Missouri Life December 2012/January 2013

[ H O L L I S T E R ’ S H E R I TA G E

1 0 5 W I N T E R F E S T I VA L S ]

HAPPY HOLIDAYS YS

THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY

SPE ISSCIAL UE

Our BEST Recipes and Traditions

Shimmering Lights from around the state

Plus, BUBBLY

BREWS MISSOURI’S ARTISAN SODA

DECEMBER 2012 | $4.50 (Display until Jan. 31)

A HORSE THIEF IN PETTICOATS

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gather with your friends at the lodge.

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L a ke Oz a r k , M O | 5 7 3 . 3[3]6 5December . 3 0 0 0 |2012 O n Th e L a ke o f t h e Oz a r k s

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PROMOTION ADVERTISEMENT

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

UNWIND at one of Missouri’s top 10 Inns, the historic Loganberry Inn where Margaret Thatcher stayed.

CONNECT to our history at the newly renovated National Churchill Museum.

This four-million-dollar museum inside a priceless piece of architecture will give you a look back at living history.

IMMERSE yourself in the arts and music at Kemper Center for the Arts or Westminster Gallery.

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

SAMPLE some distinctive Missouri wines and a creative bistro menu at Summit Lake Winery or bottle your own wine at Serenity Valley Wine.

SAVOR scrumptious dining at one of our great restaurants, like Beks, for a unique blend of old and new where Internet and espresso meet 1902 architecture.

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

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

Mark your calendars for the Holiday Open House, Victorian Christmas, and Historic Home Tour.

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

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

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

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ADVERTISEMENT

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[5] 2012 [55]December December 2010

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For your next getaway or family vacation, visit Fulton and Callaway County.

For more information and calendar of events, visit www.visitfulton.com or call 573-642-3055.

10/25/12 3:00 PM

VisitMO.com

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Contents DECEMBER 2012

Holiday Lights

[34] TWINKLE, TWINKLE

Photographer Notley Hawkins shares the joy of glimmering Christmas lights.

featured>

[40] A MISSOURI HERITAGE CHRISTMAS Missourians celebrate Christmas with traditions from around the world.

[52] THE STATE OF SODA

MISSOURI LIFE won five awards at the 2012 International Regional Magazine Association Awards!

Here’s the sweep: Our April 2011 Civil War issue received three awards—Gold for “In the Moments Before Battle,” a look at battle reenactments and the reenactors who bring them alive; Silver for our best-selling cover depicting a Civil War reenactor; and Silver for “The Marrow of Winter’s Bone,” a riveting profile of the native Ozarkians who performed in the Oscar-nominated Winter’s Bone.

Our August 2011 issue brought home an Award of Merit for “The Year of Disasters,” a feature package on the natural disasters of 2011, including the devastating Joplin tornado.

Plus, we snagged a Bronze Award for Best Companion Website. Check it out at www.

MissouriLife.com, where you’ll find more of our award-worthy content. For a free digital edition of our sold-out April 2011 issue, visit www.MissouriLife.com/April2011.

Ozark Mountain Bottleworks and GetReal Food Company craft fizzy beverages with a spin on classic flavors.

[56] AN OLD ENGLISH VILLAGE Discover Hollister’s rich history brimming with trains, floods, and an English-themed downtown.

[62] A HORSE THIEF IN PETTICOATS In the 1890s, a young and beautiful May Colvin evaded capture after taking off with horses she didn’t own.

[68] GIFTS FROM THE KITCHEN Chefs from five Missouri cooking schools share six recipes for you to give as gifts this holiday season.

[84] CLOVER HILL SOCIAL CLUB NOTLEY HAWKINS

For a special weekend getaway, the Inn at Clover Hill hosts an old-fashioned dining club with a modern twist.

special section>

[74] BEEF: THE ULTIMATE CROWD PLEASER Find out why top chefs around the state love beef.

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Contents

ML

Content by Location

DECEMBER 2012

34, 68

departments >

84 19 29, 34, 29, 34, 40 40, 68, 78 81 40, 68 40 78 17 62 20 29,68 78 34, 52 24, 56 52

[12] MISSOURI MEMO

[29] MADE IN MISSOURI

Exploring Missouri’s westward trails and the joy

Artsy prints, hair accessories, and zany popcorn.

of hiking dates in a marriage.

[78] DINING WORTH THE DRIVE

[14] LETTERS FROM ALL OVER

Devour gourmet hot dogs in Joplin, experiment

Reading Missouri Life on an e-reader, missing

with pizza toppings in Clinton, and meet the

history, and a reader with tales to tell of Nelly

creative chef behind popular St. Louis restaurants.

40, 68

Don “dust rags” and the Epperson House.

[17] ZEST FOR LIFE

[81] MISSOURI WINE

[87] ALL AROUND MISSOURI

How Terry Neuner at Westphalia Vineyards

Our listing of 105 winter festivals and events.

Orchids growing in a cave, Missouri’s very

successfully coaxed Missouri Riesling vines into

own Plymouth Rock, and a bed-and-breakfast

producing top-notch wine.

[106] MISSOURIANA

schooled in history. Plus, an author inspired by

Last bits on cookbooks, the Festival of Nations, and

the Great Depression and a glass artist inspired

[83] MUSINGS ON MISSOURI

by the melodies of music.

On the pitfalls of remembering the past too fondly.

a special Christmas town.

– THIS ISSUE –

On the Web www.MissouriLife.com

scrumptious gifts >

GIVE GIFTS from your kitchen with recipes

on the cover >

ginger cupcakes, cranberry apricot relish, roasted

GIFTS FROM YOUR KITCHEN

red bell pepper ketchup, and chocolate sauce.

We asked five chefs from Missouri

from Missouri cooking school teachers, including

cooking schools to share their favorite

holiday traditions >

holiday recipes to give as gifts.

GET A GLIMPSE into Christmas tradi-

gourmet gingerbread cookies,

tions around the state, including videos from a

along with pumpkin cider bread,

Las Posadas celebration and Missouri Town 1855.

creamy caramels, and more!

Plus, a recipe for German springerle cookies.

Missouri Life gifts >

FIND THE perfect gift for all the special people in your life in our online store. You’ll find books, T-shirts, hats, onesies, calendars, greeting cards, and more!

ANDREW BARTON; NICHOLE BALLARD

Your loved ones will love these

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On the shOres Of table rOck lake in sOuthwest MissOuri

November

through December 2012

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[9] December 2012

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Holiday Shopping.

Community Events. & More

THE SPIR IT OF DISCOV ERY

in

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

Annual Thanksgiving Day 5K Run/Walk November 22nd, 8 am Run for fun before your big holiday meal!

Starts at Trinity-UMC Fellowship Hall, 4th and Rollins.

Publisher Greg Wood Editor in Chief Danita Allen Wood Executive Office Manager Amy Stapleton EDITORIAL & ART Creative Director Andrew Barton Associate Editor Lauren Licklider Associate Art Director Sarah Herrera Associate Art Director Thomas Sullivan Calendar Editor Amy Stapleton Editorial Assistants Rachel Kiser, Ben Kupiszewski, Jiaxi Lu, Jenner Smith Design Assistant Taylor Blair

Downtown Moberly’s Living Windows November 29th, 5:30 to 7:30 pm See live window displays, enjoy festive music and food, and get filled with holiday spirit!

Christmas Parade December 1st, 5 pm Reed Street in Historic Downtown Moberly is the setting for this annual event.

Columnist Ron W. Marr Contributing Writers and Editors Sara Agnew, Sarah Alban, Tina Casagrand, Pam Clifton, Tracy Cooper, Susan Manlin Katzman, David McCormick, Emily McIntyre, Barbara Gibbs Ostmann, Jack Wax Contributing Photographers Sarah Alban, Nichole Ballard, Angela Bond, Pam Clifton, Notley Hawkins, Karley Jones, Barbara Gibbs Ostmann

Altrusa Christmas in the Park, December 1st-23rd, 5 to 9 pm Drive through beautiful Rothwell Park to see magical lighted holiday displays each evening.

Altrusa Holiday Home Tour December 2nd, 1 to 5 pm Five beautiful homes on display for the holiday season. Tickets available from the Moberly Area Chamber of Commerce.

MARKETING Sales Manager Mike Kellner Senior Account Executive Tom Votrain Sales Account Executive Paula Renfrow Sales Account Executive Cathy Rodr Marketing Assistant Mary Trier

The George Dyer Christmas Show December 4th, 7 pm Branson’s newest sensation brings his awardwinning voice and show to Moberly’s Historic Municipal Auditorium. Plus cocoa and cookies from the Moberly Council on the Arts.

DIGITAL MEDIA MissouriLife.com, Missouri Lifelines & Missouri eLife Editor Sarah Herrera

TO SUBSCRIBE OR GIVE A GIFT AND MORE Use your credit card and visit MissouriLife.com or call 877-570-9898, or mail a check for $19.99 (for 6 issues) to: Missouri Life, 501 High Street, Ste. A, Boonville, MO 65233-1211.

Change address: Visit mol.magserv.com/scc.php and enter email address or your label information to access your account, or send both old and new addresses to us.

The Frosty 5K Run/Walk December 7th, 6 pm A fun run filled with holiday spirit and crazy costumes. Starts at The Lodge in Rothwell Park.

OTHER INFORMATION Custom Publishing: For your special publications, call 800-492-2593, ext. 106 or email Greg.Wood@MissouriLife.com.

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

Holiday Bazaar Arts & Crafts Fair December 15th 8 am to 3 pm Holiday decor and gifts from the area’s best crafters at the Moberly Municipal Auditorium.

See what’s happening in Moberly at:

www.MoberlyChamber.com

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Memo

MISSOURI

TRAILS WEST

HIKING DATES

AS THIS ISSUE was going to press, Danita and I were in the middle of our climb out of the Grand Canyon—an almost ten-mile hike with a vertical one-mile ascent from bottom to top. If you read Danita’s column to your right, you will see that we have been training on our Missouri hills for this You may wonder what connection Missouri has with a trail in the middle of the Grand Canyon. As it turns out, this trail at one time linked to emigrant trails that are connected to historic trails that began in Missouri.

The Boonslick Trail runs from St. Charles (starting at the Boone’s Lick Inn) and continues on to the Boone’s Lick salt lick in western Howard County. This trail runs across our farm where five miles to the west it ties into the beginning of the Trail in New Franklin. From there, it continues to Santa Fe, New Mexico. At this point, GREG WOOD, PUBLISHER another trail called the Gila Trail ties into the Santa Fe Trail. The Gila Trail was a southern route trail that ran through Arizona. Near Tucson, the Gila Trail tied into the Arizona Trail, which ran north through the Grand Canyon and into Utah. Many of these trails were created and traveled for thousands of years by Native Americans.

In my research, I have discovered that the westward Applegate Trail was blazed by the Applegate family of Missouri in 1846. The original trail the family traveled on to Oregon in 1843 was very difficult, and they suffered hardships and lost the lives of two children. The family convinced the Oregon Provisional Legislature to allow them to find a passage for others to follow. The Applegates chose a more southern route that eventually became the primary route to Oregon. We can all be proud that a Missouri family took this kind of initiative for others to follow.

I think it is a unique distinction that all the major westward trails began in Missouri—commemorated and symbolized by the iconic Gateway Arch alongside the Mississippi River in St. Louis and celebrated in towns across Missouri every year. Truth is, we all have a fascination for the West. I think it calls to us as it did our ancestors. My Grandpa and Grandma Wood headed west to Colorado during the 1920s. My dad was born there, near Sterling. My grandparents left to farm, but after fighting the of the early 1930s, they came back to their family roots in northwest Missouri and established a farm near Gentry—the same farm I grew up on.

I traveled with them on my first westward adventure back to their old farm in Colorado when I was about fourteen years old. It seemed dry, high, and lonesome out there but beautiful and almost to comprehend. I love going out west, but I’m always glad when my trails lead me back to the green hills of Missouri.

That is assuming we make it out of the Grand Canyon.

endeavor.

Sante Fe

safer

Dust Bowl

too big

A LOT OF

women’s magazines recommend weekly date nights for couples—a time to reconnect and talk without the interruption of children and home chores. Greg and I never got around to having date nights, what with the demands of jobs, three children, starting a magazine, and keeping up with the home and the farm.

I’m not date nights. We used to try to establish one, but somehow there were always conflicts through the week, and by the weekend, we wanted to get home to relax or else go out with friends. And we work together at the magazine, so there have been times we needed more time away from each other worse than we needed more time together!

But I can heartily recommend We’ve hiked almost weekly on Saturday mornings since last spring when health issues put me in the hospital. Part of DANITA ALLEN WOOD, EDITOR my recovery process included walking. First down the halls of the hospital and then at home, first down the front walk between my flower gardens, then down the lane, and then progressively farther and farther around our small farm. Before we knew it, we were hiking around the farm fields and pastures, through the woods, even in the creek beds, for an hour, then two hours, and then longer.

Then we discovered Davisdale Conservation Area. We’d known about this area only about a mile and a half from our farm since we moved here seventeen years ago, but we hadn’t spent any time there because horseback riding isn’t allowed. We’ve since discovered the pleasure of roaming the and woodlands on foot in this 2,700-acre preserve.

Mowed trails lead us up hills that offer spectacular views that remain much like what Lewis and Clark and Daniel Boone would have seen as they tramped along the Missouri River and the Boonslick Trail. We hike through woods full of oak, pecan, and walnut trees and alongside open areas full of prairie grasses, sunflowers, and the occasional corn or soybean field. We pass by many of the nineteen ponds or lakes on the land.

And while we occasionally see tracks, we have rarely seen other hikers.

We started out hiking as recovery, and we kept at it as for hiking the Grand Canyon. But what we’ve really discovered is that our weekly date hikes give us a chance to reconnect, have fun, and appreciate some non-work time together.

We highly recommend date hikes. And there’s a conservation area near you. The Missouri Department of Conservation owns about 753,916 acres in 783 different areas around the state, at least one in every county.

They have another 194,382 acres in another 287 leased sites.

The and quiet and beauty of nature is good for the mind and soul, the exercise is good for the body, and hours of hiking is good for the marriage!

knocking

date

hikes.

rolling hills

training

peace

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NOVEMBER 24: VSA Holiday Parade DOWNTOWN MEXICO 573-581-2765 | www.mexico-chamber.org DECEMBER 6-9: The Sound of Music PRESSER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 573-581-5592 | www.presserpac.com DECEMBER 20: 72nd Christmas Evensong MISSOURI MILITARY ACADEMY WWW.MISSOURIMILITARYACADEMY.ORG 573-581-1776 or 800-581-2765 MARCH 21-24, 2013: The Choice PRESSER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 573-581-5592 | www.presserpac.com

Mexico is a perfect combination of small-town charm and urban style. Artsy boutiques, jewelry, quilt shops, scrapbooking, antiques and cultural offerings give Mexico a sophisticated air, but with a family-friendly attitude. Come visit us today!

MEXICO AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE We work hard as a Chamber of Commerce to be the pulse of the community, assisting all to provide services that will nurture and encourage our businesses and strengthen our community. www.mexico-chamber.org | 573-581-2765

PRESSER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER With a 920-seat auditorium, Presser Performing Arts Center has many arts education programs for the public, such as Dance, Piano, Voice, Film, Writing, Photography, and of course theatre!

The calendar fills up fast year after year with concerts, ballets, plays, musicals, lectures, gallery shows, special events, and classes. We strive to offer the best professional highly qualified instructors in the state of Missouri.

This holiday season, Presser Performing Arts Center, Mexico Area Community Theatre and Mexico Parks & Recreation will once again present the annual Christmas production of “The Sound of Music”. Tickets available online at www.presserpac.com and at the Presser Performing Arts Center box office from November 26 thru December 5 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The ARTS, as for more! Presser Performing Arts Center is centrally located in the state of Missouri, serving mid America with quality cultural performing arts. Dedicated to the promotion and appreciation of the arts. Check out the upcoming events page at www.presserpac.com.

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ML

DECEMBER 2012

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

MISSOURI LIFE ON AN E-READER

The Epperson House, built in the early 1920s, was donated to the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1942.

I just mailed my three-year renewal to Missouri Life. I enjoy the magazine, and my patients enjoy it while waiting for me. I was reviewing the invoice and noticed that you now have a free e-Life. I missed seeing this and would like more information on how to read the digital edition.

We have an iPad at home, and I was hopeful that I might actually read it that way!

—David Hoel, Chillicothe You can access the digital edition on an e-reader by following the link we send out via email shortly after publication. If for some reason you lose this link, we are always happy to send it to you again. Happy reading! —Editors

HISTORY, PLEASE! me say I found it very disappointing. So many ads,

included things close to my heart.

When reading the piece about the castles in

My mother and grandmother worked for Nelly

Missouri (February 2012), I was pleased to see the

no history articles (as were advertised to be in

Don Garment Company in St. Joseph during and

Epperson House in Kansas City was chosen. While

this magazine), and no articles about anything in

after WWII. During the war, they ceased making

my husband was attending graduate school at

southeast Missouri. Having done some freelance

women’s dresses to make middie blouses for the

Kansas City University (before it became Universi-

stuff myself, I always thought publications like

sailors. After the war, they returned to making

ty of Missouri at Kansas City), the Epperson House

yours tried to include all areas of the state.

women’s dresses. Scraps of material that were

was used as a men’s dorm. He has funny tales

—Rich Behring, Cape Girardeau

left after dresses were cut out were thrown in a

about that experience. Later, when I was in gradu-

We are always open to story ideas from our readers

barrel for the seamstresses to use to clean their

ate school at UMKC (the change had been made

around the state. Feel free to send them to info@

machines. Also, when they had more scraps than

by the time I got there), Epperson House was used

missourilife.com. —Editors

they needed, the scraps were bundled and sold to

for classes; it was no longer a dorm. So, we both

the workers—a quarter a bundle. I am happy and

have good memories of Epperson House. Thanks

READ AND SHARE

proud to say that I wore many dresses that my

for giving us the joy of seeing it once again!

Your magazine comes to me by the “read and

mother made for me out of “Nelly Don Dust Rags!”

I always look for articles and pictures from

share” plan. Three families enjoy it, but that does

I can still pick out some of those scraps that ended

the Branson area, even though we both grew

not provide much money for your coffers. Sorry

up in a quilt my grandmother made.

up in northwest Missouri in Worth and Harrison

about that. The magazine is just too nice to be

Counties. My husband and I vacationed fifty-one

read by one family alone and then put in the

SEND US A LETTER

recycle bin!

After reading the February 2012 issue which contained the “Top 10 Women of Missouri” and

straight years in Branson. We went to Branson to fish before most people had even heard of Branson. Don’t you think that a wife who spent her vacation at the same fishing hole for fifty-one

enjoying it thoroughly, I wanted to read the names

Email:

straight years will probably get stars in her heav-

that were on the list when you started the process

Fax:

enly crown someday? Yes, maybe, but only if St.

but were not chosen.

Address:

Peter was a fisherman!

Even though I have lived in Arizona for thirty-

Again, thanks for your magazine. We will await

three years, I am a retired educator from northwest

the next issue to be placed in our mailbox by our

Missouri and still consider Missouri my home. I enjoy

Missouri neighbors.

your magazine very much, especially this issue that

—Donna Thompson, Mesa, Arizona

COURTESY UMKC

Recently I subscribed to your magazine, and let

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Events Rolla Christmas Parade

Dec. 1

Creole Christmas by The Dec. 7 Preservation Hall Jazz Band

“

Presented by Leach Theatre

I’m particular about what goes into my pies, so I like to do my own shopping. My favorite store is just a few minutes drive for me.

Dec. 7-9

SNO-GLO 5k

Dec. 14

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

Jan. 29

Presented by Ozark Actors Theatre

“

--Nellie Ogan

Blue Christmas: A Tribute to The King

Resident since 2005

Presented by Leach Theatre

Discover independent retirement living as it SHOULD be.

Call Tammy today to schedule a visit and tour.

For more information on these and other events and activities visit

www.VisitRolla.com

660-584-4416

John Knox Village East www.johnknoxvillageeast.com

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

Nellie MO LIFE.indd 1

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Mom thrives. You smile.

Discover why our families love our senior living communities as much as our residents do!

With locations in Columbia, Jefferson City, and throughout St. Louis.

Independent Living < Residential Care < Memory Care Skilled Nursing < Short-Stay Rehabilitation

LSSLiving.org

LSS12803 Missouri Life Magazine - 7.6” x 4.8” - Due 6/18/2012

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2013 Volkswagen Beetle

Remastered.

With its iconic shape, this classic never gets old.

Come see the 2013 Volkswagen lineup at our brand new store in Columbia, MO.

Joe Machens Volkswagen of Columbia 1200 Vandiver Drive, Columbia, MO www.joemachensvw.com

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Zest FOR LIFE

Kansas City

BIRD’S BOTANICALS THE SINGULARITY of the amazing experience of Bird’s Botanicals cannot be acquired anywhere on this earth, but it can be experienced in this earth. Bird’s Botanicals is located in the constant and unique environment of a cave within the Interstate Underground Warehouse in Kansas City.

The cave’s unvarying environment is perfect for the 10,000 orchids that thrive under David Bird’s knowledgeable touch.

David has been growing orchids since 1978, and he continues to share his appreciation for exquisitely beautiful orchids with those who visit him. The cave environment maintains a constant climate 365 days a year, so it is a wonderful destination any season for individuals, families, or students on a field trip.

During the dreary and cold

winter months, a visit to Bird’s Botanicals can provide the experience of enjoying an exotic locale and tropical blooms right here at home.

Orchids are also an elegant gift that keeps giving for many months, as an orchid’s bloom can last longer than four months. Although orchids are a great gift, Bird’s Botanicals offers some other opportunities for gift giving.

Consider orchid classes, which are conducted throughout the year. Try the “Orchids 101” class, which gives instructions on repotting an orchid. And in “Orchids 102,” learn even more information about beautiful orchids.

Bird’s Botanicals is open to the public every Tuesday from 10 AM to 8 PM or by appointment. Tours are available for $5 per person for ten or more people.

Visit the cave, gaze at exquisite orchids, learn about the unique properties of orchids, and enjoy an outing with the family any time of the year at Bird’s Botanicals. —Tracy Cooper www.birdsbotanicals.com•8201 E. 23rd Street•816-252-4478

Wittenberg

Missouri’s Plymouth Rock

COURTESY DANIELLE WILSON; PAM CLIFTON

TOWER ROCK,

near the German

considered Tower Rock to

villages of Wittenberg, Altenburg, and

be their very own Plym-

Frohna, is a majestic limestone forma-

outh Rock. Tower Rock is

tion that stands tall in the Mississippi

also connected to Lewis and Clark. Meri-

Tower Rock Conservation Area. The rock

River. The landmark was designated as a

wether Lewis stated in his journals that

is surrounded by the river and is typically

National Historic Site in 1970.

rivermen who passed the rock often cel-

accessible only by boat. But this sum-

The earliest mention of the island

ebrated by raising a drink. He described

mer’s drought has made the island acces-

comes from French explorer Jacques

what he saw on his ascension to the top

sible to visitors on foot due to low water

Marquette in 1673. As German Lu-

as the “most pleasing view.”

levels. Take Highway A to County Road 460.

—Pam Clifton

therans settled Missouri, immigrants

Today, the twenty-acre area is known as

www.mdc.mo.gov•573-290-5730

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Zest FOR LIFE

Rocheport

Checking In

A 1914 school stays in session as a luxury lodging.

STANDING in the back row behind twenty-nine well dressed peers, Rocheport Academy high schooler Kenneth Murry sticks out in his overalls like a daisy in a field of orchids.

The 1935 teenager looks like he shares a life far from those of the 21st-century vacationers who pass before him. Cyclists, girlfriend groups, couples seeking romance, and business retreaters have all passed Kenneth’s photo in the curio cabinet. Maybe they bite into a homemade chocolate-chip cookie or sip wine, or maybe they just came from riding along the Katy Trail. Whoever they are, they share this: They’ve chosen the Rocheport School House Bed and Breakfast to get

bought out. (Former Columbia Mayor Darwin Hindman and the Edward Jones fam-

a big meal and a bigger bed.

ily would help with this.) The Katy Trail would have to be built. (The National Trails System Act of 1968 would facilitate this.) People would have to come.

All Kenneth Murry ever got here was lessons.

The Rocheport School House, formerly the Rocheport Academy from 1914 to 1972, was transformed into a bed-and-breakfast after its students trickled off

“There was no guarantee,” John says.

