concession counter, but they are talking about adding more digital boards throughout the lobby. “Over the years we’re always trying to improve, not just on stage, but the patrons’ experience,” Bertani said. “We want it to be more of a social gathering place for the audience.” With the 2014 season fast approaching, Gresham said there is a lot to be excited about. The season will open with “The King and I” on June 4, and it will play until June 14. It will be a Lyceum premiere of the production, and is based on “Anna and the King” by Margaret Landon. The next show in the lineup is “Little Shop of Horrors,” and it will play June 21 through June 29. It is based on the film by Roger Corman and the screenplay is by Charles Griffith. From July 9 through July 19, “Monty Python’s Spamalot” will grace the Lyceum stage. The fourth play of the season will be an adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel. “Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution” will play July 26 through Aug. 2. “Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me a Tenor” will be playing Aug. 9 through Aug. 16, and is a PG-rated comedy. “Ring of Fire,” created by Richard Maltby Jr. and conceived by William Meade, will be playing Aug. 23 through Sept. 4. Gresham notes this production will be done in collaboration with two other theaters
Contributed image
Robbie Limon as Hank Williams stands center stage as he performs Hank’s first time at the Grand Ole Opry with The Drifting Cowboys; played by Jon Brown, Jonathan Schriock, Charlie Ingram and Dave Flanagan; while his mother, played by Leslie Alexander (left), wife, played by Mallory Hawks (right) and new manager, played by Whit Reichart (right) look on. The Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre’s “Hank Williams: Lost Highway” sold out multiple shows in the 2013 season.
Contributed photo
M'Lynn and Shelby tell the ladies at Truvy's Hair Salon about their impending medical procedure in Lyceum Theatre’s “Steel Magnolias” in September 2013. and will travel to each theater to put on the show. The next installment on the Lyceum stage will be “Around the World in 80 Days,” playing from Sept. 10 to Sept. 14. “Cotton Patch Gospel” takes the stage next and will be performed Sept. 24 through Sept. 28. The special performance of the season will be a special adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” and it will be on stage from Dec. 12 through Dec. 21. “I think each of the shows offers a very unique theatrical opportunity. Each of the shows is very different from the show before and the show after,” he said. “One of the main things happening in 2014 is a new production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ that I am currently adapting. It will be unique to the Lyceum. You won’t be able to see this production anywhere except at the Lyceum.” Gresham said he hopes the adaptation of
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“A Christmas Carol becomes important to the community. “We really are creating the show that becomes an annual event so that hopefully, you know, 10 years down the road, mid-Missouri with think of the Lyceum’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ as one of their most treasured, time-
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honored Christmas traditions,” he said. Bertani was also able to apply for a grant and the Lyceum was able to purchase a $5,000 theatrical projector to utilize during the season. “When we did ‘The Wizard of Oz’ we began to experiment with video projection,” Gresham
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Arrow Rock Ferry Landing placed on the historic register by Jesse Brown Staff Writer The Arrow Rock Ferry Landing was put on the list of the National Register of Historic Places on May 1, 2013, and Rich Lawson, who owns the property with his wife, Debbie, is looking to add more richness to Arrow Rock’s history. Originally, Lawson bought the land for retirement about four or five years ago. However, through his own and others research, he conducted a process of elimination to dispel other potential areas the ferry might have been. He discovered that the land he owned had historical importance to the Santa Fe Trail. According to the official Santa Fe Trail Association’s website, “In 1821, the Santa Fe Trail became America’s first great international commercial highway, and for nearly sixty years thereafter was one of the nation’s great routes of adventure and western expansion.” In Lawson’s research, he said the site has been mentioned by visitors as early as Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville’s “Carte de la Louisiane” map in 1732 giving it the title “Pierre á Fleche,” which translates to “Rock of the Arrow.” However, he said the most known crossing occurred in 1821 when William Becknell opened the Santa Fe Trail and wrote in his journal: “Our company crossed
the Missouri River near the Arrow Rock on the first day of September 1821 and encamped six miles from the old ferry.” Lawson said he stresses the difference between Arrow Rock, once a village and now the historic town, from “The Arrow Rock” on the river. “(It) jutted out into the river and stood very tall,” Lawson said. “... I think Clark or one of the early explorers described it as being maybe 90 feet high or something like that. Up or down the river coming either way, you knew when you had arrived at ‘The Arrow Rock.’” As a board member of the Missouri River Outfitters Chapter for the Santa Fe Trail Association, Lawson said he’s been to Santa Fe and the very square where the trail ends. “There’s all the history in the world about that end of the Santa Fe Trail but there’s little history about the eastern terminus of the Santa Fe Trail,” Lawson said. Lawson said he continues researching the area to try to determine every little thing that happened at the ferry landing to enrich its legacy. “It was a busy site,”Lawson said. “It was a site that when the folks in the area decided maybe they ought to have a town, they met at the ferry landing.” In 2012, Dawson and his wife bought the Country Store in the
