Missouri Life August/September 2014

[ A HARD DAY’S FLIGHT: WWI WARBIRDS

KC’s Magical BBQ Tour Our Sweet Little 16 Natural Landmarks In an Amish Produce Garden

HERE COMES THE FUN: 125 EVENTS ]

Plus,

COME TOGETHER: Times Beach Reunites THE FLIGHT ALBUM: Chicken Art

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Contents AUGUST 2014

[80] AMISH TIME Amish and Mennonite communities are prospering with the help of produce auctions.

featured >

[26] SHOW-ME MUSIC Shy Boys grew up listening to Kansas City’s Oldies 95.

Now, they pay tribute to the golden era of rock.

[28] MISSOURI ARTIST Matthew Hemminghaus isn’t winging it. He works around the cluck on his fowl photography.

[75] MUSINGS When Ron Marr quits smoking, he has an existential crisis. What else is he capable of?

[76] SHOW-ME FLAVOR

special features >

What’s the best barbecue in Kansas City? This tour takes you to four hot spots to let you decide.

[32] OUR 16 NATURAL MARVELS

[96] SHOW-ME HOMES

Only ten states have more Natural National Landmarks than Missouri. Meet all

A Victorian home in Clarksville borrows from the past and far-away lands. And you can tour it.

sixteen of our state’s landmarks, and find out which ones you can explore.

[44] TIMES BEACH IS ALIVE Although flooding spread the dioxin contamination and forced everyone to abandon the town of Times Beach, the community thrives at its annual reunion.

[48] DAY TRIPPER In 1964, The Beatles made history during their first US tour. They played The Ed Sullivan Show, dominated the radio, and visited the Ozarks for a weekend retreat.

[52] GUITARS INSPIRED BY CIGARS

[59] FALL FIELD GUIDE

the stage and show off their homemade instruments.

If you’re looking for an escape this fall, we have plenty. See what’s happening when the leaves turn.

[54] THE GREAT WAR’S GREAT REPLICAS

[86] BEEF BLITZ

Have you ever seen the movie Flyboys? How about Amelia? If you have, then

Football season is almost here. Try our tailgating recipes to make your game day gourmet.

At the KC Cigar Box Guitar Festival, dedicated musicians and craftsmen take

ABBY HOLMAN

special sections >

you’ve seen one of Robert Baslee’s Missouri-made World War I replica airplanes.

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Contents

CONTENT BY LOCATION

AU G US T 2 0 1 4

35 78 42 16 78 82 94 20 28 26, 52, 76 16 54 76 74, 14, 14 22, 40 92 24 78 42 20, 38 44 19 40 78 19 37 36 78

departments > [12] MISSOURI MEMO

[20] MADE IN MISSOURI

Find out about the Big BAM (Bicycle

Start smoking with one of the Show-

Across Missouri), how Google invited

Me State’s best barbecue accessories.

us to be the only Missouri magazine

Do laundry the old-fashioned way,

to publish on their great new app for

and satisfy your fudge cravings with

your smart phone, how you can help

Grandma Ding.

19 76

78 48 35 20 39 34 37 24 41 48, 39

restore a bridge, and more.

[22] SHOW-ME BOOKS

[101] CALENDAR

[14] LETTERS

William Least Heat-Moon writes about

Savor the last bit of summer by going

We received a letter from the United

writing, and you can read six more

out and doing something.

Kingdom. Morris Burger wrote in, and

great Missouri books.

[122] MISSOURIANA

one reader shares a Civil War tale.

How much did a ticket cost to see

[16] MO MIX

[78] DINING WORTH THE DRIVE

Climb a tree with Guy Mott, fly into

At Bradshaw’s Bistro, you’re already a

Municipal Stadium in 1964? Find out,

Carterville’s super ice cream shop, meet

local. Plus, get a taste of Mo’ Beef and

and learn more fun Missouri facts.

Missouri’s ultimate fighter, and more.

Louisiana’s best doughnuts.

The Beatles at Kansas City’s

– THIS ISSUE –

On the Web

OUR FAVORITE BEATLES SONGS

OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

GO CLIMB A TREE!

What’s the best Beatles song? Let us know

We scored an interview with one of Missouri’s

Tree climbing isn’t just a children’s game. Find

what you think by commenting on our website

most celebrated authors, William Least Heat-

out where you can join tree climbing instruc-

or our Facebook when we share our staff’s

Moon. Read our Q&A that covers everything

tor Guy Mott to climb from limb to limb on

favorite hits by the Fab Four.

from Writing Blue Highways and beyond.

some of Missouri’s green giants.

Read MO Books

Have you seen all the books that we offer? With history, recipe, fiction, trivia, and art books, we have something for everyone. Order one at MissouriLife.com.

on the cover> THE BEATLES AT PIGMAN RANCH When John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Paul McCartney stopped at Pigman Ranch in Alton, they were accompanied by photographer Curt Gunther, who was their official tour photographer in 1964.

COURTESY OF LIVERPOOL LEGENDS, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI PRESS, AND GUY MOTT

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

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

www.thebenttree.com www.stacyleigh.etsy.com

Now offering rustic chair classes. Call for information: 573-242-3200

Bent Tree Gallery The

HISTORIC CLARKSVILLE, MISSOURI

Rustic Furniture, Handcrafted Handbags, Fiber Art & Baskets 573-242-3200

Publisher Greg Wood Editor in Chief Danita Allen Wood

Established 1979

EDITORIAL & ART Creative Director Andrew Barton Art Director Sarah Herrera Associate Editor David Cawthon Associate Editor Jonas Weir Special Projects Editor Evan Wood Associate Art Director Thomas Sullivan Graphic Designer Taylor Blair Calendar Editor Amy Stapleton Editorial Assistants Meghan Bell, Gretchen Fuhrman, Chanelle Koehn, Wade Livingston, Annie Rice, Stephanie Sidoti, Ashley Szatala

Celebrating 35 years in the business of art!

Contributing Writers Katie Bell, Winn Duvall, Abby Holman, Ron Marr, Melissa Shipman

The perfect place to find one-of-a-kind gifts for the special people in your life.

31 High Trail Eureka, MO 63025 www.stonehollowstudio.com 636-938-9570

Columnist Ron Marr Contributing Photographers Molly Beale, Katie Bell, Angela Bond, George Denniston, Harry Katz, Abby Holman, Bob Holt, Greg Kendall-Ball, Melissa Shipman, Karen Trotter, Julie Woodward MARKETING • 800-492-2593 Sales Manager Mike Kellner, Central and Northeast Advertising & Marketing Consultant Brent Toellner, Kansas City and Western Sales Account Executive Paula Renfrow, Inside Sales Sales Associate Gretchen Fuhrman Advertising Coordinator Jenny Johnson Circulation Manager Amy Stapleton

Events The Drowsy Chaperone

Aug. 1-10

Battle for the Brave

Aug. 23

St. James Grape & Fall Festival

Sept. 3-6

Galumpha

Sept. 12

Mustache Dash 5K/10K

Sept. 13

Presented by Ozark Actors Theatre

Benefit for Special Olympics MO

Presented by Leach Theatre

DIGITAL MEDIA MissouriLife.com, Missouri eLife, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest Director Jonas Weir Editors Taylor Blair, David Cawthon, Sarah Herrera, Evan Wood Missouri Lifelines: Evan Wood TO SUBSCRIBE OR GIVE A GIFT AND MORE Use your credit card and visit www.MissouriLife.com or call 800-492-2593, ext. 101 or mail a check for $19.99 (for 6 issues) to: Missouri Life, 501 High Street, Ste. A, Boonville, MO 65233-1211 Change address: Visit www.MissouriLife.com OTHER INFORMATION Custom Publishing: For your special publications, call 800-492-2593, ext. 106 or email Greg.Wood@MissouriLife.com.

Back Issues: Order from website, call, or send check for $7.50.

For more information on these and other events and activities visit

www.VisitRolla.com

Rolla Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center

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

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Come for the Music, Stay for the Fun! Wildwood Springs Lodge 2014 Concert Lineup

Meramec Music Theatre 2014 Show Schedule

AUGUST 29-31: STEELFEST

AUGUST 9, 8:00 PM: EXILE AND JUICE NEWTON AUGUST 16, 6:00 PM: KAREN PECK & NEW RIVER AUGUST 29, 6:00 PM: STEELFEST PRESENTS: THE GREENCARDS & MOUNTAIN HEART AUGUST 30, 6:00 PM: STEELFEST PRESENTS: THE RAMBLIN ROOKS & JOHN CAFFERTY WITH THE BEAVER BROWN BAND AUGUST 31, 6:00 PM: STEELFEST PRESENTS: DEL MCCOURY AND GAELIC STORM SEPTEMBER 13, 6:00 PM: BOOTH BROTHERS FOR TICKETING INFORMATION VISIT MERAMECMUSICTHEATRE.COM

SEPTEMBER 27: NEW RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE OCTOBER 3-4: GYPSY AND BREWER AND SHIPLEY OCTOBER 10-11: LITTLE RIVER BAND OCTOBER 17-18: LEON RUSSELL OCTOBER 24-25: AMERICA & RUSTY YOUNG OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 1: ARLO GUTHRIE NOVEMBER 7-8: OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS FOR INFORMATION ON VARYING TICKET PACKAGE OFFERS VISIT WILDWOODSPRINGSLODGE.COM

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MISSOURI

emo

WHAT’S THE BUZZ? the vision, the Big BAM was born. We considered calling it the MLGBRAM, along the lines of RAGBRAI, but that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.

The inaugural Big BAM will trek across northern Missouri with fun stops along the way. Think Pedalar’s Jamboree, with music at every evening stop, meets Missouri Life, with our unique insight and connection to the places we’ll travel through and stay. We can’t claim to be RAGBRAI, but hey, they started small forty-one years ago. We want to try to show you the same good time but with better scenery!

Go to BigBamRide.com to be added to our list for updates.

we’d combine our columns this month to tell you about everything.

BUILD A BRIDGE For those who care about the Katy Trail, bridges, trains, history, or the former MKT rail line, we invite you to participate in Katy Bridge Coalition’s Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for Phase 2 restoration of the unique lift span bridge near Boonville.

Phase 1 is currently replacing the missing span on the Boonville side and will be done by 2015. Phase 2 will rehabilitate the lift span portion of the bridge, including electrical and mechanical work. The final phase will rehabilitate the north side, thus reconnecting to the original MKT route and the Katy Trail to allow trail-goers to cross the river as trains did.

After Phase 2 is completed, the bridge will be operational, offering opportunities to see it raised and lowered. It will also be available for special events.

Think of how much fun it will be to watch the bridge come down from the lifted position, so you can walk or bike across. It is the only Katy Trail crossing on the Missouri River, and it will provide a unique way to see the river. Your donation, no matter how small, will help.

One reason we’re helping out is because our offices have a great view of the bridge from the historic Hotel Frederick. Won’t you help, too?

Visit kickstarter.com, and search for KATY Bridge.

RIDE THE BIG BAM Mark your calendar for June 22-27, 2015, and join us for The Big BAM. Missouri Life and Pedaler’s Jamboree, a seven-year-old cycling and music festival, have teamed up to Bicycle Across Missouri.

Both Greg and I lived in Iowa for about fifteen years before returning home to Missouri, and we always wanted to ride RAGBRAI, The Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa where participants start in western Iowa, dip their tires into the Missouri River, cross the state, and end by dipping into the Mississippi River. Once Mike Denehy, the founder of Pedaler’s Jamboree, saw

EXPLORE STATE PARKS Some of you will remember that we ran a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the printing of a book we’re producing in association with the Missouri Parks Association. This book explores the history, the unique natural characteristics, and other attractions of our eighty-eight state parks and historic sites. We have been hard at work this summer editing and finding the best photographs for this book. You can preorder this book for only $35. Once it’s off the press, it will cost $50. Go to MissouriLife.com, and visit our store to pre-order.

This summer, we are focusing solely on this book, but if you missed the ones we produced last year, you can find them in our Missouri Life store. Missouri River Country, Savor Missouri, and New Regionalism are beautiful books that make for fantastic, GREG WOOD, DANITA ALLEN WOOD, PUBLISHER EDITOR fun reads.

COURTESY OF GOOGLE AND MISSOURI PARKS ASSOCIATION; NOTLEY HAWKINS

WE HAVE SO MUCH A-HAPPENING that we thought

TAKE A FIELD TRIP We’re happy to announce that Missouri Life is publishing on Google’s new app Field Trip, available in your app store. Missouri Life is the only Missouri magazine invited to publish on this truly useful and fun app. Field Trip is designed to notify you when you are near a noteworthy location, whether it’s a restaurant we’ve recommended, a historic site, a weird yet fascinating museum, or the world’s largest goose. When you receive a notification, a “card” with information about what’s nearby will pop up on your screen. The cards that we create include both a brief description and additional details from our stories, as well as useful information like phone numbers.

It’s a terrific app for when you’re exploring, on business trips, or just commuting. Now you won’t miss out on any of the great places in our state.

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AUGUST

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

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST Thanks to you and your staff for the hard work in making our hard work on the Stoutimore Home (June 2014) recognized and validated.

The National Historic Register is a true means of showcasing the love and passion for our nation’s historic landmarks. I hope your article inspires others to seek nomination. Plattsburg is such a hotbed of varied architectural styles and reflects the competitive individuality of its nineteenth-century residents; each one tried to outdo the other. It was an honor to have saved one of the originals. former owners, Hayes, United Kingdom

AN UNFORTUNATE FATE The article “A Border Blunder” by Ron Soodalter (June 2014) was one of the best about this infamous deed. Some of your readers might be interested to know what happened to the general who was behind it.

After the misery that the order caused, the famous Missouri artist George Caleb Bingham told General Thomas Ewing that he would make him “infamous with pen and brush,” and he did just that.

Ewing went back to Ohio and ran for governor in 1880. The family of Bingham (he had died) found a nearly full-page newspaper account of Order No. 11 and had it printed all over the state. Ewing lost by 1.5 percent of the vote.

Some thought Ewing might have been headed to the White House had he been elected governor.

At the 1880 Democratic party convention, Ewing received ten votes for president. He gave up politics and moved to New York City where, in 1896, he was run over and killed by a cable car while crossing the street.

Perhaps, justice at last.

—Moe Dearing, Kansas City

This historic home in Plattsburg, as it appears today and in the first part of the century, was the centerpiece of our project that aimed to get Clinton County on the National Register of Historic Places; it was the only Missouri county without a property on the register.

FAMILY BUSINESS My thanks to you for mentioning Burgers’ Smokehouse in your Missouri Memo in the June 2014 issue of Missouri Life. My wife, Dolores, and I always read your magazine cover to cover, and when we travel through Missouri, we often drive out of our way to eat at the local restaurants you recommend.

I and the whole Burger family appreciate that you recommended buying locally whenever possible. It is true that we often overlook food and vacation opportunities right at our doorsteps.

SEND US A LETTER

Here in California, Missouri, we have farmers’ markets on Friday afternoons throughout the summer. Dolores has purchased fresh asparagus, homemade wheat bread, and lavender hand soap.

Concerning the arrowheads mentioned in Greg’s letter (June 2014), I picked up many Native American artifacts when my family farmed the Moreau River bottom near the smokehouse in the forties and fifties. Unfortunately, they were stored in buckets in the old house, and I assume disappeared when the house was torn down. How I wish I would have thought to rescue them.

For some reason, the older I get, the more I want to hang on to the past. Keep up the good work. Missouri Life is an exceptional magazine.

—Morris Burger and family, California, Missouri

Email: Fax:

SPREADING THE LOVE The first two issues of my subscription have been very enjoyable, so I’ve decided to send Missouri Life as a gift subscription. Thank you for this home state magazine!

Facebook: Address:

—Sandra McComas, Kansas City

COURTESY OF STUART JENKINS; KAREN TROTTER

—Roberta Brown, daughter of the Stoutimore Home’s

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Mo MIX Ferguson

Going out on a Limb IF YOU

find yourself up a tree, Guy Mott, Ad-

venture Tree founder and director, might have a few words of advice. He says that tree climbing is great for exercise, relaxation, fun, connecting to nature, and above all, personal growth.

“When you’re climbing trees, you have to push past your boundaries,” Guy says. “And when you do achieve success—looking down from a tree at forty, fifty, or even sixty feet in the air—it opens you up to more possibilities.”

Adventure Tree offers several tree climbing programs at its Ferguson location. The popular public canopy climb is offered on the first Sunday of each month. Participants learn how to use a self-belayed rope and harness system to climb safely. Adventure Tree hosts most of its climb-

ed Adventure Tree about five years ago after he par-

ing down through the branches, observing the squirrels

ing programs on a big tulip tree at Grove House Confer-

ticipated in a tree climbing workshop at an adventure

scurrying from limb to limb, the lichen, the moss, the

ence Center and a great red oak at EarthDance Farms.

education conference. Before tree climbing, Guy spent

birds, and the insects,” he says. “There’s so much life in

Guy, a certified arborist, says that the best climbing trees

much of his career indoors, working for companies such

that tree, and in that moment, I feel a part of it.”

are tall, isolated, and have a full canopy of branches that

as IBM, Compaq, and Seagate. Being outside the office

grow horizontally from the trunk.

has given him a new perspective.

Guy, a lifelong adventurer and outdoorsman, found-

“There’s nothing like being high in a tree and look-

For more information, visit adventuretree.org. Go to MissouriLife.com for a list of upcoming tree climbing events. —Chanelle Koehn

Waverly

The Apple Epicenter IN THE HEART of Missouri apple country, you’ll find tons (literally) of the

dumplings their first year in 1988. Last year, they made 2,331 apple dumplings, 40

fruit at the Waverly Apple Jubilee, which started in 1906. The Jubilee is a celebration of

apple pies, 313 fried pies, and six apple cakes—and there weren’t any leftovers.

the area’s strong apple heritage.

Making over 700 dumplings each day takes an assembly line of women who start

The Apple Pan Dowdies, currently a group of about thirty women from Waverly

by peeling apples at 6 am at Peter’s Orchard, a 106-year-old operation, before

Christian Church and the community, make the apple goodies. They baked 150 apple

bringing the apples to town where they are prepared, baked, and then taken to the festival.

The Missouri State Champion bushel of apples is also judged at the Jubilee. In 1989, site; the State Fair in August was deemed too early in the apple-growing season.

Each year, thirty-nine bushels are auctioned, and the grand champion bushel has topped five thousand dollars. The Jaycees use proceeds from the apple auction to fund community improvement projects. Brian Sowers, a member of the area Jaycees, says that the auction really took off after local businessman Tom Evans was the first to spend a grand on a bushel of apples in 1983.

Although the Jubilee includes other activities, the big draw is a taste of Missouri’s apple history. The festival runs from September 11 to September 13. Call 660-493-2551 for more information. —Stephanie Sidoti

COURTESY OF PAT LARKIN AND GUY MOTT

the State Agriculture Director declared the Jubilee as the official state apple judging

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

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

Route 66 Museum and Research Center

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

Lebanon is known by its motto,

“Friendly people.

Friendly place.�

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

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

Case Knives XX Celebration September 6 Shepherd Hills Factory Outlet on Route 66 www.CaseXX.com 417-532-7000

Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival September 18-20 Conway, MO www.starvycreek.com 417-589-2013 www.lebanonmo.org | 1-866-LEBANON [17] August 2014

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Mo

MIX

Columbia

A Slice of the Pie Life OVER TEN years ago, one of Co-

Eight years later, Jeanne’s daugh-

lumbia’s best-known pie joints was going

ter Rebecca raised $10,264 through

strong. Peggy Jean’s Pies, co-owned by

Kickstarter, a crowdfunding site, and

Jeanne Plumley and her best friend, Peg-

reopened Peggy Jean’s Pies in a com-

gy Day, churned out about eighty pies a

mercial space at 3601 Buttonwood Drive

week and had difficulty keeping up with

in Columbia. The bakery uses the same

the increasing demands.

pie recipes, such as Dutch apple, coconut

However, Peggy’s health began to

crème, and German chocolate.

decline. When Peggy died in 2005, Jean

Each day, Rebecca and Jeanne use

closed the shop, but people still request-

pounds of white sugar, brown sugar, and

ed their pies.

flour to make 140 pies, which are usually sold out by day’s end.

Rebecca’s family is also involved. Her husband, Jason, handles the numbers, and their two children place stickers on pie boxes.

Carterville

Follow the bakery on Twitter, Face-

Superhero Sweets

book, and pjpies.com. Pies are also sold at Lucky’s Grocery Store and Shortwave Coffee in Columbia. —Annie Rice

A MAN in Carterville has the scoop on Superman ice cream. Have no fear, though; there isn’t Kryptonite in this sweet treat—unless you try the Kryptonite Delight, a strawberry syrup soda mixture with green, Superman shield-

Park Hills

shaped ice cubes.

A Fighting Chance

Larry Tamminen owns Supertam on 66, the largest superman museum that sells ice cream along Route 66. The shop holds over four thousand memorabilia pieces, ranging from puppets to posters. Larry’s love for the Man of Steel inspired him to

IN OCTOBER 2008, Alex White walked into a gym. When he left, he had

collect memorabilia for thirty years.

a new career.

“It was putting two hobbies together,” Larry says about both of his loves for Route 66 and Superman.

The gym’s owner Joe Worden noticed the way Alex moved and sparred and realized Alex had potential in mixed-martial-arts-style fighting, which combines wrestling and

The yellow walls of Supertam are lined with every memorabilia item you can imagine: cups, figures, clocks, photos, and autographed collectibles. The oldest piece dates to 1944.

COURTESY OF CHRIS OTH/KNUCKLEJUNKIES.COM; ANNIE RICE

Jeanne Plumley and Rebecca Miller

kickboxing. After that, Alex began training with Joe. “Before fighting, I was starting to turn into an alcoholic,” Alex says, adding that professional fighting set him on a different path. “It changed my life.”

Larry’s wife, Barbara, scoops out the Superman ice cream, which is colored red, blue, and yellow, like Superman’s outfit.

This spring, Alex, who fights under the name The Spartan, signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and became one of the world’s four-hundred

“The kids love it because of all the colors,” Larry says, “The kids know exactly what they want when they walk through the door.”

UFC fighters. As of mid-summer, Alex was undefeated in the professional

The name Supertam combines the “super” in Superman and the first three letters of

ring with ten wins. Every few months,

Larry’s last name, “tam.” He was forced to drop the original name after Warner Bros.

he has a match, which airs on a major

sent him a cease-and-desist letter; the Superman logo on the sign can stay until it breaks.

network.

And no legal battle could thwart his growing collection. Two-thirds of Larry’s memorabilia is at Supertam. The rest is hidden away at his secret headquarters.

“He’s an athletic kid with a lot of heart,” Joe says. “I can teach you how

“You never stop collecting,” Larry says.

to fight, but I can’t teach you how to

Supertam on 66 is located on 221 W. Main Route 66 in Carterville, just outside of

have heart.”

Joplin. The shop closes for the season on Halloween. For more information, visit Facebook or call 417-392-7405. —Annie Rice

Alex White, left

For more information, visit facebook .com/AlexWhiteMMA. —Ashley Szatala

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Made IN MISSOURI Sikeston

Julia Baka

Built for Barbecue STEVE NOLEN builds some mean barbecue smokers, but he’s not a barbecue enthusiast. He knows the intricate details of building them, but he’d rather leave the cooking to the pit masters.

Steve owns Nolen’s Custom Smokers and can build smokers for restaurants, competitions, and backyard cookouts.

Eight years ago, he turned his metal-working hobby into a full-time business that has shipped to all fifty states and across the world. He manufactures every piece of his smokers—except the nuts and bolts.

On a custom, red and gray double-barrel “Cardinals smoker,” metallic Cardinals logos decorate the oven doors and the cooking chamber. Miniature baseball bats are door handles. Regardless of the model,

Columbia

craftsmanship is paramount. Steve says he

A Rack for Your Laundry Stack

shaves down and smooths the welds.

Quality is as important as quantity.

Steve’s smokers can hold anywhere from 150 to 900 pounds of meat.

Visit nolenscustomsmokers.com and

JULIE AND GREG

Baka aren’t like

their Facebook page, or call the shop at

most inventors. Instead of creating the latest high-

573-233-5946. —Wade Livingston

tech gadget, they take consumers back to a day when sophisticated machines weren’t a staple in many homes.

Platte City

Since 2010, the Bakas have been making laundry tools

FUDGE fanatics would drool if they saw Grandma Ding’s culinary laboratory.

can cook thirty-six pounds at a time.

Several years ago, a friend showed the couple a decades-old drying rack, and the Bakas were inspired to make a similar, modern version that was a bit more

She concocts adventurous varieties like chewy

durable. Greg, a former product designer, created a

Kathy Wright is the mastermind behind her home-

praline, raspberry cheesecake, and jalapeño—a cus-

model that would be efficient, simple to build, and

based operation, Grandma Ding’s Fudge and More.

tomer requested that last one. Now, she sells it as

easy to repair. The result was a drying rack with

She makes more than twenty flavors of fudge in her

a staple. After eight years of making fudge and ex-

twelve foldable arms that branch out from a cen-

commercial kitchen, which features a kettle that

perimenting with flavors, she says she’s never had to

ter base. It can hold one load of wet laundry, which

scrap a test flavor.

weighs about sixteen pounds.

She also carries more traditional varieties like al-

The products Julie and her husband created were in-

mond coconut, butter pecan, penuche, and her top

spired by the growing energy-conscious market that

seller, peanut butter chocolate.

includes baby boomers who always hand-dry laundry,

She sells hundreds of pounds of fudge each week,

mothers who hand wash cloth diapers, and young people

and regular weekenders at the Kansas City River Mar-

in apartments who are reluctant to spend money on dry-

ket rave about her sweet treats. For dieters feeling

ing clothes. These consumers make up most of the Baka’s

tempted, Kathy also sells vegetables and smaller por-

clientele.

tions of fudge on ice cream cones for a dollar at the farmers’ market.

Julie is now the company manager and spends ten to twelve hours each week building, packaging, and

From the second weekend in September until Hallow-

marketing the racks and additional products they

een, Kathy sells her confections at her pumpkin patch,

sell: a full ringer washer, an umbrella clothesline, and

Pumpkins Etc., at 10700 Farmer Lane in Platte City. This

a washing kit.

year marks the pumpkin patch’s thirtieth anniversary.

For more information, visit grandmadingsfudge.com, or call 816-858-5758. —David Cawthon

The Bakas sell about five hundred drying racks annually. Visit bestdryingrack.com for more information.

—Ashley Szatala

COURTESY OF NOLENS CUSTOM SMOKERS; MOLLY BEALE AND ANNIE RICE

Confectionery Concoctions

that don’t use electricity.

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Defining Excellence

www.columbiaorthogroup.com | 573-443-2402 1 South Keene Street | Columbia, MO

Garth S. Russell, MD William G. Quinn, MD Dennis L. Abernathie, MD Peter K. Buchert, MD Patrick A. Smith, MD Thomas R. Highland, MD James F. Eckenrode, MD Randal R. Trecha, MD Mark A. Adams, MD Jennifer L.K. Clark, MD Benjamin T. Holt, MD John D. Miles, MD Robert W. Gaines, MD B. Bus Tarbox, MD David E. Hockman, MD

Oct 18 & Nov 8

Oct 24 & 25

Branson MO

Matt E. Thornburg, MD John Havey, MD Jeffrey W. Parker, MD Todd M. Oliver, MD S. Craig Meyer, MD B.J. Schultz, MD Christopher D. Farmer, MD Brian D. Kleiber, MD Kurt T. Bormann, MD Jason T. Koreckij, MD Alan G. Anz, MD Matt Jones, MD Tim Crislip, DPM J. Camp Newton, MD

Oct 10

417.335.2000

Visit OakRidgeBoysTheatre.com for a full listing of entertainment.

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SHOW-ME

Books

WRITING ABOUT WRITING

About Writing This is a story about the making of a best-seller.

BY DANITA ALLEN WOOD

the book at the Columbia Public Library. He wonders if anything would ever be created or invented without a certain naiveté on the part of the creator or inventor.