But the Otts started restoring. Into the school grounds went trees and a private

to New Franklin following a district consolidation. First the high-schoolers left,

well. “It seems like the soil in Rocheport is so rich, you plant something, and it

then the elementary students, and then there was this empty building. New

would grow twice as fast as anywhere else,” John says.

Franklin rented the space to antique-shop owners and other small businesses,

So Rocheport grew. People started seeking small-town vacations to relax. “I

but soon rumors circulated about possibly turning the building, which had

did think it would become a tourist attraction,” says former Rocheport Mayor

recently made the National Historic Register as part of the 1976 Rocheport

Frances Turner. “I was glad because I didn’t want to see it become a ghost town.”

District listing, into a hay-bale storage facility.

In 2002, the Otts moved to neighboring Columbia, where they would win

“There were all kinds of stories,” says Columbia-based Alley A Realty owner

numerous restoration awards, and left behind the Missouri Bed and Breakfast

John Ott, who with his wife, Vicki, transformed the school house into a bed-and-

Association they’d helped create. Into the school house moved an Oklahoma

breakfast in 1986. “Another was talk about making it a fire station and another

couple: the Friedemanns.

just about tearing it down.”

Ten years ago, Lisa Friedemann and her husband, Mike, bought the Rocheport

John and Vicki brought in structural engineer Stan Elmore to assess the

School House. Neither had visited Rocheport. Lisa cooked—had grown up on a

property. They’d been told going to the third floor could be risky, so they grabbed

farm in fact—but had never served twenty-four hungry guests each morning.

Stan, and up they went.

Both were trained as certified public accountants, so they had the studious

“This building is going to be here long after you and I are gone,” Stan told the Otts.

Thus greenlighted, the Otts spent days and nights renovating. At the time,

theme going. But run a bed-and-breakfast?

“It’s been ten years, and we haven’t killed each other yet,” Lisa says, smiling.

Rocheport was just getting water and sewage. The Katy Trail was just a controversial twinkle because landowners adjacent to the MKT railroad would have to be

The school house has expanded to eleven bedrooms in the main house plus a building Lisa and Mike built: the Dormitory. The dorms are for lower-budget trav-

COURTESY ROCHEPORT SCHOOL HOUSE BED AND BREAKFAST

elers, often cyclists, who want bed-and-breakfast comfort without being tied to The Rocheport School House Bed and Breakfast once served as a four-room school for grades one through twelve. Students occupied the building until 1972, when the Rocheport school district merged with the New Franklin school district.

check-in and meal times. Each dorm fridge comes stocked with muffins, yogurt, and fruit. Each has bunk beds and a futon.

“You can get a family of four,” Lisa says, pulling the futon to its full size and grinning, “or three guy cyclists who won’t share a bed under any circumstances.”

Inside the School House, travelers live among giant thirteen-foot ceilings, an old-fashioned claw-foot tub with special soaps and rubber duckies, Dick and Jane posters, a public reading library with no recognizable pattern of reads (spanning the New Testament to Cheech & Chong: The Unauthorized Autobiography), armoires, a fireplace, and a limestone patio with a lush garden, fish, and occasionally a small social neighborhood cat, Trudy.

“We’re the fun, casual place to be,” Lisa says. “We’re more like an inn or a small luxury hotel in a historic building.”

Two years from now, the school house turns 100. And it looks to be here long after you and I are gone. —Sarah Alban www.schoolhousebb.com•573-698-2022

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Zest FOR LIFE

TALES OF TYRONE Author builds story based on real people from the Great Depression.

HUBERT RAY SIGLER says it was his brother, Keith, who talked him into writing Tyrone Dust nearly twenty years ago.

Set in Tyrone, Missouri, the story takes inspiration from the dust storms of the 1930s, in particular the dirt roads full of billowing dust from traveling cars and trucks.

“Tyrone is fading into the dust of history,” Hubert says, “continuing to decline in population, no commercial activity, just rotting away.”

Earl Sigler, the main character, is chasing after the love of his life, Eva. The story starts in 1931 in Texas County during a very difficult time in the nation’s history. Life was hard for everyone, particularly those in the Missouri Ozarks. The book, Hubert says, isn’t fiction in “imagination and thought” because some important historical events such as the Great Depression are described.

“Tyrone Dust is very historically accurate even though a lot of the story is fabricated within historical happenings,” Hubert says. “I actually lived the life that occurred in this book but at a later time.”

Hubert, who lives in Trenton, Illinois, near St. Louis, is a genuine Missourian; he visits southern Missouri to swim and fish, his family reunites once a year in the Ozarks, and Hubert is on the board of the Shannon County Hunting and Fishing Club.

Hubert served as a chaplain’s assistant from 1954 to 1974. He served at many Air Force bases including Lackland AFB in Texas, Osan AFB in Korea, and an air base in Thailand. He met his wife, Elaine, at a base near Austin, Texas. “We married in 1958, and she

Tyrone Dust: A Saga of the West Plains to Rolla Road Hubert Ray Sigler, 400 pages, CrossBooks, hardcover, historical fiction, $42.95

is the love of my life, my forever friend and partner,” Hubert says.

Later in his career, Hubert taught school for one year before working in real estate until he retired in 2008.

The same year Hubert retired, his dearest aunt passed away. Although he had always toyed with the idea of writing, Hubert never thought of it much because he was busy with either work or his family. But finally, he was ready. Hubert began gathering historical data to support Tyrone Dust with his brother.

It was Keith who thought the story needed to be told as accurately as possible. He suggested historical fiction, as it would give the reader historical context in a fictional book.

At first, Hubert told Keith he should write it instead because Keith was a college English professor close to retirement. “But he said I should do it because I was a better storyteller,” Hubert says.

“I used to tell stories, true and scary, to his children.”

Tyrone Dust gives a snapshot into the life of Earl Sigler, based on Hubert’s father, Earl. Hubert set up his novel to have characters based on and named after real people. As a result, Hubert says, people who are still living are supportive of Tyrone Dust.

“I delved into the early personality traits of my father, which was not too flattering to him,” Hubert explains. “My brother balked at it initially and later relented when he knew I was right.”

Hubert is hopeful Keith will edit his next book, Tyrone Dilemma.

Building upon the values Hubert emphasized in Tyrone Dust— Christian beliefs, honesty, persistence in dealing with grief—he hopes the new book will help those who survived the Great Depression and its aftermath know they are better people because of their experiences.

And Hubert himself may make a guest appearance.

“Who knows? I might appear in the next book.”

To order a copy of Tyrone Dust, email tyrone.dust@aol.com.

COURTESY AUTHOR; ANDREW BARTON

BY JIAXI LU

[20] MissouriLife

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10/25/12 7:08 AM

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ML

Zest FOR LIFE History of Missouri Bands, 1800-2000

Louis S. Gerteis, 256 pages, University of Missouri Press, hardcover, $29.95 Gerteis, a history professor at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, challenges a prevailing opinion that Missouri’s Civil War battles played insignificant roles in the war’s outcome. He examines the effects of these battles and why the control of St. Louis and mid-Missouri were vital for both sides. Gerteis gives readers a chance to visualize conflicts and geographic strategies of the Civil War in Missouri, giving Missouri its place in Civil War history.

C. Herbert Duncan, 361 pages, Missouri Bandmasters Association and The Lambda Foundation/Phi Beta Mu, hardcover, $39 Author C. Herbert Duncan traces the stories behind Missouri band culture from the nineteenth century. This book features bands that performed at the St. Louis World’s Fair of 1904 as well as marching band festivals throughout Missouri. Duncan also gives insight into the history of band associations, where many musicians came together to inspire each other. The legacy of band culture in Missouri marches on in Duncan’s comprehensive account.

Soccer Made in St. Louis: A History of the Game in America’s First Soccer Capital

Killerfind

Dave Lange, 200 pages, Reedy Press, St. Louis, Missouri, hardcover, $35 Starting with the first reported game in 1875, Lange sets out to restore St. Louis to its rightful place in the history of soccer in America. St. Louis soccer players have been involved in eighty-nine national championships since 1920. Plenty of photos and colorful pages provide vivid images of games and depict influential players in St. Louis soccer history.

Sharon Woods Hopkins, 244 pages, Deadly Writes Publishing, softcover, $14.95 When Rhetta finds a weapon next to a man’s belongings, she is tossed into the murder investigation of a man who has been missing for fifteen years. The author takes readers along Rhetta’s route as she searches for justice. One of the highlights in the book is the relationship between Rhetta and her husband, a retired judge.

Find these reads at bookstores or publishers’ websites unless otherwise noted.

ANDREW BARTON; COURTESY PUBLISHER

The Civil War in Missouri: A Military History

ANY BOOK ANY TIME 15% discount & free shipping in USA at tsup.truman.edu Noodlers in Missouri

Fishing for Identity in a Rural Subculture $30 paper; $23.99 ebook

The Dibbuk Box

$19.95 paper; $9.99 ebook

Dear Harry, Love Bess

Bess Truman’s Letters to Harry Truman $40 paper; $24.95 ebook

Merit, Not Sympathy, Wins

The Life and Times of Blind Boone $28.95 paper; $24.99 ebook

Missouri Armories

The Guard’s Home in Architecture and History $34.95 paper; $27.99 ebook

Emigrants on the Overland Trail The Wagon Trains of 1848 $40 paper; $29.99 ebook

100 E. Normal Ave. Kirksville, MO 63501

tsup.truman.edu 800.916.6802 [22] MissouriLife

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10/25/12 7:09 AM

Shop, Dine & Celebrate

Old-World Christmas First Two Weekends of December

Downtown Kirkwood retains the charm and character of the past combined with abundant shopping and dining in a rare pedestrian-friendly outdoor ambiance.

Downtown Kirkwood is home to more than 100 specialty shops and restaurants whose owners and staff warmly welcome visitors. For a unique experience, hop aboard Amtrak and spend the day with us. www.amtrak.com

www.magichouse.org

www.downtownkirkwood.com

Kristkindl Markts • Wine Trail • Rectory Tour Open Houses • Museum Tours • German Bakery ... and much more

800-932-8687 • VisitHermann.com VisitHermann.com 800-932-8687 FIND GREAT WINTER LODGING DEALS ON OUR WEB SITE

Home for the

Holidays

Visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL for reservations. ®

Missouri

riverrunner

photo provided by Missouri Division of Tourism

Let the Missouri River Runner take you

Kansas City l Independence l Lee’s Summit l Warrensburg l Sedalia l Jefferson City l Hermann l Washington l Kirkwood l St. Louis

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ML

Zest FOR LIFE The atmosphere in Kenneth Marine’s studio changes based on the piece he creates. For simple pieces, he likes to listen to music. For more complicated pieces, he likes silence.

MELODIOUS

Glass

POPCORN CHANGED Kenneth Marine’s life.

Not looking forward to a summer of working as a popcorn popper at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Kenneth decided it was time for something new. He left the heat of the popcorn machine in favor of the heat of a glass studio and became a glass blower’s apprentice at the park, a move that ultimately altered his future.

Kenneth was on his way from South Carolina to the state of California to study at a recording engineering school when he stopped at Silver Dollar City to work for the summer. Music was his background, and his future plans included winning a Grammy (or two). A stop in Missouri wasn’t supposed to last more than the season.

More than twenty years later Kenneth is still here in the Ozarks.

And even though he didn’t pursue his music career, he is still finding ways to weave his musical talent into his art.

“Like music, glass is very immediate,” he says. “If I play a chord, and I play it wrong, it’s out there. It happened. With glass, there is no, ‘Let me set this aside and come back later.’ It’s very much musical. That part of it really appealed to me—learning to dance with glass to a rhythm and learning to move with it. It’s very physical and very choreographed. Every move I make has to be correct.”

Mastering this rhythm of manipulating glass into artwork is a tricky

business. He still can’t determine what the first piece of glass artwork he created is supposed to be. It’s sitting on a shelf in his shop and looks like it could be a creamer, he says, if he put a spout or handle on it. At the time, he was concentrating on just getting through the steps.

His favorite piece of work is the result of his vision coming to fruition. He was able to find his rhythm with the glass to translate the picture he had in his head to the finished product. The piece is black with what looks like sand floating on the surface of it. The shape is based on art deco design and art nouveau style and strings together techniques Kenneth learned from another glass blower while he was working in New York.

“I had a very clear vision of what I wanted to see it become, and I accomplished that,” he says. “I didn’t have to force it. It just flowed.

Sometimes that just stands out to a creator and an artist, when something just flows, and you’re just there as opposed to thinking ‘Please turn into what I want you to be. OK, fine, be something else.’ ” Music not only illuminates this relationship he has with his work, but it also can serve as the inspiration to his work. For example, a friend of his plays Native American flutes, music that Kenneth finds very rhythmic. When Kenneth listens to his friend’s music while working, he finds synchronized movement with the glass as the

COURTESY KENNETH MARINE GLASS

Music inspires a glass blower. BY RACHEL KISER

[24] MissouriLife

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courtesy kenneth marine glass

Top left, clockwise: Elephants. An ornament is capped by glass artist Kenneth Marine, who says teaching someone how to make a round ornament might only take thirty to forty minutes, but creating multiple round ornaments all consistent in shape and size is far more difficult a skill to teach. Yellow and Orange Happy Vases. Bears.

lyrical sounds float around his studio.

“If I’m making a bowl, I don’t want it to look like an accident,” he says. “I want it to look like it meant to be the way it is.”

Melodies and harmonies aren’t always part of his artistic equation, however. He might have accompaniment when he’s making simpler items, such as a Christmas ornament, of which he makes anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 each year. For these pieces that are more formulaic, he doesn’t have to think about the process. “I’m not watching the ornament,” he says. “It’s just movement, so I can crank tunes and just play.” For more complicated pieces such as bowls, his shop quiets. He concentrates on color placement and design placement, his workspace falling silent.

Nestled in the Ozarks, Kenneth’s studio, Kenneth Marine Glass, has become a national and international seller of glass sculptures and glass-blown work. He has work featured as close as Springfield at Springfield Hot Glass and as far away as Australia. Earlier this year, his wife, Julie, set up an Etsy shop for his studio, making his artistic audience seemingly endless.

And while it may not be the audience he anticipated thirty years ago, it’s one that is still listening. www.kennethmarineglass.com

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Through Jan. 20, 2013

Heartland The PhoTograPhs of

Terry evans

a perfect weekend getaway.

45th & Oak, Kansas City, Missouri | nelson-atkins.org | 816.751.1ART Terry Evans, American (b. 1944). Konza Prairie, Geary County (detail), Kansas, June 1982. C print (printed 1990s). Gift of the Hall Family Foundation, 2012.17.46. Š Terry Evans.

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10/5/12 4:30 PM

Downton Abbey

Sundays at 8 p.m. / Saturdays at 10 p.m.

Season 2 airs in December and Season 3 begins January 6!

www.kmos.org

KMOS-TV broadcasts in HD on channel 6.1.

Lifestyle and how-to programs on 6.2 and international news and mysteries on 6.3.

[26] MissouriLife

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faith

Give the gift of ART to that special someone on your list with this antler-handled letter opener featuring hand-etched scrimshaw.

Choose a pinebough (pictured), music notes, deer, or butterflies. $25.00.

photography Nature, Abstract and Vintage fine art—great for the home or office.

660-827-2146 Sedalia, MO • www.Bemissphotography.com www.bestofmissourihands.org/artisans/photography/faithbemiss/

Plus $5.00 s/h; Check/Money Order/Visa/MasterCard 31 High Trail, Eureka, MO 63025 • www.StoneHollowStudio.com

Eagle Days Jan. 26-27

Ride Along with the King John Robinson, a former Missouri tourism director, has driven every mile of every road on the Missouri highway map. This, his first book on his travels, gives you a shotgun seat for the first panoramic view of his 250,000-mile odyssey. The new book by Missouri Life’s King of the Road is now available from all e-book sellers and online bookstores. Order your copy today, and ride along with the king.

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

We give workshops! Call for information: 573-242-3200

Bent Tree Gallery The

Rustic Furniture, Handcrafted Handbags, Fiber H I S T O R I C C L A R K S V I L L E M I S S O U R I Art & Baskets

MACAA.net Your connection to Missouri’s community arts agencies, artists and arts events!

Artists: Click on the

icon to list yourself on Missouri’s Creative Artist Resource Directory. It’s FREE!

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Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska

We are drawn here from every state.

Harding University students come from all 50 states â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and from more than 50 different nations.

We understand that a well-rounded education includes a global perspective. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why nearly half of our graduates have participated in a study-abroad experience at one of our seven international campuses in Australia, Chile, England, Greece, France, Italy and Zambia. And while these locations may sound exotic to some, many of our students are right at home there.

Faith, Learning and Living Harding.edu | 800-477-4407 Searcy, Arkansas [28] MissouriLife

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Made

IN MISSOURI

Springfield

Columbia

ODDBALL POPCORN

Love Me, Know Me, Show Me

SOON-TO-BE general manager

THE NEW comes from the old for 1Canoe2 near Columbia. The letter-

Nicholas Swanson admitted his surprise at some of the oddball flavors that Springfield-based Ozark Mountain Popcorn created when his family acquired the company in 1997.

“I looked at them, and I was like, ‘What?’ ” Nick says.

The popcorn company now boasts more than 40 flavors, including peanut butter, green apple, toffee, cinnamon roll, blueberries ’n’ cream, strawana, and confetti.

Don’t despair; Ozark Mountain Popcorn also sells the classics: butter, kettle, cinnamon, caramel, cheddar cheese (in which real cheese is used), and pepper corn. The popcorn can be packaged and delivered in holiday and other decorative canisters, or it can be purchased in bags or bowls.

press company uses one-ton antique presses to print products such as wedding

—Ben Kupiszewski www.ozarkmountainpopcorn.com

invitations, recipe cards, and sketchbooks. Started in 2009, 1Canoe2 is the brainchild of Beth Snyder and Carrie Shryock. The name of the company refers to numerous trips the two took together down Missouri rivers and streams during which they shared their hopes and dreams with each other.

Now, the duo tries to print on anything. Beth does the graphic design and product development while Carrie illustrates the products and operates the presses. Beth describes their relationship as a “good creative process together.” Carrie’s sister-in-law Karen Shryock is the third member of the team and interacts and takes orders from customers. 1Canoe2’s products can be purchased at Poppy in Columbia, Winslow’s Home in St. Louis, and Anthropologie locations nationwide. The company’s “Love Me, Know Me, Show Me,” print would make a fantastic gift for any Missouri lover. —Ben Kupiszewski www.1canoe2.com

St. Louis

Bows and Petals SINCE ITS founding in 1973, Wee Ones has been family-owned and operated,

417-866-5555

designing and making hair accessories for girls.

Wee Ones hair accessories includes hair bows, petals, and stretch headbands. Sana

COURTESY 1CANOE2, WEE ONES, AND OZARK MOUNTAIN POPCORN

Shucart, the company’s production designer, says hair accessories have many different components for her to tinker and toy with.

The hair accessories are sold in more than 1,500 children’s boutiques across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and United Kingdom. In Missouri, they can be found at The Trunk in Monette, Jellybeans in Springfield, and both at Laurie’s Shoes and Head to Toe in St. Louis. —Ben Kupiszewski www.weeones.com•1-800-258-9996

[29] December 2012

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[30] MissouriLife

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E H T E S U A C BE

e l o P Nort8hMILES AWAY. IS 3,76

Your winter getaway begins at explorestlouis.com.

St. Louis Thanksgiving Day Parade November 22nd christmasinstlouis.org

032 ML1212.indd 32

St. Louis Holiday Magic November 23rd - 25th

stlholidaymagic.com [32] MissouriLife

The Loop Ice Carnival January 12th visittheloop.com

10/25/12 3:43 PM

Fifth Third Bank Family Winter Carnival in Soulard January 19th stlmardigras.org

032 ML1212.indd 33

[33] December 2012

10/25/12 3:43 PM

[34] MissouriLife

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10/24/12 1:32 PM

Instead of snuggling up to a crackling fire, set your winter night aglow with a visit to one of Missouriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s holiday lights festivals. Our Missouri landscape gleams under a blanket of millions of shimmering colors as the cold sets in, and the smells of chestnuts, hot cocoa, and apple cider fill the air. Photographer Notley Hawkins went in search of these joyful colors and shares here the cheery holiday lights.

GLIMMER IN THE CITY Country Club Plaza, Kansas City

The Country Club Plaza is illuminated Thanksgiving evening and continues to blink and twinkle through the new year.

When: Thanksgiving night to January 13 Cost: Free www.countryclubplaza.com/Events/Plaza-Lights

[35] December 2012

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A N O L D T I M E CH R I ST M A S Silver Dollar City, Branson

More than four million lights lend their magic to transform the park into a shimmering winter event.

When: November 3 to December 30 Cost: Park admission festivals.bransonsilverdollarcity.com

W I L D L I GH T S St. Louis Zoo

See your favorite creatures and critters in a new light as you walk through the zooâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s holiday lights display.

When: Fridays through Sundays beginning November 23 to December 30 Cost: $4 member; $5 nonmember; Kids under two free www.stlzoo.org

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[38] MissouriLife

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10/24/12 1:33 PM

W I N T E R WO N DE R L A N D Krug Park, St. Joseph

Winter scenes and twinkling evergreens transform Krug Park into Holiday Park, northwest Missouri’s largest holiday lights showcase.

When: November 23 to January 2, 6-10 PM Cost: Freewill donation to Optimist Club www.stjoemo.info/parks/holiday_park.cfm

NE W YE A R’ S S PA R K L E The District, Columbia

Take a stroll through downtown Columbia at First Night, the city’s decadent and family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration.

When: New Year’s Eve Cost: Free www.firstnightcolumbia.org

[39] December 2012

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Celebrating the holiday season with traditions from around the world

By Sar a agnew PhotograPhy By nichole Ballard

[40] MissouriLife

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A Missouri HeritAge

CHristMAs

If there were ever a time for tradition, it’s the Christmas season. In Missouri, the rich mixture of immigrants infused the holiday with Old World customs. Even in this time of ultra-commercialism that marks the season, the traditions of our European and Hispanic ancestors persist in certain communities and families and influence our celebrations in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.

Most of us know the custom of decorating a tree for Christmas comes from the Germans, and the Nativity scene originated with the Italians. But did you know the Italians who live on The Hill in St. Louis wouldn’t think of celebrating Christmas without ravioli, or the children of French settlers in Ste. Genevieve looked forward most to the king cake?

Today, our newest immigrants have brought with them Hispanic Christmas traditions such as Las Posadas, nine days of prayer and celebration that include the reenactment of Mary and Joseph’s biblical search for lodging.

No matter the heritage, a common theme resonates through each group’s Christmas traditions: faith, family, and community.

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Joyeux Noël

FRENCH TRADITIONS IN STE. GENEVIEVE

JOHN WALTER BASYE was surprised to dis-

From top: Christmas celebrations in Ste. Genevieve closely resemble French traditions from the eighteenth century.

One such tradition called for children to leave their shoes next to the fireplace so that Père Noël could leave small gifts. Children also left carrots for Gui, Père Noël’s donkey.

cover people still celebrating Christmas when he arrived at the French settlement of Ste. Genevieve on January 1, 1791.

Only days earlier, Basye had boarded a boat at the Falls of the Ohio, leaving his parents behind in Kentucky.

Basye hoped to follow in the footsteps of his father, who had traveled from Fairfax, Virginia, sixteen years earlier and built the first house in Louisville. A practical dreamer raised in a staunch Protestant home, young Basye was looking for a place to leave his own mark as he paddled down the Ohio River. When he turned up the Mississippi, he was amazed to find Christmas still in full swing at Ste. Genevieve.

“The old French town for a week had been aglow with Christmas festivities,” Basye later wrote.

Actually, the Ste. Genevieve French, who were solidly Catholic, had been celebrating the Christmas holiday since the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6 and wouldn’t stop until the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6. This onemonth period called le Temps des Fêtes—or the Time of Celebration—was marked by much visiting and other festivities. After the Christmas season, the townspeople of Ste. Genevieve often continued having balls up until the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday.

Ste. Genevieve, Missouri’s oldest town dating back to the late 1740s, revives its French colonial roots each year with Christmas festivities such as the ones Basye stumbled upon that January morning in 1791. The festivities begin in early December and end the first weekend in February, says Bob Mueller, president of the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve.

Santa Claus was not a part of the French colonial Christmas celebration. The children followed the French custom of placing their wooden sabots (shoes) by the fireplace on the Feast of St. Nicholas eve in hopes that Père Noël (Father Christmas) would fill them with small gifts such as candy or nuts. Père Noël “might also be accompanied by Père Fouettard, who was there to punish any children who had misbehaved,” Bob says. “He was typically portrayed as a short person with a bag of sticks on his back.”