Contributed photo
Rich Lawson owns the land where the Arrow Rock Ferry Landing used to be. He said he originally bought the land for retirement, but after conducting research he discovered his land had historical significance. Arrow Rock Ferry Landing was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 1, 2013. town of Arrow Rock with the intent to shed more light in connection of the Santa Fe Trail history to the town itself. Currently, the store is undergoing remodeling and restoration with hopes to open in 2014. “It was a very important place in history because of that crossing and it had been a crossing for many years prior to that,” Lawson said. “It was one of the narrowest places on the river for Indians or travelers of any sort to cross.” Contact Jesse Brown at jbrown@marshallnews.com
Sweet Springs school focuses on security, new staff members by Kelsey Alumbaugh Staff Writer Superintendent Donna Wright said several security improvements have taken place in the Sweet Springs School District over the past year. “We did add security cameras and we did lock all the doors,” she said. “Instead of keys for the outside, the staff has fobs, and so the doors are kept locked during the day.” Wright noted there are now cameras in the hallways, and the school is considering placing cameras on the buses as well. “We haven’t yet (placed cameras on all the buses), and it’s not a decision that is 100 percent made at this point in time,” she said. “It kind of just falls in with the security cameras in the halls. We have that and then we have a large population of our kids on the buses everyday.” Wright said they have one demo camera on a bus right now and they want to see how that goes before moving ahead. High School Principal David Honeycutt, new this year, said they will continue to make the students safety a priority. Honeycutt said he didn’t feel the need to make too many changes when he began in the fall. “Well there have been minor changes, as typically happens any given year,” he explained. “Coming into this first year, I thought it would be better for our students and staff to keep change to a minimum. … We have a great school and we have great students. When you have a situation you step into like that, there’s not a need for a huge sweeping change.” Joining Honeycutt in being new to the Sweet Springs School District this year are 15 new teachers. New this year are Natasha Wolfe, first-grade teacher; Renae Bridges, first-grade teacher; Shannon Honeycutt, first-grade teacher; Caitlyn Lobaugh, third-grade teacher; Emily
Contributed photo
A mock-up of the sign Rich Lawson wants to display to add historical significance to the eastern end of the Santa Fe Trail around the Arrow Rock area.
Mulcahey, sixth-grade teacher; Kristen Lightle, sixth-grade teacher; Jeanne Welch-Kurdle, preschool teacher; Omar Lovercamp, special education teacher; Laura Harvey, special education teacher; Connie Dohrman, parttime Title 1 teacher; Brian King, junior high math teacher; Laura Reinhardt, high school math teacher; Brandon McCullough, high school business teacher; Kayna Rosenbaum, secondthrough 12th-grade art teacher; and Ashley Innes, social studies teacher. First year teachers are Wolfe, Lobaugh, Mulcahey, Lightle, Harvey, Kind and Reinhardt. “Our year got off to an excellent start and it has continued that way. All of our new hires have gotten off to a great start,” Wright said. Technology has also been a focal point for improvement, according to Wright. “We have the capability to be wireless throughout the whole building,” she said. “And, we already have in place several computer labs.” Wright said there are labs in the elementary, junior high and high school, along with ag and business computer labs. There are also iPads for the students to use in the social studies room. Another update this year were the new lights at the football field. “We did have an architect that designed a whole track and football field complex for us,” Wright said. “So we have those plans and I think over time we may eventually want to have a track out there, but it is probably going to be us moving step-by-step to get there.” She said their main concern had been the lighting. “The first step on that was replacing our football lights because our lighting really needed replaced,” she explained. Wright said the lights were situated in a way that would allow for the expansion of seating or addition of a track in the future. Contact Kelsey Alumbaugh at kalumbaugh@marshallnews.com
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Chez Trappeur adding to Arrow Rock’s pleasures
Jesse Brown/Democrat-News
A copy of the George Caleb Bingham painting “Fur Traders Descending the Missouri” hangs on one of the walls in the restaurant. Owner and proprietor Diane Benedetti said this piece of art was what sparked the idea for Chez Trappeur in Arrow Rock. Jesse Brown/Democrat-News
From left to right, Chez Trappeur Bar & Bistro owners and restaurant operators Ethan Duke, Dana Ripper and Diane Benedetti at the bar area. Chez Trappeur was established in 2012 and opended in June 2013.