What shines through is Heat-Moon’s passion for excellence, and behind that, his belief in a Secret Society of Readers that appreciates excellence. This construct occurred after a discouraging moment at a bus station, where he noticed not a single person in the waiting room was reading.

He invented the Secret Society of Readers as a deliberate self-deception, to keep himself motivated.

He envisioned these readers “would be interested in language, when appropriate, that rises above the level of expression in the instruction manual attached to a new washing machine.” The Society wound up freeing Heat-Moon, and his writing began to take greater chances. The ruse ultimately kept him at his desk, writing, revising, revising some more, and revising yet again.

One of the surprises to many aspiring writers, or to those of us who envision prose just flowing effortlessly forth from authors like Heat-Moon, might indeed be the role of self-editing and revision. Heat-Moon makes it clear that he read and re-read every sentence, examining every word, phrase, and sentence, multiple times, seeking ways to improve each element, suspecting each of weakness. He writes, “After a year, I realized perhaps I was not a so-called natural writer but merely a dogged one where persistence stands in for native genius. The result: sledgehammers.”

He says he probably revised the entire manuscript about eight times, and the opening paragraph in the published book was rewritten two dozen times and contains no resemblance to

Writing Blue Highways William Least Heat-Moon 184 pages, hardcover, University of Missouri Press, $24.95 that “first sorry and now vanished paragraph.”

He also writes, “In that way, my life was built around not eventuality but potentiality, and the task was to countenance temporary stuff ranging from the utterly unacceptable to the merely tolerable, all the while looking for means to help tunelessness become melody.”

Heat-Moon has created a memorable little tune in this short book for members of the Secret Society, who do exist after all.

COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI PRESS

AT FIRST GLANCE, the title might lead you to believe this is a book for aspiring authors, for writing teachers of all stripes, and for the legions of William Least Heat-Moon fans who have enjoyed his books: River-Horse, PrairyErth, Roads to Quoz, Columbus in the Americas, and Here, There, Elsewhere.

And of course it is, but this is also a book for Heat-Moon’s Secret Society—more about this in a moment.

Heat-Moon, who was born in Kansas City and lives outside of Columbia, gained his earliest credentials from Blue Highways, the story of his fourteen-thousand-mile cross-country road trip, published in 1982. That title spent forty-two weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. In his latest book, Writing Blue Highways, he shares a different journey—the arduous mental and emotional process of writing Blue Highways over four long years and the patience, perseverance, and even plodding it took to keep typing and retyping pages and pages of manuscript on his 1955 Olympia portable.

He describes more agony than ecstasy: long hours at his desk followed by weekends working on the loading dock of The Columbia Daily Tribune, the stress on his relationship with his wife, and the tedious hours of checking and re-checking facts, such as names of plants. He recounts the dejection after getting a trusted reader’s feedback on his first draft, which was, “I’m disappointed.”

It took him fifteen days of writing and revising for every day he spent on the road.

“The book is about the art of creation, of invention, and the psychological, financial, and emotional price to pay,” he said during a talk about

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BETH WATSON

There’s more to do here.

Naturally.

Visit · Stay · Explore In the heart of the Ozarks, enjoy fishing at Montauk and the free-flowing Current and Jacks Fork rivers, our abundant natural resources, and the cultural heritage of our community.

ENTER TO WIN A SALEM PRIZE PACKAGE! ($500 VALUE) WWW.MISSOURILIFE.COM/SALEM 573-729-6900 | www.salemmo.com [23] August 2014

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SHOW-ME

Books

MORE GOOD READS

BY GRETCHEN FUHRMAN

Going on Nine Catherine Underhill Fitzpatrick, 261 pages, softcover, fiction, $16.95 There’s always that one summer that changes you. For Grace Mitchell, it was the summer of 1956; she was a carefree, spirited eight-year-old living in her St. Louis neighborhood, Thistle Way. In search of adventure and longing to find what she idealizes as a better family, Grace decides to explore her suburb to compare her life with others. Readers are able to grow along with Grace as she is reminded that everyone has a story to tell and that a lot goes on beneath the quiet, polished masks of suburban life. This book displays the tangled mix of wonderment and pain that come with adulthood, and it emphasizes the necessary compassion for our “fellow travelers” in this life.

The Making of an Icon: The Dreamers, The Schemers, and The Hard Hats Who Built The Gateway Arch Jim Merkel, 288 pages, softcover, nonfiction, $19.95 St. Louis is “The Gateway to the West,” a distinction that has been earned many times over in its 250-year history. The real, physical gateway, The Arch, is one of the most well-known landmarks in the United States and is a symbol of progress, distinction, and beauty. Jim Merkel gives a thorough account of all the untold stories behind the making of this monument. His book tells the stories of the visionaries, the protestors, the architect—Eero Saarinen—and many others who took a dream on paper and forged it into a reality standing 630 feet high.

Annamanda Jo Houser Haring, 424 pages, softcover, fiction, $19 Annamanda is the story of a young pastoral woman and her family, who make the courageous journey from Tennessee to the untamed frontier of southern Missouri in the early 1800s. The book follows the family as they brave natural disasters, such as the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811 and 1812. The family encounters wild beasts, outlaws, and unfamiliar cultures as they try to adapt to treacherous new territory.

A Culinary Legacy: From Escoffier to Today Karen Blumensaadt-Stoeckley & Max Callegari, 160 pages, hardcover, cooking, $39.95 After taking time off from the vigorous work of owning her Louisiana, Missouri, restaurant, Karen BlumensaadtStoeckley turned her attention to another dream she’d had for over fifty years: translating her grandfather’s cherished French recipes and making them come alive again.

The book contains lovely imagery and easy-to-follow recipes that can be used by any cook in any kitchen, from the French Riviera to the farmlands of Missouri.

An Osage Journey to Europe, 1827-1830: Three French Accounts William Least Heat-Moon and James K. Wallace, 168 pages, hardcover, nonfiction, $26.95 This true story follows the accounts of six Missouri Osage who, along with three Americans and one French guide, journeyed to Europe in 1827.

Finding themselves in a drastically different culture, the Osage were praised as “noble savages” and were gawked at like animals. They traveled to many countries in Europe until their novelty wore off, and they were eventually reduced to begging in the streets of Paris, unable to return home. This book allows readers to get a sense of the Osage lifestyle and history, as well as the ultimate tragedy of their trip into so-called civilized society.

Happy Birthday, St. Louis!

Carolyn E. Mueller, 24 pages, hardcover, nonfiction, $14.95 There’s no one more apt to reflect the history of St. Louis than a native St. Louisian. Carolyn Mueller does a lovely job of celebrating 250 years of her beloved city by depicting some of the most well-known events and traditions that have taken place since its founding. With the use of rhyme and vivid imagery, little Missourians can become more familiar with one of their state’s most adored cities.

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EXPERIENCE FALL TRADITION IN JEFFERSON CITY! Fischer Farms Pumpkin Patch

September-November, Afternoon Hours, North Jefferson City

Thursday Night Live

September 4 & 11, October 2 & 30, 6-9 PM, Downtown Jefferson City

Oktoberfest in Old Munichburg

First Friday Arts Stroll

September 5, 6-9 PM, Downtown Jefferson City

September 26 & 27, 4:30-8 PM, Dunklin & Washington Streets

3rd Annual Prison Break Race

Jefferson City Multicultural Fall Festival October 4, 10 AM-4 PM, Downtown Jefferson City

September 6, 9-11 AM, Missouri State Penitentiary

Race to the Dome

Cole County Extension Fall Festival

September 6, 8 AM-3 PM, Jefferson City Jaycees Fairgrounds

23rd Annual Capital Jazzfest and Street Art Fair

October 11, 9 AM, Carl R. Noren Missouri River Access

September 6, 12:30-8 PM, Downtown Jefferson City

For Event Details Visit www.VisitJeffersonCity.com or Call 800-769-4183 [25] August 2014

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MISSOURI

KANSAS CITY POP NOSTALGIA Shy Boys pay tribute to the late greats. BY JONAS WEIR

From left, bassist Kyle Rausch, drummer Konnor Ervin, and guitarist Collin Rausch are not only bandmates, but they’re also roommates. “We moved everything out of the basement, set up our stuff in there, and created this project that we work in and live in,” Collin says.

outside of Kansas City and find new listeners.

“There’s a lot of the country outside of the Midwest that largely doesn’t hear much of us,” Collin says.

The band’s new seven-inch single, “Life is Peachy,” was released this month with the b-side “Follow the Leader.” The album cover, a grainy photo from a 1984 revival at Collin and Kyle’s childhood church, is another sign that, despite their success, they’re still coping with phonies, fretting over who’ll catch them if they fail, and their inevitable loss of innocence.

“Being so closely tied to the church as a youth and seeing these people that we looked up to for inspiration, our teachers and guides, were prone to doing dumb human things like anyone else,” Collin says, “I think that has sort of painted my views.”

Available through High Dive Records, the new music is some of Shy Boys’ best work yet. On the single, they sound confident. They’re tighter musicians, stronger writers, and totally deserving of national attention.

“It’s two songs,” Collin says, “but we’re pretty proud of them.”

COURTESY OF JEFF MCCOY

THE MUSIC of the appropriately named band Shy Boys has a fragile innocence. Their self-titled first album is soaked in sun-washed melodies, sweet vocal harmonies, and sixties pop nostalgia.

“Musically, we try to write more upbeat, lighthearted music because that’s the stuff that we want to listen to and that’s what we want to put out there,” says guitarist Collin Rausch. “But we can’t help that creeping cynicism.”

After growing up listening to Kansas City’s now-defunct Oldies 95 radio station, Collin, his brother Kyle, and bandmate Konnor Ervin pay tribute to the music of their childhood with jangling guitars and songs about love. However, the realities of early adulthood and breaking into the music industry occasionally seep into the trio’s songs.

When Shy Boys received significant national attention last year, they were exposed to a larger audience. Prominent music websites Brooklyn Vegan, Stereogum, Pitchfork, and Spin wrote favorably of the band, but they all seemed to use the same story arc that Shy Boys were a landlocked surf band; it eventually became contrived. Plus, record sales didn’t spike.

“It’s been incredibly rewarding on a personal level,” Collin says. “At the same time, it hasn’t really changed the circumstances of the band.

We’re still really broke, trying to figure out how we’re going to survive.”

While the band may not have gained rock star status from their national laud, Shy Boys are grateful they have something many bands don’t: an audience that’s ready to pay attention to their music. But the trio didn’t find attentive fans without first looking in the most unlikely places.

When the band formed, Kyle was drumming in the prominent Kansas City pop band the ACBs and recording demos with Collin on a laptop.

When the brothers asked ACBs frontman Konnor to join them, Shy Boys went from a family art project to a living, breathing pop machine. At first, their shows were all on the same bill as the ACBs and fellow High Dive Records band Ghosty, but they wanted to play to new audiences.

“Kyle especially got interested in poking his nose around the punk scene,” Collin says. “We ended up playing these house shows and random places with bands that, truly, we didn’t have any business being on bills with, but for some reason—I don’t know if it was that dark edge that provides a common ground—we kind of bonded.”

A band that worships the Beach Boys, Phil Spector, and The Chiffons is truly an unlikely match for hardcore punks, but Shy Boys’ pop melodies are universal; they transcend genres. And they’re just beginning to push themselves out of the nest. The band is constantly trying to play

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MISSOURI This photo, titled Family, represents both the literal family shown and Matthew’s family by incorporating a railroad spike and biscuit cutter, both of which are family heirlooms.

FLIGHTLESS AND PHOTOGENIC THE IDEA for photographer Matthew Hemminghaus’s art series was hatched from an egg. Literally.

Matthew designs elaborate sets to photograph chickens. For each set, he uses materials he finds around his farm: logs, rocks, leaves, or any other intriguing objects. He’s even used wishbones from previous birds.

“They are sort of a diary of what I have been up to,” Matthew says.

Matthew pays careful attention to the composition of the backdrop, a key factor in his distinct photos. He spends about six hours setting up for each photo shoot. Along with natural elements, Matthew includes knickknacks, such as a teapot or framed photo, in his set designs. The juxtaposition of natural elements and man-made objects makes these curious photos all the more intriguing. However, creating an elaborate

set is only half the battle; chickens aren’t the most cooperative models.

To prevent the flightless fowl from fleeing, Matthew photographs the chickens at night when they are typically asleep. His drowsy, feathered friends gradually acclimate to their surroundings and allow Matthew to spend about four hours creating the pictures. He also uses food to help entice the birds to pose and remain in place. That’s not even half the work, though; his poultry pictures are part art and part science.

About a year ago, Matthew started documenting his chickens’ genealogy with a photographic family tree. Each year, Matthew buys a rooster to mix in with the gene pools of his chickens. He chooses roosters that might breed characteristics he’d like to see in future pictures. Think of it as a fowl play on Gregor Mendel’s pea experiment.

COURTESY OF MATTHEW HEMMINGHAUS

A Vandalia photographer isn’t too chicken to show off his art. BY ABBY HOLMAN

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COURTESY OF MATTHEW HEMMINGHAUS; ABBY HOLMAN

In fact, Matthew’s interest in chickens stems from a scientific place: the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds. He started flipping through the pages of this classic guide to birds for conservationists and hobbyists alike when he was eleven, and that inspiration has stuck with him ever since. A well-worn copy still sits on his bookshelf today.

While he’s been an amateur naturalist for years, Matthew was also a professional painter. His early work focused on abstract art, eventually shifting into colorful bird portraits. However, like many artists, he felt stuck and sought a new creative direction.

Matthew’s current project also stems from the time he spent on the West Coast. Originally from Florissant, Matthew worked as an art handler, a person paid to transport art, in Los Angeles before moving back to Missouri. While moving paintings, prints, and other pricey works, Matthew read a hatchery catalog that he kept in the moving truck, and it inspired him to plan for a future full of flightless fowl.

His plans starting materializing when Matthew and his two brothers received inheritances, which they agreed to use to purchase a farm near Vandalia, from their father. After eight years of living in Los Angeles, Matthew moved to the country and purchased his chickens.

He quickly settled into a routine of caring for his birds and began working as a conservation contractor, planting native grasses to increase

Top: Matthew’s variety of chickens are on full display at his farm. Left: This piece, entitled Bad Rooster, was given its name by Matthew’s three-year-old nephew Bode, who had an ugly run-in with this unruly rooster. The rabbit skin rug makes the bird seem more like an outdoor sportsman, Matthew says. Right: Matthew tosses out bird seed to his hungry, hungry hens.

brush cover for the bobwhite quail. Neighbors would also call on Matthew to help with jobs around their farms.

About a year ago, Matthew started photographing and producing his chicken prints, and he says that they have become his most rewarding work. In September 2013, he won first place out of 240 artists for his series of chicken prints at Kansas City’s Plaza Art Fair.

In addition to chicken portraiture, Matthew also does handmade block printing. One year at his annual farm party, “Running of the Rabbits,” Matthew decided he wanted his guests to leave with souvenirs. Before the party, he carved designs into woodblocks and asked attendees to bring their own T-shirts. After spending an hour hand block printing the shirts, Matthew had discovered another creative outlet. He continues to carve blocks for printing and sells the shirts on Etsy and at craft fairs and art shows. The design for each shirt is based in nature.

“They are ways of relating my sense of humor to nature,” Matthew says.

To view Matthew’s work, visit thefarmhaus.com or his store at Etsy.com /shop/farmhaus. His work will also be on display at the 2014 Plaza Art Fair from September 19 to 21 and the Saint Louis Art Fair from September 5 to 7.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Calendar of Events Callaway County Fair July 29 to August 2 Callaway County Fair Grounds Fair Events, Tractor Pull, Demolition Derby, Livestock Events, and more.

573- 220-2752 callawaycountyfair.com Bluegrass & BBQ September 14, noon - 6 600 East Fifth Street, Fulton Five groups performing and great food! $5 per person, 16 and under free with parent.

573-642-3411 Check us out on Facebook.

36th Annual Hatton Craft Festival October 4, 9 - 4 Throughout Hatton 175+ exhibitors with handmade items for sale - dolls, hand-painted china, paintings, pillows, wooden toys, florals, seasonal items, and much more. www.hattonmissouri.org

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

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

www.visitfulton.com Come tour our seven historic Civil War sites on the Gray Ghosts Trail!

www.callawaycivilwar.org www.mocivilwar.org

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

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

7/2/14 10:41 AM

They are prairies with splashes of wildflowers.

They are sinkholes reminiscent of prehistoric times and untouched forests descended from thousands of years ago. They are twisting cave tunnels and craggy formations and sprawling wilderness. And sometimes, they are unlike anywhere else on Earth.

There are 596 National Natural Landmarks in forty-eight states and US territories. Missouri lays claim to sixteen, all of which were designated between 1971 to 1986; only ten states have more. Natural landmarks that earn this distinction are prime natural specimens, and not all are open to the public. You can visit thirteen of the sixteen in Missouri.

However, they all share something in common: preservation and education. With this distinction comes the caveat that the designation can be taken away if the natural area is destroyed or if the features that make the area special or unique are lost.

It’s common for these sites to be the best examples of their kind that remain in the country, or even the world. Consequently, they have high value to researchers and scientists, and when people know more about natural resources, it is more

likely that they will advocate for their conservation. For example, caves house underground rivers, enormous caverns, baffling formations, and endangered species you can’t find anywhere else. A few rare forests and prairies in the state appear as they did thousands of years ago. Each place has a story to tell.

The process for selecting sites and awarding them the distinction is extensive. An application is reviewed by several individuals and committees, and scientists visit the site to determine if it is worthy of inclusion. At the final stage, it’s up to the Secretary of the Interior whether or not a site can become a National Natural Landmark.

We share what makes these natural wonders worth preserving and what you might experience during a visit. To find out where they are located, reference the map on page 43. But don’t just take our word for it; experience them for yourself.

MO T HER NAT UR E ’S

Marvels

Find out what makes each of Missouri’s 16 National Natural Landmarks amazing.

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NOPPADOL PAOTHONG/MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION

Missouri Prairie Foundation Emeritus Board Member Lowell Pugh explores Golden Prairie, an original, unplowed prairie and a National Natural Landmark.

Three hundred and twenty acres of Golden Prairie were protected by Pugh’s family before they were sold to the foundation, which protects and manages the area.

By David Cawthon, Chanelle Koehn, Wade Livingston, Annie Rice, Stephanie Sidoti, and Ashley Szatala

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In the spring and summer, Golden Prairie is blanketed in color. The colors of golden tickseed, sunflowers, false blue indigo, pale purple coneflower, and bright red Indian paintbrush are speckled throughout the grasses as far as the eye can see. But this isn’t your average field of flowers.

In 1970, the Missouri Prairie Foundation saved 320 acres of virgin tall grass prairie that became Golden Prairie, eight miles west of Kingdom City.

The land was designated as a Natural National Landmark in 1975. The foundation purchased an additional 310 acres adjacent to the original tract of prairie and began to restore that land as well.

Ecologists say temperate grasslands are some of the earth’s most endangered, least conserved terrestrial habitats, especially prairies like Golden.

“We have to remove the brush and any trees that aren’t native to the original land and treat any invasive species,” says Stan Parrish, a Missouri Prairie Foundation board member. “It’s an ongoing process.”

After outright habitat loss or land conversion, invasive species are a huge threat to the prairie’s native biological integrity according to Carol Davit, executive director of MPF. The organization restores and maintains prairies by removing invasive species such as tall fescue, sericea lespedeza, and the Bradford pear tree. Many native tree species, such as elm, sprout on prairies and impact the prairie flora. Pernicious, invasive plants are

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controlled through careful herbicide spot treatments, cutting trees, and prescribed burns.

More than 345 native plant species have been recorded on the original 320 acres of Golden Prairie. The average person would enjoy the vibrant floral display, Stan says, but he notes that learning about the area’s plants and wildlife will reveal the prairie’s diversity in species.

You might see a prairie chicken here, but the occurrence is rare, according to Stan. However, Golden Prairie is still a sanctuary for several native Missouri plants, insects, and animals.

“The prairie provides wonderful vistas and, thanks to its protection by the Missouri Prairie Foundation, is a remnant of an original American landscape,” Carol says.

To get to Golden Prairie from Interstate 49 (Highway 71), take exit 134 near Jasper, turn east on state Route K. Then, turn north on SE 90th Lane, drive two miles, turn left onto SE 90th Road, and then drive a mile west. Two gravel areas are available for parking.

Contact 888-843-6739 or info@moprairie.com for more information.

Pale purple coneflowers are among the hundreds of native plant species at the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Golden Prairie in Barton County.

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Sea of Color Golden Prairie

ANGELINA TROMBLEY AND NOPPADOL PAOTHONG/MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION

Tupelo trees are typically found in the Mississippi Delta, but the Cupola Pond environment can sustain these trees. Their presence is a clue that this sinkhole pond is one of the most ancient in the Ozarks.

wamp cient S n A n A a Natural Are d n o P la o p Cu

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COURTESY OF THE MISSOURI DIVISION OF TOURISM

Cupola Pond might seem like just a giant swamp sprouting trees, but this five-acre-wide, forty-foot-deep sinkhole has features that hearken to an earlier time—a much earlier time.

“It’s prehistoric looking,” says wildlife biologist Angelina Trombley.

“You walk down there, and it’s a different world.”

The sinkhole was formed thousands of years ago when limestone caverns collapsed and filled with water. Clay and peat deposits along the sinkhole created an impermeable layer that prevents water from seeping into the caverns below, making a swamp. Researchers have drilled down as much as forty feet and have found sediments that date back twenty-three thousand years ago, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Vibrant green foliage contrasts the gray trunks of the tall tupelo trees and the shadows created by canopies that produce a dim atmosphere.

Tupelo trees, noted by the swollen base of the trunk, grow out of the water. The trees grow at this unusual Ozark swamp, outside of the US southeastern lowlands where they are typically found.

The waters cannot support fish but create an excellent habitat for amphibians, including the wood frog, according to the MDC. The frog is difficult to spot in the forest as it lies still, but its call is distinctive,

Tour the same Hannibal cave that Mark Twain explored as a child and later wrote about in five of his books.

“It was a place that the town’s kids came out to play in forever,” says Linda Coleberd, owner of the cave.

Although Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer explored the cave, so did real people, like President Carter, painter Norman Rockwell, and outlaw Jesse James, who hid out in the cave and signed his name on one of its walls.

Additionally, there is Mark Twain Cave’s sister, Cameron Cave, discovered in 1925. Although they may have been connected previously, the two caves are now separate, and Cameron Cave is actually larger than its sister.

Both caves are labyrinth type caves, made up of numerous winding passages with very few large caverns. The caves were designated as National Natural Landmarks for those maze-like passageways.

Cameron Cave provides a more primal experience.

There is no electricity, and it has been maintained in its natural state with no alterations except those necessary to maintain safety. Adventurous spelunkers who don’t mind getting dirty and muddy can take a two-hour Total Eclipse Tour with only a headlamp.

Whether you are looking for human history or natural history, Mark Twain and Cameron Caves provide both opportunities in the same place.

To get to Mark Twain Cave, take Route 79 southeast out of downtown Hannibal and then head south on County Road 453. The cave is on the left.

For more information, visit marktwaincave.com.

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especially during breeding season. Some might describe its call as a high-pitched, squeaky sound, similar to a hand rubbing over a balloon. You’ll know if you spot one if it’s tan or pinkish tan with a brown mask that spans from the ear to the eye. In the 1970s, this species was classified as endangered, but new populations have revoked that classification. They can live to be ten years old.

The voices of frogs, toads, birds, cicadas, and crickets mix to create a loud cacophony heard in the summer. The frogs’ singing can go on for hours, and some describe it as deafening. Usually, the culprits are cricket frogs or peeper frogs. Spotted and marbled salamanders hide under the logs and rocks.

For hikers eager to experience the pond’s wildlife, a dry trail winds around the edge of the swamp. It is a steep downhill walk to the sinkhole, and trees obscure the view; only part of the swamp can be seen. Once you reach the water’s edge, the entire pond is revealed.

Cupola Pond was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1981.

The natural area, located southwest of Van Buren, can be difficult to find.

From Fremont, travel south on Route J, turn east on Forest Road 3224, and lastly, turn left on Forest Road 4823. This road leads to a parking lot.

Visit mdc.mo.gov or call 573-996-2153 for more information.

Caves Graced by Fame Mark Twain and Cameron Caves

Mark Twain Cave has been open since 1886 as a show cave, even during wars and the Great Depression.

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4

Ancient Stone Pickle Springs Natural Area

When you visit Pickle Springs Natural Area, you’re not going for the water—you’re going for the sandstone.

As resource forester Russell Hinnah says, you can find Lamotte sandstone in other places in Missouri, but you won’t find it as concentrated as it is in Pickle Springs. Nor will you find the captivating sandstone formations like The Slot and The Arches.` Take a light hike on the two-mile Trail through Time. One of the first spots you come to is The Slot. The Slot appears as the trail bends to the left just a hundred yards or so into your walk. The flat wooded area is interrupted by the thirty-foot long, ten-foot-deep sandstone crevasse, and as you venture into it, you enter a microclimate. The air becomes moist. The temperature drops. On a hot day the change is dramatic, and you’ll feel it instantly. The Slot is just six to eight feet wide,

and you can see the different layers of Lamotte sandstone as you duck under the overhangs.

Continuing down the trail, you’ll pass sporadic sandstone outcroppings, some with pink hues. Halfway into your hike you’ll see Dome Rock, a popular place to watch a sunrise. In other spots, you’ll find sandstone boulders stacked on top of each other, some the size of small cars. Finally, around a mile and a half into your walk, you’ll see The Arches. The trail leads you right to the double-arch formation that juts out prominently from the hickory and oak forest. The eight-foot-tall, four-foot-wide arches are side by side. Grab a friend and ask someone to take your picture.

Indeed, the sandstone is the main attraction, but there are other reasons to visit Pickle Springs. Winter visitors will find picturesque ice formations, like the thirty-foot-tall Headwall Falls. Mid-summer is the best time to see the delicate pink azaleas. You can smell them from the trail, and you’ll notice clusters of them interspersed throughout the woods.

Pickle Springs is located south of St. Louis in St. Genevieve County, east of Farmington, and just west of Hawn State Park. From Interstate 55, take Route 32 southwest to Route AA. Last, turn left on Dorlac Road to access the 256-acre area. Pickle Springs is open 4 AM-10 PM. Visit mdc.mo.gov for more information.

COURTESY OF RON KRUGER

You’ll encounter a variety of craggy formations on the Trail through Time at Pickle Creek. This large sandstone wall, named Owl’s Den Bluff, is a great place to stop and relax.

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Former Maramec Spring owner Lucy James wrote fond-

ly of the park’s beauty shortly before her death in 1938. She wrote in her will that it was so beautiful that it had to be shared with the public. Thanks to her willful wishes, visitors experience that same beauty today.

“It’s a little piece of heaven,” says Mark Benton, the regional manager of the James Foundation, the organization that operates the privately owned Meramec Spring Park, five miles south of St. James.

Lush greenery and wildflowers cover the area’s 1,860 acres. The roar of rushing water from the state’s fifth largest spring can be heard near its basin. As you move further away from the spring, the sounds of songbirds dominate the forest. Ruins from the old ironworks factory built on the property give visitors a glimpse back in time.

Lucy’s great-grandfather Thomas James first heard of the spring from Native Americans who camped on his Ohio property. Thomas was interested in the decorative face paint, which had been found in the colorful earth—but from where? The Native Americans took his business partner, Samuel Massey, back to Missouri to show him. Thomas then built an ironworks factory on the property in 1826, taking advantage of the land’s abundant natural resources, such as ore, wood, and water. During the Civil War, the factory produced cannonballs and other materials, like iron siding used on battleships. The James family operated the business until 1876 when Meramec Iron Works closed.

Lucy inherited part of the land in 1920 and then purchased the rest of the property from family members. Upon her death in 1938, she authorized creation of the James Foundation, which has kept the park open to the public.