Adult French settlers attended la Messe de Minuit (Midnight Mass), which was followed by le Réveillon, or the Awakening Meal. This is one French tradition that continues in France, where the meal varies according to regional culinary traditions. Goose is the main course in Alsace, while in Burgundy, turkey with chestnuts is the primary fare.

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In eighteenth-century Ste. Genevieve, le Réveillon included turkey, tourtière (a pork pie), boudin noir (a sausage) and vegetables, says Donna Rausch, who works at the Felix Vallé House State Historic Site. The Vallé House provides a reenactment each December of the French colonial tradition. Most impressive are the thirteen desserts, which represent the twelve apostles and Christ.

“There was a lot of symbolism in the French Christmas traditions,” Donna says.

On the day of the reenactment, local residents provide the desserts, which include French specialties such as pain d’épice (gingerbread), croquembouche (cream puffs), and sablé Normand (sugar cookies). Other treats include sugared pecans and mincemeat pie.

Christmas decorations were not elaborate in French colonial Ste. Genevieve. Early Christmas trees were called “paradise trees” or “the tree of life,” and in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries were decorated with fruits and nuts. Many French settlers’ homes did not have Christmas trees as trees were more of a German custom. What they did have was a crèche, or manger scene. The crèche included traditional manger figurines, called santons, as well as figurines depicting tradespeople in the community.

Another popular Missouri French tradition was the making of pain bénit. The special loaf of bread was baked by a woman in the parish, blessed by the priest, and distributed to the congregation. Another religious tradition was for a youth of the parish to carry the Baby Jesus to the crèche in church.

Upon coming through Ste. Genevieve in 1807 on New Year’s Day, writer Christian Schultz reported it was a practice for everyone to kiss each other as they met. Bob says another French holiday tradition involved children stopping at the homes of their godparents to receive a small gift such as fruit, nuts, cake, or a piece of clothing.

Among the French settlers’ Christmas legends, Bob says, was a prediction that the earth would open up on Christmas to reveal its treasures. Another legend foretold farm animals acquiring the gift of speech on Christmas Eve. There was a legend that prophesied cattle kneeling at midnight on Christmas Eve. One Christmas tradition that continues to be popular with the French is the Bûche de Noël, or yule log cake, which is served during le Réveillon. The sponge cake is baked in a large Swiss roll pan, filled with chocolate buttercream, rolled to form a cylinder, and then frosted again on the outside.

The cake is decorated with powdered sugar to resemble snow, and then adorned with greenery and berries.

Years ago, the French used to decorate a real yule log with

Many Bûche de Noël greenery and berries and burn it in the fireplace as part of cakes have a portion their holiday celebration. But as fireplaces became smaller, of the cake cut off and placed elsewhere so historians say, the log was replaced with the symbolic cake. the cake more closely Hervé Deschamps of St. Louis pays homage to his French resembles a real branch. heritage every Christmas by baking a Bûche de Noël. Born in Paris in the early 1950s, Hervé remembers eating turkey, chestnuts, A French and green beans on Christmas Eve. But the Christmas Carol best meal came on Christmas Day. “It might contain leftovers from the pre“Douce Nuit” is the French vious night, but the important part was the version of “Silent Night.”

Bûche de Noël,” Hervé recalls.

The songs are sung to the same Although he looked forward to his gifts tune, but the meanings are different. on Christmas, Hervé also eagerly awaited his chance to be crowned king of the celebration Douce nuit, sainte nuit! on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany.

Dans les cieux! L’astre luit.

“That is the day when children have a Le mystère annoncé s’accomplit. chance to become king or queen if they find Cet enfant sur la paille endormit, the hidden figurine in their part of the galette C’est l’amour infini, des Rois, or king cake,” says Hervé, who still C’est l’amour infini! practices the tradition with his own family.

“From that day until the end of the month, Sweet night, holy night! you will find galette des Rois in every bakery.”

In the heavens the star shines.

The galette des Rois is a flaked pastry pie The foretold mystery comes true. filled with frangipane, a butter-rich smooth This child sleeping on the hay, mixture of crème d’amande (almond cream) Is infinite love, and crème pâtissière (pastry cream). How the Is infinite love! tradition works is la fève (the small item baked inside of the cake, a dry bean or porcelain fig-written in 1816 by ure of the baby Jesus) is hidden in the cake.

Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber Whoever gets la fève in his or her serving is named king or queen for the day. Though it has lost most of its religious significance, the family ritual remains a cherished French Christmas tradition.

Despite the changing traditions, Hervé says, Christmas for the French remains “a holy day for children” and a time for family to spend together.

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Fröhliche Weihnachten

CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS IN HERMANN

AFTER ALL these years, it’s not the gifts seventyHermann’s indoor Kristkindl Markt features a wide variety of handmade gifts as well as German imports, cookbooks, baked goods, and smoked meats and sausages. The tradition of holiday shopping can be traced to Germany, where more than 2,500 Christmas markets are held each season in Germany.

seven-year-old Gloria Naegelin Wagstaff remembers about Christmas as a child. Gifts, it seems now, were only a small part of the holiday celebrated by her German family.

What fills her memories are the aroma of a cedar tree and the mouth-watering taste of springerles (cookies) baked by her mother in their tiny farmhouse kitchen. She can still see the glorious sight of Christmas lights crisscrossing Hermann’s town square. At Market and Fourth streets stood a sparkling Christmas tree, tall and majestic.

“I miss the smell of a fresh tree,” Gloria says. “I don’t care what anyone says; you can’t imitate that smell.”

For German-American families such as Gloria’s, the Christmas season is rich with traditions and religion. Many of the families that settled in Hermann emigrated from different parts of Germany and brought with them their unique Christmas traditions, which further diversified once they settled in the United States.

These days, the Christmas season is a perfect opportunity for Hermann residents to celebrate their German heritage.

Weekends in December are filled with activities reminiscent of those practiced by the original settlers. Among the most popular is the annual Kristkindl Markt, fashioned after an authentic German Christmas market. Gloria often works in a booth at the market hosted by Deutschheim Verein, an association devoted to preserving Hermann’s Deutschheim State Historic Site and the town’s German heritage. The group sells ornaments made in Germany, nutcrackers, and rauchermann, a German smoker used to burn incense.

Gloria, a second-generation German American, is among a dwindling number of Hermann residents who grew up speaking German at home. Her grandparents emigrated from Wartenburg, Germany, and settled in Hermann, where her parents were born and raised.

For Gloria, Christmas was a curious mix of old and new traditions. Like their ancestors in Germany, Gloria’s parents

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would secretly decorate a tree on Christmas Eve, choosing a cedar because of their abundance in the area. In Germany, a noble fir would have been decorated.

Later that evening, there would be a knock on the family’s back door, cueing her father to throw open the parlor door and reveal a glorious sight: a candle-lit tree surrounded by gifts. The knocking they had heard was that of Santa Claus, who the children believed delivered the tree and gifts.

It’s still customary in some parts of Germany for families to close off a room before Christmas. The practice was ideal in nineteenth-century Germany where families routinely closed off their parlors in the winter to conserve heat.

Though most American families don’t close off a room or wait until Christmas Eve to unveil their trees, many other traditional American customs are rooted in German culture. Christmas trees date to sixteenth century-Germany, when small firs were decorated with apples, nuts, and paper flowers on December 24. Cindy Browne, who works at the Deutschheim State Historic Site, says many families placed their trees on a table or suspended the tree from the rafters to save space.

Legend has it the founder of Protestantism, Martin Luther, was the first to put candles on his Christmas tree in the early 1500s. One evening on his way home, Luther admired the moonlit tree tips. To recreate that magic moment for his family, he put small candles on the firs in his living room.

The wreath is another popular American custom that began in Germany, where Christmas season begins four Sundays before Christmas Eve with the start of Advent.

To mark the occasion, German families set up an Advent wreath made of greenery and four candles. On each Sunday thereafter, family members gathered around the wreath, lit

A Springerle Story Springerle is a type of German cookie with a detailed, embossed design. The cookies date back to the ancient days when animals were sacrificed to pagan gods at the winter solstice. The poorer people, unable to afford animals, offered animalshaped baked goods in their place. As time went on, all kinds of designs developed.

A special rolling pin or individual stamps with carved designs were used to emboss the cookies. These tools are still used today. The designs are pressed onto rolled dough, and the dough is then left out to dry, which sets the design before baking.

Today, springerles are enjoyed at German Christmas celebrations throughout Missouri. For a springerle recipe to try at home, visit www.MissouriLife.com.

the next candle, and sang Christmas carols.

Even Santa Claus has his origins in Germany, where he is known as St. Nicholas. On the evening of December 5—the day before St. Nicholas Day—children leave shoes outside the front door. That night, the shoes are filled with gifts. St. Nicholas might dress like his American counterpart, but he doesn’t ride a reindeerpulled sleigh. His arrival often strikes fear in the children he meets. In the southern part of Germany, children who meet St. Nicholas also come faceto-face with his servant, Knecht Ruprecht, who doled out consequences for children who could not recite their prayers.

In her book A Midwest German Christmas: Breads, Cakes, Cookies, Sweets, and Special Foods, author Erin McCawley Renn writes, “In northern Germany, Weihnachtsmann, (the Christmas Man), or as he was known in parts of Saxony, Pelznickel, came alone but also had switches as well as small gifts. If a child could not recite a Bible verse or answer a question on demand, or if parents said a child had been naughty, he or she got switched.”

Traditional German foods also found their way into American celebrations. There are the cookies: weihnachtsplätzchen (Christmas cookies), Berliner kränze (Berlin wreath), anisplätzchen (anise cookies), and springerles. The two holiday breads were lebkuchen, “the bread of life,” and stollen, a bread that is shaped to commemorate the swaddled infant Jesus. Gänsebraten, or roasted goose, is a common Christmas staple, as is Glühwein, hot mulled red wine.

Keeping their ancestors’ customs alive is an important part of the holiday season for German Americans such as Gloria, Hulda Krull, and Audrey Eberlin, who also grew up speaking German in their Hermann homes. For Audrey, it’s the springerles she makes each year.

For Hulda, who grew up on a farm in a family of eight children, it’s the cedar tree.

“There is nothing like a cedar tree,” she says. “I can’t imagine Christmas without one.”

Ornaments originated in Germany, where they were first made from hand-cast lead and glass. As time went on, ornaments became more elaborate and expensive.

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Feliz Navidad

REENACTING THE NATIVITY IN COLUMBIA

FOR MANUEL LOPEZ,

The Nativity scene, or Nacimientos, is set at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Columbia for the Hispanic-American tradition of Novena. The nine-day celebration, which has been a Catholic tradition in Mexico for 400 years, is said to be based on the nine months Mary (or Maria as she is called in Mexico) was pregnant with Jesus.

Christmas is a chance to pass on something special to his children: tradition. Beliefs and customs are far more than pageantry to this thirty-twoyear-old father of three. They represent community and love.

Manuel believes Christmas traditions are not only a link to his ancestors but also a light illuminating his path to God. With joy, Manuel leads his young family into Columbia’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church on a December evening.

They have come to celebrate Las Posadas, a celebration of the Nativity. Literally translated in English, las posadas means “the inns” or “the lodgings” and symbolizes the biblical journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

Though the festivities at Sacred Heart are different from Las Posadas celebrated in Mexico today, the event is no less sacred for the people who have come to participate. They eagerly slide into pews. Adults embrace and talk in animated voices while children squirm and zigzag through the crowd.

A Nativity scene is arranged near the altar. In the front row, an old man plays a guitar. The crowd is sparse, but the excitement is palpable.

“I came tonight for my little guy,” says Maria Mendez, pointing to her two-year-old son, Juan. “I want to keep the traditions alive for him.”

In Mexico, parishioners re-enact the journey of Mary and

Joseph during a nine-day celebration called Novena, which lasts from December 16 to Christmas Eve, known as Noche Buena or “Holy Night.”

Traditionally, participants re-enact the journey each night of the Novena, pretending to be los peregrinos (pilgrims) traveling to Bethlehem for the census. The travelers, many carrying lit candles, are led by children playing Mary and Joseph. Other children might be selected to be angels, shepherds, or the three wise men. In some places in Mexico, four people carry a statue of St. Joseph and lead a donkey on which Mary rides.

The group travels from home to home looking for a place to stay. When they finally reach the home where they will celebrate that evening, the hosts, or “innkeepers,” meet the procession at the door.

Before entering, they exchange lyrics of the traditional “Pidiendo Posada”: OUTSIDE SINGERS: In the name of Heaven, I ask you for shelter because my beloved wife can continue no longer.

INSIDE SINGERS: This is no inn, continue on your way. I am not about to open. You might be a scoundrel.

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They sing back and forth until Mary and Joseph are recognized and welcomed inside. Then everyone sings in unison: Let us sing with joy, all bearing in mind that Jesus, Joseph, and Mary honor us by having come.

Once inside, the participants gather around a Nativity scene and pray the rosary, a traditional Catholic sequence of prayers, using a string of beads to keep track. They also sing Christmas hymns such as “Silent Night.” Sometimes the figurine of the baby Jesus is taken from the Nacimientos (nativity) and passed around for each person to hold. The last posada, held on December 24, is followed by Misa de Noche Buena (Midnight Mass).

Each night, the celebration is followed by a fiesta with a variety of traditional foods, including piping-hot tamales, fried rosette cookies known as buñuelos, and arroz con leche, a sweet dessert made from rice and milk that is popular in the Latin world. Another traditional favorite is champurrado, a Mexican hot chocolate flavored with anise and piloncillo.

At the end of the evening, children break open a piñata filled with peanuts, hard candy, and fruit. In some areas, the celebration is marked with fireworks.

Children in some parts of Mexico generally receive their presents on January 6, called el Día de Reyes (Three Kings Day), when the Magi brought gifts to the baby Jesus. It is believed the three men also bring gifts to the children of Mexico. The children place their shoes by the window and leave treats for the kings’ camels.

Genoveva Podolak, who grew up in northern Mexico and now lives in Columbia, remembers putting out grass for the camels when she was a child.

Still, the primary focus of CHRISTMAS Christmas is not gifts but rather BUÑUELOS religion, family, and community.

From www.mexgrocer.com In Columbia, the parishioners Ingredients > at Sacred Heart have one night to 3 cups flour, sifted 2 eggs twice ½ cup butter or celebrate Las Posadas. They meet 1 tablespoon baking margarine first in the church to pray the ropowder ¾ cup milk 1 tablespoon salt Oil for frying sary and sing.

1 tablespoon sugar When it comes time to reenact the journey, the parishioDirections > 1. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and ners split into two groups. One salt. In a small bowl, beat one tablespoon of group, which includes Mary and sugar, eggs, and butter. Stir in milk. Add milk mixture to flour. If dough is too dry, add a few Joseph, takes its position in the more drops of milk. Knead dough until it is foyer, while the rest of the parishvery smooth. ioners stay in the church behind 2. Shape into 20 balls. Cover and let stand for a glass door and play the inn30 minutes. Heat oil one-inch deep in large skillet to 360˚ F. Roll each ball out on a lightlykeepers. The holy couple, played floured board into very thin six-inch circles. by two lucky children, knocks on the door, and the parishioners 3. Fry buñuelos until golden brown, turning once. Drain on absorbent towels. Sprinkle sing the traditional song. with sugar-cinnamon topping while warm or When the young couple is drizzle with syrup. finally allowed in, the church These can be frozen. Wrap separately in freezer erupts in cheers. bags. Defrost and place in a 350˚ F oven for a few minutes to crisp. Yields 20 fritters.

Manuel knows Las Posadas at Sacred Heart is different than those in his hometown of Totolmajac, Mexico.

“In Mexico, the church is the center of town and the center of our society,” Manuel says. “Everything revolves around the church, including Christmas. Here we can only get the church for one night, and neighborhoods are spread out.”

Though some Hispanics fear moving to the United States might endanger their traditions, Enrique Castro, the crosscultural minister for the Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City, believes the opposite is more likely to be true.

“Surprisingly, it is easier to keep traditions alive here,” says Enrique. “You come here and try to keep those traditions alive to feel at home. You practice your traditions to help you feel in touch with your roots.”

Enrique moved to the United States eleven years ago to attend college. His four brothers, two sisters, and parents still live in Mexico.

For Enrique, the tradition of Las Posadas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus with family.

“We have very strong family values,” Enrique says. Las Posadas provides Hispanic Americans an opportunity “to pray together and to eat together. Now when I think back, I think those traditions helped us stay together.”

For a peek at Las Posadas, visit www.MissouriLife.com.

Parishioners gather at Sacred Heart Church in Columbia to pray the rosary and sing before reenacting Mary and Joseph’s journey in Las Posadas.

In Mexico, they celebrate for nine days. Here they have one night.

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Buon Natale

CHRISTMAS ON THE HILL

Puda soleser atinvel expellauda di que necerunt unte volupta tendant, sum doluptas conseque volorum litati venis evelicim que moloritisOdici volorem harcil incte voluptam, nonsequaspis eos mo de eatquam ipid

THEIR dad was the best baker in their Italian neigh-

The Missouri Baking Company on The Hill in St. Louis sold 12,000 pounds of cookies between Thanksgiving and Christmas last year.

borhood, so Mimi Lordo and Chris Gambaro knew there was a price to pay on Christmas Eve. Dad worked long hours and came home exhausted.

But Dad would be all smiles Christmas morning when Mimi and Chris awoke to the smell of freshly baked panettone (sweet bread) and sausage. After breakfast, Dad would reveal the Christmas tree and presents. With six kids and a modest income, gifts were simple. But that didn’t matter to the Gambaro children. After gifts came church at St. Ambrose, homemade ravioli, and treats from the bakery. There would be a house full of family and friends, including all the priests from the parish.

Now that’s an Italian Christmas.

Mimi and Chris own The Missouri Baking Company, a bakery established in the 1920s by their grandfather, who emigrated from northern Italy to an Italian-American neighborhood now known as The Hill in St. Louis. Italians began moving to the area in the 1830s. Among the Italians who grew up on The Hill were Baseball Hall of Famers Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola.

Joe DeGregorio, who grew up on The Hill and now gives tours of the area, says what makes his old stomping grounds unique from other Italian-American neighborhoods is that

most of the immigrants who settled there were from Lombardy in northern Italy. The majority of Italian neighborhoods in the United States descended from southern Italy.

Joe, who descended from one of the Sicilian families that settled on The Hill, says the mix of Italian cultures makes for a neighborhood with blended traditions.

Grandfather Gambaro was always sure to bake plenty of amaretto macaroons and biscotti cookies during the holiday season for his neighbors from northern Italy.

He also made cuccidati, a fig-stuffed cookie traditionally served in Sicily.

This spirit of mixing traditions can be found several blocks away at Mama Toscano’s, a four-generation family-owned business. Since 1948, the family has rolled out handmade ravioli, a staple of a northern Italian Christmas.

Nana Kate began making ravioli upstairs from the store in her kitchen. When demand grew, she moved the business downstairs where Nick Toscano and his two nephews still make ravioli from scratch. Thing is, the Toscanos come from Sicily, where eating ravioli on Christmas isn’t a tradition.

But to appease their Sicilian neighbors, the Toscanos created a sweet meat sauce, reminiscent of the sauces favored in southern Italy. The combined traditions have made Mama Toscano’s homemade ravioli the hottest in town. On an

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average day, Nick makes about 6,000 ravioli. But during the Christmas season, that number shoots to 9,000 ravioli a day.

The Hill protects its traditions by maintaining a neighborhood with only family-owned businesses. In the 1960s, a neighborhood organization called The Hill 2000 was created to protect the neighborhood’s Italian culture, including Christmas traditions.

The annual Christmas on The Hill event (this year on December 1) invites visitors to the neighborhood for a taste of an Italian Christmas. There are tours, food, carriage rides, roasted chestnuts, and storytelling with La Befana, a kindly old witch who fills children’s stockings.

Officially, the Italian Christmas celebrations start on December 8 with l’Immacolata Concezione, or the Immaculate Conception’s Day, and last until Epiphany on January 6. The nine days before Christmas are known as the Novena, during which Catholic Italians attend church each day to say the rosary. In Italy, children write letters to Father Christmas, or Babbo Natale as he is known there. The main day for gift giving is usually on Epiphany, and presents are brought by La Befana. Other traditions include children writing letters to their parents to let them know how much they love them.

The letters are placed under their father’s plate and read after dinner on Christmas Eve. Some families have a ceppo, a wooden frame in a pyramid shape that is known as the Tree of Light. In the middle are shelves that support a small manger scene. The frame is decorated with gilt pinecones, colored paper, candles, and pennants. At the top a star or a small doll is placed.

Perhaps one of the most widely recognized Italian Christmas traditions is the presepio or presepe, also known as the Nativity scene. The Italian tradition dates back to St. Francis of Assisi, who is believed to have had a live Nativity scene in 1223. Merchants display Nativity scenes in their window,

The Story of La Befana From Christmas on The Hill Three men were traveling by the home of La Befana, an old woman who spent her days cleaning. They were seeking the Christ Child and asked her for directions. La Befana could not help them but invited them to stay and eat.

After dinner, they showed her the gifts they were taking to the Christ Child—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—and asked her to join them.

She declined, as she had too much work to do.

Later, she had a change of heart. She thought the Christ Child needed practical items such as a blanket or toy. She gathered up some items she thought he would need and

Today, the population on The Hill is about 6,000. Fifty-five percent are of Italian descent, down from seventy percent ten years ago. Still, fifteen percent of the residents are actual Italian immigrants.

and on The Hill, Marie Cuccia-Brand and Debbie Torpea Monolo keep the custom alive with a special presepio displayed each holiday season in the window of their store, Girasole Gifts and Imports. The scene includes traditional pieces as well as figures representing tradespeople on The Hill: bricklayers, produce vendors, seamstresses, blacksmiths, and carpenters.

Debbie’s husband, Joe, grew up on The Hill but left to raise his family elsewhere. But there was something in the family’s genes that brought his children back. Today, Debbie’s daughters make The Hill their home.

“They were raised with Italian tradition,” Debbie says.

slipped a few extras in her sack in case he had brothers and sisters.

La Befana set out as fast as she could to catch up with the three men. Some say she ran so fast her broom lifted into the air. Others say she cried when she could not find them, and her tears were so sincere that when they fell on her broom they gave it magical powers to fly.

Poor La Befana never caught up with the magi, but she left gifts for any child she found while searching, hoping that one would be the Christ Child. She found such joy in giving that she still runs over the roofs in Italy bringing gifts to all the children on the Feast of the Epiphany. Through the years, her skirt and apron have become torn and patched,

and her shoes have become worn. Children in Italy await her visit, leaving her notes and hanging their stockings on the mantel for her to fill. The children chant: La Befana viendi note Con le carpe tutte rotte Col vetito alla romana Viva, Viva La Befana!

The Befana comes by night With her shoes all tattered and torn She comes dressed in the Roman way Long life to the Befana!

Some say she sweeps their floor before she leaves.

Viva, La Befana!

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Merry Christmas

A CORNUCOPIA OF CUSTOMS FOR MISSOURI PIONEERS

From top: Missouri Town 1855 staff and volunteers sing traditional Christmas carols at the village’s nondenominational church while also serving Friendship Tea. To save space, Missouri pioneers often had small Christmas trees decorated with paper, fruit, and ribbon.

THE PIONEER children of Missouri didn’t know the sweet anticipation of Christmas morning. When winter means harsh weather and a scarce food supply, receiving toys for Christmas doesn’t make sense.

Sure, they might have received a handmade doll or a small figurine of a bear carved from wood. But gift-giving wasn’t the focus of Christmas for Missouri families in the mid-1800s.

Christmas was about God and family. Life was about survival. The combination of those realities made for a mid-nineteenth-century holiday that was simple and sincere.

Jackson County Parks and Recreation’s Missouri Town 1855 brings that old-fashion spirit to life during its annual one-day Christmas celebration. Dressed in period attire, staff and volunteers share with visitors the Christmas traditions practiced by Missouri pioneers in a typical village. The town’s twenty-five buildings are transformed to reflect holiday traditions of French, German, and English immigrants.

Most striking is the simplicity of the celebration.

“Christmas in the 1850s was a quieter, more subdued celebration,” says Gordon Julich, superintendent of the Jackson County Parks and Recreation’s Historic Sites.

