Reaching for THE STARS
Admiring the night skies is a tradition as old as time. PG 26
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LOVE YOUR HEART Cardiac Screening
Catch potential cardiovascular issues before they become a problem with our Love Your Heart Cardiac Screening. Screenings cost $120 and include a full lipid panel, A1C lab analysis and a cardiac calcium score. Get a complete image of your heart health along with recommendations and next steps. No insurance required.
Consider a cardiac screening if you:
Have high blood pressure or cholesterol (even if medically managed)
Have a family history of heart disease
Have Type 2 diabetes
Are a smoker or have ever smoked
Appointments are available in Columbia and Jefferson City. Schedule at your convenience — no referral necessary.
Learn more at muhealth.org/heart-love-screening
PUBLISHING
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Chris Harrison, Associate Publisher chris@comocompanies.com
EDITORIAL
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Kelsey Winkeljohn, Associate Editor kelsey@comocompanies.com
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MARKETING
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CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
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Letter from the Associate Editor
The COMO Mojo: Reimagining Your Passion
If there’s one thing
January teaches us,
it’s that extreme resolutions rarely stick. Yes, it’s tempting to pledge to read ve books a month or hit the gym four times a week, but let’s be honest — most of those ambitious goals zzle out before February even breathes our direction. I actually just learned that January 17 is “National Ditch Your Resolution Day.” e more you know. (If you’re one of those rare unicorns with unshakable determination, good for you — but please, take your smugness elsewhere! Kidding. Kind of.)
However, just because we might not achieve our lofty goals right away doesn’t mean we should throw the baby out with the bath water. is same mindset should also apply to our passion projects. Maybe you’ve always dreamed of writing a novel, starting a nonpro t, or learning a language, but life gets in the way. Financial hurdles, packed schedules, or even a little self-doubt can stop us before we even begin.
I’ve learned that I may not be able to commit entirely to whatever extravagant goal I set for myself, but I don’t want to let that barrier extinguish my passion. at’s why I like to do a little “dipping my toe in the water” action.
For example, in March or April last year, I decided to learn Portuguese. Many years ago, my grandma immigrated from the Azorean Islands and brought with her a rich world of culture, from music to food to art. In 2017, shortly after her death, I had the opportunity to visit São Jorge, São Miguel, and Terceira, three of the nine Portuguese islands, with my family. And man, I tell you, if I could’ve stayed forever, I would’ve.
One of my biggest regrets is not trying to learn the language when my grandma was still alive, but I have to remind myself that I can still learn now. And while I don’t have the time to, say, meet with a language tutor weekly or to binge Portuguese tele-
vision with English subtitles in the hope that I pick something up, I do a lesson on Duolingo every single day. Sometimes, it’s a couple, but most days, it’s just one. Sure, I’m learning at a snail’s pace, but it makes me feel closer to her and connected to my familial roots, and that’s what I care about the most. And hey, I know a lot more than I did almost a year ago!
In other words, don’t let the socially constructed idea of “success” snu the light that is your passion. Engage in any way you can. If you want to write a novel, write for fteen minutes a day. If you want to paint a mural, start on a small canvas until the time allows for a more extensive project. Want to start a nonpro t? Volunteer at an established nonpro t that supports your mission.
Passion projects shouldn’t be de ned by crossing some imaginary nish line but by moving closer to what brings you joy and connects you to the people and world around you. And all progress is worth celebrating.
KELSEY WINKELJOHN ASSOCIATE EDITOR kelsey@comocompanies.com
ON
THE COVER
A star-dotted aurora borealis lights up Columbia’s sky in a rare, embershaded sighting.
Photo by Val Germann
An oceanside view of the Atlantic from Terceira Island, Portugal.
Do something cool.
The Passion Project Issue
Corralling Cats on the Prowl
All about TNR — trap, neuter, and release.
BY NATASHA MYRICK | PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHRISTINA BYRD
Barnie was lost or abandoned. He looked and acted like any other stray cat, frightened of humans but ready to start — or end — a ght with other stray felines. at’s what nally led to a call to a cat rescue group that intervened, told the homeowner about the trap, neuter, and release process, then set traps. And Barnie’s ghting days were over.
Barnie tested positive for feline aids, which he contracted due to ghting. Following the TNR protocol, Barnie was neutered, given a rabies shot, had his ear clipped (a tell-tale mark that indicates a stray has been TNR’d), and he was tested for a variety of diseases. e standard procedure at that point is releasing the cat back into its habitat, but the weather delayed Barnie’s release.
Instead, Diann Stelzer took Barnie into her care. After several months of gaining trust with one another, Barnie slowly socialized and became a beloved family pet. As a result of that experience, Barnie’s Place Feline Rescue was born. Stelzer is the president and director. Before Barnie died, Stelzer promised him that she would continue to take care of other cats that many would deem as unadoptable.
In the United States, 46.5 million households have at least one cat as a pet. Millions of cat owners enjoy pampering their furry friends with u y beds, toys, and treats. Even though Americans love their pets, there are an estimated 32 million cats roaming the streets without a home — and that number is rapidly rising.
What is the cause of cat displacement? Why are there so many? And why does the number of stray cats keep rising?
“It’s a human failure” said Connie Kelly, vice president of Barnie’s Place Feline Rescue, “ is is really a people problem — not a cat problem. e cats are seen as the problem, but this is generated by people not doing the right thing. is is a dysfunction of our society not taking proper care of these animals. We need to take responsibility for them.”
Some might view these feral cats as a nuisance, but resources in the Columbia area are trying to spread awareness on how to actively help reduce the feral cat population in the most humane way. After all, some of these cats used to be someone’s pet that got lost or abandoned by their owners.
One increasingly e ective and humane way to reduce the community cat population is by trap, neuter, and release, or TNR. Alley Cat Allies, a national organization based in Maryland, promotes the concept that “scienti c studies show that Trap-Neuter-Return improves the lives of feral cats, improves their relationships with the people who live near them, and decreases the size of colonies over time.”
STABILIZING CAT COLONIES
Barnie’s Place Feline Rescue is passionate about helping community cats.
“If you don’t get them xed, they continue to ght, breed, and multiply. TNR improves community health by taking care of these animals,” Kelly said. In addition to stopping the spread of diseases such as rabies, TNR also stops “nuisance behaviors.” She added, “Colonies stabilize after you get these animals xed. e numbers stop growing. is is really a public health issue.”
Another bene t of TNR is that the mortality rate of kittens drops. e current mortality rate of kittens born to a community cat is 70 percent, and even higher in the winter months. Some residents and homeowners have expressed concerns about feral or community cats killing songbirds.
“We have no shortage of songbirds in Missouri,” Kelly continued. She is also advocating the shift to refer to feral cats as “community cats.” e term “feral” describes behavior but is rife with negative connotations that many use to condemn stray cats. Along with focusing much of its e ort on TNR, Barnie’s Place will also help community cats who are injured.
For those who are concerned about community cats killing the songbirds that come to bird feeders, Christina Byrd counters that community cats are a valuable predator to keep rodent populations in check. Rodents prey on bird eggs and bird seed, and can also spread disease.
Byrd, the TNR lead with Columbia Second Chance, said there are ways to protect birds if that is a concern, while there is also a humane way to trap and then release the cats.
“ ey are out there su ering without our help,” Kelly said. “ ey don’t deserve to su er.”
Kelly and Byrd both express the “thrive and not just survive” mantra that guides their passion, describing how community cats are su ering from diseases, parasites, and complications through inbreeding. One female cat can have four litters a year, leading to a rapid increase in health complications. Female cats with kittens are also fearful, stressed, and usually plagued with health issues.
One of the biggest issues facing the TNR volunteers is that Columbia needs more low-cost spay/neuter vets. Even organizations like the Spay and Neuter Project are overburdened with how many animals are brought there. ere is sometimes a wait list and a limited number of animals an individual can bring in.
In order to trap the cats, the cats must be fed on a consistent basis, which can create an annoyance to neighbors. Byrd blames public policy, in part, for the issue.