by Jesse Brown Staff Writer Diane Benedetti, Dana Ripper and Ethan Duke set out to add something special to the quaint and pleasant town of Arrow Rock. The result is Chez Trappeur, a Frenchthemed restaurant serving wine and delectable meals. Benedetti said she had been looking to move to Saline County from Chicago to be closer to her daughter, Ripper, who is also a biologist that runs the Missouri River Bird Observatory with Duke. “We happen to be visiting Arrow Rock one day and this big, old rambling house was for sale and it hadn’t been lived in for seven years,” Benedetti said. “... Let’s go buy it, fix it up and we’ll have a little wine bar (and) bistro.” Chez Trappeur, which in French translates to “the trapper’s house,” opened in June and is inspired by a George Caleb Bingham painting called “Fur Traders Descending the Missouri.” A reproduction of the painting now adorns one of the walls in the restaurant. Benedetti, who had been in the fur business for about 40 years, admired the symmetry of how the restaurant just came together in the historic town of Arrow Rock. “It just all came together and it just felt right,” Benedetti said. On top of being coowner, Ripper also serves as the cellar master for the wine selection. “My very specific interest here is the wine and building the wine cellar,” Ripper said. “I’m not formally-trained, but it’s always been, I would say, more than a hobby. I’ve done a lot of studying on my own about wine and I had the chance to build the cellar and choose all the wines for the list.” Ripper said one of
the focuses the restaurant is trying to achieve is to get food from organic and local food markets to serve the best food. “We’re moving towards just establishing more relationships with sources for food,” Ripper said. “A lot of it right now comes from the Columbia farmer’s market. Our meat comes from Jennings which is in New Franklin, so there are certain things we had to get non-local during the winter.” Benedetti, Ripper and Duke run the restaurant together and Tim Johnson serves as the chef, but their intent is to have at least one of them there to operate the restaurant. “We’re all just like a team, so we do whatever,” Duke said. “Somebody’s not here, we just step in and fill in.” The hours of operation may vary at times, but generally the restaurant is open on Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 12 to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 9 p.m. for dinner; and Sunday brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. “It’s a pleasant thing to do,” Ripper said. “I mean, we all like good food and wine.” Contact Jesse Brown at jbrown@marshallnews.com
Online: www.cheztrappeur.com
Jesse Brown/Democrat-News
Chez Trappeur Bar & Bistro is located at 406 Main St. in Arrow Rock. The hours of operation are Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 12 to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 9 p.m. for dinner; and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for brunch.
Jesse Brown/Democrat-News
The wine bar located in the lower level of the restaurant along with the wine cellar. Owner and cellar master Dana Ripper said she hopes to have wine pairings when the weather warms up.
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Hardeman school begins to adopt common core standards by Jesse Brown Staff Writer Principal Kristy Forrester at Hardeman School, along with her staff, has begun to align the school’s current curriculum to reflect common core standards. “We concentrated and focused most heavily upon the area of english/language arts,” Forrester said. “... We’ve had multiple meetings this year after school and had some out-of-school time, which just the main staff and myself worked to align our existing curriculum with common core.” Once the evaluation started, Forrester and her staff started noticing the implementations they needed to make and also noticed some unnecessary items in the curriculum they no longer needed. “Basically, a lot of what we’re finding is within the areas of social studies and science, you could do a lot of intertwining of your reading and writing and speaking and listening into those areas,” Forrester said. “That way the kids are getting a double dose.” Forrester said common core is just a streamlining of subjects engaging with each other, instead of being distinctively separate from one another. She said next year, the school will focus on math. Another new change to the Hardeman school district is a new teacher evaluation program,
which Forrester said she’s finding more practical and useful. It’s at the request from the state to either adopt the state model, or to create one similar to it. “It used to be when I would go in and observe in the classrooms, (I would have to) preschedule it ahead of time, teachers had to fill out this lengthy form,” Forrester said. Forrester can now surpass all of those unnecessary steps to perform 10-minute checks of how the teachers are doing, while making notes in her laptop. “I want to look for – as far as students being engaged – the content being age-appropriate, grade-level appropriate, making sure there is good classroom management,” Forrester said. Hardeman School has also welcomed some new faces to the school this year: first- and second-grade aide Michelle Whyte, bus driver Terry Fizer and art teacher Dakota Day-Herrell. Day-Herrell, a Missouri Valley College graduate, started this August and as the new art teacher, she only works on Fridays but helps out on other fronts when the school needs it. “Art was my primary major in college so I just kind of used lots of lessons I had learned there and re-routed it for the kids,” Day-Herrell said. “It’s been a good experience.” The Foster Grandparent Program has also provided a grandparent