In fact, outdoor decorations at Missouri Town are somewhat embellished to appease the public’s romanticized notion of what Christmas was like for early settlers.

“We try to keep the interior more in line with what it was really like and add a bit more on the outside,” Gordon says.

Recognizing the differences between then and now is how the staff hopes to educate visitors.

“We need to know how these people lived,” says Gary Sutton, site administrator of Missouri Town 1855. “That’s what puts perspective in our lives.”

Set on thirty partially wooded acres, Missouri Town is arranged like a typical village in western Missouri. There is a schoolhouse, blacksmith’s shop, tavern, church, and mercantile. The houses represent the village’s different social classes: The colonel’s and squire’s houses represent upper class while the tradesman’s, blacksmith’s and settlers’ houses represent middle and lower classes.

During the Christmas celebration, the buildings and houses are decorated to reflect how their inhabitants would have marked the holiday. In the tiny, two-room log cabin called the Settler’s House, a small, decorated tree is hung upside down from the rafters to show a common Christmas tradition of German immigrants. English

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traditions are played out in the woodworker’s home, where reenactors wait for guests and decorate with unadorned greenery. Children in the schoolhouse craft simple ornaments using commonly available materials while adults in the tavern demonstrate open-hearth cooking.

Men and women sing Christmas carols in the village’s nondenominational church. Seated in wooden pews near the church’s wood-burning stove, the singers use musical notations called “shape notes” to help them carry a tune.

Introduced in the early 1800s, shape notes were a way to encourage people who couldn’t read music or were just learning English to sing hymns. Shapes were added to note heads to help singers know when to go up or down a scale with their voice. Singers keep the beat by tapping their toes or moving a forearm up and down in a stiff, chopping motion.

“Singing was a part of the community,” Gary says.

“Shape notes allowed people to be involved.”

For the pioneers of western Missouri, a strong sense of community was born in a shared struggle. Life was tough for these hardscrabble people whose daily focus was on survival, not celebration. In the winter, energy was spent keeping warm in harsh temperatures and extending the life of stored food. There was no electricity or running water in villages such as Missouri Town.

Despite these hardships, faith and family brought the pioneers together on Christmas. Traditions might have varied from house to house, depending on the ancestry of the inhabitants, but their intentions were the same.

“It was a simpler time,” Gary says. “Christmas celebrations were based on the family.”

Christmas trees were generally small because of limited space, and ornaments were made from simple materials like paper, straw, and ribbon. Gifts, if any, were handmade, perhaps a cornhusk doll or a knitted cap and mittens.

“If kids didn’t receive a gift, it was OK,” Gary says.

This tea recipe has been a part of the Missouri Town 1855 Christmas tradition since Mary Childers began preparing it in 1975. We hope this recipe will warm your guests as well as it does ours.

FRIENDSHIP TEA From Missouri Town 1855

Ingredients >

1 gallon water 4 ounces lemonade mix 8 ounces Tang 2 teaspoons instant tea 1-2 whole cloves

Directions >

1-2 cinnamon sticks Sliced apples and oranges (3-4 each, skins, pulp, and all) Sugar, to taste

1. Fill a large pot with one gallon of water. Add remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Simmer until ready to serve. Strain and serve hot.

“They were able to be part of the family for the celebration of Christmas.”

The heart of that celebration was a traditional meal shared with family and friends. For French immigrants, a Christmas meal would probably include roasted goose, while a Christmas feast for German immigrants would not be complete without cookies. If they were lucky, English immigrants enjoyed a roasted turkey.

Sometimes pioneers shared their European traditions with the community. One shared tradition was the yule log, which was an extremely hard log burned in the hearth as part of the Christmas celebration. The yule log was often associated with good luck and prosperity in the coming year.

Some immigrants burned their yule log in a fire started with remnants from the log burned the previous year.

Ashes from the log were often sprinkled under dining room tables or beds for added good luck.

“The English would cut down a tree and bring the whole thing inside their home,” Gary says. “Before putting it in the fireplace, each family member would sit on the log for good luck.”

The yule log tradition eventually died out as large fireplaces in living rooms gave way to much smaller ones.

For the people of western Missouri in the mid-1800s, Christmas was a break from their otherwise tough lives and an opportunity to celebrate what mattered most.

“The emphasis was on people getting together,” Gary says. “Everything else was secondary.”

To see reenactors from Missouri Town 1855, visit www.MissouriLife.com.

Missouri Town 1855 is open until February 28, weekends only. Cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children ages five to thirteen or seniors older than sixty-two.

Christmas decorations at Missouri Town 1855 reflect the simple and sparse decorations Missouri pioneers would have used, such as sprigs of berries, cedar branches, and ribbons.

www.jacksongov.org 8010 E. Park Road, Lee’s Summit •816-503-4860

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the state of

SODA

Red cream soda is bottled at Ozark Mountain Bottleworksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bottling facility in Ste. Genevieve. Right: The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soda is sold in Springfield, Branson, and St. Louis stores and online.

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HOMEGROWN beverage companies in Missouri skip the synthetic stuff. While major soft drink industries battle it out on the national stage with multi-million dollar advertising campaigns, producers here in Missouri humbly test, create, and market their drinks with a small-town mentality.

Instead of mixing lab-created cocktails, they cook with cane sugar. Instead of buying commercials, they invest in their community. The soda ends up somewhere between health food chic and drug store vintage.

Vess Soda made its name on classic flavors such as red cream, orange, and grape. Although its headquarters moved to Canada in 1994, the brand still has a cult following in its hometown of St. Louis.

Nearby on The Loop, families visit Fitz’s and hold their children up to the glass wall to see workers packing root beer off an assembly line.

Another brand takes its drinks on the road—the Mother Road, that is. Route 66 Sodas lives in Lebanon and follows travelers all along America’s highway.

While these brands have become iconic, two new companies are shaking things up with their own twist on what makes the state taste better.

COURTESY OZARK MOUNTAIN BOTTLEWORKS

OZARK MOUNTAIN BOTTLEWORKS When she was young, Tina King’s family always topped off vacations with cold drinks. “Our parents packed a cooler full of soda for the kids,” she recalls. Something had to stave off the humidity at Table Rock Lake, and every trip back to the dock meant another sip from a cold cola, root beer, or grape soda.

Those memories stuck with her. Years later, Tina began mixing a beverage that became famous at social gatherings. Then, in front of a make-your-own drink stand at Disney World, her husband Chris had an epiphany: “We need to bottle this!” The two schemed the entire trip back from Florida. When they told Tina’s mom about the new plan for a soda company, she said, “I want in.”

A family company was born.

The family splits its time between Festus and Branson, and the Kings anchored Ozark Mountain Bottleworks in Branson as a nod to the childhood vacation spot. “For me, it’s about nostalgia,” Tina says. They also sponsor Table Rock Lake cleanups and encourage recycling. Without beautiful places like the Ozarks, there would be no reason to get outside in the first place.

Simple flavors and throwback bottle designs promote the company’s old-time personality. The orange cream tastes like a fizzy Creamsicle: a sweet orange flavor with vanilla ice cream undertones. Classic grape, red cream, and the flagship flavor, Ozark Mountain Lemonade, welcomed root beer into the family this year.

For the flavor’s inaugural run, Ozark Mountain Bottleworks released 100 cases for Branson’s 100th anniversary. It also offered root beer on draught with custom glassware. Mellow and herbal, it’s bottled so fresh that foam clings to the side of the bottle after setting it down.

But why would you want to?

Several new seasonal flavors are coming down the spout for 2013.

One will be a butterscotch flavor. The other is called “Smugglers Run,” a teal drink with tropical flavors.

“It’s an homage to the Branson Pirates, but I also live and breathe for the Florida Keys,” Tina says. “It’s a summer drink that you can take out on the boat. It’s very light and can be combined with other things”—she pauses and says with emphasis, “alcohol—but the kids can still enjoy it.”

Next summer, look for a black label that looks like a tattered flag.

Ozark Mountain Bottleworks partners with Crown Valley Brewery to bottle its soda in Ste. Genevieve. The two companies mix like rum and pineapple juice. “They’re the easiest people to work with,” Tina says.

“They believe in our products.”

The brewing process is simple. Ingredients go into the mixing tank, a huge cylinder tapers to a spout. The liquid carbonates for about a day and a half to two days (fizzy lemonade sits a lot longer than root beer, for instance). Then the brewers turn on valves, pouring liquid out through the brewery and into the bottling machine. “Those bottles pop up,” Tina says. “It goes so quickly.”

Tina says southwest Missouri storeowners and distributors have been helpful as their business gets its wings. Boxes in their warehouse are stacked head-high and wall-to-wall, waiting to sell at places such as Bennett’s Donuts in Branson, Friar Tuck’s in St. Louis, and Homegrown Food in Springfield.

The company’s Facebook page has several lamentations from fans who live outside the distribution area—but they might not have to wait long.

Tina is looking for new distributors around St. Louis and Kansas City as well as outside the state.

“It’s time to move into the other areas to show them what Ozark Mountain Bottleworks can offer them.” www.ozmb.com

BY T INA CA S AGR AND [53] December 2012

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So when Sean said to Ben, “I bet you bartenders would like this,” things fell into place. Soon their brands were coupled with Kansas City GetReal Food Company’s basement-based mixing room in the Kansas restaurants such as Blanc Burgers and Dean and DeLuca, and the men City suburb of Grandview has enough space for three refrigerators, an were working all night after their day jobs crafting soda and new ideas. industrial sink, stacks of glass bottles, two counters, and a few kegs.

Sean noticed a couple years ago that flavor profiles and techniques As co-owner Benjamin Topel changes out of his “side job” clothes— were beginning to emphasize things that had more herbal, savory, or bithe creates custom home detail work such as handrails—co-owner Sean ter elements. “Molecular gastronomy chefs would make a dessert out of Henry enters the shop and tosses a keg on the counter. a vegetable, herb, or spice,” he says. “There was this whole palette out “I’m taking this plain kombucha and turning it into ginger kombuthere.” Sean says there’s “something divine” about Thai basil and clove. cha.” Sean says. Kombucha is tea fermented to create living bacteria, kind “You would never find that in the Flavor Bible—that’s a real thing, by of like yogurt. Sean’s red ponytail, facial scruff, and laid-back salesman the way—and clove is not bitter, but it’s not sweet,” he says. “And then personality make him look like a hippie alchemist, turning fermented you’ve got ginger, which is fruity. It’s got heat, but it’s got these floral and tea into something people will drink. “OK, that’s pretty good,” he says, fruity elements to it.” tasting it and tossing in a couple extra splashes of Sean and Ben also have a coffee-infused ginger juice. “I know this particular person hapsparkling water. “This is a sparkling water that pens to like a ton of ginger.” Sean will deliver it doesn’t have any juices added to it, but it has a up the street to a cafe that serves it on tap. tablespoon of coffee beans,” Sean says as he gives “I used to do the bottle washing,” Sean says. a shake to a blue bottle.

“That’s one of the things I’m pretty good at.” He Ethiopian Yirgacheffe beans float in the sonow controls most of the business side, but as he lution made of water, culture, and sugar. The explains GetReal’s brew methods and re-seals the coffee oils give it its light flavor. “We’re not makombucha keg in a big blast of pressure, you get nipulating the raw material of the ingredient, the sense that by intimately understanding the but we are manipulating how it’s expressed by beverages, he’s excited about selling them. doing unique things to it.”

For Sean and Ben, a creative product is only They plan to do more this year with lavender, the beginning. They wish to take some of their rosebuds, and hops for their sparkling water line. earnings and reinvest in the community. Sean GetReal Food Company co-owner Benjamin Topel fills The soda that GetReal creates is a far cry from points at a keg and says, “This could support a bottles with SodaVie ginger beer.

Coca-Cola, whose iconic brand controls 60 persingle mother.” He points at another one. “This cent of the global soft drink market. The company requires regional botcould help a family adopt a child from overseas.” They see their business tling plants and a central syrup manufacturing facility. as an opportunity to hire people who need work and, once their profits “It’s a disconnected, almost antiseptic mind-set about food,” Sean says. stabilize, to donate to causes that they believe in.

“You’re taking something that’s alive and growing. They kill it in order to The ginger jar goes back to a freezer filled with bottles of cucumber, make it shelf-stable. It’s surprising how much we can get done in such ginger, cilantro, and lime juice as well as containers of frozen organic a small place because we’re not involved in heavily manipulating or any strawberries. This isn’t your typical soda company. In fact, GetReal has exotic process.” four separate lines: Root Beer, including three edgy root beer flavors such The small size also allows them to emulate the manufacturing-onas classic, chile, and coffee; SodaVie, ten soda flavors, including cucumdemand concept seen in other industries such as Dell Computers. He ber and strawberry mint; LocalBucha, fermented tea as fresh as it can be; even uses the term “harvest” to talk about bottling kombucha. “What and eau, a patent-pending method of infusing sparkling water with pure we’re doing is juicing cucumbers, and say, ‘Let’s juice that,’ and we blend flavor such as coffee. it to the way that we like it, but we’re not changing the ‘cucumber’ of it.”

The duo accidentally stumbled into making soda. In today’s craft-drivIt shouldn’t be revolutionary, but it is one of GetReal’s biggest chalen bartending circles, people make their own bitters, liqueurs, and tonic lenges. “There’s no model for living food,” Sean says. waters. Ben didn’t drink alcohol—even his twenty-first birthday passed New experiments are tapering as GetReal is now focusing on building without incident. Ginger and root beer were another story. He became up followers and preparing a national launch of products for 2013. “The a connoisseur, ordering bottles online and eventually brewing his own. possibilities are endless,” Ben says. “We can do other ones, but we want He found hundreds of root beer recipes online: “You can stick just about to stick with the great flavors.” anything you want in it,” he says. He experimented and tried different He smiles, recalling a common response people have to their soda. ingredients and combinations.

Someone will try one or two of their flavors, have a favorite, try a new Once Ben got the hang of brewing, he conjured new flavors such as one, and get a new favorite. strawberry lavender. “And then it became any fruit I was eating or anyMaybe we can treat all our Missouri sodas that way, with an open mind thing in my garden,” Ben says. A friend gave him a Thai basil plant. He and cleaner conscious. One sip at a time. tried that in a soda. He added cloves. He let Sean taste them all. “I can’t think of a combination he didn’t like,” Ben says. www.getrealfoodcompany.com

angela bond

GETREAL FOOD COMPANY

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SodaVie offers flavors such as pineapple cilantro, citrus chili, strawberry lavender, cucumber, and celery.

DO YOU POP OPEN A POP, OR SIP ON SODA? The most recently updated map shows a splotch of “soda” supporters around the St. Louis and Arcadia Valley region, with “pop” prevalent in the western edge of the state. Just a few counties call all fizzy drinks “Coke.”

Source: www.popvssoda.com/countystats/total-county.html

POP

SODA

80%-100%

80%-100%

50%-80%

50%-80%

30%-50%

30%-50%

COKE 80%-100%

NO DATA 80%-100%

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an v ill aGe

What do you do when you’re overshadowed by a star-studded neighbor across the river? Hang on to your heritage and strut your stuff, that’s what.

At first glance, Hollister—population 4,500—might seem to lie in the shadow of nearby Branson, but in reality, the two towns complement each other. Truth be told, Hollister was a tourist destination before Branson.

Back in 1906, Hollister was literally the end of the line.

The railroad tracks stopped in Hollister, and visitors descended there to enjoy the Ozarks hills and waters. Today the tracks continue into Arkansas and beyond, and the legacy of the railroad lives on.

It was the railroad that spurred much of Hollister’s progress. Before the train came to town, Hollister was primarily an agricultural community. The area’s first settler was Malinda Fortner, a sixty-seven-year-old widow who in 1867 claimed 120 acres of the White River Valley for herself and forty adjoining acres for her son, Jacob, under the Homestead Act. It was the beginning of a small settlement.

By 1900, rumors of a coming railroad swirled through the area. Reuben Kirkham opened a general store at what is now the south end of Downing Street, and in 1904, he applied to open a post office in his store. He suggested the name Hollister after Hollister, California.

Before long, a ferry began operating near the mouth of Turkey Creek, transporting people, wagons, horses, and railroad ties cut from Ozarks trees across the White River.

Soon the railroad officials chose Hollister as a depot stop

for the St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern Railway.

Springfield realtor William H. Johnson jumped on the railroad bandwagon, buying property along the proposed route. It was his idea to create an Old English village as the theme for a resort town. He planned for English-style half-timber buildings on Front Street (later renamed Downing Street) to be visible from the depot.

The railroad officials supported Johnson’s vision of an English-style resort town and began building a half-timber-style depot. The first train arrived in 1906, and the depot opened in 1910.

The railroad’s horticultural engineer, J.W. Butterfield, developed the floral gardens around the depot, leading it to be called “the most beautiful station on the White River line.”

Also in 1910, Hollister was incorporated as a town, and the first of Johnson’s English-style buildings, the Bank of Hollister, was built on Front Street. (Today the bank building houses a nail and hair salon.)

In order to speed things up, existing buildings facing what is today Birdcage Walk and Business Highway 65 were extended to the rear and covered with a half-timber facade, turning their backsides into their fronts. The Old English village was created. In 1912, Johnson’s Ye English Inn opened for business.

By 1913, tourism was in full bloom, and the town enacted a statute requiring all buildings within the Front Street business district to be of Old English style. Also in 1913, Powersite Dam, the first dam west of the Mississippi River, was completed nearby, forming Lake Taneycomo.

The first English-style building constructed in Hollister was the Bank of Hollister, built in 1910.

courtesy hollister chamber of commerce

Hollister’s history is steeped in trains and tourism.

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In 1967, efforts began to restore downtown Hollister, including widening, paving, and renaming Front Street to Downing Street.

The Sadie H. cruises along Lake Taneycomo, which is an abbreviation for Taney County, Missouri.

The St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern Railway ran near Hollister. The townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first train came through in 1906, and the train depot was built in 1910.

Before Table Rock Dam was built, Hollister endured many floods, including the 1927 flood pictured here.

By 1913, tourism was big business for Hollister, including visitors to this YMCA camp along White River.

A large welcome sign greeted the many visitors to Hollister in the early 1900s.

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Janet, a best-selling author, renamed it Ye Olde English Inn, which opened on April 1, 2011. The restored twenty-one-room inn has preserved one of the major historical structures in the Branson area and has fueled the resurgence of Downing Street.

“It is just beautiful,” Janet says. “We don’t have anything else like this in Hollister or Branson. We had to save it.”

Janet appreciates the craftsmanship of the rock work, the hanging balcony, and other architectural details, especially the art pieces built into the rock walls, including a fish, a ship, and a crest. She incorporated the crest into the hotel’s new logo.

During renovation, she didn’t discover any old guest books or records, but according to local lore, Harry S. Truman stayed at the inn as did Cary Grant, Bing Crosby, and Clark Gable. Many celebrities came to the area for fishing vacations. Only two historical items were found: the old fishing reel in the inn’s Riverstone Restaurant and the Austin Moore ferry poster that now hangs in the inn’s Black Horse Pub. Janet says the inn is believed to be haunted by the ghost of William Johnson, the original owner. A man in a hat and long coat is said to be seen in the lobby or on the staircase.

In addition to the inn, restaurant, and pub, Janet owns Ye Olde Antique and Flea Market in the building next door. She still writes books, the most recent being A Cowboy Under My Christmas Tree.

Christmas in Hollister is something special for visitors. With its half-timbered buildings along Downing Street, Hollister is the perfect setting for a Dickensian Christmas.

The depot and other buildings are decked out in holiday trim, setting the stage for Santa’s Train, a Hollister tradition.

The train arrives on Sunday afternoon in mid-December (this year on December 9) with Santa and his elves waving out the window. Children board the train and talk to Santa. Families enjoy the festivities in the depot, munching on cookies and popcorn, filling coloring books, playing with clowns, and getting faces painted.

Hollister has another special Christmas secret. During the Christmas season, Hollister becomes the North Pole on the Polar

Express train rides presented by Branson Scenic Railway.

Passengers board the train at the Branson depot, ride to Hollister where Santa boards the train, then continue the voyage past the Branson Trail of Lights before returning to the Branson depot.

Rick Ziegenfuss, city administrator, loves to talk about the tradition of Hollister, both past and present.

“Did you know Babe Ruth played on the ball field in Hollister during spring training for the New York Yankees?” he asks with a grin.

He is proud of the town’s many firsts. Hollister was the first town in Taney County to have a registered pharmacist in 1909, a steel bridge in 1912, a moving-picture house in 1918, electric lights and a concrete-paved sidewalk in 1920, and a modern service station in 1925.

Rick believes Hollister was the first planned community in Missouri. “We have the 1913 plat of the city,” he says.

At city hall, northwest of the depot, Rick shows off the town’s collection of original paintings by local artist Thelma Adkins. The paintings depict the history of the area. In the park alongside city hall, he points out the replica of the 1912 bridge, which is made with steel from the original bridge.

On top of Presbyterian Hill rests the foundation of the once-great Grandview Hotel, circa 1922, which burned to the ground. The stone building that was once the town’s public school is now a private academy.

The historic 1936 Cedar Steps, which led from the junction of Cedar Street and St. James Street at the foot of the hill up to the school parking lot, are still there, all 230 of them. Today the restored stairway with green handrails is a reminder of days gone by, when kids walked to school uphill.

And although the town of Hollister celebrated its centennial in 2010, this year brought other centennials. Ye Olde English Inn and the Kite House B&B in Hollister both celebrated centennials, and the town’s nearest neighbor, Branson, turned 100.

But you don’t need a centennial to visit Hollister—anytime is a good time to come to this little hamlet steeped in history where everything old is new again.

barbara gibbs ostmann; courtesy hollister chamber of commerce

Excursion trains brought visitors by the thousands. In addition to Ye English Inn, the Log Cabin Hotel to the west of the depot and the Taneycomo Club to the north of the depot offered rooms as did the American House, a boarding house south of the depot.

Built in 1904, the American House is the oldest still-standing building in town.

In 1918, Will Johnson bought Ye English Inn from his father, enlarging it to three stories with a dining room in 1927. Diners lined up for blocks for the white-tablecloth Sunday dinners.

This boom in tourism didn’t last forever.

With the rise of personal cars, the decline in train travel, frequent flooding by Turkey Creek and the White River, the Great Depression, and the bypassing of the business district by Highway 65, visitors stopped coming to Hollister.

The bank closed in 1934. The worst flood in the town’s history came in 1945 when water reached eight feet, eight inches in the lobby of Ye English Inn, which closed in 1951. Passenger train service stopped in 1961. Tourism fizzled out, leaving the town without its main source of income.

But all was not lost. The construction of nearby Table Rock Dam in 1959 meant the end of frequent flooding. The post office and grocery remained open downtown, and gradually a citizen movement led to efforts to restore and revitalize the town.

Hollister’s revival commenced in earnest in 1967 when Elijah C. Kirtley, a structural engineer, visited the town and was impressed by the solid construction of the stone buildings along Front Street. He formed a corporation to begin restoration of the downtown, including widening and paving Front Street and renaming it Downing Street.

The White River Valley Historical Society became involved, and by 1978, Hollister’s Old English business district was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Soon Branson’s meteoric explosion took off, and Hollister enjoyed the spin-off from its neighbor.

The biggest boost recently to Hollister tourism came in 2010 when Janet Dailey and her partners bought the then-closed Ye English Inn and began its renovation.

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Ye English Inn closed in 1951 when tourism waned. It was open on and off until 2011, when it was restored and reopened.

Janet Dailey, an author who grew up in Iowa, bought the Ye English Inn in 2010, renaming it Ye Olde English Inn.

The Grape and Fall Festival is a tradition that dates back to 1911. Although there are few vineyards in Hollister now, the grape stomp remains popular.

Hollister transformed into a historical streetscape with vintage cars and costumes at its sixth Founderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day in 2009.

Truth be told, Hollister was a tourist destination before Branson.

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PROMOTION

THE MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME

by Marty Willadsen

“Wow, how long has this place been around?”

I

t’s probably the most-often asked question of visitors at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

The simplest answer is to tell them “since 1951,” but usually a more detailed answer is required.

The original Missouri Sports Hall of Fame was affiliated with the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia. For nine years, pictures of inductees such as Carthage’s Carl Hubbell, Kansas

City’s Casey Stengel, Mountain Grove’s Don Faurot, Easton’s Henry Iba, and Hamilton’s Zach Wheat were displayed in the State Fair Administration Building. Carl McIntire guided this project until 1955, when he passed the duties on to Stan Isle from The Sporting News.

