Missouri Life February/March 2009

5 Restaurants Worth the Trip

★

The Chocolate Belt

T H E S P I R I T O F D I S C O V E RY

GOING GRACE TO L Mexico AND , Mo.

We had it all!

Cowboys & Indians, Outlaws & Stagecoaches, Wagon Trains & Cattle Drives getaways for lovers 6 Great Escapes

rock climbing

5 Best Places to Hang FEBRUARY 2009 | $4.50 (D i sp l a y unt i l M a rc h 31)

the king of ragtime

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Scott Joplin’s St. Louis Home 7

25274 94452

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Studied in Zambia

Researches Public Health Honors College Officer

Learning French 7*4*5 063 8&# 4*5&

for more information on JOUFSOBUJPOBM DBNQVTFT BU

Harding.edu/International

At Harding University, we believe in the importance of a global education. We’re pleased to offer exciting study-abroad experiences at our seven international campuses located in Australia, Chile, England, Greece, France/Switzerland, Italy and Zambia.

Faith, Learning and Living ‰MÂ?jĂ‹WÂ??Ă„Ă„jĂ„Ă‹?™aĂ‹a?‰Â?Ă&#x;Ă‹W†?ÂŹjÂ?Ă‹Ă„jĂ ĂœÂ‰WjĂ‹VĂ‹yĂ?Ă‹!?Ă?‰Â?™?Â?Ă‹ jà ‰Ă?Ă‹.W†Â?Â??Ă Ă„ jWĂ?Ă–Ă jĂ„Ă‹MĂ&#x;Ă‹Ă?Â?Ă Â?aĂ‹Â?j?ajĂ Ă„Ă‹VËÉ^yĂĽĂĽĂ‹Ă„Ă?Ă–aj™Ă?Ă„Ă‹wĂ Â?”Ë|oĂ‹Ă„Ă??Ă?jĂ„Ă‹?™aĂ‹yÔËwÂ?Ă j‰~™ËWÂ?֙Ă?à ‰jĂ„Ă‹VĂ‹Ă”^ĂĽĂĽĂĽĂ‹~Ă ?aĂ–?Ă?jĂ‹Ă„Ă?Ă–aj™Ă?Ă„Ă‹ Â?™Â?Ă Ă„Ă‹ Â?Â?Â?j~jĂ‹VĂ‹! Ă‹ Â‰ĂœÂ‰Ă„Â‰Â?™Ë Ă‹?Ă?†Â?jĂ?‰WĂ„Ă‹VĂ‹ĂˆĂ‹Â‰Â™Ă?jà ™?Ă?‰Â?™?Â?Ă‹W?”ÖÄjĂ„Ă‹VĂ‹ Â?Â?Ă‹WÂ??Ă„Ă„jĂ„Ă‹Ă??Ă–~†Ă?Ă‹wĂ Â?”Ë?Ă‹ †à ‰ÄĂ?‰?Â™Ă‹ĂœÂ‰jĂ?ÂŹÂ?‰™Ă?

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[2] MissouriLife

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C O U N T Y ,

M I S S O U R I

Kansas City A Genuine

Destination

Come explore Zona Rosa. A unique mix of shopping, dining and entertainment venues. Here, you’ll discover a place where it’s equally comfortable to meet friends, enjoy time with your family, or just relax by yourself. Zona Rosa – a refreshingly different destination. www.zonarosa.com.

Discover Riverside’s small-town charm and big-city connections. An easy drive just north of Downtown Kansas City, Riverside, Missouri is known for its rich history, scenic beauty and promise for progress. Come visit and see for yourself. For a complete listing of holiday events and activities, visit riversidemo.com.

A Great Place To Get Away…Weston, Missouri. Shop our specialty and antique stores. Enjoy an Irish pub, wineries, parks, museums and skiing. Dine in fine restaurants or even an old-fashioned soda fountain. Stay in many charming B&Bs or a restored 1846 hotel.Visit www.westonmo.com to plan your true romantic getaway in this quaint historic town.

Experience riverfront Parkville, Missouri.

Enjoy nostalgic surroundings where historic old buildings have been reborn as trendy shops, galleries, and eateries. Shop to your heart's content, enjoy award-winning cuisine or indulge with coffee and sweet treats. For information about shopping, dining and events, visit www.Parkvillemo.org.

Request your freeVisitors Kit: (888) 223-9755 or www.co.platte.mo.us [3] February 2009 AD-0209R2.indd 3

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CONTENTS

 The Wild West

February 2009

Missouri is solidly Midwestern, but at one time, it was the western frontier. Find Missouri’s larger-than-life legends throughout these pages, plus places to hit the trail and find Missouri’s Wild West heritage today.

62  The Disappearing People

The American Indian populations in Missouri dwindled before the Wild West era. Cowboys didn’t fight many Indians here.

64  Ticket to Ride

Stagecoaches, like the Butterfield Overland Stage Route, took passengers and mail to California and stops in between here and there.

66  The Wagon Trails

Small western Missouri towns, like Independence and Weston, were the staging grounds for settlers and adventurers heading West.

68  The Pony Express

Riders braved the terrain, elements, and hostile encounters to carry the mail to California.

70  Rail Robbers

Gangs of outlaws preyed on the trains as they crossed the state. The James gang was the most notorious.

72  Cowboy Culture

Cowboys, cattle drives, and stockyards defined the beef industry’s beginning in Missouri. Meet modernday cowboys, and see how their lifestyle has both changed and stayed the same.

Features

44 ✶ Scott Joplin: A Life at the Margins

The Scott Joplin House State Historic Site at St. Louis is where Joplin spent part of the first decade of the 1900s; he also composed “The Entertainer” there.

52 ✶ Rock Climbing

5 cool spots to hang out and climb.

56 ✶ Up and Down Osage County

61 PAGE

King of the Road John Robinson travels up and down the hills in Osage County and discovers 11 small towns, 4 rivers, 3 bed-and-breakfasts, and 3 restaurants.

The l ina Orig est W Wild

81 ✶ The Chocolate Belt: Sweet Dreams

©ISTOCKPHOTO

Askinosie Chocolate at Springfield and Patric Chocolate at Columbia create artisan chocolates in the Chocolate Belt.

92 ✶ Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Photographers worldwide follow the lead of a native Missourian and help grieving parents.

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CONTENTS

In Every Issue

February 2009

8 ✶ Missouri Memo: Hope and Change

Introducing new things to Missouri Life: a new column by Publisher Greg Wood, Ron Marr’s Musings moves, and Missouriana, our new back page.

13 ✶ Letters: Holiday Tours

Readers take trips to Kansas City and Boonville destinations featured in Missouri Life.

15 ✶ All Around Missouri

Our listing of more than 227 events, plus home and garden shows throughout the state, the Rally in the 100acre Wood, and the best St. Patrick’s Day parade. Go to MissouriLife.com for even more great events and the most complete listing in the state!

Missouri Medley 32 ✶ People, Places, & Points

5 Missouri high schools receive silver rankings in 2008, Merlin Award is given to the VanBurches at Branson, and Cowboy Churches offer “come as you are” services.

Zest of Life 37 ✶ Show-Me Enthusiasm

Show-Me Flavor 84 ✶ Restaurant Recommendations

43 ✶ Missouri Books

86 ✶ Missouri Wine: Open Bottles

Meet The Hipnecks, a mid-Missouri band, and artists Ron Hauser and David Spear, plus discover a Kansas City film.

Twice Loved, Messiah: The Life and Times of Francis Schlatter, and Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane: Deadwood Legends, plus the Book List.

48 ✶ Made in Missouri

The Smashed Chefs, Russell Stover, Nasopure, Creative Candles, and Diamond Pet Foods make distinctive, splendid, unique Missouri things.

Get Going 50 ✶ Lovers’ Getaways: Indulgences

6 romantic getaways for the adventure, history, music, nature, theater, or wine lover in you.

Missouri Life brings you restaurants worth the trip at Columbia, Gordonville, Kansas City, Springfield, and St. Louis.

It is cool to be frugal with your leftover wine.

88 ✶ Missouri Recipes

Chefs and chocolatiers share recipes for bacon-wrapped dates, pan-seared scallops, and chocolate chunk cookies.

Missouri Lifestyle 90 ✶ Inspired Ideas & Savvy Solutions

Missouri’s top 10 counties for seniors, Washington University removes bottled water, and heart health and exercise.

91 ✶ Musings

Ron Marr suggests partying like it’s 1929.

94 ✶ Missouriana

Fun facts and reflections of the season.

Special Section ✶ Mexico: Your Kind of Town Welcome to Mexico, Missouri, a town with the perfect combination of charm, style, and energy. In this special guide, we’ll show you the fascinating places to visit, including Graceland Museum, Simmons Stables, and Audrain County School, and introduce you to many Mexicoans. Discover why it’s called the Mainstreet of the Midwest.

.

This Issue on MissouriLife com

Recommended recipes Find more recipes from our recommended restaurants (page 84) and artisan chocolate makers (page 88).

Best of Missouri Life Festival ’09 We’re gearing up for our second annual festival on May 22-24, a weekend-long celebration of the food, wine, art, music, other products made in Missouri, and the cultural heritage of the state.

Multiple venues centered around downtown Boonville and the Missouri Life building will host an art show, wine tasting, cultural heritage speakers, performers, reenactors, displays, and musical entertainers.

For schedules, updates, and more, visit MissouriLife.com/festival09.htm. Visit often as the list will update weekly with new information.

“Oldies but Goodies” If you’re about to go stir crazy inside, visit our online archives for ideas for great day trips, like “Abracadabra,” an article about the Magic House at St. Louis, or “A Zeal for Wheels,” about the antique car museum at Fulton.

Missouri Lifelines Sign up for our free e-newsletter! We'll send you short stories and announce new events and Missouri-made products in between issues.

[6] MissouriLife

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Jesse James Farm & Museum 21216 Jesse James Farm Rd. Kearney, MO 816-736-8500

Jesse James Bank Museum 103 N. Water Historic Downtown Liberty 816-736-8510

jessejamesmuseum.org

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O I MEM MISSOe TaUleR s Behind the Stories Telling th

the song by Paul Simon, kept

running through my head during my many recent visits to Mexico, Missouri. Because I’m a musician, I kept singing it over and over.

Mexico’s Graceland is as worthy of a visit as the Graceland at Memphis, even though it had Elvis. I’m glad I went.

Driving around Missouri is probably the best part of my job as publisher of Missouri Life. The scenery always changes, every town is different, and most importantly, I get to meet people from all over the state.

You can’t help but notice that we have a lot of pages devoted to the people, the history, the fun things to do and see, and the businesses of Mexico, Missouri, starting on page 81. Mexico is still a small town, but it has brought in big industry: distribution centers for worldwide corporations, pharmaceutical plants, biofuels plants, and more.

I’m sure it helps that Senator Kit Bond is from Mexico, but the thriving energy gives me great hope for Missouri’s small towns.

A great example of their progressive attitude is the story of the A.P. Green firebrick plant, which was once the firebrick capital of the entire world! They even supplied firebrick to Cape Canaveral.

Mexico MO

But business changes, and the firebrick plant closed in 2002. That does not stop the people

of Mexico. There’s a move afoot to bring the plant back to full production, making facebricks instead of firebricks. Mexico folks have a “can do” attitude.

You’ll find plenty of things to see like Graceland, The American Saddlebred Museum, scenic walking trails, historic mansions, and many great places to shop, including antique stores and unique boutiques, plus my personal favorGreg Wood, Publisher

ite, Mexico Music.

Award-Winning

Misisfoeu.r..i L

2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2007 2005

NO, THIS HAS NOTHING to do with the recent campaign slogan, but rather it’s our way of saying we’re introducing some changes in 2009 and we hope you like them!

You might wonder why we’re changing the magazine, since we were just named the 2008 Magazine of the Year by the International Regional Magazine Association in October. (Yes, I’ll probably keep finding ways to work that into columns and conversations!)

We know that in this business, if Danita Allen Wood, Editor in Chief you’re not constantly changing, you’re not just standing still but likely losing ground. We remain dedicated to our mission to celebrate and explore the state. Here are some of our changes: ■ One of the best changes is that you will now see a few words from our publisher and my husband, Greg Wood, the fellow at left. Along with our sponsors, he’s the real reason we have the pleasure of bringing you some stories. He’s been in front of our sponsors, but behind-the-scenes to readers.

It’s time you got to know him, too.

■ Ron Marr, our favorite Ozark curmudgeon, woops, I meant to say, “cogitator” is still in the magazine, but you will now find him in our Missouri Lifestyle section on page 91.

■ “Missouriana,” a collection of reflections, is our new back page.

There are other changes, too. We hope you like them but can change them if you don’t. E-mail me at Danita@MissouriLife.com.

Our Second Annual Best of Missouri Life Festival This year, we’re excited about bringing you even more regional cuisines, wine, art, and music at our festival, May 22-24. We are working with each of the four designated regional cuisine projects, to bring you samples from each region: Missouri River Hills, Missouri River Valley, Manitou Bluffs, and Old Trails regions. We anticipate more than a hundred food, wine, art, and other made-in-Missouri product vendors, many of whom will be giving you free samples to taste. This year, we’re also adding Missouri musicians. Visit MissouriLife.com/festival09 for updates. Come visit us!

Magazine of the Year, International Regional Magazine Association Gold Award, Overall Art Direction, International Regional Magazine Association Silver Award, Single Photograph, International Regional Magazine Association Bronze Award, Profile Writing, International Regional Magazine Association Bronze Award, Cover, International Regional Magazine Association Merit Award, Culture Feature Writing, International Regional Magazine Association Merit Award, Most Improved Magazine, International Regional Magazine Association Best Magazine Design, Missouri Association of Publications Gold Award, Travel Feature Writing, International Regional Magazine Association Bronze Award, Overall Art Direction, International Regional Magazine Association

EVAN WOOD, TINA WHEELER

“Going to Graceland,”

CHANGE AND HOPE

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It’s all about the music‌

H I S TO R I C T U R N E R H A L L

18th Annual

Big Muddy Folk Festival

April 3 – 4, 2009 at Historic Thespian Hall Boonville, Missouri

Call 1-888-588-1477 for tickets and visit www.bigmuddy.org for more information.

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s s OR s s

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BOB BOVEE AND GAIL HEIL TRADITIONAL FIDDLE TUNES AND SONGS FROM THE AMERICAN WEST CATHY BARTON & DAVE PARA THE HOMETOWN MINSTRELS JUGGERNAUT JUG BAND THE JUG BAND SOUND RETURNS STEPHEN BENNETT MASTER OF THE HARP GUITAR THE BERRYMANS THE FAR SIDE OF SONGWRITERS SQUIRRELHEADS AND GRAVY RARE APPEARANCE OF THIS OLD-TIME BAND THE CHAPMANS HIGH-POWERED BLUEGRASS BAND DANCE AT TURNER HALL TO KEEP YOUR FEET IN TUNE WORKSHOPS ON SATURDAY FOR SONGS AND INSTRUMENTAL SESSIONS

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At Hope Photo Studio in Boonville, smiles come naturally.

They start with Julius Udinyiwe, proprietor and photographer, who greets you with a smile and knows good smiles make good photos. He does it all...weddings, portraits, passport photos, families, children, and pets. His staff even repairs PC computers, PS2, Xbox and DVD players, and he offers one-hour photo processing. Now that’s something to smile about!

Sponsored by the Friends of Historic Boonville.