Jesse Brown/Democrat-News
Kendi Deal, first- and second-grade teacher, at Hardeman school uses her Promethean board in class to interactively engage the students. Lesson plans and activities are prepared on the Promethean website, which the staff accesses frequently. Principal Kristy Forrester said the boards are installed in all but two classes, but the school is hoping to install the other two in the upcoming year. to the school, Judy Brockman, whom Forrester said is such a welcome presence to the school. “We do have for the first time in a long time a foster grandparent which is really helpful,” Forrester said. “We haven’t had a grandparent for probably 10 years here, so we love the Foster Grandparent Program.” Forrester said Brockman helps third- and fourth-grade students in the morning and after lunch she helps first- and second-grade students. “(She’s) been a god-
send for us,” Forrester said. Hardeman has also implemented a new student management program, which allows students to earn “money” by turning in assignments on time, making the honor roll, achieving perfect or excellent attendance and completing classroom and school-wide jobs. Forrester said there are classroom jobs such as taking care of the calendar, lunch count and making sure computers are restarted at the end of each day. She also said
there are school-wide jobs, which only middleschool students can do, and those jobs consist of changing the marquee on a weekly basis, acting as banker, teacher aid and sweeping off sidewalks and the back patio, to name a few. With the “money” they earned, Forrester said students can earn the opportunity to wear hats on Fridays or bring electronics on days designated by homeroom teachers. However, they can also lose “money” by turning in late assignments and not following
classroom procedures. Forrester said the idea for the program is “to help our students learn real-life job skills and responsibility.” Forrester said she also likes to boast about the school’s annual performance report, which this year received 98.7 percent. The things the school get tested on are test scores for english/language arts, math and science, preparing middle-school students for high school and attendance records. Contact Jesse Brown at jbrown@marshallnews.com
Sweet Springs Gusher Days will see several new changes in 2014
Rachel Knight/Democrat-News
A large crowd gathered at the Festival Garden in Sweet Springs Thursday night, Aug. 1, 2013, to watch teams dress pigs as part of the Sweet Springs Gusher Days. Jason Staples, Kelsey Merrick and Steven Krause put a t-shirt on a pig as part of the pig dressing contest.
by Rachel Knight Editor One major change to the Sweet Springs Gusher Days is the festival will occur later this year on Aug. 20-23. “So it’s after the (Missouri) State Fair this year and school will be in session, so it’s kind of a new thing for all of us,” said Bruce Hoyes, fair board chairman, at the January meeting of the Sweet Springs Board of Aldermen. “I’m happy to announce we got a new carnival and that’s why.” The carnival this year will be Poplar Bluff Entertainment and Hoyes said the company will be bringing a 60-foot ferris wheel to town.
Hoyes told the city council the gentleman who owns Poplar Bluff Entertainment has had two shows for years and has decided to combine down to one with his best equipment. He has 15 rides to include children’s favorites such as the octopus, swings and a carousel, 15 games and a couple concessions. “I think we are going to have to extend, finally, to get back out like we used to do,” Hoyes said about blocking off city streets for the carnival. The bigger carnival will block off Miller Street from Main Street to Marshall Street, Main Street from Patrick Place to Spring Street, and close down
Turner Street for the festival. The queen contest will occur on Wednesday night as always. “Last year, we brought back the normal baby contest, which
was a big hit on Saturday,” Hoyes said. “We had it in the gym at Armored Outreach and man, that place was packed.” The board is visiting the idea about moving
the baby contest to the Sunday before the festival which will allow the grand prize baby to ride in the parade. “This year, I think we are going to have to move the parade to Saturday due to school and everything. I think that’s Jamboree night,” Hoyes told the city council. He said the move to Saturday also is in hopes to entice more surrounding school bands to participate in the parade. The pig dressing contest will again take place on Thursday night and will be the third year the festival has included it as an activity. “It was a packed house,” Hoyes said. Last year, they added more bleachers for those who wanted to watch the entertainment and there
was still standing room only. Check-in for the smoking contest will take place on Friday night. The actual contest will take place on Saturday. Last year was the first year for the event and it was a big success. “People really liked that,” Hoyes said. There were 10 teams that competed in the event. A fair board member is working to get the smoking competition a sanctioned event. The two bands that are booked for the festival include Disengaged and Scott Peery Band. Disengaged plays music up to a decade ago, so they will entertain festival goers with hit songs from the 1970s, 1980s and up to 1994.