“ e city ordinances on feral cats is ridiculous,” she said, pointing out that city ordinance states that if someone wants
to feed a feral colony, they must apply for a permit. In order to get approved for the permit, the applicant must trap and spay or neuter the cats and have them vaccinated against rabies.
“No one is going to do this,” Byrd said. She noted that the expenses associated with taking care of community cats is “nearly impossible for the average person.”
To Byrd’s knowledge, in the thirteen years the ordinance has been in place, only one permit has been granted. Although acquiring a permit to feed community cats is di cult to get, those who take on TNR run the risk of being ned for feeding the cats.
If laws were easier to follow for addressing the community cat issue, Byrd said, the stray cat population would continue to decrease.
By her count, Byrd trapped seventy- ve cats in a year and a half in a two-block radius. She has assisted in catching over 200 cats during the past two years; the rst year by herself and then a couple of volunteers started helping her. In 2024, she TNR’d 215 cats. Some of them went to res-
“It’s a human failure. This is really a people problem — not a cat problem.”
cues because they were friendly or kittens that could easily be socialized, although 146 of them were TNR’d.
Another problem is that shelters are full. One way people can help is by fostering. Byrd has fostered 210 cats and kittens.
Bobbi Wilson, owner of Peace Love Paws Pet Sitters, described her experience helping with TNR.
“ ere is a component of compassion missing for these cats — it is compassionate to get them spayed and neutered,” she said “ e most e ective way to get these cats spayed or neutered is to trap them. A lot of people are scared of the cats because [trapping] freaks the cats out. People want to help trap cats, but they are scared to do it because of the traps; they don’t know how to properly trap.”
“You can sit there and complain about the feral cats, or you can do something to help,” Kelly added. “ ankfully, there are effective and humane ways to help with the stray cat problem.”
For those who want to take on TNR in their neighborhoods, Byrd recommends contacting the Central Missouri Humane Society or Columbia Second Chance, which both have humane traps for rent. Byrd is also willing to help if contacted at tnr@columbia2ndchance.org. She will provide instructions on how to trap and where neuter/spay surgeries are available. Byrd also may be able to provide personal assistance for someone wanting to join the TNR process.
Editor’s Note: If you are hesitant to help with TNR, you can help spread awareness by educating yourself, sharing posts from these rescues on social media, volunteering your time in other ways at animal shelters or at Petco/Petsmart locations as caretakers, donating, or fostering community cats.
A Beacon of Artistic Renewal
The North Village Arts District space is emerging stronger after 2024 fire.
BY SUNITHA BOSECKER | PHOTOS COURTESY OF ASIA LONG
Orr Street Studios is more than just a physical space for art — it’s a symbol of resilience, creativity, and community purpose. From its mission to serve as a multi-purpose space for the arts to o ering a ordable and welcoming studio spaces, Orr Street Studios bridges the gap between art, artists, and the wider public. After enduring a devastating re in 2024, the studio and its artists are emerging stronger, crafting a renewed vision for the future.
A MISSION ROOTED IN PURPOSE
e mission of Orr Street Studios is to heighten awareness and appreciation of art among Columbians and visitors. Central to that aim is its facility, which houses a ordable studios where artists can create, meet clients, and showcase their work. Beyond individual creation, Orr Street fosters connection through public events such as gallery talks, workshops, and exhibitions. at mission resonates deeply with artists like Asia Long, a former resident artist. For Long, Orr Street provided a nurturing environment for growth as an artist and a person. Even in the face of tragedy, she re ects on her experience with the space as transformative.
“I view the re as more of a transitional thing preparing me for what’s next in my journey,” she explained. at sense of moving forward is a testament to Orr Street’s purpose, one that transcends setbacks.
THE FIRE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
In the early hours of July 21, 2024, a re broke out along the east wall of Orr Street’s south wing. Believed to have been accidentally started by someone sleeping in the area, the re caused extensive damage to the building and disrupted the lives of many artists. Eight studios were rendered unusable for months, and the gallery’s air quality made the entire space inaccessible for weeks.
Artists like Sawyer Wade lost supplies and sketchbooks and recalled, “Other artists lost priceless work.”
For Long, the loss was even more personal.
“Lost all of my materials and irreconcilable things,” she recalled. “Mostly, it impacted my spirit and momentum. Like any loss, it comes with its own grieving period, and I still struggle with that.”
Barbara Hoppe, president of the Orr Street board, echoed the challenges faced during the aftermath.
“We lost income from event rentals, and artists couldn’t use their studios for months,” Hoppe said. “It was di cult, but the community rallied around us.”
RECOVERY AND RENEWAL
Despite the devastation, Orr Street’s recovery was swift and thoughtful. With the support of the building’s owner, repairs began immediately, and by mid-October, the south wing re-
opened. e reconstruction went beyond simple restoration; it transformed the space into something even better.
New walls, a refreshed gallery, and improved facilities now greet artists and visitors alike.
Wade expressed his gratitude for the renewal.
“My studio now has new walls and a new sink — it’s incredible,” he said. “Orr Street Studios did a fantastic job getting the ball rolling with reconstruction. It’s inspiring to work in a fresh space.”
For Long, recovery has been more introspective.
“Right now, I’m taking a step back until I can lead with purpose,” she said. Her experience has been about “ nding my footing and preparing for what’s next.”
2025: A YEAR OF OPPORTUNITY
With the south wing rebuilt and a renewed sense of purpose, Orr Street Studios looks to the future with a vibrant lineup of events this year. e First Friday Art Walk remains a cornerstone, o ering the public a chance to meet artists, enjoy live music, and immerse themselves in Columbia’s creative energy.
In addition, Orr Street is introducing Second Saturday for Kids (SSfK), a free event every other month that provides children with opportunities to explore their creativity. January promises hands-on art activities, welcoming young minds into the world of imagination. February will celebrate Black History Month with events highlighting Black artists. From a community art exhibit to a fashion show and spoken word performances, Orr Street seeks to amplify diverse voices and talents.
Other regular o erings include Hearing Voices, Seeing Visions, a monthly program where artists and writers share their work, and adult life drawing sessions, led by Robert Freeman, on Tuesday evenings.
MORE THAN JUST A STUDIO
Beyond its events, Orr Street Studios is a space of discovery and collaboration. Its unique artistic design, featuring doors made from recycled materials, tells a story of adaptive reuse and transformation. Board member and volunteer e orts ensure that this half-time sta ed facility remains a full-time source of inspiration for the community.
Hoppe emphasized Orr Street’s multifaceted role, adding, “We’re not just a gallery. We’re a place for private events, a meeting space, and a home for creativity. And we’re always happy to give private tours to anyone curious about what we do.”
COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND ARTISTIC PURPOSE
e story of Orr Street Studios is one of resilience and renewal,
but it’s also a story of community. When the re disrupted lives and livelihoods, artists found support from friends, colleagues, and patrons who rallied around them.
“During the time I couldn’t access my studio, I saw so much community support,” Wade re ected. “It reminded me of the importance of the arts and how they connect us.” Long, too, found solace in the broader purpose of her work and the space she called home.
“ is experience has taught me that art isn’t just about creating; it’s about our connection, resilience, and purpose,” she said.
MOVING FORWARD
As Orr Street Studios progresses in 2025, its mission remains steadfast: to serve as a vibrant center for the arts, fostering creativity and connection. From new events to rebuilt spaces, the studio is a testament to the power of purpose, community, and renewal. For those in Columbia and beyond, Orr Street is more than a gallery — it’s a place where art comes alive, stories are shared, and resilience is celebrated.
Whether you attend an art walk, enroll your children in a creative workshop, or simply step into the gallery to experience its energy, Orr Street Studios invites you to be part of its evolving story. Visit orrstreetstudios.com to learn more about upcoming events, artist residencies, and how you can support the artistic haven.
What’s Love Got to Do with It?
The art of giving and receiving love.
BY BETH BRAMSTEDT
Iwill confess — I do appreciate a good Hallmark movie. I like to get caught up in a story of romance occasionally. I am all for celebrating love with a bouquet of roses, a box of tru es, and a glass of Moscato. I enjoy feeling valued and treasured.