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[9] February 2009

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VICKI LAWRENCE & MAMA: A TWO-WOMAN SHOW

The Spirit of Discovery 515 East Morgan Street, Boonville, MO 65233 660-882-9898 info@missourilife.com

Publisher Greg Wood

Editorial Editor in Chief Danita Allen Wood Managing Editor & Web Editor Rebecca French Smith Editorial Assistants Elizabeth Galloway, Jennifer Gerling, Rebecca Legel, Porcshe Moran, Regan Palmer Contributing Writers Michael Bostwick, Sabrina Crider, John Fisher, Doug Frost, Nina Furstenau, Kathy Gangwisch, Gregory Holman, Dawn Klingensmith, Ron W. Marr, W. Arthur Mehrhoff, Charles Reineke, John Robinson, Larry Wood Contributing Photographers and Illustrators Seth Garcia, Notley Hawkins

Art & Production Creative Director Andrew Barton Art Director Tina Wheeler Marketing Art Director Eric Larson

Advertising Senior Account Managers Linda Alexander, 816-582-7720, Kansas City area Sherry Broyles, 800-492-2593, ext. 107 Agnieszka A. Mahan, 417-872-8120, Springfield area

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13 8:00PM

Advertising Coordinator & Calendar Editor Amy Stapleton, 800-492-2593, ext. 101

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Circulation & Administration Circulation Director Karen Ebbesmeyer, 800-492-2593, ext. 102 Proofreader Lisa Guese Chief Financial Officer Mark Gandy, B2B CFOÂŽ, www.b2bcfo.com Accounting Lammers & Associates CPAs, P.C., 660-882-6000 Webmaster Insite Advice, www.insiteadvice.com

s -UST BE TO ATTEND

100 Isle of Capri Blvd., Boonville, MO 65233 www.isleofcapricasino.com

Special Projects Coordinator Callina Wood

_[aZP_ XUWQ RaZ

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MISSOURI LIFE, Vol. 36, No. 1, February 2009 (USPS#020181; ISSN#1525-0814) Published bimonthly in February, April, June, August, October, and December by Missouri Life, Inc., for $21.99. Periodicals Postage paid at Boonville, Missouri, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Missouri Life, 515 E. Morgan St., Boonville, MO 652331252. Š 2009 Missouri Life. All rights reserved. Printed by The Ovid Bell Press, Inc., at Fulton, Missouri.

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The Spirit of Discovery 515 East Morgan Street, Boonville, MO 65233 660-882-9898 info@missourilife.com

To Subscribe or Give a Gift • Visit MissouriLife.com • Call 800-492-2593 • Or mail a check for $21.99 (for 6 issues) to: Missouri Life 515 East Morgan Street, Boonville, MO 65233-1252

Advertising Call 800-492-2593. Information for display and web advertising and for other marketing opportunities are posted at MissouriLife.com.

Custom Publishing Get Missouri Life quality writing, design, and photography for your special publications or magazines.

Call 800-492-2593, ext. 106 or e-mail Publisher Greg Wood at greg@missourilife.com.

MissouriLife.com Find Missouri-made gifts, services, and other Missouri products at our web site, or sign up for Missouri Life Lines, our free e-newsletter.

Reprints Missouri Life provides reprints on high-quality paper.

E-mail info@missourilife.com, or call 800-492-2593 for rates.

Back Issues Cost is $7.50, which includes tax and shipping. Order from web site, call, or send a check.

Expiration Date Find it at the top left corner of your mailing label.

Change of Address Send both old and new addresses to karen@missourilife.com or Missouri Life, 515 East Morgan Street, Boonville, MO 65233-1252

International Regional Magazine Association

[12] MissouriLife

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YOU R LETTER S Sha

ring Opinions & Your Stories

 

 

HOLIDAY TOURS The Missouri State Society Daughters of the American Revolution expresses gratitude to you all for the wonderful article about our State Headquarters Roslyn Heights at 821 Main Street in Boonville.

Many visitors to Roslyn Heights Christmas Open House said they learned of the event and wanted to come because of the article in the December issue.

              



Missouri State Society Daughters of the American Revolution Lemira Parks, State Regent, and Pat Holmes, State Curator, Boonville

We are a group of adventurous women who are sometimes able to shed our job and family responsibilities for a day or so and explore the larger world. Because of said responsibilities, the “larger world” really can’t be any further than a few hours away, but thankfully, Missouri Life magazine has made it possible to find any number of fun, exciting things to do virtually right in our own backyards.

Recently, our group took an overnight trip to Kansas City. We toured Powell Gardens in the afternoon, ate at the Cafe Trio for dinner, and then stayed at the Savoy Hotel in downtown Kansas City overnight.

All of our information about these places we received from reviews or articles in your magazine. Powell Gardens is a lovely and relatively unknown jewel of a place, and dinner was exquisite. The rooms at the Savoy had been lovingly restored to their former glory, and the breakfast provided the next morning was nothing short of decadent.

It is wonderful to be able to find insider information about the great things available just around the corner!

Elizabeth S. Hussey, Georgette Dufour, Clarissa Amos, and Gale Johnson, Columbia



 

   

  

Send Us a Letter E-mail: info@missourilife.com

  

Fax: 660-882-9899 NOTLEY HAWKINS



Address: Missouri Life 515 East Morgan Street Boonville, MO 65233-1252

[13] February 2009

LETTERS-0209R2.indd 13

12/31/08 10:09:08 AM

LIFE IS SHORT. DRESS WELL. FINE WOMENS’ CLOTHING, JEWELRY and ACCESSORIES

512 Main St. Weston, MO 64098

816-640-2770

Mon.-Thur. 10AM-5PM Fri. and Sat. 10AM-6PM Second Sat. 10AM-8PM • Sun. noon-5PM Online store www.missouribluffs.com

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Carrying a COMPLETE LINE PG $JWJM 8BS -JWJOH )JTUPSZ Needs for Ladies, Gentlemen, Civilian, Military

FEATURING

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Your Santa Fe Trail Stop in Kansas City National Park Service CertiďŹ ed Site

Stay At Weston’s Bed & Breakfasts This Winter Only a few miles north of KCI airport you can step back in time and visit our antebellum town with shops, restaurants, hotel, bed & breakfasts, brewery,

THE INN AT WESTON LANDING

wineries, museums, city and state parks and even skiing.

Pamper yourself with the comforts of our state-of-the-art lodging

THE BENNER HOUSE

facilities. Make your reservations today to get away to historic Weston, Missouri.

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Rice-Tremonti Home and Aunt Sophie’s Cabin Join us for lunch!

Old fashioned fun!

Soup & Craft Days March 7-8 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Rice Country Fair June 14 10 a.m.-5 p.m

Open every weekend May–September 8801 E. 66th St., Raytown, Mo. 816-358-7423 www.rice-tremonti.org

THE MURPHY HOUSE

Visit www.westonmo.com

for all information on Weston and its Bed and Breakfasts with links to each website or call the chamber WESTON BED & BREAKFAST office 816-640-2909.

[14] MissouriLife

AD-0209R2.indd 14

12/31/08 12:32:21 PM

ALL AROUND

MISSOURI

Events in Your Area

February & March

COURTESY OF OZARK EMPIRE FAIRGROUNDS

Featured Events

HOME, GARDEN, LEISURE, TRAVEL Spring is in the air, and all around Missouri, home shows are popping up like the first flowers of the season. Booths are filled with information on regional products and services: everything from landscaping, home improvement, heating and air, windows, and remodeling to eco-friendly products, furniture, hot tubs, decks, and travel. Some even have surprise guests and celebrity chefs.

So pull on your mittens and hit the highway to find a home show near you. We have listed several of the shows in the state on this page.

Visit MissouriLife.com for more in your area!

Travel Show Jan. 31-Feb. 1, St. Charles. More than 250 booths featuring luxury travel, trip giveaways, adventure activities, celebrity chefs, travel experts, and fun things for kids. Convention Center. 10 AM-5 PM Sat.; 10 AM-3 PM Sun. Free. 314-481-7337 GreenZONE at the Remodeling Show Feb. 6-8, Kansas City. Products, services, and ideas for eco-conscious living. Non-profit organizations promote recycling and alternative fuels. American Royal Center.

10 AM-9 PM Fri.-Sat.; 10 AM-6 PM Sun. $8.50 (free for ages 12 and younger). 816-931-4686 Lawn and Garden Show Feb. 20-22, Springfield. More than 100 exhibitiors featuring innovative products for outdoor living spaces, plus informational seminars. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds.

9 AM-6 PM Fri.-Sat.; 11 AM-5 PM Sun. $4 (free for ages 12 and younger). 417-833-2660

Builders Home and Garden Show Mar. 5-8, St. Louis. More than 600 exhibitors. America’s Center and Edward Jones Dome. 10 AM-9 PM Thurs.-Sat.; 10 AM-5 PM Sun. $4-$9. 314-994-7700 Home and Leisure Show Mar. 20-21, Nevada. More than 50 booths featuring landscaping, furniture, heating and air conditioning, and home improvement. Middle School Gymnasium. 5-9 PM Fri.; 9 AM-2 PM Sat. Free. 417-667-3113 Home and Garden Show Mar. 20-22, Cape Girardeau. Offering information on remodeling, kitchens, building supplies, and decorating.

Show Me Center. 3-8 PM Fri.; 10 AM-8 PM Sat.; 10 AM-4 PM Sun. 573-651-5000 Products and Services Show Mar. 21-22, Lake Ozark. More than 200 vendors including financial services, docks, and decks. Country Club Hotel.

9 AM-5 PM Sat.; 10 AM-4 PM Sun. Free. 573-346-2227

[15] February 2009

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All Around Missouri

Northeast & St. Louis Area

Sports Trivia Feb. 7, St. Louis Think you know everything about sports?

Think you’ve got what it takes? Celebrities will host what Dan Buck, CEO of the St. Patrick Center, calls the “world’s largest sports trivia contest.” This fundraiser for the center, made up of 110 competing teams of 10, will be held at the Chaifetz Arena at 5 pm. Tables are $1000-$3000 and spectators are free.

For information, call 314-802-5445 or visit www.sportstriviachampionship.org.

Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future Jan. 30-April 27, St. Louis. Exhibition explores the career of the architect who created the Gateway Arch. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. 11 am-6 pm (8 pm Fri.). Free.

314-935-4523 Locust and Honey Jan. 30-May 17, St. Louis. Artist Jennifer Angus exhibits her works that are created using dried insects. Craft Alliance at Grand Center. Noon-6 pm Wed.-Sat.; noon5 pm Sun. Free. 314-534-7528 Henry’s Garden Jan. 31-Mar. 15, St. Louis. 91st year of the orchid show featuring more than 800 orchids on display, a threetiered fountain, and period pieces. Missouri Botanical Garden. 9 am-5 pm. $7-$11. 800-642-8842

RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles Feb. 4-5, St. Louis. A fusion of historical footage, live camera close-ups, and multi-media experiences. Fox Theatre. 8 pm. $40-$50. 314-534-1111 ML

pick

Soulard Mardi Gras Feb. 6-24, St. Louis. Taste of Soulard, pet parade, wiener dog derby, Grand Parade, and Fat Tuesday Parade.

Throughout the Soulard area. 314-771-5110 Move to the Rhythm of African Music Feb. 7, St. Louis. Folk tales, music, and dance of Africa, plus make your own percussion instrument. Magic House. Noon and 2 pm. $8.50. 314-822-8900 ML

pick

200 Years of Candy Feb. 11, St. Charles. Learn how candy was made in the 1820s and take some home to share with your sweetie.

First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site. 4-7:30 pm. Free. 636-940-3323

Power and Glory Feb. 22-May 17, St. Louis Explore the imperial court of China’s Ming dynasty (1368-1644). An art exhibit at the Saint Louis Art Museum will feature more than 125 works including porcelain, textiles, lacquerware, jade, precious metals, hair ornaments, incense burners, and ornamental pieces, plus paintings created by emperors. The free exhibit is open from 10 am to 5 pm Tuesdays through Sundays and 10 am to 9 pm on Fridays.

Call 314-721-0072 or visit www.slam. org for more information.

Joe Trio Concert Feb. 20, Hannibal. Trio strives for diversity, versatility, and humor with a repertoire from jazz to rock. Calvary Baptist Church. 7:30 pm $15. 573-221-6545

ML pick Three Dog Night Feb. 21, Arnold. Classic rock. Rickman Auditorium. 8 pm. $27-$42. 314-421-4400 Black History Day Feb. 21, Hermann. Lecture on the topic of how the German resistance to slavery in the area helped include former slaves in the community. Deutschheim State Historic Site. 2-5 pm. Free. 573-486-2200

Stellaluna Mar. 6-8, St. Louis. Puppetry, actors, singers, and dancers bring to life this story of a baby bat adopted by birds.

COCA Theatre. 7 pm Fri.; 11 am and 4:30 pm Sat.; 1:30 and 3:30 pm Sun. $14-$18. 314-725-6555 Baby and Kid Expo Mar. 7, St. Charles. Booths featuring information on children’s health, activities, schools, products, and services.

Convention Center. 9 am-4 pm. 866-654-3976 Home Show Mar. 13-15, Washington. 45 booths featuring products and services for your home. City Auditorium. 6-9 pm Fri.; 10 am-5 pm Sat.; noon-4 pm Sun. Free. 636-239-2715 St. Patrick’s Parade and Run Mar. 14, St. Louis. Floats, marching bands, giant heliumfilled balloons, and a 5-mile run. Downtown and Union Station. 9 am-3 pm. Free. 314-241-7287 Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy Mar. 17-29, St. Louis. Inspired by nature’s unpredictable creations and brought to life by aerialists, contortionists, acrobats, jugglers, and musicians. Fox Theatre. Times vary. $17-$58. 314-534-1678

Valentine’s Day Night Hike Feb. 13, Gray Summit. Hike the park and woods in the dark. Refreshments served in a candlelit hunting lodge.

Shaw Nature Reserve. 7-10 pm. $25-$30. Reservations required. 636-451-3512

The Truth and the Outdoors Mar. 27-28, Union. Family-oriented, religious event featuring vendors, hunting seminars, wildlife impersonator, speakers, and turkey-calling contest. Franklin County Baptist Association. 3-9 pm Fri.; 9 am-6 pm Sat. Free.

314-420-7541

Working Women’s Survival Show Feb. 13-15, St. Charles. Hundreds of exhibits and feature areas for women. Convention Center. 11 am8 pm Fri.; 9 am-7 pm Sat.; noon-6 pm Sun. $6.50-$9.50.

800-762-9973

Old Threshers Farm Toy Show Mar. 28, Montgomery City. More than 60 tables of farm toys, trucks, banks, NASCAR, and construction equipment. Fairground Merchants Building. 9 am. $2.

573-564-2979

River City Ramblers Feb. 16, Florissant. Relive the golden age of Dixieland music. Civic Center. 8 pm. $25-$27. 314-921-5678

Mark Twain Lake Antique Show and Sale Mar. 28, Paris. Premium dealers with a wide variety of antiques. High School. 9 am-3 pm. $3-$5. 573-473-9136

RV Vacation and Travel Show Feb. 19-22, St. Louis. Information on RVs and new products from RV dealerships. America’s Center. Noon-9 pm Thurs.; 11 am-9 pm Fri.; 10 am-10 pm Sat.; 11 am-5 pm Sun. $6.50-$8. 314-355-1236

ML pick New Harmonies Mar. 29-May 2, Kirksville. Traveling Smithsonian exhibit celebrates American Roots Music featuring blues, jazz, country western, gospel, and folk music. Arts Center.

Free. 660-665-0500

courtesy of St. Patrick Center; courtesy of Saint Louis Art museum

ML

[16] MissouriLife

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ALL AROUND MISSOURI

Northeast & St. Louis Area

Sports Trivia FEB. 7, ST. LOUIS Think you know everything about sports?

Think you’ve got what it takes? Celebrities will host what Dan Buck, CEO of the St. Patrick Center, calls the “world’s largest sports trivia contest.” This fundraiser for the center, made up of 110 competing teams of 10, will be held at the Chaifetz Arena at 5 PM. Tables are $1000-$3000 and spectators are free.

For information, call 314-802-5445 or visit www.sportstriviachampionship.org.

Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future Jan. 30-April 27, St. Louis. Exhibition explores the career of the architect who created the Gateway Arch. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. 11 AM-6 PM (8 PM Fri.). Free.