see Festival, page 6B
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Knot Hedz Bar and Grill open 7 days a week in Sweet Springs by Rachel Knight Editor Crystal Stauch, manager and co-owner, opened a restaurant in November 2012 with her father, Steve Pearson, at 106 W. Highway 40 in Sweet Springs. With the help of Stauch’s fiancé and head chef Dave McDanel, Knot Hedz Bar and Grill began serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Prior to the start of the business, Stauch was working in Kansas City and McDanel was living and working in Warrensburg. “We decided we wanted something closer to home,” Stauch said. “We decided to change our life’s path.” Before the restaurant could open, they invested around $20,000 to $25,000 to renovate the existing building such as a fresh coat of paint on the walls and the ceiling, remodeling areas of the restaurant to make it more userfriendly including the restrooms and updating the kitchen. The name of the restaurant came from the decorations. “We wanted to be able to decorate it inexpensively,” McDanel said. “The knotty pine and the knot heads kind of came to me driving down the road, that would be an
easy way to decorate with comedy.” So therefore, pictures of The Three Stooges can be found hanging on the walls. Knot Hedz is open on Sundays from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The most popularly ordered breakfast is a meal of two eggs, choice of meat, hash browns or home fries and toast. The restaurant serves a daily lunch special everyday but Saturday. On Monday, it is chicken fried steak dinner, Tuesday is homemade meatloaf, Wednesday is open-faced hot beef sandwiches, Thursday and Friday is chef ’s choice and Sunday is fried chicken. Stauch said Sunday’s fried chicken always goes over really well with the customers. Friday night’s and Saturday night’s offer dinner specials as well. Usually, Friday night is a 12-ounce pork steak, blackened tilapia and one other option and Saturday night’s is choice of prime rib or catfish. They also offer different dinner specials for holidays. “Nearly everything on our menu is homemade from scratch, as opposed to some restaurants just
Rachel Knight/Democrat-News
Knot Hedz Bar and Grill has been open for nearly 16 months, but this map has only been on the wall for the past six months. In that time frame, the owner has been astounded by the turnout of customers from all over the United States and foreign countries. package everything,” Stauch said. “There are not too many prefabricated items on the menu,” McDanel said. “The only things I use are the things that experts can do better than me.” Pizza crusts, for example, are not homemade due to lack of space to make or store. “Everything else is all his personal recipes,” Stauch said. “We have a lot of homemade sauces
that we use that nobody else has. We’ve actually been told by our food sales guy that other restaurants around here ask what we do, so they can do it.” “They want to buy the same product and he sells them the same product,” McDanel said. “But we just do it differently.” Stauch says they alter them to make them different. McDanel has been in
Rachel Knight/Democrat-News
Knot Hedz Head Chef Dave McDanel places a chicken strip in a to-go box Tuesday, Feb. 25, as part of a chicken strip dinner order.
the restaurant business for 35 years and used many cooking opportunities throughout those years to tailor his recipes. He learned from some chefs and did a lot of catering. “It’s been a lot of trial and error,” he said. “I never had a formal education (in culinary arts).” Stauch said McDanel’s homemade barbecue sauce is amazing. Knot Hedz also offers Baltimore Bend wines, mainly to support the local businesses. “A lot of people in this area like the Arrowhead Red,” Stauch said. “Eventually, I’d like to get other local wines and have a variety. Wine is just now starting to sell here. Beer sells well.” The beef the restaurant uses is 100 percent Hereford and comes from the Kansas City area. “We try to buy local as much as possible,” Stauch said. The restaurant has benefited from its location right off Interstate 70. Knot Hedz has received visitors from all over the United States and other countries such as Australia, Japan and Canada. Just six months ago, they placed a map near the front doors where customers could place a pin showing where they call home. “They’ve come from all over,” Stauch said. “It’s pretty interesting
actually.” Stauch and McDanel agree that the location was a great choice. “You have to run practically over the building if you get off the ramp here to get anywhere,” Stauch said. “It’s 20-feet away from the front window.” Many people exit to fuel up the vehicle to continue their journey on Interstate 70. “When they get gas, they smell us cooking over here, and it brings them in,” Stauch said. They said their topselling food is hamburgers. “People think it’s the best burger they’ve ever had,” Stauch said. “We sold over 6,000 pounds of hamburger last year and 4,000 pounds of tenderloins. Those numbers just amaze me for one year.” “It’s very, very familyoriented,” Stauch said. “I think a lot of people see that when they come in. We’re very down-toearth, family-friendly here.” She said her mother comes in on the weekends to help and her kids come in to also help out. “Everyone is family here.” Knot Hedz employs about 20 individuals including cooks, dishwashers, hosts and servers.
effort and got sponsorships from local people and agriculture dealerships to fund the classes.
This allowed the Outlaw association to bring tractor pullers in for
Contact Rachel Knight at rknight@marshallnews.com
Festival continued from page 5B
“They put on a real good show,” Hoyes said. Scott Peery Band performs songs that are in the top 40 on country charts. “We are excited to have him,” Hoyes said. The tractor pull will remain on the last Saturday in July and this year it will be July 26. The fair board added a tractor pull to the agenda three years ago
when a partnership was formed with the Brush Pullers of Missouri. Butch Hedgepath of Hedgepath Ag in Sweet Springs and his dad are members of the brush pullers organization. “They just wanted a local track to pull at,” Hoyes said. The Hedgepaths pull at nearby track in La Monte and Concordia.
So with the help of Steve Brandt, the fair
board built a pulling track on the edge of city park.