The State Fair decided in 1963 that it could no longer assume administrative responsibility for

the Hall of Fame, so for a short time, with no permanent home, the plaques were stored in the basement of the Capitol in Jefferson City. Later, Bob Broeg, sports editor for the St. Louis PostDispatch, persuaded Don Faurot to become the executive director. Faurot served until June of 1980 when he passed the gavel once again to Stan Isle. In 1988, a new Secretary of State

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PROMOTION

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame www.mosportshalloffame.com 3861 E. Stan Musial Dr. Springfield, MO 65809

Office Building was constructed just west of the Capitol and a conference room therein was dedicated to the display of the inductees’ plaques. The problem was that visitors could rarely see the plaques as the room held many government meetings during the course of any given week.

Under Isle’s leadership, annual induction ceremonies were moved to Columbia with a University of Missouri football game serving as a backdrop. Induction ceremonies were also held at St. Louis and Kansas City. This Hall of Fame was maintained by executive director Howard Key of St. Louis until its merger with the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

It was in 1992 that representative of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association including Norm Stewart, Dave Porter, and Gary Filbert approached Springfield entrepreneur, John Q. Hammons requesting that he renovate an old gymnasium donated by Columbia College to house the plaques and recognize the accomplishments of the Association’s inductees.

Hammons agreed, but upon surveying the gym and analyzing potential costs, opted to build a brand new facility. Always one to see the bigger picture, Hammons agreed to take on the project but with one major caveat—the facility would be built in his adopted hometown of Springfield.

Construction on the new facility began that same year. Midway through the construction, an idea was put forth that the new facility not only house the artifacts of the basketball group, but recognize Missouri’s greatest athletes, coaches, sports physicians, and executives in all sports.

Mr. Hammons liked the idea and after a brief delay, the project was completed in 1994. Today, the building’s footprint and use of barrel joists are the only reflection of the original idea. Nashvillebased 1220 Exhibits was hired to create the displays for the hall. When the new facility was

opened in 1994, it did so under the leadership of former St. Louis Hawks star Med Park. Park retired the following year, and Mr. Hammons called on Jerald Andrews of Bolivar to fill the void.

It was Andrews who met with representatives of the Missouri State Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and completed the merger of the group with the newly created Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. That year Andrews drove to Jefferson City to gather the plaques from the original group.

Since 1995 the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame has enjoyed continued growth under Andrews’s leadership. The Sports Enthusiasts Series began with breakfasts that highlighted each of the major sports and coincided with the season opener. The initial breakfast featured Whitey Herzog, former manager of the Cardinals and Royals. Football and basketball breakfasts followed, but soon evolved into luncheons in an effort to increase attendance. Capitalizing on the popularity of golf, the Hall of Fame instituted Celebrity Golf Classics in Springfield, Kansas City, and St. Louis that same year.

The Hall holds its annual Enshrinement Ceremony each January and sees the addition of between 15 to 18 deserving individuals and teams.

In 2011, the Hall embarked on a new plan which included at least one Enshrinement Ceremony held away from the Springfield area. Last year St.

Joseph hosted the event.

In 1999, the staff and Board of Directors were looking for a way to honor the best of Missouri’s best. The Missouri Sports Legend was born. This honor is the highest which can be bestowed on any inductee. Since Stan Musial was designated as the first, the busts of 23 additional legends have been unveiled along Legends Walkway, the last being Coach Dick Vermeil whose bronze likeness was dedicated this past October.

Byfarthemosttime-consumingeventmanaged by the Hall of Fame is the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr. Pepper, a PGA TOUR event on the Web.com tour. With a history of many different sponsors, the tournament is a mainstay on the tour and will celebrate its 24th anniversary in 2013. The Hall of Fame has used the tournament as a vehicle to contribute over $10 million dollars to local children’s charities since its inception in 1990.

A 501c3 organization, the Hall of Fame is staffed by five full-time employees, one parttime employee, and many volunteers. Open seven days a week and closed only on the major holidays, the Hall enjoys the company of around 35,000 guests annually. Plan a trip to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame soon and relive our state’s sports history.

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May Colvin

A Horse THief in

PeTTicoATs A young, beautiful woman evades capture during the 1890s.

photo illustration by andrew barton; thinkstock

B y D av i D M

In the grey of dawn, the innocuous teenage girl kept an ear to her cell door as she busied herself wielding an iron fork and cutting a passage in the wall of the Carthage jail. Breaking through the opening, she looked downward; a thirtyfoot drop. No mind; she tore her bedclothes, tied them into a makeshift rope, and rappelled to the ground.

May Colvin, the nineteen-year-old horse thief, was free.

She wouldn’t be missed for another two hours on this summer day in 1893; it had been her ninth arrest. In the previous two years, Colvin, who hailed from the Thayer area, had spirited away horses—undetected—from fields, liveries, and barns

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CorMiCk

countless times. It didn’t matter that they were somebody else’s property. Her acts of horse thievery were becoming legend.

The Aurora Daily Express contended that Colvin was “as familiar to the people of Kansas and Missouri as were the Daltons.”

Colvin’s compulsion for horse thieving was born not from greed or evil. It was her obsessive love for horses that fueled her to saddle up. Not happy at home, the young rustler entered a neighboring barn, threw a saddle over a horse, slapped leather, and was off. At just sixteen years of age, this was her first escapade in her horse-thieving life of crime. Not much notice was paid by anyone for this episode.

Early in her larcenous career, her

escapades might have passed with her unidentified by name. In an article in the Fort Worth Gazette, dated July 26, 1891, the headline reads, “A Female Horse Thief.” The article describes how several horses had gone missing—so many, in fact, that the puzzled farmers formed an antihorse-thief society. When they caught the culprit, the horse thief turned out to be a young girl of around sixteen years, much too young and innocent to go to jail.

But it was her robbery in Fort Scott, Kansas, also in 1891, that gained her notoriety. This particular escapade landed Colvin in jail for the first time. A failed escape attempt led her to offer a guilty plea, but she didn’t stay behind bars for long.

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Her tender age and her becoming demeanor in professing her guilt (and the fact that she had prominent attorneys pleading her case) opened her cell door.

Within twelve hours, though, Colvin stole a pair of horses harnessed to a buggy from a barn in Crawford County, and the race was on. With the law on her trail, Colvin put distance between herself and the posse.

The next night, she deserted the team and snatched a new one when she made her way to Nevada, Missouri. There she traded her stolen team for another and was off on a run.

Her luck ran out when her circuitous trail led her to Cedar City. It was here the posse caught up with her. Her innocent ways and youthful beauty served her well again; she evoked sympathy from the Missourians.

Colvin was shown leniency and was released within a few months. A short time later, she was jailed in Weir City, Kansas. There, she did what had previously worked for her, tearfully professing her guilt to play on their sympathies. The ploy worked. Evoking the townspeople’s mercy, she was set free.

As her escapades multiplied, so followed her fame and notoriety. In The Chenango Semi-Weekly Telegraph ran the headline, “A Beautiful Horse Thief.” Another article originally printed in the St. Louis Republic compared Colvin’s beauty to that of the great actress of her day, Lillian Russell, even suggesting Colvin’s beauty was a cut above Russell’s. The reporter from the St. Louis Republic waxed poetic with his description of Colvin, describing her form as “luscious” and her lips as “cherry red with the most perfect Cupid’s Bow” and that her “cheeks are red with the vigorous life of the Ozarks whence she came.”

Newspapers nationwide ran stories on May Colvin’s horse thievery. The article pictured was written for the St. Louis Republic and ran in the July 17, 1894, issue of Ann Arbor Argus, a paper from Michigan.

When she robbed a beautiful trotting stallion from a stable in Jasper County, she was soon captured. People were growing tired of her exploits, and the citizens vowed to show her no mercy. Had she not made a daring escape, she surely would have been sentenced to the penitentiary.

But her freedom was short-lived. On her way to Indian Territory before sunrise the next morning—her horse exhausted—she lay hidden in dense underbrush. There, she was taken. This time, she really had to pay the price for stealing horses, and she was ordered to serve a stint in prison.

Colvin’s fate was predicated on the gender of her captors or members of a jury.

Men looked upon her as a poor defenseless creature. Women did not see it the same way. In their eyes, she was a criminal horse thief and jail breaker. By her own account, Colvin admitted she didn’t know where all this devilment came from. Her mother was a kind, church-going woman, and her father was a fair and tolerant man. Colvin conceded her problems were of her own manufacture and no one else’s.

It is lost to time as to the fate of Colvin.

While serving her sentence, Colvin was interviewed by a reporter from the St. Louis Republic sometime in August 1894. In the interview, Colvin shared that she had fourteen months left on her sentence, and she intended to stay out of trouble and mend her ways.

The lines between fact and fiction when rendering an account of Colvin’s exploits might have become somewhat blurred, but her reputation lingered long after her escapades. When Birdie McCarthy, another horse thief, was apprehended at Baxter Springs and carried to Fort Scott, Kansas, for her arraignment in February 1902, she was compared to that “notorious woman desperado, May Colvin.”

courtesy Ann Arbor District LibrAry

it was her obsessive love for horses that fueled her to saddle up.

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Swing in to the holidays with fun shows in Columbia Jesse Hall | Missouri Theatre

Moscow Balletâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Great Russian Nutcracker 11/27/2012 | Missouri Theatre

Chris Isaak Holiday Show

11/30/2012 | Jesse Auditorium

Nebraska Theatre Caravanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s A Christmas Carol 12/10/2012 | Jesse Auditorium

The Music of Mannheim Steamroller by Chip Davis

12/12/2012 | Jesse Auditorium

www.concertseries.org 573.882.3781

The Concert Series Box Office is located at the Missouri Theatre 203 South 9th Street, Downtown Columbia [65] December 2012

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SHOW-ME

Flavor

Gifts

FROM THE KITCHEN

BY SUSAN MANLIN KATZMAN

IF YOU ARE making a list, checking it twice, and want to come up with gifts to entice, we have something better than elves to help: gourmet recipes from Missouri cooking school teachers. Homemade food gifts are lovely to look at, delightful to eat, and a topchoice present for truly personal giving.

So with gratitude to our Missouri cooking school teachers who provided a collection of scrumptious recipes that should please everyone on any list, we bring you the best of seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eating in the form of tasty gifts made for holiday magic.

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ALPENHORN GASTHAUS HERMANN 573-486-8228 • www.alpenhorngasthaus.com

LOOKING TO change careers in 2002, Kate Schandl, a former speech pathologist from St. Louis, and her husband, Adrian Sigrist, a former engineer, bought the historic Alpenhorn Gasthaus in Hermann and reopened it as a bed-and-breakfast.

The couple soon earned a reputation for serving great food, with special raves going to breakfasts and the Wine Country four-course dinners they serve Friday through Monday nights.

“I am the chef, and Adrian is my sous chef unless we are making a Swiss specialty where Adrian, a Swiss native, takes over,” Kate says.

The same goes for the cooking classes. Kate teaches them, unless the topic is Swiss, then Adrian steps in.

There are two types of classes at the Alpenhorn Gasthaus, Kate says, including weekend packages for four to eight persons, with a reception on Friday night and a hands-on fourcourse feast on Saturday night. The weekend cooking class package runs $95 per person and is open to Alpenhorn Gasthaus guests and the public.

The other type of class is one-and-a-half hours with a three-course lunch that is primarily a demonstration for two people at $40 per person.

Kate credits tradition for choosing gingerbread cookies to make and give as presents.

“Every year right after Thanksgiving, my family would gather at my mom’s house and decorate gingerbread cookies that my mom had baked,” Kate says. “We had a jolly good time, so we kept the tradition alive.”

The cookies can be packaged in holiday tins, but Kate prefers see-through gift bags, as the gingerbread people are “so cute.”

For an extra-special gift, use these gingerbread cookies to top Fresh Ginger Jumbo Cupcakes.

Find the recipe at www.MissouriLife.com.

Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies Ingredients >

ANDREW BARTON; COURTESY KATE SCHANDL

½ cup shortening ½ cup sugar ½ cup dark molasses ¼ cup water 2-½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking soda ¾ teaspoon ginger ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon allspice

Directions >

1. Cream together shortening and sugar. Blend in molasses, water, flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.

2. Cover and chill for two to three hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350˚ F. 4. Roll dough ¼-inch thick on lightly floured clean surface.

5. Cut with gingerbread and holiday cookie cutters.

6. Place on baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for eight to 12 minutes.

7. Let cool on cookie sheet when removed from oven.

8. Decorate with icing and candies.

Yields 20 cookies.

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SHOW-ME

Flavor

KITCHEN CONSERVATORY ST. LOUIS

Pumpkin Cider Bread Ingredients >

1 cup apple cider 1 cup prepared pumpkin or butternut squash puree 2 eggs ¼ cup butter ¾ cup brown sugar Zest of one orange 2 cups flour

Directions >

1-½ teaspoons baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1. In a saucepan, bring the cider to a boil and cook until reduced to ¼ cup. Let cool.

2. To prepare the squash, use a boning knife to cut the squash in half. Use a pitting spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard. Place on a sheet pan. Roast at 350˚ F until soft, about an hour. Puree the pulp in a food processor. Whisk a cup of the squash with cider, eggs, butter, sugar, and orange zest.

3. Mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Fold into the pumpkin mixture. Pour the batter into a loaf pan and bake at 350˚ F for an hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Yields one loaf.

314-862-2665 • www.kitchenconservatory.com

ANNE CORI,

owner of the Kitchen Conservatory in St. Louis, says she likes to give homemade food gifts because they are special and immediately gratifying—one doesn’t have to wait to start the enjoying. Anne knows all about enjoying food, having worked in restaurants in France, Italy, and New Orleans before opening her own catering business and then purchasing the Kitchen Conservatory in 1997. Under Anne’s guidance, the shop and cooking school have flourished, becoming a culinary center offering about 800 cooking classes per year plus selling high-quality products that good cooks need to pamper their kitchens.

Kitchen Conservatory sports two classrooms. The one primarily for demonstration classes holds eighteen students. The other, for participation programs, seats twenty-four.

About 200 different instructors (including Anne) teach classes that cost $40 to $85 and cover a wide range of topics from the basics of cooking to the intricacies of ethnic foods.

Kitchen Conservatory offers classes to adults, children, singles, and couples as well as customized special cooking programs for private parties and corporate events.

In addition to running the school and teaching regular classes, Anne has compiled the best Kitchen Conservatory recipes into a cookbook, A Passion for Cooking. Her personal recipe collection overflows with great food-gifts. She picked pumpkin cider bread from her cornucopia as a favorite to share with us.

Anne suggests baking the bread in sturdy paper loaf pans, which are sold in a variety of sizes. The bread does not have to be removed from the pan to cool, and the pans are attractive enough that the cook need only tie on a ribbon for gift giving.

For more gifting recipes from the Kitchen Conservatory, visit www.MissouriLife.com.

ANDREW BARTON; COURTESY ANNE CORI

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Savory Walnuts Ingredients >

1 egg white Pinch of salt and 3 tablespoons water pepper 1 tablespoon sugar Pinch of cayenne 1 tablespoon pepper rosemary, minced 2 cups walnut halves

Directions >

J.C. WYATT HOUSE ST. JOSEPH 816-676-1004 • www.jcwyatt.net

1. Preheat oven to 300˚ F. 2. Place egg white in a medium bowl. Add water, and whisk until frothy.

3. Add sugar, rosemary, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Whisk all ingredients together.

Add walnuts and toss until well coated.

4. Bake for 15 minutes on a greased pan or a pan lined with parchment paper, turning occasionally.

Yields six servings.

Sweet Pecans Ingredients >

ANDREW BARTON; COURTESY JEFFREY KEYASKO

NEW YORKERS

Jeffrey Keyasko and Jim Pallone, wanting to escape the high prices of New York and create a restaurant together, bought the J.C. Wyatt House in St. Joseph in 2002. The men spent five years restoring the 1891 Victorian mansion before opening in 2007. Today, the historic home serves not only as a reservation-only restaurant seating thirty-six at lunch or dinner from Tuesdays through Saturdays but also a distinctive catering venue for assorted events such as corporate parties and rehearsal dinners.

Jeff, the executive chef, and Jim, who hosts and plans events, decided to add cooking lessons to their repertoire on Sunday afternoons as the restaurant is closed and so many diners were requesting recipes.

“We offer a class every three or four weeks from October to May,” says Jeff, who is the sole teacher, “and we don’t have a set curriculum but rather choose a topic or an ethnic theme and go from there.”

Classes, which cost $45 and accommodate up to twelve people, start at 1 PM and contain both demonstrative and hands-on elements as students desire. After cooking, students sit for a formal meal, which could last until 6 PM “if the group is chatty.”

Jeff chose flavored nuts for his gift-giving recipe because of their popularity with his guests.

“We often set out bowls of the savory walnuts for diners to enjoy with cocktails,” he says.

“And sometimes we package the sweet pecans as a gift in cellophane bags tied with a ribbon and serve them with after-dessert coffee. Guests can take the bag home, but few do. Most devour the nuts on the spot.”

1 cup brown sugar, packed 2 tablespoons pecans, ground 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon bourbon

1 egg white, room temperature Pinch of cream of tartar Pinch of salt 2 cups pecan halves

Directions >

1. Preheat oven to 300˚ F. 2. Place brown sugar, ground pecans, and cornstarch in bowl, and mix well. Add bourbon and blend until smooth.

3. Beat egg white with cream of tartar and salt until it holds stiff peaks. Stir in 1⁄3 of the egg whites into the sugar mixture and blend well. Add remaining egg whites (it will become more liquid).

Add pecan halves, stirring gently to coat nuts.

4. Arrange coated nuts top-up on buttered baking sheet. Separate well as batter will puff up. Bake for 12 minutes until puffy and golden brown.

5. Allow nuts to cool for at least one minute then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store in air-tight container.

Yields six servings.

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SHOW-ME

Flavor

Creamy Caramels 3 cups heavy cream 2⁄3 cup sweetened condensed milk 2 cups sugar

Directions >

2 cups light corn syrup ¼ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil extending over edges of pan. Butter the foil.

1. In top of double boiler, combine heavy cream and condensed milk. Heat over gently boiling water (upper pan should not touch water) until warm. Reduce the heat to lowest setting to keep cream warm.

1. In heavy Dutch oven, combine sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Mix well. Cook over medium-high heat until boiling, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to dissolve sugar. Avoid splashing mixture on sides of pan. Cook for one minute more. Reduce heat to medium.

1. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Very slowly add the warm cream mixture to the syrup, about ¼ cup at a time stirring about three minutes between each addition. Continue to cook candy mixture, stirring frequently, until the thermometer reads 242˚ F. The mixture should boil at a moderately steady rate over the entire surface. It will take 45 to 55 minutes to register 242˚ F after the syrup first boils.

1. Remove from heat and immediately stir in vanilla. Quickly pour without scraping pan into foil-lined pan. Allow to stand for a few hours until set.

1. Cut into bite-sized pieces and wrap in waxed paper. If a little soft, refrigerate before cutting.

Yields 64 caramels.

A THYME FOR EVERYTHING LEE’S SUMMIT 816-554-3755 • www.athymeforeverything.com

JET PABST, owner of A Thyme for Everything kitchen shop and culinary school in Lee’s Summit, has earned bragging rights. Only six years after opening her culinary shop and adding a cooking school nine months later, Jet won Missouri’s 2012 Business of Excellence Award from Missouri Main Street Connection.

Jet, short for Jeanette, says she has been interested in cooking since she was a child. Although inspired by her grandmother who used to bake with her, she didn’t plunge into the culinary world until her forties when she opened A Thyme for Everything as a second career.

Jet teaches children’s classes at A Thyme for Everything and hires cookbook authors, restaurant chefs, and other cooking experts to teach a variety of other classes, which cost anywhere from $30 to $65 and last one-and-a-half to four hours depending on the subject matter.

Although A Thyme for Everything offers Gifts from the Kitchen classes each year, providing loads of new ideas, caramels remain one of Jet’s favorite recipes.

Making the caramels is a dual pleasure for her, offering the opportunity to not only give a unique gift she knows will delight but also to spend time with friends.

“I’m so busy during the holidays, but I like taking a day off to make the caramels,” Jet says. “And I always ask a friend to help. Spending time cooking together makes friendship even closer.”

Jet packages the caramels in see-through bags tied with ribbons, and she sometimes attaches the recipe and a candy thermometer to the bag. She has also been known to pick a pretty apron from the shop and fill the pockets with caramels for that extra special gift wrap.

ANDREW BARTON; COURTESY JET PABST

Ingredients >

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Beef Barley Soup Gift Jar Ingredients >

TASTE CULINARY CLASSROOM SPRINGFIELD 417-829-9260 • www.pricecutteronline.com/blog/topics/events

ANDREW BARTON; COURTESY H.J. SCHUMER

CHEF H.J. Schumer thinks making food gifts might take a bit of effort, but they are worth the work as they are unique and from the heart.

In fact, H.J. likes food gifts so much that he teaches a cooking class called “Holiday Gifts That Won’t Be Returned.”

In addition to teaching cooking classes in various venues, H.J. manages Taste Culinary Classroom, a cooking school located in Price Cutter, an employee-owned grocery chain with a Springfield location. Although open only for a year so far, the school offers a wide variety of classes for both kids and adults. Classes, which are taught by staff as well as guest chefs, generally last about two hours and cost $10.

As manager, H.J.’s job description includes designing curriculum, scheduling classes, and teaching.

Born to a family of caterers, H.J. studied art in college, after which he worked at both catering and managing restaurants. The corporate world wooed him away from food to a management position, but at the age of fifty, he went back to college, picked up a double degree in culinary arts and baking, and returned to catering.

He was catering at Price Cutter when the store tagged him to manage the school.

Chef Schumer brings his love of art, cooking, and teaching to his kitchen gifts, especially in his beef barley soup gift jar. The gift jar is as pretty as a sand painting (or so says the artist in him), it’s easy to make for all kitchen skill levels, and the final dish is delicious.

And, it’s a gift many will enjoy. “Anyone who likes to eat,” H.J. suggests with a chuckle.

1⁄3 cup beef bouillon granules ¼ cup dried onion flakes ½ cup split peas ½ cup small shell pasta 1⁄3 cup barley

1⁄3 cup lentils 1⁄3 cup barley 1⁄3 cup long-grain white rice 2 tablespoons dried chives Tricolor small pasta to fill jar completely

Directions >

1. Use a wide-mouth funnel to add all the ingredients to a one-quart jar, layering in the order above. Make sure the jar is tightly packed to prevent contents from moving around.

2. Cut a circle of fabric to decorate the jar lid, and fasten with a rubber band. Cover the rubber band with raffia or ribbon, attaching the hand-printed gift tag, which includes the cooking instructions.

Yields one gift jar.

Instructions for Gift Tag >

1. Cut one pound of stew beef into ½-inch pieces. Place in a large stock pot, and add six cups of water.

2. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Remove tricolor pasta layer from top of jar and hold to add later. Add another six cups of water and all of the dry ingredients except the pasta. Bring soup back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes or until meat is tender.

3. Add pasta and simmer for 15 minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

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ltimate Crowd U e Ple h ie Spearing T

by Kat as f: e er Be

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just your average Missourian who loves beefâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; talented chefs love it too. The versatility of beef gives fine-dining chefs a chance to strut their stuff while still giving diners a familiar dish. Here, Chefs Debbie Gold in Kansas City, Mike Jalili in Springfield, and Jason McGraw in St. Louis share why they love beef so much, including their own tasty recipes sure to please anyone in your crowd.

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PROMOTION Debbie Gold’s Corned Beef Hash ½ cup olive oil 8 tablespoons butter, room temperature 3 pounds russet potatoes, baked and cubed 3 pounds corned beef, cubed 2 small yellow onions, small diced 3 cloves garlic, minced ½ cup whole grain mustard ¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped Salt Freshly cracked black pepper 1. Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat.

Add olive oil and four tablespoons butter.

2. Sauté potatoes for five minutes. Make sure pan is large enough so that there is one layer of potato in the pan. Add beef and onion. Continue to cook until potatoes are crisp and golden. Add minced garlic and cook one minute. Stir in mustard and remaining butter. Stir until butter is incorporated. Toss with parsley. Season with salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

3. Place hash in small individual serving bowls and top with a poached egg (see below) and a pinch of chopped parsley. Serves 10.

Beef: Something for Everyone

ANGELA BOND

D

ebbie Gold, executive chef of The American Restaurant in Kansas City, grew up cooking. “I subscribed to Bon Appétit magazine and found stuff to cook for my family,” Debbie remembers. “I must’ve been fourteen.”