314-935-4523 Locust and Honey Jan. 30-May 17, St. Louis. Artist Jennifer Angus exhibits her works that are created using dried insects. Craft Alliance at Grand Center. Noon-6 PM Wed.-Sat.; noon5 PM Sun. Free. 314-534-7528 Henry’s Garden Jan. 31-Mar. 15, St. Louis. 91st year of the orchid show featuring more than 800 orchids on display, a threetiered fountain, and period pieces. Missouri Botanical Garden. 9 AM-5 PM. $7-$11. 800-642-8842

RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles Feb. 4-5, St. Louis. A fusion of historical footage, live camera close-ups, and multi-media experiences. Fox Theatre. 8 PM. $40-$50. 314-534-1111 ML

pick

Soulard Mardi Gras Feb. 6-24, St. Louis. Taste of Soulard, pet parade, wiener dog derby, Grand Parade, and Fat Tuesday Parade.

Throughout the Soulard area. 314-771-5110 Move to the Rhythm of African Music Feb. 7, St. Louis. Folk tales, music, and dance of Africa, plus make your own percussion instrument. Magic House. Noon and 2 PM. $8.50. 314-822-8900 ML

pick

200 Years of Candy Feb. 11, St. Charles. Learn how candy was made in the 1820s and take some home to share with your sweetie.

First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site. 4-7:30 PM. Free. 636-940-3323

Power and Glory FEB. 22-MAY 17, ST. LOUIS Explore the imperial court of China’s Ming dynasty (1368-1644). An art exhibit at the Saint Louis Art Museum will feature more than 125 works including porcelain, textiles, lacquerware, jade, precious metals, hair ornaments, incense burners, and ornamental pieces, plus paintings created by emperors. The free exhibit is open from 10 AM to 5 PM Tuesdays through Sundays and 10 AM to 9 PM on Fridays.

Call 314-721-0072 or visit www.slam. org for more information.

Joe Trio Concert Feb. 20, Hannibal. Trio strives for diversity, versatility, and humor with a repertoire from jazz to rock. Calvary Baptist Church. 7:30 PM $15. 573-221-6545 ML pick Three Dog Night Feb. 21, Arnold. Classic rock. Rickman Auditorium. 8 PM. $27-$42. 314-421-4400 Black History Day Feb. 21, Hermann. Lecture on the topic of how the German resistance to slavery in the area helped include former slaves in the community. Deutschheim State Historic Site. 2-5 PM. Free. 573-486-2200

Stellaluna Mar. 6-8, St. Louis. Puppetry, actors, singers, and dancers bring to life this story of a baby bat adopted by birds.

COCA Theatre. 7 PM Fri.; 11 AM and 4:30 PM Sat.; 1:30 and 3:30 PM Sun. $14-$18. 314-725-6555 Baby and Kid Expo Mar. 7, St. Charles. Booths featuring information on children’s health, activities, schools, products, and services.

Convention Center. 9 AM-4 PM. 866-654-3976 Home Show Mar. 13-15, Washington. 45 booths featuring products and services for your home. City Auditorium. 6-9 PM Fri.; 10 AM-5 PM Sat.; noon-4 PM Sun. Free. 636-239-2715 St. Patrick’s Parade and Run Mar. 14, St. Louis. Floats, marching bands, giant heliumfilled balloons, and a 5-mile run. Downtown and Union Station. 9 AM-3 PM. Free. 314-241-7287 Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy Mar. 17-29, St. Louis. Inspired by nature’s unpredictable creations and brought to life by aerialists, contortionists, acrobats, jugglers, and musicians. Fox Theatre. Times vary. $17-$58. 314-534-1678

Valentine’s Day Night Hike Feb. 13, Gray Summit. Hike the park and woods in the dark. Refreshments served in a candlelit hunting lodge.

Shaw Nature Reserve. 7-10 PM. $25-$30. Reservations required. 636-451-3512

The Truth and the Outdoors Mar. 27-28, Union. Family-oriented, religious event featuring vendors, hunting seminars, wildlife impersonator, speakers, and turkey-calling contest. Franklin County Baptist Association. 3-9 PM Fri.; 9 AM-6 PM Sat. Free.

314-420-7541

Working Women’s Survival Show Feb. 13-15, St. Charles. Hundreds of exhibits and feature areas for women. Convention Center. 11 AM8 PM Fri.; 9 AM-7 PM Sat.; noon-6 PM Sun. $6.50-$9.50.

800-762-9973

Old Threshers Farm Toy Show Mar. 28, Montgomery City. More than 60 tables of farm toys, trucks, banks, NASCAR, and construction equipment. Fairground Merchants Building. 9 AM. $2.

573-564-2979

River City Ramblers Feb. 16, Florissant. Relive the golden age of Dixieland music. Civic Center. 8 PM. $25-$27. 314-921-5678

Mark Twain Lake Antique Show and Sale Mar. 28, Paris. Premium dealers with a wide variety of antiques. High School. 9 AM-3 PM. $3-$5. 573-473-9136

RV Vacation and Travel Show Feb. 19-22, St. Louis. Information on RVs and new products from RV dealerships. America’s Center. Noon-9 PM Thurs.; 11 AM-9 PM Fri.; 10 AM-10 PM Sat.; 11 AM-5 PM Sun. $6.50-$8. 314-355-1236

ML pick New Harmonies Mar. 29-May 2, Kirksville. Traveling Smithsonian exhibit celebrates American Roots Music featuring blues, jazz, country western, gospel, and folk music. Arts Center.

Free. 660-665-0500

COURTESY OF ST. PATRICK CENTER; COURTESY OF SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM

ML

[16] MissouriLife

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Culture

7 Museums 10 Historic Register buildings 2 Universities Civil War battlefield Kirksville Arts Center

Summer on the Square concerts

Country

Huge white-tailed deer Muskie, bass, and trout fishing Kayaking, mountain biking, and hiking 1000 Hills State Park Antiques Amish Weekly Farmer’s Market Red Barn Arts Fair

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&OR MORE INFORMATION CALL #HARLESTON #HAMBER AT OR VISIT WWW CHARLESTONMO ORG [17] February 2009

AD-0209R2.indd 17

1/1/09 12:32:07 PM

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Graceland Museum Complex Presser Performing Arts Center Miss Missouri Pageant Sunset Festivals Concerts in the Park Mexico Area Community Theatre

1CJKKDIB Quilt Shops Antique Shops

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William S. Lowe Conservation Area Trout fishing Hunting Lodge 980 acres of parks 111 acres of lakes 2 golf courses Paved biking/walking trails

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April 2-5, 2009 Mexico Area Community Theatre presents “Cheaper By The Dozen� at the Presser Performing Arts Center

SeeRt66.com

877-858-8687

May 9, 2009 Young at Arts Festival Hardin Park

[18] MissouriLife

AD-0209R2.indd 18

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All Around Missouri

Southeast Aviation, Art, and Artifacts Feb. 1-6, Farmington. Exhibit portrays aviation history of St. Francois County, featuring art, historic artifacts, and radio-controlled airplanes. First State Community Bank.

9 am-4 pm. Free. 573-518-2125 Celebrating African-American Month Feb. 1-22, Poplar Bluff. Artist George Young, Jr. creates nature interpretations with a marvelous use of yellow.

Margaret Harwell Art Museum. Noon-4 pm Tues.-Fri.; 1-4 pm Sat.-Sun. Free. 573-686-8002 St. Louis Symphony Concert Feb. 3, Cape Girardeau. Performance covers a broad musical repertoire. Bedell Performance Hall at River Campus. 7:30 pm. $33-$39. 573-651-2265 Arts Around Town Feb. 6 and Mar. 6, Cape Girardeau. Visit galleries, talk with artists, and enjoy refeshments. Throughout town.

5-9 pm. Free. 800-777-0068 SEMO Gun Show Feb. 6-8, Cape Girardeau. More than 200 vendors with a variety of products. A.C. Brase Arena. 4-8 pm Fri.; 9 am5 pm Sat.; 9 am-3 pm Sun. $5. 573-335-5421 Bald Eagle Viewing Day Feb. 6 and 21, Salem. View an active nest and see eagles in the wild, with spotting scopes and binoculars pro-

vided. Montauk State Park. 9 am Fri.; 3:30 pm Sat. Free.

573-548-2225 Eagle Days Feb. 7, Puxico. Live presentations, featuring a bald eagle and a golden eagle, and spotting scopes are set up to see eagles in the wild. Mingo National Wildlife Refuge. 9 am5 pm. Free. 573-222-3589 ML pick King’s Ball Feb. 7, Ste. Genevieve. Traditional French Colonial dance with participants in costume, crowning of the king and queen, dancing, and refreshments. VFW Hall. 8 pmmidnight. $6-$12. 800-373-7007 Bridal Prom Expo Feb. 8, Cape Girardeau. Booths with everything you need for your wedding or prom. Osage Community Centre.

Noon-4 pm. $5. 573-339-7000 Spinning and Weaving Feb. 8, Winona. Learn how yarn was made from fibers available to early pioneers and how this yarn was turned into cloth. Twin Pines Conservation Education Center. 1-4 pm. Reservations. Free. 573-325-1381

Henry V Feb. 12, Poplar Bluff. Shakespeare’s classic tale of the power of courage and the price of glory. Tinnin Fine Arts Center at Three Rivers Community College. 7 pm. $20.

573-840-9170 Eat, Drink, and Be Larry Tour Feb. 12, Cape Girardeau. Stand-up comedy performance

by Larry the Cable Guy. Show Me Center. 7:30 pm. $44.

573-651-5000 Jazz Band Performance Feb. 13, Poplar Bluff. University of Missouri jazz students perform a range of Big Band music. Tinnin Fine Arts Center at Three Rivers Community College. 7 pm. $10.

573-840-9170

Best Ever St. Patrick’s Day Parade Mar. 14, Rolla Floats, bands, bagpipers, grand marshals, and the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile make appearances in the 101st annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade route runs on 6th and Pine streets from 11 am to 1 pm and is free. There will be a variety of other events following the parade, including two concerts.

Call 314-495-9818 or visit stpats.mst. edu for more information.

Outdoor Adventures Sportshow Feb. 13-15, West Plains. Exhibitors display and sell everything from all-terrain vehicles to hunting apparel. Civic Center. 417-256-4433 Mardi Gras Feb. 14, Malden. Cajun cuisine, performance by Gumbohead, and live and silent auction. Bootheel Youth Museum. 6 pm. $50. 573-276-3600 Nature Nuts: Animal Origami Feb. 14, Winona. Learn about the forest ecosystem and create your own origami animals. Twin Pines Conservation Education Center. 10-11:30 am. Reservations. Free.

573-325-1381

ML pick Indoor Swap Meet Feb. 15, Cape Girardeau. Event features a wide variety of antique and classic car, truck, and tractor parts for sale and trade. Arena Building. 6:30 am-2:30 pm.

573-979-3454

Rally in the 100-Acre Wood Feb. 27-28, Salem Named after the storybook home of Winnie the Pooh, this rally is considered one of the most scenic in the nation.

Rally teams face a “track,” which is unknown to them and consists of rugged unpaved roads. There are several spectator locations, and you can cheer on the teams for free. The rally runs from 1:30 to 7:15 pm Friday and 7:15 am to 10:15 pm Saturday. There will be a car show at 9 am on Saturday.

Call 636-699-9237 or visit www.100aw. org for more information.

Wizard of Oz Feb. 15, Farmington. Follow Dorothy on her journey down the yellow brick road. Centene Performing Arts Theatre.

3 pm. $2-$10. 573-518-2125 Poetry Out Loud Feb. 19, Park Hills. High school students compete at poetry readings at this regional contest. MAC Fine Arts Theatre. 6:30 pm. Free. 573-518-2125

ML pick The Music Man Feb. 19-22 and 26-28, Sikeston. High-stepping musical.

Albritton-Mayer Cultural Center. 7 pm Thurs.-Sat.; 2 pm Sun. $7-$8. 573-481-0255

Sweet Kingwilliamstown Feb. 21, Park Hills. One-woman show tells the story of an Irish family who came to America on the Titanic and survived the sinking. MAC Fine Arts Theatre. 7:30 pm. $2-$5. 573-518-2125 Bald Eagle Viewing Day Feb. 21, Salem. View wild eagles as they soar over the park. Montauk State Park. 3:30 pm. Free. 573-548-2225

Barber of Seville Feb. 25, Park Hills. Classic opera performed by the Iowa opera. MAC Fine Arts Theatre. 7:30 pm. $2-$5.

573-581-2125

courtesy of Lars Gange - subaru.com/rally; courtesy of J. Randazzo

ML

[19] February 2009

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STEIGER JEWELERS INC

STE. GENEVIEVE

A G R E AT P L A C E T O V I S I T ! • Visit Ste. Genevieve for unique shopping, dining, and lodging. Visit the Felix VallÊ House and many other historical sites, buildings, and homes.

Call 800-373-7007 or log on to visitstegen.com for more information about this unique historic community.

OLD BRICK HOUSE Daily luncheon buffet Dining Steaks & seafood Corner Third & Market

573-883-2724

Hotel Ste. Genevieve

Diamonds s Watches Jewelry s Gifts

2EMOUNTING s !PPRAISALS s %NGRAVING 0RECIOUS -OMENTS s *EWELRY 2EPAIR

573-883-2372

-ERCHANT s 3TE 'ENEVIEVE /PEN -ON 3AT AM PM

Rosemary & Thyme Cooking School Offering a variety of specialized classes.

Maximum of 8 seatings by reservation only.

Next to the Show Me Shop.

3OUTH -AIN 3TREET s rosemarythymecookingsch.com

The Stained Glass Shop Custom-designed leaded windows, sun catchers, supplies, and repairs.

-ERCHANT 3TREET s 3TE 'ENEVIEVE -/

s STAINEDGLASS SHOP SBCGLOBAL NET

Somewhere Inn Time

a place to linger

199 North Main, Ste. Genevieve t XXX JWZBOEUXJHT DPN

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Bed & Breakfast -iÂ?iVĂŒi`ĂŠ iĂƒĂŒĂŠ E ÊÓääÇ LÞÊ,i>`iĂ€ĂƒĂŠÂœvĂŠ INSIDERxÇÎ life&style magazine

Set in the dÊcor of yesterday is one of today’s finest restaurants.

Steaks & seafood since 1901

Corner Main & Merchant • 573-883-3562

Award-winning, two-story colonial home possesses the charm and beauty of the 1920s along with the comfort of the present.

*EFFERSON s www.somewhereinntime.info

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ad-0209R2.indd 20

Bed & Breakfast

1/4/09 3:16:23 PM

Bolduc House Museum Shop ĂŠ1Â˜ÂˆÂľĂ•iĂŠ-Â…ÂœÂŤĂŠĂœÂˆĂŒÂ…ĂŠ >ĂŠ Ă€i˜VÂ…ĂŠ Â?>ÂˆĂ€ vi>ĂŒĂ•Ă€ÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠ iÂ˜Ă€ÂˆÂœĂŒĂŠ +Ă•ÂˆÂ“ÂŤiÀÊv>ˆi˜Vi]ĂŠ Ăƒ>Â˜ĂŒÂœÂ˜Ăƒ]ĂŠĂƒÂœ>ÂŤĂƒ]ĂŠ LÂœÂœÂŽĂƒ]ĂŠÂ…iĂ€LĂƒ]ĂŠ}>Ă€`iÂ˜ĂŠ >VViĂƒĂƒÂœĂ€ÂˆiĂƒ]ĂŠ>˜`ĂŠ ÂœĂŒÂ…iĂ€ĂŠĂŒÂ…ÂˆÂ˜}ĂƒĂŠ Ă€i˜VÂ…

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Pizza • Pastas • Samiches

MODOC Ferry 800-373-7007

Family Dining, Children’s Menu, Carry Out Available

First Settlement Country Store

“A few of our favorite things�

Your Ol’ Time Candy and Gift Store!

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The Anvil Saloon

“The Best of Missouri�

&ULL 3ERVICE 2ESTAURANT "AR

Wines, cheeses, sausages, gifts, gift baskets, and gourmet foods.