In fact, last month my husband and I celebrated 35 years of marriage. In just a week or two, we will all have the opportunity to celebrate Valentine’s Day. ese are special times set aside to give and receive love in tangible ways, whether that includes owers and chocolates or not!
But what do we do about love the other 365 days of the year?
Around Christian Fellowship, we say, “Make love your aim.” ose are not just four nice-sounding words, but a core belief that love should permeate everything we do, all the time.
is commitment to love comes from God himself and is expressed in a wellknown Bible verse that we often take for granted. John 3:16 reminds us:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
It is simple, yet profound. For God so loved that he gave.
What does that mean for us? It means that we model God’s love when we give. No matter what is going on around us, or within us, we can choose to respond with love. We can get good at giving love.
Another well-known passage in 1 Corinthians 13 says:
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
We often associate these verses with weddings, but the truth is they were an admonition given to the early church in Corinth by the apostle Paul. It is a description of more than just romantic love, but love for friends, family, our neighbors, and all of humankind.
ese verses beg the question – what would it look like for us to give love that is patient and kind? Love that never gives up, doesn’t force itself on others, doesn’t keep score? Love that looks for the best, trusts, and cares for others.
It is an art to give love well. Who in your life could use a little love? Who could you intentionally help feel valued and treasured? e ideas are as endless as our brains are creative. is is where Gary Chapman’s love languages are helpful. Some people prefer
to receive love by quality time or acts of service. Others enjoy words of encouragement or gifts. Others prefer physical touch. What works for you does not always communicate love to others.
I wrote notes of encouragement to a few friends on Valentine’s Day and dropped them o with a bag of their favorite M & M’s. My husband, however, would prefer I give love by cleaning out his car or helping to shovel the driveway. Another friend doesn’t care what we do, she just wants to spend time together.
Looked at more deeply, loving is the process of meeting needs. Love is experienced when someone’s needs are met. A wellplaced act of love can meet a deep need for security, acceptance, signi cance, safety, attention, or protection – even cleaning out their car!
And when we can love like that, we are modeling God’s giving heart.
May you love well this Valentine’s Day and always.
Beth Bramstedt is the Church Life Pastor at Christian Fellowship.
Reflecting on Columbia’s Growth
BY BARBARA BUFFALOE
When I rst moved to Columbia in 1998 to attend the University of Missouri, the city had a sleepy, small-town charm that was impossible to miss. During university breaks, the town seemed to exhale. Students left, tra c thinned, and downtown quieted. It felt like the whole city hit pause.
Fast forward to 2025, and Columbia has transformed into a vibrant city alive with activity year-round. Our streets are bustling no matter the season, thanks to the thriving businesses, events, and attractions that have made Columbia a hub for locals and visitors alike. With this growth has come opportunities — and challenges — that we’ve navigated together as a community.
Over the past twenty- ve years, Columbia has grown by nearly 40 percent, with a population that now nears 130,000. Our economy has expanded beyond its strong educational foundation to become a regional leader in healthcare, nance, and technology.
Some of Columbia’s largest employers today didn’t even exist in 1998. Veterans United Home Loans now employs thousands and has become one of the nation’s leading VA lenders. Columbia was abuzz last fall when it was announced that both HomeGoods and Trader Joe’s are planning to come to Columbia. ( is was unimaginable when I rst arrived.)
In terms of culture, Columbia has ourished. e city bought and developed Stephen’s Lake Park into a go-to destination for families, with its walking trails, swimming beach, and community events. e True/False Film Fest has brought thousands of visitors to our downtown every spring, showcasing some of the world’s best documentaries. Our food scene, which includes staples like Shakespeare’s Pizza and newer gems like Logboat Brewing Company and Goldie’s Bagels, has also elevated Columbia’s reputation as a place where local businesses thrive.
Over the past twenty-five years, Columbia has grown by nearly 40 percent, with a population that now nears 130,000.
As we’ve grown, challenges re ecting our evolution into a larger city have become more pronounced. Homelessness, public safety, and infrastructure are among the most signi cant issues we face today, requiring innovative and collaborative solutions. Homelessness is a complex issue that intersects with housing a ord-
ability, mental health care, and addiction recovery. rough partnerships with local organizations like Turning Point and Love Columbia, we’re addressing immediate needs by providing shelter, meals, and access to health services.
In addition, the city is actively working on long-term solutions, including transitional housing, zoning reform to increase housing stock, and increased funding for mental health and substance use treatment programs. Public safety is a cornerstone of any thriving community. While Columbia remains a safe city, we’ve seen the need to invest in programs that prevent crime and build trust between law enforcement and residents. Our O ce of Violence Prevention focuses on addressing root causes of crime through community engagement, youth mentorship, and con ict resolution.
Additionally, e orts are underway to recruit and train more o cers to address our challenges and maintain e ective service levels.
Infrastructure is another growing concern, particularly in historically underserved areas like northeast Columbia. Neglected roads, parks, and public spaces have been a source of frustration for residents, and addressing these disparities is a priority. Projects are already underway to improve road safety, expand public transit, and enhance park maintenance in these areas, ensuring all residents bene t from Columbia’s growth.
As I compare the Columbia of 1998 to the Columbia of today, I see a city that has evolved while staying true to its roots. We can’t make Columbia what it was twenty years ago, nor should we want to — as our growth re ects, Columbia is a place people want to live! By balancing our small-town charm with the possibilities of a larger, more dynamic city, we can ensure that Columbia remains a place where neighbors care for one another, opportunities abound, and the future is brighter than ever.
Barbara Bu aloe currently is serving her rst term in o ce as the mayor of Columbia.
Beef Stroganoff a la Hoss
BY HOSS KOETTING
It’s the time of year when humanity is coming out of the mid-winter doldrums. Dry January is over for the hapless souls who thought that they needed to detox for a month, and everyone’s favorite Hallmark holiday is coming up.
Yes, I’m referring to Valentine’s Day, the economic shot in the arm for orists, candy manufacturers, greeting card companies, and restaurants.
January has historically been the slowest month of the year, between the “holiday hangover” — where folks realize that they ate, drank, and spent too much — and the weather, which can have a signi cant negative impact on sales. February was a welcome arrival when we had Hoss’s Market, with the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day built in to run promotions.
e two specials we’d run for Valentine’s were hand dipped, chocolate covered strawberries, which we’d sell about 250 pounds of, and our take-home and re-heat steak and lobster dinner for two, which included one large lobster tail and two 8 ounce let mignons, which we hand cut.
Well, we would sell about eighty to a hundred of these dinners, which would mean that we would need to cut 160 to 200 lets, and you can get an average of six to eight lets out of an average tenderloin — which means that there was going to be a signi cant amount of trim/scrap left over.
e small, irregular scraps would be ground up and used as regular ground beef, but we would want a more pro table way to use the larger pieces since we were, after all, a for-pro t business!
Here’s one of our favorite recipes for tenderloin tips. If you don’t want to splurge on tenderloin, you can use strip steak, ribeye, or even sirloin. Any lesser cuts would need to be braised or stewed to make them tender.
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
• 2 lbs. beef ( let, strip, ribeye, or sirloin), cut in strips 3/8” thick, about 2” long
• 2 c. yellow onions sliced lengthwise
• 12 oz. sliced mushrooms
• ½ c. dry white wine
• 2 c. rich beef stock
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1-1/2 c. sour cream
• Olive oil or clari ed butter
DIRECTIONS
1. Add some oil to heavy skillet or pan.
2. Sear the beef, making sure not to cook past medium rare, remove beef from pan.
3. Sauté onions and mushrooms until golden; de-glaze pan with wine.
4. Add beef stock; when simmering add dijon and sour cream, whisk until smooth, add beef.
Jim “Hoss” Koetting is a retired restaurateur/chef who enjoys gardening, good food, good bourbon, and good friends.
• Hoss’s steak seasoning
• Egg noodles
5. Serve over prepared egg noodles
Sauce can be thickened with roux or cornstarch slurry if needed.
A Kitchen Full of Heart
Jowin’s Kitchen is baking memories — one gooey butter cake at a time.