The park was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1971 for housing one of the largest and most scenic springs in Missouri, says Heather Eggleston, the acting National Park Service manager for the Midwest region.

COURTESY OF JOHNATHAN SHARP AND SILVER DOLLAR CITY

After traveling over five hundred feet down into Marvel Cave, visitors might wonder how they’ll get out. A cable car travels a half mile upward out of its depths.

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The Devil’s Den Marvel Cave

Today, Maramec Spring Park is open year-round. Visitors can fish for trout, peer into trout-rearing pools, camp, picnic, hike, and play basketball and tennis. Additionally, there are two days of crafts and mid-1800s reenactments during Old Iron Works Days; this year, the event is on October 11 and 12.

Two museums are also open on the property. The Agriculture Museum contains agricultural farming equipment used in the early 1800s.

The second museum, the Maramec Museum, informs visitors about the Iron Works and the park’s natural resources.

The park is located on Route 8, six miles south of St. James. For more information, visit maramecspringpark.com or call 573-265-7124.

The early 1900s power house used water power to generate electricity for a dairy facility and other buildings on the property.

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l

a s Etern Spring ty u a e B pring Park Maramec S

Take a step. And another. Just 598 more

to go down into Marvel Cave, Missouri’s deepest cave.

Water drips from the jagged, rocky ceiling while visitors descend the metal staircase, venturing deeper into the two-hundred-foot-by-twohundred-foot dome-shaped entry. The Cathedral Room, the country’s largest cave entry room, is large enough to fit the Statue of Liberty.

The Osage referred to Marvel Cave, near current-day Branson, as The Devil’s Den because it was rumored to make strange noises at night.

Later, Spanish settlers explored its depths for riches but found none. In 1869, Henry T. Blow and his team explored Marvel Cave by lowering themselves by rope into its depths with only a single lantern; they, too, were searching for ore.

They preemptively named the cave Marble Cave when they began exploring for marble and other minerals. However, no marble was found.

The cave’s first tours were in 1894, and the

name was changed to Marvel Cave in 1927. In the 1960s, the early stages of Silver Dollar City were constructed around the Marvel Cave entrance.

In 1972, it’s striking features made it a National Natural Landmark.

Visitors descend the first round of stairs into the Mammoth Room where at least fifteen species of bats live. The Liberty Bell, a fifty-five-foot tall, hollow stalagmite, is a rock formation that slowly builds from material deposits that drip from the cave ceiling. It was named the Liberty Bell because of its shape and the crack on its side.

Through a windy, rocky path, visitors enter the Shoe Room, named because its ceiling resembles the outline of the sole of a shoe. Tour guides then show what Blow might have experienced on his maiden voyage. All lights are shut off except for a lone candle.

When the tour ends, visitors take a train out of the cave and into Silver Dollar City. For more information, visit silverdollarcity.com.

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e Big Oak Tree Stat

Park

The park, often called the Park of Champions, gets its name from massive trees like this one.

The average height of the trees in the park is 120 feet. One reaches up to 150 feet.

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According to mobirds.org, more than twenty-seven species of birds have been catalogued in the Maple Woods Natural Area. Bring your binoculars.

Trees See The Forest for the Maple Woods Natural Area

Ever wonder what a big city looked like long before the streets were paved and buildings defined the landscape? The Maple Woods Natural Area near Kansas City allows you to see just that.

Maple Woods is an old-growth forest surrounded by the city of Gladstone and the greater Kansas City metro area. The area has never been logged or farmed and contains virgin stands of maple, oak, and hickory trees. Designated a National Natural Landmark in 1980, the Maple Woods Natural Area is one of the only such landmarks noted in Missouri for its status as a nearly virgin sugar maple forest.

Entering Maple Woods, you are welcomed by a stream and a bridge before entering the heart of the area. The trail is heavily wooded with flickers of sunlight that penetrate the dense tree canopies. A multitude of wildflowers bloom throughout the undergrowth during the spring season, creating a vibrant display. The fall foliage is quite a sight, too.

Urban Forester Charles Conner walks the trail and observes the animals that may appear, like deer, turkeys, and red foxes. Neo-tropical birds use the area during their migrations, making this a hotspot for birdwatching.

Unlike many of Missouri’s other National Natural Landmarks, the sites, sounds, and animals of a mature forest are a short drive from the city.

From the intersection of Interstate 435 and Route 152, take Route 152 west and turn south onto Route 1. Then turn west onto Maplewoods Parkway and then south on N. Agnes Avenue. Park in the south side lot off of the street.

Visit mdc.mo.gov or call 816-622-0900 for more information.

COURTESY OF MISSOURI DIVISION OF TOURISM; JULIE WOODWARD

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hampions Park of C

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It sneaks up on you.

When you walk the short boardwalk that leads out of the hardwood forest at Big Oak Tree State Park, you might notice the change. The air gets thicker. You might see plain-bellied watersnakes, southern painted turtles, or salamanders. You might smell the dampness, the vegetation. It’s a subtle change, but as you near the end of your walk, you’ve entered a completely new habitat.

“It dawns on people,” says Michael Comer of Missouri’s Department of Natural Resources. “Hey, I’m in a swamp.”

The swamp at Big Oak Tree near Sikeston is ancient. In the early twentieth century, man began changing the landscape of Southeast Missouri. Trees were being felled. Swampland was being replaced by farmland. The Bootheel was losing its bog.

The folks in the Bootheel were worried that their swamp and their culture was disappearing. Of particular concern was a big oak tree threatened by timber cutters. So, during the Great Depression, they banded together and raised money to purchase the tree and the surrounding land, thus planting the roots for Big Oak Tree State Park.

Today, the original Big Oak is gone, but the swamp remains. The

It’s loud. That’s what Tim Bond, Eleven Point River district ranger, will tell you about Greer Spring. “You can hear it before you see it,” Tim says.

Greer Spring, forty miles east of West Plains, is the largest spring in the entire US Forest Service system and Missouri’s secondlargest spring. Located in the Ozarks in Oregon County, the spring pumps out 222 million gallons of water a day, flowing into the Eleven Point River where the waterways meet.

On the Greer Spring Trailhead, walk about a mile, descending 250 feet to the observation platform overlooking the spring. The air will feel fifteen degrees cooler. The water can bubble up as much as five to six inches in a pool

COURTESY OF WILLIAM MACNEILL; DAVID PIET

Once privately owned, today the mill is being restored, and visitors can venture to the property for a closer look.

rich, still waters have nurtured some of the tallest trees in Missouri.

In fact, several state champion trees reside in the thousand-plus acre park. The largest of these is a Pumpkin Ash that is 150 feet tall, over 15 feet around, and has a canopy spread of 77 feet, according to park naturalist Jennifer Weaver. In fact, so many state champion trees have come from Big Oak Tree that the park was christened “The Park of Champions.”

In addition to the trees, visitors will enjoy the array of wildlife that call the park home. Birdwatchers in particular will be enthralled with the waterfowl and the chance to see the rare Swainson’s Warbler. According to the Audubon Society of Missouri, there are 157 different species of birds in Big Oak Tree. Michael says that songbird lovers like to test their skills as they try to differentiate among the calls of the park’s thrushes, warblers, wrens, and other species.

Big Oak Tree State Park is open year-round from dawn to dusk.

Located east of Interstate 55 near the Mississippi River and southeast of Sikeston, visitors can access the park by taking Route 102 south from East Prairie for approximately twelve miles.

Visit mostateparks.com for more information.

called a boil. The limestone colors the water a “beautiful iridescent blue,” as Tim describes it. All of this is against the backdrop of a mixture of hardwoods, pines, and wildflowers, depending on the season.

“In the spring and early summer, it’s really green,” Tim says. “It’s almost like pictures you’d see of Scotland or Ireland.”

After exploring the spring, visit the old Greer Mill. It is the sole surviving mill along the forty-plus-mile Eleven Point River corridor. Samuel Greer began building the mill in 1883, and completed it in 1899.

Will MacNeill, zone archeologist for the Eleven Point and Poplar Bluff ranger districts, says the old mill is special because unlike most mills, it operated on a ridge far from its hydropower supply. Samuel Greer had to use three thirty-foot towers connected by pulleys to tie the mill to its power source, some threequarters of a mile away with a 350-foot drop down the ridge.

Beginning in September, select members of the public will work alongside Will and other professional archeologists and historians to restore the mill. The effort is part of the Forest Service’s Passport in Time program, which partners with local community groups and

nonprofit organizations to provide hands-on historical restoration experience to the public.

Tim says it’ll be one of the biggest restoration efforts he will have seen in his twenty-nineyear Forest Service career.

The trailhead for the Greer Spring Trail is located west of Route 19 about eight miles north of Alton or about a mile south of the Route 19 bridge that crosses the Eleven Point River.

For more information, visit fs.usda.gov or call 573-996-2153.

Greer Spring, the state’s second largest spring, flows into the Eleven Point River and more than doubles its size.

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A Colossal Spring Greer Spring and Trail

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Taberville Prairie is one of the few places in Missouri that you can still see a greater prairie chicken. The species needs miles of contiguous native grasslands to survive.

10 Filmmakers have their sacred spots:

the ones they return to again and again because of a scene, a moment, a feeling—the things that make magic on film.

“It’s the law that filmmakers use; you go to where you had successes,” says Tim Barksdale, wildlife documentarian. “I had quite a bit of success at Taberville.”

Tim has been visiting Taberville Prairie, located between Appleton City and El Dorado Springs, since the 1970s. He saw a flock of more than three

hundred prairie chickens there decades ago. Today, that number exceeds the entire population of the species in Missouri.

The species is most noted for their mating dance; males duke it out and display bright orange air sacs that resemble bulging nectarines as they boom or call.

Taberville, with its 1,360 rolling acres of grassland, is one of the last bastions for the species. Between 2008 and 2012, Max Alleger led an effort to transport birds from Kansas to

rairie the Great P Remnant of Tucker Prairie

When European settlers arrived in Missouri in the 1800s, nearly fifteen million acres of prairie existed in the state. Today, less than one percent of that original prairie remains.

Located just off Interstate 70 east of Columbia, Tucker Prairie is one of the last sizeable remnants of Missouri’s virgin prairies. It spans approximately 146 acres.

Dr. John Faaborg, chair of the Tucker Prairie Research Committee and a biological sciences professor at the University of Missouri, has managed Tucker Prairie for nearly twenty-seven years. He’s dedicated to preserving the prairie in part because of the rare experience it provides.

“In September the grasses are very tall, over your head even,” John says. “You can get far enough away from the interstate that you don’t hear the cars. It gives you a sense of what

traveling throughout Missouri must have been like for early settlers.”

Using a map, a compass, and a little patience, there’s something new to be found in the prairie each season. Visitors can follow the Tucker Prairie Nature Walk trail by picking up the trail map at the prairie’s entrance. The trail is unmowed, but a vigilant observer can find over 250 native plant species while wading through three- to seven-foot tall bluestem grass. Under the grass, characteristic prairie plants grow, such as blazing star—an unusually shaped magenta flower— and prickly-flowered rattlesnake master, which smells like honey.

Although a sea of cultivated farmland borders Tucker Prairie, it is one of few remaining relic prairies in Missouri; its land has never been broken by plow. The Tuckers, a family of

homesteaders from Fulton, acquired the prairie as land grant recipients in the 1800s. As neighboring fields were turned by a plow, the Tuckers chose to preserve some of their land.

“They recognized that the prairie is special,” says John, “so when they decided to sell their land, they wouldn’t let just anyone buy it. They wanted to make sure it was preserved and protected.”

In 1958, the University of Missouri purchased the land from the Tuckers for scientific study. When the university first acquired the land, Tucker Prairie served as the location for ecology professor Dr. Clair Kucera’s controversial research on prescribed land burning. Clair’s burn research seemed impractical to the conservation community in the 1950s. Yet, he and his students continued the research for twenty-five

COURTESY OF CHRIS M. MORRIS

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Save the Last Dance Taberville Prairie

Wah-Kon-Tah Prairie, an area 10 miles south of Taberville, which had not likely hosted the species since the nineties.

That effort resulted in a few birds making their way north to Taberville Prairie to join the small number of existing birds there.

“Providing research opportunities and providing people the chance to see them when they are on the booming ground, instills a fascination in folks,” Max says. “I’ve watched a lot of minds open up in that prairie chicken blind.”

Other species of birds live here, like the upland sandpiper and scissor-tailed flycatcher. Then, there are the forty-three species of butterflies and the forty-six leaf beetle species, one of which was unknown to conservationists until 1980. The threatened diminutive geocarpin plant digs its roots into the sandstone outcrops.

Also, you may see cattle grazing here. The grazing combined with controlled burning makes the area more attractive for certain birds.

Above all, Taberville Prairie is a sanctuary, a remnant of the American Serengeti as it was hundreds of years ago.

From El Dorado Springs, drive north on Route 82 and then turn north onto Route H. Continue north for eleven miles. The parking lot is on the right. On the prairie’s east side, there are two additional parking lots on County Road NW 1001.

Visit mdc.mo.gov, or call 816-622-0900 for more information.

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Grand Gulf lacks a natural path down to its bottom, so an interpretive walkway was built.

After a rainstorm, the waterfall provides quite a spectacle.

COURTESY OF DAVID PIET AND LAUREN DIEPENBROCK

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anyon rand C G e l tt i The L State Park Grand Gulf

years and began to understand how fire enriches soil composition, limits invasive species, and accelerates the decay process.

The Clair L. Kucera Research Station, once the hub of that research, now sits abandoned at Tucker Prairie, but the area still serves as a valuable source of seed for restoring other prairies with native Missouri plants such as bluestem and baptisia.

You don’t have to be a scientist or a biology student to appreciate Tucker Prairie—only curious. To get there, take exit Interstate 70 at Exit 144, and head south on County Road 223. Then head east on County Road 220 and then north on County Road 215. The entrance is on the west side of the road.

Visit mdc.mo.gov, or call 573-882-6659 for more information.

Grand Gulf is a collapsed cavern near Thayer in southern Missouri that stretches three-quarters of a mile. Around ten thousand years ago, water flowing from a losing stream—a stream that loses much of its flow into subsurface bedrock areas—and erosion created the gulf, which is between seventy and eighty feet at its widest point and just twenty feet wide at the narrows, according to Matt Kantola, a Missouri State Parks interpretive resource specialist.

Matt will tell you that remarkable geologic features draw visitors to the park. The 250-foot natural bridge is an uncollapsed remnant of the original cave system and is Missouri’s largest natural bridge. As you descend the staircase on the quarter-mile Interpretive Loop trail, you can see the layers of dolomite rock within the gulf walls. Near the bottom of the staircase, you’ll see oaks growing out of the rock face, as well as a hundred-foot tall sycamore on the gulf floor.

Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the park is the cave opening on the gulf floor. From a lookout off of the Interpretive Loop Trail, visitors can peer straight down 130 feet and see the twenty-foot tall cave opening. The underlying cave system has become clogged over time, though you can hear the trickle of water running through it after a rainfall. During heavy rains, the gulf will flood, and the water can rise as high as the 130-foot canyon walls.

In addition to the Interpretive Loop Trail, the Natural Bridge Trail parallels the gulf’s northern wall. You might hear songbirds or see a deer on your almost mile-long walk through the woods. If you want the best views of the gulf, come during the winter, Matt says.

Grand Gulf State Park sits on 322 acres in Oregon County. From West Plains, take Highway 63 southeast toward Thayer. Then, go south on Route 19, and drive west about six miles on County Road W to the park. The park is open from 8 AM to dusk.

Visit mostateparks.com for more information.

The many plant, animal, and insect species present at Tucker Prairie are reminders of how the uninterrupted grasslands of Missouri might have appeared centuries ago.

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13

Strange Shapes Onondaga Cave State Park

If it weren’t for two curious Ozarkians, the underground world of Onondaga Cave might never have been discovered.

Charles Christopher was examining the outlet of a spring off the Meramec River in 1886 when he saw a cave hidden in a bluff. Later, Charles and his friend John Eaton returned to the area with a borrowed johnboat to explore the cave’s passageways. At that time, the only entrance was located on a river that flowed underground. Charles and John lowered the boat onto the river and floated into the cave. They emerged thirty-six hours later, bearing precious cave onyx and tales of the subterranean world now known as Onondaga Cave, southeast of Leasburg.

Word soon spread of the spectacular “Mammoth Cave of Missouri,” and subsequently, several people wanted a hand in its development. Onondaga Cave changed ownership almost a dozen times before it was acquired by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and became a state park in 1981.

That year it also was designated as a National Natural Landmark for its remarkable abundance and quality of rock formations and mineral deposits.

Despite its inconsistent proprietorship, Onondaga’s owners were careful to maintain the cave’s integrity throughout the years. Stalactites hang from the cavern’s ceiling like giant icicles, slowly dripping water onto stalagmites.

The droplets trickle down the massive calcite formations, dribbling into the stream that meanders through a canyon. Rimstone dams form ridges and create shallow pools and, in some places, a stair-step effect. The cool air carries the scent of red clay.

Visitors can see Onondaga’s geologic marvels such as two large deposits known as the Twins, which are centrally located in the Big Room.

One of the deposits is over fourteen feet tall and is often active, meaning that mineral-saturated water still drips on the deposit and coats it with calcite.

Another famous Onondaga attraction is the delicate Lily Pad Room, where rare deposits called shelfstone, resembling lily pads, decorate a shallow pond of mineral-saturated water.

The tour ends at the aptly named Rock of Ages room, which is highly decorated with soda straws and other stalactites and contains a reflection pool that accentuates the featured deposit. The formation is believed to be one of the oldest deposits in the cave.

From Interstate 44, take Route H southeast for about seven miles and then turn right. The cave is open for tours daily April through October.

For more information, visit mostateparks.com.

COURTESY OF ERIC SPRADLING

Queen’s Canopy is just one of the many unique features found within the depths of Onondaga Cave.

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Cupola Pond Natural Area Golden Prairie Mark Twain and Cameron Caves Pickle Springs Natural Area Maramec Spring Park Marvel Cave Big Oak Tree State Park Maple Woods Natural Area Greer Spring and Trail Taberville Prairie Tucker Prairie Grand Gulf State Park Onondaga Cave State Park Wegener Woods Carroll Cave Tumbling Creek Cave

Three More Hard-to-Find Landmarks You can’t visit them, but that doesn’t mean they’re not important. Here are the secrets of these privately owned gems.

COURTESY OF DAVE THOMAS; MAP BY SARAH HERRERA

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Wegener Woods

By reading the journals of Lewis and Clark and Daniel Boone, we can begin to imagine how the early forests might have appeared to the explorers as they forged their way westward. Hearty burr oak, pin oak, maple, elm, ash, pecan, and hickory thrived along the Missouri River before settlers cleared the forests for lumber, most of which was used for railroad ties.

According to a piece by former Farm Forester Supervisor John Wylie, from 1865 to the turn of the century, virgin forests in the state were all but extinct.

One remaining patch of privately owned pristine Missouri forest is our glimpse into the past. The forty-five acre Wegener Woods, just west of Marthasville, is where the Wegener family had preserved the land since 1860, protecting the area from fires, cutting, and grazing.

John writes: “Along with only a handful of similar tracts, it is one of the few remnants of the once majestic forest that stretched in an unbroken wave from Missouri to the Atlantic seaboard.”

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Carroll Cave

At just over twenty miles long, Carroll

Cave is one of Missouri’s longest caves. Much of that distance is muddy and wet, says Bill Gee, president of the Carroll Cave Conservancy that owns the cave.

To enter the cave, researchers must rappel 120 feet straight down, through a thirty-inch-wide man-made shaft. A little more than half of the complex cave system is unmapped.

The cave wasn’t in the books until 1954 when biologists who were hunting salamanders explored it in an old wooden boat. This spurred exploration two years later when the first adventurers ventured deeper.

Researchers took great care to preserve the cave, even removing their shoes in certain chambers. They discovered a waterfall that spilled into a misty lake, a bat graveyard, bones of ancient animals, and an underground river that carried over four million gallons each day. Within the waters lived blind fish, never seen before. All of this begs the question: what else lurks in the cave’s depths?

16

Tumbling Creek Cave

A hotspot for cave research is the pri-

vately owned Tumbling Creek Cave, a major educational resource owned by the foundation that shares its name.

More than thirty thousand students and researchers have studied its depths. Infrared filming and thermal tracking systems monitor summer gray bat populations.

The endangered Tumbling Creek Cavesnail is only found here. The cave’s array of 115 species and 12 types of troglobites makes it the most diverse cave west of the Mississippi River—a major factor in its 1981 distinction as a National Natural Landmark.

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A Place in Displacement Disaster erased the town of Times Beach, but the bonds in the tight-knit community endure decades later.

BY WINN DUVALL

COURTESY OF JIM STEBBINGS PHOTO COLLECTION, THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS

After a man sprayed dioxin-contaminated oil to suppress the dust on roads in Times Beach, floods spread the chemical throughout the town, forcing residents to permanently relocate.

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FOR MANY, the name Times Beach triggers images of flood destruction, toxic chemicals, and national media attention.

For the people who lived there, it was home. Although they were told to get out and never return, they meet each September to reminisce about their former community at Route 66 State Park—where their town once stood. Although not in the physical sense, Times Beach is still alive and well.

And because former residents knew each other and were so close, they stayed in contact.

“Even today, my mom and all of us kids communicate with the people who lived on our block,” says former resident Robin Smith.

At the reunions, they reminisce and reconnect. Although they are generations removed from last names that might sound familiar, and they might not recognize each other at first, the back-and-forth conversations about siblings, cousins, parents, and street names bring up common bonds.

They bring old pictures and share memories. They trade stories, good and bad, about their time at the Beach. For them, it’s a way to preserve the community they loved and lost.

BEFORE THE FLOODWATERS The idea of Times Beach first appeared in a 1925 newspaper ad: for $67.50 and a six-month subscription, anyone could receive a 20-foot-by-100-foot lot on the Meramec.

Although it never became the resort town for affluent urbanites that its creators imagined, the tight-knit 2,242-person town became a family.

“If you walked down the street, even if you didn’t know the person you ran into, you had that common bond,” says Frank Purler, whose family moved to Times Beach in 1968.

“You felt protected in that way.”

However, nobody could protect them from the inevitabilities of living on a flood plain. In early December 1982, the Meramec flooded Times Beach, forcing many to evacuate.

When the water began to recede, many residents returned to find that they had lost everything.

That tragedy was compounded by a startling discovery.

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BOB HOLT

Route 66 State Park was developed after a major cleanup effort converted the land of the Times Beach area to a natural area where oak, hickory, river birch, and pine trees grow and over forty bird species have been sighted.

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Left: An old interstate sign welcomes people to the reunion.

Right: Mary Reid Mullins, Sue O’Leary, Boo Sowards, and William Holmes examine photos of Times Beach and old friends.

SOMETHING IN THE SOIL

REUNITING WHAT WAS LOST

Times Beach, a small, working-class community, lacked the funds to pave roads. So, in 1971, the local government contracted Russell Bliss, a waste hauler, to spray the dirt roads with oil to control dust. In a 1997 interview, Russell described how a Verona factory contracted him to haul away their waste oil and how he sprayed it across several roads. Residents, however, were unaware of the dioxin in the oil until November 1982 when the EPA told the city that they suspected that the harmful pollutant had been spread in the community.

In December 1982, the EPA confirmed the presence of dioxin, but contamination levels were unclear. However, the results the town received on December 23, just weeks after the devastating flood, just long enough so that some residents had begun to rebuild, were no better.

The EPA advised them to leave and never return.

Today, it’s difficult to tell that the expanse of grass at Route 66 State Park is where a town once stood. The mound where the EPA burned contaminated soil and places where incinerated dirt was buried are still there—but only former residents would know it. Locals say the area was once flat. The pavilions in the park are named after Times Beach roads, and the welcome center features exhibits of the town. During the reunion, some attempt to determine where their homes were located.

“It’s like if you moved out of your childhood house,” Frank says. “When you drove past that area, wouldn’t you want to see it?”

At the reunions, they seem to travel back in time. Boo Sowards is no longer a grown man; he’s a young kid who older folks love to tease and who has gotten in a fight or two. Everyone calls him Booey. He and Debbi Reid Osmon reminisce about being teenagers in Times Beach; he teases her about her old boyfriend, and she recalls the antics he and other boys got up to. They talk about how territorial the local boys were when it came to the girls of the Beach; if an outsider started courting one of them, the guys were quick to give them a hard time. Even former acquaintances are now kindred spirits, trading stories as if they were old friends.

While there is plenty of laughter and joking, conversations occasionally turn bittersweet. They talk about those who have died, others who have endured disappointment and heartache, and of course, their former town. But these are determined people. They were told never to return, and their homes were lost—yet, return they have. During the reunion, for a time, happy memories will quell the bitterness. The spirit of the Beach remains with them.

Every year, they take a group photo. In the background is the old Times Beach exit sign someone procured from Interstate 44 and a banner that reads: “Welcome home family and friends.”

“If you walked down the

street, even if you didn’t know the person you ran into, you had that common bond.”

BOB HOLT

HOLDING THEIR HIGH GROUND Many residents moved to the surrounding areas, such as Eureka, Pacific, and other nearby towns. The government offered buyouts. Frank’s family was offered five thousand dollars for their five-bedroom home. When they eventually accepted the money, they moved to a two-bedroom mobile home in Gray Summit. For some, however, moving was the beginning of another struggle.

According to Frank, they met resistance in their new communities. Former Times Beach residents were marked as outsiders, and national media coverage ignited the belief that the people of Times Beach might literally be toxic.

Today, former residents joke about it. One woman who was born at the Beach laughs and says that she glows the most.

The novelty of the story eventually faded from news reports, and former residents were able to blend into surrounding communities. Former Times Beach mayor Marilyn Leistner serves on the board of aldermen in Eureka.

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XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX CURT GUNTHER XXXX

In 1964, The Beatles visited Pigman Ranch in the Ozarks. The ranch is now owned by Buildings for Babies, a nonprofit Christian family organization. Bid for a chance to stay at the ranch during the Ozarks Beatlesmania and Beatles at the Ridge festivals by visiting buildingsforbabiesranch.weebly.com.

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A HARD DAY’S NIGHT While his family was star-struck, Ray Dethrow was hard at work trying to keep the fans at bay. From all sides of the ranch, people attempted to sneak in. Some succeeded; some didn’t.

One car with a mother, a daughter, and a daughter’s friend from Springfield was stopped at the gates. But while a family friend was being let in, the mother latched on to the back of the car and came through the gates. When confronted, she pretended to faint. Ray told her he had a hypodermic needle in the barn, and with one shot, she’d be fine in no time. She immediately stood up and exited through the gates.

While other seekers took to the river to find a weak point in security, Dennie Brewer and a few of his friends drove to a secluded side of the ranch. They then carefully scaled and crossed over a barbed wire fence

In case you didn't already know, The Beatles are, from left, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison. Their first US visit was in February of 1964, though George Harrison visited months earlier to stay with his sister Louise in southern Illinois.

and stealthily crept across fields just to sneak a peek. Dennie caught a lucky break, and a security guard let him look in a window where all four Beatles were hanging out.

“I saw them sitting in there just casually,” Dennie says, “and I will never forget they were awful pale looking. They hadn’t been out in the sun much.”

The Beatles had, though, seen a lot of the sun that day. Despite the mania, it was a relaxing day; having the highway patrol on their side kept things relatively calm. And the beautiful majesty of southern Missouri is a far cry from Liverpool. Between playing in America’s biggest cities and staying in hotel rooms, the green pastures of the 12,000-acre cattle ranch and the flowing waters of the nearby Eleven Point River were a welcome change.

The Beatles spent the day horseback riding, fishing, playing poker, riding go-karts, and just simply playing around at the ranch. Ringo was pretending to be a cowboy with a cap gun he bought at Woolworth’s and a gun belt, which was a gift from Elvis Presley. George was enamored with the go-kart. Paul enjoyed fishing. And John, the reserved one, made friends with the barn cats.