Last year, John Dorhman asked the board to consider adding classes from the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pulling Association because he pulls with that organization. “We were kind of reluctant to do it because it would cost us $16,000 to get the Outlaws in here,” Hoyes said. But Dorhman put forth the
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see Festival, page 7B
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MARSHALL Main Bank 660-886-9621
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7B MARSHALLNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, FEB. 28, 2014
Sims Feed and Supply serves west central Missouri by Kelly Melies Staff Writer Beginning as a small dealer in the local area in 2000, Ryan Sims has now doubled his business in the last couple of years by offering quality products at affordable prices and ensuring his customers get the most out of every dollar they spend. “I like to treat people like I would want to be treated. I don’t like going places where I’m a number,” Sims said. Being a farmer himself, Sims believes in quality products and selling those products which he knows are going to work. He farms about 1,800 acres of row crop comprised of corn and beans, and he also has 100 head of cow and he is a dealer for ADM Alliance Nutrition and Gates. “I’m West Central Missouri’s largest dealer,” he said. “I focus on keeping my overhead low and offering low prices.” He got into the business because his family had been in the business for years and wanted to
bring a premium feed at an economical price to his neighbors. “I just started this business for this area here. But then word of mouth started traveling and all of the sudden it just started snowballing,” Sims said. “Basically I have customers now all the way from Joplin to Kirksville. I’m kind of proud of that.” Sims and his wife work together and operate the business from their home. Besides the Sweet Springs area, he also has three other locations where he partners with businesses. He has one location in Hughesville, Brookfield and Staley Agriservice in Marshall. He continues to plan ahead to expand more. “We’re going to expand this year by adding on a warehouse here and hopefully adding a bulk feed truck,” Sims said. He also keeps some feed on hand for some smaller customers. “With ADM, I order the feed. They deliver out of Quincy, Ill. So I do a lot of work by phone,” he said. “But I do keep
Kelly Melies/Democrat-News
Ryan Sims stands in front of one of his feed trailers where he operates his business. Sims offers quality products at affordable prices to his customers. some feed here on these trailers to make it convenient.” Sims also supports youth programs and of-
fers his products and services to them. “We offer a line of show feed for the 4-H and FFA youth,” he said.
“I’m a big supporter of the youth programs in the area.” For more information about ADM Alliance Nu-
trition, visit www.admani.com or contact Sims at 660-641-4959. Contact Kelly Melies at kmelies@marshallnews.com
Festival
Rachel Knight/Democrat-News
Ryan Foster, of Richmond, and his tractor “Pocket Change” dig deep to get traction during the Sweet Springs Gusher Days Truck and Tractor Pull Saturday, July 27, 2013. Foster is part of the Brush Pullers of Missouri association. continued from page 6B
limited pro stock, light limited pro stock and light super stock classes and trucks in a pro stock 4x4 class. “We did well enough (last year) where if something happens, we will be able to fund it if we don’t get all the sponsorships this year,” Hoyes said. “We are just trying to keep working on this.” The board was then approached by Steve Bailey of Odessa who pulls in a bigger Outlaw association class, which is pro stock tractors. “He said he’d put up the money for that class to come in if we’d have it there, so that’s what we are doing,” Hoyes said about having five Outlaw pulling classes at the 2014 festival. To accommodate the larger Outlaw pulling tractors, the fair board had to widen the existing track at city park. “We had to widen it quite a bit, actually another 50-60 feet wider, so you can get two tracks going,” Hoyes said with a laugh.
Improvements just keep on coming to the pulling track as the board is working to get new permanent lights installed. “The school donated the old football field lights,” Hoyes said. In the past, they’ve just used modular light towers that were rented. “So now we are right in the middle of trying to figure out what we need to do to get lights down there,” Hoyes said. The board will have to get four new poles. “We are trying to make improvements to the track where we can have more shows,” Hoyes said. “We’d like to have something maybe
in the spring or the fall. If we built the track, we hate seeing it sit there for just one time a year.” Fair board members for 2014 include Bruce Hoyes, chairman; Robbie Weber, co-chairman; Mike Clevenger, secretary; Crystal Hoyes, treasurer; Bill Winfrey; Steve Saxton; Derek Vaught; Joey Winfrey; Chris Glenn; and Eli Lee. Contact Rachel Knight at rknight@marshallnews.com
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Rachel Knight/Democrat-News
Two young buckaroos show their enthusiasm in the Gusher Days Kiddie’s Parade with their Grand Champion entry, “Small Town, Big Hearts, Rodeo Dreams.”