BY KELSEY WINKELJOHN PHOTOS BY ANTHONY JINSON
Entering Jowin’s Kitchen feels like stepping into a cherished memory. Vivid yet dreamlike, it’s a place you won’t want to leave once you’re seated — a crossroads between nostalgia and the present. e comforting aroma of sugar and butter clings to the air as if the space itself had absorbed years of baking despite only opening six months ago, and the dreamy purple walls are ornamented with black-and-white photos of owner Jean Nicklas’s family, each frame capturing moments of love, laughter, and baking traditions passed down.
“People always ask me who they are and where their pictures were taken,” Nicklas said. “It’s just funny the details other people pick up that I may or may not be able to tell them about, but that makes it feel very familial … all these touches of people here.”
at sense of history and heart is infused into every corner of Jowin’s Kitchen, especially in its signature treat: the gooey butter cake. is decadent dessert has a unique, two-layer structure — a soft, dense, and slightly chewy base made from butter and our, topped with a sweet, creamy layer that’s almost custard-like in texture.
While the earliest gooey butter cake originated in Nicklas’s hometown of St. Louis back in the 1930s, for her, it’s more than a regional delicacy — it’s a family treasure that dates to her childhood, when she baked alongside her mother (nicknamed “Jowin”) and grandmother.
“We always enjoyed baking together,” said Nicklas. “My grandmother was famous for her cookies actually, but gooey butter cake was one other thing we had growing up in South St. Louis. It was a very popular dessert.”
ose early experiences of sharing the kitchen with her loved ones planted the seeds of a passion that eventually blossomed into Jowin’s Kitchen, even if the journey took longer than expected. Nicklas continued baking and cake decorating into adulthood, but only as a hobby while working in the communications eld. en, during the upheaval of the pandemic, she decided to make the leap by quitting her day job and laying the foundation for her bakery.
“We decided if we were going to do it, now is the time,” she said. “So we started small, licensed ourselves as a home bakery, and began selling it at farmers markets and festivals and events around town, and it just went great.”
One aspect that allowed Jowin’s Kitchen to grow in its rst few years was CoMo Cooks Shared Kitchen, a commercial kitchen and food business incubator that houses several local vendors, including the COMO Magazine-spotlighted Abby Does Charcuterie, BJ’s Co ee Bar, 2 Odd Dawgs, and e Night Owl Eatery.
While Nicklas was not a full-time vendor during her time there, she used the space for large orders — most notably during the holiday season, when she received thousands of requests.
“It was really helpful, not just to bake there, but when I decided to open the [brick-and-mortar] bakery,” she explained. “I knew what equipment I had used there and what I liked, and what I liked about their setup. It was helpful to have worked there to know how to out t this place when the time came.” at time came in early November 2023, during e Loop’s annual Holiday Maker’s Market, when Nicklas was approached by someone who suggested she rent out the vacant Parkade space for her bakery.
“I kind of laughed them o because that didn’t seem like something that would be possible,” she said. “And then, while I was sitting there working the market, I was looking at it, and you know, I peeked in the window and thought, ‘Maybe that would work.’”
Soon thereafter, she started making phone calls, and development quickly snowballed. By January 2024, Nicklas had signed the lease for that same space, and with the help of Reinhardt Construction and invaluable advice from others, Jowin’s Kitchen opened its doors in August. While opening a physical store has expectedly presented a learning curve for the Jowin’s Kitchen team, Nicklas emphasized that the consistent support from the community and the unwavering help from her children, husband, and extended family has made the transition much more manageable.
In addition to revamping the space — which included rewiring, replumbing, and more — Nicklas has also continued to expand the menu beyond her family’s traditional St. Louis gooey butter cake,
venturing into avors like turtle and salted caramel and seasonal favorites such as hot cocoa, featuring a chocolate batter base topped with marshmallows. She joked that these seasonal hits often stay longer than planned, that the lineup is becoming far too long, and that hot cocoa could potentially be rebranded into an “Easter egg” avor come spring. ese playful, evolving avors re ect the heart of Jowin’s Kitchen — a place where tradition and creativity converge.
As Nicklas experiments with new o erings and continues to re ne her menu, the bakery remains grounded in the love and memories that inspired its creation in the rst place.
So what’s next for Jowin’s Kitchen?
“Well,” Nicklas said with a smile, “what’s next is running our little bakery.”
(Re)Discover COMO
African American Heritage Trail
Columbia's African-American Heritage Trail is a two-mile walking trail in central Columbia with dozens of historical markers highlighting Columbia’s Black community. e trail is centered around the Sharp End, the Black business district that thrived until 1950s urban renewal projects decimated much of Columbia’s vibrant Black community, leaving only fading memories which the markers serve to recall. e trail consists of twenty-nine historic markers that honor local Black people and institutions from the city’s rst 200 years.
e trail project was spearheaded by the Sharp End Heritage Committee in collaboration with Regional Economic Development Inc. (REDI) and city of Columbia Parks and Recreation. Local businesses, organizations and individuals provided nancial support.
Maps of the trail are available at various locations, including the Walton Building at 300 S. Providence, which houses o ces of the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Columbia Chamber of Commerce.
Columbia Gateway Plaza
It’s Columbia’s premier sel e spot: e Gateway Plaza.
Located at the corner of Providence and Broadway, e Gateway Plaza opened on November 4, 2021, after nearly a decade of planning. Following eight years of public input, design development, and project modi cations, the Gateway Plaza at the intersection of Broadway and Providence is on city-owned land and is part of e Downtown District’s plan to bring public art downtown.
e centerpiece of the plaza is a large sculpture spelling out “Columbia” featuring an eight-foot globe for the “O” and dimensional stainless-steel letters. Artwork on the globe includes words submitted by residents that describe our community and dates of signi cant events. e sculpture was fabricated by local artist Emmett Russell.
Although solely a project of the Downtown Community Improvement District (Downtown CID), Gateway Plaza was designed to complement the city’s expansion and redevelopment of Flat Branch Park. e dedication of the plaza was an
early hallmark of Columbia’s Bicentennial events, with installation of the sculpture completed in November 2021.
e globe represents the letter “O” in Columbia and is the central feature of the Gateway Plaza installation. It is a commanding eight feet in diameter, installed on a tilted axis, and internally illuminated at night. e globe includes eleven critical dates in Columbia’s history as well as words and images.
True/False Film Fest
True/False is an annual festival in Columbia that strives to celebrate the best of international non ction lmmaking. T/F brings together lmmakers, artists, and musicians to create an immersive and communal experience focused on cinema constructed from reality. e 2025 edition is set for February 27 through March 2. Films, music, art installations, and more enmesh for the long weekend, transforming Columbia into a one-of-a-kind utopia with screenings, live music, and art installations. e transformative, rambunctious, ecstatic experience of T/F creates a cathartic journey that invites participants to do nothing less than to re-imagine reality. To learn more, buy a pass, or check out the lm and music schedule, go to truefalse.org.
True/False Film Fest and Ragtag Cinema are projects of the Ragtag Film Society, a 501c3 not-for-pro t organization. T/F showcases downtown Columbia and its potential by welcoming in the wider international community.
(Re)Discover COMO is a monthly feature sponsored by the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau highlighting places, events, and historical connections that new residents and visitors can discover, and not-so-newcomers and long-time residents can ... rediscover.
WHAT THE HOME PROS KNOW
REMODELING & ROOFING
YOUR PASSION, OUR EXPERTISE WHAT THE HOME PROS KNOW
By Austin Hall
Find more at heartlandhomesmo.com
F
or many homeowners, a house is a labor of love and a never-ending passion project. Maybe it’s updating the kitchen, creating a cozy living room, or finally finishing the basement; no matter the case, home improvement projects are an opportunity to turn a house into a sanctuary. But these transformations require vision, expertise, and guidance — something Heartland Homes has been providing for years.
The Power of a Kitchen Makeover
The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home, and for good reason. It’s where families gather, share meals, and make memories. However, an outdated or inefficient kitchen can make this essential space feel more frustrating than welcoming.