After their midmorning horseback ride, the young musicians had a good time driving a truck around near the barn. Ralph Johnson from JB

CURT GUNTHER

Mary didn’t want to disturb the boys during their brief vacation.

“I like to think Paul paid a visit down to the house in appreciation of their privacy,” Mary says.

Although Mary and her family spent little time with The Beatles, it was an experience they will always remember, and they started following the group more closely after that. Even Mary’s eleven-year-old daughter was taken aback by the situation and can fondly recount the day.

“It was breathtaking,” says Brenda Ledgerwood, Mary’s daughter. “We were in awe of how they looked and how they talked. I walked among them and was able to get three of their autographs on my clarinet case.”

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Gum Motor Company in Alton lent them the vehicle at no charge. He maybe should have thought twice about that, though. When George was cruising around, he grazed one of the ranch’s pick-up trucks and knocked off one of the doors.

“I’ve always laughed and said he was used to driving on the left-hand side of the road,” Mary says.

The Pigmans didn’t mind the mischief. After all, The Beatles were the most high-profile guests that they’d ever hosted. They might even be the most celebrated tourists to ever set foot in Alton, a town of less then a thousand people.

CURT GUNTHER

STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER Fifty years later, the Ozarks are commemorating the time The Beatles spent there. The Alton Community Foundation is hosting the first-ever Ozarks Beatlemania Festival, which spans two days and two towns.

The first night, Branson’s Liverpool Legends will be playing a concert at the West Plains Civic Center. The Beatles tribute band formed out of a friendship between Louise Harrison, George’s older sister, and musician Marty Scott, after the two met at a Beatles convention.

“We just hit it off really well, and we ended up being friends for a couple years,” Marty says. “She’s very spiritual and thought we met for a reason. A week later, she called me to meet Paul McCartney. It was crazy.”

When Marty and Louise met, he was living in Chicago and playing in his own Beatles tribute band, American English. Louise had been living in the United States since the early 1960s. Louise is happy as long as her brother’s music is kept alive, though she says seeing someone impersonate her brother can be surreal. At least, George thought cover bands were strange.

“George would say, ‘It’s hard enough being myself, so how can other people be me?’ ” Louise says. “That was sort of his whimsical remark about it.”

After seeing so many people cover George’s music over the years, she thought Marty was the best and thought that they could put together a show of sorts. The two collaborated on what is now the Liverpool Legends’ acclaimed Branson show. Marty’s former band, American English, would live on while the Liverpool Legends blossomed into a totally different animal, transcendent of the typical cover band format.

“I want to find the kind of people who my brother, if he were still here, would want to be friends with and jam with,” Louise says. “I am very proud that they are part of my life now.”

More than just a concert, a show by the Liverpool Legends goes through the entire history of The Beatles and is an audio-visual experience. From the early mop-top years, through the Sgt. Pepper’s era, and on to the final years, the costumes and songs are amazingly accurate.

The Branson experience has been delighting fans and critics since 2006, but now the band tours most of the year, brings its show to a national audience, and was even nominated for a Grammy in 2012.

After the Friday night Liverpool Legends concert, the Ozarks Beatlemania festival will continue in Alton with more music, stories from the community, vendors, a Beatles exhibit, a showing of a Beatles documentary, presentations on the 1960s, and a Beatles look-a-like contest.

Ozarks Beatlemania will culminate in Alton, but the Liverpool Legends will play again the following weekend in another town proud of its Beatles connection—Walnut Ridge, Arkansas.

Walnut Ridge, where The Beatles flew into on their way to Alton, has been celebrating with its own festival since 2011. The town is

Ringo’s gun belt was a gift from Elvis Presley, and he bought the cap gun at Woolworth’s. John became friendly with the ranch’s felines. “My daughter always said she liked John the best because he would pet the barn cats,” says Mary Dethrow, the former ranch manager’s wife.

so proud of its Beatles heritage that it has a two-hundred-square-foot sculpture of the Fab Four’s silhouettes from the iconic Abbey Road album cover. This year’s festival will be two days of music and fun.

Although it may surprise some, the Ozarks are becoming a destination for Beatles fanatics. But it makes sense. The Beatles vacation there was a magical, mysterious event, and they truly enjoyed themselves while in Missouri.

“George said to me, ‘I know why they call it the heartland because the people there are so good-hearted, so kind-hearted,’ ” Louise says. “That was his assessment of the people there.”

COME TOGETHER Ozarks Beatlemania, West Plains and Alton, September 12 – 13 www.ozarksbeatlemania.com • West Plains Civic Center and Alton Town Square • 877-256-6034 for concert box office.

Beatles at the Ridge Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, September 19 – 20 www.beatlesattheridge.com • Downtown Walnut Ridge

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The DIY culture of cigar box guitars has inspired local players and builders to meet in Kansas City in past years to celebrate this crude and cool instrument.

Smoking Guitars Explore the roots and the eclectic community of the KC Cigar Box Guitar Festival as it enters its fourth year.

BY RON MARR | PHOTOS BY ANGELA BOND “WICHITA” SAM WOOD, wearing his signature black cowboy hat and matching fringed vest, saunters to the stage and adjusts the microphone.

Standing well over six-foot-five-inches tall, the sixty-five-year-old retired Methodist preacher tunes his instrument and exchanges happy banter with the wall-to-wall crowd packing BB’s Lawnside BBQ in Kansas City. The crowd, chomping on ribs and downing mugs of beer, is far more attentive than normal at your typical blues joint.

They’re watching. They’re waiting.

That might be because Wichita Sam is an amusing guy. Or, it might be that the instrument he’s tuning, a four-string, electric cigar box guitar that seems Lilliputian in his catcher’s mitt hands, isn’t something you see every day. He breaks into a little gospel, slides into some twelve-bar blues, and finishes off his set with a few originals. His instrument may not always be perfectly tuned, and he may not smoke the fretboard with the riffs

of Eric Clapton. But no one cares.

The crowd loves it. Judging by the reaction to all the performers who took the stage at the Kansas City Cigar Box Guitar Festival, they’d loved it all afternoon.

Kevin Kraft, the festival’s founder, has an idea why. He also has a reason why he’s driven to help expose the general public to cigar box guitars, known as CBGs to the initiated.

“As crude as these things are—and they almost look like toys—they can produce an incredible sound; people don’t believe it until they hear it,” Kevin says.

Kevin, a youth-care worker in a psychiatric hospital in Overland Park, Kansas, discovered cigar box guitars in 2006. In the 1980s, he spent ten months touring the country singing Christian contemporary music. But he was always seeking a different sound, a tone he neither heard nor felt with factory guitars. Thus, armed with a

bit of information and some plans discovered on the internet, he retreated to his basement.

“I told my wife I was going downstairs to build a cigar box guitar,” he says. “She was like, ‘That’s nice, honey.’ ” About a week later, he finished.

“As soon as I started playing, I knew this was the sound I’d been looking for all these years.”

Kevin’s road to establishing the first KC Cigar Box Festival was not without hurdles. Finding little support—likely because most people had no idea what a cigar box guitar was—he joined the Kansas City Blues Society. Eventually, he became director of the society’s “Blues in the Schools” program. Still, he was unable to acquire the support needed to back a full-fledged event.

So, in “if you build it, they will come” fashion, he did it himself. The first festival was in 2011.

“I thought we might get a few people to show, that it might be a novelty that would grow,” he says. “We had very little advertising

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and very little fanfare, but it was huge.”

Cigar box guitars have a rich history in the American music scene. The first CBGs were probably built around 1840 when cigar manufacturers began shipping their wares in small boxes rather than barrels. An 1876 etching by illustrator Edwin Forbes shows a Civil War soldier playing a cigar box fiddle. Daniel Carter Beard, cofounder of the Boy Scouts, published plans for a cigar box banjo in 1884.

CBGs are incredibly easy to play; almost anyone can learn simple songs or blues patterns in minutes. Blues pioneers like Blind Willie Johnson, Lightning Hopkins, Charlie Christian, Scrapper Blackwell, and Big Bill Broonzy all learned their chops on CBGs. So did Jimi Hendrix, Roy Clark, George Benson, and Buddy Guy. CBGs became something of the “poor man’s guitar.” They are cheap and are simple to build.

CBGs may have anywhere from one to six strings, though three or four is most common.

“I’ve spent thousands of dollars on guitars before, and here I put this cheap little thing together, and it just moves me in such a way,” says Scotty Shipps of Topeka, who performs under the nom de guerre “Blind Dawg Willie.” Scotty, afflicted with the rare optic disorder PXE (Pseudoxanthoma elasticum) says that CBGs have given him an outlet of expression.

Semi-retired respiratory therapist “Uncle” John Bolton of Harlan, Iowa, shares that perspective.

“More than anything else, I like that I made this with my own hands,” he says. “It’s a traditional poor man’s instrument.”

CBGs are suitable for just about everyone, according to veteran builder/performer “Wichita” Sam—at least for those who have even the slightest interest in making music. Since 2007, Sam has built 450 instruments, held countless workshops for people of all ages, and performed before audiences ranging in size from two to six hundred.

“CBGs allow unlikely, untrained, inexperienced builders and players to try their hand in a low-risk environment,” he says. “Many people who have never built or played can imagine trying their hand at something that looks folksy or primitive. Before CBGs, I wouldn’t have thought myself capable of stringing a guitar, much less playing one.

“The thing about CBGs is that it lowers expectations for a performer. With a CBG in hand, the audience is thinking ‘how quaint.’ When it actually makes music, they just stop and go, “Wow.’ ”

“Wichita” Sam Wood builds and plays his cigar box guitars. He says the secrets to a good instrument are the materials and craftsmanship. Upon request, he crafts custom guitars.

Above: Kevin Kraft was hooked after he made his first guitar—so much so that he created a festival celebrating the little instrument. This year marks its fourth year. At Right, Top: Mark Smeltzer (left) of Rural Grit and Kris Bruders of Cadillac Flambé team up for their side-project Freight Train Rabbit Killer. At Right, Bottom: Like many players at the fest, “Uncle” John Bolton (left) recorded songs on his cigar box guitar that you can hear on cigarboxnation.com, and Scotty “Blind Dawg Willie” Shipps gives cigar box guitar clinics in the Kansas City area.

THE FOURTH ANNUAL CIGAR BOX GUITAR FESTIVAL SUNDAY, AUGUST 17TH 3-9 pm WINSLOW’S BBQ 20 E. 5TH STREET, KANSAS CITY FREE ADMISSION Raffle tickets are available for five dollars. Proceeds benefit the Eddie Baker School Of Music’s Upper Room Program, which currently provides free, weekly music lessons to over three hundred children.

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WARBIRD #

Wrangler

BY WADE LIVINGSTON

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How today’s most prolific World War I replica airplane builder went from big dreams to the big screen.

Robert Baslee remembers staring up at the sky.

He would lay on a yellow merry-go-round in a park in Grandview, scan the wild blue yonder for the telltale specks and contrails, and listen for the rumbles, the whines.

He was looking for airplanes.

Spotting one, he’d will it to land right there in that park near Kansas City. He thought it was as close to flying as he would ever get. Flying was expensive and impractical.

“What are you going to do,” he remembers his parents asking, “fly to St. Louis and back?”

No. Not an option.

Four-year-old Robert didn’t like to be told that he couldn’t do something, that he couldn’t fly.

He was grounded—any aviator’s worst fear.

That was 1969. Decades later, he would bring the legendary planes of The Great War to life in Holden.

Relics of The Great War

GREG KENDALL-BALL

Robert Baslee, forty-nine, appreciates the purity of World War I airplanes: simple planes with simple parts from a time when air combat—flight, for that matter— was in its infancy.

His company, Airdrome Aeroplanes, builds flyable World War I replica kits and ships them across the world to customers who crave the nostalgia of bare-bones, stick-and-rudder flying. Dozens of niche publications

like Kitplanes and Sport Aviation have featured Robert’s planes on their covers. He’s built planes for Hollywood movies such as Flyboys, Amelia, and the forthcoming film, The Uberkanone. He travels to air shows across the country to promote his throwback flying machines and give audiences a glimpse of World War I aviation.

At the centennial of World War I, Robert is wellversed in the history of The Great War—the conflict that wounded or claimed the lives of almost thirty million fighting men, including approximately three hundred thousand Americans and more than ten thousand Missourians. He can name some of the first fighter pilots who, as author John H. Morrow says, “became heroes and press darlings, knights of the air.” And Robert appreciates the enduring allure of their airplanes.

But above all else, Robert respects the craftsmanship that got the early wood and cloth airplanes off the ground. A little over a decade after the Wright Brothers’ first powered flight, craftsmanship facilitated the first aerial combats— deadly donnybrooks called dogfights.

Robert is quick to note that he builds replicas, not relics. He’s perfected a method that uses aluminum tubing and modern aircraft fabric to render full-size and three-quarter scale kits. The kits are marketed as “homebuilds,” four-hundred-hour projects that customers can assemble. He’s a one-man show who’s cornered a niche market: he estimates that he’s designed at least half of all World War I replicas flying in the world today.

The Red Barron’s crimson Fokker Dr. I is Robert Baslee’s most popular World War I replica plane. His friends fly their warbirds at Liberty Landing Airport near Kansas City.

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The tinkering started when he was three years old.

When he wasn’t screeching across the kitchen tiles on his tricycle, circling the wooden table, and making engine noises, Robert used a screwdriver to remove the doors from kitchen cabinets and reinstalled them. He first learned about levers by smashing Cracker Jacks in doorframes. One of his favorite games was rearranging Coca-Cola bottles in carrying crates. “It was like Tetris,” Robert says. “It would entertain me all day.”

At five, he rescued bicycles from dumpsters, fixed them up, and rode them. At nine, he repurposed a lawnmower someone had pitched to the curb and got it running. Around age ten, Robert began building and flying radio-controlled model airplanes. He joined a Kansas City model airplane club and maintained a small squadron in his basement.

At fourteen, Robert saw an ad in a magazine that had blueprints for a fullsize, flyable wooden kit plane. Buying $125 airplane plans was a major commitment. He’d never built a real airplane and lacked formal mechanical training. It was quite the leap from mowers to powered flight.

His parents, Judy and Robert Baslee Sr., weren’t opposed to the plane: tinkering was both entertainment and escape for their oldest son. They had two other children. One, Marty, had kidney disease and needed dialysis from a young age; by the time he was eight, he’d had two kidney transplants. The treatments were expensive and forced the family to search for the cheapest rent. If Robert wanted that kit, he would have to pay for it himself.

He shoveled snow in winter and mowed grass through spring and summer to finally scrounge together enough money to purchase the plans for his own

Robert Baslee has just about any item needed to build an airplane. His shop is cluttered but organized. He keeps safety goggles, pencils, plastic baggies, nuts, and bolts in storage containers behind his primary worktable.

single-seat airplane—the ultimate escape machine.

Robert labored on his plane and picked up odd jobs to pay for additional materials. Two years later, a nearly completed airplane lurked in the garage. He didn’t give it a name; he painted it primer white.

Like Handling Snakes Flight, particularly flight without the assistance of computers and technological safeguards, is a dangerous endeavor. Many of The Great War’s knights of the air were killed in takeoffs and in landings, in training exercises, and in accidents that occurred in the most ordinary of circumstances.

“Flying an airplane’s like playing with rattlesnakes—you’ve got to watch it all the time,” Robert says.

Despite the danger, Robert was determined to fly. His mother acquiesced with these conditions: her son would earn his pilot’s license, and he would pay for it all himself. Robert gathered his radio-controlled airplanes and sold them to fund his flying lessons. And he worked two fast food jobs at McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Flight lessons came in handy when Robert took his airplane’s sixth flight.

The takeoff was routine, but after minutes in the air, the carburetor malfunctioned when he was more than six hundred feet off the ground. The engine stopped. He knew he couldn’t make it back to the airport. All he saw in front of him were trees. To his left, he spied a fifty-acre hayfield.

GREG KENDALL-BALL

Bottles, Mowers, and Airplanes

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He banked left and pushed the nose of the plane down, steering it like a glider. He managed to clear a wooden fence and brought the plane in for a rough landing in the tall fescue. The rutty field ripped the nose gear off of the airplane and damaged the main landing gear, but Robert was okay.

Robert says the “uneventful” flight could have ended badly had he not remembered his training. The battered airplane was just another project for him to work on.

The Red Baron’s War Plane Robert Baslee remembers 1988 and 1989 as watershed years. That was when he got the urge to build an aircraft with three tiers of wings—a triplane. Not just any tri-plane, though. He wanted to replicate World War I legend the Red Baron Manfred von Richtofen’s Fokker Dr. I. “That’s the ’57 Chevy of airplanes,” Robert says. “That’s the one everyone wants to fly.”

Robert couldn’t find plans for a Fokker Dr. I, so he created his own from pictures and scaled drawings. He had studied engineering and had worked as a machinist by then. Using high-grade aluminum tubing to form the airframe, he improved on the original’s wood-and-cloth construction.

He took his finished tri-plane to the Oshkosh, Wisconsin, air show in late July 1989. It attracted attention. How’d you build it? Is it for sale? Can you build one for me? He returned home to Independence and founded Airdrome Aeroplanes; the von Richtofen replica was the business’s bright red bedrock.

For the next ten years, Robert worked part-time at Airdrome Aeroplanes during his stint as a full-time engineer for Kodak. He continued to show his tri-plane at air shows and steadily built a customer base. Niche magazines took notice. Recreational aviation enthusiasts praised them and clamored for new models. He expanded his inventory—adding various German Fokkers, British Sopwiths, French Nieuports—and kept building.

COURTESY OF ROBERT BASLEE; GREG KENDALL-BALL

A Hanger in the Pasture Robert transformed a vacant pasture off of a rutted farm road in Holden, roughly forty miles southeast of downtown Kansas City, into a property with a hangar. The home is built into the side of a knoll. Fake deer, angel statues, lattice archways, antique tractors, and bones of old airplanes dot the yard. The gravel driveway is full of vehicles sporting Airdrome Aeroplanes decals.

Robert purchased the pasture and moved there in 1996 from Independence, where he’d been running Airdrome Aeroplanes. The business was outgrowing his garage. The Holden property offered more space for the growing part-time business and space to flight-test new models. He had some power lines removed and leveled off a thousand-foot grassstrip runway. Robert and his wife, Susan, built their home from scratch.

Robert liked his job with Kodak, but he realized he was spending all of his free time at Airdrome. He assessed his finances. He had adequate savings, zero debt, and a growing customer base. The magazine covers were piling up. He was swamped with orders. He loved building airplanes.

Robert left Kodak in 1999 to build his full-time airplane business.

Robert’s Flying Circus While people idolize great pilots like Manfred von Richtofen and Eddie Rickenbacker, they forget the great squadrons: Richtofen’s Flying Circus or Rickenbacker’s Hat in the Ring group. Even the great pilots remembered for their individual achievements had a supporting cast.

Top: One of Robert Baslee’s Fokker Dr. I planes is in The Uberkanone. Bottom: Like his kits, Airdrome Aeroplanes began with plans—plans for the Fokker Dr. I. Robert wanted to build one for himself in 1988, but all he could reference were scaled drawings, which forced him to draft his own plans.

PRICING A WARBIRD Airdrome Aeroplanes offers nineteen different makes and models of World War I aircraft representing the Allies and Central Powers. The kits range in price from $5,495 to $14,995 but do not come with an engine. Customers can add a 100-horsepower Valley Engineering (based in Rolla) Volkswagen engine—which start around $7,000—or a 110150 horsepower Rotec radial engine, which costs between $24,000 and $28,000. When it’s all said and done, customers can own a warbird for less than the price of some new cars.

Visit airdromeaeroplanes.com for more information.

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Robert shows his aircrafts across the country and across Missouri. This year, his SE5A plane made an appearance at a Columbia airshow. It, too, was in a film. Bottom: There are no digital gauges in Robert’s planes, just like the originals.

Airplane Empire If you were to watch Robert Baslee at his shop, he might power walk from one end to the other, darting past wings and fuselages, dodging machinery and extension cords, pausing briefly to instruct someone operating a metal press, while jawing with a customer on the phone. You might see him stop, if only for a moment, to ponder a production problem or consider a bureaucratic barrier keeping him from shipping a kit. For once, he might be still.

“Nobody’s going to tell me I can’t do something,” he might say. “I’ll go around you, under you, through you, or over you if I have to. But I’m going to do it.”

Robert has come a long way from that yellow merry-go-round in Grandview; he doesn’t have to look far to find airplanes. However, the man who got his pilot’s license before his driver’s license doesn’t get off the ground much these days. That’s the penance for being the builder of half the World War I replicas flying today.

WWI EVENTS IN MISSOURI: Several Missouri organizations are commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the start of The Great War. The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City has several exhibitions that commemorate the centennial of World War I. On the Brink: A Month that Changed the World looks at the underground organizations, diplomacy, and media coverage that surrounded the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand; this exhibit runs through September 14.

Over by Christmas: August-December 1914 explores the romantic notions of the then five-month old conflict and how these notions were destroyed by the realities of war; this exhibit runs through March 29, 2015.

In addition to these exhibits, the museum has online exhibits and collections, as well as other educational resources.

Visit theworldwar.org for more information.

The State Historical Society of Missouri in Columbia is sponsoring the event World War I and Your Ancestors, which will show attendees how to evaluate and interpret civilian and soldier artifacts from the period, as well as newspaper reports, books, and songs. The workshop-style event is scheduled for August 11 from 9 AM -noon.

Visit shs.umsystem.edu for more information.

STEPHANIE SIDOTI

As the only official employee of Airdrome Aeroplanes, he often works alone, but it’s not uncommon for others to help. After a February 2014 snowstorm, his friends Gary Knight and Dan Marvin ventured on icy back roads to Holden to help complete a replica of Canadian ace Billy Bishop’s Nieuport 19 bound for Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport to commemorate the centennial of World War I. Old friends like Harvey Cleveland, Robert’s test pilot, flew Airdrome Aeroplanes’s Nieuports in the movie Flyboys. Retired Air Force colonels Blake and Sandy Thomas staffed the Airdrome Aeroplanes booth at the 2008 Oshkosh Airshow, so the Baslees could travel to China to adopt their daughter, Meki.

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2014 Outings and events for fall fun!

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Johnson’s Shut-Ins

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MISSOURI STATE FAIR Sedalia, Aug. 7-17 > It’s a tradition more than 114 years in the making.

Explore the fairgrounds, catch a musical act, watch competitions, and sample fare at the fair. Be sure to check out drawings and giveaways during the 11-day event.

WHEN THE LEAVES TURN and summer wanes, the cool breezes and hues of autumn become the perfect backdrop for fall fun. Watch a flick, learn a jig, go back in time, or sample Missouri’s best barbecue. If you’re feeling more adventurous, jump out of an airplane, stomp on grapes, or run the mud.

Fall is the season for getting out and about, and there’s a full schedule of places to explore, things to eat, and culture to experience. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite fall flings from across the state, so when the leaves turn, you’ll be ready. > > >

mostatefair.com

Listen Up and Chow Down

better place to try some of Missouri’s best barbecue than at the barbecue state championships and Huckster’s Day? Watch live entertainment and talent shows. You can even bring Fido along.

butlermochamber.org

HARVEST FESTIVAL Sept. 19-20, Augusta > Enjoy wine and music against a rustic country backdrop at the Harvest Festival. Sample wine from the area and fill a take-home basket with wine and other items as you watch the sun set and listen to music. The next day, wine makers and vineyard growers can teach you about the wine making process. augusta-chamber.org/events

KIMMSWICK APPLE BUTTER FESTIVAL Oct. 25-2 6, Kimmswick > If you

/annual-harvest-festival-event

have to butter your biscuits, butter them with apple butter at the Kimmswick Apple Butter Festival. Aside from the obvious draw, explore the crafts, food, and entertainment vendors.

Explore the intricately carved pumpkins.

ROOTS N BLUES N BBQ FESTIVAL

visitkimmswick.com/apple_butter_festival

LOUFEST-ST. LOUIS Sept. 6-7, St. Louis > Get the summer music festival experience minus the summer heat at LouFest in Forest Park. This music festival has forty performers with headliners such as Outkast, Cake, and The Arctic Monkeys.

Give your ears a rest and sample some of the local art on display. loufest.com

Produced by Missouri Life MissouriLife.com • 660-882-9898

Sept. 26-28, Columbia > In Stephens Lake Park, watch more than thirty bands perform while enjoying some lip-smackin’ food. The eighth annual Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival in Columbia will have performers such as The Avett Brothers, Los Lobos, Rosanne Cash, and more. Pull up your car and pull out your lawn chairs at one of Columbia’s fastest growing festivals. rootsnbluesnbbq.com

FALL FESTIVAL OF GOSPEL MUSIC Oct. 15-18, Stanton > Inside the Meramec Caverns is one of the biggest gospel festivals in Missouri. The Fall Festival of Gospel Music is a four-day festival with several performers, and yes, it’s in a cave. Seating is limited. 314-772-3048, americascave.com

BBQ ON THE RIVER AND FLY IN, Aug. 15-16, Excelsior Springs > “Come together, right now … and BBQ” is the theme of the 14th annual event. While on land, eat the ’que from the BBQ competition, then take to the skies for airplane rides, a hot air balloon, and fireworks. bbqontherivercontest.com

KANSAS CITY IRISH FEST, Aug. 29-Sept. 1 > If you’re feeling a bit green that March is so far away, don’t pinch yourself.

Head to Irish Fest and listen to the more than 30 bands and jokes told by Emerald Isle comedians. Enter the Feis (an Irish dance competition), experience the city’s largest outdoor mass, sample whiskey, and more.

COURTESY OF KANSAS CITY IRISH FEST AND WABASH BBQ ON THE RIVER; NOTLEY HAWKINS

HUCKSTER’S DAY AND BBQ STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Sept. 5 - 6, Butler > What

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The Past Comes Alive SILVER DOLLAR CITY’S NATIONAL HARVEST AND COWBOY FESTIVAL

Get Lost … with Pumpkins

CENTRAL MISSOURI RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

SHRYOCK’S FAMILY FARM

IRON BUCK ARCHERY TOURNAMENT

PUMPKINS ETC. mid-September-Oct. 31, Platte City > Excited about decorating for fall? Peruse the shop or the patch, and pick a pumpkin or a gourd. The farm also grows more than 42 varieties of mums.

The haystack, picnic area, and tall grass maze make for some autumn fun. Don’t forget to try the fudge! 816-858-5758, pumpkins-etc.com

Oct. 4-25, Sikeston > Mazes, races, and campfires … oh, my!

With more activities than you can shake a cornstalk at, like paintball, pumpkin tetherball, wagon rides, and more, there’s no shortage of fall family fun. 573-471-3879, beggsfamilyfarm.com

BROOKDALE FARMS Eureka, Sept. 6-Nov. 7 > Get

lost, literally, at one of the largest corn mazes in the St. Louis area. See farm animals and ride a pony. Pick your own pumpkins and more. Call for dates and hours. 636-938-1005, eurekacornmaze.com

PONY EXPRESS PUMPKINFEST St. Joseph, Oct. 11-13 > If you can’t get enough pumpkins and

you’ve never seen 800 gourds lit simultaneously, St. Joseph’s Pony Express PumpkinFest has you covered.

The electronically lit Pumpkin Mountain is a sight to behold on the event’s opening night, but don’t miss out on the other sights, sounds, and flavors of the weekend. Visit ponyexpress.org/pumpkinfest for times.

Sept. 20, Cuba > Test your sharpshooting at the seventh annual Iron Buck Archery Tournament. With adult and youth divisions, participants can win up to $250 if they can prove their skills. Sharpshooters can chow down on a free barbecue lunch.

