Missouri Life Magazine August 2017

H U Z Z A H !

m W E

T H A N K

T H E E !

THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY

PAG E S .

ZONE

T H E S E

The

E C L I P S E

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P R I T H E E

P E RU S E

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August $4.992017 US | $4.99

(Display until August 31)

The Tomato Festival

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Our Newest Bike Trail 3 Renaissance Festivals

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0 74470 94452 2 www.missourilife.com www.missourilife.com

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Show FarmFarm Toy Toy Show crookwj@sbcglobal.net crookwj@sbcglobal.net

BU RA UA RY F EFBER RY

Marshall Bowhunters Snow Shoot Marshall Bowhunters Snow Shoot www.marshallbowhunters.org www.marshallbowhunters.org Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra www.marshallphilharmonic.org www.marshallphilharmonic.org

MR AC RH CH MA

Women in Conference Ag Conference Women in Ag www.womeninag.net www.womeninag.net

Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra www.marshallphilharmonic.org www.marshallphilharmonic.org Marshall Cultural Council’s Annual Craft Marshall Cultural Council’s Annual Craft and and Art Festival Art Festival www.marshallculturalcouncil.org www.marshallculturalcouncil.org

Eclipse Camping & A PARPIRLI L Day Parking Grand National Bluetick Breeders Marshall Bowhunters 3-D Shootof www.marshallbowhunters.org America/ Bluetick Breeders Coonhunting Reunion Steve McQueen Day www.bluetickbreedersofamerica www.cityofslater.com Marshall Bowhunters 3-D Shoot Murder Mystery Dinner www.marshallbowhunters.org www.marshallmochamber.com Steve McQueen Day Marshall Community Chorus www.cityofslater.com www.marshallcommunitychorus.org Marshall Community Chorus Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra www.marshallcommunitychorus.org www.marshallphilharmonic.org Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra www.marshallphilharmonic.org M AY- S E P T E M B E R Marshall Market on the Square MA Y- S E P T E M B E R www.marshallmochamber.com Marshall Market on the Square M AY www.marshallmochamber.com Jim the Wonder Dog Day MA Y www.jimthewonderdog.org Jim the Wonder Dog Day Shrine Parade www.jimthewonderdog.org www.marshallmochamber.com Shrine Parade Spring Fling www.marshallmochamber.com www.marshallmochamber.com Spring Fling Bob James Jazz Festival www.marshallmochamber.com www.bobjamesjazzfest.org

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Day in the Park Fair Saline County www.marshallmoparks.com www.visitmarshallmo.com Saline County Fair Marshall Bowhunters Annual Ozarks Self www.visitmarshallmo.com Bow Jamboree Marshall Bowhunters Annual Ozarks Self www.marshallbowhunters.org Bow Jamboree MATPA Antique Tractor Pull www.marshallbowhunters.org www.cityofslater.com MATPA Antique Tractor Pull www.cityofslater.com AUGUST Reunion AFriends U GofUPennytown ST www.pennytownchurch.com Solar Eclipse Events www.visitmarshallmo.com Marshall Bowhunters 3-D Shoot www.marshallbowhunters.org Friends of Pennytown Reunion www.pennytownchurch.com Remote Control Field of Dreams Fly-In & Swap Bowhunters Meet Marshall 3-D Shoot www.cityofslater.com www.marshallbowhunters.org Remote Field of R Dreams Fly-In S E PControl TEM BE & Swap Meet Santa Fe Trail Days www.cityofslater.com www.marshallculturalcouncil.org

Plan your eclipse weekend.

SSlater E PFall TE MBER Festival Santa Fe Trail Days www.cityofslater.com Be in the middle of middle-www.marshallculturalcouncil.org Missouri Valley College Stampede Rodeo See 2 minutes 39 seconds of totality in Slater Fall Festival www.moval.edu www.cityofslater.com Marshall MO! MissouriValley State Cornhusking Missouri College Stampede Rodeo Weekend camping and eclipse day parking spots are available.

For more information visit: MarshallMOSolarEclipse.com

!

UsSaturday, n i o August 19 J

www.visitmarshallmo.com www.moval.edu Country State Patchwork Quilt Show Missouri Cornhusking www.countrypatchworkquilters.com National Cornhusking Championships www.cornhusking.com OCTOBER Country Patchwork Quilt Show Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra www.countrypatchworkquilters.com www.marshallphilharmonic.org

9am-4pm Sunday, August 20 10am-4pm OArrow C TRock OB ER Heritage Craft Fest Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra www.arrowrock.org www.marshallphilharmonic.org N ORock V EHeritage M B ECraft R Fest Arrow Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra www.arrowrock.org www.marshallphilharmonic.org

Marshall Courthouse Square

Reserve at: NOVEMBER D E CPhilharmonic EMBER Marshall Orchestra MarshallMOSolarEclipse.eventbrite.com www.marshallphilharmonic.org Community Christmas

JUNE J UAcross N E Missouri Bicycle

www.marshallmochamber.com

DECEMBER

Marshall Philharmonic Community Christmas Orchestra www.marshallphilharmonic.org www.marshallmochamber.com MarshallPhilharmonic Community Chorus Saline County BBQ Marshall Orchestra www.bigbamride.com www.marshallcommunitychorus.org www.visitmarshallmo.com www.marshallphilharmonic.org Saline County BBQ Community Chorus Christmas Homes Tour Nicholas Beazley Fly-in Drive-in Pancake Day Marshall www.visitmarshallmo.com www.marshallcommunitychorus.org www.jimthewonderdog.org www.nicholasbeazley.org Nicholas Beazley Fly-in Drive-in Pancake Day Christmas Homes Tour www.nicholasbeazley.org Marshall Bowhunters 3-D Shoot www.jimthewonderdog.org www.marshallbowhunters.org Marshall Bowhunters 3-D Shoot ONLINE STORE NOW OPEN! ECLIPSE www.marshallbowhunters.org [2] TICKETS MissouriLife

LODGING

Comfort Inn – Marshall Station 1356 West College St. 660-886-8080 www.comfortinns.com

Claudia’s B & B

Photo courtesy of Marshall Democrat News

AU NA UR AY RY J AJN

Stay with us in Marshall

Photo courtesy of Chris Nelson

upcoming events events upcoming

3000 West Arrow St. 660-886-5285

Courthouse Lofts

23 North Lafayette Ave. 207-841-9364 www.courthouselosts.com The Foothills Fest Family Presents:

Marshall Lodge

1333 West Vest St. 660-886-2326 www.marshall-lodge.com

Super 8 Motel of Marshall 1355 West College St. 660-886-3359 www.super8.com

s!

Photo courtesy of Marshall Democrat News

Tower Extended Stay Suites

U Join

420 North Miami Ave. 660-631-9218 www.towerextendedstaysuites.com

Saturday, August 19, 4-10pm Fairgrounds Amphitheater $20 Reserved Seating $10 Lawn (free parking) Photo courtesy For more information visit:of Poole Communications MarshallMOSolarEclipse.com

Photo courtesy of Country Patchwork Quilt Guild

Come. Sit. Stay...

Come. Sit. Stay...

Tickets at: MarshallMOSolarEclipse.eventbrite.com Bands: Violet and the Undercurrents Cauldron Point - Cosmic Loaner(s) - The Danny Thompson Band - Boogie Band www.visitmarshallmo.com

www.visitmarshallmo.com AND MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE! marshallmosolareclipse.com

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Lodging

Stay With Us in Marshall!

Comfort Inn – Marshall Station 1356 West College St. 660-886-8080 ComfortInns.com Claudia’s B & B 3000 West Arrow St. 660-886-5285 Courthouse Lofts 23 North Lafayette Ave. 207-841-9364 courthouselofts.com

Photo courtesy of Marshall Democrat News

ll

unications

Marshall Lodge 1333 West Vest St. 660-886-2326 marshall-lodge.com Super 8 Motel of Marshall 1355 West College St. 660-886-3359 super8.com Tower Extended Stay Suites 420 North Miami Ave. 660-631-9218 towerextendedstaysuites.com

Upcoming Events

Be sure to visit the Marshall Welcome Center on the northwest corner of the Square!

August 6 Pennytown Reunion and Prayer Service Pennytown Freewill Baptist Church 11am-12 pm Lunch & Fellowship 12:30pm-4pm Open to the public. pennytownchurch.org August 6 30th Annual Bud Shoot Indian Foothills Park marshallbowhunters.com August 19, 20 and 21 Moonstruck in Marshall Solar Eclipse Celebration MarshallMOSolarEclipse.com

September 21, 22 and 23 Missouri Valley College Rodeo Saline County Fairgrounds moval.edu September 30 and October 1 30th Annual Quilt Show Country Patchwork Quilt Guild Martin Community Center Saturday, 9am - 5pm Sunday, 10am - 5pm CountryPatchworkQuilters.com October 19, 20 and 21 Missouri State and National Cornhusking Championship Saline County Fairgrounds 660-886-3324 Cornhusking.com

Help Us Celebrate 30 years of quilting!

Our show features nearly 100 quilts including traditional, art, hand appliqued and crazy quilts!

10/19:

10/20: 10/21:

Education Day! View heritage events from yesteryear from corn shelling to corn shucking.

Antique machinery show.

Parade at 4pm.

Missouri State Cornhusking Competition.

Awards Banquet.

National Cornhusking Championship.

• • • • • •

Saturday, September 30, 9am-5pm Sunday, October 1 10am-5pm Martin Community Center 1985 S. Odell $5 Entrance Donation Guest Artist: Ronnie Elmore Vendors Gift Bazaar Quilt Raffle Quilt Appraiser on site CountryPatchworkQuilters.com

Scan this QR code to visit our website!

www.visitmarshallmo.com

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EXPLORE OUTDOORS AND IN STORES Unique shopping in Central Missouri just a short drive from every major Missouri city

Handel Haus, Cole Camp

�UAINT DOWNTOWN SHOPPING IN BENTON COUNTY Leave the big-city chain stores behind and come visit Benton County, which boasts three historic downtown districts, offering more than 35 locally owned stores and boutiques.

Stop by the Primitive Olde Crow & Winery in downtown Warsaw for antiques, primitives, and unique home decór. Look for gift baskets paired with a bottle of wine for the perfect present for any occasion. Find the Primitive Olde Crow & Winery on Facebook.

Head into Cole Camp to shop at the Handel Haus. Peruse treasures of yesteryear and today’s trends in home decorating in their relaxed, open atmosphere. Dine on German-inspired light dishes and enjoy a glass of wine at the Gartenfest Tea Room.

Find out more on Handel Haus’ Facebook page.

A PLETHORA OF ANTI�UE MALLS If you love antique malls, thrift stores and flea markets, Benton County is your must-visit destination. Plan a day trip or make it a full weekend.

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Contents AUGUST 2017

[68] TOMATOES GALORE Think you can sample 150 varieties? Give it a try at the Tomato Festival in Columbia.

in every issue >

[21] SHOW-ME BOOKS Jog your memories of yesteryear’s St. Louis with Lost Treasures. Plus, check out six other books worth the read, including an offering of Midwestinspired poems and a little something for the kids.

[24] MUSIC You’re bound to find a concert to enjoy this month, between a St. Louis weekend of nostalgia-filled covers and the state fair’s down-home lineup.

[26] MISSOURI ARTIST

special features >

One St. Louis garage has been transformed into a workshop fit for a cowboy. Grab your Stetson and spend some time with saddlemaker and poet Martin Bergin.

We’ve got everything you’ll need to safely enhance your eclipse-viewing experi-

[64] MUSINGS

[32] ECLIPSE

ence on August 21. You’ll find a list of when totality will hit different towns, information on eye safety, tips for capturing the event with cameras, and a timeline of some of the major eclipse moments in history, starting in 2100 bc.

[42] HAIL, AND WELL MET! If modern-day life has gotten you down, don’t get your corset in a twist. Visit one of these three Renaissance festivals for an escape into the worlds of kings, faeries, and magic. If you're lucky, you might even spot a unicorn..

[48] THE ROAD TO RIDE

Ron Marr answers that age-old question: What would it feel like to devour the sun? Dig into Norse mythology with Ron as he prepares for the eclipse on August 21.

[66] NO PLACE LIKE HOME Not everyone’s family vacations are set to the soundtrack of their father’s tongue clicking against his dentures. Welcome to Lorry Myers’s life.

The Rock Island Spur brings riders on the Katy Trail closer to Kansas City. The 47.5-mile trail, formed from a railroad corridor, flows through farms and pastoral scenery that is best viewed from the seat of a bike or on horseback.

[52] THE LONG GOODBYE The April 2017 flood swept through the town of Devils Elbow. After years of record-level floods and decades of being passed by, the residents of Devils Elbow are holding onto hope for a future—one that will retrieve its past glory of a town full of families, tourism, and industry.

special section > [75] FOOD, BREWS, ’SHINE & WINE If you’re like us, you know there’s nothing like a glass of wine or a brew and some barbecue.

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Contents

CONTENT BY LOCATION 18 74

AU G US T 2 0 1 7

16

departments >

42, 47, 48, 98

[10] MY MISSOURI LIFE

from Missouri makers, including

Editor Danita Allen Wood turns to

party supplies, barbecue sauce, and a

pewter-makers for sales advice. Meet

made-to-impress coffee grinder.

18, 68 24

74

42

42

52

98 16, 18, 24, 26, 14 70, 74 10

our new managing editor, Laura Heck.

[72] RECIPES [12] LETTERS

Chef Daniel Pliska shares some of his

Readers share some of their experienc-

favorite tomato-based recipes.

es and memories of stories and events.

[74] DINING WORTH THE DRIVE

[85] ALL AROUND MISSOURI

[14] MO MIX The Festus High School Rocket Team

Need a new atmosphere? Try dinner

you still can at these 94 events. Be sure

is out of this world, Busch Stadium’s

at the new Das Bevo lighthouse, the

to look for the eclipse icon for special

home plate takes on a whole new

campsite at Fort Chariton, or venture to

eclipse events.

meaning, and the Kearney Historic

Maple Street Grill for wordly fare.

Grab the last of the summer rays while

[98] THE BACK STORY

Museum banks on its addition.

[80] HEALTHY LIFE

Publisher Greg Wood connects with

[18] MADE IN MISSOURI

Missouri in August? You can go out-

the creator of the wildly adventurous

Get your summer gathering essentials

doors, but beat the heat with these tips.

MR340 race.

– THIS ISSUE –

On the Web

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

m

TOP TOMATO CHEF

NEW BOOKS ON MISSOURILIFE.COM

Be the coolest one at the eclipse viewing

If your mouth is watering from the recipes on

We've got 100 titles to chose from on our web-

party with do-it-yourself devices. Visit our

pages 72 and 73, go online for step-by-step

site, covering history, sports, beer, food, urban

website for another impressive contraption.

photos of Chef Daniel Pliska's methods.

legends, and more.

BBQ aprons.

T H E E !

T H A N K

Missouri hasn’t experienced once since 1869. We wanted to commemorate the occurrence with our cover to forever remind us what it was like to see this once-in-a-lifetime

P R I T H E E

event in Missouri. Design by Blake Dinsdale.

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THE SPIR IT

OF DIS COV

ERY

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The August 21 total solar eclipse will be quite a spectacle—

PAG E S .

approved T-shirts, baseball caps, and

GET IN THE ZONE

T H E S E

MissouriLife.com/store for summer-

on the cover>

P E R U S E

Summer Duds

Get ’em while it’s hot (outside). Visit

H U Z Z A H !

DIY ECLIPSE VIEWERS

ZONE The

O U R

The To mato Fe stival Our Ne west Bi ke Trail 3 Rena issance Festiva ls

E C L I P S E

G U I D E

Augu

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$4.99 st 2017 (Disp lay US | $4.9 until Augu 9 st 31)

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Greetings from

DISCOVER

Fulton Callaway County, Missouri EXPLORE

Backerʻs Auto World celebrates Americaʻs love for automobiles. Nearly 80 rare and vintage cars are displayed in historic venues. Craneʻs Country Store and Museum highlights life from the late 1800s to early 1900s, including a replica gas station.

TASTE

National Churchill Museum, housed under a 16th-century church, commemorates Winston Churchillʻs 1946 “Iron Curtain” speech at the beginning of the Cold War. A sculpture from the Berlin Wall marks the end of an era.

Savor the heartland at wineries, farmersʻ markets, a craft butcher shop and market, and worth-the-drive rural restaurants.

BROWSE

Upcoming Events

AUGUST Light & Shadow Eclipse Events SEPTEMBER Bluegrass & BBQ OCTOBER Autumn on the Bricks Hatton Craft Day Central Missouri Renaissance Festival

Interesting shops, delicious food and sweet treats can be found in our charming Brick District. Be sure to visit the Art House, a thriving art and fine craft gallery that offers classes, exhibits and events, including Autumn on the Bricks in October.

Visi tFul ton .com (573) 642-7692

NOVEMBER Brick Districtʻs Holiday Open House

* De t ails at v isi t f ul ton .com /e ve n ts

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Customer Care & FAQs All of us here at Missouri Life want to deliver excellent customer service to you.

Here are answers to many frequently asked questions.

Where is your office? We’re located in a back wing of the historic Hotel Frederick in Boonville, right beside the Missouri River, at 501 High Street. Come see all our past covers in our hallway.

What’s up with this Florida address?

New in 2017, we have grown so much we cannot keep up with the records in our Boonville office. Missouri does not have a firm specializing in magazine records, and we liked the one in Florida the best. (We might have to visit them in the winter, you know!) You should receive the same friendly assistance!

Our toll-free phone number is the same: 1-800-492-2593.

When will I get my first issue? It can be anywhere from one to six weeks after you order the magazine, depending on where we are in a magazine production and mailing cycle. Weird, we know, when you can order a house full of furniture and have it in two days.

How often does the magazine come out? We publish eight times a year, in February, April, May, June, August, September, October, and December.

So we’re a blend of monthly and bimonthly. You could call us “just in time!”

How do I order a gift? Visit MissouriLife .com, send an order card in this issue, or call 1-800-492-2593.

How do I change my address?

Visit MissouriLife.com or call us at 1-800-492-2593.

Why did I get another bill or renewal notice when I’ve already paid? If you’ve already paid, you can throw away one that arrived later and be assured you will continue to receive the magazine. What happens is that we run the notices, and because of our postal permit, the envelope can take longer to be delivered. Your payment arrived while our next notice was wending its way to you. Don’t worry, we send you several notices before we’re convinced you don’t want to keep reading! Call 1-800-492-2593 if you have questions.

THE SPIR IT OF DISCOV ERY ACCOUNT #

ISSUE#

EXPIRATION DATE

#BXNMRHM SCH 5-DIGIT 32811 #044020000112026039# 1701 JUN17 P54 MISSOURI LIFE MAGAZINE 501 HIGH ST STE A BOONVILLE MO 65233-1211 001

How can I learn when a gift I bought expires? If you can’t sneak a peek at the label of the person you gave the gift to, please call customer service at 1-800-492-2593.

If I want to hand-deliver the gift announcement card personally or mail it myself along with my own card to the person I’m giving a gift to, can I do that? Yes! Just note that on the gift order card, in special instructions if you order online, or let us know when you call to order at 1-800-492-2593.

When will the person I give a gift to get the gift announcement card? Your gift recipient should get the announcement card within one to three weeks.

How do I get a back issue? Just call toll-free 1-877-570-9898 and specify which issue you’d like. We’ll be happy to send it right away. They cost $7.50 because of the special mailing, so please have a credit card handy.

Where can I find Missouri Life on a newsstand? Please visit MissouriLife .com/newsstand-locator, and please note the two s’s in “newsstand.”

Why am I getting a digital issue of the magazine when I paid for print? It’s a diabolical plot. Just kidding! We send a digital issue out to you for a preview of what the print issue contains. It generally has extra features such as audio clips, extra photo galleries, and more.

Can I sign up for automatic renewal?

Yes! Save your time and also paper for where it counts—the magazine! Visit MissouriLife.com to select this service.

Can I get renewal notices by email?

Yes! This saves paper, too! Visit MissouriLife.com to share your email.

How do I submit an event to be published in your calendar? Please send your information to info@MissouriLife .com or call 660-882-9898, ext. 101.

Who can I give story ideas to?

Please send story ideas by mail to Managing Editor Laura Heck at Laura @MissouriLife.com or to her attention at our address, 501 High St., Ste. A, Boonville, MO 65233.

I have a question about one of your stories. Who should I send that to?

Please send any questions to Amy Stapleton at Amy@MissouriLife.com.

She has the longest reliable institutional memory.

How do I submit a letter to the editor?

Please send your comments to Laura@ MissouriLife.com and place Letter to the Editor in the subject line.

I’m interested in advertising or creating a special publication. Who do I call? Start with Sue Burns toll-free at 877-570-9898, ext. 116 or email her: Sue@MissouriLife.com.

What else you got? Well … a free weekly newsletter, Missouri LifeLines, with events that came in after deadline and other interesting stories. Sign up for it at MissouriLife.com.

Tell us what you think. Share your customer service experience, positive or negative, by emailing one of the owners: Danita@MissouriLife.com.

501 High Street, Ste. A, Boonville, MO 65233 660-882-9898 | Info@MissouriLife.com

Publisher Greg Wood Editor in Chief Danita Allen Wood EDITORIAL & ART Managing Editor Laura Heck Creative Director Sarah Hackman Copy Editor Kathy Casteel Graphic Designer and Staff Photographer Harry Katz Calendar Editor Amy Stapleton Graphic Designer Kath Teoli Editorial Assistants Emma Beyers, Zoey Glasgow Contributing Writers Lori A. Addington, Danielle Breshears, Shannon Cothran, Bill Bryan, Amy Burger, Rose Hansen, Eddie O'Neill, Julie Brown Patton, Daniel Pliska, Susan Atteberry Smith, Evan Wood Columnists Ron W. Marr & Lorry Myers Contributing Photographers Bill Bryan, Rose Hansen, Joe Henley, Cindy Hiles, Brian Leo, Dave Marner, Eddie O'Neill, Becky Schenewark, Susan Atteberry Smith MARKETING • 877-570-9898 Advertising & Marketing Director Scott Eivins, 660-882-9898, ext. 102 Marketing and Advertising Coordinator Sue Burns, 660-882-9898, ext. 116 Circulation Management: Russell Marth, Circulation Specialists, LLC DIGITAL MEDIA MissouriLife.com, Missouri eLife, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Editor Evan Wood Missouri Lifelines Kath Teoli

FIND US ONLINE OR SOCIAL MEDIA Search for Missouri Life Magazine on Facebook to send us a message, or tweet us @MissouriLife. Share pictures with us on Instagram @MissouriLife.

HOW TO REACH US SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: MissouriLife.com missourilife@emailcustomerservice.com 1-800-492-2593 ALL OTHER INFORMATION: 1-877-570-9898

info@missourilife.com

MISSOURI LIFE, Vol. 44, No. 5, August 2017 (USPS#020181; ISSN#1525-0814) Published eight times a year in February, April, May, June, August, September, October, and December by Missouri Life, Inc., for $21.99. Periodicals Postage paid at Boonville, Missouri, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Missouri Life, 501 High Street, Ste. A, Boonville, MO 65233-1211. © 2017 Missouri Life. All rights reserved. Printed by The Ovid Bell Press Inc. in Fulton, Missouri.

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40TH Annual

HERITAGE FESTIVAL & CRAFT SHOW Saturday & Sunday, September 16 & 17, 10 AM - 5 PM Nifong Park, 3700 Ponderosa, Columbia, MO Three stages of entertainment featuring: • Haskell Indian Nation Dancers • Traditional, Americana, Bluegrass, Irish, Cajun, Folk, and German Music • Dancing and Puppet Shows Festival Attractions include: • Traditional Arts and Trades demonstrations • Handmade Crafts for sale • Fun for Young’uns area • The Great American Medicine Show, Cowboy and Mountain Man Camps • Museum, village & historic homes tours • Food Trucks on-site

FREE ADMISSION! For more information, call 573-874-7460 or visit www.como.gov (search Heritage Festival) Stay overnight! Visit www.visitcolumbiamo.com

Coordinated by: Sponsored by: [9] August 2017

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y MISSOURI LIFE WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE ROUTE 66 IS ON OUR MIND. We are very close to sending an update to our Guide to Missouri’s Route 66 to press at the same time as we are finishing this issue.

Route 66’s days were numbered when President Dwight D. Eisenhower created the interstate highway system in 1956, based on his World War II experience with the German Autobahn network. But Route 66 today still draws tourists from all over the world. One of the longest preserved stretches of the original route runs from Springfield to Tulsa. Our guide covers the 317 miles in

PAT AND TOM HOOPER

► PAT

AND TOM HOOPER of ASL

Pewter are definitely two artisans you should meet on your next trip to Ste. Genevieve. Those of you who are fans of the 2008 HBO miniseries John Adams may be surprised to learn that the five hundred plus pieces of pewter dishes used on that show were made by these two, who also consulted. They’ve won countless national awards, too.

I first got to know the Hoopers through Best of Missouri Hands, a wonderful group of artists and artisans. But I felt like I truly got to know Pat and Tom at the Missouri State Fair in the early 2000s, when Greg and I once ran a booth for Missouri Life. We invited different artists or artisans to share the booth with us each day.

On the day we were there with them, I discovered Pat’s wonderful sense of humor as she exposed me to some of the secret language shared by vendors at fairs and art shows—“bee-backs” are people who feel compelled to tell you, “We will be back,” though they rarely mean it.

I picked up a clever sales technique from Pat, who says she learned it from artist-marketing guru Bruce Baker. Let’s say a visitor to the booth picks up a pewter piece but begins wavering, saying something like, “Oh, I don’t know. It’s kind of costly.” She would take it out of their hands, put it back on the table, and say, “Well, it’s not for everyone.” Customers will want to be in the elite group of people the artwork is for, and taking it away makes them want it more! I remember thinking she was the queen of salesmanship.

Pat and Tom moved from Clarksville, where they had been for fourteen years, to Ste. Genevieve, in 2015. “You can’t get more historical than Ste. Genevieve, the oldest permanent settlement west of the Mississippi,” Pat says.

These days, if you visit them, you may meet their downstairs cats, Lex and Volt (short for Electrifying and High Voltage), which are rescued Bengal cats. And if you stay long enough to hear Tom yell in jest, “Wench, bring out the mead!”— which Pat makes herself—the odds are good that you might meet the elusive upstairs cats, too.