When considering a kitchen update, think about how you use the space. Are you an avid cook who needs better functionality, or is entertaining a top priority? Simple changes like adding more storage, opening the layout, or refinishing cabinets in a bright color can make a huge difference.
Revitalizing Living Spaces
The living room is where life happens— whether it’s a quiet movie night or a lively gathering with friends. When planning a living room update, focus on creating a balance between comfort and style. Start with the basics: a fresh coat of paint can instantly brighten the room and set the tone. Consider replacing worn-out flooring with durable and attractive options like luxury vinyl plank or hardwood. If storage is an issue, custom built-ins can add both functionality and charm. For those looking to make a statement, consider adding a focal point like a feature wall or a custom entertainment center. These elements can
Austin Hall is co-owner, salesman and designer at Heartland. Before starting Heartland, Austin spent eight years perfecting his skills in custom cabinetry and countertop design and installation. Austin has been a board member of Columbia’s Home Builder Association since 2020, he is currently serving as the President and has been either co-chair or chair of the MidMissouri Home Show since 2018. He, his wife Khila and two children, Rylan and Beckett, live in Rocheport and love to relax at the Lake and travel.
elevate the space and reflect your personality.
Unlocking Basement Potential
Basements often get overlooked, but they hold incredible potential for adding value and usable space to a home. The right design can turn your basement into one of the most versatile areas of your home. Start by addressing the basics: proper lighting, quality flooring, and moisture control. Once the foundation is set, consider how the space can meet your family’s needs. A media room with built-in
shelving for games and movies? A home office or workout space? The possibilities are endless.
Passion Meets Expertise
At Heartland Homes, we know that every homeowner’s vision is unique, and we pride ourselves on bringing those visions to life. If your home is your passion project, we’re here to help you make it a reality. Ready to start your next project? Contact Heartland Homes today to schedule a consultation and begin transforming your house into the home of your dreams.
MULCHING DOS AND DON’TS WHAT THE HOME PROS KNOW
By Kelly McBride Find more at rostlandscaping.com
Mulching has a lot of benefits like reducing weeds, adding organic matter to the soil, and helping the plants retain moisture. In addition, a fresh coat of mulch is an instant facelift to your landscape each year. Since Spring is the most popular time to mulch your beds we want to go over the dos and don’ts when it comes to applying mulch because it can harm your landscape if done incorrectly.
Don’t mulch before cleanup:
• Be sure to prune, weed and remove leaves first so you don’t make a mess on top of your fresh layer of mulch.
• Do mulch as the last step.
Don’t forget about edging:
• There are many types of edging that help prevent mulch from spilling out of the bed and into the turf. For example, you could use steel or stone, but the most common is a hand spade edge cut yearly before mulching.
• Do edge before you begin mulching.
Don’t put weed mat under mulch:
• Weed mat is ineffective with wood mulch because it breaks down and creates a layer of organic matter on top. Therefore, you have soil, weed mat, then broken down mulch for weeds to germinate in.
• Do put weed mat under gravel or rubber mulches that won’t break down.
Don’t make a volcano of mulch up onto your tree trunk:
• This can cause the trunk of your tree to rot, eventually weakening or killing your tree.
• Do a mulch Doughnut. Create a flat uniform ring around the trunk with a ‘hole’ in the middle so mulch doesn’t work it’s way up the trunk. This will make for a healthier tree.
Kelly McBride grew up in Columbia just down the road from Rost Inc., and she's happy to still call Columbia home. She has a degree in plant science and landscape design from MU and was hired as Rost’s landscape maintenance manager after graduation. Her love for plants makes this job very enjoyable when assisting clients with their outdoor tasks. Outside of work, you can find her cooking, gardening, sewing, or doing other outdoor activities. KELLY M c
Don’t choose mulch with contaminants:
Don’t rake mulch up onto your siding:
• This can cause your siding to rot. This also gives water a chance to get inside your home.
• Do rake the mulch below siding or weep lines.
Don’t put mulch directly over your plants:
• This can again cause rot, or even smother some plants.
• Do put the mulch around your plants or sprinkle it very lightly over.
Don’t put mulch on too thick:
• This can smother some plants as too much mulch builds up over the years. It’s also a waste of money.
• Do put mulch 1 to 2 inches thick.
• Many mulches include tree trimmings and pallets resulting in metals, pesticides and other contaminants in the mulch.
• Do choose 100% white oak or cedar mulch. These mulches are also fade-resistant.
• Mulch can be purchased at Superior Garden Center in bags or by the cubic yard. If you need to purchase your mulch in bulk it can also be delivered straight to your driveway.
Now that you are equipped with this knowledge, you can dive into your Spring mulching with confidence that it will be done correctly to provide the key benefits to your landscape.
And don’t forget, if you’d prefer to not spend your weekend remulching, the Maintenance Division at Rost, Inc. is happy to handle your Spring clean up and remulch for you!
Reaching for the STARS
Admiring the night skies is a tradition as old as time. Check out some of the coming year's celestial happenings and maybe find your new favorite hobby.
BY EMMI WEINER | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY VAL GERMANN
The night sky has shone over humans for all of existence. Its vast mysteries blanket the earth each night, inspiring generations to look up. Stars, planets, galaxies, and meteors light up the sky night after night, as it has been for millennia.
“Astronomy lends itself to looking at a long view. You realize pretty quickly that 1000 years is nothing when you're talking about planetary movements,” Val Germann, Volunteer Assistant for Laws Observatory on MU, explained. “ e universe will go along quite well with or without us. It kind of sobers you, it's a very interesting and beautiful thing.”
Germann has been working at Laws Observatory on and o over the last four decades, and looking up at the night skies for over 50 years. He can remember the rst time he and his brother, Farrell, tried to catch a comet in their early teens.
“We tried to nd this comet, and we started out using a ri e scope that my dad had as a telescope,” Germann recalled while laughing a bit.
e two boys missed the comet because the information they got from a
Kansas City newspaper was incorrect. But even with the misprinted and makeshift gear, Germann was hooked. Germann and his brother saved up to buy a telescope and both have lifelong interest in celestial happenings.
“We bought a telescope in like '64 or something like that, and started looking at the moon and planets and have both been doing it ever since,” he continued.
“My brother lives in Je erson City now, and he's an astrophotographer, so we're still doing the crazy stu sixty years later.”
Paul Temple, the director of Morrison Observatory and Professor of Astronomy in Fayette at Central Methodist University, had his interest in the night skies solidi ed at a young age as well.
“I started when I was ve years old, and I'm 70 now,” Temple said about his introduction to keeping his eyes on the sky above, which turned into a lifelong passion as well as a career. “I was one of the weird kids whose mom would always let me stay home from school to watch the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions. She always said I'd get a lot more education that way than going to school, and she was right.”
Your Gateway to the Stars
Are you craving more of the night skies but you're not a huge fan of standing out in the elements? Check out mid-Missouri’s celestial exploration centers.
What is an observatory? An observatory is a large, usually dome shaped building that is used to observe and record natural phenomena. In this case, they contain large telescopes used to view celestial events like comets and planet alignments.
What is a planetarium? A planetarium is more of a theater, also in a dome shape. Planetariums became popular during the space race as a way to educate children about space. They screen footage rather than viewing it live.
Laws Observatory
The observatory on University of Missouri’s campus was the first U.S. observatory west of the Mississippi River. On Dec. 30, 1852, the Board of Curators proclaimed the building “intended solely for astronomical purposes, [and] will commence an important era in the teaching of the Starry Science in Missouri.” It is still used for research by Mizzou students to this day.
• Observe planets and the Moon with a telescope
• Observation deck with a variety of manual telescopes as well.
• Exhibit featuring various space artifacts from NASA missions
• Free & open to the public on Wednesday nights from 8-10pm (weather permitting), except holidays.
Morrison Observatory
Morrison Observatory was built in 1876 in Glasgow, MO. It moved to Fayette in 1935 where it came under the care of Central Methodist University. Morrison Observatory used to sell times to the railroads, playing an important role in Western Expansion. Today, the observatory is used for the teaching rather than research.