573-885-1474. fanning66outpost.com

ROUTE 66 COLLECTORS SHOW: COINS, STAMPS, AND SPORTS CARDS Sept. 27, Joplin > Join avid hobbyists and collectors along the Mother Road at the Continental Banquet Center for a day of trading, buying, and selling trinkets and treasures. Call Dave Sorrick at 620-423-6600 for information. visitmo.com

HARVEST HOOTENANNY Oct. 11, Hannibal > Stop by Mark Twain’s hometown for a hootin’ and hollerin’ good time. After sampling a few craft beers, release your inner child during the grape stomp, pumpking carving, and more. marktwaincave.com

COURTESY OF ADAM SOMMER, MISSOURI TOURISM, SILVER DOLLAR CITY AND CENTRAL MISSOURI RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

Sept.13-14, Columbia > Take a trip back in time … way back in time with minstrels playing music, wizards making magic, duelists, and more medieval mischief. Pet dragon not included.

Admission $8, centralmorenfest.com

Callaway County > The corn maze might be a thirteen-year tradition, but the Shryocks have been farming in northern Callaway County for more than a century.

See if you can piece together the clues at each of the checkpoints in the themed maze that changes every year. Hayrides and campfires are also available. Check callawayfarms.com for times.

BEGGS FAMILY FARM,

Sept. 12 - Oct. 25, Branson > There aren’t many places in America where you can see cowboy stunts, ride roller coasters, and explore the crafts of more than 125 vendors selling their handmade wares. silverdollarcity.com

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’S 2013 HOTO: NG P EK INNI INE PAT

W

LA

BY E FROM , MO ILLE V S L HAL

Walk Back In Time Annual Photo Contest sponsored by Missouri Life and the Audrain County Historical Society Museum. Get out to this year’ss Walk Back In Time event, and give us your best shot at capturing our country’s history for the Third Annual 2014 Photo Contest!

WALK BACK IN TIME – A LIVING HISTORY CHRONOLOGY The Audrain County Historical Society invites you to the Walk Back in Time festival. Held during the last weekend of September on the grounds of the Audrain Historical Museum Complex, with historical camps in a unique time line: Vikings in America, Historical Scottish, Pirates, 1770s Colonial, 1830s Mountain Men, 1860 Pony Express, 1860s Civil War, Native American Village, 1880s Wild West, 1918 World War I, and 1940s World War II, 1950s Korean War, 1960s Vietnam USMC and Modern Military. Our Walk Back in Time–a historical chronology–takes the time-traveler through centuries of our nation’s proud past.

This unusual venture offers informative and entertaining experiences for the entire family.

Tour the Audrain Historical Society Museum 10AM–4PM, Tues.-Sat., and 1-4PM, Sun. www.audrain.org | 573-581-3910 [67] August 2014

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GATEWAY CUP Aug. 29-Sept. 1, St. Louis > Watch bicyclists blaze through four St. Louis neighborhoods in this American-style cycling race through the Gateway City. Don’t sweat it if you’re new to cycling. An announcer will be your guide to the inner-workings of one of the most cherished sports on two wheels. gatewaycup.com

TOUR DE CAPE Sept. 27, Cape Girardeau > Fun and philanthropy can make a good pair. The proceeds from the Tour de Cape, which starts in downtown Cape Girardeau and winds through the countryside, benefit the Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship Program. It’s not a race, so you can choose one of the four routes that’s as intense or leisurely as you’d like. Starting at 8:30 am is recommended. tourdecapegirardeau.com

JOURNEY ACROSS MISSOURI (JAM) Sept. 30- Oct. 5, Kansas City > Trek from the Paris of the Plains to the Gateway City in a six-day adventure from border to border. On this route, the journey is just as important as the destination; be sure to sample the local fare and explore the nooks and crannies of the communities along the way. The views alone are worth the ride. One, two, and three day rides are also available. See site for details: trailnet.org/work/bicycling/rides/ journey-across-missouri-jam

TOUR DE BASS October 5, Springfield > This might be the only cycling event where you actually gain weight before you reach the finish line— even on the longest route that exceeds 100 miles. There are different foods and snacks at each rest stop, and the finale is prepared by the chefs at Bass Pro. If you’re not sure if you’re up to the task, train with the Springfield Bicycle Club before the event.

Connect with the cycling club at springbike. org and learn more about the ride at fitness. basspro.com.

GRILL YOUR OWN STEAK NIGHT Aug. 15, Sept. 12, Hermann > Steak. It’s what’s for dinner at Adam Puchta Winery. You can grill your own meat, and the winery will provide the spices and utensils. Side orders, beer, and wine are available for sale at the bistro. 5:30 - 8 pm, adampuchtawine.com

BOONE DAWDLE August 16, Columbia and Rocheport > Dawdle, don’t dash, from Columbia’s True/False office to Les Bourgeois Vineyards in Rocheport. Bike along the MKT and Katy Trails while enjoying live music, a carnival, and more. At the end of the journey, enjoy a picnic dinner with libations and a movie. truefalse.org

INDEPENDENCE UNCORKED WINE FESTIVAL Sept. 13, Independence > Let loose at the state’s largest wine festival held at the historic Bingham-Waggoner home. For $20, sample wine from 20 different Missouri wineries. Explore the art vendors, food artisans, and more. 1–6 pm,

independenceuncorked.com

JOWLER CREEK GRAPE STOMP Sept. 13, Platte City > If you’ve ever had the desire to mash grapes with your feet, now you can. For $19, you can stomp red grapes in a barrel at Jowler Creek and then have a grilled lunch afterward. The stomping is from noon–2 pm. Call 816-858-5528 for reservations.

BEER AND BASEBALL Skip the Cracker Jacks. Beer and baseball are what go hand-in-hand.

On your way to the Cardinals game, stop at Schlafly Bottleworks for a beer, meal, and free tour that concludes with free samples.

schlafly.com/bottleworks Royals fans can visit Boulevard Brewing Company on game day for specialty beers, a tour, and samples. boulevard.com

jowlercreek.com

MEAD FEST Sept. 21, Walnut Grove > Get a taste of the renaissance at the fifth annual Mead Fest held at 7Cs Winery. Experience sword fighting, archery, birds of prey demonstrations, and live medieval music. The only cost here is for wine and mead, a fermented drink made with honey and water. Arrive in costume, and blend in. Noon–6 pm, 7cswinery.com

OKTOBERFEST Four weekends in October, Hermann > Be German

in Hermann during Oktoberfest. Toast cheers to beer, traditional German food, live music, and, when the beers and brats are gone, tour Stone Hill Winery.

stonehillwinery.com

TAKE A FIELD TRIP Go mobile with Google’s new app, Field Trip. The app is available for Android and iOS users, and Missouri Life is an official publisher for Field Trip. We’ll be continuously posting great destinations and all the great places to wine and dine around the state.

COURTESY OF MATT JAMES, ADAM PUCHTA WINERY AND MISSOURI TOURISM

TWO-WHEELED TREKS

Sipping Excursions

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Feel far away… Even when you’re not.

Check out all the great things to see and do in Springfield at VacationSpringfield.com or call 800-678-8767.

,

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Up in the Air The birds will be jealous as you zoom on ziplines through the Ozarks tree canopy. Branson Zipline has several miles of ziplines to explore, and they offer a variety of tour packages to accommodate families and large groups. But most importantly, they’ll transport you to the top of Wolfe Mountain in an old Swiss Army Pinzgauer—you’ll be riding in style before you’re free as a bird.

1-800-712-4654, bransonzipline.com

Catch ’Em If You Can

LAKE OF THE OZARKS SHOOTOUT Aug. 15-24, Lake of the Ozarks > Watch boats fly—224 mph on the water! The organizers of the shootout say this is the Midwest’s largest unsanctioned powerboat event, with over 100 competitors and 100,000 spectators. You can also relax at Captain Ron’s Bar & Grill and enjoy some live music—you’ll have a fast time for sure! lakeoftheozarksshootout.org

ST. LOUIS 5K FOAM FEST Aug. 16, Wright City > Why dance in foam when you can dash in it at the St. Louis 5K Foam Fest at the Battlegrounds at Cedar Lake. Run through foam, slide through foam, jump into foam—bathe in the stuff! And if you’re 21, your first beer is on the house. Try mud limbo and the minuteto-win-it games. You’ll need a team of at least five to participate, but watching is almost as fun. 5kfoamfest.com

CAVEMAN 5K

TOUGH MUDDER-MISSOURI

Sept. 6, Springfield > They call it the Caveman 5K, but you won’t want to drag your knuckles—or carry your club—during this underground race. The racecourse is entirely enclosed inside Springfield Underground, which maintains a crisp 62 degrees, according to their website. Whether you’re eight or eighty, the Caveman has a race for you. ozarkraces.com

Oct. 11-12, Montgomery City > Forget the spa treatment: who wants a mud bath when you can get down and dirty at Tough Mudder-Missouri? The mud forecast is “deep and dark” over the 10-12 mile course. But fear not: there are plenty of first-aid stations, and all participants get a T-shirt, a headband, and a hard-earned beer. toughmudder.com

COURTESY OF MISSOURI TOURISM, LAKE OF THE OZARKS CVB, ST. LOUIS FOAM FEST, CAVEMAN 5K AND TOUGH MUDDER

BRANSON CANOPY ZIPLINE TOURS

g

ntin u H be d l u o you c

It’s never too early to start dreaming of next season. Go to Moberly.com/hunting to find lodges and public lands.

Paid for by the Moberly Tourism Advisory Committee

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BEGGS FAMILY FARM WEEKENDS ON THE FARM!

New this year: Inside shooting arcade, new strobe lit slide, putt putt golf is back, and much more!

SKYDIVE MRVS Henrietta > Yeah, you’re free—free-falling. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers won’t have anything on you after you drop out of an airplane from 9,000 feet.

Missouri River Valley Skydiving was established in 1965, and it claims to be the “oldest and finest” skydiving center in the Midwest. And that’s cool — you can take stock in their experience … even though your stomach might be in knots for weeks leading up to your jump. 816-290-5415, skydivemrvs.com

Wagon Rides • Farm Animal Display • Farm Train • Milking Cow Gift Shop • Homemade Fudge • Yard Art Pumpkins • Fall Decor 12 Acre Corn Maze • Rope Maze • Miner Max - Gemstone Mining Paintball Shooting Gallery • Giant Jumping Pillow • Pedal Carts Hillbilly Pig Races • And So Much More!

2014 Fall Field Guide produced by

COURTESY OF JEFF SCHAPLER

Catering To School Field Trips & The General Public

October 2 - October 31 Wednesday -Thursday 9am-2pm • Fridays 9am -4pm Saturdays 10am-9pm • Sundays 10am-6pm 501 High Street, Ste. A, Boonville, MO 65233 660-882-9898 • Info@MissouriLife.com • www.MissouriLife.com Custom Publishing: For your special publications, call 800-492-2593, ext. 106 or email Greg.Wood@MissouriLife.com.

VISIT US ONLINE OR CALL FOR DETAILS, DIRECTIONS, AND DISCOUNTS!

573-471-3879 • www.beggsfamilyfarm.com Hwy U • Sikeston, MO • 6 miles north of Sikeston

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SEPTEMBER 13 & 14 The event will take place on the historical battlefield three miles southeast of Centralia.

Reenactment to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Centralia along with the Mount Zion Battle.

Come learn history and have fun!

Bring family and friends.

Music, crafts, civil war authors, food vendors, and more!

573-682-5511 centraliabattlefield@yahoo.com

12TH Annual

FOLK FESTIVAL

Period craft demonstrations, children’s games, music, and food Labor Day - Monday, Sept. 1 10 am - 4 pm Boone’s Lick State Historic Site Hwy 187 near Boonesboro, MO FREE ADMISSION www.boonslicktourism.org

Sponsored by The Boonslick Area Tourism Council and Missouri State Parks

*

Available routes in your area: St. Louis to Kansas City, from $30 Kansas City to Chicago, from $57 St. Louis to Chicago, from $27

Visit www.amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL to book your trip today!

Discounts for Seniors and Kids.

Amtrak and Enjoy the Journey are registered service marks of the National Passenger Railroad Corporation. *Prices are subject to change without notice.

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Sullivan Airport 5th Annual 2014 Fly In Saturday, August 16, 8AM - 2PM

Events: Pancake Breakfast Car Show Fire & Police Vehicles Helicopter Rides Music & Entertainment And Much More!

Free small Airplane rides for kids 8-17!

To book a ight on the B-25, see www.cafmo.org For questions and details call 573-468-3314.

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Musings ON MISSOURI

UP IN SMOKE

BY RON MARR

ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH HERRERA

I USED TO BE

the smoking equivalent of a chess grandmaster.

Though I gave up cigarettes long ago, my Missouri Meerschaum corncob pipe was a constant and soothing companion. It was always ready to play and never stood me up or let me down. I wasn’t a tobacco snob.

I didn’t need a custom blend cultivated in exotic soils massaged thrice daily by robed mystics. I wasn’t the boorish jackass who waxed profound on matters of cut, texture, and taste. I was the guy who stuffed a hunk of rotgut shag in the bowl, lit the match, and enjoyed the ride.

I liked everything about smoking a corncob pipe. I liked the relaxing feeling it provided, the way it fit in my hand, the curling dance of white wisps in a migrant sunbeam ... and the dirty looks tossed my way by anti-smoking zealots. I’ve long contended that controlling the actions of others far supersedes that group’s passion to function as the selfless Knights Templar of respiratory health. They’re just a wee bit too happy when it comes to wielding the cudgel of moral superiority. Irritating them was fun.

And then, a year ago, I quit smoking my beloved Missouri Meerschaum. I awoke one morning and discovered I’d lost my taste for it.

That’s not the way it usually happens; in fact, I don’t think it ever happens that way. One side of my brain tells me that I love smoking a pipe and that I miss everything about it. The other side has killed the desire. The contradiction is disconcerting for one simple reason.

What if this phenomenon begins to alter other aspects of my existence?

Consider the mental and gastronomic anguish if I involuntarily forfeited my compulsion to devour copious amounts of Kellogg’s Special RON MARR K vanilla almond cereal straight from the box.

Imagine the synaptic meltdown if, like a bolt from the blue, I no longer cared about snagging catfish? What if my guitar addiction was replaced by axe ambivalence; is it actually possible to live a decent life bereft of a handcrafted, acoustic git-fiddle?

Is this a neurological quirk? Could it also operate in reverse? Might I someday rouse to the gruesome reality that I’ve undergone a Kafkaesque metamorphosis necessitating a fondness for liberal politics, the internet, and political correctness? If my brain can instantly rewire itself over something as ingrained as smoking, are there truly any limits? I cannot imagine the tsunami of inner turmoil if I abruptly came to relish urban areas, social interaction, NSA surveillance, and hominy.

Such hellish manifestations would send me running for the phone book, flipping hysterically through the Yellow Pages for either a mobile psychiatrist or a home lobotomy kit. Some vicissitudes are beyond bearing.

So far, only my vices are withering under this subliminal, kamikaze attack on my psyche. One by one, they are wiped away like multiplication tables from a third-grade chalkboard. My talent for engaging in peccadilloes viewed as heinous transgressions by polite society has been afflicted by the psychological equivalent of chronic wasting disease.

Oh sure ... I’m healthier. I can walk (or paddle) long distances without gasping for breath. My teeth are whiter, and my blood pressure has dropped dramatically. On the down side, life seems less amusing when stripped of its simple pleasures. I’m even starting to bore myself.

My apologies to the fine folks at Missouri Meerschaum in Washington, Missouri. I love your pipes; they’re the best in the world. Alas, I will no longer be ordering my regular supply of your impeccably designed “Country Gentleman” model. Sadly, we now have certain proof that all good things must come to an end.

With infinite regrets … our relationship has gone up in smoke.

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SHOW-ME

Flavor

At Woodyard Bar-B-Que, you can find Mark O’Bryan tending to various meats and applying a special, secret dry rub. Mark took over as full-time pit master in 2006.

HOLY Smokes

“EVERYONE COMES

to Kansas City for the barbecue,” says Karl Schemel, coowner and operator of KC Barbecue Tours.

With countless barbecue joints in the city and the surrounding area, deciding where to begin can be daunting. Karl and his wife, Bethanie, have the solution: a four-hour guided bus tour of some of Kansas City’s favorite and most historic restaurants.

“When people come to Kansas City to try the barbecue, why would they want to try just one restaurant, and at that restaurant, try only one item?” Karl says.

After Karl took a pizza tour in his hometown, Chicago, he and Bethanie started the company in 2013. Like the pizza tour, this couple’s barbecue tours are for out-of-towners and locals alike. Each trip is usually a good ratio of natives to tourists because it visits both well-known restaurants and hidden gems.

“There’s a lot of good barbecue here, and we want to show that to people in a relaxed, fun way,” Bethanie says.

At 11 am, the tour appropriately begins at Arthur Bryant’s—the first of four restaurants.

Before heading into the restaurant, Bethanie

explains the history of Kansas City barbecue, which can be traced back to a single man, Henry Perry, who served smoked meats from alley stands, a barn, and finally, a restaurant.

After Henry died, his employee Charlie Bryant took over the place and eventually sold it to his brother Arthur in 1946. Arthur, who died in 1982, turned the restaurant into the legend it is today. Now, it’s an international destination. A line out the door is typical on a busy day.

After the brief history lesson, Bethanie leads the tour through the main dining room to a large table where Karl serves up portions of

MELISSA SHIPMAN

A Kansas City bus tour takes you to the city’s best barbecue. BY MELISSA SHIPMAN

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MELISSA SHIPMAN

Above: Original Juan bottles barbecue and hot sauces, including Cowtown BBQ and Pain Is Good hot sauce. Top Right: This huge platter at Gates Bar-B-Q is the final meal on the KC Barbecue Tour. Bottom Right: Arthur Bryant’s is the first stop.

smoked turkey, baked beans, white bread, and ribs. With three meals to go, the amount of food on each plate is shocking.

Pace yourself. Take a minute to stretch your legs and stomach by perusing the photos of presidents and celebrities that line the walls.

After leaving the city’s oldest dining destination, the bus loads up for the next stop, LC’s Bar-B-Q. On the way, Bethanie points out historic buildings and landmarks. Her passion makes this tour more than just a long lunch.

LC’s, opened by L.C. Richardson in 1986, feels like a classic counter-service eatery with only nine small tables; one of those is L.C.’s makeshift desk covered in papers, receipts, and notebooks. The smoker right behind the counter sends the familiar scent of wood smoke through the room and into the streets.

Here, Karl dishes up fresh french fries and healthy portions of burnt ends, a Kansas City tradition and an LC’s specialty.

By this point, Bethanie says people usually realize their stomachs are full, but the drive to the third stop is longer, giving everyone time to rest. Eventually, though, the bus pulls up to Woodyard Bar-B-Que, owned by Ciaran Molloy. There, Karl and Bethanie hand out smoked baby back ribs, smoked specialty sausage, rolls, and potato salad.

“ There’s a lot of good barbecue here, and we want to show that to people in a relaxed, fun way.”

Outside, you’ll likely meet Pit Master Mark O’Bryan standing in front of the brick smoker, turning meat, applying rubs, and, if you’re lucky, serving up samples. As he discusses his trade secrets, he might pull a slightly overdone slab of ribs out and let you have a taste.

On the way to the final restaurant, the tour makes a pit stop at Original Juan Speciality Foods, a bottling company where you can see the test kitchen and sample sauces and salsas.

The tour ends with a trip to Gates Bar-B-Q, where you’re greeted to the biggest spread of food yet: a family-style sampler platter with ribs, brisket, turkey, baked beans, and a tray of white bread. It’s a lot of food, but it somehow always seems to disappear.

As the bus pulls back into Arthur Bryant’s, that sweet smell greets guests again. Even on a full stomach, the unmistakable aroma is tempting.

As the bus unloads, people discuss some of the restaurants that weren’t included: Oklahoma Joe’s, BB’s, Jack Stack, and any number of restaurants that can satisfy your barbecue craving.

The Schemels know the craving all too well, so they’ll keep spreading the gospel of Kansas City barbecue.

“In Kansas City, people just want good barbecue,” Karl says. “That’s all there is to it.”

Tours are offered on Fridays and Saturdays.

Each tour can accommodate sixteen guests. Private tours are offered. For more information, visit kcbarbecuetours.com or call 800-979-3370.

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SHOW-ME

Flavor

Dining worth the drive.

Salisbury

Where Everybody Knows Your Name TUCKED

away in downtown Salisbury, Bradshaw’s Bistro is “a place where neighbors and friends

meet.” However, even outsiders will be instantly welcomed into the close-knit community upon entering this local hang-out spot.

Here, people know each other by name, and you can relax while enjoying a meal with an artisan touch.

There are hot and cold coffee drinks, smoothies, desserts, soups, sandwiches, and breakfast options available all day.

Combine the Sonoran Sunrise Sandwich—with eggs, cheese, and your choice of ham, bacon, or sausage on a fresh croissant—with a steaming cup of coffee or a creamy latte, and your day will be off to a lovely start.

The restaurant also offers huge Belgian waffles, breakfast burritos, and oatmeal with brown sugar, fresh berries, and nuts.

“It’s different than most small towns,” says Nancy Rae, who took over the establishment three years ago with her husband, David. “We have special coffees, lattes, and dishes you don’t usually find in a small town.”

With free Wi-Fi and delectable food specials every day of the week, Bradshaw’s is a place where people take it easy. Nobody is in a hurry; they take their time catching up while sitting around rustic farm tables. At Bradshaw’s,

Doughnut Data

you get all the small-town perks without sacrificing ame-

SHAUN Ross knows that about 14 percent of people in

nities, flavor, or choice. —Gretchen Fuhrman

Louisiana, Missouri, eat a doughnut every day.

Facebook: Bradshaw’s Bistro • 315 S. Broadway 660-388-5343

“I like math,” he says. “I’m a bit OCD.” At Daybreak Donuts and Diner, Shaun checks his barometers and thermometers before beginning the intricate dough-

Springfield

making process—his own secret, greaseless technique. He

Windy City Beef Chicago transplants can satisfy

their Italian beef craving in the heart of Missouri.

With a massive Italian beef sandwich as its head-

times everything perfectly, so doughnuts are ready for his 120 daily regulars. Throughout each day, he logs everything from the sales of each flavor to the weather.

sauce and gooey mozzarella cheese on Italian bread

Shaun’s cruller career started at a Springfield, Illinois, Mel-

from local bakery The Artisan’s Oven. And if you

O-Cream. After thirty years in the restaurant business, he

haven’t had your fill by the last bite, there’s Italian

opened his own doughnut shop in Bowling Green. But soon

ice in a wide variety of fruity flavors. —Katie Bell

after he sold his millionth doughnut, he closed the store for

the true Chicago fashion, the sandwich is thin-sliced

Facebook: Mo’ Beef • 405 W. Walnut Street

financial reasons. In July 2006, he and his partner, Marianne

beef on an Italian roll, topped with giardiniera hot

417-771-5111

Spears, opened Daybreak Donuts in Louisiana, just off the

liner, Mo’ Beef is exactly as its name proclaims. In

peppers or sautéed sweet peppers.

Mississippi; diners can use the binoculars on the windowsill to

Since Don Fairchild opened Mo’ Beef, everyone

watch for soaring eagles and more.

from seniors to students has enjoyed the restau-

Today, his shop, once a nineteenth century fur trading post,

rant. The fresh, made-from-scratch ingredients lure

has expanded into the adjacent building and expanded its

in people all hours of the day; the restaurant is open

menu, which now includes full-plate breakfasts, coffee, and

11 am to 2 am from Thursday through Saturday and

more. The expansion plus an annual visit from Governor Nixon

11 am to 3 pm Monday through Wednesday.

equals a bright future for Daybreak Donuts; the shop is on its

If beef isn’t your fix, the restaurant also offers sal-

way to selling its two-millionth doughnut. —David Cawthon

ads with house wine-vinaigrette, as well as a chick-

www.daybreakdonutsanddiner.com • 121 Georgia Street

en parmigiana sandwich with homemade marinara

573-754-6060

GRETCHEN FUHRMAN, KATIE BELL, AND STEPHANIE SIDOTI

FINALLY,

Louisiana

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S I N C E 19 3 0

Visit the Historic Westphalia Inn Serving our famous pan-fried chicken, country ham and German pot roast family-style since 1930 106 East Main Street Westphalia, Missouri

Reservations Accepted Walk-Ins Welcome

573-455-2000

Sample our wines in the

Norton Room

on the top floor of the Westphalia Inn www.westphaliavineyards.com AMERICA’S PREMIER SULFITE-FREE WINERY

Open Fri. at 5pm, Sat. at 4:30pm, and Sunday at 11:30am

S

tarted by Russ Fiorella in Kansas City back in 1957, Jack Stack began as a traditional storefront barbecue with a modest selection of five to six items. Jack Fiorella, the eldest son, worked with his father until 1974, when he decided to branch off and start Fiorella’s Jack Stack of Martin City.

Today, Jack Stack Barbecue is in its third generation of the Fiorella family and has evolved into the largest, full-service wood cookery in the industry.

4 Restaur ant Locations Martin City 135th & Holmes (816) 942-9141

Overland Park 95th & Metcalf (913) 385-7427

Like us at facebook.com/jackstackbbq

Country Club Plaza Wyandotte & Ward Parkway (816) 531-7427

Downtown Freight House 22nd & Wyandotte (816) 472-7427

Follow @jackstackbbq #jackstackbbq

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SHOW-ME

Flavor

CHOMPING AT

the Bids

IT’S AUCTION DAY. Just before 5 am Amish time, the sun peeks in through the windows of the simple house that Noah Gingerich built on ten acres in the Amish community near Clark. Even at this early hour, Noah has to work quickly if he wants to have a profitable haul.

After hooking his paint horses to the wagon, Noah gets to work picking colorful fruits and vegetables from the fields in his backyard. Tomatoes ripened to a perfect red are plucked from the vine and placed in twenty-pound boxes. Peppers are picked, washed, and polished before being counted and put in their boxes. Watermelon and cantaloupe are placed in large cardboard bins to be sold in quantities ranging from ten to more than one hundred. Noah makes sure everything is weighed and counted accurately.

Noah and about twenty other farmers in the community work their plots of land with the help of their families, harvesting the evenings prior or the mornings of the twice-weekly Clark Produce Auction, owned and operated by the Amish community in Clark. The farmers work until the last possible moment picking their crops, even sacrificing a better spot in line to make sure they have the freshest, most abundant lot possible for the day.

After their wagons are loaded, they head to the auction house at 1966 Highway Y in Clark. On the far side of the building, four lines are formed, and the sellers begin writing down on index cards what they’ve brought. Numbers one through four are drawn to determine the order of lines to enter the auction ring; even if a farmer were first to arrive,

GEORGE DENNISTON

Produce auctions around the state bring Amish-grown foods to market. BY ABBY HOLMAN

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GEORGE DENNISTON AND ABBY HOLMAN

Left and above: Fresh produce is arranged for bidders to examine before the auction begins, allowing them to see which lots contain the best product. Right: Auctioneer Anthony Peoples works hard to keep the lots moving at the Clark Produce Auction.

he could wind up entering the ring at the end of the auction if his line is number four.

The auction starts at 10:30 am English time, 9:30 am Amish time.

The Amish do not observe daylight savings, and they call non-Amish people “English.”

Both buyers and sellers are assigned permanent numbers to identify themselves and the lot that is being sold.

Buyers consist of restaurant owners, roadside stand vendors, buyers for chain stores, and individual homeowners. Produce is sold in various quantities, allowing the market to be feasible for buyers big and small.

Anthony Peoples, the auctioneer, sits in a stand, microphone in hand, ready to start. As soon as the gavel hits, the bidding begins. Auction workers attach stickers with the quantity purchased and buyer number, allowing sellers an easy way to keep track of which boxes go to which buyers. Buyers put their purchasing number on their cars, and afterward, sellers load purchased goods into the cars. A woman sitting next to Anthony writes a receipt for the auction office to account for how much the buyer owes and how much the farmer will receive. Once the load has been sold, the wagon is hurried out of the ring, and it’s on to the next lot. On auction day, everything moves quickly.

ACCORDING TO

James Quinn of the University of Missouri, farmers in the community of Leola, Pennsylvania, established the Leola Produce Auction in 1984 to replace a dying cash crop industry centered on tobacco. Auctions similar in structure were being used in New Jersey, Arkansas, Texas, and Georgia as last resort options for produce that was nearing the end of its lifespan. But the Leola growers transitioned the auction into a main market source.