This is what I love most about Missouri—its DANITA ALLEN WOOD, EDITOR people!

You will be able to pick up the guide free at Missouri Tourism Centers, or you can find it online on our website. If you want the paper copy, you can send us $5 for shipping and handling, and we’ll mail it to you.—Danita

FROM OUR MISSOURI LIFE TEAM I grew up on Missouri stories. My parents’ parents nurtured my family’s roots in St. Charles and Jefferson City. I spent my childhood in St. Louis (before you ask: Parkway South High School) and attended the University of Missouri School of Journalism. On campus, I walked the same paths my mother and father did thirty-five years earlier.

I’m honored to join Missouri Life as managing editor and continue telling the stories of Missourians like my family and of Missourians who bear no resemblance to my family. Throughout my journalism career, I’ve chased after deeply held tales—those stories that connect people who have shared the same air in the same place for a little while. The ones that make you feel at home. Those are the stories I can’t wait to help tell at Missouri Life.

Now, I feel I’m finally shaping a slice of my own Missouri. I’m growing my own roots and creating my own stories to share. I look forward to exploring those roots with each of you.—Laura Heck

KATH TEOLI, COURTESY ASL PEWTER

THE QUEEN WHO BECAME A WENCH

Missouri and contains 78 points of interest along the way.

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Treating every moment like it’s a masterpiece.

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AUGUST

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

GLAD TO GET TO GO! Just wanted to say thanks for keeping us informed of events throughout Missouri! If it hadn't been for Missouri Life, I would have missed out on a super fun day at Washington, Missouri, during the Plein Air Art Festival.

It was a fun-filled day visiting with the artists as they painted around town during the morning and then out at the Lake Tree Winery in the afternoon.

The weather was beautiful, and the people were all so friendly. I have it on my calendar for next year.

I’m attaching a photo (pictured right—Editor) showing an artist from Indiana painting another artist as he created his painting at the Plein Air Festival.

I purchased her original painting!

—Nancy Scott, Boonville

The painting Nancy Scott purchased was from Linda Volz, who was painting another artist, Chris Sheppard, from Holts Summit.

WHERE’S THE WOMAN? Where is Rachel Carson? Leave out the woman, of course.—Jan Alderson, Kansas City

Pretty Boy Floyd and two others attempted to free

Country Store at 11:30ish. We don’t take roll, and

This letter refers to a May 2017 article previewing an event

Frank Nash as he was being returned to Leavenworth,

there are no dues. If you are absent, we talk about

that featured reenactors and abodes of conservationists

from where he had escaped. After the gunfire sub-

you, and if you are present, we pick on you. We mainly

Aldo Leopold, John Muir, and Henry David Thoreau.

sided, Frank Nash and four law officers were dead. A

talk about what we can remember from the past, or

Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring.—Editor

fifth officer later died as a result of the incident.

we just make up stuff.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to remem-

EAGLE SCOUT HONORS HEROES

ber the sacrifice these men made on that day.

I was surprised and so pleased to open the May 2017

—Ann Duer, Gladstone

I read that a woman teaches “storytelling classes” in college. Boy, did I go to the wrong school.

Drop in and see us, you hear?

issue of Missouri Life and see my grandson JJ Duer’s

—Jim Blacklock, Montgomery City

Eagle Scout project pictured on page 61 in the article

TELLING WHOPPERS

“Service & Sacrifice.”

I am writing in regard to an article that appeared in

CORRECTION

JJ, with the support of his dad, the Kansas City Po-

the past April 2016 issue titled “Telling Whoppers.”

The May 2017 story, “Service & Sacrifice,” about Mis-

lice Department, individual officers, and other scouts,

The article stated there are three storytellers clubs

souri’s five cemeteries for veterans contained two

dedicated his project to the law officers who died as

in Missouri: St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield as

errors. At Jefferson Barracks, the old cemetery con-

a result of the June 17, 1933, Union Station Massacre.

their headquarters. However, there is a fourth loca-

tains about 20,000 gravesites, but there are 257,698

The monument at the Trail of Heroes was dedicated

tion in Williamsburg at the 161 mile marker on I-70 in

gravesites in total. The cemetery still has space to ac-

on June 17, 2011, the anniversary of the day when

Callaway County. We meet every Thursday in Crane’s

commodate both caskets and cremated remains.

SEND US A LETTER & OTHER CORRESPONDENCE

Missouri Life, 501 High Street, Ste. A, Boonville, MO 65233-1252 Info@MissouriLife.com

Missouri Life Magazine

@MissouriLife

WE PRINT AS MANY AS WE CAN!

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Pla n Y ou r Get a wa y!

So m uch to se e an d do in Le ba no n!

Gospel Spectacular August 28-30 Cowan Civic Center 417-532-4642

2nd Annual Lebanon Gospel Music Get Together August 2-5 Cowan Civic Center

Christian Motorcycle Association 2017 State Rally August 25-27 | Mills Center

23rd Annual Case Knives Celebration September 9 | Shepherd Hills Factory Outlet LebanonMissouri.org/calendar

Lebanon is known by its motto, “Friendly people. Friendly place.”

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

LebanonMissouri.org | 1-866-LEBANON [13] August 2017

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Mo MIX

Sky’s the Limit Festus ► THE FESTUS HIGH SCHOOL ROCKET CLUB TEAM shot to the top of the International Rocketry Challenge in Paris as world champ following its first-place finish in the national qualifying Team America Rocketry Challenge last May in Washington, DC. After long preparation, the students traveled to France to represent the United States on June 22-23. The Festus team reached for the stars to beat out other high school teams from countries such as Japan, France, and Great Britain.

Each team builds a rocket before the competition lifts off. The goal is to launch a rocket cradling a hen’s egg to space (or reach a target altitude of about 800 feet, which is 170 feet higher than the peak of the Gateway Arch) and bring the egg safely back to Earth in 42-44 seconds. Forty percent of each team’s score comes from a presentation on the rocket’s mechanics.

But Coach Devin Lorenz (who is also the school’s band director and an alumnus of the Rocket Club) believes the benefits of the competition go far beyond that. Students get to explore science and practice problem solving, teamwork, and time management. —Zoey Glasgow

Top: From left, Ed Bohnert, Joel Marler, Timothy Ruesche, Christopher Carden, Ryan Brown, Rylie Martin, Jacob Rozner, Grace Basler, Cydney Breier, and Ashton Croft show off their gold medals and winning rocket, “Herb,” named after their mentor. Above: Teammates Christopher (left) and Ed (right) embrace a tearful Joel after the Festus team is announced as international champions.

COURTESY RAYTHEON

Building and flying rockets is out-of-this-world exciting to the students, and so is the $20,000 in scholarships and prizes from winning the national competition.

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visit 1.888.667.3236

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Mo MIX Food Fit for Fredbird

St. Louis

FOX SPORTS has named St. Louis the number one baseball city in America, and what better way to celebrate than with Cardinals food? Fox’s Dieter Kurtenbach says St. Louisans are “all-in on the Cardinals. You can’t question that kind of loyalty.” Kansas City also made the list of the thirteen best baseball cities, coming in at number eleven.

Fans can revel in the city's top ranking when they visit the ballpark and try the Cardinals Nation food truck, new this year at Busch Stadium. Executive chef of Cardinals Nation Restaurant William Ortmann created a menu that he says features “traditional ballpark fare with an upscale, unique twist. For example, the ribs are baby back ribs cured like bacon and fried, so they’re crispy on the outside. They taste like a rib but also taste like bacon.”

Chef William’s ribs are a home-run hit, and so is his Turkey Cuban with bacon, fontina, pickles, and cranberry dijonnaise pressed between two slices of multigrain ciabatta. A fan-favorite is the Ballpark Brisket Mac & Cheese, four-cheese pasta topped with brisket smoked at Busch Stadium. On game days, find the Cardinals Nation food truck inside the Busch II Infield at Ballpark Village. Follow the truck on Twitter @CardsFoodTruck.

— Shannon Cothran

Mo’ Room, Mo’ History Kearney

THE KEARNEY HISTORIC MUSEUM is celebrating a recent expansion that makes room for the daily display of 90 percent of the museum’s entire collection. Visitors can see the popular timeline wall that chronicles the history of Kearney back to 1856 or see rare railroad message sticks once used to pass notes to nonstop trains.

Younger children will like the old Victrola and seeing how the music plays without Curator Gerri Spencer is happy to have her favorite pieces of Kearney history on display all the time now—four feathered hats that were created by local women.

To expand, the museum fittingly grew into an adjacent historic building. The museum purchased the 1870 former bank building next-door and restored it to its 1900 condition. The new digs also offer a meeting room that can hold up to thirtysix people. Groups are welcome to reserve and use the room at no cost, but the museum does accept donations.

Gerri couldn’t be happier to be in the old bank. “If it stood 150 years,” she says, “it should be there 150 more.” —Zoey Glasgow

COURTESY CARDINALS NATION AND THE KEARNEY HISTORIC MUSEUM

any plug-ins.

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Made IN MISSOURI Taste-Test Triumph Columbia COLUMBIA-BASED Spicewine Ironworks won the 2017 Best in Royal barbecue contest in Kansas City, reclaiming the title it last held in 2009. Spicewine beat 606 entries from 43 different states and 13 countries.

Not bad for a sideline product! Spicewine Ironworks is best known for its custom-made home and commercial smokers. The three founders—Jay Curry, Steve Curry, and Randy Ham—combined their surnames when naming the business (spice + swine = Spicewine). The medium-sized smoker is the most popular, suitable for home or commercial use, but they also have a $26,000 smoker that is big enough to cook four hogs at once.

The barbecue sauces and rubs came along when Spicewine Ironworks created its website, Jay says. He thought the website looked bare, so they created their own sauces and rubs to pair with the main product. A lot of their creations hit the trash before they found a winner, Jay says, so getting the first one on the market was “a labor of love.”

Spicewine Ironworks products are available in grocery stores such as Hy-Vee, Schnucks, and Riverport Market, and at SpicewineIronworks.com.—Zoey Glasgow

COURTESY SUCRE SHOP, SPICEWINE IRONWORKS, AND RED ROOSTER TRADING COMPANY

the World Award for its Blue Collar BBQ Sauce at the American

Grind & Brew Bible Grove

SET AMONG THE FARMLANDS of northeast Missouri, you’ll find the Red Rooster Trading Company. Red Rooster creates many handmade items, but the company is best known for its coffee mill. Designed with a hand crank, the Camano Coffee Mill grinds coffee beans from fine to coarse. “It is important for each of our goods to not only be beautiful but functional, too,” says Britta Burrus. Britta, along with her husband, Justin, started manufacturing the coffee mill in 2010.

“In the process of having it made here in the USA, we also made some changes

Sweet Fun St. Louis

to the mechanism, making it a superior grinder,” Britta says. The Camano Cof-

► BROOKE PRATT STARTED MAKING hand-stamped utensils for her kids, and other

fee Mill grinds more than coffee

moms took notice. What started as a hobby turned Sucre Shop into a small business.

beans; it's also useful for flax seeds,

“I have the freedom to make what I like—a sweet little mix of party supplies,” Brooke

peppercorns, and cinnamon sticks.

says. “I was the original one to stamp on wooden kitchen utensils.”

“We have met some of the best and most

Brooke’s shop was inspired by her years of living in New Orleans and her grand-

encouraging folks ever,” Britta says. “Their

ma, who was French. In fact, Sucre means “sweet” in French. The variety set is

encouragement and support keep us

still her most popular item. In the set, you’ll find twenty utensils in a variety of

inspired and excited to create.”

fun, bright colors and patterns. But utensils are not the only thing for sale in Sucre

Visit RedRoosterTradingCompany.com

Shop; Brooke also offers gift bags, straws, scoops, and koozies, among other things.

to shop online, or find it on

To learn more about Sucre Shop or to shop online, visit SucreShop.com. Follow

Facebook at RedRoosterCo.

the business at Facebook.com/SucreShop. —Lori A. Addington

—Lori A. Addington

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SHOW-ME

Books

TREASURE TROVE Cameron Collins's book pines for the forgotten gems of the Gateway City. BY ZOEY GLASGOW

Lost Treasures of St. Louis Cameron Collins, hardcover, 216 pages, nonfiction, Reedy Press, $39.99. Available at ShopMissouriLife.com hundred years, it was the stepping-off point for everything that happened west of the Mississippi River. Throw in a World’s Fair, baseball, beer, shoes, floods, tornadoes … and I’m just scratching the surface. Even Ferguson and St. Louis’s struggles today are fascinating topics of research. St. Louis is up there with New York City and New Orleans.”

Cameron is the author of the St. Louis history and drinking blog Distilled History, named Best Personal Blog by the Riverfront Times in 2013.

His blog caught the interest of Reedy Press, and Cameron built on the momentum of Distilled to create Lost Treasures. When researching the stories to include in the book, he says a few seemed to stand out to him. The story of Mr. Moke, the chimpanzee that was kidnapped by his trainer from the St. Louis Zoo, was one of

those irresistible tales. Those kinds of memoryevoking stories and gathering points—the ones that are built into a community’s DNA—are what help connect the dots of the city’s history to what it is today.

The book creates a robust picture of what life was like for St. Louisans spanning back decades and even centuries. Greg Rhomberg, owner and curator of the Antique Warehouse, supplied many of the photos and images in the book, gleaned from his own collection. As a practiced historian, Greg writes in the book’s foreword that he is proud the book is able to contribute to the historical record of the city. He writes: “As a society, we are becoming more interested than ever in the history of our cities. In St. Louis, we just happen to be ahead of the curve.” Lost Treasures is a testament to that.

COURTESY CAMERON COLLINS

CAMERON COLLINS’S curated collection of the Lost Treasures of St. Louis opens a doorway to the history of the Gateway City.

The pages revive memories of yesterday’s St. Louis, when multiple amusement parks, shopping centers, all the German food you could imagine, and even The Playboy Club were right around the corner. Stroll through the pages of Lost Treasures, and you’ll feel as if you are taking a trip through not just your own memories, but those of your parents, grandparents, and greatgrandparents.

Lost Treasures contains 410 pieces of colorful nostalgia celebrating moments, people, and places that made an impact on the city. Residents of a certain age might remember shopping at Famous-Barr (the first air-conditioned department store in America), Streetside Records on The Loop, or Arlan’s (“Famous for Everyday Low Prices”). They might remember visiting entertainment staples such as the Goldenrod Showboat, Kiel Auditorium, or Gaslight Square.

Perhaps they can recall watching KSD-TV and popular shows such as Corky’s Colorama, Quiz a Catholic, and Sally Jesse Raphael, which debuted in St. Louis as the first daily talk show with a female host. Other St. Louisans might remember listening to Jack Carney and Miss Blue on KMOX-AM radio and reading about Phil the Gorilla in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.

Cameron writes that he hopes the book will prompt conversations that start with the question “Remember when …?” A native of upstate New York, he has lived in St. Louis since 1995 and believes that coming from a different part of the country is a big reason why he was so captivated by the history of the city.

“St. Louis is a history buff’s dream city,” Cameron says. “It was the biggest city in the biggest border state in the Civil War. For more than one

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SHOW-ME

Books

MORE GOOD READS

BY ZOEY GLASGOW

The Big Eclipse

Most Improved Sophomore

Nancy Coffelt, 16 pages, nonfiction, Orbit Oregon, $12.95 With the solar eclipse approaching, people of all ages are looking for ways to appreciate the event.

Nancy Coffelt wrote The Big Eclipse to help younger students understand the phenomenon that will occur on August 21. Kids will love the book’s exploration of myths, stories, and facts about eclipses. Nancy uses illustrations to help demonstrate what will happen during the solar eclipse and when it’s best to use caution during the viewing experience.

American Ephemeral

Kevin Killeen, 200 pages, fiction, Blank Slate Press, $10.69 Finding true love can be difficult, especially for a sophomore at an all-boys Catholic high school.

But Tony Vivamano is determined to make it happen, along with his best friend, Patrick Cantwell.

Most Improved Sophomore delves into the haunting stress of a teenager’s love life, hopes, and dreams.

Kevin Killeen shows readers what it’s like to be a St. Louis teenager, hungry for freedom and searching for ways to live life to the fullest.

Billy Bob’s Howler

Justin Hamm, 74 pages, poetry, Kelsay Books, $14 Reminisce about your childhood or think about what is to come in your future with American Ephemeral by Justin Hamm. This collection of poems will lead you through the depths of your mind in search of truth and the forgotten. The poet marches readers through a contemplative look at American mythos that will have you question what you know to be home. The book also pairs photographs that give visualization to the Midwestern stories expressed within the poems.

St. Charles Missouri, A Brief History

Ross Malone, 136 pages, historical fiction, Bluebird Publishing, $17 Ross Malone presents the third book in the Boys from our Past series: Billy Bob’s Howler. The historical fiction story revolves around Billy Bob, a boy who once had a good reputation but transformed into a “fantastic liar” after a supposed encounter with the Ozark Howler. Howler or no, Billy Bob became a darling of the local media and a worthy protagonist for this book geared toward younger teens, named “Best Book of the Year” by the Ozark Writing League.

Iva Mae: The Book of Mom

James W. Erwin, 176 pages, nonfiction, Arcadia Publishing, $21.99 Take a step back into history when you read St. Charles Missouri, A Brief History. In this book, James W. Erin takes readers to the town of St. Charles when it was first discovered and known only as Les Petite Côtes, or the Little Hills. The historical information about events such as the Lewis and Clark Expedition and The Great Flood of 1933 is detailed and descriptive; the stories are paired with historic photos from the time period. St. Charles Missouri, A Brief History shows just how much this town has changed.

Robin Anne Griffiths, 362 pages, nonfiction, self-published, $16.99 As soon as author Robin Anne Griffiths went through her mother’s keepsake box after her death, she knew Iva’s story needed to be told. In this biography and ode to strong women everywhere, Robin weaves the tale of a hardworking woman whose early life was shaped by her own mother’s (Robin’s grandmother) death and a devastating house fire. Iva Mae: The Book of Mom celebrates Iva’s hard work, achievement, and perseverance from her early days without electricity and plumbing until her death at age 91.

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Save the dates~ Sept 29-30 Community festival including BBQ, crafts & much more!

Oct 21 Clinton’s 4th Annual Wine Stroll www.clintonmo.com Truman Lake Katy Trail Golf - Shopping Henry County Museum Dining - Lodging Skydiving

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MISSOURI The Lineup

Under Cover Bands Go as Greats St. Louis

AUG. 24: THE ’80S - Theresa Payne as Chaka Khan - Tortuga as Dolly Parton with Kenny Rogers - Paige Alyssa as Janet Jackson - Too Deep as Madonna - Tenement Ruth as Stevie Nicks

► A LATE SUMMER FESTIVAL of favorites is hitting St. Louis when An Under Cover Weekend tunes up at Delmar Hall. Over the course of three nights—August 24, 25, and 26—fifteen local bands will play a cover set of

AUG. 25: THE ’90S

popular acts from the 1980s, ’90s, and ’00s, respectively.

- Fivefold as Third Eye Blind - Blank Generation as Outkast - Katarra & The SoFolkz as Lauryn Hill - Les Gruff and the Billy Goat as Counting Crows - Ramona Deflowered as The Offspring

Now in its eleventh year, the concept is the brainchild of local musician and promoter Michael Tomko.

“These events really celebrate local music and give the bands a chance to do something that shows a wider range for a bigger audience with the hopes that afterward, those people might want to go see them be themselves again,” Michael says.

Bands get fully into the acts they are covering—not

AUG. 26: THE ’00S

only performing their music, but also often dressing the

- The Daisy Ad with Insane Analog and River Kittens as Gorillaz - The Fade as Justin Timberlake - Aida Ade as Erykah Badu - School of Rock as Amy Winehouse - We Should Leave This Tree as Death Cab For Cutie

part to complete the tribute.

Guitarist Jacob Vi of the band Too Deep and vocalist Kimberly Anderson will cover Madonna on Aug. 24. Jacob says the event has the vibe of a rock band summer camp.

“It’s artistically exciting,” he says. “A couple years ago, The Feed did a set as George Michael and Wham! and, being a fan of that band, it just made me think, ‘I want to do that.’ ” The fifteen bands playing this year represent a wide array of styles and genres. “It’s the most representative of the St. Louis music scene as a whole as we’ve ever been

Libby Swanger of the Lonely Mountain String Band covers a Taylor Swift song during last year’s Under Cover Weekend.

able to pull off,” Michael says.—Amy Burger

ALAN JACKSON

6133 Delmar Boulevard $12 nightly, or $30 for a three-day pass UndercoverWeekend.com

State Fair Wrangles Up Can’t-Miss Acts Sedalia

THERE’S A COUNTRY HOEDOWN headed this way, tuning up for some Nashville try, pop, rock, and Christian tunes are on tap for the annual shindig in Sedalia.

Sawyer Brown—the country “it” band of the ’90s—will get the toe-tapping started with an opening-day performance August 10 at the Pepsi Grandstand.

The stars come out that weekend when Alan Jackson and Lee Ann Womack headline the Saturday night slate, bringing a bushel of Grammy Award-winning songs to the August 12 concert. On August 16, the Southern Uprising Tour rolls into town, featuring Hall of Famer Charlie Daniels, Travis Tritt, The Marshall Tucker Band, and the Outlaws.

Little Big Town will wrap up the concert schedule on August 19. See the complete lineup at MoStateFair.com.—Kathy Casteel 2503 West 16th Street • $5 to $55, plus fair admission 800-796-6776 or 800-745-3000 • TicketMaster.com

COURTESY MONICA MILEUR AND MISSOURI STATE FAIR

nirvana at this month’s Missouri State Fair from August 10-20. Eight nights of coun-

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COME VISIT

HISTORIC

DOWNTOWN LIBERTY

JOIN US FOR THE

SUMMER EVENTS

• August 5: Kids Trout Tournament at Montauk State Park • August 12: Summer’s End Kids Free Fishing at Montauk State Park • September 2-3: Labor Day Weekend 3rd Annual Salem Chamber Rodeo • Advance tickets on sale, vendors welcome, begins 7:30 pm each night.

• Email chamber@salemmo.com or call 573-729-6900 for more information.

SAT, AUG. 19th

3 - 7pm

Facebook.com/SalemAreaChamber Twitter.com/SalemChamber573

www.DowntownLiberty.org

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MISSOURI

SUBURBAN COWBOY Martin Bergin uses the Old West to frame saddles and poems. BY EDDIE O’NEILL other bungalows in the St. Louis suburb of Overland. Inside, it couldn’t be more different. Where a couch, coffee table, and TV would normally be found, there are dusty saddles, dangling lariats, and stained cowboy hats. The smell of leather permeates the room. It’s the home of Martin Bergin, a talented cowboy poet and world-renowned saddlemaker.

“Each of these saddles has a story,” Martin says. “That one there is probably close to one hundred years old. It came from a dear friend who died several years ago. They don’t make them like that anymore; it’s one of a kind.”

Martin is equally one of a kind. His story began in west Texas, not too far from New Mexico.

“I was fourteen years old when I got my first leather tool kit,” he recalls. “I was a curious kid. A couple of old cowboys taught me how to make bridles. Then I started buying old saddles and tearing them down and using them for patterns. I would eventually rebuild them.”

The west Texas cowboys taught Martin to ride broncos and bulls at the local rodeo. Add to that years of driving cattle and roping calves, and the cowboy ethos runs deep through Martin’s veins. Throughout his career with the Navy, he always kept a hand in building saddles, owning horses, and rodeoing.

He married Maureen Wurm, a St. Louis girl, in 1960 and settled in his wife’s hometown when he got out of the Navy in the mid-1970s. Not too long after their move, the “cowboy invasion” took over the Bergins’ small home. “My wife told me that my cowboy paraphernalia couldn’t go past the kitchen,” Martin notes with a smile. “So I took over the living room and converted the two-car garage into my saddle shop.”

A widower since 2011, Martin still surrounds himself with the stock in trade of saddlemaking. His workspace is as much a museum of leather crafting as it is a saddle shop. Here the clock seems to have stopped quite a few decades ago. Some of his tools are 125 years old. “My wife used to call this stuff our 401k retirement plan,” he says. On the workshop walls, antique leather-crafting tools hang from pegboards. Buck knives of all sizes line a nearby wall. On another hang stained and faded photos of Martin with various celebrities.

The 1990s were Martin’s heyday; he was making around 12 to 15 saddles a year while doing repairs and other leather projects. Now, he does three or four saddles a year and a fair amount of leather-repair work. A typical saddle takes around 40 hours of labor. Thirty-five years ago, one of his signature saddles cost about $1,000. Today, a Bergin saddle comes in at about $3,500.

“I start my work with a saddle tree, which is the framework of the seat,” he says. “Then you work your way up, layering the leather. The key is patience. A good saddlemaker takes the time to make sure things fit right.”

Doing it right has earned him a reputation as one of the finest saddlemakers in the country. He’s made saddles for Hollywood cowboys and actors as well as the weekend trail rider, but Martin is proudest of his saddles that have kept the cowboys of the West comfortable on horseback year after year. “These are men who are in the saddle working cattle for ten to twelve hours a day,” he says. “So they need a seat that is just right and one that will stand up to rain, sleet, snow, and sun. A good saddle will last a working rancher at least a decade, and then I get a call

EDDIE O'NEILL

FROM THE STREET, the small brick home looks like all the

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EDDIE O'NEILL

Top left: Martin Bergin learned leather crafting and saddlemaking from cowboys in west Texas. Bottom left: Martin’s shop is covered with bits and pieces of cowboy lore that no doubt play a role in his poetry and spoken-word presentations. Above: Martin usually spends about 40 hours building standard saddles and 120 hours on show pieces.

from them for a new one.”

Saddlemaking traditionally is passed on between a master and an apprentice. About twenty-five years ago, Martin attended a saddlemaking school in South Dakota, but he lasted only a week or two. “The owner of the school was so impressed with me that he offered me a partnership in the school,” he says with the smile. Martin turned him down.

Saddlemaking has the reputation of being a territorial trade, in which makers won’t share how they do things. But Martin says he has no secrets and is happy to pass on his knowledge to others. For eight years, Martin was the master saddlemaker in the Missouri Folk Arts Program.