• Observe planets, the Moon, and stars
• Free & open to the public on select Thursdays (call for most up-to-date information)
Columbia Public Schools Planetarium
The CPS Planetarium was built in the 1970s as a part of Rock Bridge High school. In its 50-odd years, it has served thousands of students and community members looking to learn more about the night skies.
• 3 back to back shows, a mix of educational films about space and footage from various telescopes and space missions.
• Free & open to the public on the second Saturday of every month
MODERN STARGAZING
ese days, with access to the internet, one can nd incredibly accurate information in just a few clicks! ere are even apps for smartphones that can help you identify what you are seeing in the sky.
“ e phones are cool because you calibrate your phone by shaking it,” Temple excitedly shared. “And then when you put it up to the sky and point it at
a region of the sky, it'll show you what objects are in that region of the sky and identify them.”
Temple recommends Stellarium and Cartes du Ciel for PCs. Germann recommends StarWalk for iPhones.
You don’t need fancy equipment or highly technical training to start looking at the night sky. All it takes is some curiosity, a little determination, a clear
night and an area away from lights. Finding the right spot is key.
“You'd like to be in a place where the nearest tree line or structure is 100 yards away, like a backyard of someone who's a little out of town,” Germann explained.
Locating a nice dark spot next to the growing hub that is Columbia is getting harder and harder with light pollution, according to Germann.
Val Germann's Celestial Events to Note for 2025
THE MONTH OF JANUARY
• The Winter Hexagon prominent in the east, with Mars and Jupiter added.
JANUARY 16
• Mars will be closest to Earth for the year, shining its brightest in the east.
• Venus at its best for the year, located in the southwest.
MARCH 8
• Mercury’s best showing for 2025, visible to the southwest with Venus.
MARCH 14
• A total lunar eclipse that will best be seen here in North America.
MARCH 20
• Saturn’s rings edge-on, this will appear as just a thin line in the telescope.
• This only happens every fifteen years.
SEPTEMBER 21
• Saturn closest to the Earth for 2025, the rings coming back.
OCTOBER 7
• Biggest and brightest Full Moon of 2025.
NOVEMBER 17
• The Leonid meteor shower during a phase without much Moonlight to interfere.
• Meteors will be visible late at night, in the east.
DECEMBER 13
• The Geminid meteor shower during a phase without much Moonlight to interfere.
• Meteors will be visible late at night, in the east.
Luckily for those in the mid-Missouri area, Columbia Public School’s Planetarium is open to the public on the second Saturday of each month.
“Planetariums usually have the darkest skies around if you live in a big city,” Meaghann Stoelting, planetarium director for Columbia Public Schools Planetarium, explained. “ ey always have perfectly clear skies. In reality, weather and light pollution make stargazing more di cult.”
COLUMBIA’S NEWEST OBSERVATORY
As the world changes, the night skies remain as beautiful and fascinating as
ever. Germann shared that this rst half of 2025 will include a variety of stunning opportunities to see the planets. To keep up with this changing world, a new observatory is being added to the Boone County Nature School campus on the south side of Columbia.
“It's a new facility just opened, but three months ago. It's still sort of getting set up,” Germann said. “But we're going to be operating there in early March, early April and May.”
ere will be a big STEM event for families and community members at the new observatory on April 5. More details will be announced closer to the date.
Exploring the Cosmos Around COMO
Close
to Town
• Cosmo Park
Open until 10pm
• Rock Bridge State Park Open until 10pm
• Northeast Regional Park Open until 11pm
• Burr Oak Tree
Open all night (Do not park under the tree)
A Little Further (but worth the adventure)
• Finger Lakes State Park 20 minutes north of town (Camping available)
• Arrow Rock State Park 45 minutes west of town (Camping available)
DarkSky Missouri Park
DarkSky Missouri is the Missouri focused division of DarkSky International. Both operate under the same mission of reducing light pollution and preserving the night sky.
• Thousand Hills State Park Kirksville, 1.5 hours away (Designated Urban Night Sky Place in November 2024)
• Stacy Park Olivette, 2 hours away (Designated Urban Night Sky Place in October 2021)
Meet the Pediatric Surgery Team at MU Health Care
Let’s get to know the Pediatric Surgery team at MU Health Care. We asked our surgeons and staff to tell us why they chose pediatric surgery, to describe the best aspects of their team, to tell us what patients can expect when they receive care from the Pediatric Surgery team, and to highlight anything that is new or most exciting about the program at MU. We also asked them to share a fun fact about themselves.
Rony Marwan, MD
Chief Division of Pediatric Surgery
Why did you pursue Pediatric Surgery? Great field that revolves around taking care of kids and helping them be healthy and safe.
What are the best aspects of your team? We have a fantastic team that works really well with one another seamlessly, we enjoy working together and we complement each other.
What can patients expect when they receive their care from the Pediatric Surgery Team? Patients will be seen by a cohesive multidisciplinary team. We not only take care of the patient, but we also take care of the family and make sure their needs are all met. We provide state of the art care and outstanding outcomes. Moreover, we have dedicated longitudinal comprehensive multidisciplinary programs. What is new and/or what is most exciting about the Pediatric Surgery program at MU Health Care? We are continuing to grow and expand our program. We offer high end minimally invasive approaches including single incision laparoscopic surgery and robotic surgeries using the newest Davinci-5 platform. Our Fetal Care Program is launching with the recruitment of the co- director of the program.
Share a fun fact about yourself or your hobbies/ interests: I am a professional SCUBA diving instructor who enjoys teaching and training others and exploring the beautiful underwater realm. I am also an avid outdoor enthusiast. In the warm summer months, you can find me on my e-bike on our famous trails.
Yousef Gohary, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatric Surgery
Why did you pursue Pediatric Surgery? My mentor happened to be a pediatric surgeon. I was inspired by his work ethic, his innovation in treating different surgical diseases, his dedication to treating children which brought a smile on the faces of children and their parents. So I decided to follow in his footsteps.
What are the best aspects of your team? Strong leadership, positive attitude and comradery.
What can patients expect when they receive their care from the Pediatric Surgery Team? They will each receive a balloon made by the pediatric surgery team in the clinic in a shape of either a smiling elephant, dog or giraffe.
What is new and/or what is most exciting about the Pediatric Surgery program at MU Health Care? Expanding the use of robotic surgery in children and offering nonoperative management of different pediatric surgical diseases that have traditionally been treated with surgery. One of the roles of a pediatric surgeon is to find alternative ways in treating children without offering surgery.
Share a fun fact about yourself or your hobbies/ interests: I was the National Inter-varsity Irish Squash champion for 3 years.
Kimberly Cleeton, RN-BSN
Pediatric Surgery Nurse Clinician
Why did you pursue Pediatric Surgery? Most patients come to us requiring a surgical intervention; they are generally anxious and afraid. It is an amazing feeling to provide support and education to help alleviate those fears. Love what you do and do what you love!
What are the best aspects of your team? Our passion for what we do and the collaboration amongst not only our team but the other pediatric specialties.
What can patients expect when they receive their care from the Pediatric Surgery Team? We strive every day to provide efficient, compassionate care to our patients to ensure they feel like family. What is new and/or what is most exciting about the Pediatric Surgery program at MU Health Care? Pediatric Surgery at MU Health Care has amazing medical advancements being implemented in several of our specialty clinics such as our bowel management, chest wall malformation, and vascular anomalies multi-disciplinary clinics.
Share a fun fact about yourself or your hobbies/interests: I have been a nurse for 14 years. My love is my family, and my passion is my job!
Tara Kempker, PNP
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Why did you pursue Pediatric Surgery? My nursing career started as a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse, working in Pediatric Surgery allows me to incorporate my NICU experience and knowledge. I love being able to support our patients and their families through the difficult and often stressful situations accompanying a diagnosis that may require a surgical intervention.
What are the best aspects of your team? We have an amazing team that works so well together. This allows us to be able to offer the best care and support to our patients in the most efficient way. What can patients expect when they receive their care from the Pediatric Surgery Team? Our patients can expect the highest quality care based on the latest evidence of what is best practice, and to be led through the experience by a caring team.