The concept of centering the market on a wholesale theme separated the auction in Leola from the last resort model. This shift in focus allowed the auction to be located in the Amish community, as opposed to farmers taking their products to a distributor. It saved the cost of shipping and brought consumers to the farms.

For farmers like Noah, the home-based auction allows him more time to care for and harvest the best crop, providing consumers with the best product possible.

Missouri is home to eight auctions in the Northwest, Central, and Southwest regions of the state, all with connections to Amish and Mennonite

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Flavor

communities. The first auction in Missouri—the Central Missouri Produce Auction, located in Fortuna—was established in 1994 as a limited liability corporation and continues to be the largest auction in the state. In 2012, the auction sold over 750,000 pounds of tomatoes between June and November, resulting in over $2.5 million in sales revenue for the season.

Since the Leola auction developed, around sixty-five more auctions have started across the United States.

The Clark Produce Auction was established in 2003 and is overseen by a board of five members. Each member sits on the board for five years, and replacements are elected each year. The board is in charge of establishing rules and regulations, such as the weight requirement for each produce box and in what quantities boxes are sold. Chris Gingerich—Noah’s father, who served on the board until this past year—said the board is also there to help community members if there are issues at the auction or during the auction season when the auction house manager is busy with other concerns.

AS THE auction model introduces changes to the way farmers sell their produce, it also changes the way that crops are raised. Farm tours, implemented by University of Missouri Extension faculty such as James, are one example.

Although the Amish and Mennonite communities are close knit, James says that they rarely visit each other’s farms and follow conven-

tional practices rather than going and seeing what methods other farms employ. The farm tours elicit causal conversation between growers about their practices. In 2013, growers voted for the three or four farms they wanted to visit on the tour. James says the program is advantageous because the farmers are able to learn more from talking among each other and to validate methods they may already be using.

People from around the country and the world are looking at the marketing model implemented in these communities for guidance on how to sustain their own farms. James led a group from South Africa around the Clark community and showed visitors the model, which they can implement by working together and with little to no technology or machinery.

The success of these auctions has injected new revenue into the Amish and Mennonite communities, allowing diversification in economic bases. According to James, wood shops, metal shops, bakeries, and dairy production are flourishing because of the people who are driven in to buy produce.

Members of the average Amish family have different roles to provide income. Many men both farm and work in a trade. For example, Noah also works as a butcher to sustain his family during the winter. Women tend to household chores and some have extra duties, such as running a general store or a bakery.

But now, more time and energy are being invested into growing because of the profitability. James says that the economic growth of the Amish and Mennonite communities is helping the state overall. The

ABBY HOLMAN

SHOW-ME

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ABBY HOLMAN

Left: Horse-drawn wagons wait for the auction to close after they’ve been unloaded at the Clark Produce Auction. Right: An Amish greenhouse bears an abundant crop of tomatoes.

communities are all rurally located, which is helping stabilize the population.

And even as farmers reap the benefits of the auction model, new challenges loom.

With the Food Safety Modernization Act set to be fully implemented in 2015, Good Agricultural Practices—or GAP—certification will be required for all farmers in the Amish and Mennonite communities. These practices aim to verify that fruits and vegetables are being produced, cleaned, and stored in the safest manner possible. However, the requirement carries with it an abundance of documentation and paperwork that the farmers must complete to show compliance.

Chris says that even though GAP certification will require more work on the part of the farmers, he anticipates the auction and sales out of individual homes will continue to grow.

Revenue generated from the auctions is an integral resource for the Amish and Mennonite communities of Missouri.

After three hours of good times and competitive bidding, the microphones are turned off, the farmers load the last boxes into cars, and buyers drive away with their freshly won lots. As for the farmers, there’s still plenty of daylight. Noah and the others will drive their teams back home and get back to work watering and caring for their remaining vines and tending to livestock until the sun has set once more. After all, on auction day, there’s no time to waste.

AMISH PRODUCE AUCTIONS AROUND THE STATE BARTON COUNTY PRODUCE AUCTION 669-A NW 30th Lane, Lamar FOUR COUNTY PRODUCE AUCTION Route WW, Windsor C-HIGHWAY PRODUCE AUCTION Route Short P, Seymour CENTRAL MISSOURI PRODUCE AUCTION 37808 Route E, Fortuna CLARK PRODUCE AUCTION 1966 Route Y, Clark HWY 60 PRODUCE AUCTION 35 Killdeer Road, Seymour LEADMINE PRODUCE AUCTION 839 Route T, Tunas NORTH MISSOURI PRODUCE AUCTION 32633 Route F, Jamesport

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Flavor

HARRY KATZ

SHOW-ME

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—MissouriLife —

CORN SLAW

Courtesy of Emma Lee, Bowling Green Ingredients >

18 ears of sweet corn, cleaned, and cut off the cob 1 large head of cabbage 4 large onions, chopped 4 peppers, chopped

Directions >

4 celery heads, chopped 1 pound sugar 2 tablespoons ground mustard 2 tablespoons turmeric powder 1 gallon vinegar Salt to taste

LUELLA FISCHER gathered all of the recipes from Amish communities.

Luella is an author of a children’s book series, and she also directs a Missouri Farmers Care agriculture education program. Read her Missouri Life food blog at MissouriLife.com/blogs/show-me-flavor.

1. Boil all vegetables until tender.

2. Mix spices and vinegar together.

3. Pour mixture over the cooled vegetables.

Pour into jars, and store in refrigerator.

Yields about 6 quarts

—MissouriLife —

LIME PICKLES

Courtesy of Barbara Yoder, Bowling Green Ingredients >

7 pounds cucumbers 2 cups lime 2 gallons water 1 quart vinegar 10 cups sugar 1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon celery seed 1 teaspoon pickling spice Green food coloring

Directions >

1. Slice cucumbers and soak in lime and water for 24 hours.

2. Rinse and soak in regular water for another 24 hours.

3. Drain and cover with the rest of the ingredients. Soak in mixture overnight.

4. Add two drops green food coloring, if desired, and boil 30 minutes.

5. Pack into jars while hot, and seal.

Yields about 6 quarts

—MissouriLife —

SANDWICH SPREAD

Courtesy of Emma Lee, Bowling Green Ingredients >

12 green peppers 12 red or yellow peppers 12 green tomatoes 3 onions 1 cup mustard

1 tablespoon salt 2 cups sugar 1 tablespoon celery seed 1 quart Miracle Whip

—MissouriLife —

—MissouriLife —

ZUCCHINI DRESSING

PEACH BUCKLE CRUNCH

Courtesy of Emma Lee, Bowling Green

Ingredients >

2 cups coarsely grated zucchini 1 cup cracker crumbs 1 cup butter or margarine

1⁄3 cup chopped onion 3 beaten eggs 1 cup shredded cheese

Directions >

1. Melt the butter in a 2-quart baking dish.

2. Combine remaining ingredients, and add to dish.

3. Bake the dish, uncovered, at 350° for 45-50 minutes, or until well-set and browned.

Yields 6 servings

Courtesy of Abner Wagler, Curryville Ingredients >

1 quart peaches, peeled, sliced 1 tablespoon sugar 1 cup and 1 tablespoon flour 1 cup peach juice

2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons butter 1 egg, beaten

Directions >

1. Place peaches in bottom of baking dish.

2. Mix sugar, 1 tablespoon of flour, and peach juice, and pour over peaches.

3. Mix remaining ingredients to create a crumble topping, and sprinkle over peach mixture.

4. Bake at 400° until browned, about 30 minutes. Serve with milk.

Yields 4 servings

HARRY KATZ

Directions >

1. Grind vegetables, and press out juice.

2. Add mustard, salt, sugar, and celery seed.

3. Boil for ten minutes, and add Miracle Whip salad dressing.

4. Stir well, pour into jars, and seal.

Yields about 2 quarts

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PROMOTION

Beef Blitz Fall is almost here. Football season is even closer.

We all go in with high hopes that our team wins more games than it loses, but in the end, that’s not what really matters—it’s only an extra point. What matters is the time we spend with family and friends, celebrating wins, mourning losses, and of course tailgating.

Whether you’re proudly sporting maroon to cheer for the Bears in Springfield, rooting for the Rams, coming home to rah rah for the Tigers, getting loud for the Kansas City Chiefs, or just supporting your local high school team, tailgating is almost as important as the game.

And the secret to a touchdown of a tailgate isn’t the beer; it’s the food.

From the Buffalo-Style Beef Bites to the Maple Bacon Beer Burger, we’ve put together eight beefy recipes that will make your game day gourmet without taking your kitchen work into overtime.

Win 500 in beef Simply visit www.MissouriLife.com/winbeef or scan the code to enter into a drawing to win $500 worth of beef.

Sponsored by the Missouri Beef Industry Council.

Recipes and their images courtesy of The Beef Checkoff www.BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com

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Beef and Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms INGREDIENTS 1/2 pound ground beef 1/4 teaspoon salt 36 to 40 small button or cremini mushrooms (about 1-1/2 to 2-inch diameter) 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese 1/4 cup soft whole wheat bread crumbs 3 tablespoons minced chives 1/2 teaspoon steak seasoning blend Minced fresh chives (optional) DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove and reserve stems from mushrooms. Season mushroom caps with salt; set aside. Mince stems to yield 1/2 cup; discard remaining stems.

2. Combine ground beef, minced stems, blue cheese, bread crumbs, 3 tablespoons chives, and steak seasoning. Spoon beef mixture evenly into mushrooms.

3. Place stuffed mushrooms on rack in broiler pan. Bake in 375°F oven 15 to 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with additional chives, if desired.

Makes 36-40 mushrooms Test Kitchen Tips: Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed ground beef. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160ºF. Color is not a reliable indicator of ground beef doneness.

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PROMOTION

Spicy Cheeseburger Sliders INGREDIENTS 1 pound ground beef (96% lean) 9 small whole wheat hamburger buns, 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili powder 2 slices pepper jack cheese, cut in quarters Toppings: Barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomato slices, pickles (optional) DIRECTIONS 1. Tear one hamburger bun into pieces. Place in food processor or blender container. Cover; pulse on and off, to form fine crumbs.

2. Combine bread crumbs, beef, garlic, and chili powder in medium bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Lightly shape into eight 1/2-inch thick mini patties.

3. Place patties on grill over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, 8 to 9 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, 9 to 10 minutes) until instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into center registers 160°F, turning occasionally. Evenly top with cheese during last minute of grilling.

4. Place burgers on bottoms of remaining eight buns. Top with desired toppings. Close sandwiches. Makes 8 sliders

,

It’s almost tailgate time, and you’ve got no game plan. Here are some all-star places where you can pick up great beef dishes that you can share with the whole team.

Just a stone’s throw away from Plaster Sports Complex in Springfield, Enoch’s BBQ has some delicious brisket, and the restaurant is used to accommodating large orders.

If you’re a true son or daughter on your way to tailgate in Columbia, let SubZone take the ball. This footballthemed sub shop has some beefy sandwiches that will please any hungry tiger. Try their version of the French dip, the Fumlerooski; Pat’s Reuben, made with pastrami; their Philly; their all-beef hot dog sub, the Ditka Dog; or the AllAmerican, featuring delicious roast beef.

If you’re going to Arrowhead Stadium, there are plenty of KC favorites in the area. Brisket from Gates or LC’s will have your tailgate fans cheering, but you can also spice it up with some south-of-the-border fare, like the carne asada tacos from Lobito’s Steakburger & Mexican Food in Independence.

If you’re near the Edward Jones Dome for the Rams, we recommend trying a thin-crust pie topped with all local ground beef from Pi Pizzeria. The deep-dish Kirkwood pizza, featuring mozzarella, red peppers, basil, and meatballs, is another good choice.

Test Kitchen Tips: Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed ground beef. Color is not a reliable indicator of ground beef doneness.

Buffalo-Style Beef Bites INGREDIENTS 1-1/2 to 2 pounds beef country-style ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 3/4 cup beef broth 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup cayenne pepper sauce for buffalo wings, divided 2 teaspoons garlic powder 2 teaspoons onion powder 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles Carrot and celery sticks (optional) DIRECTIONS 1. Heat oil in large stockpot over medium heat until hot. Brown half of beef ribs; remove from stockpot. Repeat with remaining beef.

2. Return beef to stockpot. Add beef broth, 2 tablespoons buffalo sauce, garlic powder and onion powder; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover tightly and simmer 1-3/4 to 2 hours or until beef is fork-tender.

3. Remove beef from cooking liquid to large bowl; discard cooking liquid or reserve for another use. Toss beef with remaining 1/4 cup buffalo sauce. Sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles.

Serve with carrot and celery sticks, if desired.

Makes 16 beef bites Test Kitchen Tips: Beef ribs can be served on 6-inch wooden skewers or with wooden toothpicks.

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FREEIMAGES.COM

SAFETY 2 POINTS

7/3/14 3:14 PM

Shredded Beef and Blue Cheese Quesadillas INGREDIENTS 1 package (about 17 ounces) fully-cooked boneless beef pot roast in gravy or au jus 8 red cherry tomatoes, cut in half 16 (1/4-inch thick) slices yellow tomatoes (4 small) 16 (1/4-inch thick) slices tomatillos (4 medium) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1-1/2 teaspoons salt 4 large flour tortillas (11 to 12-inch diameter) 1/2 cup shredded Chihuahua or Monterey Jack cheese 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

FREEIMAGES.COM

DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 400째F. Place tomatoes and tomatillos on rimmed baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt. Roast in 400째F oven 25 to 30 minutes or until juices have evaporated and skins are blistered; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, cut 32 rounds from tortillas with 2-1/2-inch diameter cookie cutter; set aside.

Combine cheeses in small bowl; set aside.

3. Heat pot roast in microwave oven according to package directions; cool slightly. Remove from gravy; discard gravy or reserve for another use.

Shred pot roast with two forks; set aside.

4. Place 16 tortilla rounds on rimmed baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Top each evenly with cheese mixture and shredded beef.

Cover with remaining tortilla rounds. Spray tortilla tops with nonstick cooking spray. Bake in 400째F oven about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas are lightly browned, turning halfway through cooking time.

5. Top each quesadilla with 1 tomatillo slice, yellow tomato slice, and cherry tomato half. Serve immediately. Makes 16 appetizers

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PROMOTION

THE GRIDIRON A steak is only as good as its chef, and the best cooks can only truly thrive with the right tools. Missouri—America’s best barbecue state—makes some great smokers, grills, and pits, so you can make the best briskets, flame-broiled burgers, and steaks. Here are some Missouri manufactures that will get you the tools you need to take your tailgate to the next level.

The Good One, a Gallatin-based company, not only makes six different smoker models and three different grills, it also produces all the wood and charcoal you need to give your beef that sweet, mesquite flavor.

Jay-Z Custom Smokers in Springfield makes a model that you can attach right to your trailer hitch, which will make your next tailgate much more literal. The company also offers a professional trailer, if you ever want to enter your brisket recipe into a competition, and a patio grill for when you watch the game at home.

Barrel of Smoke, also in Springfield, is definitely the most unique way to cook a roast. Buy one of these smokers made from new and used whiskey and bourbon barrels, and you’re sure to be the all-star of the tailgate lot.

St. Louis’s Rebel Smokers makes a mean grill. With five different competition-grade smokers and one grill-smoker combo, Rebel has something for the experts and the novices.

With Cadillac Cookers in Sikeston, you get the best quality smokers. We recommend these for serious chefs only, but if you’re a meat-smoking MVP, these are a safe bet.

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Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Four Way INGREDIENTS 1 boneless beef shoulder, arm or blade roast (2 to 2-1/2 pounds) 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (optional) 1 large onion, chopped 2 tablespoons minced garlic Salt and pepper Recipe Variations (recipes follow) DIRECTIONS 1. For optional browning, heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot.

Brown beef roast on all sides.

2. Place onion and garlic in 3-1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker; place roast on top. Cover and cook on low 9 to 10 hours or on high 5 to 6 hours or until roast is fork-tender.

3. Remove roast from slow cooker. Skim fat from cooking liquid, if necessary and reserve 1 cup onion mixture. Shred beef with 2 forks. Combine shredded beef and reserved onion mixture.

Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Continue as directed in Recipe Variations below, as desired.

Makes 6 servings RECIPE VARIATIONS Mexican Shredded Beef: Combine tomato or tomatillo salsa and beef mixture, as desired. Place in large microwave-safe bowl. Cover, vent, and microwave until heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve in warmed flour or corn tortillas topped with pico de gallo, slice avocados, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, and/or chopped white or green onions, as desired.

BBQ Shredded Beef: Combine prepared barbecue sauce and beef mixture. Place in large microwavesafe bowl. Cover, vent, and microwave until heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve on whole wheat rolls topped with creamy horseradish sauce, coleslaw, cheddar cheese slices, chopped green bell pepper, and/or canned French fried onion, as desired.

Asian Shredded Beef: Combine prepared hoison or teriyaki sauce and beef mixture. Place in large microwave-safe bowl. Cover, vent, and microwave until heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve in lettuce or cabbage cups topped with shredded carrots, sliced cucumber, chopped fresh cilantro or mint, sriracha or crushed red pepper flakes, and/or chopped peanuts, as desired.

Indian Shredded Beef: Combine prepared Indian cooking sauce, such as Tikka Masala or Vindaloo.

Place in large microwave-safe bowl. Cover, vent, and microwave until heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve in naan or pita bread topped with toasted chopped pistachios or coconut, raisins, Greek yogurt or mango chutney, chopped fresh mint or cilantro, and/or sliced cucumber or green onion, as desired.

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PROMOTION

Beef and Vegetable Cheese Steak Sandwich INGREDIENTS 12 ounces reserved cooked pepper-crusted tri-tip roast, thinly sliced 2 small red, green, or yellow bell peppers, cut into 1/4-inch thick strips 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick strips 3/4 cup reserved garlic-sherry sauce 1/3 cup process cheese dip 2 tablespoons beer (optional) 4 sandwich rolls (each 6 inches long), split, toasted DIRECTIONS 1. Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium heat until hot. Add bell peppers and onion; cook and stir 8 to 10 minutes or until peppers are tender and onions are golden brown. Add garlic-sherry sauce; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce is hot. Stir in beef roast.

Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 2 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine cheese dip and beer, if desired, in small microwave-safe bowl. Cover; microwave on high 45 to 60 seconds or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

3. Divide beef mixture evenly over bottom of each roll. Top evenly with cheese sauce. Close sandwiches.

Test Kitchen Tips: Cheese dip and beer, if desired, may be combined in small saucepan and heated over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Maple Bacon Beer Burger INGREDIENTS 1 pound ground beef 1/4 cup beer 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 4 whole wheat hamburger buns, split 4 slices reduced-fat cheddar cheese 4 extra-thick slices maplewood-smoked bacon, cut in half, cooked crisp DIRECTIONS 1. Combine ground beef, beer, and Worcestershire sauce in medium bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Shape into four 1/2-inch thick patties.

2. Place patties on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, 8 to 10 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, 7 to 9 minutes) until instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into center registers 160째F, turning occasionally. About 2 minutes before burgers are done, place buns, cut-side down, on grid. Grill until lightly toasted. During last minute of grilling, top each burger with cheese.

3. Place burgers on bottom of buns; top with bacon slices. Close sandwiches. Makes 4 servings Test Kitchen Tips: Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed ground beef. Color is not a reliable indicator of ground beef doneness.

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Sweet and Tangy Sloppy Joes INGREDIENTS 1 pound ground beef (96% lean) 1 medium yellow, green, or red bell pepper, chopped 3/4 cup finely chopped onion 1 can (11-1/2 ounces) regular or reduced-sodium spicy 100% vegetable juice 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 4 whole or honey wheat hamburger buns or kaiser rolls, split DIRECTIONS 1. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add ground beef, bell pepper, and onion; cook 8 to 10 minutes, breaking beef up into 3/4-inch crumbles and stirring occasionally.

2. Stir in vegetable juice, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 7 to 9 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated and thickens slightly, stirring occasionally.

3. Evenly place beef mixture on bottom half of each bun; close sandwiches. Makes 4 servings Test Kitchen Tips: Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed ground beef. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160ºF. Color is not a reliable indicator of ground beef doneness.

FREEIMAGES.COM

END ZONE ALES Great food is going to make your tailgate party the place to be, but great beer will ensure it’s a victory with a capital V. Check out these local breweries that can also be key players.

Columbia’s Rock Bridge Brewing Company is now canning beers that are available at local retailers. Pick up some 16-ounce cans of Rye You Lil’ Punk for the next Mizzou home game.

If you can’t bear the taste of light beer when rooting for the Bears, check out Mother’s Brewery’s seasonal Old School Oktoberfest beer for your MSU tailgate.

Schlafly is a must have at any tailgate, but it makes so much more sense when you’re in the Lou rooting for the Rams.

Their dry-hopped APA is a classic by now, and it’s available in cans.

Boulevard beers are now as much a staple of Kansas City as the Chiefs themselves. Pick up their sampler pack for a good deal on a diverse collection of brews.

Visit www.mobeef.org for more information on Missouri beef, recipes, and nutrition.

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DON’T MISS THESE GREAT

! s d a e R i r u o s s i M

1

New Regionalsim: The Art of Bryan Haynes Rediscover our landscape! Explore the sweeping views inhabited by historical figures, native Americans, and local characters with stunning colors and eye-popping clarity created by the New Regionalist Missouri artist Bryan Haynes. 12” x 12”, 180 pages, more than 150 pieces of artwork, hardcover and dust jacket, $49.99

Savor Missouri: River Hill Country Food and Wine Travel the back roads of Missouri’s river hill country, and find the best homegrown regional foods, wines, and more. 7” x 10”, 176 pages, more than 400 photos, $24.95

Exploring Missouri’s State Parks and Historic Sites 400-plus-page book will be presented in a coffee-table quality, hardcover, large format edition with hundreds of updated photos.

Deliver: fall 2014 (Shown is the book published in 1992). $35 preorder price, $49.99 after publication.

Missouri River Country: 100 Miles of Stories and Scenery from Hermann to the Confluence West of the Gateway Arch, just miles from downtown St. Louis, another world exists. This book is your guide to that world, taking you 100 miles along the river to discover attractions new and old. More than 60 contributing writers have made Missouri River Country possible, including Gov. Jay Nixon, Sen. Claire McCaskill, Sen. Roy Blunt, William Least Heat-Moon, Sen. Kit Bond, and a host of others. 12¼” x 9¼”, 192 pages, 236 photos and illustrations, hardcover, $39.95

Visit missourilife.com to see other books by Ross Malone!

Mysterious Missouri

This Day in Missouri History

Too Good to Pass By

When was the last time you saw a Snot Otter? Of course, there is such a thing! What do you know about MoMo the Missouri Monster? The truth is in this book.

Goosebumps, grins, and ewwwww! Mysterious Missouri is a kid’s guide to our own weirdness. For young readers ages 10-14 years old. $17

The Mother of the West, The Outlaw State, The Puke State, dueling, gunfights, the Olympics, the World’s Fair, extreme weather, steamboat, and railroad disasters–they’re all here in our state’s history day by day through the entire year. Go ahead, look up your birthday and see what happened on that day and who shares your birthday. $17

When was the last time you visited a grist mill or an airplane museum? We have some great ones!

This Missouri author tells about some of the least-known and best places for your side trips and day trips. He even suggests the prettiest highways to get you there. $17

Missouri Impressions Old-timers and newcomers will see Missouri in original ways, as Avetta’s photographs convey clear impressions of urban amenities, public attractions, and woodland scenes. The region’s unique history provides a focal point throughout the book. 85 full-color photographs, $12.95

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

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SHOW-ME

1

UP TO INTERPRETATION

A Clarksville native uncovers the secrets of his home and live-in museum during an eclectic restoration.

STORY BY DAVID CAWTHON | PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE SIDOTI

CLARKSVILLE

native Richard Cottrell had known the old brick home that sat dangerously close to the Mississippi River his whole life. But he had never stepped inside until he considered buying the house at fifty-seven.

“I had an itching to get another old house,” says the avid interior decorator.

Unaware of the home’s history, Richard’s original intent was to use the house as a vacation getaway that he could escape to when the pace of St. Louis became too hectic.

However, the previous owner, hoping to convert the home into a bed and breakfast,

had gutted the house. Richard says that when he first saw the residence, it was just a shell.

The side porches were sagging, and the front porch was gone. But it still had soul.

Aside from the major heating and cooling, plumbing, and electric work, Richard did all of the other restorative work himself, like painting, plastering, refinishing surfaces, and wallpapering. This wasn’t his first crack at restoring historic homes, though; he knew what he was doing.

Richard studied art at what is known today as Truman State University and worked on

other homes across the state and across the country, like his own house in the Hamptons of New York that locals called the Gingerbread House. He was also curator at Garth Mansion in Hannibal.

From his previous experiences, he decided that he should learn more about the structure before beginning the restoration process. During his research, he came upon the name of the home’s first inhabitant: Hezekiah Elgin.

“I had no idea that Mr. Elgin built it or who he was,” he says.

As he unraveled bits about Hezekiah and his

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family, he encountered a few roadblocks: a fire in Clarksville and another in Bowling Green had destroyed many records, documents, images, and other clues that might have better illuminated who Hezekiah and his family were.

The only images of the house were from after the Elgin lineage had moved out in 1946.

Undeterred, Richard eventually uncovered that the Elgins had deep roots in the community. Enticed by a land grant from President James Monroe that offered hundreds of acres, Samuel Elgin, Hezekiah’s father and a Revolutionary War veteran, arrived in the area in 1815—two years before Clarksville got its charter and six years before Missouri became a state. As for Hezekiah, he owned a trading post, which Richard speculates was his primary source of income. Most impressively, Hezekiah, his father, and his brother spent three years clearing the land to build one of the first roads from Clarksville to St. Louis.

Richard also learned that Hezekiah built the home in 1845. At that time, the eligible bachelor constructed a straight-forward, federal-style abode. However, Hezekiah was moved, likely

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1. In 1860, the home’s original owner, Hezekiah Elgin, built an addition, noted by its brick walls, as a gift for his wife.

Every year, Richard Cottrell, the home’s current owner, buys his Victorian home a present. The white storks on the roof, magnolia trees by the sign out front, the entire front porch, and the fountain and gazebo in the back are all “gifts.”

2. Like much of the home, the kitchen hosts a mix of Victorian items and other trinkets. Handmade split-hickory baskets of the period hang on the ceiling. The porcelain sink is from an old Pike County farm house and rests on top of an old stairway that leads to the basement, where the Elgin’s slaves likely slept. The kerosene lamp, one of many in the home, is similar to the ones the Elgins would have used.

3. The chandelier, one of three in the home, is from a palace in Istanbul. It is five feet tall and has twenty-five lights.

Velvet curtains that Richard designed also hang in the room.

Using pictures of the Campbell House in St. Louis and others of the Confederate White House, he traced the pattern on paper, and his sister sewed and stitched them together. He also designed the patterns on the ceilings on a computer and used scaffolding, laser levels, and a steady hand to put them in place.

The wax fruit, though, isn’t recreated. It’s about 150 years old.

4. The mid-1800s busts of Prince Leopold III and his wife sit

by French candelabras. The mirror belonged to three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan.

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SHOW-ME

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7 5. The gentleman’s parlor, or the down-river parlor as Richard calls it, is the first entry point into the home.

Visitors who take a moment to examine the colors in the room might notice that the walls, rugs, furniture, and other touches mesh together. The color palette stems from the chaperone sofa (in the foreground), named for the space between its backs that would have separated men and women.

The gold-flake infused lamp’s cranberry hue takes deft artistic skill to get just right. If the amount of gold in the glass is too great, the cranberry shade turns too dark.

Also keeping with the color theme are the curtain valances hung on rods made by a Clarksville blacksmith. These valences were inspired by the piece on the mantle, called a lambrequin.

Richard first saw a picture of the lambrequin, crafted by Jefferson Davis’s wife Varina, at the Confederate White House.