Each year, a student worked with him to complete a saddle from scratch.

Martin’s artistic ability extends beyond leather and into the world of cowboy poetry. He was roped into the spoken word by a ranching friend. He was so good at it that he twice landed a performance on The

Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. “That was my big break,” he shares with a wink. “Afterward, I was getting invitations to perform my poetry at every cowboy gathering across the nation.”

With an open-crease cowboy hat stuck firmly on his head, a handlebar mustache just above his lips, and custom-made boots on his feet, Martin landed a few roles as an extra in some Hollywood Westerns, including Defiance (2002), Open Range, and the Lonesome Dove miniseries. “It’s not as glamorous as it looks,” he says. “It’s a lot of standing around and waiting for five minutes of work. But the movies afforded me the opportunity to meet some really good people.”

At age seventy-eight, Martin has no plans to slow down. He still rides horses at his daughter’s farm outside of St. Louis. As a poet, he travels to a handful of cowboy poetry gatherings around the nation each year, and there are still saddles to build and leather repairs to be made.

“I get as much satisfaction from the last saddle I made as from the first saddle I put together,” he says. “When the day comes when that’s not the case, I’ll shut down my shop, pack up my dog, and go ’possum hunting.”

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PROMOTION

Established in 1833, the city of Carrollton continues to be a shining example of rural Missouri charm and history. According to the History of Carroll County, Missouri, published by the Missouri Historical Company in 1881, “To native Missourians—to the thousands who have and are daily locating in this section of the country, Missouri is the garden of the world and Carroll County is the garden of Missouri.” A visit to the town of Carrollton can give one the sense of a step back in time and an opportunity to walk amid the blooms of the past and present.

The drive from any direction into Carrollton is a scenic farm tour peppered with Missouri wineries along the route. The drive into town is the perfect day trip, with the best yet to come once arrived. If coming from the north, visitors to Carrollton might see the neighboring Amish community’s stores and greenhouses or pass their buggies and stands where they sell candy, baked goods, and preserves.

Carrollton is the smallest city in the country to ever operate a trolley car system. In recognition of this, the city has restored a replica trolley car that is still used in parades, festivals, and other events, giving riders a tour of the community. There’s no need to wait for the next parade day, however; visitors to Carrollton can schedule their own private tour by contacting the local fire department ahead of time.

Located near the Missouri River, Carrollton’s 36acre Recreation Park is home to more than 2 miles

of paved walking trails situated so visitors can take in all the beauty of this centrally located Missouri town. The park also contains picnicking areas complete with barbecue grills, batting cages, and ball fields, a nine-hole disc-golf course, playgrounds, and tennis courts, making it the perfect place to enjoy family time by all.

Winner of the National Civic League’s AllAmerica City Award, the Carrollton community wishes to extend to all visitors a very big smalltown welcome.

Winner o f the National C ivic League’s All-Ameri ca City Awa rd 2005

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Shirley’s Shoes & Boots

Carrollton

Weekend Getaway

Fashions and footwear for everyone. Offering unique styles and personalized service for more than 43 years.

for the Whole Family

Hours of operation: Monday-Saturday, 8:30AM- 5:30PM Sunday 1:00PM-5:00PM

FRIDAY NIGHT

Dinner: Kick off your weekend in Carrollton with dinner at Main Street Restaurant. Try the Friday night specials of fried catfish and broasted chicken, and have a slice of the best homemade pie you’ve ever had the privilege to enjoy.

14 W Benton North side of the square 660-542-0961 On Facebook - Shirley’s Shoes & Boots

Crybaby Farm Gifts & The Lavender Tea Room Crybaby Farm has a bountiful selection of gifts, home and garden décor, vintage finds, and jewelry. Reserve an elegant lunch in The Lavender Tea Room and stay to enjoy sunshine in the courtyard over wine and tapas with friends.

SATURDAY

Breakfast: Start the morning right with homemade pastries and barista-crafted coffee from Folger Street Inn & Coffee House.

Fun Activities: Stop by Pin Oak Hill’s gun club for challenging shooting experiences and quality upland birds

Hours of operation: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5:30PM

Lunch: Check out 4 Corners Café for a fresh dining experience with both lighter fare and home-style favorites.

900 North US Highway 65 816-808-9899 CrybabyFarm.com TheLavenderTeaRoom.com

Dinner: Head over to Ol’ Boy’s Barbeque. With the best breaded tenderloin around and a plethora of homemade sides to choose from, dinner at Ol’ Boys is the perfect way to end a fun-filled day in our charming community.

CCMH 4 Corners Café 4 Corners Café is a community-based dining experience offering different food options daily. A fresh salad bar creates a lighter dining fare with soup and fruit. Home-style favorites are available with signature entrées, sides, and desserts.

SUNDAY

Fun Activities: Explore two centuries of Missouri heritage at the Carroll County Historical Museum. Peruse the vast selection of vintage finds, home and garden décor, jewelry, and gifts at Crybaby Farm Gifts, or go shopping at Shirley’s Shoes and Boots.

Hours of operation: Lunch 11AM-2PM • Dinner 5PM-8PM • Sunday hours vary 1502 N Jefferson Street 660-542-1695 CarrollCountyHospital.org/ ccmh-4-corners-café

SPONSORED BY

Foster Family Funeral Chapel

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PROMOTION

Carrollton’s Event Calendar September 16: Wine and Beer Walkabout The Carrollton Economic Alliance is excited to announce the second Wine and Beer Walkabout. Purchase a glass for $20 then walkabout the Carrollton square to taste sample wines and beers from Missouri wineries and breweries, with the option to purchase a glass or bottle of wine or beer. Shop at the local retail shops, sample the food vendors, and enjoy the band.

September 23: Band Day Carrollton’s known all over Missouri, as well as in Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska, for hosting our annual Band Day on the fourth Saturday in September. It is the largest marching-band day in the state of Missouri with more than 7,000 attendees. The marching field show, drumline, and auxiliary competitions are exciting to watch no matter your age.

November 24: Carrollton’s 16th Lighted Christmas Parade The parade started in 2001 with only one float and has grown to more than 65 entries this past year. This family night in Carrollton has become a strong tradition that occurs the Friday after Thanksgiving. The night begins with Shapes Dance and Acro students entertaining on the square and finishing with story time at the Carrollton Public Library.

Come join us for “Christmas in Our Hometown.”

November 25: Shop Small Business Day in Carrollton Support your local businesses and show your appreciation for all they do to support our area economy.

La Bella Casa & Cottages La Bella Casa, built in 1912, is a stunning location for indoor/outdoor weddings, receptions, reunions, and corporate events. This luxurious mansion and its beautiful grounds make the perfect getaway and sleeps 29. For smaller gatherings or overflow accommodations, the Cottage and Guest House provide classic home settings for your stay-away or meeting.

11 E 7th Street 660-322-6068 LaBellaCasaEventCenter.com

Main Street Restaurant Main Street Restaurant, a third-generation family-owned business, is celebrating 55 years of serving great home-style food and small-town friendly service. Join us for the Friday night special of fried catfish and broasted chicken and finish your meal with a slice of homemade pie.

Hours of operation: Tues-Sat 6am-2pm and Friday nights 5-8pm 11 South Main 660-542-2782 On Facebook - Main Street Restaurant

Pin Oak Hill Home to The Oaks Bar & Grill, providing a friendly and cozy family atmosphere for your dining experience. Featuring a delicious menu filled with a wide variety of quality dining options. We also feature challenging shooting experiences at our gun club. Also known as the hunting destination for quality upland birds, deer, and turkey.

13396 Z Hwy, Bogard, MO 660-745-3030 PinOakHill.com

Carroll County Historical Museum

La Bella Motel

Journey through two centuries of exhibits that make history visible and accessible. Explore the people, places, and events that have shaped the history of Carroll County.

La Bella Motel offers clean, modern rooms at great prices with a Route 66 feel.

Free coffee bar, snacks, and Wi-Fi.

510 N Mason Street 660-542-1511

110 N Mason Street 660-322-6040 LaBellaMotel.com

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Ol’ Boy’s Barbeque

Total Eclipse of the Heartland

Ol’ Boy’s Barbeque, where we treat you like family because we are family...family-owned that is! We offer smoked meats and homemade sides, daily specials, the BEST hand-breaded tenderloin around and don’t forget our famous cobbler! Follow us on Facebook.

View this once-in-a-lifetime event on the line of totality in Carrollton. Three days of carnivals, music, fun, and awe.

Hours of operation: Every day 10:30AM-9PM

SCHEDULE

701 N Mason Street 660-542-1227 On Facebook - Ol’ Boys Barbeque

Folger Street Inn & Coffee House

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18 5-10PM Carnival on the square, inflatables for the kids and dunk tank 8PM Wade Hayes Concert (Free–bring your chairs)

Experience a “home away from home” feel when you book your stay at the Inn. Enjoy a warm drink on the picturesque front porch or a peaceful evening by the fireplace with the aroma of fresh ground coffee in the air. Serving freshly roasted Kaldi’s Coffee and a full espresso bar.

Hours of operation: Monday-Friday, 7AM-1PM and Saturday, 8AM-1PM 209 N Folger Street 660-322-5060 FolgerStreetInn.com

Wood Shed Lumber & Hardware Supply As a member of Do It Best, Wood Shed Lumber & Hardware Supply has materials for all of your landscaping, carpentry, and home renovation needs. Come in today to see our color samples of Pratt & Lambert Paints. With hundreds of hues to choose from, you’re sure to find the perfect fit.

Hours of operation: Mon-Fri 7:30AM-5:30PM and Saturday 8AM-5PM 602 E Benton 660-542-0640 WoodShedSupply.com

Bittiker Funeral Homes

THURSDAY, AUGUST 17 Kick-off and opening ceremonies on the square 5-10PM Carnival on the square and dunk tank

Plan your visit today!

CarrolltonMo.org

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19 8AM Vendors Day and Farmers Market on the square 12-5PM 25-foot water slide 4-8PM Mechanical bull rides, authentic cowboys, live horses, and roping practice dummies 5-10PM Carnival on the Square and dunk tank 5PM Shapes Dance and Acro performance, music and entertainment SUNDAY, AUGUST 20 Family Day in the park to include horse-drawn wagon rides in the afternoon and church in the park 8AM-1PM KC Barbeque Society cook-off at La Belle Events Center 2PM Car show MONDAY, AUGUST 21 1:09PM Total Solar Eclipse

Eclipse2017CarrolltonMo.com

Steve and Caren Bittiker and staff of Bittiker Funeral Homes LLC invite you to join them for a horsedrawn sleigh ride on Dec. 21 beginning at 5 PM. 1201 N 65 Highway 660-542-2011 | BittikerFuneralHomes.com

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THE MISSOURI

TOTAL SOLAR

IOWA

ECLIPSE, 2017

Maryville

NEBRASKA

Anyone throughout Missouri can see the eclipse on August 21, but the totality, or total darkness, will only be visible the closer you go toward the center of the dark gray path.

Kirksville

Chillicothe

St. Joseph Lathrop

Carrollton Moberly Excelsior Springs Lexington Marshall Liberty Arrow Rock Mexico Kansas City Rocheport Independence Columbia St. Peters Fulton Boonville O’Fallon Kirkwood Warrensburg Hermann Chesterfield “With a common impulse St. Louis Sedalia Jefferson City the multitude rose California Union Arnold slowly up and stared

into the sky. I followed their eyes, as sure as guns, there was my eclipse beginning! The life went boiling through my veins; I was a new man! The rim of black spread slowly into the sun’s disk, my heart beat higher and higher, and still the assemblage and the priest stared into the sky, motionless.”

Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

Sullivan Rolla

Festus Ste. Genevieve Farmington

Cape Girardeau

Scott City

Springfield KENTUCKY ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

DANCING IN THE DARK IN MARK TWAIN’S CLASSIC TALE, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, the main character Hank Morgan saves himself from execution by convincing King Arthur and his court that he was responsible for a total solar eclipse. The trope is openly borrowed from a legend that says Christopher Columbus claimed to have caused a lunar eclipse to convince natives of Jamaica to continue providing provisions to his party.

We’d like to think there’s no one out there susceptible enough to believe that an individual person is causing the eclipse that will darken a path along Missouri on Monday, August 21. The spectacle will be visible from midmorning to early afternoon, with only up to two minutes of time when the

BY EVAN WOOD

moon totally blocks the sun at any one place. Check page 33 for a chart of specific times by location.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime event (or perhaps twice in a lifetime—see the timeline on the next page), so make sure you’re prepared. Our guide to building eclipse viewers and photographing the eclipse will get you prepared for the occasion in style. If you don’t have plans, check out our May or June issues for events, or visit MissouriLife.com/eclipse. Sure, you could watch the eclipse through special eclipse glasses, but with a little craftsmanship and ingenuity, you can create your very own eclipse viewer. If you want to take pictures of the event, see our tips on page 34. Be sure to tag @MisssouriLife!

KATH TEOLI

Our Guide to Viewing the Great Eclipse of 2017

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Eclipses Through the Ages Eclipses have carried superstition and mythical omens throughout history. In many ancient cultures, eclipses were viewed as direct messages from the gods. On August 21, you can see for yourself how such an awe-inspiring sight would rouse all that commotion.

2100 BC Ancient accounts say two Chinese astronomers were killed for failing to predict an eclipse. It’s unclear whether the story is true, but enough evidence exists to show that eclipses were being recorded with great interest this far back in Chinese history.

June 15, 763 BC The eclipse that fell on this date, as recorded by Assyrian historians, has helped archaeologists and historians date other events. Records of eclipses in ancient history can be matched up to get a sense of when events were described to have occurred in relation to before, during, and after the eclipses.

May 28, 584 BC Herodotus wrote that an eclipse on this date brought a battle between the Medes and the Lydians, two ancient Mesopotamian civilizations, to a halt. Nervous about the implications of such a momentous event, both sides of the Mesopotamian battle apparently agreed to a truce. Herodotus wrote that the philosopher Thales of Miletus had predicted the eclipse. If true, it’s the first record of someone predicting an eclipse.

December 22, 968 AD An eclipse observed from Constantinople on this date gave us the first clear description of the sun’s corona, or halo. Astronomers observing the event saw and described the corona in detail, thanks to the darkness of totality.

February 12, 1831 AD Nat Turner interpreted an annular eclipse—or an eclipse in which the sun remains visible as a ring around the moon—on this date as a sign to begin his Virginia slave uprising. This also provided the first known map of an eclipse’s path in the United States.

It was printed in that year’s American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge.

October 2, 480 BC or February 17, 478 BC Around this time, the Persian Emperor Xerxes was plotting the invasion of Greece that would lead to the famous battle of Thermopylae and the legend of the 300 Spartans. According to Herodotus, an eclipse was interpreted as a sign to launch the invasion. The Persians considered the eclipse to mean their moon god favored them over the Greeks’ sun god, Apollo.

March 1, 1504 AD Christopher Columbus is said to have claimed to cause a lunar eclipse to convince native Jamaican residents to continue helping him and his crew.

May 12, 1715 AD This eclipse is also sometimes called Halley’s Eclipse because astronomer Edmund Halley accurately predicted when it would occur to within four minutes. His methods helped improve eclipse predictions over time.

July 28, 1851 AD May 29, 1919 AD

Using daguerreotype technology in Prussia, Julius Berkowski took the first photo of an eclipse.

Observations recorded during this eclipse by Sir Arthur Eddington provided the first definitive proof for Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

August 21, 2017 AD April 8, 2024 AD

The eclipse we’ve all been waiting for will finally take place.

TIME CHECK TOTALITY BY LOCATION CITY

START

PEAK

Maryville* St. Joseph

11:40AM

1:07PM

11:40AM

1:07PM

Kansas City Lathrop

11:41AM

1:08PM

11:41AM

1:09PM

Liberty

11:41AM

1:09PM

Independence

11:41AM

1:09PM

Excelsior Springs

11:41AM

1:09PM

Lexington

11:42AM

1:10PM

Warrensburg

11:43AM

1:10PM

Chillicothe

11:43AM

1:10PM

Sedalia

11:43AM

1:11PM

Marshall

11:43AM

1:12PM

Arrow Rock

11:44AM

1:12PM

Boonville

11:44AM

1:12PM

Rocheport

11:45AM

1:13PM

California

11:45AM

1:13PM

Moberly

11:45AM

1:13PM

Columbia

11:45AM

1:13PM

Jefferson City

11:46AM

1:14PM

Fulton

11:46AM

1:14PM

Mexico

11:46AM

1:14PM

Rolla*

11:47AM

1:15PM

Hermann

11:47AM

1:15PM

Sullivan

11:48AM

1:16PM

Union

11:48AM

1:16PM

O’Fallon*

11:48AM

1:17PM

St. Peters*

11:49AM

1:17PM

Chesterfield

11:49AM

1:17PM

Kirkwood

11:49AM

1:18PM

Farmington

11:49AM

1:18PM

Festus

11:49AM

1:18PM

Arnold

11:49AM

1:18PM

St. Louis*

11:50AM

1:18PM

Ste. Genevieve

11:50AM

1:19PM

Cape Girardeau

11:52AM

1:21PM

Scott City

11:52AM

1:21PM

* City not directly in total eclipse path

Another total eclipse will be viewable from the southeastern region of Missouri on this date.

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YOUR TIME TO SHINE Tag @MissouriLife in your eclipse photos on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and they could be featured in a future issue.

PHOTOGRAPHING THE ECLIPSE WITH YOUR PHONE

Put your phone on a tripod or stabilize it some

Capture something interesting in the foreground.

other way, pointing toward the sun, and start

If you’re in an interesting setting, you might be

the time-lapse function. This option is especially

able to get a good photo of your surroundings in

appealing because it allows you to leave your

the lighting of the eclipse. If you can catch the sun

phone alone and experience the eclipse firsthand.

in the background of the frame, you should still

Have you ever tried to take a photo of the full moon on a clear, gorgeous night? The results can

Take a video of the sweeping darkness at totality.

be underwhelming, to put it mildly. Even the best

As totality occurs, the light will disappear in much

smartphone cameras aren’t built to handle the

the same way it does as the sun goes behind a

challenges of photographing celestial objects.

thick cloud. If you’re in a high, open vantage

Invest in a telephoto lens.

Capturing an especially stunning image of the eclipse

point, you should be able to capture darkness

Small lenses that clip to your phone’s camera are

is something you’ll need specialized equipment and

“sweeping” over the land. The shadow should

available for less than $40. Using one of these will

a decent amount of expertise to do, but you can

approach from the northwest. Try pointing your

significantly increase the quality of the image

still document the eclipse in other worthwhile ways

camera in that direction to capture the shadow

you’re able to capture. Look for one at your local

with your smartphone. Here are some ideas.

either in a video or a time-lapse series.

camera store.

Take a time lapse of the eclipse.

be able to see the shadow over it. If you’re with friends, family, or a crowd, you might get a nice shot of the people around you staring skyward.

But be sure not to lose out on the experience!

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Kids’ eyes are particularly vulnerable to damage during solar eclipses. Make sure they are protected with safe viewing devices or eclipse glasses.

A NOTE ON EYE SAFETY: The amount of time it is safe to look at the eclipse with bare eyes is mere seconds—and that’s only if you’re in the path of totality. Viewing even a sliver of the sun can be dangerous. Optical aids such as binoculars should not be used when the disk or partial amount of the sun is peeking from behind the moon. Younger eyes are more vulnerable during the event, so make sure kids know how to keep their eyes safe.

What makes it so dangerous? In short, ultraviolet radiation, heat, and blue light. These factors will cause sunburn along the surface of the eye and the cornea, vision loss or blindness, and macular deterioration, which is caused by the weakening and deterioration of the center of the retina.

NO NEED TO PLAY HOOKEY On August 21, many schools will already be in session, but students definitely won’t miss out on the excitement. Teachers and school administrators around Missouri are making plans to illuminate their students on this rare educational opportunity.

Many school districts have collaborated with local groups to secure eclipse glasses for their students and staff. In Fayette, fraternities at Central Methodist University raised funds for the glasses. In St. Joseph, optometrists at Murphy-Watson-Burr Eye Center pulled together the eyewear. The Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau partnered with the schools to provide glasses to students and staff in the Capital City.

Some schools are treating the eclipse like a snow day. St. Joseph’s school district has altered

its calendar around the eclipse, and schools will not be in session on the date. Emergency officials predict a high influx of visitors to the city on August 21 and have urged school administrators to cancel classes.

The weekend before the eclipse in Jefferson City, the high school’s astronomy club will provide demonstrations on the difference between total and annular eclipses, as well as why eclipses are so rare. High school science teacher and club co-sponsor David Ganey intends to show his students how to build pinhole cameras on the day of the eclipse.

Meanwhile, school administrators are plotting a clever way to get the district’s massive student body outdoors throughout the day—they’re considering holding emergency drills and simultaneously satisfying a safety requirement.

[35] August 2017

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GUIDE TO BUILDING

YOUR OWN

ECLIPSE

VIEWERS

Time: 30 seconds You’ll Need: A piece of plain white paper; cardboard, cardstock, or a business card; a thumbtack Cost: $0.00-$0.50 Difficulty Level: Easy

The pinhole projector is by far the simplest way to view the eclipse, and it requires next to no preparation. This device is perfect if you forget about the eclipse until a couple of minutes before it starts, if you need to accommodate a lot of people without a lot of hassle, or if you simply can’t justify spending money. The steps couldn’t be simpler: 1. Poke a hole in your cardboard with a thumbtack or toothpick.

2. Lay your piece of white paper on the ground. You don’t actually need to use white paper if you don’t want to, but the unblemished white surface will give you the clearest image.

3. Point your cardboard with a pinhole up toward the sun, but keep your back turned. Once you’re holding it so that the sun is coming through the pinhole, a tiny projection of the sun will appear on the paper. You’ll be able to watch it become a crescent, then become totally covered this way.

KATH TEOLI

Don’t let the darkness fool you; just because the moon will cover up the sun doesn’t mean you can watch with your bare eyes. Lots of community events and sponsored gatherings will provide special glasses that make it safe to stare, and you can find inexpensive pairs online. But if you want to come prepared, the following tutorials will help you create alternative viewing methods. Many viewing devices act as projectors that allow you to watch the moon’s progress across the sun without looking directly at it. You probably have the materials to make the Pinhole Projector and Cereal Box Pinhole Viewer lying around your house, which makes these devices less expensive than the shipping costs for a box of eclipse glasses.

Pinhole Projector

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Cereal Box Pinhole Viewer

DIY Eclipse Glasses

Time: 10 Minutes You’ll Need: A cereal box, masking tape, scissors, aluminum foil, a thumbtack Cost: If you don’t already have the supplies, it will cost around $15.

Difficulty Level: Medium

Time: 5 Minutes In essence, the cereal box pinhole viewer is just a fancier version of the pinhole projector, but it will make you feel infinitely craftier, and the projection quality will be markedly better. It’s worth pointing out that this is best for one viewer at a time. If you have a large family or viewing audience, start eating those Frosted Flakes as soon as possible!

You’ll Need: A sheet of black polymer, cheap sunglasses Cost: Budget $20 to be safe Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Cut a rectangle near the right-hand side of the top of an empty cereal box. The hole should be a square inch or two. This will be the hole you look through to view the projection.

2. Cut a second, similarly sized rectangle closer to the left-hand side.

3. After you’re done cutting, tape down stray folding flaps inside the cereal box that might block the holes.

4. Cover the second hole—the one on the left—with aluminum foil. Secure with tape. Try not to wrinkle the foil.

5. Once the foil is in place, gently push your thumbtack through the center of the hole. Try to create the pinhole

using a fluid up and down motion, so as not to create jagged edges.

6. To test your pinhole viewer, go outside on a sunny day and turn your back to the sun. Bring the viewing hole to your eye, and angle the pinhole to the sun’s direction. When you’ve oriented it, you’ll see a small bright dot inside the box on the bottom flap. This is how you’ll view the eclipse’s progression.

7. You can maximize your experience before the big day by holding the viewing hole up to your eye and looking for any light leaks in the box. If you see any, be sure to cover them.

Making your own eclipse goggles is a pretty easy process, but it might not be worth it unless you also plan on making a lot of glasses or affixing some of the black polymer sheet to a camera, binoculars, or a telescope. The sheet itself can cost more than premade eclipse goggles you can buy online. But if you’ve got some extra scraps or need to prepare for a crowd, here’s what to do: 1. Punch out the lenses in some old sunglasses (if you don’t have any, pick up a $2 pair at a thrift store).

2. Affix enough black polymer sheet to both lenses to cover them completely.

3. Put the lenses back in the frames.

Now you have your own homemade eclipse glasses. Look at you go!

Need to make an eclipse viewer for a crowd? View more tutorials at: MissouriLife.com/Life/EclipseViewers

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THE MISSOURI TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, 2017

Official Watch Site of the 2017 Eclipse August 21, 2017

Parking | View Site | Air Conditioning Restaurants | Shopping Free Planetarium and Special Discounts all weekend long!

3702 Frederick Ave. | St. Joseph, MO 64506 816.279.5667 | shopeasthills.com

ST. JOSEPH

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THE MISSOURI TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, 2017

JEFFERSON CITY

CAPITAL EOLIPSE 2 mins 29 secs of totality on the banks of the Missouri River

8.21.17

Celebrate on the Center Line!

Ste. Genevieve is on the line of maximum totality.

Two-day Eclipse Festival Music Festival and Beer Garden in the heart of historic downtown Ste. Genevieve.

Sunday, August 20, noon-9PM

Eclipse Viewing Party

DAY

3

at the Ste. Genevieve community center. Food trucks, science activities, art displays, and fun for all ages.

Monday, August 21, 10AM-3PM

August 19 - 21

Ride the Solar Express parking shuttle Reserve your premier viewing space and parking online.

Advanced registration required, spaces are limited.