What is new and/or what is most exciting about the Pediatric Surgery program at MU Health Care? We offer amazing multidisciplinary programs, including our Fetal Program, Bowel Management, Gastrostomy and Feeding Access, Chest Wall Malformations, and Vascular Malformations. These clinics allow patients to see multiple specialists to weigh in on the problem in the same appointment to come up with the most appropriate, individualized care plan for each patient.
Share a fun fact about yourself or your hobbies/interests: I love to travel, read, and spend time with my kids and pets. My husband and I have 5 kids, 4 dogs and a cat that keep us very busy.
Jessica Peuterbaugh, FNP Nurse Practitioner
Why did you pursue Pediatric Surgery? I chose pediatric surgery because I love working with children and enjoy the variety of patients I get to care for.
What are the best aspects of your team? The best aspects of our team are the positivity, helpfulness, and strong drive to continuously learn and improve. What can patients expect when they receive their care from the Pediatric Surgery Team? When patients receive care from the pediatric surgery team at MU Health Care, they can expect kindness,
compassionate care, and dedicated providers who are passionate about what they do.
What is new and/or what is most exciting about the Pediatric Surgery program at MU Health Care? I’m passionate about helping families navigate often-taboo topics like constipation through the multi-disciplinary bowel management clinic at MU Health Care.
Share a fun fact about yourself or your hobbies/interests: I’m a huge fan of college basketball. I love to design charcuterie boards.
Nurse
Haley Bennett, RN
What are the best aspects of your team? Everyone on the team is supportive of each other. Our team provides an accepting environment that nurtures growth and allows us to provide high quality of care to our patients. What can patients expect when they receive their care from the Pediatric Surgery Team? They can expect a team of healthcare professionals that are invested in their health and wellbeing.
What is new and/or what is most exciting about the Pediatric Surgery program at MU Health Care? We are constantly changing and adapting our practice based on best practices. Currently, we are in the process of creating a motility clinic for kids with more complex conditions to address their gastrointestinal motility and function. This will improve the standard of care for our bowel management patients who struggle meeting their goals.
Share a fun fact about yourself or your hobbies/interests: I have a variety of interests, including reading, video games, as well as any activities with my husband and kids, but I’m generally happy as long as I am in good company.
Missouri’s ‘Unoffi cial’ State Historian is Retiring
Gary
Kremer will continue to pursue historical truths and discoveries about
the Show-Me State.
BY JODIE JACKSON JR PHOTOS BY KEITH BORGMEYER
At 76,700 square feet, the stately building at the corner of Sixth and Elm streets borders the University of Missouri-Columbia campus and the eastern edge of downtown Columbia’s Flat Branch area. You can’t miss it, but it still seems that the State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSMO) Center for Missouri Studies is something of a hidden gem.
“Not as much anymore,” said Gary Kremer, SHSMO’s executive director, gently pushing back at the “hidden gem” label. “We’re much better known than when we were in the basement of Ellis Library” on the MU campus.
It was a long journey from the cramped quarters below Ellis Library, where the SHSMO was located from 1915 to 2019, to its $35 million home at 605 Elm Street. And from a historical perspective, it has also been a long journey for Kremer, who recently announced he will retire in October 2025 after serving more than twenty-one years as the Society’s director.
ere’s no question that Kremer will continue to be a face at the building that is a combination of art gallery, history museum, and an unparalleled, over owing treasure trove for history and family genealogy researchers. His visits will probably be less frequent but no less purposeful and meaningful.
“ is is the place to come to understand Missouri history,” he said during a recent walk through the building and the bright research library, where the papers of former governors Kit Bond, Sen. Roy Blunt, and dozens of other elected and public o cials are organized and archived. “We’re adding things almost every day.”
Blunt, SHSMO’s president, has credited Kremer for his leadership.
“Gary Kremer has become the uno cial State Historian to many Missourians over the last two decades,” Blunt said in a news release that announced Kremer’s retirement. “Among the Society’s greatest achievements during Gary’s extraordinary leadership was securing $35 million in state bond funds for the construction of a new headquarters building.”
Among the center’s most impressive collections is the preservation, via micro lm and digitization, of the state’s newspapers. e Society was founded for that preservation purpose — though today’s preservation techniques were many decades away — in 1898 by the Missouri Press Association and has been supported by state funding since 1901. e collection begins with the July 26, 1808, issue of the St. Louis Missouri Gazette. e collection now includes more than seventy-two million pages preserved on some 58,000 reels of newspapers on micro lm.
“People come here for di erent reasons,” Kremer said, citing the center’s art collection, research area, or “just to sit and read … I simply want people to come through the doors and appreciate the fact that Missouri is an interesting place with a rich and complicated history.”
He spotted a lone student reading in an alcove and a pair of students quietly studying in another area. By design, the building features two “front” doors: One that opens to downtown to the north and one that opens to the Mizzou campus to the south.
“We get really busy when term papers are due,” he said, wearing a smile of satisfaction. “People come from all over the state — actually, all over the world — to do research here.”
e collections include 30,000 linear feet of material, including the papers of former Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, University of Missouri founder James Rollins, and papers, letters, and diaries from the Civil War, travels on the Santa Fe Trail, World War I, church records, other non-public records, and countless other historical events.
Kremer noted that McCaskill’s papers were the rst to come to the center already digitized. “ ey’re now coming to us on hard drives, not in boxes,” he added. And he conceded that he is envious of today’s students who can now locate historical documents and discoveries “that you just couldn’t nd fty years ago.”
Last fall marked fty years since Kremer published his rst essay on the African American experience in Missouri. At a public event on November 12, he discussed some of his most important ndings from a half-century of research and writing about race in Missouri.
State Historical Society of Missouri
The State Historical Society of Missouri collects stories from the past and the present to ensure Missouri’s history is preserved and shared. Holdings currently include:
• unique manuscript collections
• an extensive newspaper collection dating from 1808 with newspapers from all 114 Missouri counties and the city of St. Louis
• thousands of editorial cartoons that are national in scope
• rare and specialized books
• thousands of maps and photographic images
• oral histories
• an extensive art collection that includes major works by George Caleb Bingham and Thomas Hart Benton.
Publications, Public Programs, and Scholarship
In addition to caring for collections and working to provide easier access to records, SHSMO offers programs, lectures, and workshops as well as tours for school and community groups and in-depth orientation for secondary and university students conducting research.
Through its education initiative at the Center for Missouri Studies, the SHSMO administers National History Day in Missouri. More than 5,000 students in grades six through twelve participate in local and regional competitions each year, with nearly 600 advancing to the state contest in the spring.
The Center also publishes the Missouri Historical Review. The cornerstone of SHSMO’s publications program since 1906, this quarterly journal offers scholarly articles on diverse topics in Missouri history. An active book publisher, SHSMO’s publications have covered everything from editorial cartoons to German settlement.
“I can’t believe it’s been fty years,” he said, nodding in agreement with the phrase, “ e more things change, the more they stay the same.”
Since Missouri’s beginnings, the state has featured quarrels about urban versus rural interests, the size of government, and lingering issues related to race.
“We still have not resolved the issue of race or the role of government,” he said. “Every governor we’ve ever had has talked about reducing the size of the budget, reducing taxes, and minimizing the role of government.”
Kremer’s knowledge has come the old-fashioned, hard way: personal study and digging and diving into reams of papers and stacks of boxes with historical records. As a result, he has written dozens of articles and ve books on the topic of race in Missouri, a publishing record that an SHSMO news release touted as “unrivaled by any other scholar of the subject.” Kremer also cites how he bene tted from studying under and working with Black history pioneer Dr. Lorenzo J. Greene who taught history at Lincoln University in Je erson City from 1933 to 1972.
Greene had been the research assistant for Carter G. Woodson, the man generally recognized as the father of the Black history movement. As fate would have it, Kremer became Green’s research assistant at Lincoln University, teaching there from 1972 to 1987.
“ e last twenty years of his life, he was almost like a father gure to me,” Kremer said.
Greene taught that the purpose of teaching and learning history is “to search for the truth.”
“History is messy, lled with vagabonds and misguided people,” Kremer said. “It’s part of who we are. You can’t ignore that.”