Debbie’s parents did not cook much themselves but always encouraged her. “By the time I was a couple of years into cooking, I was making dinner for my family.”

Debbie began work as executive chef at The American Restaurant in 1994 and stayed until 2001, when she left and opened her own restaurant, 40 Sardines. Then in 2008, she came back to The American Restaurant to work as the executive chef again.

Corned beef was a frequent part of Debbie’s diet growing up in the suburbs of Chicago. “We used to get corned beef and chopped-liver sandwiches on rye bread with mustard and a good kosher dill pickle from the local Jewish delicatessen.”

What Debbie likes about beef is that it works with a lot of different flavors and spices such as curry, coriander, fennel, and mustard seed.

“There’s a lot of different ways to cook it,” Debbie says, “and there are a lot of different cuts—from a filet to braising a piece of beef, to making corned beef out of something. There’s something for everybody.”

Debbie’s favorite way to cook beef is with a method called sous vide. In this method, a vacuum-pack machine removes air out of the bag so you can cook it longer and slower and control the temperature it’s cooked to. The cuts of beef most often served are muscle. Muscle seizes when it hits heat, Debbie explains, and the juices run away from the heat source. The sous vide method results in a more tender piece of meat.

“That’s why they say to let it rest,” Debbie says.

“The muscle relaxes, and all the juices go back.”

Cooked in this less aggressive way, the beef stays the same temperature throughout, instead of cooking from the outside in, like when it is grilled or sautéed.

However it is prepared, beef is a rallying point, bringing different tastes and even different cultures together.

Poached Eggs 12 farm-raised eggs, room temperature 1 gallon water ¼ cup white wine vinegar ¼ cup kosher salt 1. Place water in a pot. Add vinegar and salt, and bring water to a boil.

2. Crack each egg into a separate small bowl.

3. Once the water has come to a boil, bring down to a simmer. The water should stay at about 160º F. 4. Whisk the water until you create a vortex.

Slip eggs carefully into the middle of the vortex. Don’t put too many eggs in the pot at one time. Don’t touch the eggs once they are in the water. Let the eggs poach for about three minutes.

5. To test doneness, remove the egg from the water with a slotted spoon. Push gently on the egg with your finger. The egg white should be firm but not rubbery, and the yolk should stay liquid.

6. When the egg is done to your likeness, remove the egg from the water with a slotted spoon. Set the spoon on a paper towel to absorb any excess water.

7. Drizzle with a touch of extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

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ike Jalili, Executive Chef and Owner of Flame Steakhouse and Wine Bar and Touch Fine Mediterranean and American Cuisine, knows what it takes to make a good burger.

He has been working in the restaurant business for twenty years, moving his way up from a busboy at El-Torito in Long Island, New York, to a manager at that same restaurant. He was always drawn to the kitchen though. “It was like a magnet,” Mike says. “As a manager, I always ended up in the kitchen, prepping, expediting, or working on the line.”

Mike decided to go into business with his brother, Billy Jalili. After opening and later selling a restaurant called Bartlesville Grille in Oklahoma and two nightclubs called Brambles and Faces, they set their sights on Springfield.

It was “the great energy of the town,” that drew them there. The first restaurant they owned in Springfield was Bijan’s. They sold Bijan’s in 2008 and finally opened Flame in October 2004 and Touch in July 2005. In addition to Flame and Touch, the Jalilis also own Zan and Midnight Rodeo, two nightclubs in Springfield.

“I love a good burger,” Mike says. “Our baby burgers are really good at both restaurants.”

In order to make these baby burgers, Mike takes the meat end-cuts, some dry-aged while others tenderloin, and grounds them. He purees white onions, removing the liquid, then mixes the onions in with the ground beef. The burgers, seasoned with Flame Steakhouse’s

Beef: 80% Ask for It special seasoning, are placed on 1,500-degree broilers and broiled until medium well. They are placed on homemade small buns with melted Boursin cheese, caramelized onions, and truffle aioli. They are served with a side of salt and vinegar French fries.

For Mike, keeping beef on his menu is important. “Whether you’re a male or female, whether the economy is good or bad, whether there are good or bad reports on beef; beef steaks are very popular in the Midwest area,” Mike says.

Mike recalls working at the Ball of Wild charity event, a fundraiser for the Springfield Zoo. The event fed nearly 600 people. As they came through Mike’s booth, diners had the choice of either beef or chicken. “Eighty percent of the crowd asked for beef,” Mike says.

A big hit at Touch’s Thanksgiving buffet are beef bistros. Mike uses a very lean shoulder cut of the cow that is marinated overnight in soy sauce, water, garlic, and orange juice. Mike then seasons and broils the beef, serving it at the carving table for people to grab as they go through the buffet.

After the holiday rush, the Jalili brothers like to relax with family. “January 1st, that’s when we celebrate as a family,” Mike says. His family even insists he take a rest while they do the cooking.

Mike Jalili’s Meatloaf 2 large yellow onions, pureed 5 pounds ground beef 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 ½ tablespoons granulated garlic 1 ½ tablespoons granulated onion 1 ½ tablespoons fresh black pepper 1 ½ tablespoon dry basil 1 cup heavy cream 10 slices white bread, soaked in heavy cream 7 eggs 2 ½ cups feta, crumbled ¼ cup Worcestershire 1. Mix all ingredients together, continuing to mix for five minutes until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Let the mixture rest for at least two hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 325º F. Prepare a large loaf pan by spraying with nonstick cooking spray. Place beef mixture into prepared pan, cover with foil, and cook for one hour.

3. Let the meatloaf cool before carefully removing from pan. Cut into 10-ounce portions. Serves 10.

DAN ROCKAFELLOW

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PROMOTION

Beef: An American Tradition

C

NNER DI

HA

W

DAN ROCKAFELLOW; SHEREE K. NIELSEN

To learn more about beef and the chefs who love it, visit MoBeef.org.

You’ll find helpful resources including wine pairings, cooking tips, recipes, and a directory of restaurants.

I T ’S

DAN ROCKAFELLOW

hef Jason McGraw knows how to please a crowd. As the executive chef for Levy Restaurants, Jason travels to events such as the Superbowl, Grammy Awards, and Kentucky Derby to feed thousands of people. He is also responsible for feeding all of the people in the suites and clubs of the Edward Jones Dome, including officials, media personnel, cheerleaders, and professional athletes. And according to Jason, beef is a sure crowd pleaser.

“One of the most popular ways to cook beef is by grilling,” Jason says. In order to grill a good beef steak, Jason says, “the key is knowing your temperatures, how you like it, and how to get the best flavors out of it.”

His method for grilling is to stack coals on one side of the grill. He sears the steak directly over the flame. After searing the steak, he moves it away from the flame and roasts it over indirect heat. This process keeps the steak nice and tender and a lot juicier.

Jason’s love of grilling goes back to his childhood days of fishing in Lake Michigan with his grandfather. “That was my first exposure to the process of smoking meats.” “That’s when I learned about the different types of woods in comparison to how they would react with different types of meats, different brining and curing processes, seasonings, and rubs.”

A little-known secret, Jason says, is the best part of the cow to braise is the cheek. To braise beef cheeks, season them with salt and pepper.

Let them sit an hour at room temperature. Then, sear all of the cheeks’ surface areas in a hot pan full of celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook

T’S FO

R

MoBeef.org

Jason McGraw’s Red Wine Braised Short Ribs 4 pounds short ribs, each blade quartered 4 ounces vegetable oil 3 tablespoons butter 1 ½ cups red onions, diced 1 ½ cups carrots, ½-inch dice 1 cup celery, ½-inch dice 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 2 cups beef stock 2 cups plum tomatoes, crushed 1 cup red wine 2 sprigs rosemary 8 sprigs thyme Salt and pepper

the beef cheeks until the vegetables are caramelized. Add wine, beef stock, and fresh herbs.

Cover and cook in the liquid. The cooking process should make them so tender that it should nearly “melt in your mouth.”

Jason says a lot of people shy away from lesser-known beef dishes. “I would just tell them you’re doing braised beef. Once they have it, they’ll love it.”

As for holiday cooking, Jason suggests something traditional, like his braised short ribs.

“I’ve brought some more off-the-beatenpath dishes that people were maybe not used to, and they didn’t get eaten as much as one of Grandma’s dishes,” Jason says. “Cook for your audience and what they’re used to.”

1. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Let stand for one hour.

2. Preheat oven to 350º F. In a roasting pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Brown short ribs on all sides. Remove short ribs and put aside. Add the celery, carrots, and onions.

Cook for five minutes.

3. Add the beef stock, tomatoes, red wine, and herbs. Bring to a simmer.

4. Return the short ribs to the roasting pan, and stir to coat. Cover and cook for two hours, or until fork tender.

5. Pull out the short ribs, and keep warm. Simmer sauce to reduce by half.

6. Strain sauce through a strainer, served with short ribs. Serves 10.

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Flavor

Joplin

Gourmet Dogs Ask anyone in Joplin where you should eat if you only have one or two nights in town, and you’ll hear Instant Karma pop up over and over again. Some say it by name, but most simply refer to it as “the hot dog place downtown.” To say that Instant Karma serves hot dogs is like saying Ferrari makes cars. While a true statement, it doesn’t show the extent to which the restaurant goes for truly gourmet hot dogs. My entire time at the restaurant, I didn’t realize I had arrived just minutes before close because the staff graciously welcomed me anyway. I was famished and decided to go with the

Clinton

Philly Tube Steak, a Black Angus beef hot dog loaded with sautéed peppers, onions,

Toppings Galore

and cheese; the Bio Diesel, a veggie dog with blue cheese slaw and sriracha sauce; and sweet potato fries, just to be safe. Everything was amazing, and I couldn’t even

By entering the hunter green doors of Pizza

tell the second hot dog was vegetarian. A word to the wise: a regular order of fries is

Glen and choosing a seat, you’re stepping into a Clinton tradition that began in the 1970s. Multi-

enormous, so when dining at Instant Karma, bring some friends or a healthy appetite.

level seating, an old-fashioned video game, and vintage Coca-Cola chandeliers set the mood for

Either way, you are bound to have a good time and a great meal. —Jim Licklider

incredible pizza and sandwiches.

I’ve been coming to Pizza Glen for years, and

Facebook: Instant Karma Gourmet Hot Dogs•527 S. Main Street•417-206-3647

I always get the same thing: a six-inch personal pepperoni-and-black-olive pizza with extra sauce. But I’m a traditionalist when it comes to my favorite foods. You can do as my husband does and change your order every time—try anchovies, jalapenos, cheese, and other toppings.

Or order a large pizza to share. The deep dish will come in its distinctive rectangle shape, and you can revel in the buttery crust.

Branch out from pizza and order the Top of the pastrami and flavorful sauerkraut. Salads here overflow the plate—don’t expect a fancy artisanal salad, just a solid stack of iceberg topped with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and dressing of your choice. Prices are reasonable and service is friendly. Check out Pizza Glen for what I think is the best pizza in the region.

—Emily McIntyre 205 E. Rives Road•660-885-8021

COURTESY INSTANT KARMA; KARLEY JONES

Hill—an incredible Reuben on crisp rye filled with

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UnpretentioUs dining chef gerard Craft grew up in Washington,

courtesy pastaria

D.C., and his family is from New York. He started cooking in Utah, has traveled around France and Italy, and spent time in Los Angeles. Even so, he settled in St. Louis.

Inspired by other big-name chefs making the move to the Gateway to the West, Gerard was ready to make his mark on the Midwest.

What he’s doing now is nothing short of delicious. With three creative and distinct restaurants already under his belt, Gerard’s latest endeavor is Pastaria, an Italian restaurant inspired by the food he ate and the people he met during his travels throughout Italy.

With Pastaria, which opened in mid-September, Gerard wanted to create a fun dining experience.

“In fine dining, everybody is so interested in every little detail,” Gerard says. “And that can be a good thing, but at the same time, it can take the fun out of dining.”

The menu is creative and hip. The pizza is wood-fired, the pasta is handmade, and the gelato is creamy and decadent. Pastaria is the most casual of Gerard’s four restaurants, even offering a children’s menu. The restaurant space is open, with vaulted ceilings and concrete floors.

There is a nook in the restaurant where handmade pastas are sold, along with the gelato bar. Inventive and expressive varieties, such as basil, goat cheese, and harvest pear butter, create a satisfying end to an Italian meal.

Gerard—who was a James Beard Foundation’s semifinalist for Best Chef in the Midwest—had been trying to find space for Pastaria when he stumbled upon the concept for another of his restaurants, Brasserie. In his quest for restaurant space for Pastaria, he discovered space in St. Louis’s Central West End. Brasserie was born, offering

rustic, soulful French bistro-style fare.

“The Central West End feels like Paris to me with its cool old buildings,” Gerard says. “I just knew it had to be a brasserie.”

Gerard’s start in the St. Louis restaurant scene began with his first restaurant, Niche, opened in 2005. For Gerard, a young chef covered in tattoos, the most important dining experience he could give to St. Louisans was one that lacked pretentiousness. “I hated going into fine dining restaurants because I always felt judged and out of place,” he says. “People would stare at me with a scowl.”

That’s not what you’ll find at Niche, which reopened at its new location next to Pastaria this November. Instead, you’ll find a friendly face. Hospitality is a big deal for Gerard. It’s one reason why he loves the Midwest. That and the fresh ingredients. He’s partial to Missouri pork.

“Nobody’s going to deny the best pork in the world comes from right here.”

What keeps Gerard in St. Louis is the community of chefs he’s a part of—a community of big-city talent with firm Midwestern roots.

“That kind of vibe still exists, and now it’s stretched to Kansas City,” Gerard says.

Gerard believes in the potential of Missouri. He believes the state can play a role in building a Midwestern high-end dining scene that people care about and want to see succeed.

“We are starting to build this really cool Midwestern community,” he says. “We are on the brink, and there are a lot of people paying attention.” —Lauren Licklider

missouri life tastes menus worth the drive.

St. Louis

www.pastariastl.com • 314-862-6603

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l o il t W t ! e gh r W ri doo ip r Sh you

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Are you ready for the Holidays?

SAGE CO. M EAT & SAU SINCE 1969

uS On

Fill your table this holiday season with our tender, 2012 Missouri State Grand Champion Ham. Or our juicy cuts of Beef Prime Rib, Pork Crown Roasts, Hickory Smoked Turkey and Fresh Ready to Cook Boneless Turkey. You can be sure it will always be perfect!

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RETURN OF RIESLING

JIAXI LU

A noble wine is reborn in Missouri at Westphalia Vineyards. BY JACK WAX ABOUT A MILE and a half outside of Westphalia overlooking a stretch of the meandering Maries River, Terry Neuner is coaxing a Missouri grape back to life. This January, a full seven years after he began his quest to resurrect Missouri Riesling grapes, he will put his Westphalia Vineyards label on the first bottle of Missouri Riesling wine crafted in almost a hundred years. In doing so, Terry will claim the distinction of being the world’s sole source of this classic Missouri wine.

“The Missouri Riesling was considered to be an extinct grape,” Terry says. “The only reason we found it is because of Thomas Jefferson.

He named Cornell University the first land-grant college, and he gave it one mission: preserve every American grape species.”

Missouri Riesling was widely available until Prohibition. In 1919, the last Missouri Riesling vine was yanked from its native soil. It wasn’t until 2005 that Terry tracked down the one surviving plant specimen of Missouri Riesling. The plant was 1,000 miles away, kept alive since 1890 in a plant bank at Cornell University’s Agricultural Experimentation Center in Geneva, New York. Starting with five cuttings from the heritage vine, he has been patiently propagating the plant—taking cuttings then growing them and taking more cuttings from the new generation. He now has 400 thriving Missouri Riesling vines.

Terry takes pride in crafting wines that never see the inside of a stainless steel tank and are made without added chemicals.

“If you ferment in oak, the byproducts from fermentation are immediately absorbed, and you don’t have to deal with them chemically later,” Terry says. “It’s a real natural way to make wine, and people can taste the difference. Our wines will taste fresher to you.”

Terry is a natural at wine making. Born to a family who appreciates

its German heritage, he grew up on a farm, eventually earning a master’s in biochemistry from the University of Missouri. After graduating, he worked for MFA, where he studied fermentation and wrote research grants that led to the growth of America’s ethanol industry.

This work was followed by another successful career with the 3M Corporation where he developed business opportunities in Europe and Asia. While living overseas with his family, he also developed an extensive knowledge of wines of the world.

After retiring, Terry returned to Osage County with plans to start a family business that would include his two sons and preserve Westphalia’s history. He began by renovating and adding onto an 1840s stone farmhouse surrounded by farmland and vineyards where he and his wife, Mary, now live. Next, he restored the farm’s pre-Civil War barn, converting it into his winery.

Four years ago, Terry bought and remodeled the Westphalia Inn, which first opened its doors to travelers in 1930. No longer a hotel, the inn’s sleeping rooms have been converted into a spacious wine tasting room—where Terry can frequently be found behind the counter—and a restaurant and gift shop overseen by Mary.

The Westphalia Inn is located on Main Street, near St. Joseph Catholic Church, whose landmark steeple set against the hills of the village of Westphalia can be seen from miles around, the same today as when its church bells first rang out in 1838.

Tours of Westphalia Vineyards can be arranged. The winery’s tasting room in the Westphalia Inn is open on Fridays from 5 to 8:30 PM, Saturdays from 4:30 to 8:30 PM, and Sundays from 11:30 AM to 6:30 PM. www.westphaliavineyards.com

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Custom gift items for holidays!

Nautral & Organic Body Care

11th Annual Holiday Open House Dec. 8, 10am-5pm and Dec. 9, 12-4pm www.eveningshadefarms.com 12790 SE Hwy TT, Osceola, MO (417) 282-6985

FFV Mo Life Ad June 2012 v1.indd 1

2305 E. Malone Sikeston, MO 573-471-4261 10:30 am to 9 pm or so Also in Ozark, MO and Foley, AL

Experience the Difference

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A welcoming, fun environment offering great wine without intimidation. Come learn more about Missouri wine and find your favorite.

Come for a

WINE TASTING

Open Mon.-Sat. 11AM-6PM and Sun. 1-6PM. 27150 Hwy. 24, Waverly, MO www.baltimorebend.com ∙ (660) 493-0258

2 MILES WEST OF HERMANN HWY 100 TO FRENE CREEK ROAD 573-486-5596 WWW.ADAMPUCHTAWINE.COM

Tasting

le our wines at the nn Norton Room.

6 East Main Street, a, MO 65085

f Operation: 0 pm to 8:30 pm 30 pm to 8:30 pm 30 am to 6:30 pm

number for the is 573.455.2000

America’s Premier Sulfite Free Winery www.WestphaliaVineyareds.com Wine Tasting: You may sample our wines at the Westphalia Inn Norton Room located at 106 East Main St., Westphalia, MO. Open Friday at 5 pm, Saturday at 4:30 pm, and Sunday at 11:30 am.

Westphalia Inn/Restaurant Serving pan fried chicken, country ham and German pot roast. 573-445-2000 Reservations Accepted, Walk-Ins Welcomed

The wines, the awards, the quality, since 1970.

Marr’s Guitars

Specializing in easy-play instruments for back-porch pickers and strummers

Join us in the tasting room at St. James Winery where youʼll find a selection of award-winning wines and juices, specialty foods and gifts. Open seven days a week.

Custom Design and Commissions www.marrsguitars.com 660-679-9990

1-800-280-WINE www.StJanesWinery.com www.DrinkFruitWine.com Located just off Interstate 44 at exit 195 5440 State Route B, St. James, MO

Taste! Tour! Shop!

[82] MissouriLife

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Musings ON MISSOURI

THE LORE OF YORE

BY RON MARR

ILLUSTRATION BY TOM SULLIVAN

NOSTALGIA TENDS

to replay itself in monochromatic tones, with recollections of events and deeds too often viewed through a black and white prism. In the wee and silent hours, during those moments when we find ourselves pondering the cobwebs and dusty corners of our personal histories, it is easy to forget. Gone from our minds are the intricacies, details, and conflicts that led us to make a certain decision. We see only the highlight reel, the big plays, the outcome.

Success and failure are more grandiose in retrospect than they were in reality; long-gone yesterdays typically provide blurred reflections that lack a warning sticker announcing “objects in mirror may be larger than they appear.” I like to call this the “lore of yore” enigma. A trip down the prettier sections of Memory Lane can be a comfort, a warm and soothing reminiscence of cherished friends and family, of happy times, of a life well-lived. The fifty-cent tour of bygone years can serve as a learning tool, a warning beacon, a time-capsule message sent from ourselves to ourselves.

However, that quiet street is also loaded with booby traps and tripwires. We are entering a danger zone when we place too much emphasis on the whys, what-ifs, and maybes of prior decisions and actions. We are stepping on thin ice when we question ourselves too harshly over that which has gone before.

Lessons gleaned from the past are good; berating ourselves over wrong turns and mistakes is not. The former can serve to enlighten, whereas the latter is more akin to an introspective, self-flagellating version of the Spanish Inquisition. The former is helpful, so long as you keep in mind that the past is immutable. The latter is an e-ticket to the thorny pits of regret and self-recrimination.

I’m not sure if I have any regrets. I say that honestly. I’ve wallowed with this question for far too many days and cannot locate a single donkey onto which I might pin a remorseful tail. I’m almost certain, thinking back, that there were quite a few years when I harbored many regrets, when my desire to undo past actions weighed heavy on the shoulders of my soul. That’s no lonRON MARR ger the case, and I really never discovered that

the burden had been lifted until I started contemplating this piece. I’ve searched the disheveled garage that masquerades as my mind and can’t find any guilt or self-condemnation pertaining to water that has passed under half-forgotten bridges.

Are there things in my life I would have done differently if given the opportunity, if such were possible? Without doubt. Have I hurt people over the course of my life? Certainly. However, when warranted, I’ve done all I could to rectify undeserved damage or pain caused to others. Most of my faulty or off-key decisions have hurt only me, and since I’m still living and functioning and relatively happy, those miscues and stumbles seem not to have been as important or earth-shaking as I assumed at the time.

What changed? Why do I not feel regret? I think it has something to do with time, with experience, with recognizing precedents and attempting to avoid behaviors that have proven untenable. Mostly though, I think it’s something else.

Attitude is everything in this life. I’m a guitar-building, dog-loving recluse. I’m the antithesis of a people person and not on the greatest terms with present society, culture, or technology. But, I’m at peace with that. I’m content. My attitude, my realization, is that while you might occasionally be able to make amends for the past, you can’t ever change it. What’s done is done, and regrets serve no purpose other than raising one’s blood pressure, stealing away hours of sleep, and painting storm clouds upon sunny skies.

At first look, regrets might seem to be a punishment or penance that we—judge, jury, and jailer—impose on ourselves.

They are nothing of the sort. Truth is, they are a self-indulgent luxury. They require no effort, provide no resolution, change nothing. They are the cousin of self-pity, a razor-wire barrier that prevents us from taking in the present and dreaming of a better tomorrow.

The new year approaches; it is a time when people resolve to take action, to change, to improve. The vast majority will resolve to lose weight or take part in a smoking cessation program. This is fine and well, but perhaps a better use of the day would be a resolution to dispense with regrets, to view the past for what it is—gone—and concentrate on enjoying this day, this hour, this second.

The past is a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there.

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SHOW-ME

Showcase American Vintage was the theme of the Clover Hill Social Club’s July dinner. The dessert bar included milk and cookies, s’mores bars, bourbon caramel corn, berry panna cotta, and mini apple pies for dessert.

THE CLOVER HILL SOCIAL CLUB

IT STARTED with a vision—a vision of cold winter nights surrounded by good food and good friends, a vision of summer nights filled with the joyous celebration of nuptials, a vision of the perfect getaway.

The late Kathy Carpenter was at a bed-and-breakfast in the state of California when she first envisioned creating the Inn at Clover Hill in the undisturbed peace of farm country in Sumner near Chillicothe, says Hilary Carpenter, Kathy’s daughter. The Carpenter family farm was the place to build that dream.

“She thought, ‘Why can’t we do this on our farm?’ ” Hilary says. “Everyone told her she was crazy, and she just said, ‘You wait and see.’ ” So in 2009, fresh from retiring from the family banking business, Kathy went to work with the help of her husband, Fred, and their children. They renovated their family’s eighty-year-old farmhouse, creating luxurious rooms with featherbeds, high thread count sheets, and handmade quilts. They added a landscaped garden patio with a fire pit.