- Astronomy & Education Series - Live Entertainment - Eclipse Village & Skywatching

CELEBRATION

www.VisitSteGen.com

W W W. C A P I TA L E C L I P S E . O R G

Facebook.com/stegen2017eclipse | 800.373.7007

Total Eclipse of the Trail Eclipse Horseback Trail Ride

Monday, August 21 Eclipse occurs at 1:11 pm

begins at 10 am on the KATY Trail Trail’s End Landmark Eclipse

Activities

10 am to 1:30 pm • Cow Patty Bingo • Cow Chip Toss Championship • Guided Tours of the Landmark • Food & Beverages • Souvenirs

For more information, contact the Sedalia Convention and Visitors Bureau

660-827-5295

or visit www.visitSedaliaMO.com [39] June 2017

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THE MISSOURI TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, 2017

Cottonwoods R V Park Minutes from State & Local Parks, Festivals, Sporting Events, and Local Cuisine

OPEN ALL YEAR 20/30/50 AMP Service 97 Sites • 63 Pull-Thru LP Gas On Site Restrooms • Showers Gift Shop • Banquet Room Laundry • Store • Pool

FREE Wi-Fi 5170 N Oakland Gravel Rd Columbia, MO 65202

573.474.2747

www.cottonwoodsrvpark.com Stay with us and see the 2017 Total Eclipse!

An Entertaining Weekend • • • • • • • • • •

Block party and Luau party Dining and drink specials Hands-on activities for kids Movie on the lawn at the library Drive-in movie theater Onondaga Cave Meramec State Park Meramec Music Theatre Wildwood Concert Belmont Winery

Go to VisitCubaMo.com for more information cubavisitors@gmail.com (573) 885-2531

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THE MISSOURI TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, 2017

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Faires, Feasting & Fun

he king and queen gracefully ascend to their thrones on the stage, followed by their courtiers. Revelers applaud and admire their elaborate gowns and tunics. A gate opens, and two haughty armored knights, sporting their colors, gallop their warhorses into the arena, survey the revelers, and bow to their favored maidens in the audience.

A herald signals the beginning. The knights lower their long wooden lances, raise their shields, and urge their horses at full speed toward each other. Dust. Crash. Cheers. The rowdy spectators chant, “Fight, fight, fight!” at the top of their lungs as the knights charge their steeds again and again.

Lances slam into shields, splinters fly into the air, and one knight, unhorsed, tumbles to the earth. From the stands, phones flash and record the spectacle.

Welcome to the storybook atmosphere of Renaissance fairs, where quests to find unicorns and mischievous bands of pirates are commonplace. Festivals in Kingdom City, St. Louis, and Kansas City form extraordinary escapes where you can see everything from jugglers to jousting, blacksmiths to royalty, strolling bards to teasing wenches. Avid fans make the journey to the trifecta of area festivals each year.

The historic Renaissance period spanned the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries, following the Middle Ages. The cultural rebirth began in Florence, Italy, and spread throughout Europe. The period was characterized by major shifts in philosophy, art, religion, science, and education.

“When I discovered ‘ren faires’ in college, I fell in love,” says Arnold resident Trish Gibbar Aumann. “They aren’t true-to-time-period reenactments like you find with some other groups; however, the flavor of the historical period, mixed with pageantry and fun, is really special.” Trish has always been interested in history, especially after her parents involved her family in Civil War reenactments. Now, her favorite fair memories are witnessing her three children transform into fairies and pirates for the day and seeing them become captivated by performers.

Renaissance fairs create bursting communities of revelry. At the fairs in St. Louis and Kansas City, there’s a personal way to contribute to the surrounding areas of the twenty-first century variety. Attendees who donate five nonperishable food items to the fair’s on-site food bank drives receive a buy one/get one ticket for a regularly priced adult admission.

JULIE BROWN PATTON AND JOE HENLEY

T

STEP BACK INTO THE 16TH CENTURY AT A RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL THIS FALL

BY JULIE BROWN PATTON

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A

Central Missouri Renaissance Festival KINGDOM CITY

t the Central Missouri Renaissance Festival near Kingdom City, patrons step into a 1550 Irish village. “We chose to reflect the real city of Carlingford, which is just north of Dublin, because it was a place of Irish, Brits, Scots, Germans—a little bit of everyone,” says Festival President Doug White. “It goes with our emphasis of family, food, and fun!”

This twelfth annual mid-Missouri festival is operated by nonprofit board members. The proceeds from the three thousand yearly attendees help support three charities: the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine’s student-run Raptor Rehabilitation program, a Fulton-based soup kitchen, and KOPN, a community-supported Columbia radio station.

Be sure to brush up on your festival vocabulary before you head out.

“Patrons love the face-to-face time they can have with the vendors, actors, bands, and other attendees,” Doug says.

Five stages set up at Boster Castle Fairgrounds will host performers such as magician Dimitri the Mage, living history and live steel performance group Brotherhood of Steel, Na’ava Sands Oriental Dance, comedy escape artists Dr. Judas Lynch and Ms. Magnolia Strange, The Shamrock Irish Dancers, and reenactors Medieval Swordsman Guild of KC. Musicians will include nerd band Clearly Guilty, singing comics Pirates Inc., Celtic instrumentalist Cheeks & Phoenix, a cappella musical duo Faerie Fyre, and percussion and bagpipe band Pictus. Tinker MacLea, 3 Pints Gone, and Musical Blades are slated for repeat performances (see page 45).

Vendors sell crafts and offer various activities, such as pumpkin smashing and basket weaving. They also serve food inspired by the time period, such as Scotch eggs, drunken mushrooms, chicken on skewers, baked goods, pork rinds, and sticky toffee pudding.

“Some people drive insane distances—even from Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas—to come see our entertainers and take in our events,” Doug says. “Fans bring a lot of magic, and put a twinkle in the eyes of our performers. We really enjoy watching all the interactions.”

October 21–22 • 4274 County Road 220, Kingdom City CentralMoRenFest.net

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St. Louis Renaissance Faire WENTZVILLE

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JULIE BROWN PATTON AND BRIAN LEO

roclaim bonjour when entering the sixteenth-century La Ville de Petite Lyon for the St. Louis Renaissance Faire. You’ll find friendly French villagers, King François I, friars, nuns, and elves, as well as a crew of Black Plague “spirits of the dead.” The fair is built on a giant hill in a wooded setting at Rotary Park, which gives it authentic ambience.

The festival started in 1999 and attracts 40,000 visitors each year. Visitors can learn dances at the gypsy encampments, and check out weaponry and armor-making at a German encampment. New this season are a unicorn, an innovative puppet troupe, a Mermaid Cove, a free juggling school, Merlin’s Magic Conquest, and an escape room.

Nine stages offer entertainment such as belly dancing, wild pirate games, and musicians. Jousting occurs three times each day. Special attractions include fairy-tale princess parties, fantasy mask competitions, the King’s Happy Hour, and Maypole dancing.

Weekends September 16–October 15 • 2577 West Meyer Road, Wentzville STLRenFest.com • Sign language interpreters, Oct. 14-15

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MUSICAL BLADES

3 PINTS GONE

TINKER MacLEA

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Merry Musicians A CORE SET OF MUSICIANS are familiar sights at Renaissance gatherings each year.

The group Musical Blades began as a concept in 2000, and started touring in 2001.

Missouri serves as a gathering point for Blades members, given that band members hail from Higginsville and Independence in Missouri and four different towns in Kansas. As a fearless band of misfit rogues, the Musical Blades perform their unique blend of harmonies and hilarity at festivals and clubs in eleven other Midwestern states. But Blades guitarist and vocalist Michael “Saucy Jack Tar” Doss says they especially look forward to Missouri because its audiences truly enjoy the fairs and aren’t afraid to get involved with the acts.

“Clapping, singing, laughing and supporting the acts are definitely something our Missouri fans know and practice,” he says. “Some areas we’ve been to are more stoic and need to be coached about how to have fun! We’ve played to exuberant crowds, and we’ve played to what we refer to as ‘oil painting crowds.’ Missouri is right on the balance line between the two.”

Another group on the Renaissance circuit, 3 Pints Gone, has played traditional Celtic folk songs and sea shanties at the St. Louis Renaissance Faire since it began eighteen years ago. They also performed at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival from

1993 to 2005. The trio’s members—Bill Masino, Kathleen Masino, and Jesse Linder—gladly make the trek from their homes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the Show-Me State, eager for the cherished exchanges with fans.

“We enjoy the Missouri fairs because they are so personal and more intimate,” says Kathleen. “They are more like revisiting a small village than a shopping mall.

“We call St. Louis our ‘home fair,’ ” she says. “St. Louis only gets bigger and better every year with more venders or variety.

They even have a puppy rescue there, and we almost brought a beagle puppy home one year. The royalty were carrying the puppies around to meet everyone.”

Brian “Tinker MacLea” Leo, an Illinoisbased Irish/Scottish folk-singing bard, songwriter, and entertainer, performed at the Kansas City festival for many years; this season, he will be at the Kingdom City and St. Louis locations. Brian also relishes theater, having directed or acted in thirtyfour productions. He’s played twenty-plus Renaissance fairs in fifteen states. “It’s a delightful challenge for actors, who must stay in character all day, and splendid fun for musicians,” he says.

“Just seeing the audience gives me a great sense of letting them get away from their usual worlds and have fun in mine.”

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St. Louis Renaissance Faire

Kansas City Renaissance Festival

4274 County Road 220, Kingdom City I-70, Missouri Exit 144 Route M/Hatton, South 3 miles to Boster Castle grounds

Rotary Park 2577 West Meyer Road, Wentzville

633 North 130th Street, Bonner Springs, Kansas

June 3-4, June 10-11, Oct. 21–22, 10 AM to 6 PM

Weekends from Sept. 16 to Oct. 15, 10 AM to 6 PM

Weekends from Sept.

2 to Oct. 15 including Labor Day and Columbus Day, 10 AM to 7 PM Note: Columbus Day hours are 10 AM to 5 PM

$12, adults; $6, children 5 to 12 years; free, children 5 and younger; $8, with valid military, EMS, or Missouri employee ID

$15.95, adult in advance; $18.95, adult at gate; $9.50, children 5 to 12 years in advance; $11.95, children at gate; free, children 4 and younger; $15.95, seniors; students receive $5 off; $79.90, adult season pass; $49.95 child season pass

$18.95, adult in advance; $21.95, adult at gate; $10.50, children 5 to 12 years in advance; $12.95, children at gate; free, children 4 and younger; $19.50, students; $19.50, seniors; $89.95, adult season pass; $55, child season pass; $40, two-day weekend pass; $169.50-$249.95, Royal Passes

ADMISSION

Free parking Note: Certain ticket discounts are available in the online store

Free parking

DOG POLICY

ATMS

RAIN OR SHINE?

Note: Show military, police officer, firefighter, or EMS IDs at box office October 1–2 to receive buy one/get one free adult admission

Free parking Note: Daily Royal Events are extra. Select ticketed events for those 21 years or older do not allow accompanying children.

Yes!

Definitely!

Of course!

None on-site Note: Ticket booth and most vendors accept electronic payments.

Yes

Yes

A dog registration form with photo and $10, cash only, per dog is required, as well as proof of rabies and other vaccinations. Dogs must be on a four-foot leash at all times. Only one dog per owner is allowed. Dogs must display festival tag at all times.

The festival is dogfriendly as long as a qualified form is submitted, rabies vaccination proof shown, and photo of dog provided to entry gate staff. Admission is $10 per pet and $15 if the staff must take the photo. Dogs must be on four-foot leash and display the festival tag. Only one dog per owner. No puppies younger than 6 months old. No other animals are allowed.

Well-behaved dogs are allowed on five-foot leashes; however, it’s better to leave dogs home, due to guide animals, performer animals, and some patrons being allergic or uncomfortable around dogs of any type.

Details may be subject to change. Check individual websites for updates.

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COURTESY KC RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL AND JULIE BROWN PATTON

DATES/HOURS

LOCATION

Central Missouri Renaissance Festival

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Enchanting Details

E

Kansas City Renaissance Festival KANSAS CITY

nter the 1536 English village of Canterbury under the reign of King Henry VIII with Queen Catherine of Aragon, and perchance rub elbows with Robin Hood. More than a hundred artisan booths and twenty-plus entertainment venues await, and a boisterous parade takes place each day at 12:30 PM. Live, armored jousting on horseback commences three times each festival day in this seventeen-acre village. Food and drink “fit for a king” are available. Alert visitors may even glimpse mermaids or a unicorn.

This year, Kansas City Renaissance Festival organizers and aficionados celebrate the event’s forty-first anniversary. “We offer fantasy and familyfriendly activities for all ages,” says Roger Clements, director of sales and marketing for the Kansas City area operation, which averages 179,000 to 200,000 annual attendees during each of its sixteen-day seasons.

A handful of first-time offerings lies ahead for this year’s festival visitors.

A costume rental shop called The Wardrobe will be stationed outside the front entries by one of the event’s vendors, who is hand-sewing the outfits.

Another new feature is a 16-by-18-foot dragon created by local blacksmiths. The dragon is designed to bellow. Nearby vendors will sell dragon tears and dragon eggs.

A new Scottish Highland Hill encampment will offer history lessons and interactive activities. Additionally, guided living history tours have been expanded, after the number of requests for them tripled last year.

Experienced Renaissance historians will explain the trades and peoples of the times. Keep an ear out to learn about traveling gypsies, executioners, and seers.

This festival features seven theme weekends, such as Highland Gatherings, Ales & Tails (for visitors to bring their pets), Wine & Chocolate Delight, and Witches & Wizards. Hone your competitive instincts for contests in haggis eating, tattoos, fairy houses, costumes, kilts, longbow, murals, and photography.

Stage acts include a fire performance/comedy trio, a juggler, sword players Bawdily Harm, a hypnotist, fencing, dancers, the comedy troupe Washing Well Wenches, gypsy historians, acrobats, magicians, and musicians such as Irish-Scottish harpists. Special events offered this year are queen’s teas, fairy time treats, Royal Pub Crawl, Royal Happy Hour, Royal Romance Package, and Plague Escape Room. Costume contests during special events might include free admissions as prizes.

Weekends September 2–October 15 • 633 North 130th Street, Bonner Springs, Kansas • KCRenFest.com

Each festival will be jam-packed with booths, traveling vendors, and other activities for you and your timetraveling compatriots to enjoy. Here’s a smattering of what to expect.

GAMES & ACTIVITIES Axe throwing, catapulting, caber (log) tossing, archery, knife throwing, dragon slaying, carousels, astrology readings, palm readings, costume contests, henna tattoos, face painting, obstacle courses, crafting challenges, and pony, elephant, and camel rides, plus designated children areas chockfull of interactive activities.

MERCHANDISE Clothing, jewelry, chain mail and armor, toys, cigars, pottery, traditional apothecary tinctures and potions, geodes and crystals, artwork, books, wings and wands, crowns, crafts, leatherwork, woodworking, pottery, weaving, and weapons such as knives, dirks, and swords.

FOOD Turkey legs, roasted corn, sausages, roasted nuts, kabobs, barbecue, nachos, pickles, funnel cakes, kettle corn, pretzels, ice cream, and libations including beer, mead, wine, and hard cider.

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THE ROAD TO RIDE The Rock Island Trail offers new delights to hikers, cyclists, and equestrians.

BY BILL BRYAN

lle

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St. L

les on Eld

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Windsor

ouis

Pleasant Hill

Developed Rock Island Trail Proposed Rock Island Trail Katy Trail

mileage to Missouri’s rail-trail systems. There are scattered reminders along the Rock that the path was once an important railroad. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources, which manages the spur, has maintained the evidence of the bygone railroad era with adornments such as light boxes, switches, grain elevators, and other equipment.

Since its opening last December, thousands already have found that the Rock Island Trail is “the road to ride,” a phrase taken from a 1920s spiritual about the Rock Island railway system. In 1957, Johnny Cash expanded the lyrics and ensured the song’s place in Americana history.

“Down the Rock Island Line, she’s a mighty good road, Rock Island Line, it’s the road to ride.”

Affectionately nicknamed the Rock Island Line for short, the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad opened in 1852 between Chicago and Rock Island, Illinois. Within a half century, the line extended across Missouri and well into the south-

BECKY SCHENEWARK

y

s Cit

a Kans

THE BEAUTY OF TRAILS is found in the slow pace, which allows riders to truly experience places. The Rock Island Trail, connecting the greater Kansas City area to Missouri’s Katy Trail system, is an experience to savor whether you are walking, cycling, or on horseback.

For decades, this western Missouri connection has been a holy grail sought by trail advocates. Officially dubbed the Rock Island Spur of the Katy Trail State Park, the 47.5-mile addition carves a path from a new trailhead in western Pleasant Hill to Windsor, a city-stop along the Katy. Thus, the Katy is one step closer to stretching across the entire state. With the westward connection complete, trail zealots have set their sights on expanding the Rock Island Trail to St. Louis, creating a more than 400-mile Katy Trail loop that would cover nearly all of middle Missouri.

The Katy is the nation’s longest “rail-trail,” a trail birthed from the ruins of a railroad. The Rock Island Spur, often called “the Rock,” was formed from the Rock Island railway system and adds more [48] MissouriLife

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STAYING ON TRACK Starting in the 1980s, the Katy Trail was forged from the remains of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. The Katy stretches from Machens, just With the newly built 47.5-mile connector, riders on the Katy Trail can take the Rock Island Trail northwest from Windsor, a stop on the Katy, to Pleasant Hill, a short distance outside of Kansas City.

west. In Missouri, the line was a “milk run” that literally carried milk and other farm commodities to market until the last train ran west out of Kansas City in the spring of 1980.

COURTESY MISSOURI STATE PARKS

PIT STOPS Now considered part of the Katy Trail State Park— the longest and skinniest state park in America— the Rock Island Spur lies within a corridor of public property only about 100 feet wide in most places. Almost all the adjoining land is privately owned farmland.

Rock Island Trail is breathing new life into the small towns of Leeton, Windsor, Medford, Chilhowee, and Pleasant Hill. And the friendly folks who live along the Rock are ready for company.

“Bicycles will be everywhere next year,” prophesies Rodney Higgins from Chilhowee. Rodney, an eighty-three-year-old farmer who loves old tractors and his land, recalls meeting some Arizona cyclists while enjoying dinner with his family at a Clinton restaurant. “They were happy and fun,” he says.

“Bad people are too lazy to ride a bike that far.”

Norval Netsch, a seventy-nine-year-old Renaissance man who lives near Bowen, owns one of the farms that hug the Rock Island Trail. Norval is a forester, biologist, and master craftsman with an endearing smile and quick laugh.

Norval returned to his land after a career as a fisheries biologist in Alaska. He now lives on the same land where he grew up. In 1948, he was baptized in a small pond that was recently dredged

and restored near the trail. “When my sins were washed away, that may have been what filled that old pond up,” he jokes.

He and his wife, Jane, see the value of the trail that bisects their land. “My wife used to walk the road,” he says. “She loves the trail now.”

The Rock has added a new dynamic to the area that goes beyond split-up farmland. People such as Kim Henderson at Windsor are banking on the Rock’s promise to bring more passersby. Kim, an entrepreneur and community leader, already has skin in the game. She recently opened Kim’s Cabins to serve touring cyclists and anyone visiting the area. The comfortable and cheery cabins were built on the theory that if you build the trail, they will come. With the Rock open, “Windsor has become a destination,” Kim says. “Folks are driving from outside the area to Pleasant Hill, parking and riding down to stay the night, and riding back.”

Kim champions Windsor as a “great taste of small-town life, with friendly people and beautiful countryside.” Trail users can enjoy beautiful Farrington Park with fishing and rental boats on the lake that used to supply water to steam locomotives on the Rock Island Line. They can also visit Amish quilt shops and a weekly farmers’ market.

Situated at the junction of the Katy Trail and the Rock Island Spur, Windsor is set to become Missouri’s epicenter of the rails-to-trail systems.

From Windsor, folks can now pedal in three separate directions. Heading southwest on the Katy will take you to Clinton, the terminus of the Katy Trail.

Head east, and you are on your way to Boonville and the rest of the Katy. Go west, young-at-heart men and women, and you will reach Pleasant Hill.

north of St. Louis, to Clinton, more than an hour east of Kansas City. As the Katy gained popularity, many trail riders sought access to the Katy closer to Kansas City. The corridor that once housed the Rock Island Line railway system was the best option as a connector, but it was still considered a railroad—even though the trains had gone and weren’t coming back.

Efforts to make the corridor available for trail use seemed jinxed until a disaster occurred on the other side of the state. On December 14, 2005, the 55-acre upper reservoir at the Taum Sauk Power Plant in Reynolds County breached. One billion gallons of water cascaded down Proffit Mountain through Johnson’s Shutins State Park in twelve minutes, destroying the park. The ensuing litigation led to the rebuilding of the park and power plant and, oddly enough, to the Rock becoming a reality.

As part of a legal settlement with the state, the company agreed to make the corridor available for colinear trail use. Also known as “railwith-trail,” the trail would be built alongside the railroad tracks. Finally, the company donated the corridor between Pleasant Hill and Windsor.

This led to the Rock Island Trail, built as a traditional rail trail like the Katy.

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Railroad corridor: Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad

47.5 miles long Cass, Henry, Johnson Counties START POINT/END POINT: Katy Trail trailhead (Windsor) to Missouri Route 58 (Pleasant Hill) Biking, mountain biking, walking, and horseback riding; wheelchair accessible TRAILHEADS: About every ten miles Restrooms and refreshments can be found at almost all SURFACE: Crushed limestone, 8 feet wide

RIDING THE (T)RAILS The Rock provides a new trail experience, not a rinse-and-repeat if you have already logged a lot of miles on the Katy.

Far from the Missouri River, the Rock’s identity, unlike the Katy, is not tied to the muddy waters. Instead, the Rock is a throwback to simpler times and pastoral scenes. Visitors are embraced by a landscape devoted to feeding a nation: native grasses, wheat, corn, and soybeans.

The basic trail specs of the Rock and the Katy are very similar. The Rock’s eight-foot-wide surface is limestone pug, a very fine gravel over a larger base.

Most cyclists can be comfortable taking their best bikes on the trail as it matures. Although there are a few clearly marked road and farm crossings, for the most part, there is no vehicle traffic. Wetlands, waterways, and tree canopy grace much of the trail, providing shade and edge habitat for birds

Above: Norval Netsch owns land that is one of the many family farms that lie along the Rock Island Trail. Left: The trail is flanked by railroad remnants, barns, and rolling farmland.

and animals. The railroad tracks were elevated to maintain a 2 to 5 percent grade for locomotives, so that elevation today provides an interesting perspective of the surrounding treetops and forest floor far below—with almost no hills.

The spur is open to equestrian use. Most horse enthusiasts will ride a trail like the Rock seasonally, so cyclists and walkers are more likely to encounter riders in the fall and winter. Horses always have the right of way. There’s an old saying that the only things that spook a horse are things that move and things that don’t, so take care to gently alert equestrians of your presence before passing from the rear.

With the landscape and smattering of towns along the way, the Rock is indeed a “mighty good road,” as the song says. Trail users can experience a slice of Missouriana usually only glimpsed at fifty-five miles per hour.

Norval encourages trail riders who pass his land to take their time and enjoy the slow pace. Sitting on his “Contemplation Rock” in view of the trail, Norval says he “feels kinda sorry” for the riders he sees with their heads down and their toes clipped in the pedals.

“Look around and enjoy the land,” he advises.

“Look at the birds. Watch out for snakes—my wife saw three the other day. Smell the roses.”

The author, Bill Bryan, is the former director of Missouri State Parks. He left office in January, after serving for more than eight years. His tenure included expanding the state park system and creating the Rock Island Spur.

BECKY SCHENEWARK AND BILL BRYAN

TRAIL FACTS

The western terminus of the Rock Island Trail is in downtown Pleasant Hill near the Cass County Fairgrounds. A very short drive from Kansas City, Pleasant Hill is as quaint as it sounds. Cafés, shops, and bars give cyclists a reason to linger awhile. If you need service or even a new bike, get help at the New Town Bicycle and Coffee Shop. Check out the vintage bikes at Retro on the Rails in the old historic depot, too.

Towns along the Rock are embracing trail users.

Riders can expect clean restrooms and basic community services. Services are excellent in Windsor, Leeton, and Pleasant Hill. Stop for pie at the Leeton Café on Main Street near the Leeton Trailhead. Currently, Medford is the only trailhead without a place to grab a quick bite or refuel with a sports drink.

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WHERE TO STAY IN WINDSOR At the intersection of the Rock Island and Katy Trails, the town of Windsor features three spokes of daylong trail rides that veer in different directions.

These spots can serve as home bases in Windsor.

Cruce’s Cabooses For a complete railroad experience, consider

Farrington Park

Cruce’s Cabooses. These restored train cars

About a mile off the trailhead, this campsite is nestled

are outfitted with bathrooms and kitchens

in a park and open to visitors and families. There are

and can sleep a handful of people each. Got

bathrooms or Port-A-Pottys available, places for fires,

horses? There’s a corral available. The cars

and pavilions for rain cover. If you’re interested in

are open from March to November.

fishing, drop a line in the lake. Camping costs up to

781 Northeast 901 Road • 660-694-3506

$10; RV sites are available for $15.

CrucesCabooses.com

116 South County Line Road • 660-647-3130

Kim’s Cabins These three cozy cabins provide everything cyclists and trail users might need for an overnight stay.

Owner Kim Henderson has furnished the cabins with all kinds of creature comforts, tiny-house style.

403 Cherry Street • 660-351-0905 Facebook.com/KimsCabins

Windsor Crossroads Motel If things like Wi-Fi and satellite television are your style, consider the more conventional Windsor Crossroads Motel. With single rooms at $50 per night, the motel can provide a cost-effective reprieve from BECKY SCHENEWARK

hard days on the trail.

606 North Main Street • 660-647-2151

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Right: Once, the small town of Devils Elbow was bustling with residents, tourists from Old Route 66, and families from Fort Leonard Wood. They might have stopped for barbecue at Munger-Moss or danced at McCoy’s Market. Below: A bar called the Elbow Inn now occupies the Munger-Moss building. It’s one of two businesses that are open year-round—the other is the town’s post office.

After the devastating April 2017 flood, the Elbow Inn required $50,000 worth of repairs. With some creative fundraising, the outdoor patio re-opened Memorial Day weekend.

HISTORICAL PHOTOS COURTESY JOHN BRADBURY

Right: The Devils Elbow Cafe, one of the staples from the town’s better times, once served liquor for eleven months starting in 1945. The owner stopped, though, after too many fights broke out. Far right: A series of events that started with the rerouting of Route 66 away from Devils Elbow in 1943 has caused the town to dwindle, leaving abandoned buildings such as the one pictured vulnerable to floods and decay.