And, the paper roses in the dome on the table are like those that the home’s first residents might have had.

6. The ladies’ parlor, or up-river parlor, features rococo furniture that Richard bought in Shelbina in 1979. The pieces had tenures in Hannibal’s Garth Mansion and Richard’s other past homes. The furniture also was the basis for the color choice in the ladies’ and men’s parlors. Richard painted them in such a way that they create the illusion that the rooms are unified.

The wealthy of the Victorian era would have used the bird cage as a centerpiece at their lavish banquet tables. Small birds would have been inside the cage at the dinner table.

7. Lavish items used by Victorian-era brides on their wedding days are found in the second bedroom upstairs. The bouquet of flowers are dipped in wax and likely at least a hundred years old. Look closely at the elongated dome, and you’ll see a pearl headdress resting on the velvet platform, surrounded by an ornate gold wedding piece.

A sterling silver dressing set, similar to those the home’s first female tenants might have used, also rests on the table.

by love and by his wife’s money, to build a few additions to the home when he married a rich widow in 1860. He added porches and extra rooms, which gave it some interesting architectural and artistic flourishes.

Copying European-style homes, he transformed the house into an Antebellum Italianate dwelling with large overhangs, porches with square columns, and a low-hip roof, designed to be virtually invisible from a distance.

The home was close to the river, though not as close as it is today. Dredging and dams have repositioned the waters, so the Mississippi creeps closer to the property than Richard would like. The river, however, was important to Hezekiah, which gives Richard clues to the more exotic items that might have dotted the home’s interior.

“Because he had access with the riverboat to New Orleans and St. Louis, he probably had fine things in the house,” Richard says.

The home’s French Creole flourishes are undoubtedly New Orleans-influenced, which supports Richard’s theory that the original décor was inspired by these regions.

Richard made other presumptions during the

restoration process. Because Richard could not find any photographs or any relics from the Elgins, he did an interpretive restoration, which means that the colors, furniture, and decorative items are based on research of homes in a similar style and Richard’s interpretation.

“It’s a combination of other houses with the new life of this house mixed in,” he says.

To better inform his restoration, Richard studied two homes in particular: The Confederate White House in Richmond, Virginia, and the Campbell House in St. Louis.

“Those were my Bibles,” he says.

The Confederate White House was converted into a museum after the Civil War, and its original features were preserved. And the Campbell House was undisturbed until 1949 when the property and everything inside were sold; it was converted immediately into a museum, too.

Finally, Richard began transforming the home, and the building began its first tenure as a living museum: Richard opens his home for tours, and he lives there. He already owned rococo furniture, so he looked for companies that produced wallpaper and fab-

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9 rics that would mesh with the furniture and accurately represent that period. He sat on scaffolding to place the intricate designs on the corners of the ceilings. He painted certain woods to resemble marble. His sister helped make the curtains, and his nieces helped strip and paint. Even the cold-molding technique he used to affix the wallpaper was true to the period.

One by one, the rooms of the house came alive with their own themes, colors, and trinkets.

Like the Victorian people who took grand tours of Europe and sent items they purchased there back home, Richard, too, has an affinity for rare items from centuries past and faraway lands. He previously owned an antiques store in St. Louis and currently owns one in Louisiana, Missouri.

Other items on display were donations, like the tall dome filled with seashells.

“Some things are a little bit wrong for a restoration, but I do live here,” he says.

A few pieces that might seem out of place in a Victorian home include: the collection of small Italian porcelain chickens in the kitchen, the Chinese vases in the foyer, or the Lee Jofa wall-

11 paper designed by Christopher Moore. Christopher, based in South Africa, saw Richard’s blog post featuring his wallpaper and sent a photographer to Clarksville to snap a photo.

Hanging on the walls, Richard has a few paintings that he calls his store-bought ancestors. In the ladies’ parlor, he might tell you that the woman on the wall is his rich aunt Julia or that the Turkish painting of the little boy is of him. He’s only joking, but these items reflect the theme.

At certain times during the year, like the Apple Butter Festival on October 13 and 14, his real relatives will dress up in period gowns and military garb to give visitors a sense of what life might have been like in the home when its creators walked the halls.

The venture is a full-time occupation for Richard. In 2008, he sold his St. Louis apartment and once again made Clarksville his permanent and only residence. Living in a museum of sorts, he does have to stay on his toes when people call for a tour. Give him at least a day’s notice, and you, too, can explore the home. Call 573242-9688, email cottrellprissy@aol.com, or visit clarksvillemo.us for more information.

12 8. The original master bedroom, the one that visitors will see first when they venture upstairs, is where Hezekiah and his wife would have slept after they married. This room is part of the 1860 addition. Mosquito netting was draped over the high-backed beds.

To the right of the bed is a wedding portrait of a woman.

Before Queen Victoria wore her white dress (she is often credited with starting that trend), brides wore black dresses like the one worn by the woman in the painting.

Near the ceiling, the French Zuber border is one of the most expensive items in the home. The border has twentyfive different colors and was created using wood block prints. Each color was applied in layers, one at a time.

9. Richard’s room has a kerosene lamp, an Eastlake walnut bed, Victorian wicker furniture, and, hanging on the wall, needlepoint artwork that is more than a century old.

10. Richard’s family will dress in costume for certain occasions throughout the year. Here, Linda Korte and Natalie Frazier wear gowns like the Elgin women might have worn.

11. Richard bought the doll house at a local antique store for twenty-five dollars. A thousand dollars later, and he has decked out the doll house exactly like his real home, complete with furniture, wallpaper, and even a miniature doll house inside. His friends gave him pieces to decorate it: perfume bottles, a pink dress with lace trim, and a white chair.

12. Richard named the original entry room “the continental room” because of the international decor. The Russian chandelier originally burned candles. The Blackamoor wood statue is an 1845 Italian piece. Back then, people would leave their calling cards on the platform in her hand. The chair is in the Louis the XIV settee style. A man based in Johannesburg, South Africa, designed the wallpaper.

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The Missouri Humanities Council

presents A State Divided: The Civil War in Missouri

Remaining Sites Include: Now through August 10, 2014 Osage County Historical Society, Linn, MO August 30 - October 26, 2014 Harney Mansion, Sullivan, MO November 15, 2014 - January 11, 2015 City of Farmington Library, Farmington, MO January 31 - March 29, 2015 Missouri State University Library, Springfield, MO April 18 - June 14, 2015 Jesse James Farm and Museum, Kearney, MO July 4 - September 5, 2015 Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum, Hannibal, MO

As part of its mission, The Missouri Humanities Council (MHC) produces high-quality traveling exhibitions that tour the state of Missouri. These exhibitions tackle major themes and events in the state’s history and are expertly crafted to illuminate the life and times of Missourians.

The current major traveling exhibition is A State Divided: The Civil War in Missouri, which explores the nature of the Civil War as it was fought in Missouri and features three sections focusing on major aspects of the war: slavery, conflicting loyalties and beliefs, and the nature/impact of the guerrilla warfare fought throughout much of the state during the war.

Each visit also includes “Civil War Stories,” a family reading program that explores the Civil War through books and conversation.

The Civil War in Missouri is a joint effort of the Missouri Humanities Council and the Missouri History Museum. This traveling exhibit is a smaller, portable version of the Missouri History Museum’s major Civil War exhibition by the same name, which was displayed in St. Louis Nov. 2011 – June 2013. The tour of the portable version began in May 2012 and will continue through 2015.

For more information on this program, please contact MHC Community Programs and Outreach Director Anna Marie Wingron at 314-781-9660 or annamarie@mohumanities.org.

The Missouri Humanities Council is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to build a more thoughtful, informed, and civil society by supporting and presenting humanities-based programs throughout the state of Missouri.

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ALL AROUND

Missouri AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014

NORTHEAST MARK TWAIN CORVETTE CLUB Aug. 2, Hannibal > All Corvette models will be displayed at this car show, and trophies will be awarded. Historic Downtown. 8 am-3 pm. Free.

573-221-2477, www.visithannibal.com

GALLERY WALK Aug. 9 and Sept. 13, Hannibal > Wander from gallery to gallery, and meet special guest artists. Downtown. 5-8 pm. Free. 573-221-6545, www.visithannibal.com

ART OF FALCONRY Aug. 16, Kirksville > Meagan Duffe, a Missouri falconer, gives a presentation with her birds for an up-close experience with raptors that shows what it takes to be a falconer. Thousand Hills State Park.

7-8 pm. Free. 660-665-6995, www.mostateparks .com/park/thousand-hills-state-park

SAFE PASSAGE WINE STROLL Aug. 23, Moberly > This fundraiser for a local domestic violence shelter features Missouri vendors, music, and wine tasting. Downtown. 4-9 pm. $15.

660-263-6070, www.moberlychamber.com

COURTESY OF MONA BROWN

SO MUCH MORE EXCITING THAN WATCHING PAINT DRY At the Golden Hills Plein Air event in Louisiana, Missouri, on September 13, you can watch artists paint the great outdoors in one of the state’s most picturesque river towns, and then in the same day, buy their work. You’ll be able to find artists throughout the town during this all-day event that culminates with an art sale at the Masonic Lodge.

Last year, thirty-four artists created seventy paintings, which resulted in more than $3,500 in sales. The event is free to the public, but if you’re an artist who wants to participate, the entry fee costs $30 before September 1 and $35 after.—Meghan Bell www.goldenhillspleinair.com • 573-754-5921

HARVEST FEST Aug. 30, Kirksville > This fundraiser features two Irish bands, a grape stomp, bottling competition, and cork toss. Jacob’s Vineyard and Winery. 311 pm. $10. 660-665-5142, www.visitkirksville.com

FALL FESTIVAL AND PARADE Sept. 6, New Cambria > Parade, two concerts, Queen contest, baby show, and fireworks.

City Park. 11 am-11 pm. Free. 660-384-1269, www.maconmochamber.com

RED BARN ARTS AND CRAFTS Sept. 13, Kirksville > More than 100 local and regional artists and crafters display their handmade wares. Downtown. 9 am-4 pm. Free. 660-6650500, www.kirksvillearts.com These listings are chosen by our editors and are not paid for by sponsors.

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ROUND BARN BLUES Sept. 20, Kirksville > A variety of blues bands will perform. Historic Round Barn. 3-11 PM. Call for ticket prices. 660-665-2760, www.kirksville.net /roundbarn/index.html

BACON FEST Sept. 27, Kirksville >Bacon cooking contest, BLTs, Bacon Fest Pageant, and live music. Downtown.

10 AM-2 PM. Canned good donations. 660-6653766, www.kirksvillechamber.com

HOT NIGHT—COOL CAVE MUSIC Aug. 2, Leasburg > Enjoy a concert in the big room of the cave and free refreshments. Seating is limited. Onondaga Cave State Park. 6-10 PM. Advanced reservations. $25. 573-245-6576, www.onondagafriends.org

FIBER FEVER Aug. 8-Sept. 19, St. Charles > Exhibit of multimedia fiber arts. Foundry Art Centre. 10 AM-8 PM Tues.-Thurs.; 10 AM-5 PM Fri.-Sat.; noon-4 PM Sun. Opening reception Aug. 8 from 6-8 PM. Free.

636-255-0270, www.foundryartcentre.org

BIKES AND BEERS On August 16, taste the Gateway City’s best brews on a 15-mile bike tour of six or more of St. Louis’s microbreweries.

During the second annual I Love STL: Bicrobrews Microbrewery Bicycle Tour, your guide will share insider information on how to craft a great beer. The event begins at 4 Hands Brewing Company at 1220 8th Street in St. Louis at 10:30 AM and will end at 1:30 PM. Tours will be in groups of 25. People younger than 21 are welcome, but you must be 21 to sample. If you preregister for the event, the cost is $8. It costs $10 on the day of the bike ride.—Meghan Bell www.trailnet.org/calendar/stl-bicrobrews-saturday-august-16-microbrewery-bicycle-tour • 314-436-1324.

COURTESY OF JARRED GASTREICH AND TRAILNET

ST. LOUIS

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WE HAVE THE BARN. WOOD BARNS & BARN HOMES

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STATEHOOD DAY CELEBRATION

PHOTO TOUR OF CATHEDRAL CAVE

COBBLESTONE FESTIVAL

Aug. 9, St. Charles > Celebrate Missouri’s 193rd birthday with demonstrations, interpreters in period dress, cake, and an open house. First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site. 10 am-4 pm.

Free. 636-940-3322, www.mostateparks.com/park /first-missouri-state-capitol-state-historic-site

Aug. 17, Leasburg > Join the park staff on this tour that makes time for photography at specific locations. Onondaga Cave State Park. 10:30 am-1:30 pm. $6-$15. Advanced reservations and limited to 30 people. 573-245-6576, www.mostateparks.com /park/onondaga-cave-state-park

Sept. 5, Crystal City > Live music with food and beverages. Mississippi Ave. 5 pm-midnight. Free.

636-937-1903, www.twincity.org

TREASURES OF THE EARTH

PRECISION CUT

Aug. 15-17, Bridgeton > Exhibit features fossils, rocks, minerals, and beads; demonstrators show how minerals glow under black light. Machinists Hall. 3-8 pm Fri.; 10 am-6 pm Sat.; 11 am-5 pm Sun. $2$5 donation. 636-220-2376, www.stlearthsci.org

Aug. 22-Oct. 26, St. Louis > This exhibit features current trends in wood, including furniture and sculpture, and nationally recognized artists. Craft Alliance Center of Art and Design. 10 am-5 pm Tues.Thurs.; 10 am-6 pm Fri.-Sat.; 11 am-5 pm Sun. Opening reception 6-8 pm Aug. 22. Free. 314-725-1177, www.craftalliance.org

FESTIVAL OF THE LITTLE HILLS Aug. 15-17, St. Charles > More than 300 art, craft, and food vendors and live entertainment. Historic Main Street and Frontier Park. 4-10 pm Fri.; 9:30 am -10 pm Sat.; 9:30 am-5 pm Sun. Free. 800-366-2427, www.festivalofthelittlehills.com

SAUSAGE MAKING 101 Aug. 16 and Sept. 13, Hermann > Join Wurstmeister Mike Sloan to learn the ropes of sausage making, from grinding techniques to different types of casing, and take home your sausage. Hermann Wurst Haus. 10 am and 2 pm. Reservations. $49. 573486-2266, www.hermannwursthaus.com

ARTS AND CRAFT FAIR Sept. 6, Festus > Artists and crafters display and sell their wares. Main Street. 9 am-4 pm. Free.

636-931-7697, www.twincity.org

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PARK Sept. 6, Bonne Terre > This living history event features blacksmithing, rope making, Ozark games, mining, a moonshine still, and live music. St. Francois State Park. 10 am-4 pm. Free. 573-356-2173, www .mostateparks.com/park/st-francois-state-park

RACE FOR THE RIVERS

ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS

Aug. 23, St. Charles > Kayak and canoe race, river education, entertainment, and bike ride.

Frontier Park. 11 am-5 pm. Free. 800-366-2427, www.racefortherivers.org

Sept. 10-Oct. 5, Webster Groves > Comedy-filled with mistaken identities and slapstick antics as one man tries to juggle two bosses. Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts. Show times vary. $17.50$79.50 314-968-4925, www.repstl.org

BOB WEIR AND RATDOG Aug. 29, St. Louis > Performance by one of the most traveled musicians of all time, a former member of The Grateful Dead and founding member of Further. Fox Theatre. 7-9 pm. $39.50-$99.50.

314-534-1678, www.fabulousfox.com

GLASS PUMPKIN EXTRAVAGANZA Sept. 19, St. Louis > Food trucks, Glass Galore bazaar, Salt of the Earth concert, and fire spinning. Third Degree Glass Factory. 6-10 pm. Free.

314-367-4527, www.stlglass.com

Emigrants on the Overland Trail The Wagon Trains of 1848 Michael E. LaSalle Presenting the “lost” year of the overland emigrants in 1848, this volume sheds light on the journey of the men, women, children, and the wagon trains that made the challenging trek from Mis$40.00 pb 9781935503958 souri to Oregon $29.99 eb 9781612480213 and California.

These primary sources, written by seven men and women diarists from different wagon companies, tell how settlers endured the tribulations of a five-month westward journey covering 2,000 miles. These intrepid souls include a young mother, a French priest, a college-educated teacher, and an ox driver. Subjected to the extremes of fear, failure, suffering, and hope, they persevered and finally triumphed.

ANY BOOK • ANY TIME 15% DISCOUNT & FREE SHIPPING tsup.truman.edu Truman State University Press 100 E. Normal Ave. • Kirksville, MO 63501 660.785.7336

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TASTE OF ST. LOUIS Sept. 19-21, Chesterfield > Sample foods from more than 35 restaurants, and vote for your favorite. Plus, there will be children’s activities, an art and wine walk, culinary celebrities, concerts, and beer sampling. Chesterfield Amphitheater and Chesterfield Village. 4-10 pm Fri.; 11 am-10 pm Sat.; 11 am-9 pm Sun. Free (except events in amphitheater).

314-534-2100, www.tastestl.com

MOSAICS FESTIVAL FOR THE ARTS Sept. 19-21, St. Charles > Juried fine arts show, food, and entertainment. Historic Main Street.

4-9 pm Fri.; 11 am-9 pm Sat.; 11 am-5 pm Sun. Free.

314-482-5476, www.stcharlesmosaics.org

FAUST HERITAGE FESTIVAL Sept. 20-21, Chesterfield > Period-dressed reenactors showcase traditional arts and crafts. Plus, there will be hands-on children’s activities, food vendors, and more. Faust Park. 10 am-5 pm. $2-$5.

314-615-8328, www.stlouisco.com

OKTOBERFEST Sept. 26-28, St. Charles > German music, dancing, entertainment, parade, food, kids’ zone, and more than 50 vendors. Frontier Park. 4-11 pm Fri.; 10 am11 pm Sat.; 10 am-5 pm Sun. Free. 800-366-2427, www.saintcharlesoktoberfest.com

REYNOLDS COUNTY FAIR

SOUTHEAST JOUR DE FETE CELEBRATION Aug. 9-10, Ste. Genevieve > More than 100 arts and crafts booths and hands-on exhibits. Historic Downtown. 10 am-6 pm Sat.; 9 am-4 pm Sun. Free.

800-373-7007, www.visitstegen.com

HUMMINGBIRD BANDING Aug. 16, Cape Girardeau > Learn about hummingbirds and watch them get banded. Conservation Nature Center. 8 am-noon. Free. 573-290-5218, www .mdc.mo.gov/regions/southeast/cape-girardeau -conservation-nature-center

GAZEBO CONCERT Aug. 24, Perryville > Outdoor concert. Downtown courthouse lawn. 5-7 pm. Free. 573-547-6062, www.perryvillemo.com

CORVETTES IN CAPE Aug. 26, Cape Girardeau > Come out and see Corvettes from all 50 states as they stop overnight on the way to the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky. Downtown Main Street. 5:30-8:30 pm. Free.

573-335-1631, www.visitcape.com

Aug. 28-30, Redford > Horse shows, live entertainment, crafts, 4-H show, exhibits, carnival, and cow chip bingo. Reynolds County Fairgrounds. 10 am-10 pm Thurs.; 9 am-10 pm Fri.; 9 am-9 pm Sat. $3-$6. 573-663-7997, www.ellingtonmo.com

LABOR DAY HOMECOMING Aug. 29-30, Gideon > Miss Gideon contest, street dance, music, art show, car show, parade, and crafts. Throughout town. 7 pm-12 am Fri.; 7 am- 8 pm Sat. Free. 573-448-3089, www.gideonalumni.org

SEMO CLASSIC BIG 20 Aug. 30, New Madrid > Bow fishing tournament, live music, food, and vendors. Downtown. Noon-7 pm. Free (fee for fishing in tournament). 573-7485300, www.semoclassic.com

ART OF DEREK GOLLAHER Sept. 6-Oct. 26, Poplar Bluff > In the tradition of 19th century painters, this realist creates figurative and landscape oil paintings. Margaret Harwell Art Museum. Noon-4 pm Tues.-Fri.; 1-4 pm Sat.-Sun. Free. 573-686-8002, www.mham.org

LIVING HISTORY DAY Sept. 13, East Prairie > Old-time skill demonstrations including lace making and flint knapping,

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MO MONKEYS It’s not every day that you get to see a monkey in Missouri, but you can at the Cape Girardeau’s Semo District Fair, September 6 to September 13. Wild About Monkeys is the only traveling animal exhibition that has trained monkeys, and they’ll be performing at the fair.

Aside from the monkey business, there will be free entertainment, including a circus, a wildlife show, karaoke contests, livestock competitions, a washers tournaments, a mother and daughter look-a-like contest, a father and son look-a-like contest, and a twin look-a-like contest. And Richard Holgem will be performing a juggling, magic, and comedy show.

Grandstand events have different pricing. Heartland Idol and the tractor pull are free. Concerts by Jeremy Camp, Grand Funk Railroad, Chris Janson, and Clay Walker range from $23 to $35.—Meghan Bell www.semofair.com • 573-334-9250

the Humdingers. Fort Davidson State Historic Site.

11 AM-4 PM. Free. 573-546-3454, www.mostateparks .com/park/fort-davidson-state-historic-site

OUR OWN ANTIQUE ROADSHOW Sept. 25, Pilot Knob > Local experts take the stage to discuss the value of Civil War memorabilia, china, comics, and antiques brought in by the public. Fort Davidson State Historic Site. 6-9 PM. Free. 573-546-3454, www.mostateparks.com/park /fort-davidson-state-historic-site

BATTLE OF PILOT KNOB Sept. 27-28, Pilot Knob > Civil War battle reenactment, music, sutlers, and vendors. Fort Davidson State Historic Site. 8 AM-10 PM Sat.; 8 AM-4 PM Sun. Free. 573-546-3454, www.battleofpilotknob.org

COURTESY OF CAPE GIRARDEAU CVB

SOUTH CENTRAL learning center exhibits, bluegrass concert, and funnel cakes and barbecue for sale. Big Oak Tree State Park. 10 AM-4 PM. Free. 573-748-5340, www .mostateparks.com/park/big-oak-tree-state-park

and retired miners and millmen answering questions. Missouri Mines State Historic Site. 9 AM-4 PM. Free. 573-431-6226, www.mostateparks.com/park /missouri-mines-state-historic-site

OLD MINES OPEN HOUSE

BLUES AND DIXIELAND

Sept. 13, Park Hills > Mining and mineral museum tour, mining-related exhibits and demonstrations,

Sept. 20, Pilot Knob > Performances by the St. Louis Levee Ragtime Band and Miss Jubilee and

HUMMINGBIRD BANDING Aug. 3 and Sept. 7, Salem > Join expert Lanny Chambers as he captures and bands these fascinating little flying machines. Gardens of the Dorman L. Steelman Lodge at Montauk State Park. 9 AM-1 PM. Free. 573-548-2225, www .mostateparks.com/park/montauk-state-park

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AUGUST 15-17 | ST. JOSEPH, MO

OVER 50 ARTISTS AND VENDORS

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COURTESY OF TERRY BARNER/MISSOURI S&T

AROUND THE WORLD IN ONE DAY Have you ever dreamed of riding a camel? At the Celebration of Nations, you can.

In Downtown Rolla at 11 AM on September 27, enjoy a parade that features flagcarrying students from all over the world, floats representing about a hundred countries, and bands. The procession begins at the Missouri University of Science Technology and ends at the Rolla Band Shell.

After the parade, Missouri S&T students and Rolla residents will be preparing Thai, Indian, Chinese, and French cuisine. Plus, more than forty vendors will be selling food from around the world.

Other activities include crafts, face painting, live music, and International Idol.

—Meghan Bell 573-754-5921 • www.nations.mst.edu

COUNTRY GOSPEL MUSIC SHOW

GUN, KNIFE, AND ARCHERY SHOW

Aug. 7-9, West Plains > More than 50 artists perform country, bluegrass, and Southern gospel music. Civic Center. 10 AM-5 PM and 7-10 PM. Free.

417-255-9771, www.icgma.org

Aug. 30-31, St. Robert > Buy, sell, and trade guns, knives, and archery equipment. Community Center.

9 AM-5 PM Sat.; 9 AM-3 PM Sun. $5. 573-433-6507, www.pulaskicountyusa.com

OZARK RODEO

SHRIMP FESTIVAL

Aug. 8-9, Dixon > Barrel racing, mutton bustin’, calf riding, peewee bull riding, chutedogging, and team roping. Dixon Saddle Club. 7 PM. $4-$8. 573-3365066, www.ozarkrodeoassociation.com

Sept. 6, Dixon > Come out and buy some freshwater prawns to take home, enjoy a shrimp dinner, taste wine, enjoy music from a live DJ, participate in karaoke, and camp overnight. Show-Me Shrimp Farm. 9 AM-10 PM. Free ($10 per pound for prawns).

417-664-2307, www.showmeshrimpfarms.com

TOUGHEST MONSTER TRUCKS Aug. 15-16, West Plains > See monster trucks Big Foot, Tail Gator, Heavy Hitter, and more. Heart of the Ozarks Fairgrounds. 7:30-10:30 PM. $13-$20.

417-522-9891, www.waywardsonproductions.com

BBQ COOK-OFF Aug. 23, Buckhorn > BBQ competition, samples, bounce house, and live entertainment. Pulaski County-Ft. Leonard Wood Shrine Club. 11 AM-6 PM. $5-$8. 573-586-9801, www.pulaskicountyusa.com

RAILROAD DAYS Aug. 30, Crocker > This street festival celebrates the area’s railroad history and features a parade, vendors, and a street dance. Downtown. 9 AM-11 PM. Free. 573-736-5327, www.cityofcrocker.net

GALUMPHA Sept. 12, Rolla > This imaginative show combines acrobatics, visual effects, physical comedy, and inventive choreography set to music and brings to life a world of imagination, beauty, and merriment.

Leach Theatre. 7:30 PM. $15-$20. 573-341-4219, www.leachtheatre.mst.edu

COW DAYS Sept. 19-20, Dixon > Enter a drawing to win a cow at this family-friendly festival that features a variety of vendors, live entertainment, Little Miss and Mr. Cow Days, and a silent auction. Downtown.

Noon-9 PM Fri.; 10 AM-11 PM Sat. Free. 573-528-1159, www.dixonchamberofcommerce.com

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CLEAN-UP THE MUDDY

ART STROLL Aug. 1 and Sept. 5, Jefferson City > Street performers, artists, kids’ crafts, beer, wine, food, and live music. Downtown. 6-9 PM. Free. 573-680-5468, www.visitjeffersoncity.com

FIREMAN BBQ Aug. 2, Blackwater > Whole hog and beef barbecue fundraiser. Fire Station. 4 PM. Donations accepted.

660-846-2297, www.blackwater-mo.com

ICE CREAM FREEZE OFF Aug. 30, Arrow Rock > Taste and vote for your favorite homemade ice cream and locally made desserts at this sweet celebration. Lawn of J. Huston Tavern. 4:30 PM. $3. 660-837-3200, www .mostateparks.com/park/arrow-rock-state-historic-site

BOONSLICK FOLK FESTIVAL Sept. 1, Boonesboro > Demonstrations by historic crafters, period music, tours of the salt springs, children’s games, and historical display highlighting frontier and American Indian life. Boone’s Lick State Historic Site. 10 AM-4 PM. Free. 660-837-3330,

The Missouri River might be called the Big Muddy, but that doesn’t mean it should be dirty. Help clean the river at the Missouri River Clean-up at Franklin Island Boat Ramp on September 20 starting at 9 AM. This session is a part of the Big Muddy Clean Sweep 2014— a two-month Missouri River cleaning effort that starts at Brunswick and ends in Hermann.

Volunteers will be ferried by barge along the river to pick up trash from the riverbanks.

Lunch and water will be provided. After the clean-up, the Boonville River Festival will take place in the parking lot of the Isle of Capri Hotel and Casino, where there will be food, educational booths, vendors, and live music.