Open Daily 11 AM-8 PM Weekends 11 AM-9 PM Sunday 11 AM-8 PM Third Street On the Square In Historic Ste. Genevieve, MO s -ADELINE *ETT /WNER

Lunch Cafe Homemade desserts Truly unique gifts • Antiques

198 North Main

573-883-3078

MĂŠlange

123 Merchant Street, Suite A 573-883-7919

www.inkleinedtostamp.com e-mail: pam@inkleinedtostamp.com NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING STORE

WoodWick Candles & Reed Diffusers, Jim Shore’s Heartwood Creek, custom stone plaques & crosses, monogram coasters, dip chillers, home dÊcor, and other gift items; Ste. Genevieve souvenir magnets, mugs, and T-shirts; 1000s of art rubber stamps & supplies.

Home of InKleined To Stamp

Microtel Inn & Suites

The

3outhern (otel

Here, the past is carefully blended with modern comforts to make your stay a very special experience.

Feb. & Mar. Monday – Saturday 6 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Sunday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

of Sainte Genevieve, LLC

233 Merchant Street

10 South Main • Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670

573-883-5749 261 Merchant Street Ste. Genevieve, MO

SWEET THINGS

Quality antiques featuring primitives, glassware, jewelry, toys, and much more.

573-883-3096

Ste. Genevieve

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A Historic B & B 3 RD 3T s www.southernhotelbb.com

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ad-0209R2.indd 21

12/29/08 12:19:15 PM

All Around Missouri

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Feb. 25, Rolla. Eclectic and innovative dance company consisting of ten versatile dancers featuring a repertoire by some of the world’s most foremost choreographers.

Leach Theatre at Castleman Hall. 7:30 pm. $25-$30.

573-341-4219 ML

pick

Sweet Charity Feb. 25-Mar. 1, Cape Girardeau. Award-winning musical

by Neil Simon. Bedell Performance Hall at River Campus.

7:30 pm. $17-$19. 573-651-2265

Heartland Classic Poultry Show Mar. 21-22, Cape Girardeau Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the poultry show, which features more than one thousand large-fowl entries, from bantam chickens to ducks and geese to turkeys. Held at the A.C. Brase Arena, the show is also host to the Old English Game Bantam Club of America National Meet and open from 8 am to 5 pm Saturdays and 8 to 10 am Sundays. Admission is free.

Call 618-833-9656 or visit www.crohio. com for more information.

In the Fullness of Time Feb. 26-Mar. 1, Houston. Religious drama with a message of hope. Stained Glass Theatre. 6:15 pm. $5-$17.

417-581-9192 All About Game Sports Show Feb. 27-28, Cape Girardeau. See some of the area’s best outdoor sporting goods. Show Me Center. 5-9 pm Fri.; 9 am-8 pm Sat. 573-651-5000 Talking Turkey Feb. 27-28, Winona. Take a look at one of the most successful conservation efforts ever, evaluate turkey calls, and make your own box call. Twin Pines Conservation Education Center. 6-9 pm Fri.; 8 am-noon Sat. Reservations.

Free. 573-325-1381 Drawing Workshop Feb. 28, Rolla. Instructor-taught workshop. Bring your own drawing pencils, papers, blending sticks, and erasers. Phelps County Courthouse Community Room.

10 am-4 pm. $50. 573-364-5539

ML pick Battle of Sand Ridge Feb. 28-Mar. 1, Sikeston. Civil War battle reenactment and encampment and a variety of period events and educational information. Scott Matthews’ farm and downtown. 11 am. Free. 573-471-2566

Felix Valle Birthday Celebration Feb. 15, Ste. genevieve Built in 1818 as an American Federal style residence and mercantile store, the Felix Valle House will host a celebration that features an old-fashioned storyteller, period music and refreshments, tours, and historical information about the Felix Valle House State Historic Site. Hours are from noon to 4 pm, and the event is free.

Call 800-373-7007 or visit www. mostateparks.com/felixvalle.htm for more information.

ML pick Opening Day Trout Season Mar. 1, Salem. Anglers participate in the excitement of the first day of Current River Rainbow Trout season. Montauk State Park. 6:30 am-6 pm.

800-334-6946

Chamber Music Ensemble Mar. 4, Poplar Bluff. Touring ensemble from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center performs. Tinnin Fine Arts Center at Three Rivers Community College. 7 pm. $20. 573-840-9170 Masked Marvels and Wondertales Mar. 5, Park Hills. Storytelling and mime performance, featuring huge handcrafted masks, plus learn how to create a mask at the free mask-making workshop. MAC Fine Arts Theatre. 4:30 pm workshop; 7 pm performance. $2-$10. 573-518-2125

Hairspray Mar. 8, Cape Girardeau. A musical comedy set in 1962.

Bedell Performance Hall at River Campus. 2:30 and 7:30 pm. $38-$44. 573-651-2265 Missouri Knife and Gun Show Mar. 13-15, Cape Girardeau. More than 350 tables where you can buy, sell, and trade. Show Me Center. 4-8 pm Fri.; 8 am-5 pm Sat.; 8 am-4 pm Sun. $5 (ladies are free).

573-243-0499 Native Plant Seminar Mar. 14, Cape Girardeau. Learn the benefits of using native grasses, wildflowers, trees, and shrubs.

Conservation Nature Center. 8:30 am-3 pm. Reservations.

Free. 573-290-5218 Arbor Day Mar. 14, Salem. A variety of tree seedlings will be handed out. Dorman L. Steelman Lodge at Montauk State Park.

9 am-3 pm. Free. 573-548-2201

ML pick Glenn Miller Orchestra Mar. 16, Rolla. Sanctioned by the Glenn Miller estate, a nineteen-member orchestra plays original swing tunes from the 1930s and 1940s. Leach Theatre at Castleman Hall. 7:30 pm. $25-$30. 573-341-4219 Amateur Photo Tour of a Cave Mar. 21, Leasburg. Join park staff on a tour where extra time is given to photograph specific locations in the cave.

Onondaga Cave State Park. 10:30 am. Cave tour fees apply. 573-245-6576, ext. 227

Momentum: The Art of Penny Lyons Mar. 1-29, Poplar Bluff. Exhibit of a mix of leaded-glass pieces and original watercolors. Margaret Harwell Art Museum. Noon-4 pm Tues.-Fri.; 1-4 pm Sat.-Sun. Free.

573-686-8002

Men’s Trout Fishing Tournament Mar. 21, Salem. Fishing tournament, plus fly and bait classes. Two winners receive gift certificates for heaviest trout and stringer. Montauk State Park. 7:30 am-2 pm.

Register at Dorman L. Steelman Lodge. 573-548-2434

Lincoln Portrait Mar. 3, Cape Girardeau. Orchestra performance of inspiring music with an American theme performed to honor Lincoln’s 200th birthday. Bedell Performance Hall at River Campus. 7:30 pm. $11-$15. 573-651-2265

Ladies Trout Fishing Tournament Mar. 21, Salem. Fishing tournament, fly and bait classes.

Two winners receive gift certificates for heaviest trout and stringer. Montauk State Park. 7:30 am-2 pm. Register at Dorman L. Steelman Lodge. 573-548-2434

Art Show Mar. 3-29, Sikeston. Regional high school students multimedia art exhibit. Awards reception 2-4 pm on Mar. 15.

Depot Museum. 10 am-4 pm Tues.-Sat.; 1-4 pm Sun. Free.

573-481-9967

ML pick World Famous Globetrotters Mar. 25, Cape Girardeau. 83rd consecutive season, featuring trick shots, ball-handling wizardry, high-flying dunks, and hilarious comedy. Show Me Center. 7 pm. $23-$128. 573-651-5000

courtesy of

ML

[22] MissouriLife

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All Around Missouri

ovarian cancer. A portion of the proceeds go to local ovarian cancer chapters. Gillioz Theatre. 3 and 7 pm. $35-$40. 417-836-7678 Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery Feb. 7, Springfield. Adult-only, behind-the-scenes tour of the hatchery at Branson. Meet at the center and carpool.

Conservation Nature Center. 9 am-1 pm. Registration.

Free. 417-888-4237

Sweetheart Month Feb. 1-28, Branson Last year 1,948 couples renewed their wedding vows on the Grand Staircase.

Join the crew this year, and renew your vows. Each ceremony is held in elegant style and is presided over by the ship’s captain. Ceremonies will be performed all month at The Titanic Museum. Call for reservations.

Visit www.titanicbranson.com or call 800-381-7670 for more information.

Southwest ML pick Indoor Garage Sale Jan. 31-Feb. 1, Springfield. Huge indoor sale with a variety of items. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. 9 am-6 pm Sat.; 10 am-4 pm Sun. $3.50. 417-833-2660 Hearts for the Arts Party Feb. 6, Springfield. Silent and live auction of artwork done on 12x12 tiles and refreshments. The Creamery Arts Center. 6-9 pm. Free. 417-862-2787 Storytelling and Strolling Feb. 6, Springfield. Native American storyteller tells animated stories, the lobby hosts drumming and singing, and trails are available for walks. Conservation Nature Center. 6-9 pm. Free. 417-888-4237

Art in the Afternoon Feb. 8, Poplar Bluff. Lecture on artists and their works from Bohemian Paris (1910-1930). Spiva Center for the Arts. 2 pm. Donations accepted. 417-623-0183

The Phantom Tollbooth Feb. 9, Springfield. Musical based on Norton Juster’s children’s book. Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. 7 pm. $11-$17. 888-476-7849 Urban Bush Women Feb. 9, Springfield. Dance company brings the untold story of a disenfranchised people. Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. 7:30 pm. $13-$23.

888-476-7849 Art on Tap! Feb. 13, Joplin. Age-21-and-over event that features the Ben Miller Band. Spiva Center for the Arts. 5:30-8 pm.

417-623-3638 Owl Prowl Feb. 13, Springfield. Take a close-up look at live owls, and try to call in wild owls. Conservation Nature Center.

7-8:30 pm. Registration. Free. 417-888-4237

group of women doing what they do best, being women.

Craig Hall Balcony Theatre. 7:30 pm Mon.-Fri.; 2:30 pm Sun. $12-$18. 888-476-7849

ML pick Ribbit and Roll Feb. 20, Springfield. The band Wildheart combines melody, imagination, colorful media, and lively lyrics at the center for a children’s concert. Conservation Nature Center. 4-5 pm and 7-8 pm. Registration. Free.

417-888-4237 Sertoma Chili Cook-off Feb. 21, Springfield. Costumed teams compete for a variety of prizes at this fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club. Expo Center. 11 am-5 pm. $12-$15. 417-863-1231 Katrina: Days of Terror, Month of Anguish Feb. 21-Mar. 29, Springfield. Exhibition of paintings and drawings depicting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Springfield Art Museum. 9 am-5 pm Tues. and Wed., Sat. and Sun.; 9 am-8 pm Thurs.; 1-5 pm Sun. Free.

417-837-5700 Spring Fishing Classic Feb. 22, Springfield. Discounted fishing merchandise and seminars hosted by professional anglers. Bass Pro Shops and Outdoor World. Free. 417-887-7334 Benjamin Moser Concert Feb. 25, Springfield. Virtuoso piano concert. Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. 7:30 pm. $20.

888-476-7849

Health and Family Fair Feb. 13-14, Branson. Health screenings, informative presentations, prizes, and giveaways. Convention Center.

8 am-3 pm. Free. 417-336-5401

ML pick Polar Bear Plunge Feb. 14, Branson. Dip into the freezing water, and help raise money for charity. Still Waters Resort. 2 pm. Free to spectators. 417-887-7766 Let’s Fall in Love Feb. 14, Joplin. Concert featuring love songs performed by a variety of vocalists, a quartet, and a jazz group.

Park Playhouse. 4 pm. $10. 417-623-3638

Autofest Feb. 7-8, Springfield. Everything automotive: top street rods, muscle cars, imports, motorcycles, 4x4s, special feature vehicles, and guest celebrities. Missouri Entertainment and Events Center. 10 am-7 pm Sat.; 10 am-5 pm Sun. $7-$10. 417-833-2660

Top Ten Most Romantic Animals Feb. 14, Redings Mill. Join the staff for this family event counting down Missouri’s most romantic animals. Walter Woods Conservation Area. 1-2 pm. Reservations. Free.

417-629-3423

The Music Man Feb. 6-22, Springfield. Feel-good American musical. Little Theatre. 7:30 pm Thurs.-Sat.; 2:30 pm Sat.-Sun. $15-$25.

417-869-1334

All Bands Concert Feb. 18, Springfield. MSU music department presents an evening of music. Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. 7:30 pm. Free. 417-836-5454

Menopause the Musical Feb. 7, Springfield. Performance raises awareness about

A ... My Name is Alice Feb. 19-Mar. 3, Springfield. Comedy showing a select

RV Mega Show Mar. 6-8, Springfield See the very latest in recreationalvehicle living. Experts and dealers will be on hand with the newest RVs. Held at the Missouri Entertainment and Event Center, the event runs from 10 am to 7 pm Friday and Saturday and 11 am to 4 pm Sunday. Admission is $12, with ages 12 and younger free.

Visit www.entertainmo.com or call 417833-2660 for more information.

©iStockphoto.com; courtesy of the titanic museum

ML

[23] February 2009

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All Around Missouri

To Kill a Mockingbird Mar. 6-8, Springfield Harper Lee’s 1960 Pulitzer Prizewinning novel is an American classic.

The Montana Repertory Theatre brings this heartwarming and chilling story of prejudice and courage to life at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall. Showtime is 7:30 pm, and tickets range from $13-$23.

Call 888-476-7849 or visit www.

HammonsHall.com for more information.

Parker String Quartet Feb. 26, Joplin. Classical music. First Presbyterian Church. 7 pm. Donations accepted. 417-625-1822

hot tubs, and furniture. Expo Center. 5-9 pm Fri.; 11 am8 pm Sat.; 11 am-5 pm Sun. $6 (ages 16 and under are free). 888-862-9330

Amazing Amphibians Feb. 27, Springfield. Learn about the more than forty species of amphibians in the state during activities, programs, and games. Conservation Nature Center. 7-9 pm. Free. 417-888-4237

Horsefest Mar. 13-15, Springfield. Meet nationally known clinicians, and see equine-related exhibits, educational presentations, and horses displayed by area breeders.

Missouri Entertainment and Event Center. 8:30 am-5 pm daily. $5-$10. 417-833-2660

Bull Blast Feb. 27-28, Springfield. Thrilling rodeo action. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds Arena. Call for admission and times.

417-833-2660 Crappie Fishing Basics Feb. 28, Springfield. Learn habitat, techniques, and tips of crappie fishing in the Ozarks. Andy Dalton Shooting Range. 8:30 am. Reservations. Free. 417-742-4361

ML pick Women’s Expo Feb. 28, Springfield. Products, information, and displays pertaining to women’s interests, health, and job-related issues. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. 8 am-4 pm. $5. 417833-2660 Building Home Show Mar. 6-8, Branson. Home improvement, landscaping, remodeling, kitchen, and bath. Convention Center.

2-8 pm Fri.; 9 am-5 pm Sat.; 11 am-5 pm. Sun. Free.

417-336-5401 Reis Ranch Horse Show Mar. 6-8, Springfield. Learn how to understand the true nature of horses. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds Arena.

10 am-5 pm. $25 for both days. 800-732-8220

The Rat Pack is Back Mar. 6-8, Springfield. Tribute re-creates one of the hotel shows with Vegas’s famous four: Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, and Joey Bishop. Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. 8 pm Fri.; 2 and 8 pm Sat.; 2 pm Sun. $12-$47. 888-476-7849

PhotoSpiva 2009 Mar. 7-may 3, Joplin Founded in 1977, PhotoSpiva has become the longest-running competition of its kind in the United States. The exhibit features everything from traditional black and white to modern digital photos and everything in between. Held at the George A. Spiva Center for the Arts, the exhibit is open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 5 pm Sundats and is free.

For more information, call 417-6230183 or visit www.spivaarts.org.