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THE LONG GOODBYE After years of floods and steady, slow decline, the residents of Devils Elbow grasp at hope for renewal.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY ROSE HANSEN [53] August 2017

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Top row, left: The Devils Elbow Post Office served as an operations center during the cleanup of the April 2017 flood.

Volunteers stored water and supplies there, and residents used it as a gathering place. Top row, middle: Before it was rerouted, Route 66 ran through Devils Elbow, driving tourism, revenue, and community pride.

Terry Roberson carved this line into the power pole to show how high the flood levels rose. Top row, far right: Even now, some Route 66 tourists take a detour to see the landmark bridge over the Big Piney River. Today, they will still see dangling debris deposited when the April 2017 flood overtook the bridge’s surface. Right: There is very little left of Terry Toula’s home. The floodwaters ripped the house from its foundation, and the rest of the structure floated away.

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T

driveway, and then they moved their washer HE RAIN STARTED on the and dryer. As the river crept toward their house, eve of the weekend, harmless.

Carmen began stacking photo albums on high Seven inches later, the Big Piney shelves. She took dresser drawers, stuffed with River swelled. When the rain stopped, residents clothes, and stored them up high with the phoof Devils Elbow sighed with relief. In other parts tos. It felt a bit extreme, but better safe than sorof the state on that last weekend of April 2017, ry, and surely those shelves, high some ninety-three evacuations were above her head, were safe. occurring.

On Sunday She was wrong.

But on Sunday morning, the morning, the By local estimates, the Big Missouri State Highway Patrol told Missouri State Piney River rose a record twentyfolks in Devils Elbow to get out, Highway Patrol eight feet by Sunday before finally fast. Something big was coming.

Retiree Carmen Debo stood told folks in Devils retreating. When the Debos rein the window of her early Elbow to get out, turned to their house four days twentieth-century waterfront home fast. Something later, two of their cats had died.

A box with their birth certificates and watched the river. A flood was big was coming. and land deeds and marriage certain—after all, they lived in the license was missing. The refrigfloodplain—but it wasn’t her first. erator had burst open, leaving a stick of butter She’d lived in Devils Elbow for twenty-five years. stranded on the fireplace mantel. Fearing further Her husband, Bill, grew up down the street. Even damage, Carmen left her soaked photo albums though they didn’t have flood insurance, prepauntouched. Down the street, Terry Toula’s house rations seemed manageable. The Debos moved had simply floated off its foundation. Dale and cars and tractors and boats to the top of their

Kate Martin, who just three weeks before had finished building their dream home, returned to find half the deck gone and the backyard gouged with holes large enough to swallow a Volkswagen. The only downtown house spared— perhaps saved by the grace of about a foot of elevation—belongs to Bruce and Nancy Frazier, who offered laundry services in the immediate aftermath. Pitted and debris-strung, every road in Devils Elbow looked like a bombing target. Television sets and Christmas ornaments and photo albums hung from the underbelly of the town’s famous steel truss bridge, deposited by water that had risen to its beams.

Lawson “Smitty” Smith, the Pulaski County emergency manager, surveyed the damage and declared: “Devils Elbow is gone.” ttttttt TO BE FAIR, it was barely there in the first place.

Before the flood, an ill-timed blink might have

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masked Devils Elbow from the gaze of a passing motorist on Route 66, an old section of which still goes through the town. It’s just a few narrow streets and some Mayberryesque homes flanked by empty lots and grand shade trees. There used to be a boarding house, from the late 1940s, with a downstairs dance hall and market called McCoy’s, but it’s been abandoned for years. Only two businesses are open year-round now—the post office and the bar. Until recently, the post office doubled as a general store, so long as your needs stopped at cigarettes and soda. The community’s main artery is a section of the original Route 66, which stretches across the Big Piney River and passes the Elbow Inn Bar & BBQ, whose famous bra-adorned ceiling has earned a loyal following from tourists as well as the locals—all 66 of them (or 56, or 76, depending on whom you ask).

Terry Roberson runs the Elbow Inn. With his barrel of a chest, he looks exactly like a man destined to run a biker bar in the rural Ozarks. Once prompted, he’ll deliver soliloquies on the town’s colorful past, starting with the opening: “You know how the Elbow got its name, right?”

Pre-1900, the Ozark Mountains provided an abundant supply of timber for railroads, and rivers were the easiest mode of transportation for logs. Ties floating down the Big Piney regularly caught on a stubborn rock at the river’s sharpest bend. Lumberjacks nicknamed it a “devil of an elbow,” and the adjacent community—formerly called Pine Bluff and, before that, Hunter Hollow—adopted the curse with pride. Perched on the scenic river and armed with a peculiar name, the town soon became a recreation hotspot for fishing and hunting. When Route 66 arrived in 1926, the Missouri Planning Commission designated Devils Elbow as one of the state’s seven wonders.

For the next three decades, the community boomed. The post office became a destination for travelers thrilled by the sight of “Devils Elbow” on the postcards. Tourists stopped at the Hillbilly Store for Ozark novelties such as arrowheads and walnut bowls. Barbecue wafted in the air around the Munger-Moss Sandwich Shop (currently the

Top: Carmen and Bill Debo's house was overtaken in the flood.

The water reached as high as the paintings on the walls. Middle: Carmen and Bill Debo’s cat, Stop It, is a flood survivor. The April 2017 flood left two of their other cats dead.

Bottom: Carmen Debo had put important documents and photos on the mantel and high shelves in their home. When the couple returned, the documents were soaked, and a box of deeds and certificates was lost among the waters.

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Elbow Inn, which reopened its patio on Memorial Day weekend after recovering from flood damage), drawing lines out the door. Rench’s Cedar Lodge sold Kodak film and twenty-five-cent meals. Next door, McCoy’s Market hosted weekly dances (due to rowdy crowds, these were short-lived). Across the street, the Hiawatha House doubled as a hardware store with upstairs lodging. Its owner, E.D. Tarbell, was an amateur astronomer whose telescope and observatory sat in the backyard. At Ernie and Zada’s E.Z. Inn, motorists could buy a tank of gas, book fishing and hunting expeditions, rent a room, and spend the evening dancing. The surrounding hills were filled with artisans specializing in basket-making and boat-building. Nearby was a two-room schoolhouse and a church that conducted baptisms in the river. For residents, it was paradise on earth—a place where people looked out for, and sometimes reprimanded, other people’s children.

Yet for all of the small-town charm, Devils Elbow was rough around the edges. Trucks navigated the crooked streets and steep hills so slowly, people would jump on the backs and rob them, according to a 2007 article in the Old Settlers Gazette. The Devils Elbow Cafe served liquor for eleven months starting in 1945, but the venture overwhelmed the owner, who logged more than one hundred fights before shutting down because the patrons “played too rough.”

The town grew through the buildup of Fort Leonard Wood, which brought thousands of men and families to Pulaski County. Many settled in the Elbow. Then, in 1943, wartime supply transport required a four-lane highway, so Route 66 was relocated a mile north. The single mile made Devils Elbow that much more removed. Losses compounded as post-war tourism dropped in the late ’50s. When Interstate 44 steamrolled across the state in the 1970s, the last remaining handful of local businesses fled to the freeway.

And then came the floods.

The catastrophic 1982 flood was termed a 500-year event, something that would only come around but every half millennia. That record broke in 2013. And again in 2015. And then again in 2017. ttttttt MANY PINPOINT THE FLOODS as catalysts of the town’s decline. Residents blame factors such as climate change and watershed saturation. They say that, way back when, the

county can do to help.

Missouri Department of Natural Resources “I’ll tell you what this is called; it’s the main stopped dredging the Big Piney, which contribthing—a disaster,” Western District County Comuted to the flooding. State officials, though, say missioner Rick Zweerink said at the meeting. “I they’ve never dredged the river. Still, the debate can’t make it right. You can’t make it right. It is surrounding the causes of flooding distracts what it is. We will help what we can. You think from the town’s real problem: a decline that has you’re the one left behind, but Pulaski County spanned more than half a century. ain’t high on the list. For four years we’ve been “Everybody keeps saying Devils Elbow is gone waiting, waiting, waiting. Nothing’s happened.” and blah, blah, blah—not if I have anything to According to the county commissioners, the do with it,” says Angie Hale. “Devils Elbow is Federal Emergency Management our town. Period. It’s our town.

It’s not going to go nowhere.” The “Devils Elbow is Agency (FEMA) still owes Pulaski County $1,078,000 in reimIllinois native has lived here since our town. Period. bursements from the 2013 and 2004, but her family vacationed It’s our town. It’s 2015 floods. Reimbursements in the area when she was a child. not going to go must be made for each individual These days, Angie is a summernowhere.” project—each bridge, each road, time canoe outfitter. The rest of each culvert. FEMA says the pathe year, she’s a bail bond agent.

—Angie Hale, perwork from Pulaski County is Immediately after the April flood, a Devils Elbow missing or completed incorrectly she oversaw volunteer teams, resident and local or that the projects themselves food donations, and supplies. leader, who runs fail to meet federal standards.

The top priority following the a canoe outfitting Federal-level attention has flood was road repair, so resioperation in the trickled in. Congresswoman dents could access their homes to Vicky Hartzler visited Devils Elbegin cleanup and assess damagsummertime bow shortly after the flood, posed es. An immediate response from for photographs, and collected letters written by Pulaski County was expected, but officials were residents. Her office says Rep. Hartzler had “a overwhelmed with flood-related problems. This very productive meeting with FEMA officials” in wasn’t unusual—several Devils Elbow residents June. Before the April flood, she sponsored a bill say they feel regularly ignored by the county. that has been waiting on a Senate vote that would “Basically, we’re always last on the totem pole,” require FEMA to submit reports to Congress. In Angie says. Armed with reassurances of eventual the meantime, after years without FEMA reimfederal aid and reimbursements, citizens relied bursements, Pulaski County’s funds have run dry. on civilian and military volunteers to begin pick“My suggestion is if you’re sitting here waiting up the pieces. ing for someone to help, you’re going to be “When people needed something, we got it for waiting,” County Commissioner Gene Newkirk them,” Jim Woodman recalls. “We didn’t come trailed off at the meeting, and then added: in and say, ‘Well, we’ll see what we can do.’ We “Good luck with that. I’ve about lost my health just did it.” Although Jim is the Rolla postmaster, with this deal.” he volunteered one hundred hours on a tractor Patience faded. Kate Martin turned to her that first week. But that sort of grassroots action husband and announced, “I’m done,” then shouldn’t have to be the first line of restoration, stormed out of the meeting. As the minutes he argues, because it’s the county’s responsibility passed, more residents left, gathering in the to serve constituents by shouldering costs. lobby or just outside the courthouse.

Jim, Angie, and a handful of Devils Elbow resi“I’m tired,” Jim admits. “The last thing I want dents attended a June 1 Pulaski County Commisto hear out of their mouths is, ‘We don’t have sion meeting seeking answers. When would they the money.’ The residents don’t have money eirepair the roads? Pay for gravel? Reimburse resither, but they’re finding a way.” dents for cleanup? At the top of the meeting, Angie argued that residents shouldn’t bear the cost of ttttttt removing large items such as cars, appliances, and housing debris that had washed downstream. The MONEY IS an obvious problem, but what response from the commissioners was frank—life Devils Elbow residents seem to crave most isn’t fair, and there’s only so much a cash-strapped

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Remember the National Streams Act? I don’t is affirmation. That fight hasn’t been entirely know what the deal is—[my neighbors] want to fruitless. In 2012, the Pulaski County Tourism own the land. They want to own it. They want Bureau ran a “This Place Matters” campaign, to go back to the ’50s. You can’t do that.” partnered with the post office as it faced the Returning to the past means different things threat of closing. The following year, the county to different folks. For some, respent $1.3 million dollars restorstoring the relative isolation of ing the bridge. Hopes buoyed “I’m struggling recently when landmarks such hard to think what pre-flood order is enough, so long as they can continue their as the bridge, the Elbow Inn, the could be the lives in peace. Others want to post office, Big Piney Cabins, and savior, what see the town not only survive, more were added to the National could be the next but thrive.

Register of Historic Places just last chapter in the Stretching the town’s April. Many hoped the designation fingertips back out to Route would boost tourism and possibly story. We’re just spark development. recounting all the 66 seems to be the key to stimulating more restauBut the flood hit two weeks latold chapters.” rants, motels, stores, and er. Now, dreamy talk of Devils El—Terry Roberson, tourism outfits. According bow’s economic revival seems too owner of to the state Division of Tourabstract to entertain, and stunned the Elbow Inn ism, Missouri hosted more residents are focused on returning than 400,000 international to the way things were—a tranquil tourists in 2016, and Route 66 appeals to life absent of floods and change and governthose chasing the romanticized open road and ment intervention. small-town America depicted in TV shows like “I would like to think that in twenty, thirty, Route 66 and in movies such as Disney’s Cars. fifty years, we’ll still have what’s there,” says Ruth The National Park Service has long considKeenoy, a St. Louis-based freelance preservationered making Route 66 a national automobile ist. “The fact that people are carrying on after this trail, but congressional budget cuts have made incredible flood is a good indication. It’s such a achieving that designation challenging. beautiful area, and it always was an attraction for people, even before Route 66. I think it’ll make ttttttt it.” Ruth penned the National Register of Historic Places application for Devils Elbow.

SMALL TOWNS HOLD a sacred status in Others have different ideas about how the the American psyche, so watching them die is a community might bounce back. “The history fate so painful it seems unthinkable. of this place is the history of this country,” says Communities like Devils Elbow are Randy Becht, economic development director hunting for sustaining industry. Devils of the Pulaski County Growth Alliance. “What Elbow residents are turning to Route 66 as an it evolves into we’re not sure, but this place is untapped market, but there’s a reason growth too special not to evolve into something.” Perhas been elusive so far. Even though economic haps, he muses, a state park might generate opportunities along Route 66 certainly exist, similar economic effects that the Katy Trail deDevils Elbow is now twice removed from the livered. Right now, talk of a state park is just highway, and it is inconveniently positioned for that—talk—and would involve employing the most casual Route 66 tourists.

Missouri Buyout Program, which requires wideBut the potential is there. Even after the spread community support and partially matchfloods, it’s not uncommon to see a meandering funds from the cash-strapped county. ing rental convertible filled with German or The idea of a buyout is appealing to residents Chinese tourists stop on the bridge to pose for like Bill Debo, who lost everything in the flood, a photo. “We read about Devils Elbow in the because buyout valuations match pre-disaster Route 66 Adventure Handbook and the EZ66 estimates. “I’m the guy with the devil’s tail on,” Guide for Travelers,” says Lex Edie, an AustraBill says. “I’d love to see the whole thing bought lian tourist who explored Route 66 in 2010 and out. Make it a state park. Some people get mad considers Devils Elbow one of the highlights of when you mention selling out. You ever been his trip. “The first thing that we were interested around a bunch of old hard-line landowners?

in was the old bridge, then the Elbow Inn. We really enjoyed it, loved that the bridge is still in use, and had lunch at the inn.” Luckily, the floods have not caused long-term damage to the landmark bridge.

Angie would love to capitalize on people like Lex Edie. Ideally, she’d relocate her river outfit to downtown Devils Elbow. And since she’d be right on Old Route 66, she likes the sound of a nostalgic ice cream parlor. But that dream can’t materialize until she has the property, and no one wants to sell. Even Bill Debo, who is interested in a buyout for state park land, can’t bear the thought of selling. He turns down offers every week because, he says, “I’m picky about my neighbors.”

For the few plucky entrepreneurs who might settle there, current tourist traffic barely supports existing enterprises. In addition to commercial property scarcity, the Elbow lacks schools, grocery stores, and gas stations. Most downtown lots fall in the floodplain, and strategic construction requires significant floodproofing investments plus mandatory flood insurance. Even for those who can afford those extra measures, there’s still no guarantee against inevitable catastrophe.

After the 2015 flood, County Surveyor Don Mayhew recommended several Devils Elbow residents elevate their homes by at least two and a half feet. But the most recent wave of flooding exceeded the base flood elevation by nine feet.

“I feel for those people; I empathize with them completely,” Don says. “But the truth of the matter is that there’s not much that can be done.

Mother Nature’s going to do what she wants to do, and there’s not much we can do about that.

Folks want a solution? The solution is to get out of the floodplain.”

Some people have. At its peak, Devils Elbow boasted several hundred residents. Now, there’s just a handful left. With an aging population primarily in their sixties and seventies, the town risks extinction by the mere mortality of its own residents. For years, children of the town have fled to larger cities, pursuing better education and job opportunities and homes that aren’t subject to the whims of an unpredictable river.

Few return. ttttttt TERRY ROBERSON STAYED IN BED for three days after the flood. The Elbow Inn would need somewhere around $50,000 to

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rebuild. An online campaign raised roughly $5,000, and passing motorists are generous with donations, too. Gravel deposits from the river also offered financial consolation; Terry sold 1,000 loads for $60 a piece. He re-opened the Elbow Inn’s patio to the public on Memorial Day, and throngs of loyal patrons and tourists attended. For the foreseeable future, the bar will be open on the weekends.

During the week, Terry is focused on repairs to the town and to his bar, but he’s happy to sit and talk with visitors. Perhaps no one is better positioned to lead the town’s revival, whatever that might be, than Terry. Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of its past, he’s the gatekeeper to the town’s significance. Conversation tilts toward those who put Devils Elbow on the map— Sterling Wells, the Millers, the McCoys, the Tarbells. But they’re gone now, and the ground their businesses stood on is too often an empty lot where something used to thrive.

“I’m struggling hard to think what could be the savior, what could be the next chapter in the story,” Terry says. “It seems like we’re just recounting all the old chapters. But I do love it here.”

Even for the most sympathetic ears, it’s hard to glean meaning from distant strangers of the past who lived in buildings that no longer stand.

Watching the peaceful river slip by the bar’s patio, another life seems unimaginable. It’s unlikely that Terry will ever leave Devils Elbow. But as time moves forward, it might leave him. The river, with all its menace and might, keeps rolling along, chipping away at the shoreline and the town. Terry grew up on the Mississippi River, hunting ducks and fishing for fiftypound flathead catfish.

He could have retired anywhere. He could have returned to his roots, but he didn’t. Like everyone else living here, he loves Devils Elbow, the town and its history and its ghosts. How could he turn his back on them now?

“One of the biggest thrills I ever caught was a twenty-two-inch smallmouth right here. From the bank. Biggest smallmouth I ever got,” he says.

“And I let it go.”

Top: The Devils Elbow cleanup was mostly accomplished by volunteers and crisis donations, such as this canned emergency water that came from an Anheuser-Busch and Red Cross partnership. Middle: Two volunteers who helped clean up the town after the flood compare photos of damages.

Bottom: Signs like this are common in Devils Elbow. When the Big Piney flooded in 1982, residents thought the worst of the flooding was behind them.

Then came the even more devastating floods of 2013, 2015, and 2017.

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PROMOTION

stop and smell the

PECANS SHOP AND EXPLORE CHARITON COUNTY NESTLED BETWEEN rolling hills to the north and some of the finest farm ground in the nation to the south lies Chariton County. This resource-rich county is comprised of small, rural towns that boast strong community spirit. The main towns of Salisbury, Keytesville, Brunswick, and Mendon provide a rich tapestry of fairs and festivals that attract thousands of visitors for the many parades, music, dining, and craft offerings.

Today, the county is economically fueled by large agricultural farms and the businesses that support them. The county also features the largest pecan-producing area in Missouri.

Chariton County was named after one of the rivers—the Chariton—that flow through its landscape. These rivers drew an amalgamation of early settlers, including Lewis and Clark, who camped in Chariton County on their exploration.

The county was established in 1817, and George Jackson, who served in the Missouri legislature, was one of the first settlers. Jackson met and traded with American Indians in the area, whose hunting grounds were bountiful in fish and game. The Missouri River played an undeniable role in the development of the county’s trade and riverboat traffic. The spring rises gave birth to some of the best topsoil in the nation.

Three major rail lines serve Chariton County. US Highway 24 bisects the county from east to west, and Missouri Route 5 runs from north to south. Its industrial and utility infrastructure is supported by a major Midwest oil storage and pumping station for state, national, and transcontinental distribution. Chariton County workers possess an abundance of skill sets in agriculture, energy, metal fabrication, and manufacturing, and the county is recognized as a Certified Work Ready Community.

Chariton County and its communities extend a warm welcome to all visitors and invite them to come and experience the best of small-town hospitality.

World's Largest Goose, Sumner

Pecan Festival Parade,

Brunswick

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The Café

Inn at Clover Hill

Calendar of Events August 5: Swan Lake Wildlife Refuge’s First Friday Fun for the whole family.

Great tenderloins, 1/2 lb. burgers, and homemade pies.

Open Mon-Thurs 5:30AM-8PM, Fri-Sat 5:30AM-9PM, and Sun 5:30AM-2PM

Sneak away and enjoy the bed-and-breakfast at our fully functioning farm.

The Carriage House is available for events.

118 E Jackson U.S. Highway 24, Keytesville 660-288-2800

10639 Highway YY, Sumner 660-856-3648 | InnAtCloverHill.com

General Sterling Price Museum

Regional Missouri Bank

August 4-6: Brunswick Wildcat Catfish Tournament Friday: Dinner and Calcutta Saturday: Captains meeting and boat launch lineup Sunday: Catfish weigh-in and awards ceremony August 12: Chariton County Community Annual Golf Tournament Enter for a good time and to take part in enriching the quality of life in Chariton County.

Museum displays artifacts relating to General Price’s life and career plus American Indian artifacts.

Open May 1-Oct 15, Mon-Fri 2PM-5PM

Your hometown community bank with more than 100 years of excellence.

Come home to Regional Missouri Bank.

RegionalMo.bank Member FDIC

412 W Bridge Street, Keytesville | 660-288-3204 KeytesvilleMo.com/Sterling-Price-Museum

Sherry’s Place

Hi-Way Café

Wine, spirits, and beer. Grill and fryer menu seven days a week. Home-style plate specials.

Hometown café specializing in open-faced hot beef, charbroiled burgers, and homemade pies.

Open Mon-Sat 10AM-1:30AM, Sun 11AM-12AM

Open Mon-Sat 6AM-8PM

304 W Bridge St., Keytesville 660-288-3149

320 West Highway 24, Salisbury 660-388-5504

Brunswick Pecan Festival

Where in MO? Sumner Brunswick

Come experience Brunswick’s Pecan Festival! Craft vendors, pecan pie contest and auction, baby contest, parade, kid activities, teen dance, and food.

Salisbury Keytesville

October 6-8, 2017 BrunswickPecanFestival.com

August 26: Mendon Tractor Pull and Car Show Come out and see the vehicles of the past in action and enjoy a tasty tenderloin dinner.

September 8-10: Sterling Price Days Friday: Dinner Theater.

Saturday: 5K Road Run/Walk, contests, craft shows, historic tours, a parade, and a street dance in the evening Sunday: Car and truck show, community worship service, and a pony pull September 23: Salisbury Pumpkin Festival Craft vendors sell fall-themed items, free games for kids, and a pedal tractor pull September 23: Salisbury Wine Walk Area wineries and distilleries show off their products in the city park. Craft and food vendors, beer garden, and live music to end the evening October 28: Sumner Goose Festival Gooseberry pie and duckcalling contests, live music, and Beyond the Circle performing Native American dances. Get your picture with Maxie the World’s Largest Goose.

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PROMOTION

Allen’s Dime Store

Twin Oaks Enterprises

“Old Fashioned Dime Store.” Established in 1978, fresh popcorn daily, 1¢ candy, and unique items.

Custom furniture hand built to your design.

Primitive, rustic home décor and more.

BRUNSWICK PECAN FESTIVAL October 6-8, 2017 FRIDAY Bike Decorating Contest 6PM Nutty Parade 6:30PM Bingo 7PM Shelter House, Broadway SATURDAY Food Vendors Various locations Crafts, Flea Market Broadway Pecan Pie Contest 10:30AM Knights of Columbus Building Pies accepted 8-10AM Pecan Cluster Contest 9AM Take clusters to Allen’s Dime Store, Broadway Littlest Pecan Contest 15 years old & younger Entries turned in at Steve’s Garage before October 1st or Lion's Club food stand by 11AM day of Coach E 5K & 10 K 8:15AM Brunswick High School Registration from 7-7:45AM Pet Contest Shelter House, Broadway Baby Contest 10:30AM American Legion Hall, upstairs Registration at 9:30AM Pecan Pie Auction 1PM Grandstand Parade 2PM Parade lineup at 12PM at Brunswick R-II School Float Judging at 12:45PM at Brunswick R-II School SUNDAY Slow Pitch Tournament 8AM Brunswick High School Gospel Music Sing Along 7PM Methodist Church

Open Mon-Sat 9AM-5PM

Open Mon-Sat 10AM-5PM

205 E Broadway, Brunswick 660-548-3042

206 W Broadway, Brunswick 660-548-1400 | TwinOaksEnterprises.com

Kaitlynn’s Deli & Ice Cream Shop

Sycamore Valley Farm Bed and Breakfast

Old-fashioned soda fountain, sandwiches, fresh salads, and house-made gourmet cheesecake.

We offer our guests country hospitality in the peaceful atmosphere that accompanies farm life, making your stay a treasured memory.

Open Tues-Sat 10AM-7PM 121 E Broadway, Brunswick 660-548-3600 | Kaitlynns.com

25589 Fort Orleans Ave., Brunswick 660-548-3283 www.SycamoreValleyFarm.com

The Railyard Steakhouse

Rustic Haven Furnishings

Visit The Railyard, where it’s summertime yearround. Like us on Facebook for our weekly specials.

Custom woodworking, including furniture, and retail store with home décor, housewares, and more.

Open Thurs-Sat 11AM-9PM

Open Wed-Thurs 10AM-7PM and Fri-Sun 10AM-5PM

606 E Broadway, Brunswick 660-548-3300 | RailyardSteakhouse.com

26244 Highway 11, Brunswick 660-322-1870

Sew Sweet Quilt Shop

Madison Street Lounge

We strive to inspire at Sew Sweet Quilt Retreat.

New store samples. Block of the Month programs.

We are a smoke-free, family-friendly lounge that offers cold drinks, great food, and fun times.