8B FRIDAY, FEB. 28, 2014
MARSHALLNEWS.COM
Couple opens Last Chance Saloon in downtown Sweet Springs
Rachel Knight/Democrat-News
Parrish and Vicki Barrier stand in front of a mural painted for them by Jim LeGrande on the north wall of their establishment, Last Chance Saloon. Rachel Knight/Democrat-News
by Rachel Knight Editor Parrish and Vicki Barrier decided to add to the excitement of their new marriage and open a restaurant and bar in Sweet Springs. The doors of Last Chance Saloon, located at 309 S. Miller St., officially opened May 8, 2012, with $57 in Vicki’s pocket. “That was a fluke,” Vicki said. “We were in here – we hadn’t gotten the kitchen open yet – and we had everything else, had all our licenses and everything like that. We just had to wait for the kitchen to get done. Everybody kept coming in because they (saw) us here. ‘Are you all open?’ I looked at Parrish and said, ‘Well, we’ve got cold beer and we’ve got license on the wall, I said, ‘Yep.’” Vicki pulled $57 out of her wallet and “away we went.” When the Barriers began this journey, the space was just an empty building that used to be a real estate office. “We borrowed some money and did a lot of the work ourselves,” Parrish said about the renovations. “We started with a floor, ceiling and four walls.” Christopher Hass built the bar and the couple’s best friend Ray Schuknecht built shelves for the establishment. Jim LeGrande, a local artist who has a studio across the street from the restaurant, painted a mural on the north inside wall of the restaurant as well the windows. Gary Meyer made the wooden sign that hangs above the door welcoming customers to the restaurant. “It’s just western kind of stuff,” Parrish said. The Barriers also ride Harley Davidson motorcycles and have incorporated some of those decorations into their restaurant. The building now can seat around 45 people comfortably. They do have additional tables and chairs they can bring in. The Barriers decided to open a restaurant based off each other’s wants. “I also wanted a restaurant. I just wanted to work from 6 (a.m.) to 3 (p.m.),” Vicki said. “He figured if he was going to go to a bar and spend money, he just as well be making it on the other
This sign, made by Gary Meyer, welcomes side so we combined the two. True story!” The restaurant employs three other individuals, customers to Last Chance Saloon. besides the Barriers, who cook, wait tables, do dishes and all jobs that need to be done. supporting the local businesses and people. “It’s been going really good,” Vicki said. “We pretty much try to support the community Last Chance opens up at 6 a.m. Monday through in every way,” Vicki said. Saturday, with the grill shutting down at 9 p.m. The Parrish grocery shops daily at The Market. Last bar remains open on Fridays and Saturdays until Chance has also participated in the chamber’s normal closing time at 1:30 a.m. The rest of the Trunk or Treat on Miller Street the past two years. nights depend on how busy they are. Parrish said “We are just a mom and pop joint,” Vicki said. Contact Rachel Knight at rknight@marshallnews.com they are always open until 10 p.m. On Sundays, it opens at 7 a.m. and closes at noon. Parrish said homemade biscuits and gravy and omelets are the most popular breakfast items ordered. As far as lunch and dinner goes, “it’s pretty much bar food,” Vicki said. “Once in a while, she’ll make something to put for a special,” Parrish said. Lunch items that tend to be ordered the most are hamburgers, cheeseburgers, tenderloins, philly cheese steaks and Ruebens. “I’ve made thousands of cheeseburgers,” Parrish said, with a laugh. In a topic discussion on CHOW’s website, a user nominated the restaurant for having the “best hamburger in Midwest.” “The Last Chance Saloon in Sweet Springs, Mo., has burgers that will rival Town Topic. It is located in the downtown area of Sweet Springs, which is about 3/4 mile off of I-70,” the user posted. The restaurant also has homemade pizzas, which are made from scratch, besides the crust. “I make the sauce and everything for it,” Vicki said. They also make their own Thousand Island dressing for their Ruebens. About every three months, they have a karaoke night. They also have special events during holidays and other big occasions like a Halloween costume contest, dress like a pirate for International Talk Like a Pirate Day and a chili contest for the Super Bowl. “Our customers are our greatest asset,” Vicki said. “If it wasn’t for them, we wouldRachel Knight/Democrat-News n’t be here. We more or less provided the Last Chance Saloon is located in downtown Sweet place for them to come.” The Barriers also pride themselves in Springs at 309 S. Miller St.
Sweet Springs city will see new faces throughout city government by Rachel Knight Editor Ronda Nienhueser plans to officially retire from her position as Sweet Springs city clerk in April – one that she has held for 30 years. She announced her intent to retire in October, which allowed the city time to find and train someone to fill her position. Michelle Fuehring will be taking over fulltime as the city clerk when Nienhueser departs. Prior to accepting the position with Sweet Springs, Fuehring assisted Saline County Auditor Tara Vogelsmeier. Nienhueser looks forward to retirement as she plans to spend more time with her mother, who lives in Warsaw, and her five grandchildren. She also plans to spend more time redoing furniture. Raymond Kinney
stepped down as mayor of the city in June after five years because he would be moving to Raymore to be closer to work and family. During his tenure as mayor, Kinney saw changes throughout the
town from infrastructure to attitude. “The hardest part ... was to let everybody know that we can work together and still be friends,” he said, addressing dozens who gathered at a special
luncheon for him on June 28. “I think we’ve accomplished that
dream. We’ve argued. We’ve fought ... At the end of it, we can still
walk away, have a cup of
see City, page 9B
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9B MARSHALLNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, FEB. 28, 2014
Equity Bank merges with First Community Bank
Kelsey Alumbaugh/Democrat-News
The bank located at the corner of South Miller and West Marshall Streets has had many identities over the years and still reflects those with various signage including the original Chemical Bank engraved into the masonry and now Equity Bank which hangs off the front of the building.
by Kelsey Alumbaugh Staff Writer In June 2012, Equity Bank, based in Wichita, Kan., and First Community Bank, which had
been based in Lee’s Summit, announced the planned to merge. That merger has since completed and Equity bank now has control of $1.3 billion in total assets.