ML pick The Boys Next Door Mar. 6-22, Springfield. Touching and funny play focuses on four mentally challenged men, who live in a communal residence. Little Theatre. 7:30 pm Thurs.-Fri.; 2:30 and 7:30 pm Sat.; 2:30 pm Sun. $15-$23. 417-869-1334

Bass Tournament Mar. 12-15, Branson. Prizes awarded and Fun Zone for children. Table Rock State Park Marina. 7 am-3 pm Thurs.Fri.; 7 am-4 pm Sat.-Sun. 417-336-5401 Shrine Circus Mar. 12-22, Springfield. Family fun circus. Shrine Mosque. 11 am and 6 pm Mon.-Thurs.; 11 am, 4:30 and 7 pm Fri.; 11 am-3:30 and 7 pm Sat.; 11:30 am, 3 and 6 pm Sun. $11-$15. 417-869-9164 Extreme Home and Patio Mar. 13-15, Springfield. New-home manufacturers, remodeling ideas, kitchens, windows, fireplaces, doors,

Business Expo Mar. 14, Republic. Chamber of Commerce brings area businesses together for this event. Community Center.

10 am-2 pm. Free. 417-732-5200 St. Patrick’s Day Celebration and Parade Mar. 14, Springfield. Food booths and vendors, Irish Idol contest, parade, and awards ceremony. Downtown. 11am4:30 pm. Free. 417-848-7474 All School Exhibition Mar. 14-Apr. 19, Springfield. Artwork created by the area’s young artists. Springfield Art Museum. 9 am-5 pm Tues., Wed., and Sat.; 9 am-8 pm Thurs.; 1-5 pm Sun. Free.

417-837-5700 Basketball Championship Mar. 16-21, Springfield. More than 300 teams of homeschooled children compete in the All-American Game, three-point shooting, and slam dunk contests.

Throughout town. 9 am-10 pm. Free. 417-888-4875

War of the Worlds and The Lost World Mar. 18, Springfield. America’s premier radio theatre company presents Orson Welles’ infamous radio broadcast and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s story of dinosaurs existing alongside apemen and explorers. Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. 7:30 pm. $13-$23. 888-476-7849 ML pick Johnny Guitar: The Musical Mar. 25-29, Joplin. Hilarious musical based on the Joan Crawford cult western embraces melodramatic romance and cowboy action. Joplin Little Theatre. Call for tickets and showtimes. 417-623-3638

Cowboy Classic Pro Rodeo Mar. 27-28, Springfield. Sanctioned rodeo featuring all seven standard rodeo events and clowns. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds Arena. 8 pm Fri.; 2 and 8 pm Sat. $6-$14.

417-485-7055 Territorial Shotgun Shoot Mar. 27-29, Springfield. Muzzleloading and black-powder cartridge championships and trap and skeet competitions. Andy Dalton Shooting Range. 8 am. Reservations.

Free (trap and skeet $5). 417-998-6535 Meet a Snake Mar. 28, Joplin. Join a naturalist to dispel myths, learn about Missouri snakes, and meet a real snake. Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center. 6-7 pm.

Reservations. Free. 417-629-3423

courtesy of Laurie Lane ; courtesy of Corey Hine

ML

[24] MissouriLife

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s WWW %XPLORE"RANSON COM [25] February 2009

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12/29/08 12:32:14 PM

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660-885-2123 or www.clintonmo.com [26] MissouriLife

AD-0209R2.indd 26

12/31/08 12:57:11 PM

All Around Missouri

Best of Missouri Life Festival May 22-24, Boonville Save this date! Join the staff of Missouri Life for a celebration of everything Missouri, from foods, wine, art, madein-Missouri products, music, and more.

Visit MissouriLife.com.

Central Muzzleloader Shoot Feb. 1, Dixon. Come out and practice with your muzzleloader. Clubhouse. 2 pm. Free. 573-736-5446 Picture Perfect Feb. 1-28, Jefferson City. Art exhibit featuring documentary photographs and paintings of a women’s decade in post-apartheid South Africa. Elizabeth Rozier Gallery.

10 am-4 pm Tues.-Sat. Free. 573-751-2854 Ag Photo Display Feb. 1-28, Sedalia. Exhibit of the Youth: The Future of Agriculture contest entries. Katy Depot. 9 am-5 pm Mon.Fri. Free. 660-826-2932

Wine

ML pick The St. Louis Gemini Story Feb. 1-May 30, Columbia. Exhibit of photos and documents related to NASA’s Gemini program, a series of space missions launched between 1964 and 1966. State Historical Society of Missouri. 8 am-4:45 pm Mon.-Fri.; 8 am-3:30 pm Sat. Free. 573-884-7905

ML pick Quilt Exhibit Feb. 2-27, Fulton. Pam RuBert exhibit. Mildred Cox Art Gallery at William Woods University campus. 9 am-4 pm Mon.-Fri. 1-4 pm Sat.-Sun. Free. 573-592-4245

Picnic Feb. 5-8, Columbia. Classic romantic drama filled with laughter and longing set in Kansas. Corner Playhouse at UMC campus. 8 pm Thurs.-Sat.; 2 pm Sun. $7.

573-882-2021

Art

A History of Valentine’s Day Feb. 7, Jefferson City. Take a look at the cultural traditions and explore the role of the Victorian era on what has become Valentine’s Day. Missouri State Museum.

2-3 pm. Free. 573-751-4127 Chocolate Tasting and Food Pairing Feb. 13, Williamsburg. Taste chocolates and learn what foods complement each other. Crane’s Museum. 7 pm. $25. 877-254-3356

Anastasia Feb. 13-15 and 20-21, Columbia. Mysterious love story about the life of the Grand Duchess Anastasia.

Macklanburg Playhouse at Stephens College. 7:30 pm Fri.-Sat.; 2 pm Sun. $6-$12. 573-876-7199 Sweetheart Gala Feb. 14, Sedalia. Dinner and entertainment with proceeds going to student scholarships and program support. State Fair Community College. 6:30 pm. $75.

660-596-7410

Food

Snowflakes and Storytelling Feb. 17, Jefferson City. Ages 6-12 gather for nature stories, snowflake “animal” designs, and make your own snowflake to take home. Runge Conservation Nature Center. 6:30-8 pm. Free. 573-526-5544

College and Career Fair Feb. 20, Eldon. Booths featuring educational and career opportunities in the area. Career Center. 10 am-1 pm.

Free. 573-392-8060, ext. 521

ML pick Handcrafted Paper Naturally Feb. 20, Jefferson City. Ages 18 and older learn how to make paper using newspapers, magazine, junk mail, seeds, leaves, and flower petals. Bring supplies. Runge Conservation Nature Center. 6:30-8:30 pm. Reservations.

Free. 573-526-5544 Beethoven Emperor Piano Concerto Feb. 21, Columbia. Featuring the 9th Street Philharmonic Orchestra. Missouri United Methodist Church. 7 pm. $10.

573-443-3111 Love in Bloom Feb. 21, Kingsville. Wedding planning fair featuring photographers, florists, cake decorators, fashion show, Dream Wedding Tunes Mix contest, and vote for your favorite cake in the decorating contest. Powell Gardens.

10 am-3:30 pm. $2-$6. 816-697-2600, ext. 228 Spring Bridal and Fashion Expo Feb. 22, Lake Ozark. Variety of vendors with all of your wedding needs. Country Club Hotel and Spa. Noon-4 pm.

Free. 573-636-4094 African-American Exposition Feb. 23-27, Waynesville. Exhibit honoring Black History Month. Middle School. 9 am-4 pm. Free. 573-336-4477 STOMP Feb. 24-25, Columbia. Combination of percussion, movement, and visual comedy. Jesse Hall. 7 pm. $15-$37.

800-292-9136 Searching for Jim Feb. 26, Jefferson City. Presentation on Samuel Clemens’ writings, especially on his use of race. Missouri State Archives. 7 pm. Free. 573-751-3280 ML

pick

ML

pick

Flying West Feb. 26-28 and Mar. 5-8, Columbia. Richly compelling story of four frontier women who move west in search of freedom. Rhynsburger Theatre at UMC campus. 8 pm Thurs.-Sat.; 2 pm Sun. $8-$12. 573-882-2021 The Pink Floyd Experience Feb. 27, Columbia. Hear Pink Floyd’s greatest hits. Jesse Hall. 7 pm. $12-$24. 800-292-9136

Tuna Christmas Feb. 27-28, Mar. 1, and 5-8, Jefferson City. Comedy dinner theater with split-second costume changes and eccentric characters. Shikles Auditorium. 6 pm Thurs.Sat.; noon Sun. Reservations. $30. 573-681-9012 Missouri Deer Classic Feb. 28, Columbia. Taxidermy display, seminars, exhibitors, kid’s archery range, laser shot booth, and trailcamera photo competition. Boone County Fairgrounds.

9 am-6 pm Sat.; 9 am-4 pm Sun. $6 (ages 9 and under are free). 573-796-2066

NOtley Hawkins

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All Around Missouri

Opening Day of Trout Season Mar. 1, Lebanon. Anglers come out for the first day of the season. Bennett Spring State Park. 6:30 am. Free.

417-532-4338 Sedalia Symphony Mar. 2, Sedalia. Performance with guest pianist Mia Hynes. Smith-Cotton High School auditorium. 7:30 pm. $10. 800-827-5295

Mid-Missouri Ag Expo Feb. 13-14, Sedalia This expo features a wide variety of booths, petting zoo, photo exhibit, pie baking contest, educational seminars, and an amateur talent contest. Held at the Lowell Moehler Assembly Hall and the Mathewson Exhibition Center at the Missouri State Fairgrounds, the expo is open from 11 am to 7 pm Saturday and 10 am to 5 pm Sunday. Admission is $1.

For more information, call 660-8262932 or visit www.midmoagexpo.com.

ML pick Pianist Brian Holland Mar. 3, Sedalia.The Scott Joplin Foundation presents an evening of ragtime and early jazz. First Christian Church.

7 pm. $15 (ages 12 and under are free). 660-826-2271 Preservation of Site Memories Mar. 4-May 10, Jefferson City. Art exhibit features architectural drawings and paintings focusing on historic sites and buildings in Missouri. Elizabeth Rozier Gallery. 10 am-4 pm Mon.-Sat. Free. 573-751-2854

William Least Heat-Moon Mar. 5, Columbia. A reading by one of America’s finest travel writers. Ellis Library at MU campus. 7 pm. Free.

573-882-4971 Maidens IV: Celtic Fire with Class Mar. 6, Jefferson City. The four Justice sisters perform with rhythmic sounds and harmonious voices. Miller Performing Arts Center. 7-10 pm. $8-$15. 573-632-3444

Jake’s Women Mar. 6-7, 13-15, and 20-21, Waynesville. Play by Neil Simon. Theatre on the Square. 7:30 pm Fri.-Sat.; 2:30 pm Sun. 573-774-3394 Dance Company Spring Concert Mar. 6-8, Columbia. Featuring classic ballet, modern dance, jazz, and tap. Macklanburg Playhouse at Stephens College. 7:30 pm Fri.-Sat.; 2 pm Sun. $7-$14.

573-876-7199

Vanguard Jazz Orchestra Feb. 18, Columbia Considered one of the best big bands in the country, the Grammy-nominated, sixteen-piece Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, with National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Bob Brookmeyer and Dan Morgenstern, perform in a world-premiere commission and concert at the Missouri Theatre at 7 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $18-$32.

For more information, call 573-4493001 or visit www.wealwaysswing.org.

An Evening on Broadway Mar. 7, Columbia. Featuring the Columbia Chorale.

Missouri United Methodist Church. 7 pm. $10.

573-443-3111 Gun and Knife Collectors Show Mar. 7-8, Lake Ozark. Featuring more than 300 tables displaying and selling a variety of merchandise including military items. The Lodge of Four Seasons. 9 am-5 pm Sat.; 9 am-3 pm Sun. 563-927-8176

Help Fight the Invaders!

Mar. 14, Columbia. Learn how to identify major invasive plants of Central Missouri and what methods are effective in controlling them. Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. 1-4 pm. Reservations. Free. 573-449-7402 A Frog’s Serenade Mar. 14, Columbia. Learn about frogs and toads that inhabit the ponds of central Missouri, listen to frog and toad calls, and participate in a frog and toad survey. Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. 5:30-10 pm.

Reservations. Free. 573-449-7402 St. Patrick’s Day Parade on the Water Mar. 14, Laurie. More than 30 decorated boats travel across the Lake stopping at various locations. Gravois Arm. Noon. Free. 573-374-5500

ML pick Capitol City Classic Mar. 14-15, Jefferson City. Skaters of all levels compete in figure-skating competition. Washington Park Ice Arena. 7 am-7 pm. Free. 573-634-6482 ML pick Children’s Literature Festival Mar. 15-17, Warrensburg. More than forty authors from around the country and the world discuss their works, visit with attendees, and give workshops. University of Central Missouri campus. $7-$15 ($20 for luncheon).

660-543-4306

The Verge Mar. 17-19 and Apr. 2-5, Columbia. Satirical drama.

Corner Playhouse at MU campus. 8 pm Tues.-Sat.; 2 pm Sun. $7. 573-882-2021 Spring Expo Mar. 20-21, Warrensburg. Featuring area businesses, civic organizations, crafters, and entertainment. UCM Multipurpose building. 5-9 pm Fri.; 9 am-5 pm Sat. Free.

660-747-9191 Hardship and Hope Mar. 26, Jefferson City. Dramatic reading featuring the life stories and its ups and downs of a variety of Missouri women from 1820-1920. Missouri State Archives. 7 pm.

Free. 573-751-3280 ML pick Steve McQueen Day Mar. 27-28, Slater. Dinner, talent show, muscle car and motorcycle show, Missouri wine tasting, movie film festival, presentations with Steve McQueen’s personal friend, Pat Johnson, memorabilia display, and motorcycle raffle.

Throughout town. 660-529-2271

ML pick Lost in the Woods Mar. 8, Columbia. Two-part navigational training course featuring orienteering, map compass skills, and take a hike to practice land navigation skills. Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. Noon-4:30 pm. Reservations. Free.

573-449-7402

The Dixie Swim Club Mar. 27-29 and April 2-5, Jefferson City. Comedy dinner theater about a championship girls swim team and lifelong friendships. Shikles Auditorium. 6 pm Thurs.-Sat.; 2 pm Sun. $30. 573-681-9012

Mosaic Birdbath Bowl Mar. 13, Kingsville. Stained-glass tile is provided to create your own unique birdbath. Powell Gardens. 9 am-3 pm.

Registration. $55-$65. 816-697-2600

Cruisin’ for MDA Mar. 28, Jefferson City. Car cruise and vehicles on display, music, and food vendors. Downtown. 5-9:30 pm.

Donations accepted. 573-680-9558

Courtesy of Sedalia Chamber of Commerce; courtesy of Vanguard Jazz Orchestra

ML

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ALL AROUND MISSOURI

70 Years of Oz JAN. 31-APRIL 26, KANSAS CITY Follow the yellow brick road and tour the land of the Munchkins. Families can meet the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. Take your turn sneaking inside the Wicked Witch’s eerie castle. Locate the Emerald City at Crown Center from 10 AM to 6 PM Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays; 10 AM to 9 PM Thursdays and Fridays; and noon to 5 PM Sundays. This event is free.

For more information, call 816-274-8444 or visit www.crowncenter.com.

Northwest & Kansas City Area Our Town Jan. 27-Feb. 20, Kansas City. Timeless revolutionary American play. The Coterie Theatre. Show times vary. $9-$14. 816-474-6552 Anansi Returns Jan. 28-Feb. 8, Kansas City. Puppet show tells classic folk tales from Africa and the Caribbean. Unity on the Plaza. 10 AM and 1 PM Wed.-Fri.; 2 PM Sat.-Sun. $7-$8.50.

816-235-6222

© iSTOCKPHOTO: COURTESY OF INDEPENDENCE TOURISM

ML pick Hungry Planet Feb. 1-20, Kansas City. Photography exhibit documenting what families across the world eat. Central Branch Public Library. Free. 816-701-3407

Stairway to Heaven Feb. 1-Apr. 4, Kansas City. Exhibition titled “Chinese Streets to Monuments and Skyscrapers.” Art Institute. Noon-5 PM Tues.-Fri.; 11 AM-5 PM Sat. Free.