The biggest part of the renovation included building the inn’s Carriage House, a large space with two suites; event space for weddings, reunions, and small gatherings; and a large courtyard with a rustic water fountain.

Hilary, who has a background in interior design and also owns an event planning and design company in Chicago, worked closely with her parents on the renovations. Finally, in late 2009, the Inn at Clover Hill was ready for guests.

Throughout 2010 and 2011, the inn hosted many visitors, from groups of hunters wanting a cozy spot to stay after long days hunting the water fowl in the area to couples throwing wedding receptions in the country chic setting of the farm.

It was also around this time Kathy was diagnosed with a rare form of stomach cancer, right before Christmas of 2010, Hilary says.

Kathy passed away in November 2011.

“She made it very clear that she wanted us to keep her legacy alive,” Hilary says. “We all decided that we had to do that.”

So Hilary began working on another idea—create a dinner series to celebrate the bounty of local food and drink and create a community of Clover Hill supporters. Plans were made to debut the Clover Hill Social Club in January 2012.

“It seemed like the perfect time, the perfect way to keep my mom’s memory alive,” Hilary says.

That first dinner last January paid tribute to Kathy.

“Our first real dinner, we just had friends and family,” Hilary says.

COURTESY INN AT CLOVER HILL

A dinner series in Sumner is a throwback to dining clubs. BY LAUREN LICKLIDER

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COURTESY INN AT CLOVER HILL

Right, from top: Vintage cut crystal was used by creator of the Clover Hill Social Club Hilary Carpenter to enhance a Vintage Valentine theme. The Inn at Clover Hill is also a fully functioning farm, offering guests an enjoyable country experience. A background in interior design helps Hilary, an event stylist who lives in Chicago, create memorable place settings.

“It was our thank you to everyone that had helped out during my mom’s illness.”

The Clover Hill Social Club has since turned into a monthly dinner series, complete with several-course meals, an artfully designed atmosphere, and a chance to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. Each dinner has a theme, and Hilary’s keen eye for design is magnificently displayed through the dinner’s entirety, from invitations and place cards to the menu and table decorations.

The first marketable dinner was in February 2012 with a Vintage Valentine theme. In July, Hilary created an American Vintage evening with a menu speaking straight to the heart of middle America: mini meatloaf appetizers, fried chicken and biscuits, and all-American desserts including mini apple pies.

Each theme is specifically picked for the season, and Hilary, who travels to Sumner every month from her home in Chicago, manages to successfully blend fine city dining with rustic country charm.

“I like taking a casual theme and dressing it up,” Hilary says. “Or I take a more sophisticated theme and dress it down. I want it to be approachable but still a little different than what people are used to.”

For the first four or five dinners, Hilary and family friend Terry Milford cooked all of the food. But as the social club has grown, Hilary is shifting her approach.

“We’re moving more toward having a guest chef come in, collaborate with us, and give their take on whatever theme we are working with,” Hilary says.

For now, that means Hilary is bringing guest chefs from Chicago, but as word of the Clover Hill Social Club spreads throughout the state, she’d love to bring guest chefs from Kansas City, St. Louis, and Columbia. Hilary has also started partnering with local beverage distributors to create perfect beer and wine pairings.

The first dinner of 2013 will be January 19, and the theme is Fireside Dinner. Hilary hopes to create a cozy, wintry atmosphere as each course is served with a story set beside a roaring fireplace. The storyteller will be Hilary’s dad, Fred. “In his younger days, he was quite the performer in a local theatrical group, and he still loves to enthrall family and guests when given the chance.”

The menu’s focus is Italian comfort food, with appetizers such as a bruschetta bar (toppings include blue cheese and local honey) and borlotti beans with prosciutto. Tuscan beef stew with mustard roasted potatoes will be served as a main course. For dessert, diners can devour chocolate pots de crème with white chocolate peppermint bark.

Cost for this dinner is $30, and diners are welcome to bring their own special drinks to have with the meal.

The Clover Hill Social Club just might become everyone’s favorite getaway, especially with a stay at one of the inn’s cozy rooms at the end of the evening. www.innatcloverhill.com

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Missouri Life Festival

Art, Food, and Wine

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City

Join us on May 4, 11 am-7 pm!

Want to be a vendor?

Contact Kiersten Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Dell at 660-888-0735 or kiersten@missourilife.com or visit www.MissouriLife.com

Tickets: $20 early bird price per person through February 1. Limited capacity, so reserve your festival ticket today! Visit MissouriLife.com or call 800-492-2593 for tickets.

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ALL AROUND

Missouri D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 /J A N UA R Y 2 0 1 3

NORTHWEST KANSAS CITY

featured event >

’S QUIDAM CIRQUE DU SOLEIL of Quidam o the imaginary world

y > Slide int Dec. 26-30, Kansas Cit ians, and characters. acrobats, singers, music ass -cl rld wo o -tw fty fi $28with Fri.-Sat.; 1 and 5 PM Sun. PM 0 3:3 t.; Sa d.We PM Sprint Center. 7:30 m cirquedusoleil.com/quida $75. 866-553-2457, www.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS DISPLAY Nov. 22-Jan. 1, Marshall > Drive through an animated lights display. Marshall Habilitation Center and Indian Foothills Park. 5:30-10 PM. Free.

660-886-2202, www.visitmarshallmo.com

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY MART Dec. 1, Brookfield > Frosty’s Winter Wonderland festival with vendors selling holiday gifts and treats and a Christmas movie for the kids at 12:30 PM. High school gymnasium. 10 AM-4 PM. Free. 660-258-7255, www. brookfieldmochamber.com

CHRISTMAS ON THE FARM Dec. 1, Lawson > Holiday caroling, reading of family letters, samples of holiday treats, flaming of the plum pudding demonstration, children’s crafts, a visit from Father Christmas, and live traditional holiday music. Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site. 2-7 PM. Free.

816-580-3387, www.mostateparks.com/park/ watkins-woolen-mill-state-historic-site

TREASURES AND TRADITIONS Dec. 1-2, Excelsior Springs > Self-guided tour of five decorated homes. Throughout town. 1-5 PM. $10. 816-630-6801, www.esculturalguild.com

HISTORIC HOLIDAY HOMES

COURTESY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

Dec. 1-2, Weston > Tour five decorated historic homes and visit with Father Christmas as he strolls the streets. Throughout town. Noon8 PM Sat.; noon-5 PM Sun. $5-$15. 816-6402909, www.westonmo.com

CANDLELIGHT DINNERS

Visit MissouriLife.com for more events!

Dec. 1, 8, and 15, Arrow Rock > Step back in time and enjoy a country-style Christmas meal, and stroll through town to see the holiday greenery. J. Huston Tavern. 5-7 PM. $14.95, 660837-3200, www.jhustontavern.com These listings are chosen by our editors and are not paid for by sponsors.

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ML

Missouri

ALL AROUND

MUSICAL FUN FOR KIDS Dec. 1, 8, and 15, Kansas City > Holiday music performance by different groups each Sat. Crown Center Level 1 Atrium. Noon and 2 PM. Free. 816-274-8444, www.crowncenter.com

Longview Lake Park and Campground. 5:3010 PM Sun.-Thurs.; 5:30-11 PM Fri.-Sat. Free. 816503-4800, www.jacksongov.org

CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Dec. 1 and 15, Mosby > Country gospel and bluegrass music. City Hall. 7 PM. Free. 816-6284737, www.exspgschamber.com

Dec. 2, Marshall > The Philharmonic Orchestra and Community Chorus perform a pop concert featuring selections from Handel’s Messiah.

Bueker Middle School. 2:30 PM. Free. 660-8865853, www.marshallchamber.com

THE NUTCRACKER

VISIT WITH SANTA

MOSBY OPRY

Dec. 1-23, Kansas City > The Kansas City Ballet celebrates its 40th anniversary with this beloved holiday classic. Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Show times vary. $29-$119.

816-931-2232, www.kcballet.org

Dec. 4 and 12, Independence > Jim “Two Crows” Wallen portrays an old-time Santa and tells a holiday story. Mid-Continent Public Library. 7:30 PM Dec. 4 and 10:30 AM Dec. 12.

Free. 816-461-2050, www.mcpl.lib.mo.us

SPIRITS OF CHRISTMAS PAST

CHRISTMAS IN THE WEST

Dec. 1-30, Independence > Tour heritage homes decorated for the holidays. Vaile Mansion, Bingham-Waggoner Estate, and the 1859 Jail and Marshal’s Home Museum. 10 AM-4 PM Mon.-Sat.; 1-4 PM Sun. $3-$15. 816-461-3491, www.visitindependence.com

CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK Dec. 1-31, Lee’s Summit > Drive through 300,000 lights and 175 animated figures.

A CHRISTMAS STORY Dec. 7-9, St. Joseph > This classic comedy involves a deranged Santa, overwrought parents, and a boy’s quest for a Red Ryder BB gun. Missouri Theatre. 7:30 PM Fri.-Sat.; 2 PM Sun. Ticket prices vary. 816-232-1778, www.rrtstjoe.org

ART CRAWL Dec. 14, Excelsior Springs > See featured artists, listen to music, and enjoy dining and shopping. Downtown. 5-8 PM. Free. 816-637-2811, www.visitesprings.com

WINTER CARNIVAL Dec. 15, Gladstone > Caroling, pictures with Santa, ice skating, and carnival games. Linden Square. 4-8 PM. Free ($2 pictures; $5 skating).

816-423-4092, www.gladstone.mo.us

Dec. 6-27 (Thurs.), Independence > Explore how pioneers celebrated the holidays. National Frontier Trails Museum. 2 PM. $3-$6. 816-3257575, www.frontiertrailsmuseum.org

RIVERSONG

COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS

YULETIDE POPS

Dec. 7, Marshall > Parade, Dec children’s activities, 2012 Santa and his elves, tree lighting, and music.

Downtown Square. 6 PM. Free. 660-886-3324, www.marshallchamber.com

Dec. 15, Mound City > Holiday performance by the Sweet Adelines. State Theatre. 7:30 PM. $15$20. 816-294-4016, www.macaa.net

Dec. 15, St. Joseph > Concert by the Saint Joseph Symphony and The New Generation Singers. Missouri Theatre. 7 PM. Ticket prices vary.

816-233-7701, www.saintjosephsymphony.org

• Majestic Eagle Viewing • Turn-of-the-Century Homes • Restaurants, Winery & Lodging • Historic Mississippi Riverfront • Antiques & Artists • Located in the heart of the Scenic Byway between Hannibal & St. Louis - Route 79

www.louisiana-mo.com • 888.642.3800 [88] MissouriLife

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Explore the Old Trails Region

Best selection of cheese and Amish-style foods in the Kansas City area!

• Amish-style jarred goods, spices, snacks and candies • 32-site RV Park • More than 140 cheeses sampled daily

7089 Outer Rd., Odessa, MO • 816-633-8720 www.onegoodtaste.com • www.countrygardensrv.com

Visit our new site!

660-548-3600 www.kaitlynns.com 121 E Broadway St., Brunswick, MO Cheesecakes•Ice Cream•Sandwiches•Deli

Bucksnort Trading Company A STORE AS UNIQUE AS ITS NAME Saloon and Living History Museum, Civil War, Native American and Old West Clothing and Accessories, Turquoise Jewelry, Pottery and more.

Blackwater, MO ∙ 660-846-2224 www.blackwater-mo.com

THE VELVET PUMPKIN 920 Main St. Lexington, MO • 660-259-4545 Two Floors of Shopping Pleasure Wine Tastings: the second and fourth Fridays through January

NOSTALGIC ∙ SCENIC ∙ TIMELESS

Embark on the trail of Native Americans, Santa Fe Traders, explorers, and Civil War soldiers. Then create your own history while visiting the Old Trails Region for a weekend getaway or a day trip with the family. There’s something for everyone!

Featuring

Slow Roasted Prime Rib Choice Hand Cut Steaks - Grilled Salmon BBQ Ribs - Hand Battered Chicken Tenders Pork Chops - Catfish - Breaded Tenderloin Home-made Desserts & More!

For Full Menu and More Info Visit Us At

www.railyardsteakhouse.com

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ALL AROUND

BOAT AND SPORTSHOW Jan. 10-13, Kansas City > Boats, RVs, hunting gear, seminars, Dock Dogs performance, outdoor classroom, Paddling Gourmet, and an interactive life-size pirate ship. Bartle Hall. 2-9 PM Thurs.; noon-9 PM Fri.; 10 AM-9 PM Sat.; 10 AM5 PM Sun. $10 (free for children). 314-821-5400, www.kansascitysportshow.com

FARM TOY SHOW Jan. 13, Marshall > Old and new farm toys on display and for sale as vendors answer questions about collecting. Saline County Fairgrounds. 9 AM-3 PM. Free. 660-886-9908, www.visitmarshallmo.com

FLAT STANLEY Jan. 16-20, Kansas City > A character from the beloved children’s book comes to life in a musical. Kauffman Center for Performing Arts. 10:30 AM Wed.-Thurs.; 10 AM and 7 PM Fri.; 1, 3:30, and 7 PM Sat.; 2 and 4:30 PM Sun. $15-$40. 816-3637827, www.kcstarlight.com

STORM FRONT Jan. 20, Chillicothe > Barbershop Harmony Society performance. Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center. 3 PM. $7-$16. 660-646-1173, www. chillicothearts.com

CARVED IN STONE

SOUTHEAST JAYCEE CHRISTMAS PARADE Dec. 1, Jackson > Parade with a “Twelve Days of Christmas” theme. Main Street. 2 PM. Free. 573243-8131, www.jacksonmochamber.org

TOYLAND CHRISTMAS Dec. 1, Salem > Holiday parade with brilliant lights and music. Downtown. 5:30 PM. Free. 573729-6900, www.salemmo.com

HOLIDAY CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL Dec. 1-2, Ste. Genevieve > Parade, community tree lighting, holiday art show, and music concerts. Historic downtown. 10 AM-8 PM Sat.; 12:30-5 PM Sun. Free (except special events).

800-373-7007. www.visitstegen.com

TREES AND TRAINS Dec. 1-24, Salem > View Christmas trees decorated with an array of colors and lights, and watch a running model railroad. Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center. 9 AM-5 PM Mon.Fri.; 9 AM-1 PM Sat. Free. 573-729-0029, www. oncrc.org

Dec. 1-30, Marquand > Art exhibit by artists Bill and Angela Knight. The Gallery. Noon-5 PM Fri.Sun. Free. 573-783-5609, www.marquandmo. org/thegallery.html

FOREST TO FORM Dec. 1-Jan. 27, Poplar Bluff > Exhibit of wood art and different techniques. Margaret Harwell Art Museum. Noon-4 PM Tues.-Fri.; 1-4 PM Sat.Sun. Free. 573-686-8002, www.mham.org

HOLIDAY LIGHTING Dec. 7 Perryville > Light displays, Mr. and Mrs. Claus and the elves arrive, parade, and holiday treats and hot drinks. Downtown square. 5-9 PM. Free. 573-547-6062, www.perryvillemo.com

CREOLE CHRISTMAS Dec. 7, Rolla > Swing into the holiday season New Orleans style with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Leach Theatre. 7:30 PM. $25-$35. 573341-4219, www.leachtheatre.mst.edu

MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER Dec. 13, Cape Girardeau > Celebrate the holidays with this classical performance. Show Me Center. 7:30 PM. $39.50-$59.50. 573-651-5000, www.showmecenter.biz

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French traditions!

LE RÉVEILLON Dec. 9, Ste. Genevieve > Celebration highlighting the music, customs, and crafts of an early French Colonial Christmas with costumed guides. Felix Vallé State Historic Site. 1-6 PM. Free.

573-883-7102, www.visitstegen.com

SNO-GLO 5K Dec. 14, Rolla > Run through the lights at night.

Starts at the Chamber of Commerce. 5 PM registration; 6:30 PM race. Free to spectators ($40 to race). 573-364-3577, www.visitrolla.com COURTESY R.MUELLER

CANDLELIGHT TOURS Dec. 14-15, New Madrid > Tour the HunterDawson home decorated for the holidays. Hunter-Dawson State Historic Site. 6-8:30 PM. Free.

573-748-5340, www.mostateparks.com/park/ hunter-dawson-state-historic-site

Missouri Life Magazine presents an

seminar January 22, 2013 • 2 pm - 8 pm University Club of MU & Catering 107 Donald W. Reynolds Alumni & Visitor Center Columbia, MO 65211

NOW IN IA! COLUMB g on if N .

E 0 20 227 4 3 4 573-4

Join The Sensible Group and Gradient Financial Group, LLC for an enriching and educational empowering women seminar.

Smokin’ Delicous Ribs • Beef • Pork Chicken • Turkey

WE HAVE BBQ TAILGATE SUPPLIES! 3505 Missouri Blvd., Jefferson City 573-636-4227

Attendees will: 1. Learn how to achieve longterm financial health using safe, secure, proven strategies in your business and personal life.

Family shoe

2. Understand the unique and powerful place women hold in the financial world!

Store

Registration includes: Gourmet Dinner • Informational Speakers Local Vendors • Networking Portion of proceeds benefit Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge

$35/person • Call 573.303.2872 or register at www.logistiquestudio.com/empowering_women_seminar

“Shoe Center Of The Boonslick” 407 Main Street Boonville, MO 660-882-2390 www.familyshoestore.biz Handcrafted in the USA

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Visit Liberty and Clay County!

Antiques and Vintage Items Handmade Artisan Pieces Old-Fashioned Candy and Soda 16 North Main Street In Historic Downtown Liberty, MO 816-781-6839 Find us on Facebook

Discover

Daily Wine Tasting Gourmet Lunch Gifts and Art

Holiday Memories

Open Tues-Sun

249 E. Broadway, Excelsior Springs

Bradford’s Antiques

Mention this ad for a free souvenir wine glass!

1317 E. County Rd. H, Suite D Liberty, MO • 816-781-4022 www.BradsAntiques.com

November 15: Holiday Lighting November 24: Crafty Chicks Bazaar December 1: Saturday with Santa

www.shopthemercantile.com

A DESTINATION BOUTIQUE LOCATED ON THE HISTORIC LIBERTY SQUARE

• Fashion Forward Clothing For Women Of All Ages • Unique Accessories • Fun, Personalized Customer Service Monday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm

17 N. Water St., Liberty, MO • 816-781-9288 • www.QuotationsBoutique.com

Download the Liberty MO smartphone app to discover more about our award-winning town! #3 Best Town for Families (Family Circle, 2011) #7 Best Places to Live (Money, 2011)

816-781-3575 www.historicdowntownliberty.org

Enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ... in an 1889 Victorian in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

f

Stone -Yancey House Bed and Breakfast

www.stoneyanceyhouse.com 421 N. Lightburne, Liberty, MO 816-415-0066 Carolyn and Steve Hatcher, Innkeepers stay@stoneyanceyhouse.com

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111 N. Main, Liberty, MO • 816-781-9473 www.jamescountry.com • jamescntry@aol.com

103 N. Water, Downtown Liberty 816-736-8510

See the world’s largest collection of Jesse James 21216 Jesse James Farm Rd. artifacts. Group rates available.

Kearney, MO 816-736-8500 www.claycountymo.gov/HistoricSites

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.

The best in Historical Accuracy • Documentation Value Service

We Invented Relaxation.

For more information on Shopping, Dining & Events in Downtown Excelsior Springs, go to VISITESPRINGS.COM.

EXTENSIVE, HISTORIC RESTORATION! Dickens Tea and Dinner, New Year’s & Others.

ELMSHOTELANDSPA.COM

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ALL AROUND

EAGLE WATCH

SILENT MOVIE

VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS TOUR

Dec. 15, Cassville > Watch a video about bald eagles in Missouri and then go outside and watch eagles come in to roost. Roaring River State Park. 3-4:30 PM. Free. 417-847-3742, www.mostateparks.com/ park/roaring-river-state-park

Jan. 18, Park Hills > Screening of Buster Keaton’s masterpiece, The General. Mineral Area College Fine Arts Theatre. 7 PM. $2-$5. 573-5182125, www.mineralarea.edu

Dec. 1, Fulton > Tour four Victorian homes decorated for the holidays. Following the tour, listen to live music at the Country Club.

Throughout town. 5-8:30 PM. $10. 573-6422080, www.visitfulton.com

200TH ANNIVERSARY KICK-OFF Dec. 31, Potosi > Children’s games, local youth choir, crafters, demonstrations, Rickie Lee Tanner concert, and a fireworks show over the lake.

YMCA-Trout Lodge. 8 PM-midnight. Free. 314374-8399, www.celebration2013.com

LA GUIGNOLÉE Dec. 31, Ste. Genevieve > Ancient French New Year’s tradition is celebrated by the descendants of French settlers and features wandering singers and musicians dressed in costumes. Historic downtown. 6 PM-midnight.

Free (except special events). 800-373-7007, www.visitstegen.com

HUMOROUS STORYTELLING Jan. 18, Cape Girardeau > Storytellers Donald Davis and Dolores Hydock tell family-friendly silly stories that keep you laughing. Bedell Performance Hall. 2 and 7 PM. $5-$12. 573-335-1631, www.capestorytelling.com

A CHORUS LINE Jan. 28, Cape Girardeau > Broadway musical.

Bedell Performance Hall. 7:30 PM. $43-$49. 573651-2265, www.rivercampusevents.com

ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE Jan. 29, Rolla > Concert by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Leach Theatre. 7:30 PM. $28-$38. 573-341-4219, leachtheatre.mst.edu

CENTRAL

CHRISTMAS PARADE Dec. 1, Jefferson City > Dozens of floats decorated in holiday themes, plus bands playing Christmas carols. Downtown. 4:30 PM. Free. 573632-2820, www.visitjeffersoncity.com

CHRISTMAS BAZAAR Dec. 1, Laquey > Craft vendors sell holiday items. High school. 9 AM-3 PM. Free. 573-5288840, www.pulaskicountyusa.com

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY BALL

LIVING WINDOWS Nov. 30, Jefferson City > Windows come alive with holiday scenes. Downtown. 6-9 PM. Free.

573-634-7267, www.visitjeffersoncity.com

CHRISTMAS, CALIFORNIA-STYLE Dec. 1, California > Holiday parade. Starts at the swimming pool and ends at the courthouse.

5 PM. Free. 573-796-3040, www.calmo.com

Dec. 1, Linn Creek > Lake Jazz band performs big band-style music. Camden County Museum. 7-10 PM. $6. 573-346-7191, www. camdencountymuseum.com

HOLIDAY IN THE PARK Dec. 1, St. Robert > Crafts, pictures with Santa, reindeer, story time with Mrs. Claus, and soup and cocoa. Community Center. 3-6 PM. Free.

573-451-2625, www.pulaskicountyusa.com

Arts. Cultural Activities. Historic Route 66. 160+ Years of History.

November 2 - December 22 November 23 - December 26 November 30 - December 1 December 1 December 6 - 9 & 13 - 16 e fre a ent r v fo e ll ay e!

Ca olid guid h

Christmas at the Chapel Way of Salvation Driving Lights Tour Carthage Historic Downtown Art Walk Christmas Historic Homes Tour It’s A Wonderful Life

visit-carthage.com

Precious Moments Chapel & Gardens CMC Fairview & Grand Historic Carthage Square Historic Phelps House Stone’s Throw Dinner Theatre

866.357.8687

Stay with us for a weekend and discover historic Carthage.

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DICKENS CHRISTMAS Dec. 1, Warrensburg > Step back in time and watch artisans work in shop windows and listen to carolers. Downtown. 10 AM-5 PM. Free (except special events). 660-429-3988, www. olddrumtradingco.com/DickensChristmas.html

HOLIDAY HOME TOUR Dec. 1-2, Columbia > Tour four homes each with musicians playing holiday songs, and visit the Stephens College Historic Senior Hall for a boutique, bake sale, and silent auction. Throughout town. 10 AM-4 PM Sat.; noon-4 PM Sun. $15-$20.

573-442-9075, www.mosymphonysociety.org

CHRISTMAS ON THE SQUARE Dec. 6, Waynesville > Horse and buggy rides, bonfires, and caroling. Downtown. 6-9 PM. Free.

573-774-6000, www.pulaskicountyusa.com

COURTESY JEFFERSON CITY CVB

JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM Dec. 7-8, Crocker > Guided walking tours of live Nativity scenes. Christian Church. 5-9 PM. Free.

573-736-5121, www.crockercc.com

CHRISTMAS PARADE Dec. 8, Buffalo > Floats and Santa. Downtown square. 8 AM line-up; starts at 10 AM. Free. 417345-2852, www.buffalococ.com

sparkling mansion!