Open Tues-Sat 10AM-5:30PM

Open Tues-Thurs 4PM-9PM, Fri 4PM-12AM, Sat 12:30PM-12AM

207 E Broadway, Brunswick 660-548-3056 | SewSweetQuiltStore.com

105 N Madison St., Brunswick 660-548-1221

BrunswickPecanFestival.com

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UpRiver Antiques

Neidholdt Pecan Farms

Chariton County Weekend Getaway for the Whole Family

Friday Night Antiques, gifts, gourmet food, home décor, and primitives. Visit us in the heart of downtown.

Cracked pecans, pecan kernels, candy, crafts, jewelry, and custom cracking.

Open Mon-Sat 9AM-5:30PM and Sun 12PM-3PM

Seasonally November-December or by appointment

117 E Broadway, Brunswick 660-414-6530

28095 Highway 11, Brunswick 660-548-1025

UpRiver Urban Exchange

Sherry’s Home Cookin’

Dinner: After checking into your B&B, start your weekend off right with dinner at The Railyard Steakhouse.

Experience the rumble of the train and take in local artwork while enjoying a savory steak or hand-breaded chicken tenders.

Saturday

Fun Morning Activities: After a deliciously crafted breakfast, head to Swan Lake Wildlife Refuge to see the birds and visit the World's Largest Goose.

Consignment and clothing boutique.

Eclectic gift shop. “Expect the Unexpected!”

All-you-can-eat crab legs or shrimp!

Open Mon-Sat 9AM-5:30PM and Sun 12PM-3PM

Open Mon-Thurs 7AM-8PM, Fri-Sat 7AM-9PM, and Sun 7AM-2PM

115 E Broadway, Brunswick 660-414-6150

801 E Broadway St., Brunswick 660-548-3010

The Ashlyn House Bed & Breakfast

King Hill Farms

Lunch & Shopping: Check out Brunswick for a tasty lunch, unique shops, historic sites, and a photo op with the “World’s Largest Pecan.” Locally grown pecans are a favorite souvenir.

Evening Activities and Dinner: Top off the day by visiting the Sterling Price Monument in Keytesville and relax at The Café over a hearty meal.

Sunday Brunswick’s Main Street Bed & Breakfast is a stately turn-of-the-century colonial home built in the late 1800s.

310 W Broadway, Brunswick 660-548-3237 | 800-711-3360 VisitMo.com/Ashlyn-House-Bed-And-Breakfast

Fresh produce in season, and pecans.

Vegetable stand, 24 hours. Pecan shop open after Labor Day or by appointment.

22842 Highway 24, Brunswick 660-548-3972 | KingHillPecans.com

Finish off the weekend with a game of golf or a stroll on the award-winning Pott’s Park Nature Trail in Salisbury.

PLan your visit to our communities today CharitonCountyED.com BrunswickMo.com KeytesvilleMo.com SalisburyMo.net [63] August 2017

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Musings ON MISSOURI

I’VE LONG BEEN OBSESSED with the elements and causation behind the phenomenon of a total solar eclipse. I’m assuming my lifetime of acquired scholarship will serve me well come August 21, the day Missouri is bisected by a 100-mile-wide swath of midday midnight.

My expertise in the field of helioseismology and/or eclipsy things stems largely from my Viking ancestry. I’m either one-eighth Danish or devoured eight Danish pastries in one sitting; I can never recall which. At any rate, based on the scientifically inarguable certainties of Norse mythology, a solar eclipse can only occur when Sköll, the great and fearsome sky wolf, finally catches and consumes Sol, the Nordic sun god.

Though such information might disconcert the uninformed, there is little cause for alarm. Since the core of the sun is rather warm (27,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit) it takes a while for Sköll to fully enjoy his culinary experience.

Think of it as a bowl of hot soup. First, one must engage in the solemn stirring ritual. Next comes the hallowed dipping of a sacramental spoonful, followed by the slow exhalation of consecrated breath. Last is the barrage of profane cursing when one scalds the roof of his mouth.

Eating the sun is as far removed from casual

dining as you can get.

Luckily for us mere mortals, great and fearsome sky wolves hate loud noises far more than they enjoy feasting on a G-Type main-sequence star that comprises 99.86 percent of the mass of our solar system. Early Viking physicists learned that Sköll—and his compatriot Hati, who has a taste for the moon—are terrified by the clanging and banging of cookware. It seems odd that a variety of Canis lupus large enough to consume a sphere of hot plasma with a diameter 109 times the size of Earth would be bothered by a little clatter, but they are. Just whack your Teflon skillet a few times, and that scaredy-wolf will drop the sun like a nuclearpowered, hydrogen/helium hot potato.

Thus, secure in the knowledge that mankind may enjoy the eclipse sans fear of ravenouswolf apocalypse, grab a lawn chair and enjoy the show. Total solar eclipses occur about every eighteen months; however, since most of our planet is water, seeing one generally requires bobbing around in the ocean like a forlorn wine cork. In fact, this will be the first time a total solar eclipse has cut a path across the United States in thirty-eight years.

For perspective’s sake, and as a marginally pathetic aside, a solar eclipse hasn’t been view-

able in the locale of Dayton, Ohio, since 1395; the next one won’t appear there until the year 3000. I’m not sure what Dayton did to deserve this humiliating fate, but it must have been one humdinger of an insult.

For the ultimate observational adventure here in Show-Me Land, travel to the ominous sounding “zone of totality” (that aforementioned 100-mile-wide path where the sun will go completely dark). St. Joseph is smack on the centerline of this solar freeway. Other excellent venues include Marshall, Boonville, Columbia, and Jefferson City. To the east and southeast, think Festus, Ste. Genevieve, and Cape Girardeau.

I’ve not yet decided where I’ll be on August 21. Before then, I must visit Walmart for some discount aluminum cookware. I’m a lackadaisical chef at best, and my collection of pots, pans, kettles, and cauldrons is woefully inadequate.

The fate of humanity is serious business, and science tells me that Sköll and Hati would be less than intimidated by my Fry Daddy and Foreman grill.

See page 32 for more information about the RON MARR eclipse. —Editor

KATH TEOLI

HERE COMES THE SUN

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FOOD LIVES HERE. time to play!

CAPE GIRARDEAU EATS & DRINKS | FARM & FIELD | PEOPLE & PLACES NEWS & ISSUES | ARTS & CULTURE FlatlandKC.org

@FlatlandKC

/FlatlandKC

Join us on the banks of the mighty Mississippi.

Preview the possibilities online or call 800-777-0068 today.

Preview possibilities V I the SIT C A P E . online C O Mor/call F A800-777-0068 M I LY F U Ntoday.

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NO PLACE LIKE

Home

THE SOUNDS OF VACATION FOR MANY REASONS, we always take our summer vacation in August. One memorable year, my husband and I flew with my parents to meet my sister at an oceanside resort in Texas. The weather turned wet and the rental car quit, so we spent most of our time in the hotel bar, watching the dark waves and tipping the piano player. At the airport, our flight was delayed and we missed our connector, so by the time we landed in Kansas City, it was long after midnight and we still had a three-hour drive home.

I was over it.

Right before we left on this trip, my father was fitted—or rather, ill-fitted—with new dentures, and on the flight home he was convinced that they were going to fall out. To ensure they stayed put, he began pushing his tongue against the roof of his mouth, creating an annoying kind of clicking sound that, apparently, only I could hear.

Thtt. Thtt.

Sometimes, the little things can turn into big things—this noise was one of those.

“Dad,” I asked, with a hint of impatience.

“Why are you making that noise?”

“What?” he replied. “What?”

Thtt. Thtt.

The cool Texas weather followed us to Missouri, so when I huddled with my mother awaiting the parking shuttle, I noticed she had developed a case of the sniffles.

Sniff. Sniff.

In the quietness of the shuttle bus, I frantically dug in my purse to find one lonely tissue and handed it to my mother.

“Mom, here’s a Kleenex,” I said, disappointed when she delicately dabbed her nose and tucked it away.

Sniff. Sniff.

It was the wee hours of the morning when we finally found our vehicle and loaded our

luggage. My husband, the driver, made a quick stop at a convenience store, needing a dose of caffeine to help him wake up and shake off the desire to lie down. Before Randy could take one drink, he started to yawn.

AHHH. Ahhh. Aaaa.

Randy has always been an exuberant yawner who throws back his head and lets it rip in three different octaves. Tonight was no different.

AHHH. Ahhh. Aaaa.

On the interstate, we rode in silence, me foolishly believing that the sound of the highway might lull my parents to sleep and quiet the teeth clicking and double sniffing. It had been a long day of travel, and I was sure they were anxious to get home and lay their heads down.

I know I was.

Just when I was beginning to nod off, the yawning started again; Randy’s coffee had not yet kicked in.

AHHH. Ahhh. Aaaa.

Then from the back seat, I heard my Dad, still fussing with those teeth.

Thht. Thht.

Immediately after, my mother chimed in.

Sniff. Sniff.

Now that I had heard this little chorus, I couldn’t un-hear it.

AHHH. Ahhh. Aaaa.

Thtt. Thtt.

Sniff. Sniff.

Are you kidding me?

I turned on the radio, thinking that would help.

AHHH. Ahhh. Aaaa.

Thtt. Thtt.

Sniff. Sniff.

Soon, they were blending harmony with the Golden Oldies.

AHHH. Ahhh. Aaaa.

Thtt. Thtt.

Sniff. Sniff.

That was it. I’d had all I could stand, and I couldn’t stand anymore. Apparently, I had spent way too much time with these people, and all those little things were turning out to be too big to ignore.

“Stop! Everyone, you have got to stop!” I shrieked, hands in praying formation.

“Exactly what I was thinking!” Dad shouted from the backseat. “There is a little ol’ truck stop up the road. Let’s stop and have some pie.”

So that’s what we did—pulled over and had pie, like it wasn’t the middle of the night and we weren’t tired and ready to be home. I sat across from my father, and by the time I was done with that slice of banana cream, I had forgotten all about loose teeth and summer colds and loud, late-night yawns.

Maybe those things weren’t so big after all.

My father passed a few years ago, and what I wouldn’t give this August to be riding with my parents on a summer vacation.

We’d take our time and stop for pie and sleep when we got home. We would remember all the little things that made our vacations so memorable.

Thtt. Thtt.

I miss those little things.

Lorry Myers writes from her home in central Missouri. Write her at LORRY MYERS LorrysStorys@gmail.com.

KATH TEOLI

BY LORRY MYERS

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EXPLORE PARKS & SITES

Missouri’s remarkable diversity of landscapes comes alive in this guide that explores all there is to see and do in the state’s 92 state parks and state historic sites. This book’s highlighted icons, trail listings, and fun facts will guide your adventures for years to come. Just $9.99 (plus tax and s/h).

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This 400+ page book is illustrated with over 500 full-color, large-format photographs. Through its detailed essays on parks and historic sites, it offers an irresistible invitation to discover Missouri’s remarkably diverse natural and cultural heritage.

These narratives go much deeper than the official brochures. With a focus on the special places Missourians have elected to preserve to represent their history and culture, the book will open the door to a lifetime of exploration and will influence generations to come. Just $49.99 (plus tax and s/h).

Hardcover, 416 pgs.

Call about our Platinum Entertainment Packages.

Ask about the NEW Runaway Mountain Coaster and the Branson Jet Boats!

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888-277-8750 [67] August 2017

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SHOW-ME

Flavor

TOO MANY TO EAT! NORMALLY,

it would take years to track down and taste 150 varieties of tomatoes and 75 types of peppers. At the Tomato Festival in Columbia on September 7, it might take you an afternoon.

Under the tents at the Bradford Research Center, you’ll find tomatoes of nearly every size, color, and flavor imaginable. There will even be some with fuzz; the Garden Peach to-

mato produces a fine layer of fluff over its yellow and pink skin, just like its namesake. That one is a personal favorite of Andrew Biggs, superintendent of Bradford, which is a research facility at the University of Missouri. When picking out varieties for the festival, he made sure he included some of the crowd darlings, such as Ground Cherries and Brandywine, but he also selected some surprises.

In addition to the vast array of tomatoes, the festival also celebrates peppers. About 75 types of peppers will be available for visitors to sample, ranging from sweet to the spiciest of spicy.

Thrill seekers will be pleased to know Bradford is again providing the Carolina Reaper, which was only recently dethroned as the world’s hottest pepper. “It’s a really nice flavor at first,” Andrew says, “then it’s pretty much just fire.”

HARRY KATZ

We dare you to try all 150 tomato varieties at the Columbia festival. BY LAURA HECK

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WHEN & WHERE 4-7 pm, Thursday, September 7 Bradford Research Center 4968 Rangeline Road, Columbia Free to attend 573-884-7945 Bradford.CAFNR.org Left: The annual Tomato Festival at MU’s Bradford Research Center draws a crowd of one thousand.

There will be 150 varieties of tomatoes and 75 types of peppers to taste.

HARRY KATZ

Left: This year, Bradford staff planted about 5,200 seeds to prepare for the festival. Only four plants of each variety were transferred to the fields and later harvested. Above: Attendees peruse and sample the produce under the tents.

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Tomatoes come in a vast array of varieties, many of which grow well in Missouri’s hot, humid summers. They are loosely categorized into four groups: salad, plum, cherry, and beefsteak tomatoes. Each has characteristics that pertain to the sweetness and acidity levels, thickness of skin, number of seeds, and the amount of water the tomato contains.

Look for these types at the grocery story or market.—Chef Daniel Pliska SALAD TOMATOES

PLUM TOMATOES

Characteristics: Tart and juicy

Characteristics: Firmer skin, fewer seeds,

Size: Two to three inches in diameter

and less water than other types

Best used for: Salads, sandwiches, salsas

Size: One to three inches in diameter

Varieties: Arkansas Traveler, Creole

Best used for: Sauces, soups,

Original, Djeena Lees Golden,

paste, drying, slow roasting

Oh Happy Day Hybrid, Green Zebra,

Varieties: Roma, Amish Paste Tomatoes,

and Garden Peach

Amos Coli, and San Marzano

CHERRY & GRAPE TOMATOES

BEEFSTEAK TOMATOES

Characteristics: Grown in clusters, sweet

Characteristics: Huge size, meaty

Size: Less than one inch in diameter

insides, mild flavor, longer growing time

Best used for: Salads, pasta salads, or dips

Size: Four to six inches in diameter

Varieties: Super Sweet 100, Sun Sugar, Best used for: Slicing, sandwiches Sun Gold, Sugar, Chadwick Cherry, Fox

Varieties: Steak House Hybrid, Mortgage

Cherry, Pearly Pink, Black Cherry, and

Lifter, Big Rainbow, Cherokee Purple, Bran-

Blue Cream

dywine Pink, and Missouri Love Apple

Top: Festival-goers sample tomatoes and peppers that range from sickly sweet to burning hot and everything in-between.

Right: About 750 pounds of tomatoes and 150 pounds of peppers provide an array of samples at the festival.

HARRY HARRY KATZ KATZ

TOMAYTO, TOMAHTO

He has tried the pepper a few times, mostly out of a sense of karmic guilt because he has persuaded so many other people to try it.

Each year, the festival attracts about a thousand people, a mixed crowd of gardeners, growers, and casual taste-testers. Many people come for the opportunity to see how the varieties stack up against each other in Missouri growing climates. Festival-goers will be able to talk tomatoes with many experts on hand; there’s even a booth hosted by the “Tomato Psychologist,” James Quinn, horticulture specialist at University of Missouri Extension. “Boy, he likes to talk about tomatoes,” Andrew jokes.

And keep an ear out for the speakers, who are scheduled to give informational talks every hour throughout the evening.

The festival really does showcase how each variety might fare in Missouri gardens. Bradford uses a low-maintenance growing process that could be imitated by nearly any home gardener. The only real advantage Bradford has over most home growers, Andrew says, is the seeds get their start in a greenhouse.

The staff picks seeds from catalogs—“I usually point at things and order them,” he says—and uses basic equipment such as dripline irrigation or cages and trellises built with fences or twine and other everyday gardening objects.

Local Master Gardner volunteers and Bradford staff get to work harvesting the produce about three days before the festival begins.

They pick and slice the peppers first, because peppers have a longer sitting-around grace period than tomatoes do.

The festival offers much more than simple viewing and tasting. Local restaurants bring some of their best tomato-based dishes for visitors to try. A Kid’s Corner features huge tractor tires full of corn and soybeans to play in like sandboxes, coloring books, and milk tasting with flavors such as strawberry, cotton candy, and root beer provided by Shatto Dairy.

Be sure to ask for directions to the corn maze on the research center’s property. But don’t lose your way in the maze—the tomatoes and peppers are waiting back under the tents.

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A GUIDE TO TOMATOES

BY CHEF DANIEL PLISKA, EXECUTIVE CHEF AT MU'S UNIVERSITY CLUB

Missouri grows some of the best varieties of this annual favorite. When homegrown tomatoes are picked at the peak of their ripeness and prepared with top-quality ingredients, they will be the hit of any summer get-together or dinner party.

THE JOURNEY OF THE “TOMALT” Indigenous to South and Central America, tomatoes got their name from the Aztec word tomalt. The fruit was not introduced to Europe until the sixteenth century, but historians aren’t sure how tomatoes were first brought to the continent.

Tomatoes became prominent in the cuisines of Italy, Greece, Spain, and southern France (and, of course, Mexico, where they originated), but it took a couple of centuries until Europeans used tomatoes for food. Instead, they were grown in gardens and beheld as quaint oddities. The hesitation to eat tomatoes came mostly from a persisting, contentious myth that they were poisonous. Tomatoes were lumped in the infamously poisonous nightshade family, and it definitely didn’t help that tomatoes were acidic enough to react to metal plates and turn black. The hint of danger and its exotic origins created a mythical air around tomatoes, and they were given names such as the French pommes d’amour, or love apple, and a Greek version of “wolf peach,” which might have been a nod to the link between nightshades and fabled werewolves.

Even though tomatoes originated in the Americas, the fruit wasn’t used in the United States until European immigrants brought them back across the pond. In 1820, a man named Robert Gibbon Johnson ate a basket of raw tomatoes on the steps of the Salem courthouse to prove they were safe to eat.

Thomas Jefferson was one of the first prominent Americans to grow tomatoes; he scandalously served them at dinner parties.

SARAH HARRY HACKMAN KATZ

HEIRLOOM VS. HYBRID Heirloom tomatoes must be grown from seeds that have not been crossed with any other varieties for fifty years or longer.

The seeds are saved and passed down from many generations.

Their misshapen beauty combined with their flavor makes these varieties favorites in markets and kitchens.

Hybrid tomato species, on the other hand, have been interbred to improve select qualities such as size, disease resistance, and thickness of skin. In order to create more consistency and greater yield, the flavor of hybrids can sometimes fall by the wayside.

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SHOW-ME

Flavor NEED TO SHARPEN YOUR CULINARY SKILLS? GO TO MISSOURILIFE.COM FOR PICTURES OF THE STEPS FROM SOME OF THESE RECIPES.

SMOKED TOMATO RELISH from Chef Daniel Pliska

Ingredients >

5 slicing tomatoes, washed ¼ cup shallots, finely diced 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped ½ teaspoon salt ¼ cup balsamic vinegar ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions >

HARRY KATZ

1. Blanch the tomatoes. To do so, start by bringing 1 gallon water to boil in a large pot. Slice a shallow X in the bottom of each tomato, and gently immerse them in the boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds. Place them immediately in a large bowl of ice water.

2. Once the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, use a knife or your fingers to peel the skin.

3. Cut the tomatoes in half across the equator, and use a spoon or knife to remove the seeds.

4. Place the tomatoes in a smoker, and infuse with indirect smoke from wood chips for 10 minutes.

5. Remove the tomatoes from the smoker, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to cool to room temperature.

6. In a large bowl, combine shallots, black pepper, sugar, basil, salt, and balsamic vinegar.

Whisk in the olive oil.

7. Dice the tomatoes, and mix with the herb vinaigrette.

8. Serve with grilled steak or chicken.

Makes 2½ cups

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TOMATO CONFIT from Chef Daniel Pliska

Ingredients >

12 Roma tomatoes, washed and quartered, or 24 large cherry tomatoes, washed and halved 12 garlic cloves 24 sprigs thyme

6 bay leaves 2 sprigs rosemary, 4 inches long 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 quart olive oil A pinch of sea salt

Directions >

1. Lay out the tomatoes in a single layer on a baking pan. Top with garlic, herbs, and black pepper. Cover with olive oil.

2. Cover the pan with foil, and roast in a 250-degree oven for 1½ hours, or until soft.

3. Prepare a baking sheet lined with nonstick silicon matt or sprayed with pan-release, non-stick spray.

4. Once soft, remove the tomatoes from the oven. Gently transfer the tomatoes to the baking sheet using a slotted spoon.

Season with a small amount of sea salt.

5. Bake the tomatoes at 300 degrees for 30 more minutes, or until dried out.

6. While the tomatoes are baking, strain the oil and garlic cloves from the previous pan. Reserve these for another use.

7. When the tomatoes are done, let them cool. Serve on croustades with goat cheese and topped with your choice of accompaniments, or use the confit as a garnish for grilled chicken, fish, or steak.

Makes enough for 48 croustades

CREAM OF TOMATO AND FENNEL SOUP from Chef Daniel Pliska

Ingredients >

2 pounds tomatoes, cut in quarters 1 cup red bell pepper, large diced ½ cup yellow onion, large diced ½ cup leek, white part only, rinsed well and large diced ½ cup celery, large diced 1 cup fennel, large diced 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 3 tablespoons olive oil (plus extra for roasting) 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ cup white wine 2 tablespoons tomato paste 6 cups water, vegetable broth, or chicken broth 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar ½ cup heavy cream, hot 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped Salt and pepper to taste

Directions > 1.

2.

3.

4.

HARRY KATZ

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Toss the quartered tomatoes and bell peppers in a small amount of olive oil.

Roast the tomatoes and peppers in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes.

Sauté the onions, leeks, celery, fennel, and garlic in 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Stir in the flour. Once incorporated, add the roasted tomatoes and peppers along with the tomato paste, white wine, water or broth, balsamic vinegar, and sugar.

Bring the contents to a light boil. Reduce the temperature to simmer.

Cook for 1 hour. When scum appears on the top, use a spoon to skim it off.

After an hour, purée the mixture in a blender. Return the purée to the pot and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

Strain the mixture. Add the cream, and continue to cook until desired consistency.

Add the chopped herbs; season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve. Makes 6 cups

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SHOW-ME

Flavor

Dining worth the drive.

Eat, Camp, and Be Merry Yarrow

AT FORT CHARITON, the invitation to “come and stay awhile” takes on new meaning. Here you can dine and camp in the beautiful northeast Missouri countryside.

Owners Bill “Grizz” Adams and Angela Schultz renovated the restaurant on the bank of the Chariton River, just ten miles southwest of Kirksville. Fort Chariton, though not named after an elusive historic fort, evolved

As the Windmill Turns St. Louis

from an existing roadhouse that belonged to well-known

► THE ICONIC, century-old Bevo Mill windmill is again teeming with diners after the new Das Bevo restaurant and

the property to prevent river flooding near the twenty

bierhall opened in May under owners Pat and Carol Schuchard. The windmill, originally built in 1917 by the Busch family

campsites and eatery (hence the “fort” moniker).

locals Jim and Bob Baker. Angela and Grizz revamped the bar and gathering place and added a wall surrounding

Warm up by the bonfire in cooler seasons, then come

Sugarfire Events, the Sugarfire Smoke House catering company, is managing the restaurant. Peter Slay, a St. Louis

inside for a tender steak, juicy burger, melt-in-your-

native who worked for five years as sous chef at Boulud Sud in New York City, serves as head chef. Mike Johnson,

mouth breaded tenderloin, or the always-delicious frog

Sugarfire’s chef, consulted on what the restaurant terms its “creative and contemporary pub menu with German flair.”

legs (available only on Thursdays and Sundays). The por-

Appetizers include pork belly perogies, kraut balls, and crispy cheese curds with a curry ranch sauce. Pair your beer

tions are generous, the prices are reasonable, and the in-

with an entrée such as the sausages, “machine gun” burgers, beer cheese soup, brathendl (spit-roasted chicken),

gredients are fresh.—Danielle Breshears

mac and cheese, or pork schnitzel. St. Louis’s Cronin’s Pretzels are baked on-site. —Julie Brown Patton

26826 Yarrow Trail • 660-665-3030

4749 Gravois Avenue·• 314-224-5521 • DasBevo.com

YarrowPub.com

A Little Bit of Everything Buffalo DELVIN AND LYNN MALLARD never imagined building a menu of more than sixty selections—not counting sides or the cashew chicken served up every Friday—when they opened the Maple Street Grill in Buffalo in 1984. The California-raised brothers with Dallas County roots converted a turn-of-the-century space into a roomy restaurant and bar. Now, they offer everything from barbecued ribs, hand-cut steaks, and Mexican dishes to burgers, salads, and grilled sandwiches.

“We try to have a little bit of everything,” Lynn says, which is just the way both regulars and newbies like it at Maple Street Grill. With Cajun whitefish and Maryland crab cakes flying out of the kitchen, the fare from this southwest Missouri restaurant is all over the map—in a good way. —Susan Atteberry Smith 105 N. Maple Street • 417-345-5045 • MapleStreetGrill.net

FROM LEFT, DELVIN AND LYNN MALLARD

M.P. WILSON, ANGELA SCHULTZ, AND SUSAN ATTEBERRY SMITH

as a rest stop between the brewery and Grant’s Farm, has undergone a $1.5 million redevelopment over the past year.

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PROMOTION

In the heat of summer, there’s no experience quite so rewarding as passing the hours on a patio or porch with a plate of BBQ and a beverage, especially with the company of good friends and family!

Luckily for us, there’s no shortage of access to good food and good drinks in Missouri. Our state boasts more than 200 wineries, distilleries, and craft breweries.

Summer also means festivals, brewing contests, and BBQ competitions. Or if you’re more of a homebody, it’s the perfect time to fire up some charcoal and have your friends over for a cookout!

Whether you’re looking for something that’s close to home or you’re in the mood for a meandering road trip, let us point you in the right direction where you can eat and drink to your heart’s content.