800-522-5224 Stories of Love and Courtship on the Trails Feb. 5, 12, 19, and 26, Independence. Gallery walk features love stories from the Santa Fe Trail days. National Frontier Trails Museum. 2 PM. $5-$3.50. 816-325-7575 Willow Spring Live Music Feb. 7-Mar. 28 (Sat.), Excelsior Springs. Missouri wine tasting and live music. Basement bistro at Willow Spring Mercantile. 2-5 PM. Free. 816-630-7467

Schoolhouse to White House Feb. 7-Aug. 30, Independence. Exhibit features details about children who grew up to be president with displays of report cards, tests, essays, and photos from the National Archives Presidential Libraries. Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. 9 AM-5 PM Mon.-Sat.; noon-5 PM Sun. $3-$8. 800-833-1225 Mid-America Boat Show Feb. 13-15, Kansas City. Boat and marine products and services. Convention and Entertainment Centers. Noon9 PM Fri.; 10 AM-9 PM Sat.; 10 AM-5 PM Sun. $8.50 (ages 12 and under are free). 816-931-4686 Beethoven and Mendelssohn Feb. 13-15, Kansas City. Program of orchestral and vocal highlights from Beethoven’s only opera and Mendelssohn’s symphony-cantata. Lyric Theatre. 8 PM. $10-$58. 816-471-0400 Love In Art Feb. 14, Kansas City. Tour the love stories from the museum’s collection, music, dinner, and a chocolate dessert. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. 6 PM. $90 per couple. 816-751-1278 Love Letters of Harry and Bess Feb. 14, Independence. Exhibit includes an informal chat with the museum staff. Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. 11 AM. $3-$8. 800-833-1225

Dying for a Drink Feb. 21, Independence. Murder-mystery dinner theater with a Prohibition speakeasy theme. Bingham-Waggoner Estate. 6-9 PM. $45. Reservations. 816-461-3491 Miss Greater Kansas City Feb. 21, Platte City. Scholarship pageant and preliminary contest to Miss America. Wilson Center for the Performing Arts at Platte County High School. 7 PM. $5-$10. 816-815-2619 ML pick Mardi Gras Parade Feb. 21, St. Joseph. Nighttime parade, food, and special events benefiting the Coleman Hawkins Festival. Starts at 7th and Felix streets. Free. 800-785-0360

NCMC Players Feb. 27-28, Trenton. Annual performance by students and staff of North Central Missouri College. Hoover Community Theatre. 7 PM. $8. 660-359-3463

ML pick The Clean House Feb. 27-Mar. 22, Kansas City. Comedy featuring a wacky maid who hates to clean but has a talent for making people laugh. Unicorn Theatre. 7:30 PM Tues.-Thur.; 8 PM Fri.-Sat.; 3 PM Sun. $20-$30. 816-531-7529

Beowulf Feb. 28, Kansas City. One-man drama of ancient words and song. Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. 8 PM. $35.

816-561-9999

Second Saturdays Feb. 14 and Mar. 14, Weston. Sample the taste of Weston and entertainment. Downtown. 11 AM-8 PM. Free.

888-635-7457 Winter Performances Feb. 19-22, Kansas City. Kansas City Ballet performs several classic works. Lyric Theatre. 7:30 PM Thurs.-Sat.; 2 PM Sat.-Sun. $30-$75. 816-931-2232 Fat Friday Feb. 20, Kansas City. Concert with a Mardi Gras theme featuring the Matt Hooper Group. The Mutual Musicians District at the 18th and Vine District. 7-10 PM. Donations accepted. 816-471-5212 Jammin’ at the Gem Feb. 20, Kansas City. Series highlights a diverse lineup of jazz performers for a wide range of audiences. Gem Theatre. 8 PM. $30-$50. 816-474-8463 Western Farm Show Feb. 20-22, Kansas City. More than 500 exhibitors.

American Royal Complex. 9 AM-5 PM Fri.-Sat.; 9 AM-4 PM Sun. $7. 816-931-3330 Home, Lawn, and Garden Show Feb. 20-22, St. Joseph. Products and services relating to everything you need for your home decorating, lawn, and garden. Civic Arena. 4-8 PM Fri.; 10 AM-7 PM Sat.; 11 AM-4 PM Sun. $4.75 (ages 12 and under are free).

816-271-4717

All Dolled Up FEB. 14-16, INDEPENDENCE Presidents’ Day weekend features a citywide celebration highlighting all kinds of dolls: dolls for sale, doll quilt-making workshop, doll displays, an appraiser, children’s activities, visits with Harry S. Truman, original puppet shows, home tours, doll-themed programs, and presidential cookies. Most events are open from 10 AM to 4 PM and cost $2-$20.

Some events are free.

For more information, call 816-325-7111 or visit www.visitindependence.com.

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ALL AROUND MISSOURI

Bye Bye Birdie Feb. 28, Chillicothe. Rock-and-roll musical set in the 1950s in the Midwest. Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center. 7 PM. 660-646-1173 African-American Customs Feb. 28, Lexington. Event features ragtime music and the tempting tastes of soul food. Battle of Lexington State Historic Site. 1 PM. 660-259-4654

Artifacts Show MAR. 7, AGENCY Collectors from across the Midwest gather to display their collections of Native American artifacts. Arrowheads, axes, tomahawks, spear points, and Ice Age animal bones are among the many historical pieces these collectors bring to the show. Flint knappers are on hand giving demonstrations of their craft. The show is at the Community Center from 10 AM to 4 PM. Donations are accepted.

For more information, call 816-253-9301.

Leahy Feb. 28, St. Joseph. Eight brothers and sisters perform fiddle-driven music, dance, and vocals. Missouri Theater.

8 PM. $10-$40. 816-279-1225 ML pick World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions Feb. 28, Kansas City. Equine ballet. Sprint Center. 2 and 7:30 PM. $20.50-$35. 816-949-7000

State Championship Chili Challenge Mar. 1, St. Joseph. Amateurs and professionals compete for the best chili, taste samples, shop at the flea market, and enjoy live music. Civic Arena. 11 AM-4:30 PM. $1.50-$3 (fee for participating in the challenge). 816-364-3836 2nd Fridays Art Crawl Mar. 13, Excelsior Springs. Live music, tour galleries and shops, meet the artists, and refreshments. Downtown.

5-8 PM. Free. 816-630-1170

Winesburg, Ohio Mar. 13-Apr. 5, Kansas City. Repertory Theatre presents an award-winning new musical. Spencer Theatre. $20$60. 816-235-2700 The Emperor’s New Clothes Mar. 14, Independence. Puppets tell this classic children’s story. Puppetry Arts Institute. 11 AM and 2 PM. $5. 816-833-9777 St. Patrick’s Day Hoolie Mar. 14, Kansas City. Celebration features dancers, Irish music, and the O’Riada Adademy of Irish Dance.

Midland Theatre. 7 PM. $10-$30. 816-931-3330

Larry Gatlin MAR. 14, TRENTON A legend in country, Larry Gatlin will be singing some of his signature songs with warmth and good humor in a solo acoustic concert. The Gatlin brothers have performed as a group and solo for decades, and this concert is perfect for all ages. The concert will be at the Ketcham Community Center at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $15-$25.

For more information, call 660-359-3463 or visit www.trentonarts.com.

Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight!

Mar. 15, St. Joseph. The wit and humor of Mark Twain brought to life. Missouri Theater. 7:30 PM. $10-$55.

816-279-1225 St. Patrick’s Day Parade Mar. 17, Cameron. First organized in 1981, this parade starts at exactly the time it started then. Downtown. 4:03 PM. Free. 816-632-7401

ML pick St. Patrick’s Day Parade Mar. 17, Kansas City. One of the nation’s largest Irish-themed parades. Begins at Pershing and Grand and proceeds north to Truman Road. 11 AM-1 PM. Free. 816-931-7373 Girl’s Night Out Mar. 19, Excelsior Springs. Each shop has special treats, wine tasting, and entertainment. Downtown. 5-9 PM. Free.

816-630-9100

Woodcarving Club Show Mar. 20-21, Lee’s Summit. Competition, live auction, carving contests, raffles, tools, books, and patterns. John Knox Pavilion. 10 AM-6 PM. $3. 913-397-6992

ML pick The Amorous Ambassador Mar. 20-Apr. 11, Excelsior Springs. A hilarious comedy with plenty of twists and turns. Paradise Playhouse.

7 PM Thurs.; 6:30 PM Fri.-Sat.; noon Sun. $16.95-$28.95.

816-630-3333 That’s the Berries Mar. 21, Independence. Spring fashion show and luncheon. Bingham-Waggoner Estate. Noon. $20.

Reservations. 816-461-3491 World Language Club Antique Show Mar. 21-22, Platte City. Variety of antiques. High School.

9 AM-5 PM Sat.; 11 AM-4 PM Sun. $3. 816-858-2822 From the Land of the Taj Mahal Mar. 21-June 14, Kansas City. Exhibit of compilations of folios of painting and calligraphy made into imperial albums. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. 10 AM-4 PM Wed.; 10 AM-9 PM Thurs.-Fri.; 10 AM-5 PM Sat.; Noon-5 PM Sun. Free. 816-751-1321 Home, Flower, Lawn, and Garden Show Mar. 26-29, Kansas City. Products and services featuring home decorating, lawn, garden, and a green pavilion.

Convention Center at Bartle Hall. 4-9 PM Thurs.; 11 AM10 PM Fri.; 10 AM-10 PM Sat.; 10 AM-6 PM Sun. $10 (ages 12 and under are free). 816-942-8800 Lavender and Old Lace Tea Party Mar. 28, Independence. Tea fare displayed and served, live harp music, and informal modeling of lace dresses and hats of the past. Vaile Mansion. 2-4 PM. $20.

Reservations. 816-254-1415

ML pick And Justice for All Mar. 28-29, Kansas City. Heartland Men’s Chorus presents a performance marking the 90th anniversary of the right for women to vote, the 45th anniversary of the “I Have a Dream Speech,” and the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn Riot. Folly Theater. 8 PM Sat.; 4 PM Sun. $15-$16. 816-931-3338 FREE LISTING AND MORE EVENTS Visit MissouriLife.com for even more great events all around the state.

PLEASE NOTE: Event plans sometimes change.

Call before traveling.

TO SUBMIT AN EVENT: Editors choose events for publication in the magazine, space permitting, but all submissions go onto the web site. Submit events well in advance. Please make sure there is a contact phone number with your event. Visit MissouriLife.com and fill out the form, e-mail amy@missourilife.com, fax 660-882-9899, or send announcement to Missouri Life, 515 E. Morgan St., Boonville, MO 65233

COURTESY OF THE PRESS OFFICE; COURTESY OF SHARON RUMPF

ML

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Lexington, MO www.wma.edu [31] February 2009

AD-0209R2.indd 31

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Y E L D E M I R U O S MIS People, Places, & Points MISSOURI’S BEST HIGH SCHOOLS > Five Missouri high schools were awarded silver medals by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best High Schools” rankings.

Clayton High School at Clayton, Lincoln College Preparatory at Kansas City, Lindbergh Senior High at St. Louis, Metro High at St. Louis, and Rock Bridge Senior High at Columbia were all given the secondhighest rating in the study of 21,069 high schools in the U.S. The rankings were based on students’ success in reading and math on state tests, disadvantaged students’ performance, and a college-readiness index, based on Advanced Placement and/or International Baccalaureate test data. Thirty-six Missouri high schools received bronze awards.

Visit www.usnews.com/sections/education/highschools for more information. —Callina Wood

What do David Copperfield,

Siegfried and Roy, and Kirby

and Bambi VanBurch, two Branson magicians, have in common?

They are all magicians who have received prized Merlin Awards from the International Magicians Society. The Merlin is to magic what the Oscar is to movies.

In 2008, Bambi, Kirby’s wife, received the Female International Magician of the Year award for the second consecutive year.

“That’s never been done by any other female magician,” says Kirby, who received the 2007 Merlin for Entertainer of the Year.

Kirby and Bambi’s white tiger, Branson, will not fit into a top hat, nor will he appear from one. Theater audiences witness much bigger illusions, including a full-sized helicopter that appears in less than five seconds.

Kirby and Bambi were also honored with “Best Illusionist” at the World Magic Awards 2008 in Santa Monica, California, in October.

Visit www.KirbyVanBurch.com for more information. —Rebecca Legel

Now You See Them

HISTORICALLY KNOWN for producing the military T-39 aircraft and its civilian counterpart, today’s Sabreliner Corp. is headquartered at St. Louis.

Although the Sabreliner jet has not been in production since 1981, the company has found different ways to thrive in the aviation market.

North American Aviation delivered the first production T-39 twin-jet aircraft to the U.S. Air Force in 1961. Over the next few years, 154 T-39 were delivered to the Air Force. These jets are still in use today for Undergraduate Military Flight Officer training.

The aircraft were built for strength, performance, and flying qualities— all to military specifications. In 1963, the same standards were built into the civilian business jet model, Sabreliner Model 40.

North American Aviation merged with Rockwell-Standard in 1967 to become North American Rockwell. Then the company merged with Rockwell Manufacturing in 1973 to become Rockwell International. A group of investors purchased the Sabreliner division in 1983, forming what is now Sabreliner Corp.

Today the company has four hundred thousand square feet of aviation maintenance, manufacturing, processing, and repair facilities at Perryville, St. Mary, and Ste. Genevieve, plus one at Independence, Kansas.

Visit www.sabreliner.com for more information. —Rebecca Legel

COURTESY OF KIRBY VANBURCH; COURTESY OF SABRELINER CORP.

THE WILD BLUE YONDER

[32] MissouriLife

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Cowboy Church The Sermon on the Mount

takes on new meaning in a

church services and

cowboy church. Across Missouri, at least seven cowboy churches,

fellowship are typi-

located at Bowling Green, Carthage, Farmington, Iberia, Jackson,

cally non-denominational

Nevada, and Poplar Bluff, forego a traditional church setting in

and have a relaxed feel.

favor of ranches and auction barns. Starting as an evangelical

The atmosphere of cowboy church

tool at rodeos, horse shows, trail rides, and other equine events,

is one of a “come as you are” mentality,

cowboy church has become a part of contemporary life.

allowing those who have been uncomfortable

Cowboy church is unique in more than just name. Baptisms

in a more traditional, formal setting to experience

commonly take place in horse troughs, and the pews are made of

church in a way that is more familiar to their lifestyle. It “pro-

hay bales and bleachers. People do not come in their Sunday best,

vides an atmosphere where you can come and feel at home in

but rather wear boots and cowboy hats. Here, it is perfectly accept-

spiritual things, but also at home in the practical social things in

able to come straight out of the fields and into the church.

life whether it’s the way you dress, the culture, or the things you

While this church experience is different from that of the more traditional churches in the physical sense, the spiritual aspect of church is still the same. With roots in the Southern Baptist church

share that make it more appealing than other churches,” says Pastor Jim Matthews of Cape County Cowboy Church.

Visit at cowboychurch.net for more information.

as well as an affiliation with the Baptist denomination, cowboy

—Elizabeth Galloway

THE BOUNCE BENEATH

COURTESY OF LEGGETT & PLATT

WHETHER YOU’VE HEARD of Leggett & Platt or not, you’ve probably used one of their products without knowing it.

More than likely your bed has a Leggett & Platt box spring, innerspring, or fiber comfort layers, and you’ve probably seen Leggett & Platt shelving while shopping in your favorite store.

All of these products are made at Carthage. The company’s founders, J. P. Leggett and C. B. Platt, were both residents of the small town of less than fourteen thousand people.

Leggett already had a few inventions and patents to his name in the late 1800s. However, the company didn’t begin until Leggett invented the spiral, steel coil bedspring. Then he went to his future brother-inlaw, Platt, for his manufacturing knowledge. Together, they invented the L & P bedspring, and in 1885, it was patented. The business was incorporated in 1901 and has been successful ever since.