“I think what we had was two similar types of banks,” Equity Bank Vice President and Senior Director of Marketing John Hanley said. “We both pride our-
selves on great customer service and serving our business customers, commercial customers, everyday customers and ag customers throughout Mis-
souri and Kansas. It was a natural fit for Equity and (First Community Bank) to come together and now we have 27 total branches and a lot of business, commercial customers and everyday customers who travel from town to town and it’s almost like a network.” Hanley said around 12 First Community Bank branches were affected in Missouri. “Off the top of my head, I believe eight in western Missouri and four in the Kansas City area were FCB locations that we purchased,” he explained. The branch in Sweet Springs was one of the FCB branches to be affected, and Hanley said he believed the transition was going well. “There’s a great staff in place there,” he said. “We have Cindi and Brooke and Jared and everybody there does a great job taking care of the customers. I think it’s been business as usual for everybody.” He noted he’s heard positive feedback from the community, and Equity Bank has continued to be involved in area events. “They have continued
to sponsor events and take good care of their customers. We’ve heard nothing but good things,” he said. Hanley said the name change has been the only big change the employees have had to adapt to. “We’ve kind of settled down,” he said about the company’s expansion. “One cool thing we have coming out … is an app that lets you deposit your check, pay your bills and let you look up any debit or credit card transaction from your phone. That’s a big thing.” Hanley said the app is expected to be released in the second quarter of the year. He said it has been a great year and a half since the merger began with FCB and they are excited to continue to develop relationships with their customers. “We like the cities we’re in,” he explained. “We like the customers. We like the communities we’re a part of. We like our employees. We plan to take as great as care of our customers as they are accustomed to from FCB and Equity.” Contact Kelsey Alumbaugh at kalumbaugh@marshallnews.com
MFA Agri-Service demolishes old elevator in Sweet Springs
Sarah Reed/The Concordian
A mound of rubble remains on the lot where an old elevator used to reside at the corner of Miller and Lexington Streets Monday, July 22, 2013. The demolition of the elevator, belonging to MFA Agri-Service, required North Miller Street between Lexington Avenue and Virginia Street to be closed in July. Sarah Reed/The Concordian
City continued from page 8B
coffee and get together and remember the times we had.” Some of the changes Kinney saw in the past five years included the start of a fire protection district, the loss of Sweet Springs dispatchers when the countywide 911 system was established, the crumbling of abandoned buildings and a lagoon project still in the works. “There’s a lot of things to work on, and a
lot of things we’ve accomplished,” he said, adding what he’ll miss is the people who make up the community. “That’s what it’s all about. Buildings are just brick and mortar. Without the people, you can’t be successful.” Alderman Tommy Goode was sworn in June 28 to fill the remainder of the term, which is effective until the April municipal election. The Sweet Springs Board of Aldermen proclaimed Friday, June 28,
“Raymond Kinney Day.” “The observance of this event affords our board of aldermen, employees, citizens and businesses the opportunity to show Mayor Raymond Kinney how much we all appreciate his service and leadership to this board and to the city of Sweet Springs for the past five years,” Goode read at the June
10 meeting of the city council. “ ... this board, speaking on behalf of all our citizens, publicly goes on record as commending Raymond for his dedicated service to our community and we wish him well and continued personal best wishes to him, his wife and family, for a happy
see City, page 10B
The elevator sustained its first bout of damage, seen from the intersection of Miller and Lexington streets Thursday, July 18, while a contract company for MFA Agri-Service demolished the old strucutre.
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10B FRIDAY, FEB. 28, 2014
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Michelle Fuehring looks over documentation with Ronda Nienhueser at the Sweet Springs Board of Aldermen meeting Feb. 10. Fuehring will be taking over as city clerk when Nienhueser retires in April. continued from page 9B
and successful future.” The residents of Sweet Springs will have the option to vote for Michael D. Hertel or Dee Friel for mayor at the municipal election Tuesday, April 8. Another step forward
for the city is a working website. Alderwoman Dee Friel told the council in October they had hired a webmaster for www.vis itsweetsprings.com. The website has unlimited pages and will allow the Parks and Recreation, Police De-
partment, library board, Chamber and others to have what they want on their page. “This is good news,” said Mayor Goode at the October meeting. “We’ve went several years without a website.”
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