Rock & Run Brewery

Midwest Tea Fest A festival celebrating tea and the cultures that enjoy it around the world. Tea enthusiast or tea-curious— come join us!

MidWestTeaFest.com

American Royal Rock & Run Brewery is a 40-tap brew pub offering 15 housebrewed varieties and 25 rotational craft beers from around the country. Our full-service kitchen features wood-fired pizza as well as other popular options in our family-friendly restaurant.

110 E Kansas St., Liberty 816-415-2337 | RockAndRunBrewery.com

Don’t miss the world’s largest BBQ, Labor Day weekend at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City!

400 Speedway Blvd., Kansas City, KS 816-221-9800 AmericanRoyal.com

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PROMOTION

Endless Summer Winery

Black Silo Winery

Bring a picnic basket and relax in the countryside at a truly unique winery featuring fruit and non-standard wines.

Black Silo Winery is a family-owned and operated winery that offers a variety of excellent wines for every personality and palate.

5 Grosse Lane, Hermann 573-252-2000 | EndlessSummerWinery.com

4030 E 10th Street, Trenton 660-357-2208Â | BlackSiloWinery.com

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PROMOTION

L ive

LARGE Labor Day WEEKEND

38th AMERICAN MERICAN ROY ROYAL

WORLD’S LARGEST BBQ!

KANSAS SPEEDWAY

KANSAS CITY

BBQ Marketplace Taste of KC Barbecue

SEPT

World Series of Barbecue®

1-3

DOWNLOAD APP Text “ROYAL” to 74574

Beer & Cocktail Garden Local Live Music Festival Kids Carnival & Activities MORE INFO AT

AmericanRoyal.com

IMPACTING THE FUTURE SCHOLARSHIPS of

AGRICULTURE

EDUCATION COMPETITION

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PROMOTION

West Wineries-Macon-Hannibal-Kirksville

Enjoy and learn about award-winning, small-batch local grape and fruit wines. Experience excellent events and great live music.

August 15-17: Winemaker’s Dinners August 17: Art & Wine on Vine August 26: Fork & Cork Festival 107 Vine Street, Macon 660-395-7181 | WestWinery.com

You haven’ t had honey like this before

INTERNATIONAL AWARD-WINNING MEAD

MARTIN BROTHERS WINERY 1623 Old Iron Road, Hermann 573-486-0236 | MISSOURIMEAD.COM

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PROMOTION

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Healthy LIFE Tips to Stay Cool • Increase time spent outdoors gradually, to get your body used to the heat.

• Wear lightweight, tightly woven, loose-fitting clothing in light colors.

• Wear a hat, sunglasses, and use an umbrella.

• Drink plenty of water or sports drinks during outdoor activities, especially on hot days.

• Avoid caffeinated drinks and alcohol.

• Take frequent breaks in the shade or indoors.

THE HEAT IS ON Guard against sun stroke and other hot-weather maladies.

BY KATHY CASTEEL

THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER are upon us. The sultry

DEHYDRATION, if left untreated, can lead to more-

you have heavy sweating but your skin is clammy or cool

weather can leave most Missourians feeling all hot

dangerous illnesses and exacerbate ongoing conditions.

and you feel nauseous or faint. If symptoms persist or

and bothered … or worse. Heat-related illnesses

Symptoms progress through thirst, less-frequent urina-

worsen, you need to seek medical attention.”

are a real danger in high summer; in fact, heat is the

tion, dry skin, fatigue, light-headedness, dizziness, con-

leading weather-related cause of death in the United

fusion, and increased heart rate and breathing.

HEAT STROKE is life threatening. It occurs when the body loses too much water and salt. Without the ability

States, according to the US Environmental Protection

HEAT CRAMPS are painful, brief muscle cramps in

to cool itself, body heat rises to dangerous levels—104

Agency. Public health officials say most cases can be

the arms, legs, or abdomen, usually as a result of heavy

degrees or higher. Symptoms of heat stroke include

prevented with education and intervention. A little

sweating while exercising or working in a hot environ-

headache; dizziness; disorientation; agitation or confu-

common sense goes a long way.

ment. Muscles might spasm or jerk involuntarily.

sion; sluggishness or fatigue; seizures; hot, dry skin that

HEAT EXHAUSTION occurs when the body loses its

ten caffeine and alcohol,” says Stella Falconer, quality

ability to keep itself cool, says Chris Sampson, emergen-

nurse specialist in the emergency department at Mercy

cy room physician at University of Missouri Health Care

Hospital Springfield. “People mow the lawn, then have

in Columbia. “This is different than when someone just

a cold beer. Or they’re working hard, they take a break,

feels the heat outside or in a hot environment,” he says.

and down a soft drink. Those beverages, along with en-

“It can occur indoors, too.” Symptoms can include diz-

ergy drinks, cause you to dehydrate slightly, and that

ziness, nausea, vomiting, headaches, weakness, muscle

aggravates the fact that you’ve already been sweating

pain, rapid heartbeat, loss of coordination, impaired

and losing fluid. Remember, water is your friend!”

judgment, anxiety, clammy skin, a weak pulse, and,

Pay attention to your body in hot weather and stay

sometimes, unconsciousness.

vigilant for signs of distress in the elderly, the very

“It can be difficult to determine whether or not

young, and the chronically ill. Heat-related illnesses

you’re just hot or experiencing heat exhaustion,” says

range in severity from dehydration and heat cramps to

Emily Ogden, community trauma representative with

heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

CoxHealth in Springfield. “Heat exhaustion occurs when

is flushed but not sweaty; high body temperature; loss of consciousness; rapid heartbeat; and hallucinations.

Heat stroke is a medical emergency.

Call 911. While you wait for help, MU Health Care suggests using these first-aid techniques: 1. Move the person inside a cool building to lie down with his or her feet slightly elevated.

2. Remove the person’s clothing and gently apply cool water to the skin, followed by fanning to simulate sweating.

3. Apply ice packs to the groin and armpits.

ADOBE STOCK

“Major contributors to heat-related illness are of-

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You should never need out your bill.

Or a magnifying glass.* *At least that’s what we think.

That’s why when you get a bill from us for phone and/or Internet service, it’ll be exactly what we told you it would be. Seriously.

k y lin an y r p tu m Co /Cen e l b &T AT Ca You can buy home phone and high-speed Internet.

There is another option.

And it’s a better one.

Your taxes and fees are included in the monthly rate.

You’ll get unlimited Internet with no data caps on all packages.

We respect our users’ privacy and data.

You’ll always talk to someone here in Missouri.

1-800-SOCKET-3

081 ML0817.indd 81

www.socket.net 2703 [81] August 2017Clark Lane Columbia, MO 65202

7/7/17 3:57 PM

Life

Specia l P romot i on

Financial Unsettled Markets Prompt Advisor Checkup

BY ANDREA McKINNEY Investors need to be aware of so many factors that impact the economy, both domestic and global, as well as the markets. How does one make sense of the markets and position a portfolio for success? In the last few months, we’ve seen potential major changes to our healthcare system, the possibility of tax reform and the forecasted unwinding of the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet.

With the introduction of robo advisors, who offer financial planning via online communications, there are more options to consider when choosing an investment professional. Do you seek personalized advice? Do you want to sit across the desk from someone and talk through issues, or is an online platform right for you?

Now is a good time to evaluate the person and

• Ask the firm to describe any regulatory oversight

Fiduciary

company giving you financial advice. The following

• Does the firm select investments that are the best

and confirm who meets with auditors and

questions can reveal a lot about the person or company

for your situation, or are there other incentives

regulators to ensure all processes and policies are

you choose to manage your life savings.

influencing its recommendations?

• Can the company confirm, in writing, that it will work with you as a fiduciary?

• How long has the company been in business?

• Is the firm a start-up or well-established in the community?

any internal mutual fund fees that may apply.

• Is the firm able to provide you with the very best

• Is the firm well-capitalized, or will they sacrifice customer service to bring in new sales revenue?

• Ask about the company’s errors and omissions insurance coverage.

pricing as an institutional manager of funds?

• If you need a Medallion Signature Guarantee to prevent forgery liability when transferring assets, can it provide one?

Core Principles • What are the company’s sources and partnerships for market and investment research?

• Is there a Tax Officer on staff? How can you be sure all the tax basis information on your accounts is

be overseen by a professional with an eye for detail.

Who would oversee this process?

• What experience does the Operations Manager have, and how many people are employed in the Operations department?

In conclusion, you are more than your investment portfolio. It’s a good idea to periodically evaluate your advisor, the business model and all of the other services

Compliance

• How is the investment policy established?

correct?

• Ask about all fees inclusive of the advisor’s fee and

• Transferring your life savings is a big deal and must

• What systems are in place to ensure proper accounting and confidentiality?

offered related to financial planning, tax strategies, and estate planning ideas.

• Who ensures adherence to the Investment Policy you agreed to?

• What types of checks and balances are in place to avoid mismanagement?

Andrea McKinney is a CFP® Vice President & Wealth Management Consultant at Central Trust Company.

“ You are more than your investment portfolio."

PEXELS

History of the firm

adhered to and appropriate for clients.

Operations

[82]MissouriLife [82] MissouriLife

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SHOULDN’T YOUR WEALTH MANAGEMENT TEAM

WORK JUST AS HARD AS YOU?

THE FIDUCIARY STANDARD

Central Trust Company adheres to the “Fiduciary Standard”; therefore, we always act in the best interest of our clients regardless of the type of account or relationship. Does your financial advisory team do the same or are they merely meeting the “suitability standard?”

You can always rely on Central Trust Company for unbiased advice and customized investment solutions.

Call or visit us online today to learn how our free-from-conflict investment selection process and adherence to the “Fiduciary Standard” will make a positive impact on your financial future.

WEALTH & RETIREMENT PLANNING | INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT | TRUST & ESTATE SERVICES

WWW.CENTRALTRUST.NET

ST. LOUIS | KANSAS CITY | SPRINGFIELD | COLUMBIA | JEFFERSON CITY | LAKE OZARK [83] August 2017

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Summer Fun with the at CarShield Field!

Superheroes & Princesses August 5, 6:35pm

With post-game sleepover

STL Legends Game

Tickets starting at

August 19, 1pm

Former Cardinals Jim Edmonds, Rick Ankiel, Fernando Tatis, and more.

Skip Schumaker Bobblehead Giveaway

$5

September 2, 6:35pm

The first 500 fans to purchase tickets will recieve a free Skip Schumaker bobblehead

Bark in the Park

September 3, 6:35pm

All dogs are welcome and have the chance to win prizes

CarShield Field 900 T.R. Hughes Blvd., O’Fallon • www.RiverCityRascals.com • (636) 240-2287 [84] MissouriLife

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ALL AROUND

Missouri AUGUST 2017

STEAM AND GAS ENGINE SHOW

On Aug. 18 to 21, the show grounds in Hamilton will host threshing demonstrations, music, and tractors. The show is open from 8 AM to 9 PM Fri.; 10 AM-9 PM Sat.; 9 AM-9 PM Sun.; and a special eclipse day on Mon. from 9 AM to 1:08 PM. Admission is $5 per day or $10 for the weekend. Call 816-284-2646 or visit NorthwestMissouriSteamAndGas.com for more information.

NORTHWEST

COURTESY CATHY YOUTSEY

MAMMALS OF MISSOURI Aug. 12, Trenton > Meet with the park staff for a program about mammals of Missouri and learn about those that live at the park. Crowder State Park. 9-10 PM. Free. 660-359-6473, MoStateParks .com/park/crowder-state-park

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEARTLAND Aug. 17-21, Carrollton > Enjoy five days of activities including a carnival, inflatables, a mechanical bull, a Kansas City Barbeque Society cook-off, vendors, a

farmers’ market, concerts, and the viewing of the eclipse. Downtown square and park. Times vary.

Free. 660-542-0922, Eclipse2017CarrolltonMo.com

10 AM-5 PM Mon. $10-$15 for a button, good for all three days. 816-233-0231, StJoeArts.org

WINERY ECLIPSE WEEKEND

Aug. 19, Trenton > Join park staff at the amphitheater for games such as Nature Bingo and Nature Trivia. Crowder State Park. 9-10 PM. Free. 660-3596473, MoStateParks.com/park/crowder-state-park

Aug. 18-21, Easton > Try a sip of the TotalitySolar Eclipse wine, take a solar eclipse-themed painting class, enjoy live music, and watch the eclipse. Tipple Hill Winery. Call to register for class and for event times and costs. 816-294-7968, TippleHillWinery.com

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE ARTS Aug. 18-21, St. Joseph > The Trails West festival promises to deliver a great weekend of music, entertainment, and visual arts. Civic Center Park.

5-10 PM Fri.; 10 AM-10 PM Sat.; noon-10 PM Sun.;

NATURE GAME NIGHT

THE DAY THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN OREGON Aug. 21, Oregon > There will be music and food and craft vendors as well as shuttle rides to the best place in town to view this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Town Square and South Holt football field. 10 AM3 PM. Free. 816-261-2316, SouthHoltR1.com These listings are chosen by our editors and are not paid for by sponsors.

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EXTEND THE EDGE WEEKEND

SPIDER SNIFF PROGRAM Aug. 26, Trenton > Learn about spiders found in Missouri and take a short hike to hunt for arachnids. Wear sturdy shoes and bring insect repellent.

Crowder State Park. 9-10 PM. Free. 660-359-6473, MoStateParks.com/park/crowder-state-park

NORTHEAST A DAY IN OZ

Follow the yellow brick road to Clarksville on Aug. 19. You can compete in the Auntie Em pie-eating contest, come dressed as your favorite Oz character, watch the puppet show, and play games. Set on Howard and Front Streets, this event is open from 10 AM to 5 PM and is free. Call 573-754-2310 or visit PikeCountyTourism.org for more information.

ECLIPSE PARTY Aug. 19-21, Moberly > Sample wine, beer, and spirits, and enjoy an educational program on wine making in Missouri. Then you can have fun at the St. Pius X party featuring food, music, and games.

After, settle in to watch the eclipse at the viewing stations. Various locations in town. Call for times and costs. 660-263-6070, MoberlyChamber.com

CORVETTE CAR SHOW

COMMUNITY ROOTS FESTIVAL

Aug. 5, Hannibal > The Mark Twain Corvette Club sponsors this show with Corvettes from many different eras on display. Main Street. 10 AM-3 PM. Free. 573-221-2477, VisitHannibal.com

Aug. 26, Kirksville > Celebrate local food and sustainability with artisan crafts, live music, vendors, kids’ activities, and a yoga tent. Take Root Cafe.

Noon-6 PM. Free. 660-956-4671, VisitKirksville.com

BEAR CREEK RENDEZVOUS

FORK AND CORK FESTIVAL

Aug. 12-13, Hannibal > Experience Native American culture with fabulous costuming, vendors, and traditional dance performances. Mark Twain Cave Complex. 10 AM-dusk Sat.; 10 AM-3 PM Sun. Free.

573-221-1656, VisitHannibal.com

Aug. 26, Macon > Come out and enjoy the beer and wine gardens, see artisans and their works, enjoy entertainment, and try a wide variety of food. Downtown. 10 AM-7 PM. Free. 660-395-6033, MaconForkAndCork.Squarespace.com

A WEEKEND

GETAWAY THAT WILL

BLOW

YOUR MIND ART + CULTURE STEELVILLE, MO MERAMEC MUSIC THEATRE MERAMECMUSICTHEATRE.COM

Aug. 18-21, Kirksville > Enjoy a concert, visit the farmers’ market, take a boat ride, see planetarium shows, watch a movie in the park, and watch the eclipse through solar telescopes and binoculars.

Throughout town. Times vary. Free (except boat rides). 660-665-3766, VisitKirksville.com

GALLERY ZEKE STEELVILLEARTSCOUNCIL.ORG

COURTESY DAN LONG

ECLIPSE WATCH PARTIES Aug. 21, St. Joseph > There will be eclipse-themed activities, as well as many options to watch this historic event. Throughout town. Call for times and costs. 816-233-6688, StJoMoEclipse.com

ENJOY WESTON This 1837 historic town is a popular overnight destination and a favorite day trip.

Enjoy specialty shops, quaint B&Bs, a historic hotel, museums, a variety of restaurants, an Irish pub, wineries and the Holladay Distillery.

Explore, hike, bike and even camp in the rolling hills of Weston Bend State Park and visit educational farms.

Weston...visit once and you’ll return.

Upcoming Events AUGUST 12 Second Saturday, Farmers House Cornfest, Burley House Market AUGUST 21 Total Solar Eclipse Watch Party

Visit westonmo.com or call 816-640-2909 Weston is just 25 minutes north of Kansas City.

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KANSAS CITY FESTIVAL OF BUTTERFLIES Aug. 4-13, Kingsville > This festival features a flower-filled Butterfly Breezeway. Visitors can touch caterpillars and learn about monarch butterflies. Powell Gardens. 9 AM-6 PM. $12. 816-6972600, PowellGardens.org

MUSIC IN THE PARK Aug. 4, 11, and 18, Lee’s Summit > Bring a lawn chair or blanket for an evening concert featuring a variety of musical genres. Howard Station Park.

6:30-10 PM. Free. 816-246-6598, DowntownLS.org

COURTESY SCOTT REYNOLDS

ART CRAWL Aug. 11, Excelsior Springs > Stroll through art galleries and enjoy live music at this event. Downtown. 5-8 PM. Free. 816-630-7467, ShopThe Mercantile.com

THE WORLD OF TOMATOES Aug. 12, Kingsville > Enjoy a cooking demonstration with Barb the Gardener and learn all about tomatoes. Powell Gardens. 2-2:30 PM. $4-$10. 816697-2600, PowellGardens.org

FAMILY FUN DAYS

The Kansas City Power & Light District will be filled with family fun on Aug. 12 from 11 AM to 3 PM. Dance with Mr. Stinky Feet, create waves with Mad Science, and bounce in the Party Pig Moonwalk. There will be a puppet show, an obstacle course, crafts, and face painting. The event is free except special events.

All-access wristbands cost $5. Call 816-842-1045 or visit PowerAndLightDistrict.com/familyfun.

Great Summer Reading!

Wish You Were Here Love and Longing in an American Heartland

Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary

$19.95 pbk 9781612481708 | $9.99 eb 9781612481715

Wish You Were Here offers a clear-eyed yet tender look at life in the modern Midwest from the perspective of a seventh-generation ruralite.

Prospects of Greatness The Rise of Midwestern Cities during the Gilded Age

$19.99 pbk 9781612481814 | $9.99 eb 9781612481821

In this pioneering study, Larsen and Cottrell use census records, city and local histories, and government reports to illuminate the rise of the urban Midwest during the Gilded Age.

In Missouri’s Wilds

St. Mary’s of the Barrens and the American Catholic Church, 1818 to present Carrying a complete line of Civil War Living History needs for Ladies, Gentlemen, Civilian, Military – featuring patterns, weapons, accessories, research. Our specialty: the Border Wars.

Custom orders at no additional cost!

Our clothing is American made 111 N. Main, Liberty, MO • 816-781-9473 www.jamescountry.com • jamescntry@aol.com

$24.95 pbk 9781612481982 | $19.99 eb 9781612481999

In 1818, Catholic clerics established a religious community in SE Missouri and opened a school, grounded in its European Vincentian roots but influenced by the isolation of its rural location.

Truman State University Press 100 E. Normal Ave., Kirksville, MO 63501 Discounts @ tsup.truman.edu | 660-785-7336 |

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Aug. 12, Warsaw > Musicians will showcase, sell, and perform with their homemade instruments at this event. Join in the live music and enjoy the beer and wine garden. Drake Harbor. Noon-7 PM. Free.

660-438-2090, VisitBentonCoMo.com

SOLARFEST Aug. 18-21, Excelsior Springs > Get ready for the solar eclipse with a BBQ festival, a fly-in on the river, solar presentations, and a viewing party.

Throughout town. Times and cost vary. 816-5178196, VisitExcelsior.com/solarfest

REMEMBER WHEN MOVIE NIGHT

MISSOURI STATE CRITERIUM CHAMPIONSHIP

This super-fast 0.85-mile loop around the historic State Capitol building in Jefferson City features exciting turns and short climbs.

The bikers pass through downtown between 9 AM and 5 PM. Call 314-862-1188 or go to VisitJeffersonCity.com for more information.

Aug. 19, Warsaw > Come out to watch Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Kids can enjoy Bugs Bunny cartoons before the show. Harry S. Truman State Park. 8:30 PM. Free. 660-438-7711, MoState Parks.com/park/harry-s-truman-state-park

COMMUNITY FAIR Aug. 20-26, Lexington > This fair has something for all ages, such as a carnival, arts and crafts vendors, a frog race, games, rides, a beer garden, a parade, competitions, entertainment, and a car, truck, and motorcycle show. There will be a fiddle contest on the last day. Downtown. Times vary. Free. 660259-4633, Fair.VisitLexingtonMo.com

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE BATTLEFIELD Aug. 21, Lexington > Bring a picnic lunch and a lawn chair and enjoy the eclipse from the battlefield. Battle of Lexington State Historic Site. 11 AM1:30 PM. Free. 660-259-4654, MoStateParks.com /park/battle-lexington-state-historic-site

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE TRAIL Aug. 21, Sedalia > Take a horseback trail ride on the Katy Trail, play cow patty bingo, listen to live music, take guided tours of the Trails End landmark, and watch the eclipse. Trails End Landmark at the Missouri State Fairgrounds. 10 AM-1:30 PM. Free, except trail ride and special events. 660-530-5620, MoStateFairFoundation.net

REMARKABLE REPTILES Aug. 24, Butler > Join the park staff to see live reptiles and learn about their habits and habitats. Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site.

6 PM. Free. 417-843-6711, MoStateParks.com/park /battle-island-mound-state-historic-site

ART IN THE ALLEYS Aug. 25, Lee’s Summit > This art walk features artist receptions and showcases. There will also be music, street theater, and yoga in the streets. Downtown.

5-8 PM. Free. 816-246-6598, DowntownLS.org

COURTESY JEFFERSON CITY CVB

CIGAR BOX GUITAR FESTIVAL

Find these women’s sandals and more at the

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Savor Summer... Show-Me Style Visit MissouriLife.com or call 877-570-9898, ext. 101 to order

660-882-2390 www.familyshoestore.biz 407 Main St. | Boonville, MO

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THE PICCADILLY IN WHITE

CENTRAL ECLIPSE AND MORE Aug. 2, Jefferson City > David Ganey, astronomy teacher at Jefferson City High School, will give a presentation on the total solar eclipse and other upcoming astronomical events. You can also tour the galleries. Missouri State Museum’s History Hall. 5-9 PM (7 PM program). Free. 573-522-6949, MoStateParks.com/park/missouri-state-museum

EMANCIPATION DAY Aug. 4-6, Boonville > The event honors the community’s black history with family reunions, great food, and entertainment. Harley Park. 9 PM-1 AM Fri.; 10:30 AM-1:30 AM Sat.; 9:30 AM Sun for worship service. Free. 573-291-0022, CCBCBoonville.org

FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS Aug. 5, Fayette > This festival includes an art show, a quilt show, musical performances, crafts, vintage vehicles, a cake contest, and a performance by The Columbia Community Band. Historic Courthouse Square, Linn Memorial Church, and Ashby-Hodge Gallery. 9 AM-3:30 PM. Free ($5 for quilt show). 660537-0484, FayetteFestival.org

Aug. 5, Jefferson City > Wear your summer-white cocktail attire and enjoy small plates provided by local restaurants, beer, wine, and the signature cocktails, and participate in the Piccadilly auction.

Downtown on High Street. 6 PM. $50. 573-2913524, VisitJeffersonCity.com

JAZZ SERIES KICK-OFF PARTY Aug. 6, Columbia> Enjoy live music from the Columbia Jazz Orchestra, participate in the silent auction, and taste bourbon and the signature cocktails at this kick-off party. The Roof on top of the Broadway hotel. 5-8 PM. Free. 573-449-3009, WeAlwaysSwing.org

PENNYTOWN REUNION Aug. 6, Marshall > There will be a prayer service followed by lunch and fellowship. Freewill Baptist Church in Pennytown and the Martin Community Center (lunch). 11 AM-noon service; 12:30-4 PM lunch. $5 for the meal. 660-229-4185, PennytownChurch.org

LIGHT AND SHADOW SOLAR ECLIPSE WEEKEND Aug. 18-21, Fulton > This event will feature an art show, a farmers’ market, art classes, special exhibits at Auto World, programs at the National

Churchill Museum, Sip the Eclipse events with a BBQ competition, live music, hot air balloon glow, and eclipse viewing. Throughout town. Times and costs vary. 573-642-7692, VisitFulton.com

FESTIVAL BIKE TOUR Aug. 19, Boonville > Take this social ride for 42 miles through Cooper and Moniteau Counties. For an extra challenge you can ride an additional 10mile loop to Lupus. Depart and return to Thespian Hall. 6 AM check in; 7:30 AM mass depart. $20-$25.

660-882-7977, FriendsOfHistoricBoonville.com

CAPITAL ECLIPSE CELEBRATION Aug. 19-21, Jefferson City > Celebrate with three days of entertainment, art, and astronomy.

Throughout town. Times vary. Free. 573-632-2820, VisitJeffersonCity.com

MOONSTRUCK IN MARSHALL Aug. 19-21, Marshall > To celebrate the eclipse, there will be a Shopping Under the Sun event, a Cosmic Concert featuring five bands, a Suntastic Brunch, a gospel concert, games, activities, and viewing areas to watch this once-in-a-lifetime event. Downtown, Saline County Fairgrounds, Martin Community Center, and other sites throughout town. Call for times and costs. 660-631-4190, MarshallMoSolarEclipse.com

PROMOTION

Artisans Saleigh Mountain A small, family-owned business in Hermann that specializes in quality handcrafted leatherworks and shoe repair. Now selling American-made Filson products and Thorogood boots.

Open Tues.-Sat. 9 AM to 5 PM 124 E. Fourth St. Hermann, MO 65041 573-486-2992

www.SaleighMountain.com

Crow Steals Fire Personalized and artisan jewelry handmade in Missouri. Give unique jewelry with special meaning and a story to tell.