To this day, Leggett & Platt continues to produce products used around the world. In 2007, the company had $4.3 billion in sales. It has twenty-one business units and twenty-four thousand employee-partners. This Missouri business has grown so much since its start in Carthage that today it has more than 250 facilities in twenty countries.

Visit www.leggett.com for more information. —Regan Palmer

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MISSOURI MEDLEY > MO INFO rial to fallen Military Police soldiers. The Military Police Corps Regimental Museum, at the intersection of South Dakota and Nebraska avenues, is open to the public.

Admission is free.

A New Place to Wet Your Whistle

Design and Construction of a New Project by the International Council of Shopping

Branson Landing

shopping center

Centers. The Landing’s competition

at Branson was awarded first place

included centers in Texas, Japan, the

for Mixed-Use Retail Project Innovative

Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland.

Pure Power

A program of AmerenUE at St. Louis was awarded the “most successful” new green power program by the U.S. Department of Energy last fall. Pure Power, which stands for “People Using Renewable Energy,” is a voluntary program for which AmerenUE purchases renewable energy credits, which supports renewable energy resources in the Midwest.

Grant’s Farm, the St. Louis Zoo, and at Branson shops.

The state opened its second full-service crime lab at Springfield in December. The additional lab will help reduce the wait time for investigations, which had been as long as ten months, to the industry standard of 90 to 120 days. It also increases the state’s forensic analysis capacity by 30 percent.

Organic Vineyards

Wenwood Farm Winery at Bland recently released the first wine from the first organically grown vineyard in Missouri, Gascony Vineyards. The wine is a medium-bodied, dry red wine, called Simply Chambourcin. A newly certified organic vineyard, Gascony Vineyards’ 2009 crop will be their first certified crop.

I Don’t Want To Kiss A Llama!

A new store, opened by poet Byron von Rosenberg in Crestwood Court Mall at St. Louis, features his bestselling poetry printed in the forms of saleable items like greeting cards, CDs, T-shirts, coffee mugs, and more. His books can also be found at

Criminals Beware

Crossed Pistols

The original Military Police insignia design has come to life at the Regimental Military Police Memorial Grove at Fort Leonard Wood. Before stepping onto the walkway, visitors and police soldiers must pass under a 1,551-pound bronze statue of two crossed Harper’s Ferry flintlock pistols designed by artist James Hall III of Springfield. The statue serves as a memo-

Neal’s Got Talent

Neal E. Boyd, originally from Sikeston, shared his powerful voice with America and triumphed over two hundred thousand performers in the reality show America’s Got Talent. After performing Pavarotti’s Nessa Dorma on the finale, he won the one-million-dollar prize. He signed a recording contract with Epic Records, and his first album should be released this year.

COURTESY OF BRANSON LANDING; COURTESY OF BYRON VON ROSENBERG; COURTESY OF KRISTI KITTLESON; COURTESY OF BRANSON RIDGE WINERY

The Landing’s Big Prize

Branson Ridge Winery, a thirty-five-thousand-square-foot winery, opens this spring at Branson. The four-building structure is comprised of areas for wine fermenting, aging and bottling, taste testing, a bistro, and other events. Guests will be able to tour the winery and learn the history of wine.

[34] MissouriLife

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St Louis, MO

ne Great selection of fi fine hand-built acoustics

by Bourgeois, Breedlove, Goodall, Martin, Santa Cruz, & more!& more!

Taylor CALL US TOLL FREE 888-MUSIC-00 www.FaziosMusic.com

[35] February 2009

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[36] MissouriLife

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1/3/09 10:59:21 AM

ZEST OF LIFE Show-Me Essentials

THE HIPNECKS

COURTESY OF THE HIPNECKS; COURTESY OF RON HAUSER; ©WALTER MCBRIDE/RETNA LTD, USA

THE FOYER of The Mansion at Columbia is low-lit, making it seem smaller than it is. Clean and busy, the twenty-four foot walls of the entryway and the recording room at the rear of the house mix contemporary middleupper class conservatism and recording studio hodgepodge. It doesn’t work.

The Hipnecks’ Wes Wingate looks up from his closed-eyed, headphoned head-bobbing and settles precisely into his part of the closing chord of “Mighty Mississippi,” the band’s follow-up single to last year’s album American Night. For a six-member band from mid-Missouri that spent almost three years crafting its sophomore effort, the single has been quickly produced. That’s the point, though, as The Hipnecks’ Pat Kay tells it. “It’s us going back and doing it the way we did before.” The Hipnecks play a kind of harmony-soaked pop rock, if a mandolin can be considered a rock instrument. They call to mind The Band or The Magic Numbers in style but take a varied approach to their songs, drawing on jazz and bluegrass.

A few weeks after The Mansion visit, Pat is focused and direct. His face stretches around his words; his hands work at conversation. He’s explaining the difference between the band’s two albums. “The first one, there was absolutely no tension at all. We were so excited to be recording something.”

The band’s first album, Just Another Fine Day, was recorded with nearly no overdubbing. It felt immediate. The second album had a lot of tension.

With the ability to overdub, rerecord, digitally chop up the song, and stitch it back together, Pat thinks the band did so much exploring, it may have lost track of the songs. Pat is perhaps too critical; American Night hits a lot of the right notes and especially so for a sophomore album, even if it was overzealously produced. He wants to get back to song craft, though, where the musicianship is in service of the song, not the other way around.

“Mighty Mississippi” is not exactly a return to Fine Day-form, though.

The band is trying out a new model for recording and releasing their music, one Pat Kay thinks is more in line with the democratic availability of songs through online forums like iTunes and eMusic. The band is not releasing an album; instead, they intend to release a single or EP every few months.

Pat has it right, too. Missouri bands thrive on live followings. The Hipnecks pack them in. Releasing a well-crafted single every few months promises to keep its audience energized. Energized enough, perhaps, to push the band onto triple A and college radio throughout the state and beyond.

Visit www.thehipnecks.com for more information and a schedule of upcoming performances. —Michael Bostwick

CANVAS COWBOY > With his traveling art gallery that features original paintings of cowboys and Indians, St. Charles artist Ron Hauser is a modern-day Buffalo Bill.

“I have always felt like a cowboy,” the sixty-five-year-old admits. The culture “has always fascinated me, and that made me want to study it.

People see my paintings and pictures and relate to them.”

When he isn’t painting, Ron Cowboy Up helps care for his disabled grandson, the subject of one of his most well-known pieces, Cowboy Up. Ron donates 10 percent of his proceeds to therapeutic horseback riding programs for kids.

For more information, visit www.colorimageart.com/ron.

—Porcshe Moran Tom Berenger and Tatum O’Neal star in a film, set for theater release this month, about a young woman who is framed for the murder of her wealthy husband. She must find the truth while

K.C. Film

navigating deception, corruption, and misguided family loyalties.

Film producer and writer Irmgard Pagan, who is also a lawyer, says the film is based on a true story of one of her cases.

For twenty-four days last November, a film crew, actors, and trailers took over Kansas City’s popular sites for filming of the motion picture Last Will. Much time was put into researching and scouting locations for the film. Brent Huff, director and Springfield native, suggested they take a trip to Kansas City. All the locations in the film will make people want to visit Kansas City when they see the film, Brent says. “This movie is sort of a postcard to Kansas City.”

The film has several Missouri ties.

In addition to Brent, who attended the University of Missouri at Columbia, line producer Brad Southwick is also a Springfield native who attended Drury, plus Berenger is an MU graduate. Although they have Missouri connections, the three met in Los Tom Berenger

Angeles. —Regan Palmer

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Zest of Life

Resurrecting Shiloh

—John Fisher, author of Catfish, Fiddles, Mules, and More: Missouri’s State Symbols

Columbia artist David Spear’s work

has been compared to

famous Missouri regionalist Thomas Hart Benton’s style, but David says other artists like Pieter Bruegel the Elder also inspire him. His work imitates those artists from the Regionalist Era who fill the gap between abstract art and realism.

David’s interest in art started when he was about twelve. It wasn’t until he attended the University of Missouri at St. Louis that he was able to express himself in his first exhibit. His success at Columbia has allowed him to open his own studio, Alleyway Arts, downtown six years ago. This success came through his exposure in local exhibits and at Columbia’s Addison’s and Sophia’s restaurants.

Call 573-489-0469 or visit www.alleywayarts.com for more information. —Jennifer Gerling

Imagine weddings, family reunions, and funerals being held under a 135-year-old tabernacle. Now imagine a ninety-five-year-old woman driving a team of horses around the same place of worship to celebrate her birthday. Events like these were going on at Shiloh Tabernacle when it was built in Benton County near what is now Warsaw in 1873, and they continue today.

In 1858, James Tipton Sr., his son James Tipton Jr., and seven others became trustees of the twenty-three-acre parcel of land. The land was deeded to the Methodist Church, and in 1873, a tabernacle was built out of hand-hewn lumber from the frame of a brush arbor, a structure made of small tree limbs and branches for outdoor church services. Cabins were built around the tabernacle and families would come and stay for weeks to have protracted meetings at the tabernacle.

Years passed, and after the Depression, the ancestors of the original trustees dispersed, and the interest in the tabernacle died down. The structure was neglected and near collapse in 2005, when members of the church and the community embarked on a campaign to restore it.

The church’s current pastor, Rev. Phillip Fennell, sought approval from the church to restore the tabernacle, while church members ran ads and made presentations to spread the word. People of multiple denominations came together from around the community, the state, and the country to help raise money and recruit volunteers for the project.

The volunteers used the donated materials to restore the sacred place of worship with hand-hewn lumber that was cut on the acres surrounding the tabernacle and drawn in by a team of horses. The donated money was used to replace the shingles, and major structural timbers were pinned together with wooden pegs.

Since the renovation, the community has resumed using the tabernacle for events and celebrations. Shiloh has also received the McReynolds Award from the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation. This is the highest honor a historic preservation project can get. There were once hundreds of brush arbors and tabernacles in Missouri, but Shiloh is the only one in the state restored to its original condition.

Call 660-438-2457 for more information. —Jennifer Gerling

Like Benton

©istockphoto; courtesy of David spear; courtesy of peggy crabtree

State Grass: Big Bluestem > n Big Bluestem was the predominant grass on Missouri’s once-common tallgrass prairies, which averaged four to eight feet in height. n Early settlers found the prairie grass sod difficult to plow, but the soil beneath was fertile. n Big bluestem is a warm-season perennial grass. Its growth begins in April and ends with the arrival of cooler autumn weather. n A fourth grade class at Truman Elementary School at Rolla, taught by Chris Schmidgall, proposed big bluestem as a state symbol. n Rep. Bob May introduced the bill in 2003 and brought it back annually until it passed in 2007.

[38] MissouriLife

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[39] February 2009

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TRUE

F

BY REGAN PALMER PHOTOS KEN LEIJA

4 D AY S O F !

L IG H TS , C A M E R A , A C TI O N !!

Columbia CVB0209.indd 40

A LSE ILM EST

olumbia’s downtown will be a fi lm frenzy when the True/False Film Fest returns for its sixth year February 26 to March 1.

The festival features independent fi lms that were discovered from festivals such as Sundance, Toronto, as well as many other festivals. It will also premiere some original fi lms.

Last year’s fi lm list included “Gonzo,” “American Teen,” “Man on Wire,” ”Forbidden Lies” and many other titles. This year’s fi lms will not be finalized until February so all the best fi lms are chosen. Not only does the festival show fi lms, but it also hosts debates, throws parties, concerts and allows the audience to speak with the directors of the films.

The idea for the fi lm festival began in the summer of 2003. Many people called it “The Year of the Documentary” because so many

non-fiction fi lms were breaking into the fi lm scene such as “Capturing the Friedmans” and “Spellbound.” Co-founders Paul Sturtz and David Wilson decided to start a fi lm festival that celebrated these documentaries. The True/False Film Fest focuses on non-fiction fi lms because of Sturtz and Wilson’s love of documentaries, as well as Columbia’s rich journalism history. The name “True/False” was given because it is very open-ended. Sturtz says it helps people look at sorting out all things that are false about documentaries and all things that are true about features. “Hopefully it provokes some thought and discussion,” he says.

The festival will take over many downtown Columbia locations including the Blue Note, Ragtag Cinema, the Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts, the Forrest Theater at the

1/2/09 10:29:26 AM

PROMOTION

Tiger Ballroom, the Stephens College’s Macklanburg Playhouse, Windsor Auditorium, and The Den. The newly renovated Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts will be returning as a main venue and is expected to bring much anticipation to this year’s fi lm fest.

“The big excitement for us is that the Missouri Theatre is back on and that’s the grandest and best venue we have, so we’re pretty excited about that,” Sturtz says.

Each year ticket sales have increased remarkably. However, Sturtz says ticket sales are not the main priority and he isn’t concerned if the festival

The SWAMI program is also a distinctive quality of the festival. It began in 2007 to help new non-fiction fi lmmakers learn from the professionals. Here new fi lmmakers are able to gain valuable knowledge and advice about festival strategy, distribution, marketing and everything else there is to know about the movie business.

This is an invitation-only program and is only open to those whose fi rst fi lm is just coming out.

The fi lm fest is also aware that many of the real life characters in documentaries are living by limited means. Therefore, they began The True Life Fund in 2007. Each year they

doesn’t continue to grow every year.

“At a certain point it’s going to find its right size and we’ll be happy with that,” he says. “We want to maintain the festival’s unique feeling.”

Sturtz says the festival keeps its unique feeling in a number of ways.

One of these ways is that all the venues are close together in The District, Columbia’s downtown. “I think what stands out is that it is a very walkable festival,” he says. “You can walk easily from one venue to the next.” The fact that the festival brings in the directors to meet and speak with festival goers about their f i lms and that the com munit y of Columbia is so involved are also unique aspects. “I think it’s a fun festival for bringing mostly documentaries, and it’s community based,” he says.

spotlight one fi lm and raise money to support those people who appear in the fi lm. Last year in the True Life Fund’s second year they chose to focus on the fi lm “Very Young Girls.” The fi lm is about teenage girls who were forced into prostitution in New York.

With the 2009 True/False Film Fest, Sturtz is hoping the audience will enjoy the fi lms and be exposed to something they may not normally see on a typical trip to the movie theater.

“I’m just hoping it’s fun and engaging and that it provides a lot of opportunities for a lot of people to have an expansive experience,” Sturtz says.

Passes for the festival are on sale online until Tuesday, February 17 or until sold out. Passes usually sell out quickly. The True/False Film Fest box

office is located at the Cher r y Street Artisan in Columbia. You can pick up your pre-ordered passes and ticket packages there. You can a l so buy i nd ividua l tickets at the box office beginning February 26.

For those of you who waited a little too long to buy passes, don’t worry.

You can use the “Q” system, which means you can arrive at a show sixty minutes before show time and claim a number. Come back ten minutes before the fi lm, and you will have a chance to buy a ticket to the show you were waiting for.

Tickets and Passes: Individual tickets for any fi lm or event are $8. Student tickets are $6 with student ID. Or you can buy the Fiver for $30. This single day pass will get you five tickets in any combination for Saturday or Sunday screenings.

The Simple Pass runs for $55. It is a fi lm-only pass and gets you into all the showings Friday through Sunday.

With the Simple Pass you can get into the Friday night party with only a $10 cover charge.

The Lux Pass is $125 and allows you into all screenings Thursday through Sunday. It also gets you into the Friday night party and all the True/False concerts.

[41] February 2009

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PROMOTION

The Silver Circle Patron Pass is for those who are True/False Film Fest fanatics. This $275 pass gets you into all the screenings and all the events Thursday through Sunday. Plus you get walk up privileges at the Blue Note, Windsor Missouri Theatre and Macklanburg. With this pass you also receive preferred Q seating at the Forrest and the Ragtag. Plus you will receive pre-festival insider updates that include information on secret screenings. And, you will walk away with a festival goodie bag.

How to get into True/False:

• Buy a pass online at http://www.truefalse.org.