The Missouri River Relief got its start during 2001 in Easley, when a group of citizens got together to help clean up the riverbanks. It is now in its fourteenth year and has grown to about 20,000 volunteers who have picked up 1.5 million pounds of trash.—Meghan Bell www.reiverrelief.org • 573-443-0292 for the river clean-up • 660-621-6383 for the festival

www.mostateparks.com/park/boones-lick-state -historic-site

FALL FESTIVAL Sept. 6, Jefferson City > More than 150 craft vendors from across the state and surrounding states set up booths. Jaycee’s Fairgrounds. 8 AM-3 PM. $2.

573-634-2824, www.extension.missouri.edu/cole

PRISON BREAK RACE Sept. 6, Jefferson City > Racers break out of the prison’s dungeon, sprint through Housing Unit 4, and set out on a five-mile course filled with hilly terrain and a slew of obstacles at every turn. Missouri State Penitentiary. 9-11 AM (registration 7:30-8:30 AM). Free for spectators. 573-632-2820, www.jcrprisonbreak.wordpress.com

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SNARKY PUPPY

WALK BACK IN TIME

JAPANESE FALL FESTIVAL

Sept. 17, Columbia > Grammy-winning jazz-funk concert. The Blue Note. 8 pm. $20-$35. 573-4493009, www.wealwaysswing.org

Sept. 26-28, Mexico > Watch history come alive with historical camps—from the 1770s Colonial period to the 1940s World War II period—battle reenactments, candlelight campsite tours ($5), and an 1860s vintage baseball game. Audrain County Historical Society. 10 am-9:30 pm Sat.; 10 am-4 pm Sun. Free. 573-581-3910, www.audrain.org

Sept. 12-14, Springfield > Celebrate Springfield’s sister city, Isesaki, Japan, with artists, garden tours, performers, martial art demonstrations, and vendors. Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden at Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park. Times vary. $3-$5. 417-891-1654, www.parkboard.org

HAM AND TURKEY FESTIVAL Sept. 20, California > Turkey drumsticks and ham sandwiches, antique tractor show, barbecue contest, crafts, three stages of entertainment, parade, classic and antique car show, and the world’s largest turkey sub sandwich. Downtown around the historic courthouse. 7 am-5 pm. Free.

573-796-3040, www.calmo.com

CORNHUSKING COMPETITION Sept. 25-27, Marshall > Competition where corn husking is done by hand with assistance from horse-drawn wagons, craft show, antique tractor and machinery show, parade, and kids’ corn toss.

Saline County Fairgrounds. 8 am-5 pm. Free. 660691-2862, www.cornhusking.com

SANTA FE TRAIL DAY Sept. 27, Marshall > Displays by the Missouri Trappers Association, Ft. Osage Muzzle Loaders, historical bicycles, children’s games, Mexican and Native American Dancers, storytellers, and musicians. Saline County courthouse lawn. 8 am-4 pm. Free. 660831-1490, www.marshallculturalcouncil.org

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QUILT SHOW Sept. 27-28, Marshall > Meet quilt artist Rita Mitchell, and enjoy a silent auction, gift bazaar, exhibits, and quilt display. Martin Community Center.

9 am-5 pm Sat.; 10 am-5 pm Sun. $5 donation. 660886-5162, www.countrypatchworkquilters.com

Sept. 12-14, Springfield > Watch some of the country’s toughest cowboys take on the toughest bulls. JQH Arena. 8 pm Fri.; 7 pm Sat.; 5 pm Sun. $15$100. 719-242-2800, www.pbr.com

AZALEA HALF MARATHON Sept. 13, Nixa > Join the runners or cheer them on in this half marathon, 10K, and 5K. Gardens at Woodfield. 8 am-3 pm. $20-$55 to run, free for spectators. 417-724-2002, www.actnowracing.com

SOUTHWEST BARENAKED LADIES

FALL FESTIVAL

Aug. 7, Springfield > Canadian band performs pop music concert. Gillioz Theatre. 8 pm. $36-$85. 417863-9491, www.gillioz.org

Sept. 18-20, Humansville > Carnival, exhibits, crafts, and live music. Downtown. 10 am-10 pm.

Free. 417-894-7973, www.humansville.net

ROUTE 66 FESTIVAL CAR SHOW

SHAKIN’ IT IN THE SHELL

Aug. 9, Springfield > Classic car show, kids’ area, and entertainment. Park Central Square. 10 am-5 pm. Free. 417-831-6200, www.itsalldowntown.com

Sept. 20, Shell Knob > Crafts, vintage tractors, ugly dog contest, and live music. Chamber Park. 9:45 am-8 pm. $1. 417-858-3300, www.shellknob.com

Awardwinning wines and a very comfy B&B.

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Offering French Provincial cooking classes to our B&B guests. Call for details!

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Raft, kayak, and canoe rentals!

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STREET MACHINE NATIONALS

Sept. 20-21, Springfield > More than 100 juried artists and crafters, hands-on children’s area, scarecrow village, three performance stages, and real apple cider. Historic Walnut Street. 10 AM-5 PM. $4.

417-831-6200, www.itsalldowntown.com

Sept. 27-28, Springfield > Street machines, hot rods, and street trucks. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds.

9 AM-5 PM Sat.; 9 AM-3 PM Sun. Call for tickets. 417833-2660, www.streetmachinenationals.net

VOLKSSPORT ROUNDUP Sept. 26-28, Joplin > The American Volkssport Association sponsors the South Central Regional Roundup with three days of walking and swimming events. Throughout town. Starts 12:30 PM Fri., and ends 2 PM Sun. $3 for each event. 417-434-0977, www.sites.google.com/site/dogwoodtrailblazers/

PRAIRIE JUBILEE Sept. 27, Mindenmines > This living history event celebrates the tallgrass prairie with interpreters, live music, sounds of the prairie, a ride out to see bison, and bison burgers for lunch. Prairie State Park. 10 AM-4 PM. Free. 417-843-6711, www.mostateparks .com/park/prairie-state-park

HERITAGE REUNION Sept. 27-28, Fair Grove > Arts, crafts, period demonstrations, music, parade, and church service.

Wommack Mill, square, and District Park. 8 AM-6 PM Sat.; 8 AM-4 PM Sun. Free (fee for parking).

417-833-3467, www.fghps.org

C-STREET LOFT WALK Sept. 28, Springfield > Self-guided walking tour of six lofts and the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge. Commercial Street. Noon-4 PM. $5-$12. 417-831-6200, www.itsalldowntown.com

KANSAS CITY FESTIVAL OF BUTTERFLIES Aug. 1-3 and 8-10, Kingsville > See hundreds of free-flying butterflies, and learn about Monarch butterflies. Children can make crafts, and there will be storytelling and a costume parade. Powell Gardens. 9 AM-6 PM. $5-$12. 816-697-2600, www.powellgardens.org

HOT SUMMER NIGHTS Aug. 1, 8, 15, and 22, Smithville > Family-friendly event with a different theme each week, including entertainment and food. Downtown. 6-9 PM. Free.

816-532-0946, www.smithvillechamber.org

ADVENTURES ON THE PRAIRIE During The Bison Hike on August 2 and September 6 at Prairie State Park, you can see bison, elk, and the prairie skink, which isn’t found anywhere else in the state. Bring your camera and binoculars because the park is home to 25 mammals, 25 reptiles, 12 amphibians, and 150 species of birds.

Also bring water and snacks and wear a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, and good shoes or hiking boots.

During this tour, a guide will talk about bison and the park. Tour sizes vary from twenty to twenty-five people. All ages are welcome, but parents should know that the tour is over uneven terrain and could be four miles long.—Meghan Bell 417-843-6711 • www.mostateparks.com/park /prairie-state-park

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Discover the rich history that can be found…

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SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

Aug. 2, Knob Noster > Join amateur astronomers to see the treasures of the Summer Triangle, including sapphire and gold Albireo and the Ring Nebula. Knob Noster State Park. 8:30-10:30 PM. Free. 660-563-2463, www.mostateparks.com /park/knob-noster-state-park

Aug. 8, Warrensburg > Performance by Rockin’ Rob, a children’s entertainer who promotes education through music and movement. Downtown courthouse lawn. 7-9 PM. Free. 660-429-3988, www.warrensburgmainstreet.com

SPIES AND SUBVERSIVES

FIRST SATURDAYS Aug. 2 and Sept. 6, Kansas City > Living history demonstrations, crafts, family activities, music, and food vendors. Shoal Creek Living History Museum. 9 AM-4 PM. Free. 816-792-2655, www.shoalcreeklivinghistorymuseum.com

ICE CREAM SOCIAL Aug. 3, Weston > Ice cream, cake, grilled meals, hand-crafted items, collectibles, children’s games, and bingo. Holy Trinity Catholic Church. 3-6 PM. Free. 816-640-2909, www.westonmo.com

ART OF WAR: POLITICAL HUMOR Aug. 7-Nov. 2, Kansas City > “During the Big Brawl: Humorous Imagings” is a collection of political cartoons done in pencil, watercolor, India ink, and gouache by Gustave A. Wendt between 1915 and 1916. National World War I Museum. 10 AM-5 PM Tues.-Sun.; 10 AM-7 PM. $8-$14. Sat. 816-888-8109, www.theworldwar.org

Aug. 9, Independence > Join Supervisory Archivist Sam Rushay as he shares formerly top-secret documents associated with Joseph McCarthy, Alger Hiss, and the Rosenbergs and discusses the diplomacy and politics during the dawn of the atomic age. Truman Library. 11 AM-noon. $3-$8. 800-8331225, www.trumanlibrary.org

GYPSY CARAVAN DAYS Aug. 16 and Sept. 20, Independence > Antiques, crafts, flea market items, and street entertainment. Englewood Station Arts District. 11 AM-7 PM. Free. 816-252-3372, www.englewoodstation.com

JESSE JAMES, DEAD AND ALIVE Aug. 21, Lexington > Lee Ward—a mortician, historian, and writer—gives a presentation about Jesse James and his death. Battle of Lexington State Historic Site. 2-3 PM. Free. 660-259-4654, www.mostateparks.com/park/battle-lexington -state-historic-site

PEDAL TO THE METAL At the Liberty Fall Festival, September 26 to 28, the fastest kid in the pedal car races can win a pedal car. Children from ages two to six are welcome to participate, but there’s fun for all ages, too.

The festival, which is free to enter, will host a parade on September 27 at 11 AM. The carnival opens on September 26 at 3 PM, and you can buy thirty tickets for $20 or 75 cents each. A quick-start tennis court will be open the same day from 1:30 to 5:30 PM. Racquets and balls will be provided. Children ages four to ten are welcome to participate.

There will also be fun geared toward adults with booths for arts and crafts and a country music concert by 6 Degrees West. All the profit from food and drinks will benefit local nonprofit organizations.—Meghan Bell www.libertyfallfest.com • 816-781-5200

COURTESY OF LIBERTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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KMOS-TV is proud to continue our 34-year tradition of serving your community with high-quality programs for all ages.

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SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

CRUISE NIGHT

BIJOU AT BOTHWELL LODGE

Aug. 22, Warrensburg > Missouri-born entertainer Travis Gibson and his band perform at an outdoor concert. Downtown. 8-10 pm. Free. 660-429-3988, www.warrensburgmainstreet.com

Sept. 6, Parkville > Find your dream ride or bring out your hot rod car, listen to cool music, take in the sites at the riverfront, cruise hot wheels, shop, and dine. Main Street. 4-8 pm. Free. 816-505-2227, www.parkvillemo.org

Sept. 13. Sedalia > Bring a blanket or lawn chair for a movie under the stars. Bothwell Lodge State Historic Site. 7:30-9:30 pm. Free. 660-827-0510, www.mostateparks.com/park/bothwell-lodge -state-historic-site

CHALK AND WALK FESTIVAL

COUNTRY FAIR

Sept. 6-7, Kansas City > Watch chalk artists start with a blank square of asphalt and transform it into a piece of art. There will also be street performers and a children’s creative corner. Crown Center Square. 11 am-7 pm Sat.; 11 am-5 pm Sun. Free. 816274-8444, www.kcchalkandwalk.org

Sept. 13-20, Higginsville > Decorated scarecrow contest, princess pageant, baby contest, street chalk drawing contest, photo and art exhibits, produce show, parade, ice cream social, flower show, pedal tractor pull, four-mile fun run/walk, antique tractor and engine show, and main stage entertainment. Downtown. Times vary. Free.

660-584-3030, www.higginsvillecountryfair.com

SANTA-CALI-GON DAYS Aug. 29-31, and Sept. 1, Independence > More than 500 arts and craft booths, 50 food booths, main stage concerts, and a free carnival. Independence Square. Noon-midnight Fri.; 10 am-midnight Sat.-Sun.; 10 am-5 pm Mon. Free. 816-252-4745, www.santacaligon.com

ALABAMA Aug. 30, Kansas City > Enjoy a concert by this Country Music Hall of Fame and Hollywood Walk of Fame band who for more than 40 years haschanged the face of country music with 21 straight number one singles—a record that will probably never be equaled. Starlight Theatre. 7 pm. $35-$125.

816-363-7827, www.kcstarlight.com

LONGVIEW FESTIVAL

MOVIE NIGHT AT THE PARK

BLACK POWDER SHOOT

PICCADILLY GALA

Aug. 30, Warsaw > Outdoor showing of Despicable Me 2. Cartoons before the movie. Lemonade, tea, and popcorn available. Harry S. Truman State Park.

8:30 pm. Free. 660-438-7711, www.mostateparks .com/park/harry-s-truman-state-park

Sept. 13, Kearney > Test your skills at black powder shooting and win a prize, or come and cheer on the competitors. Jesse James Farm and Museum.

8 am-noon. Free for spectators ($15 entry fee). 816736-8502, www.claycountymo.gov

Sept. 25, Sedalia > Bring your mask for this masquerade-themed women’s event featuring live and silent auctions. Missouri State Fairgrounds MO Coop Building. 6-9 pm. $50. 660-826-2222, www.sedaliachamber com

Sept. 12-13, Lee’s Summit > Art and music festival featuring historical hayride, children’s art activities, artist demonstrations, live music, parade, and craft beer and wine tasting. New Longview Commercial District. 4-10 pm Fri.; 10 am-8 pm Sat. Free.

816-761-9292, www.longviewfestival.com

BACKYARD BBQ BASH Sept. 20, Smithville > Amateur barbecue contest, music, family activities, and a hometown softball game. Heritage Park. 1 pm-midnight. Free.

816-532-0946, www.smithvillechamber.org

The Roosevelts An Intimate Portrait

Ken Burns’s seven-part documentary weaves the stories of Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, three members of one of the most prominent and influential families in American politics.

This 14-hour series marks the first time their individual stories have been woven into a single narrative.

September 14-20 kmos.org

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

You can also see broadcasts of lifestyle/how-to shows on 6.2 and international programs on 6.3.

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As a MEMBER of the Missouri Chamber YOU WILL RECEIVE:

Regular legislative and regulatory updates The Missouri Chamber is a critical, behind-the-scenes power in Jefferson City, helping draft bills to be introduced by legislators, testifying at hearings, and watch-dogging regulations. Updates and alerts are published on all major issues and sent to our members. Members can participate in issue webinars and conference calls.

MEMBER PROGRAMS: Cutting edge seminars and conferences Competitive employee health insurance programs

Member Help-line

Missouri Drug Card savings program

Access to our lobbyists and legal experts is an automatic membership benefit. Members can contact us with legislative questions concerning: • Local and state tax issues

Shipping and office supply discounts Competitive employee 401K programs

• Workers’ compensation • Employment law • Environmental regulations • And much, much more

Missouri Business Magazine The full-color magazine, Missouri Business, highlights our members and gives readers a more in-depth look at the issues facing the business community.

WANT TO LEARN MORE? Contact Linda Gipson at lgipson@mochamber.com, or by phone at 573-634-3511.

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Directory of our Advertisers Connect with us online! www.MissouriLife.com www.facebook.com/MissouriLife • Twitter: @MissouriLife

Allied Arts Council Sculpture Walk, p. 114 Allied Arts Council Trails West Event, p. 108 Amish Made, p. 116 Antiques on Washington, p. 116 Arrow Rock, p. 110 Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, p. 117 Bent Tree Gallery, p. 10 Best of Missouri Hands, p. 109 Big Bam, p. 103 Boonville Tourism, p. 7 Branson Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, p. 4 Callaway County Tourism, p. 30-31 Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, p. 115 Cave Hollow West Winery, p. 112 Clay County Tourism, p. 13 Clinton, p. 25 Columbia Orthopaedic Group, p. 21 Eagle’s Nest Winery, p. 112 Fayetteville, AR, p. 11 Fiorella’s Jack Stack, p. 79 City of Gladstone, p. 108

Glasgow, p. 110 Greater Chillicothe Visitor’s Region, p. 103 Gypsy Vardo, p. 110 Hardware of the Past, p. 106 Helena, AR, p. 11 Hermann Hill Winery, p. 112 Hermann Wurst Haus, p. 106 Isle of Capri, p. 3 James Country Mercantile, p. 111 Jefferson City Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, pgs. 25 & 109 John Knox Village East, p. 111 Joplin Convention and Visitor's Bureau, p. 104 KCPT, pgs. 113 & 115 Keokuk Area Convention and Tourism Bureau, p. 102 KMOS, pgs. 117 & 118 Knight & Rucker Banquet Hall, p. 110 KT Diamond Jewelers, p. 105 Lebanon Tourism, p. 17 Lexington, MO Tourism, p. 15 Lodge of Four Seasons, p. 2 Louisiana, MO Visitor’s and Convention Bureau, p. 113 Marshall Tourism, p. 8-9

Maryland Heights Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, p. 23 Mexico, MO Tourism, p. 123 Mission Travel Tours & Cruises, p. 113 Missouri Beef Council, pgs. 86-93 Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, p. 119 Missouri Humanities Council, p. 100 Missouri Life books, p. 94 Missouri Life products, p. 116 Missouri Pork Association, p. 124 Missouri State Fair, p. 107 Oak Ridge Boys Theatre, p. 21 Old Trails Region, p. 110 Presleys’ Country Jubilee, p. 27 Pulaski County, p. 114 The Railyard Steakhouse, p. 79 Rolla, p. 10 Rost Landscaping, p. 107 Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, p. 23 Sand Creek Post & Beam, p. 102 Sikeston Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, p. 113 Socket, p. 95 St. Charles Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, p. 18 St. Joseph Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, p. 107 Steeleville, p. 11 Stone Hill Winery, p. 103 Stone Hollow Studio, p. 10

Truman State University Press, p. 104 Twin Bridges Canoe, p. 112 Weaver Inn B & B, p. 112 Westphalia Inn, p. 79 FALL FIELD GUIDE: American Honda Motor Company, p. 74 Amtrak, p. 72 Beggs Family Farm, p. 71 Benton County Tourism, p. 61 Boonslick Area Tourism Council, p. 72 Central Missouri Speedway, p. 73 Friends of the Centralia Battlefield, p. 72 Hermann Tourism, p. 73 Meramec Caverns, p. 69 Mexico, MO Tourism, p. 67 Missouri Division of Tourism, pgs. 62-65 Moberly Area Chamber of Commerce, p. 70 Ozark Gateway Tourist Council, p. 73 Springfield Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, p. 69 Ste. Genevieve Tourism, p. 70 Sullivan Chamber of Commerce, p. 73 The Wildland Trekking Company, p. 72

Here’s another way to connect to our partners!

Pull out your smartphone and scan this code to request information or link directly to their websites.

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OKTOBERFEST

tions, presentations, face painting, Dutch-oven cooking, archery, and trivia contest. Crowder State Park. Noon-4 PM. Free. 660-359-6473, www.mostateparks.com/park/crowder-state-park

Sept. 26-27, Lee’s Summit > Arts, crafts, German Biergarten, authentic German food, music, dancers, Kids Street, carnival rides, and contests.

Downtown. 5-11 PM Fri.; 10 AM-11 PM Sat. Free.

816-524-2424, www.lsoktoberfest.com

30TH CHATAUQUA IN THE PARK

FALL FESTIVAL Sept. 26-28, Liberty > Live music, carnival, parade, crafts, and children’s activities. Historic Liberty Square. 11 AM-9 PM Fri.; 9 AM-9 PM Sat.; noon-4 PM Sun. Free. 816-781-5200, www.libertyfallfest.com

BURG FEST Sept. 26-28, Warrensburg > Craft and food vendors, live bands, children’s activities, KCBS contest, and gospel and praise bands on Sunday. Downtown. 5-11 PM Fri.; 10 AM-11 PM Sat.; noon-5 PM Sun. Free. 660-429-3988, www.theburgfest.org

MUSIC FESTIVAL AND PORCH JAM Sept. 27, Lawson > Featured songwriters and musicians perform original songs and folk music. Bring your instrument to join the jam session.

Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site. Noon-5 PM. Free. 816-580-3387, www .mostateparks.com/park/watkins-mill-state-park

KC BEER FEST Sept. 27, Kansas City > More than 100 handcrafted beers, rare keg tappings, live music, and gourmet pretzels and brats. Power and Light District. 3-6 PM. Call for ticket prices. 816-843-1045, www.powerandlightdistrict.com

ORGAN MUSTER II Sept. 27, Weston > Organ grinders line the street and play the “happiest music on Earth.” Food and beverages will be available. Historic Main Street.

10 AM-5 PM. Free. 816-640-2909, www.coaa.us

NORTHWEST NORTH CENTRAL MISSOURI FAIR July 29-Aug. 2, Trenton > Parade, food booths, talent show, demolition derby, ATV and Mud Bike races, carnival, and entertainment. Fairgrounds.

8 AM-11 PM. Free (except special events).

660-359-6982, www.trentonmochamber.com

COURTESY OF ST. JOSPEH CVB

ALWAYS PATSY CLINE Aug. 1-3, 8-10, and 15-17, St. Joseph > This musical based on a true story is about one of the greatest female country superstars and her devoted fans.

Robidoux Landing Playhouse. 7:30 PM Fri.-Sat.; 2 PM. Sun. $15-$34. 816-232-1778, www.rrtstjoe.org

SLICED BREAD SATURDAY Aug. 2, Chillicothe > Sliced bread contest, Mural Tours featuring costumed reenactors, live

BEST IN THE WEST Celebrate St. Joseph at one of the city’s biggest events—the Trails West Festival, held August 15 through August 17.

This festival features art and craft booths, where you can buy everything from fine art to jewelry to musical instruments. There will also be plenty of concerts with different genres of music ranging from rock to bluegrass to soul and even Mexicana. This year’s top billed performers are Sponge, Eric Paslay, Big Daddy Weave, and ZZ Ward.

There will also be a family stage with kidfriendly music and performances by magician BJ Talley and cowboy T. Texas Terry.

Kids can also create their own music at the Percussion Playground.

To enter the festival, buy either a button or a T-shirt. Buying a button in advance will cost $8, and a button at the gate will cost $10. T-shirts can only be bought in advance on the festival’s website.—Meghan Bell 816-233-0231 • www.trailswest.org

entertainment, and vendors. Downtown. 8 AM-noon.

Free. 660-646-4050, www.visitchillicothe.com

TOUCH OF GRAY Aug. 11, Maryville > Lifestyle event for those ages 55 and older featuring a variety of vendors.

Community Center. 4-7 PM. Free. 660-582-2151, www.nodawaybroadcasting.com

ED PHILLIPS MEMORIAL RODEO

Sept. 6-7, Chillicothe > Juried art festival, more than 100 booths, music, children’s area, and storytellers. Simpson Park. 9 AM-6 PM Sat.; 10 AM-4 PM Sun. Free. 660-646-1173, www.chillcothearts.com

JIM WIDNER’S BAND Sept. 14, Chillicothe > Big band concert. Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center. 3 PM. $10-$20.

660-646-1173, www.chillicothearts.com

SOUTHSIDE FALL FESTIVAL Sept. 19-21, St. Joseph > Family-friendly events with crafts, entertainment, baby contest, and grand parade. Hyde Park. 5-10 PM Fri.; 10 AM-10 PM Sat.; 11 AM-5 PM. 816-273-3370, www.stjomo.com

OLD TIME HARVEST DAYS Sept. 26-28, Chillicothe > Antique tractors, garden tractors, small engines, family activities, old time demonstrations, and competitions. Livingston County Fairgrounds. 9 AM-8 PM Fri.; 9 AM-9 PM Sat.; 9 AM-4 PM Sun. $5 for 3-day pass. 660-359-7333 www.livcosteamandgas.com

BLUEGRASS BATTLE HUNGER Sept. 26-27, St. Joseph > Bluegrass music concert to raise money for Second Harvest Community Food Bank. Coleman Hawkins Park. 5:30-10 PM Fri.; 1-10:30 PM Sat. Free (non-perishable food item and cash donations accepted). 816-232-1459, www.bluegrassbattleshunger.com

BACONFEST Sept. 27, St. Joseph > Sample bacon food and drinks, check out the bacon memorabilia and clothing, and listen to bacon music. Civic Arena. 1-5 PM. $25-$75. 816-233-8881, ext. 117, www.stjomo.com

FREE LISTING & MORE EVENTS

Aug. 15-16, Maryville > Calf scramble for kids, barrel races, bull riding, and roping. Ed Phillips Memorial Arena. 8 PM. $5-$10. 660-541-4696. www.maryvillechamber.com

At MissouriLife.com PLEASE NOTE:

JOESTOCK MUSIC FESTIVAL

TO SUBMIT AN EVENT:

Aug. 29-31, St. Joseph > International, national, and regional musicians perform and Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sunday. Felix Street Square.

4-11 PM Fri.; 11 AM-11 PM Sat.; 11 AM-7 PM Sun. Free.

816-617-5850, www.stjosephmusicfoundation.org

OUTDOOR DISCOVERY DAY Sept. 6, Trenton > Interactive nature demonstra-

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Missouriana Recite any of these facts after saying the phrase "back in my day..."

Outsmart a small child!

ON SEPTEMBER 17, 1964, THE BEATLES PLAYED

AN UNSCHEDULED SHOW AT MUNICIPAL

STADIUM IN KANSAS CITY. MORE THAN 20,000 FANS ATTENDED, AND TICKETS RANGED FROM $2 TO $8.50.

Try out for Jeopardy!

Mark Twain Cave is the oldest show cave in the state, having hosted tours since 1886.

William Least Heat-Moon, the author of Blue Highways, and Greg Wood, the publisher of Missouri Life, took the same JOURNALISM PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS in 1974. When Heat-Moon’s publisher told him that his photos would be cut from Blue Highways to save costs, the then unpublished author RISKED ALL by saying the photos had to stay or the book couldn’t be published.

WWI AMERICAN GENERAL JOHN J. PERSHING FROM LACLEDE AND GEORGE WASHINGTON ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE EVER BEEN PROMOTED (THE LATTER POSTHUMOUSLY) TO THE RANK OF GENERAL OF THE ARMIES

OF THE UNITED STATES.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY SARAH HERRERA

Although miners seeking riches never found any rare rocks or minerals inside Marvel Cave, they did find BAT GUANO, which was used in fertilizer and gunpowder.

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Upcoming Events August 16: Brick City Cruise Night Hardin Park 573-581-2765 | www.mexico-chamber.org August 22 & 23: Mexico Soybean Festival On The Square 573-721-4296 | www.mexicosoybean.org September 20: Brick City Cruise Night Hardin Park 573-581-2765 | www.mexico-chamber.org September 26-28: Walk Back In Time Audrain County Historical Complex 573-581-3910 | www.audrain.org December 4-7: “Shrek�

Presser Performing Arts Center 573-581-5592 | www.presserpac.com

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

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

573-581-2765 | www.mexico-chamber.org

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MISSOURI MILITARY ACADEMY One of the premier all-boy private military boarding schools in the country, MMA has an impressive record of college admission and thousands of accomplished alumni who have assumed positions of authority in business, finance, education, the arts and the military. Its structured program creates a learning environment that promotes academic excellence and character development. We stress the time-honored values of honor, integrity, perseverance and duty. We prepare young men for college and life by creating a venue that challenges cadets to unlock their inner potential. www.missourimilitaryacademy.org | 888-564-6662 [123] August 2014

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