JUST RIGHT FOR YOUR COFFEE BREAK!

www.CrowStealsFire.com

Bookmark features original, hand-etched scrimshaw on a recycled vintage piano key with genuine leather and handmade paper accents. $22, plus $5 shipping/handling Check/Money Order/Visa/MasterCard 31 High Trail, Eureka, MO 63025 • www.stonehollowstudio.com

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THE GREAT AMERICAN ECLIPSE Aug. 19-21, Mexico > Celebrate the eclipse with Dark Day special promotions and sidewalk sales, the Brick City Bad Boys cruise night, a Dark Day Downtown production, a cookout, games, educational activities, a glow relay fun run, live music, food trucks, and free solar shades. Downtown, Lakeview Park, and Green Estate Park. 10 AM-8 PM Sat.; 6-8:30 PM Sun.; 10 AM-3 PM Mon. Free. 573721-5435, Mexico-Chamber.org

SOLAR ECLIPSE STREET FAIR Aug. 20, Boonville > Join in on the fun with a day filled with educational opportunities, telescope viewing, miniature golf, lawn bowling, washers, a moon rock hunt, Easy Easel painting projects, food, and entertainment. Depot District. 11 AM-8 PM. Free.

660-882-2721, BoonvilleMoChamber.com

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN

COMO SHOW ME TOTALITY Aug. 20-21, Columbia > There will be a variety of eclipse-themed activities, including concerts, a 5K run/walk, and viewing areas set up to watch the eclipse. Cosmo Park and Gans Creek Park. Noon10 PM Sun.; 10 AM-3 PM Mon. Free. 573-875-1231, CoMoEclipse.com

TOTAL ECLIPSE FESTIVAL Aug. 21, Boonville > You can experience approximately two minutes and thirty-nine seconds of total darkness. Jesse Viertel Memorial Airport. 11:44 AM-2:44 PM (approximate time). Free. 660-8823967, GoBoonville.com

THE GREAT AMERICAN ECLIPSE CELEBRATION Aug. 21, California > Visitors are welcome to join the community for the eclipse. There will be food, beverages, and viewing glasses available. Moniteau County Fairgrounds. 11 AM until the eclipse concludes. Free. 573-796-3040, CalMo.com

SOLAR ECLIPSE VIEWING Aug. 21, Fayette > Take this unique opportunity to see the eclipse at an observatory. The Morrison Observatory. Call for times. Free. 660-248-6383, CentralMethodist.edu

MISSOURI RIVER FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS Aug. 24-27, Boonville > This festival is believed to be the oldest performing arts festival in Missouri.

WASHINGTON TOWN & COUNTRY FAIR

This year’s fair theme is Fairadise. Located at the fairgrounds, this country fair features main-stage entertainment, a parade, a bubble gum blowing contest, barnyard bingo, a chainsaw carving show, concerts, rides, shows, motorsports, exhibits, a carnival, and crafts. The fair runs from Aug. 2 to 6 from 10 AM to 10 PM. Daily tickets cost from $10 to $30. Call 636-239-2715 or visit WashMoFair.com for more information.

You can enjoy world-class musicians in an intimate setting. Thespian Hall. Showtimes vary. $27.50-$70.

660-882-7977, FriendsOfHistoricBoonville.com

local food truck fare while you enjoy live music.

Laumeier Sculpture Park. 5-8 PM. Free. 314-6155278, Laumeier.org

SOYBEAN FESTIVAL

HOT NIGHT COOL CAVE MUSIC

Aug. 25-26, Mexico > Celebrate the town and its agricultural heritage with a carnival, a Little Mr. and Miss Soybean pageant, a Mexico Idol singing contest, games, rides, a parade, booths, beer, wine, live music, and a car and bike cruise. Downtown on the Square. 5-11:30 PM Fri.; 10:30 AM-11:30 PM Sat. Free.

573-581-2765, MexicoSoybean.org

Aug. 5, Leasburg > This musical performance is reminiscent of the old days, when events were held in the cave to escape the heat. Refreshments will be served before the show and at intermission. Onondaga Cave State Park. 6-10 PM. $25. Reservations required. 573-522-3760, OnondagaFriends.org

MEMORIES ON MAIN STREET

ST. LOUIS SUMMER CONCERT SERIES Aug. 1, 8, and 15, Chesterfield > Come out to the park each week to enjoy a different concert and try the offerings from a variety of local food trucks.

Faust County Park. 7-9 PM. Free. 636-532-3399, ChesterfieldMoChamber.com

BREWERY TRIVIA NIGHT Aug. 2, Maryland Heights > There will be six rounds of trivia testing your knowledge of all things St. Louis and beer. O’Fallon Brewery. 7-10 PM. $25 (including appetizers and beer). 636-474-2337, OFallonBrewery.com

FOOD TRUCK FEST Aug. 4 and Sept. 1, St. Louis > Join family and friends for a picnic. You can try a wide variety of

Aug. 5, Troy > The car show features live music, and thirty-five classes for cars to compete in. Historic Downtown Main Street. 8 AM-4:30 PM. Free ($10-$15 to bring a car to show). 636-462-8769, TroyOnTheMove.com

MISSOURI RIVER 340 Aug. 10-11, St. Charles > Come out to the finish line to see the canoe and kayak racers who made it all the way down the river from Kansas City in 88 hours. Lewis and Clark Boathouse and Nature Center. Free for spectators. Racers arrive at various times. 636-946-7776, RiverMiles.com/mr340

CLASSIC CAR AUCTION Aug. 11-12, Maryland Heights > A variety of years, makes, and models of classic cars will be auctioned on Sat. There will be a memorabilia auction on Fri. featuring a variety of collectibles. Hollywood Casino. 6 PM Fri.; 9:30 AM Sat. $10 for spectators. 731225-6025, JMarkClassicAuctions.com

COURTESY MISSOURIAN MEDIA GROUP

Aug. 20-21, Arrow Rock > Come out for two programs with Trish Muro, who worked at the Space Telescope Science Institute. On Sun., take a star-gazing walk with Trish. On Mon,, listen to a talk, and then go out to see the eclipse. Arrow Rock State Historic Site. 8:30-10 PM Sun.; 10 AM2:38 PM. Mon. Free. 660-837-3330, MoStateParks .com/park/arrow-rock-state-historic-site

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MISSOURI STATE FAIR BUY TICKETS EARLY & SAVE! The following tickets must be purchased before the Fair starts

DEAL

DEAL

$10 VALUE

$30 VALUE

PURCHASE AT: Missouri State Fair Box Office, Orscheln Farm & Home Stores, Break Time Convenience Stores, Walgreens & Menards

One Day Unlimited Carnival Rides PURCHASE AT: Walgreens, Menards & mostatefair.com/deals

AVAILABLE: July 1 – Aug 9

AVAILABLE: July 1 – Aug 9 DEAL

$40 VALUE One Day Unlimited Carnival Rides & Adult Admission PURCHASE AT: Orscheln Farm & Home Stores, Break Time Convenience Stores, Walgreens, Menards & mostatefair.com/deals AVAILABLE: July 1 – Aug 9 DEAL

$140 VALUE Unlimited Carnival Rides & Gate Admission for Four Consecutive Days Aug 14 – 17 PURCHASE AT: Walgreens, Menards & mostatefair.com/deals AVAILABLE: July 1 – Aug 9

Salute to Our Heroes

OPENING WEEKEND

AUG

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I BLACKED OUT IN ARNOLD

Aug. 12, Hermann > Learn, hands-on, the art of making bacon from Wurstmeister Mike Sloan. The class includes lunch, a wurst, wine and beer tasting, bacon to take home, and a goody bag. Hermann Wurst Haus. 10 AM and 2 PM. $69. 573-486-2266, HermannWurstHaus.com

PERSEID METEOR SHOWER Aug. 12, Troy > During this meteor shower, you can see 50 or more meteors. While you wait for the shower, a naturalist will point out constellations and folklore relating to the night sky. Cuivre River State Park. 9-10 PM. Free. 636-528-7247, MoState Parks.com/park/cuivre-river-state-park

FESTIVAL OF THE LITTLE HILLS

BISON HIKE

Come out to Prairie State Park on Aug. 5 in Mindenmines for a guided hike to see bison in their natural habitat. Meet at the Tallgrass Prairie Nature Center at 10 AM. The two-mile hike takes about two hours and covers uneven terrain. The hike is free. Call 417-8436711 or visit MoStateParks.com/prairie-state park for more information.

Aug. 18-20, St. Charles > This festival features more than 300 craft and food vendors, and entertainment. Main Street and Frontier Park.

4-10 PM Fri.; 9:30 AM-10 PM Sat.; 9:30 AM-5 PM Sun. Free. 636-946-7776, FestivalOfTheLittleHills.com

GET YOUR ECLIPSE ON ROUTE 66 Aug. 18-21, St. Clair > This four-day celebration will feature a glow-in-the-dark scavenger hunt, a car show, a parade, movies in the park, and viewing stations. Throughout town. Times and costs vary.

636-629-0710, StClairEclipse.com

On August 21 Missouri will experience the first total solar eclipse since 1979.

That night, see how it looked to the rest of America!

Aug. 19-21, Arnold > Start the celebration with a visit to the farmers’ market, a Back to the Future car show, Mad About Science fun booths, a showing of the movie E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, a bluegrass festival, a moonwalk contest, and then finish out the weekend viewing the eclipse. Throughout town. 8 AM-8 PM Sat.; noon-6 PM Sun.; 10 AM-3 PM Mon. Free. 636-296-2100, ArnoldMo.org/event /total-solor-eclipse-party

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE Aug. 19-21, Herculaneum > There will be a parade, a car show, live music, a moonlight bike ride, a fireworks display, a MoonPie-eating contest, a commemorative marker celebration, a movie marathon, educational programs, a petting zoo, pony rides, and viewing stations at this event. City Park and High School. 8 AM-11 PM Sat.; noon-10 PM Sun.; 9 AM-4 PM Mon. Most events are free. 636475-4447, HerculaneumSolarEclipse2017.com

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE Aug. 19-21, Hermann > Kick off the weekend with a wine and jazz festival, enjoy an out-of-this-world eclipse movie marathon at the Amphitheater, and find your spot at one of the many viewing stations.

Throughout town. Call for times and costs. 800932-8687, VisitHermann.com

COURTESY MISSOURI STATE PARKS

MAKIN’ BACON 101 CLASS

NOVA Eclipse Over America

8 p.m. August 21

Credit: Courtesy of NASA/SDO

Consult your local provider for channel information

KMOS

engage educate entertain

kmos.org

A service of the University of Central Missouri

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SOLAR ECLIPSE SHOWDOWN Aug. 21, De Soto > Celebrate the eclipse with a variety of activities including solar energy demonstrations, a petroglyph and glade tour, and programs all about the eclipse. Washington State Park.

9 AM-2:30 PM. Free. 636-586-5768, MoStateParks .com/park/washington-state-park

ECLIPSE CENTRAL Aug. 21, Festus > There will be a countdown to the eclipse and presentations. West City Park. Times vary. Free. 636-937-4694, FestusEclipse.com

SOLAR ECLIPSE EXPERIENCE Aug. 21, Kimmswick > This small town has a great vantage point to see the eclipse and will have Tshirts, posters, glasses, balloons, and hand fans for purchase. The grass lot at City Hall is the main viewing area. 9 AM-4 PM. Free. 636-464-7407, CityOfKimmswick.org

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE PARK Aug. 21, Robertsville > You will learn about astronomy, including information about the sun and the moon at the hands-on interpretive stations.

Then you can get your safety glasses and view this once-in-a-lifetime event. Robertsville State Park.

10:30 AM-2 PM. Free. 636-257-3788, MoStateParks .com/park/robertsville-state-park

RING OF FIRE Aug. 21, Sullivan > Enjoy interpretive programs and watch the eclipse. Meramec State Park.

10 AM-3 PM. Free. 573-468-8155, MoStateParks .com/park/meramec-state-park

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE Aug. 21, Wentzville > Watch the eclipse from your choice of two parks. One has inside air-conditioned seating during non-viewing times along with a light lunch, and the other park has reserved parking.

Progress and Perugue Parks. 11 AM-4 PM. $5-$8.

636-639-2169, FOTWP.org

CELEBRATE THE ECLIPSE Aug. 21, Wildwood > Join the park staff for the total eclipse. There will be an open house, a human sundial, and all-American eclipse program, and the viewing of the eclipse. Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park. 10 AM-2 PM. Free. 636-4583813, MoStateParks.com/park/dr-edmund-babler -memorial-state-park

SUNSET ON THE RIVERFRONT Aug. 24, Washington > This family-friendly concert on the banks of the Missouri River has a local band performing and food and drink available. Rennick Riverfront Park. 5-8 PM. Free. 636-239-1743, DowntownWashMo.org

SOUTHWEST GOSPEL MUSIC GET-TOGETHER Aug. 2-5, Lebanon > Join emcee Duane Garren for four days filled with a variety of gospel performers and the hilarious antics of Dennis Swanberg. Cowan Civic Center. 6 PM Wed.-Thurs.; 10 AM and 6 PM Fri.; 10 AM and 5 PM Sat. $20-$105. 417-236-9090, LebanonSing.com

SPRING TRAIL HIKE Aug. 5 and 19, Lebanon > This guided onemile hike takes you along the stream branch to the fish hatchery with culverts, the Guage House, and a small bridge built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Bennett Spring State Park. 9 AM. Free. 417-532-3925, Mo StateParks.com/park/bennett-spring-state-park

MISSOURI FOX TROTTING HORSE SHOW Aug. 10-12, Springfield > This horse show features various performance classes for the Missouri Fox Trotter. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds and Event Center. 7:30 PM Thurs.-Fri.; 6:30 PM Sat. $5-$7. 417-8332660, NABMFTH.com

57 Years of professional theatre in the heart of missouri!

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BIRTHPLACE OF ROUTE 66 FESTIVAL AND CAR SHOW Aug. 11-12, Springfield > Celebrate the Mother Road with a parade, a car and motorcycle show, a motorcycle poker run, concerts, live music, an outdoor movie, vendor villages, and a convention of Route 66 authors, artists, collectors, and associations. Park Central Square and other venues. 9 AM-8 PM Thurs.; 9 AM-9 PM Fri.; 8 AM-7 PM Sat. Costs vary. 800-678-8767, Route66FestivalSgf.com

KIDS FISHING DAY

COURTESY THE ROLLA DAILY NEWS

Aug. 19, Cassville > Youth anglers can catch fish, connect with nature, and participate in a variety of activities. Parents can attend classes and activities such as fish cleaning, fly casting, taxidermy, mobile aquariums, Dutch oven cooking, fly fishing, and target shooting. Roaring River State Park. 7 AM8 PM. Free. 417-847-2539, MoStateParks.com/park /roaring-river-state-park

BRIDAL EXPO Aug. 27, Springfield > Enter to win a bridal gown and household items and meet with vendors to review the products and services needed for a perfect wedding. You can enter the Trash the Cake raffle where you get to rip through a cake to win prizes. Springfield Exposition Center. 11 AM-4 PM. $5.

417-522-3976, MetBride.com

PHELPS COUNTY FAIR

The Phelps County Fairgrounds in Rolla come alive on Aug. 2 to Aug. 5. There will be a carnival, rides, games, vendors, livestock shows, a frozen T-shirt contest, a clogging performance, lots of food, and great entertainment. The fair is open from 8 AM to 11:30 PM Wed. through Fri. and 8 AM to midnight on Sat. Admission ranges from $8 to $30. Call 573-308-8245 or visit PhelpsCountyFair.com for more information.

Toast to a Better BLT

With Applewood Smoked Bacon!

Smoked & Cured Meat Specialists • Bacon - Dry Cured Applewood, Cajun, Hickory, Maple, Original, and Peppered • Hams - Cooked, Smoked or Spiral Cut • Turkeys - Cooked, Smoked or Sliced • Specialty Meats - we offer a variety including sausages, ribs, and poultry

Open Weekdays Monday ~ Friday Hours 8 am to 5 pm

Stop by for a visit or check us out online at: Smokehouse.com Country Factory Store Ph. 573-796-3134 Burgers’ Smokehouse 32819 Hwy 87 California, Mo. 65018

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THE MISSOURI TO

SOUTH CENTRAL I DO, I DO Aug. 3-6 and 10-13, Rolla > The story of marriage is at the center of this touching musical. Cedar Street Playhouse. Showtimes vary. $14-$22. 573364-9523, OzarkActorsTheatre.org

KAYAK CLINIC Aug. 4, Salem > Learn to kayak from an instructor, then head out to the river to practice. Current River State Park. 10 AM-4 PM. Free. 573-751-1224, MoStateParks.com/park/current-river-state-park

AIRE FESTIVAL

On Aug. 19 to 21, Bonne Terre Airport will have airplane rides, craft vendors, a remote control airplane show, food vendors, a bouncy house, pony rides, live music, and a rocket exhibit. There will a balloon glow at dusk.

The event is open from 10 AM to 10 PM on Sat.; 10 AM to 8 PM Sun., and 10 AM to 5 PM Mon. Admission is $3 to $5. Call 573-454-1266 or visit BonneTerreAirport.com for more information.

Aug. 5, Waynesville > Take this supervised paranormal investigation of one of the town’s oldest homes. Meet at the Talbot House. Begins at dusk. $20. Reservations required. 573-528-2149, Pulaski CountyUSA.com

BATS ALIVE Aug. 12, Eminence > Kirsten Alvey-Mudd with the Missouri Bat Census will explain how bats are beneficial to the environment. Watch as they

COURTESY STEPHANIE WOERNDLE

PARANORMAL INVESTIGATION

THE TEXAS TENORS - RISE

In performance at the Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston, Texas. On KMOS starting August 5.

Credit: Shea Nicole Angelle

Consult your local provider for channel information

KMOS

engage educate entertain

kmos.org

A service of the University of Central Missouri

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HE MISSOURI TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, 2017

catch and process bats, see them feed, and listen to them echo-locate food. Echo Bluff State Park.

8-10 PM. Free. 573-751-1224, MoStateParks.com /park/echo-bluff-state-park

barrel racing, steer wrestling, and calf and team roping. Arcadia Valley Lion Club Fairgrounds. 8 PM (gates open at 6 PM). Ticket prices vary. 573-7011726, ArcadiaValley.biz

SOUTHEAST

Aug. 18-21, Perryville > Spend four days getting ready for the eclipse with concerts, a parade, a 5K run, a chalk festival, and viewing sites. Throughout town. Times vary. Most events are free. 573-5172069, PerryvilleMo.com/solareclipse2017

SOLARFEST

FIRST FRIDAY WITH THE ARTS Aug. 4, Cape Girardeau > Visit galleries and businesses that will feature artists’ receptions and enjoy live music. Downtown. 5-9 PM. Free. 573-3349233, CapeArts.org

TUNES AT TWILIGHT Aug. 11, 18, and 25, Cape Girardeau > Bring a lawn chair or blanket and some snacks for a different outdoor concert each week, Common Pleas Courthouse Gazebo. 6:30-7:30 PM. Free. 573-334-8085, VisitCape.com

LIONS CLUB RODEO Aug. 18-19, Ironton > Professional rodeo with bull riding, bareback and saddle bronc riding, cowgirl

SUBMIT AN EVENT & MORE LISTINGS

WHISPERING ECLIPSE Aug. 19-21, Ste. Genevieve > Learn how an eclipse happens, enjoy music, and listen to find out if the pines whisper during the total eclipse. Hawn State Park. 7 PM Sat.; 7 PM Sun.; 11 AM Mon. Free. 573-8833603, MoStateParks.com/park/hawn-state-park

GREAT AMERICAN ECLIPSE Aug. 20-21, Ste. Genevieve > There will be a music festival on Sun. and the eclipse viewing location will have entertainment and food. Reservations for viewing are required. Downtown. Call for times and costs. 573-883-7097, VisitSteGen.com

SOLAR ECLIPSE CELEBRATION Aug. 21, Bonne Terre > Learn all about an eclipse and how to watch it safely and then watch through safety glasses and the park’s telescope. St. Francois State Park. 11 AM-2 PM. Free. 573-358-2173, MoStateParks.com/park/st-francois-state-park

AFRICAN AMERICANS, ECLIPSE, AND ASTRONOMY Aug. 21, Burfordville > This program will feature stories about historic African Americans who were impacted by solar eclipse. Learn about African American astronomers, and learn the role astronomy played in helping slaves find their way north to freedom. Following the program, you can view the eclipse in the east field. Bollinger Mill State Historic Site. Noon-1:30 PM. Free. 573-243-4591, MoState Parks.com/park/bollinger-mill-state-historic-site

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE Aug. 21, Cape Girardeau > Celebrate this event with friends and family, get a free T-shirt commemorating this celestial event, and enjoy lunch from the food trucks. Sportsplex. 10 AM-2 PM. Free.

573-335-1631, VisitCape.com

All events go on our web calendar at MissouriLife.com. Submit events well in advance and include a contact phone number.

Visit MissouriLife.com to fill out a form, email info@MissouriLife.com, or send to Missouri Life, 501 High Street, Ste. A, Boonville, MO 65233. ■ PLEASE NOTE: Call or visit website before traveling as event plans sometimes change.

Directory of our Advertisers 1000 Hills, p. 67 Bent Tree Gallery, p. 89 Benton County Tourism, p. 4 Burger’s Smokehouse, p. 95 Callaway County Tourism, p. 7 Cape Girardeau CVB, p. 65 Carrollton Community, pgs. 28-31 Central Trust Company, p. 83 Chariton County, pgs. 60-63 City of Columbia Parks and Rec, p. 9 Clay County Museum and Historical Society, p. 23 Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce, p. 23 Columbia CVB, p. 19 Country Travel, p. 99 Crow Steals Fire, p. 89 Family Shoe, p. 88 Hermann Wurst Haus, p. 100 Historic Downtown Liberty Inc., p. 25 James Country Mercantile, p. 87 KCPT, pgs. 65 and 93 KMOS, pgs. 92 and 96 Lebanon, MO CVB, p. 13 Louisiana, MO CVB, pgs. 16 and 17 Lyceum Theatre, p. 94 Marshall Saline Development, pgs. 2 and 3

Maryland Heights CVB, p. 15 Mexico, MO Tourism, p. 20 Missouri Choice Marketing Co-Op, p. 20 Missouri Life Books, p. 93 Missouri Life Merchandise, p. 88 Missouri State Fair, p. 91 Missouri State Parks 100th Anniversary Guide, p. 67 Platte County, p. 86 Raphael Hotel, p. 93 River City Rascals, p. 84 Rolla Area Chamber of Commerce, p. 19 Saleigh Mountain, p. 89 Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, p. 25 Socket, p. 91 Steelville Arts Council, p. 86 Stone Hollow Studio, p. 89 Truman State University Press, p. 87 Union Station, p. 15 Visit KC, p. 11 Washington, MO Area Chamber of Commerce, p. 25

Cuba/Crawford County, p.40 East Hills Shopping Center, p. 38 Historic Downtown Liberty, Inc., p. 38 Jefferson City CVB, p. 39 Missouri Western State University, p. 38 Sedalia CVB, p. 39 St. Joseph CVB, p. 38 Ste. Genevieve Tourism, p. 39

The Eclipse Section Clay County, p. 41 Columbia, CVB, p. 40 Cottonwoods RV Park, p. 40

Connect with us online!

MissouriLife.com Facebook.com/MissouriLife Twitter and Instagram: @MissouriLife

Food, Brews, ‘Shine & Wine Section American Royal, pgs. 75 and 77 Black Silo Winery, p. 76 CoMo Cookies, p. 79 Endless Summer Winery, p. 76 Martin Brothers Winery, p. 78 Midwest Tea Fest, p. 75 Railyard Steakhouse, p. 78 Rock and Run Brewery, p. 75 Stone Hill Winery, p. 76 West Winery, p. 78

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T he Back Story Here’s a Crazy Idea...

of a husband-and-wife team that comes up with crazy ideas—to wit: buying Missouri Life and starting the Big BAM event—I find it comforting to know that there are other crazy people out there doing similar things. For example, imagine paddling a canoe down the Missouri River from Kansas City to St. Charles—340 miles—in 88 hours.

From August 8 to 11, 450 crazy people will paddle down the Missouri River in canoes, in kayaks, and on stand-up paddleboats—all competing against each other and themselves in the MR340 race.

I kept wondering how this event (I will try not to use the word “crazy” again) got started. I know these things just don’t start themselves. Some person who is you-know-what gets an idea in his or her head and just can’t stop thinking about it. He or she usually jumps in—sink or swim— and does it. Yep, that’s how these things always start.

So I tracked down the guy who thought that racing for 340 miles down the Missouri River was a good idea.

His name is Scott Mansker. He started floating on the Missouri River with friends in 1989, when he was twenty years old. The first year, they made it to Glasgow; the next, Boonville. Each year, they got a little farther.

At some point, Scott got the big idea: “Let’s do a race!” Just like Big BAM was modeled after Iowa’s RAGBRAI event, Scott modeled the MR340 after the Texas Water Safari—a 360-mile race on the San Marcos and the Guadalupe Rivers—and a race in Canada called the Yukon River Quest.

“The first year was 2006, and we had eleven people show up,” Scott

Above: Racers attempt to complete the MR340, a race down 340 miles of the Missouri River, in less than 88 hours— sometimes in 100-degree heat. Right: Scott Mansker and his son prepare for the 2015 MR340 with a fleet of safety boats.

says. “The next year we capped it at seventy-five, and it sold out immediately. Then, 150 the year after that. Now, we are up to 450.”

Events like this help drive the economy of our state, especially when participants from other states and countries join in the fun. Scott says an unofficial survey by the Missouri Department of Economic Development a couple of years ago showed that the MR340 was pumping close to a million dollars into Missouri’s economy.

The MR340 support crews are a big driver of dollars pouring into our communities, as the support boats load up supplies at local stores and businesses and eat out at local restaurants and bars. “It’s kind of like a three-day party for the support crews,” says Scott.

If you want to get a birds-eye view of the race, check out Paul Jackson’s “Floating Dreams MR 340” at Vimeo.com/138048814. He filmed the race from start to finish two years ago using an aerial drone. And in August, check out the MR 340 somewhere between Kansas City and St. Charles (go to RiverMiles.com to find out when and where).

It’s good to be a little crazy, right?

CINDY HILES AND DAVE MARNER

AS THE LESSER HALF

BY GREG WOOD, PUBLISHER

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