A fth-generation Missourian, Kremer earned his PhD from American University in Washington, D.C. In addition to teaching history at Lincoln University, he also taught at William Woods University in Fulton from 1991 to 2004. He also served as the state archivist from 1987 to 1991 — “making order out of chaos” — under Roy Blunt when the former sena-
tor was Missouri’s secretary of state. Kremer became SHSMO’s executive director in 2004. Blunt became a Society trustee in 2005.
In 2021, Kremer served on the Missouri Bicentennial Commission, which oversaw the planning of statewide bicentennial activities. e SHSMO served as the organizer of the bicentennial, which included more than 300 events, programs, and projects developed and carried out in communities across the state to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Missouri statehood. On Statehood Day, August 10, 2021, Kremer delivered the keynote speech at the State Capitol to commemorate the bicentennial.
He has written, coauthored, and coedited twelve books. His most recent book, is Place of Promise: A Historian’s Perspective on 200 Years of Missouri History shares his knowledge and personal experiences as he considers what being a Missourian has meant to all the state’s people. He has continued to publish articles, books, and papers on all aspects of Missouri. Kremer is the author of several books on George Washington Carver, including a biography of the world-famous chemist from Diamond, Missouri, who made important agricultural discoveries and inventions.
Kremer is currently pondering updates to his rst book, which will probably be one reason he continues to use the resources at the center. He’ll continue research and writing.
“I don’t have a bucket list. I don’t plan any great changes,” he said. “But I won’t be coming into the o ce every day. And I’m perfectly content with that. I may hang out here sometimes, just using the collections.”
Kremer agrees with the observation that studying history, whether in a book, at a micro lm unit, or sorting through documents, can get the researcher o track with any number of “rabbit holes” of information – which is where some of the greatest discoveries are made.
His smile broadens.
“I nd it endlessly fascinating. I’ve spent my life trying to understand the history of Missouri,” he said. “I’ll probably go to my grave still wondering.
Photo by Jodie Jackson Jr
From the Research Lab to the Writer’s Keyboard
Columbia author’s literary path began with his daughter’s challenge.
BY M C KENNA STUMPH
Stephen Paul Sayers wishes he’d discovered writing thirty years ago. He has been a full-time researcher at the University of Missouri for twenty-two years focusing on exercise programs for older adults, and he’s a professor of exercise physiology. His writing muse didn’t begin lling his imagination with story plots and unique characters until his daughter, Kaylee Sayers — who wrote a novel before she turned 17 — presented him with a new challenge.
“She wrote a beautiful book, and I was just amazed by it when I read it. I remember saying to her, ‘I could never do this,’” Sayers recalled, adding that Kaylee responded, “Why don’t you try?”
Sayers researches exercise programs with older adults aimed at keeping people healthy and active throughout their lives to avoid disablement.
“ e writing is way out of left eld,” he said, comparing his vocational work with his experience with a laptop keyboard. “I was always a big reader in my life. I read everything growing up.”
Sayers initially brushed o his daughter’s challenge, but the thought stayed with him and eventually he took time to write a book — as a present to Kaylee. His research position gives him the freedom to travel back and forth from the East Coast — where he’s originally from — incorporating both landscapes into his supernatural, thriller, and horror genres of writing.
He has now authored six books. “A Taker of Morrows” is the first book of a trilogy about Robert Granville, who finds out he only has twenty-four hours to live. Beyond life, a battle between good and evil determines the fate of earthly souls. In that realm, “caretakers” guard and protect against the evil and vengeful “jumpers” who slip back and forth between worlds to prey upon the living. Granville is faced with the task of confronting an evil unleashed upon the earth by a jumper’s vengeance.
Preserving the Past, One Story at a Time
The Recollection Agency is on a mission to record family and community histories.
BY BRANDON KNIGHT
History books are lled with stories of great leaders, entrepreneurs, and government o cials. However, the tellings of the common man often go unheard. Stories throughout a family’s history typically only go back a couple of generations — and they go unrecorded. Trevor Harris, the owner of Recollection Agency has made a career out of recording those forgotten stories … before it’s too late.
Harris started Recollection Agency in 2019, just as the COVID pandemic was making its presence known. At the time, Harris was living in Kansas City, where his wife worked as a professor. Initially recording stories of friends or family friends, he eventually started getting clients he hadn’t met before.
“I was weeping from joy because everybody who hired me up until this point, I’ve probably been doing business for two years, was a friend or a friend of a friend,” Harris said. “And here was somebody who just knew me by reputation.”
When a customer wants a story to be preserved, they contact Harris and he sets up a preliminary interview to understand their goals and to discover the stories they want to record. en he creates interview questions that will guide that story on the recording day when he sets up his equipment, makes sure there is no noise pollution, and lets his subjects tell their stories.
It takes a lot of trust to tell a stranger your stories, much less have him record the stories. Some of these stories are near and dear to the family, and most of the time, the subjects don’t wish for the recorded stories to nd a way to the general public. Harris is diligent in not repeating what he’s heard.
“I’ve observed all of these stories. So I had to develop a way then to let them pass through me and not hang to me,” he said. at was his motivation for creating the “MO’ Curious” podcast, a production about Missouri’s deep history, with about sixteen episodes so far, and more stashed away. Harris has been all over Missouri to record stories.
Scan the QR code to read more about Stephen Paul Sayers’ journey from professor to supernatural storyteller.
Scan the QR code to learn more about how Trevor Harris is turning untold family histories into cherished legacies.
If money was no object, what passion project would you pursue? (And if you’re already living that dream, what is it?)
Does “Start a whiskey distillery count?!” Lionheart Whiskey Co. (Open since June 2022).
– MARIE NEWELL
e Fight Abuse Program is dedicated to creating sustainable revenue streams to support nonpro t organizations helping abused and neglected children. We are currently developing an ecommerce platform to further this mission. With unlimited resources, we would accelerate this initiative to provide much-needed relief to vulnerable children even sooner.
– FIGHT ABUSE
I would be a travel blogger that reviews hotels, resorts, and spas No kidding - I watch this dude on TikTok who reviews spas all over the world and takes followers into his services and it is amazing. LOL.
– DELIGHT EVENTS
United Care Transport is my passion project. We o er nonemergency medical transportation services to our communities. We focus on underserved populations and individuals with mobility challenges. My dream is to expand our services to every county in Missouri!
– JORDAN MERTGEN
Our passion project has been Coyote Hill Children’s Home for a number of years. ese past few years watching our communities come together to make their home and the homes on “ e Hill” a safe place for an abused/neglected child to be safe and loved has been beyond remarkable. e hard work and dedication by the sta at CH many times goes unseen and heard about. We are lucky to have such a loving place such as Coyote Hill. A passion for many of us: We would build a HUGE activity building!
– CINDY LOU’S GLASS STUDIO
City of Refuge was de nitely my passion project. It has been fun being a part of Adam’s passion project with Big Tree and it became my passion as well. I think there is still a missing piece with access and a ordability to health care that I still want to pursue. For example, getting funding for families that need help paying for autism evals or more access to health care for everyone.
– JEN WHEELER/ BIG TREE MEDICAL
I’d start a business with my friends. A big cafe/bookstore/plant store Something with very homey vibes and lots of community events to bring people together.
– ASHLEY LASITER
I would start a nonpro t and build compounds for families in need. Six container homes in a circle that would share farming space as well as land chores. I would also build these for Airbnb (a fun non-farming version) investments to sell and put money back into the nonpro t. It would be an “o -grid” experience.
– EMILY DILLSTROM
How many words do I get? One word? Cure. Two? Parkinson’s Cure.
– JENNIFER LEA
A big music school with a performance space preferably adjacent to art and dance center (for possible collaborations and constant inspirations) next to a cafe and music store(s), that is open to all those who are interested. Something like Neighborhood Music School, where teachers can interact and teach pre-collegiate students and interested adults in the same building, lled with Steinway and Yamaha grand and upright pianos and other instruments students can rent/use.
– AYAKO TSURUTA
I would organize the world’s largest travelling PrideFest!
– JANET DAVIS
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