CANDLELIGHT TOURS Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, Jefferson City > The Governor’s Mansion is beautifully decorated with sparkling lights and greenery. During the tour, the Governor and his wife greet visitors. Don’t miss seeing the mansion in its nighttime elegance! Governor’s Mansion.

6:30-9 PM Fri.; 2-4 PM Sat. Free. 573-751-0526, www.visitjeffersoncity.com

Feast on your favorite chefs.

Learn culinary techniques, experiment with new flavors, and shop with all the chefs.

KMOS create is broadcast on channel 6.2 Consult your cable or satellite provider.

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A LUMINARY WALK Dec. 8-9, Kingsville > Take a walk along a candlelit path to the Allen Chapel for live holiday music, homemade cookies, and a glowing fireplace. Powell Gardens. 5-7:30 PM. $3-$7. 816697-2600, www.powellgardens.org

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE Dec. 8-9, Osceola > Handmade gifts, refreshments, organic items, and a free parting gift. Evening Shade Farms. 10 AM-5 PM Sat.; noon-4 PM Sun. Free. 417-282-6985, www. eveningshadefarms.com

CAPITOL CAROLING Dec. 11, Jefferson City > Seventy-fifth annual performance. Missouri State Capitol Rotunda. 7 PM. Free. 573-632-2820, www.visitjeffersoncity.com

RAGTIME CONCERT Dec. 14-15, Blackwater > World-famous ragtime piano player Bob Milne performs. West End Theatre. 7 PM Fri.; 2 PM Sat. $13. 660-888-2300, www.blackwater-mo.com

museum tours. Throughout town. 8 AM-4 PM. Free (except breakfast and tour). 573-346-7191, www.camdencountymuseum.com

BLUEGRASS IN THE BARN Dec. 19, Dixon > Bluegrass concert performed by the Baker Band. The Barn. 7 PM. $15. 573-4512625, www.thebakerband.com

HOLIDAYS FOR THE BIRDS Dec. 27-29, Jefferson City > Open house with activities, crafts, refreshments, and walks along the trails. Wear warm clothes and shoes. Runge Conservation Nature Center. 10 AM-3 PM (and 5-7 PM Thurs.). Free. 573-526-5544, www.mdc. mo.gov/regions/central/runge-nature-center

BULL RIDING Jan. 5, Lebanon > Show-Me State Shootout with world-class bucking bulls and world champion cowboys followed by a country and western concert. Cowan Civic Center. 7:30 PM. $12$28. 254-592-3662, www.barclaypro.com

MUZZLELOADER TRADE SHOW

OLD TYME CHRISTMAS Dec. 15, Linn Creek > Breakfast with Santa, games and crafts for children, historical homes tour, caroling, refreshments, silent auction, and

Jan. 12-13, St. Robert > Buy, sell, and trade all kinds of muzzleloaders and parts. Community Center. 9 AM-5 PM. Free. 573-855-0984, www. pulaskicountyusa.com

CHOCOLATE/WINE GALA Jan. 13, Cole Camp > Chocolates, appetizers, silent auction, wine tasting, entertainment, and door prizes. American Legion Hall. 2-4:30 PM. $12. 660-668-3675, www.colecampmo.com

MORE THAN CARDS Jan. 14-Mar. 8, Fulton > Exhibit of personal effects including political cartoons. National Churchill Museum. 10 AM-4:30 PM. $3-$6. 573592-5369, www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org

ARTRAGEOUS FRIDAY Jan. 18, Columbia > Exhibits, storytelling, poetry, dance, live music, artist demonstrations, and special installations. Downtown, North Village Arts District, and campuses. 6-9 PM. Free. 573874-6386, www.artrageousfridays.com

THE BAD PLUS Jan. 20, Columbia > Jazz concert by this energetic trio. The Blue Note. 7 PM. $18-$30. 573449-3001, www.wealwaysswing.org

ARENACROSS Jan. 25-26, Lebanon > Freestyle show features amazing feats performed on motorcycles. Cowan Civic Center. 7:30 PM. $8-$20. 417-863-6353, www.motorheadevents.com

TIS THE SEASON FAMILY FUN, FESTIVALS & HOLIDAY SHOPPING

Visit our for detai website ls our evenabout ts!

WWW.PulaskiCountyUSA.com

Pulaski County TTourism ourism Bureau

877.858.8687

Dec. 1, 2, 8, 9, 15 & 16: PFAA Presents “A Visit From St. Nicholas” Dec. 1: Holiday In the Park, St Robert Dec. 1: Christmas Bazaar, Laquey Dec. 1: Dixon Night Time Christmas Parade Sh Shop op ou ourr Dec. 6: Christmas on the Square, Waynesville gift stor es, Dec. 7-8: Journey to Bethlehem, Crocker antique markets, Dec. 8: Dec. 13-16: Rt. 66 Basketball Shootout, Waynesville and much Dec. 19: Bluegrass in The Barn, Dixon more...

Jan. 12-13: Muzzleloader Trade Fair, St. Robert Jan. 19: Chili Cook-off, St. Robert [96] MissouriLife

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SOUTHWEST SWEENEY TODD Nov. 29-Dec. 2, Springfield > Dark humor and a powerful musical score. Coger Theatre. 7:30 PM Thurs.-Sat.; 2:30 PM Sun. $16-$24. 417-8364400, www.theatreanddance.missouristate.edu

WAY OF SALVATION LIGHTS Nov. 29-Dec. 26, Carthage > Drive or walk through a variety of animated light displays.

CMC Complex. Dusk-10 PM. Free. 417-359-8181, www.visit-carthage.com

WINTERFEST

COURTESY JAMES LITTLE

Nov. 30-Dec. 1, Springfield > Visual arts and live music. Juanita K. Hammons Hall. 5-10 PM Fri.; 10 AM-10 PM Sat.; noon-5 PM Sun. Free. 417-8366832, www.hammonshall.com/winterfest.htm

TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY Dec. 1, Fair Grove > Carols sung by the Singing Eagles, Santa arrives in a mule-drawn wagon, tree lighting, and homemade cookies and hot chocolate. Wommack Mill. 6 PM. Free. 417-8333467, www.fghps.org

rst place youth Laclede County Fair fi

we love a parade!

ADORATION PARADE Dec. 2, Branson > Enjoy the sixty-fourth annual Nativity lighting and parade. Historic downtown and Branson Landing. 6 PM. Free. 417-334-4084, www.explorebranson.com

y Sellers.

division photo by Kayle

CBR Horizon Show-Me Shootout Bull Riding 7:30 pm, Jan. 5, 2013 Cowan Civic Center www.barclaypro.com Indoor Motorsports Jan. 12, 2013 Cowan Civic Center www.motorheadevents.com

! y a w a t e G r u o Y n a l P n wit h o K e e p coo l in L e ba n e ve nts! t h e s e hig h-e n e rg y

Arenacross January 25 & 26 Cowan Civic Center www.motorheadevents.com

www.lebanonmo.org | 1-866-LEBANON

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CHRISTMAS PARADE

THE NUTCRACKER

CHRISTMAS PARADE

Dec. 1, Forsyth > A red-white-and-blue-themed Christmas parade. Downtown. 2 PM. Free. 417546-2741, www.forsythmissouri.org

Dec. 14-16, Springfield > Springfield Ballet presents this family favorite featuring Clara, the Nutcracker Prince, and the Kingdom of Sweets.

Landers Theatre. 7:30 PM Fri.; 2 and 7:30 PM Sat.; 2 and 6 PM Sun. $15-$24. 417-862-1343, www. springfieldballet.org

Dec. 1, De Soto > Enjoy the eighty-fourth annual parade. Main Street. 6 PM. Free. 636586-5591, www.desotomochamber.com

CHRISTMAS PARADE Dec. 3, Carthage > Quaint hometown parade.

Downtown. 7 AM. Free. 417-359-8181, www. visit-carthage.com

MURDER MYSTERY DINNER Dec. 7 and Jan. 18, Springfield > Interactive audience-participation dinner show and ghost tour. Pythian Castle. 7 PM. Reservations. $40$50. 417-865-1464, www.pythiancastle.com

SWING INTO CHRISTMAS Dec. 8, Springfield > Listen to the big-band, swinging sound of the Les Brown Band of Renown.

Juanita K. Hammons Hall. 2 PM. Ticket prices vary.

417-836-7678, www.hammonshall.com

CHRISTMAS SHOW Dec. 14, Springfield > Dualing singing Santas mix history, comedy, and holiday tunes into a unique holiday show. Watch out for an appearance from the Grinch! Pythian Castle.

7 PM. Reservations. $40. 417-865-1464, www. pythiancastle.com

417 WHISKEY FEST Jan. 19, Ridgedale > Taste bourbon, whiskey, and scotch from around the world, and try food pairings. Special VIP tasting of some of the rarest blends in the world. Big Cedar Lodge. 4:308 PM. $99. 417-883-7417, www.417mag.com

NORTHEAST ST. LOUIS

CHRISTMAS PARADE Dec. 1, Moberly > Holiday floats and Santa.

Downtown. 5 PM. Free. 660-263-6070, www. moberlychamber.com

KRISTKINDL MARKT Dec. 1-2, Hermann > Traditional German Christmas market with crafts, holiday goodies, carolers, hot soups, and cider. Stone Hill Winery Pavilion. 10 AM-5 PM Sat.; 10 AM-4 PM Sun. Free.

800-909-9463, www.visithermann.com

CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK

WINTER WONDERLAND Nov. 26-Jan. 1, St. Louis > Drive through a million twinkling holiday lights fashioned into more than 100 animated displays. Sat. is reserved for horse-drawn carriage rides (advanced reservations required). Tilles Park. 5:30-9:30 PM. $10 for a family vehicle (carriage ride prices vary). 314-615-4386, www.stlouisco.com/parks

Dec. 1-23, Moberly > Drive-through tour of hundreds of Christmas displays. Rothwell Park.

Dusk-9 PM. Donations accepted. 660-263-6070, www.moberlychamber.com

GLASS ORNAMENT DISPLAY Dec. 1-Jan. 1, St. Louis > Hand-blown glass ornaments on display and for sale (from $20) by local and national artists. Craft Alliance. 10 AM5 PM Tues.-Thurs.; 10 AM-6 PM Fri.-Sat.; 11 AM5 PM Sun. 314-725-1177, www.craftalliance.org

All I Want For Christmas...

A rca di a� Va l ley� R e gion�And� Blac k�R iv er� R e c r e ation� Area Welcome to the peaceful side of the Ozarks, where you’ll find Missouri’s premier parks and the outdoor recreation capital of Missouri!

Come See What’s New in the NEW New Madrid, MO!

Get a FREE New Brochure Delivered to You. Contact us at 1-877-748-5300 or chambernm@yahoo.com www.new-madrid.mo.us

WWW.MISSOURI-VACATIONS.COM

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WELCOME TO THE

HOTEL FREDERICK

•Historic bar in the hotel, open Tuesday-Saturday •Heated towel racks and luxury linens and robes •Free continental breakfast •Free high speed internet •Beautiful sitting room and other public areas •Gift shop •Fine dining at Glenn’s Cafe in hotel with dinner on Tuesday through Saturday, and family-style brunch on Sunday.

Use code ML1212 for a 20% discounght! throu Valid for stays Feb. 28, 2013

FOR HOLIDAY PARTIES & GETAWAYS The Hotel Frederick offers an exclusive comfortable and creative environment for your holiday parties and relaxing getaways. With 24 rooms, 3 meeting rooms, a cozy bar, a separate sitting room, and a dining room that will seat 100, we can tailor your experience to your needs.

Contact us today to reserve your space.

www.hotelfrederick.com • 888-437-3321 • 501 East High Street, Boonville, MO 65233 [99] December 2012

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ALL AROUND

HOLIDAY HOME TOUR Dec. 2, Moberly > Tour five decorated homes.

Throughout town. 1-5 PM. $20. 660-263-6070, www.moberlychamber.com

GEORGE DYER CHRISTMAS Dec. 4, Moberly > Branson entertainer performs holiday show. Municipal Auditorium, 7 PM. $10$15. 660-263-4100, www.moberlyarts.org

SOUND OF MUSIC Dec. 6-9, Mexico > Classic musical with spectacular audio and visuals. Presser Performing Arts Center. 7 PM Thurs.-Sat.; 2 PM Sun. $5-$10.

573-581-5592, www.presserpac.com

Dec. 7, Chesterfield > Holiday dinner, dancing, and live and silent auctions. Double Tree Hotel and Conference Center. 6:30-11 PM. $75. 636532-3399, www.chesterfieldmochamber.com

THE LITTLE DANCER: 3D! Dec. 7-9, St. Louis > Ballet tells the story of Degasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; famous statuette, who comes to life in scenes depicted in works of art. 3D images are projected behind the dancers. Foundersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Theatre at COCA. 7 PM Fri.; 2 PM Sat.; 1:30 PM Sun. $14-$18. 314-725-6555, www.cocastl.org

ho ho ho!

SANTA LAND Dec. 1-31, Clarksville > Huge display of vintage Santas and snowmen in a Victorian setting and an exhibit of decorated trees. Santa visits each weekend, and there is a special reindeer sighting Dec. 15-16. City Hall. 8 AM-4 PM. Free. 573-242-3336, www.clarksvillemo.com

COURTESY CITY OF CLARKSVILLE

HOLIDAY GALA

Magical Experience, By Nature.

ntiques A on Washington An upscale establishment offering quality antique furniture, primitives, glassware, tools, pottery and more

We are Clinton, Missouri, where small-town life is alive and well. We invite you to experience a magical Christmas this year.

This Golden Valley in which we live offers a multitude of opportunities to shop, bike, hike, hunt or just relax. Come share all the things we love: our events, our square, our museum, our nature, and our people. We are Clinton, and we are great people, by nature.

Located on the Historic Clinton Square at 105 S. Washington, Clinton, MO. www.AntiquesonWashington.com 660-885-2752 Monday-Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm Sunday: Noon to 5 pm

For more information, go to www.clintonmo.com

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Missouri’s

Visit Bed and Breakfasts and Inns!

ly-In Dragon-F B&B

Built 1892

Cabins & Retreat

Mansion at Elfindale Bed and Breakfast

16251 Highway 21 Ironton, MO 888-840-3657 • www.dragonflyinbb.com Located in the beautiful Arcadia Valley 176 acres • 2 lakes • trails

13 private suites, suitable for corporate and leisure travelers.

Every suite has DIRECTV, internet connection, phone, and private bath.

Stone Haus Bed & Breakfast 107 Bayer Rd., Hermann, MO 573-486-9169 www.stonehausbandb.com

The only place where you’ll find over 100 Inspected and Approved member Inns at Locations statewide.

The

Butterfly Inn We are kind of like a B&B, but: YOU MAKE BOTH, otherwise we are a completely furnished and private home, close to Missouri’s most beautiful natural scenery, parks and restaurants. Open year round.

573-648-2509 • 2363 Buford St, Centerville www.butterflyinn-mo.com

BBIM Gift Certificates Are Available

www.bbim.org

Inn at Harbour rIdge The Lake’s Most Inviting Bed & Breakfast 6334 Red Barn Road • Osage Beach, MO 573-302-0411 or 877-744-6020 www.HarbourRidgeInn.com

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ML

Missouri

ALL AROUND

CHRISTMASTIME IN IRELAND

A GNOME FOR CHRISTMAS

EAGLE DAYS

Dec. 8, Florissant > Irish songs, dance, comedy, and music. Civic Center Theatre. 8 PM. $25$27. 314-921-5678, www.florissantmo.com

Dec. 15-23, Webster Groves > Warm-hearted holiday musical where some mysterious and magical things start happening. Heagney Theatre at Nerinx Hall High School. 11 AM Thurs.Fri.; 11 AM and 3 PM Sat.; 3 PM Sun. $6. 314-9684925, www.repstl.org

Jan. 26-27, Clarksville > View bald eagles in the wild catching fish, attend educational programs, see a bald eagle up close, and watch the eagles through telescopes. River Front Park, Visitors’ Center, and Apple Shed Theater.

9 AM-4 PM Sat.; 10 AM-3 PM Sun. Free. 573-2423771, www.clarksvillemo.us

NORTH POLE DASH Dec. 8, St. Charles > Join 2,000 Santas running through the streets in this 5K run and one-mile walk. Historic Downtown. Begins at 9 AM. Free to spectators ($15-$35 to run). 636946-0633, www.santasnorthpoledash.com

TWICE AS NICE FLEA MARKET Dec. 8, St. Louis > Antiques and crafts. North County Recreation Complex. 8 AM-3 PM. Free.

314-615-8839, www.stlouisco.com

SAY CHEESE WINE TRAIL Dec. 8-9, Hermann > Visit seven wineries and taste cheese dishes paired with local wine.

Throughout area. 10 AM-5 PM Sat.; 11 AM5 PM Sun. Advanced tickets. $30. 314-7959770, www.visithermann.com

WICKED Dec. 12-Jan. 6, St. Louis > Fantastic musical set in the land of Oz. Fox Theatre. 8 PM Tues.Fri.; 2 and 8 PM Sat.; 1 and 6:30 PM Sun. $38$150. 800-293-5949, www.fabulousfox.com

CITY CENTRE DANCE Dec. 21, St. Peters > Come out and dance to a variety of music dating to the 1940s through the 1970s. Cultural Arts Centre. 7 PM. $6-$7.

636-397-6903, www.stpetersmo.net

ST. LOUIS RV SHOW Jan. 10-13, St. Louis > Nearly every style of recreational vehicle is featured, camping gear, and information on resorts, travel destinations, products, and services. America’s Center. 11 AM-9 PM Thurs.; 11 AM-10 PM Fri.; 10 AM9 PM Sat.; 11 AM-5 PM Sun. $4-$9. 314-355-1236, www.stlrv.com

FREE LISTING & MORE EVENTS At www.MissouriLife.com PLEASE NOTE:

EAGLE DAYS Jan. 19-20, St. Louis > Watch bald eagles fish, ride the ice floes, soar overhead, and roost in trees. Telescopes will be set up for up close viewing. Old Chain of Rocks Bridge. 9 AM-3 PM. Free. 314-436-1324. www.trailnet.org

Restaurant and Bed & Breakfast Lula Belle’s Restaurant offers the finest in dining experiences.

Mike and Pam Ginsberg, proprietors, are known for their exquisite gourmet food preparation and taste bud tantalizing wine selection. For an elegant evening out or just a quick dinner on the go, Lula Belle’s is sure to please.

111 Bird Street • Hannibal, MO 63401 573-221-6662 • www.lulabelles.com

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120 + D i

~ Historic Downto 0+ Hotel Rooms wn

ning Experiences ~ Energetic Nightlife With Live Bands ~ 90

Visit

www.MissouriLife.com

for more events & travel stories!

VisitCape.com/ ComePlay

Samuel’s

ino Cape Girardeau Isle Cas

set...Discover the fun Read0·y7,7 7·0068 or info@VisitCape.com that can be found only in Cape Girardeau!

80

VisitCape

Classic Toys, Vintage Christmas and Pendleton Clothing Downtown Jefferson City 236 E. High Street • 573-634-7267 www.samuelstuxedos.com

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Explore

Dive Get to into know Kansas City’s more of the place Kansas vibrantCitians arts call home. scene.

The Local Show kcpt.org/arts KC Week in Review Ruckus SCREENtime Check, Please! KC

Explore

Dive into Kansas City’s vibrant arts scene.

The Local Show kcpt.org/arts

Homecoming: The Kansas City Symphony Presents Joyce DiDonato aired to 96% of the national PBS viewing audience during 2012’s PBS Summer Arts Festival.

Photo credit: Chris Lee

Homecoming: The Kansas City Symphony Presents Joyce DiDonato aired to 96% of the national PBS viewing audience during 2012’s PBS Summer Arts Festival.

Photo credit: Chris Lee

Host Doug Frost and guest reviewers on the set of “Check, Please! Kansas City”

ARTS LOCAL KCPT-HD KC P T 2 KC P TCreate kc p t . o rg

kcpt.org

ARTS KC P T- H D KC P T 2 KC P TCreate kc p t . o rg

kcpt.org

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As a MEMBER of the Missouri Chamber YOU WILL RECEIVE:

Regular legislative and regulatory updates The Missouri Chamber is a critical, behind-the-scenes power in Jefferson City, helping draft bills to be introduced by legislators, testifying at hearings, and watch-dogging regulations. Updates and alerts are published on all major issues and sent to our members. Members can participate in issue webinars and conference calls.

MEMBER PROGRAMS: Cutting-edge seminars and conferences Competitive employee health insurance programs

Member Help-line

Missouri Drug Card savings program

Access to our lobbyists and legal experts is an automatic membership benefit. Members can contact us with legislative questions concerning: • Local and state tax issues

Shipping and office supply discounts Competitive employee 401K programs

• Worker’s Compensation • Employment Law

• Environmental Regulations • And much, much more

Missouri Business Magazine The full-color magazine, Missouri Business, highlights our members and gives readers a more in-depth look at the issues facing the business community.

WANT TO LEARN MORE? Contact Linda Gipson at lgipson@mochamber.com, or by phone at 573-634-3511.

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Missouriana Trivia JUST FOR FUN

Last bits on cookbooks, celebrations, and the town of Noel.

BY KELLY MOFFITT AND JIAXI LU

We couldnthave said it better!

“The Christmas holidays have this high value: that they remind forgetters of the forgotten, and repair damaged relationships.”

— Mark Twain, in a letter written in 1907

Joy of Cooking was

WRITTEN by St. Louisan Irma S. Rombauer and

ILLUSTRATED by her daughter. More than eighteen million copies of it have been sold since 1936.

First held in ST. LOUIS in 1920, the Festival of Nations was one of the earliest multicultural celebrations in the United States.

Nearly 2,000 people attended that first festival, and St. Louisans displayed pennants representing their NATIONALITIES.

EVERY HOLIDAY SEASON, THE CITY OF NOEL, NICKNAMED THE “CHRISTMAS CITY,” RECEIVES HUNDREDS OF CHRISTMAS CARDS AND PACKAGES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD AT ITS POST OFFICE, WHICH ARE THEN POSTMARKED “NOEL” WITH SPECIAL HOLIDAY STAMPS AND SENT OUT.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY TOM SULLIVAN

Did you know this?

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Give a Missouri Life subscription with

GREAT

gift

BASKETS

Tasty Christmas Deliver holiday cheer with this decorative Santa basket. Presented with your choice of Little Hills Chambourcin (red) or Chardonel (white), both dry and delicious. Also includes dipping pretzels, mini mustard, focaccia crackers, snowman-shaped cheese, chocolate malt balls, sausage, biscotti, assorted chocolates, a decorative ornament bottle stopper, and a subscription to Missouri Life. $89.99*

Holiday Treat This festive red and green holiday basket features your choice of Little Hills Cobblestone Red or Cobblestone White, both semidry. The gift basket also includes crackers, sausage, chocolate malt balls, pasta, holiday cheese, assorted chocolates, and a subscription to Missouri Life. $79.99*

Simple Snow This beautifully painted holiday tin features a bottle of Alpenglow, a spiced holiday wine best when warmed. Use the included cinnamon stick to enhance the flavor profile. Also included: chocolate malt balls, roasted nuts, assorted chocolates, biscotti, and a subscription to Missouri Life. $69.99*

Order today!

Holiday Popcorn Delight Satisfy your sweet tooth this holiday with this gift box including two of Kernel Dave’s most popular holiday flavors: Caramel Apple and Pumpkin Spice popcorn. Also included: chocolate malt balls, holiday yogurt pretzels, assorted chocolates, corn to pop on your own, and a subscription to Missouri Life. $69.99*

Popcorn Tin The best version of a holiday standard brought to you by Kernel Dave’s. Flavor choices are caramel, chocolate caramel, pumpkin, gingerbread, cinnamon, kettle corn, caramel apple, or banana split. This tin also includes a subscription to Missouri Life. $49.99* *All prices include tax, shipping and handling.

www.MissouriLife.com • 800-492-2593, ext. 101 [107] December 2012

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Simply Saucy Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin

Everything’s better with bacon, and this Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin is no exception.

Topped with one of four flavorful sauces, it’s simple to make and sure to impress.

For more inspired entertaining ideas, visit PorkBeInspired.com

©2012 National Pork Board, Des Moines, IA USA. This message funded by America’s Pork Producers and the Pork Checkoff.

PorkBeInspired.com [108] MissouriLife

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