• Receive an e-mail confi rming your pass purchase. If you don’t receive a confi rmation e-mail, send an e-mail to tickets@truefalse.org.

• Research the films and choose what you would like to see.

• Make your pre-fest ticket reservations online.

• Receive an e-mail confi rming your ticket reservation.

• Pick up your pass and reserved tickets at the True/False Box Office at the Cherry Street Artisan.

• Keep your pass with you all weekend. You will need your pass and ticket to get into every show.

• If “NRT” (No Reserve Tickets remain), arrive to the show thirty minutes early to get a number. Come back ten minutes before the show to see if you got in. If so, sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

Contact Information: True False Film Fest 5 South Ninth Street Columbia, MO 65201 (573) 442-TRUE truefalse.org

TRUE/FALSE FILM FEST

February 26 - March 1, 2009

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ML

ZEST OF LIFE > MISSOURI BOOK S

LOVE AND HEALING

Book List

Twice Loved

Mystery of the Irish Wilderness: Land and Legend of Father John Joseph Hogan’s Lost Irish Colony in the Ozark Wilderness

By Lori Copeland, HarperCollins Publishers, 280 pages, $12.95, softcover

By Leland & Crystal Payton, Lens & Pen

By Porcshe Moran

Press, 128 pages, $18.95 softcover

Missouri Ozarks-based author Lori Copeland gets straight to the action in Twice Loved. Set in 1865 Texas, the novel opens with nineteen-year-old Willow Madison losing control of her horse and wagon and accidentally destroying the lumber mill in the small town of Thunder Ridge. Willow is visiting her uncle who wants her to marry Thunder Ridge’s richest resident, Silas Sterling. Silas intends to take a bride, and the union would mean financial security for Willow, who lost everything in the Civil War. The spunky young woman has no problem getting the attention of Silas, but she falls for the financially strapped mill owner, Tucker Gray.

Messiah: The Life and Times of Francis Schlatter

A President, a Church, and Trails West: Competing Histories in Independence, Missouri

By Jon E. Taylor, University of Missouri Press, 274 pages, $39.95 hardcover

Little House, Long Shadow: Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Impact on American Culture

By Anita Clair Fellman, University of Missouri

By Conger Beasley Jr., Sunstone Press, 250 pages, $24.95, softcover

Press, 343 pages, $34.95 hardcover

The true story of Francis Schlatter is chronicled in Kansas City author Conger Beasley Jr.’s Messiah. As the book’s title indicates, Francis gains a reputation as a powerful spiritual healer, capable of making sick people well again. An inexplicable voice, referred to as “The Father,” leads Francis to board a train to Denver and leave behind his idyllic life as a cobbler in New York. After a few months in Denver, Francis becomes overpowered by the voice and embarks on a cross-country journey by foot that takes him from Kansas to Arkansas to Texas and eventually through California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Beasley uses reports, interviews, and editorials that appeared in the media along with Francis’s own memoir to give readers a richly detailed account of Francis’ travels and acts of healing.

Troubled State: Civil War Journals of Franklin Archibald Dick

Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane: Deadwood Legends

By James D. McLaird, South Dakota State Historical Society Press, 147

By Gari Carter about the Civil War in Missouri, Truman State University Press, 269 pages, $34.95 hardcover

Power, Money, and Women: Words to the Wise from Harry S. Truman

By Niel M. Johnson, Leathers Publishing, 216 pages, $14.95 softcover

Arthritis: A Patient’s Guide

By Cape Girardeau author Sharon E. Hohler, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 254 pages, $35 softcover

pages, $12.95, softcover

James D. McLaird sets out to debunk the myths behind the lives of James Butler Hickok and Martha Canary (better known as Wild Bill and Calamity Jane) in Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. The biography chronicles the historical figures, particularly their time spent in Deadwood, South Dakota, guided by the theory that they “accomplished little of significance to deserve their prominence in the region’s history.” James’s research not only gets to the truth behind these legends with Missouri roots (Calamity Jane was born in Princeton and Wild Bill spent time in Springfield and Kansas City) but also challenges the image of the 1890s West as a place of continual deadly violence.

St. Louis in Watercolor: The Architecture of a City

By Marilynne Bradley, Reedy Press, 97 pages, $25 softcover

Ride the Trail of Death

By Kansas City author Kenneth L. Kieser, La Frontera Publishing, 230 pages, $19.95 softcover

[43] February 2009

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Zest of Life

A Life at the Margins

Missouri Journal

T h e l i f e a n d m u s i c o f s c o tt j o p l i n |

By W. Arthur Mehrhoff

I work for the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University

The House

of Missouri, which recently acquired a masterful terra cotta statue by African-American artist Beulah Ecton Woodard. The piece, entitled Maudelle, depicts a renowned African-American dancer who was featured in original works by choreographer Martha Graham. The sculpture now occupies a prominent place in the contemporary gallery of the museum, flanked by some Missouri history paintings and ceramics by Pablo Picasso himself. Its location leaves no doubt that this is a serious work by a serious artist, worthy of its place in the art world.

Maudelle has made me very aware that having a place in the main stream of things, rather than set off to the margins, tells us a great deal about the meaning of our special places. That insight particularly applies to the Scott Joplin House, located at 2658A Delmar Boulevard on the northern edge of downtown St. Louis. The historic house and its famous namesake illustrate the challenges of living life at the margins of the main currents of society.

The main architectural significance of this ordinary duplex apartment, built right after the Civil War and remarkably similar to my grandparents’ old place a mile or so away on Benton Street in north St. Louis, is that it actually survived to tell its tale while nearly all its neighbors succumbed to urban blight. The Scott Joplin House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places during the 1976 Bicentennial year.

The State of Missouri acquired the property in 1984, and the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site opened to the public in 1991. It is the only surviving structure associated with Scott Joplin himself, as well as the only Missouri State Historic Site dedicated to African-American history. It is a lonely but eloquent sentinel to Scott Joplin and St. Louis’s ragtime era, reflecting the limited locations available to African Americans for much of the city’s history.

Because few authentic Joplin artifacts remain, the second floor flat

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COURTESY OF MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES; ED BERLIN COLLECTION

From left: This duplex at 2658A Delmar Boulevard at St. Louis was home for a time to the King of Ragtime, Scott Joplin. It was here that he composed his well-known song “The Entertainer,” made famous in the movie The Sting.

where Scott Joplin and his first wife, Belle, lived for about two years at the turn of the twentieth century is decorated with simple period furnishings and lit only by the characteristic gaslights of that time period.

A visitors’ center and museum on the first floor of the building focus on Joplin’s life as well as turn-of-the-century St. Louis; a playable parlor player piano presents popular piano rolls from that period, including some cut by Scott Joplin himself.

The Scott Joplin House also possesses an unusual feature not often found in state historic sites, or anywhere else for that matter. The New Rosebud Cafe, which occasionally hosts special events held at the Scott Joplin House, recreates the famous turn-of-the-century bar and gaming club, which was owned and operated on nearby Market Street by another great ragtime composer and performer, Tom Turpin. While not historic preservation in the strict sense, it is nevertheless a marvelous addition and interesting interpretation of the ragtime era.

The Scott Joplin House holds a special place in my personal gallery of special places. I worked on this project back in the late ’70s while employed as a St. Louis city planner and even successfully applied for a National Trust technical assistance grant to aid in its restoration and surrounding neighborhood revitalization. However, a political controversy erupted regarding the appropriateness of an apartment he rented for only a couple of years as a memorial to Scott Joplin, so that it took well over a decade for the project to be realized. In many ways, that delay and questions about the site’s appropriateness symbolize the life of Scott Joplin himself. Although Joplin and his compositions have gradually received increased attention, the man and his house still operate on the margins of the mainstream.

The Man Scott Joplin was born in eastern Texas circa 1867 and raised in the frontier town of Texarkana, which later became the setting for his ragtime opera Treemonisha. His mother, Florence, cleaned houses to buy the young prodigy a piano and music lessons from a local piano teacher, a German immigrant named Julius Weiss. From Weiss, young Joplin received a solid foundation in classical musical forms that fueled his deep ambition. Joplin wanted to combine the forms of classical music with those of AfricanAmerican music (i.e., spirituals and minstrel songs) to create an original American art form. While Joplin didn’t create ragtime music by himself, by the turn of the twentieth century, he became its best-selling and most well-known composer.

He became a popular entertainer and band leader in the bars, brothels, and saloons that were open to African-American musicians during Jim Crow America, traveling widely across the Midwest by his teens. Although he played in major urban centers, such as St. Louis, and at the momentous 1893 Chicago World’s Fair that boosted ragtime’s popularity beyond its narrow confines, it was Sedalia that helped launch Joplin, who moved there in 1896, to national and even international prominence. Sedalia in the gay ’90s was a thriving railroad and commercial center, a major terminus of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) line, and a major center for AfricanAmerican musicians like Tom Turpin. Railroad shops readily hired African Americans for jobs such as porters, and the steady incomes from those jobs fueled a lively urban culture compared to the Southern sharecropping system that spawned the rural Delta blues. The many travelers to Sedalia needed accommodations, and the hotels, cafes, and bars like the Maple Leaf Club attracted entertainers to “the sportin’ life” along Main Street.

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ZEST OF LIFE > MISSOURI JOURNAL

Missouri Governor’s Mansion. A Guest of Honor was inspired by Booker In Sedalia, Joplin combined advanced musical instruction with life as T. Washington’s controversial dinner at the Roosevelt White House. The an entertainer. He enrolled in formal music classes at George R. Smith 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis inspired his marvelous College for Negroes and studied music theory, harmony, and composition. (and exceedingly difficult, according to my pianist wife) composition While experimenting with increasingly sophisticated musical rhythms, he known as “The Cascades.” The St. Louis World’s Fair may have symbolalso composed popular works like the “Maple Leaf Rag” (1899), named ized the peak of ragtime’s popularity, but soon its very steep fall brought in honor of his Sedalia supporters and locale. Local entrepreneur John Stark, who sold pianos and also published sheet music to encourScott Joplin down as well. age people to play his pianos, heard Joplin perform at the Now almost universally acknowledged as the King of Maple Leaf Club and eventually published Joplin’s Ragtime, Joplin decided to try his fortunes in New work. Stark sold seventy-five thousand copies of York City. However, the times were changing “Maple Leaf Rag” within six months, half a miltoo fast for even this extremely creative comlion within a decade; “Maple Leaf madness” poser. His personal and professional fortunes seized the rapidly urbanizing nation. declined in the early 1900s, as his elite syncopations lost favor to the raging rhythms Perhaps it also seized Scott Joplin, because of the new jazz music. In fact, Joplin’s resthe decided to move from Sedalia to St. Louis, the fourth largest city in the United States less creativity may have contributed to his at the turn of the twentieth century. The declining fortunes. It made his new composiTenderloin District of restaurants, pool halls, tions incredibly sophisticated and complicated and saloons along Market and Chestnut streets, to play by ordinary musicians, while classical —Scott Joplin site of Tom Turpin’s famous Rosebud Cafe, had music critics continued to reject ragtime because become a national center for ragtime that lured Joplin. of its African-American roots as well as traditional He lived in St. Louis for most of the first decade of the twenassociations with red-light districts. Joplin spent the last tieth century—the first two years in what is now the Scott Joplin House decade of his life trying to publish his folk opera Treemonisha, about a State Historic Site. The phenomenal success of “Maple Leaf Rag” allowed young woman in Texarkana who lifts up her rural neighbors through education and her personal dignity. Denied recognition as a serious artist him to teach and compose instead of constantly perform. He published and now just another lost soul in the Big City, Scott Joplin died of mental many important works during this highly productive period of his illness in 1917. The King of Ragtime was buried in a pauper’s grave that life, including the now-famous tune known as “The Entertainer.” He remained unmarked until 1974. And therein lies a tale. wrote an opera (now lost) entitled A Guest of Honor that was set in the

When I’m Dead Twenty-Fivpele Years, Peo g Are Goin o To Begin T e.

Recognize M

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From left: Interpretive Resource Specialist Linda Williams describes the furnishings, appropriate for the time period that Scott Joplin lived in the flat, to visitors. An antique player piano features Joplin’s music. The Rosebud Cafe, a turn-of-thecentury style club, is available to rent.

COURTESY OF MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

The Meanings From its isolated vantage on the edge of downtown St. Louis, the Scott Joplin House looks both backward and forward in time. It serves as a reminder of a remarkable man as well as of the high cost of segregation in Missouri life; it also asks us to consider the relationship of African Americans to mainstream American culture. Scott Joplin’s life journey—from Reconstruction era Texas to small-town Sedalia to big cities like St. Louis and New York— mirrors modern America’s search for order between the Civil War and World War I, the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North, and their problematic relationship with the majority white culture. It also begs the question about the future of this relationship.

Just as Louis Sullivan’s ambition to create a uniquely American architecture is embodied nearby in the historic Wainwright Building on Chestnut Street in downtown St. Louis, the Scott Joplin House memorializes Joplin’s quest to create a uniquely American music.

But an America one generation removed from the Civil War was simply unable to make such a cultural leap. W.E.B. DuBois could have been writing about Joplin when he wrote in his classic The Souls of Black Folk of “this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.

One ever feels his twoness—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder” until finally even Scott Joplin’s dogged strength and personal dignity simply gave out.

Ironically, it was the mass medium of film rather than the elite world of symphonic music that brought Scott Joplin back from the grave. The 1974 Academy Award-winning film The Sting featured his composition “The Entertainer,” which rose to number three on the Billboard record charts.

People and performers during the ’70s rediscovered Joplin’s challenging but entertaining music; Treemonisha was finally performed and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1976; the Scott Joplin House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places; and the St. Louis Walk of Fame in University City, just a few miles down Delmar Boulevard, awarded Scott Joplin his star.

Sedalia continues to honor Scott Joplin with its annual Ragtime Festival of outstanding ragtime artists and weeklong Artist in Residence program, and you can sit in at the Rosebud Rendezvous of ragtime held at the New Rosebud Cafe by the Friends of Scott Joplin the third Sunday afternoon of each month. In one of my favorite interpretations, a number of outstanding and devoted young ragtime pianists traveled from the East Coast to the Scott Joplin House in order to play at the source, then documented their pilgrimage at www.ragtimeradio.org/festivals.html. The meanings multiply.

Perhaps someday classical music stations will play Joplin rags on their regular programming just like they do Strauss waltzes, not just during Black History Month. Maybe someday the Scott Joplin House will be the focal point of a revitalized north St. Louis neighborhood. Hard to imagine, perhaps, but special places often contain such magic for W. Arthur Missouri life. While it’s too late for Scott Joplin, it’s Mehrhoff not too late for us. Like my new friend Maudelle, it’s W. Arthur Mehrhoff time we give a place to The Guest of Honor. is the academic For more information visit www.mostateparks. coordinator at the com/scottjoplin.htm or call 314-340-5790 or visit Museum of Art and Archaeology at the www.scottjoplinfestival.com for the festival in University of Missouri at Columbia.

June at Sedalia.

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ZEST OF LIFE > MADE IN MISSOURI

KEEP YOUR NOSE CLEAN > Hana R. Solomon, MD, a 1986 graduate of the University of Missouri School of Medicine has spent more than twenty years promoting a natural way to maintain nasal and sinus health for her patients in Columbia. Solomon developed Dr. Hana’s Nasopure Nasal Wash. Nasopure cleans, soothes, and moisturizes the nose, ears, and sinuses. Nasal washing is an ancient technique known as Jala neti, used throughout India and southeast Asia. Solomon has redesigned the process to make it quicker, easier, and more effective by using a bottle that keeps the head and neck in a neutral position and keeps the user in control of the water pressure.

People who suffer from colds, flu, asthma, or allergies might find breathing a bit easier after daily nasal cleansing.

Visit www.nasopure.com or call 877-853-7873 for more information. —Jennifer Gerling

It was a Russell Stover box that prompted the famous line in Forrest Gump: “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” But with Russell Stover, you do know: chocolate, clusters of cashews, cherry cordials, and that is just the beginning. Russell Stover Candies, also the producer of the Whitman’s and Pangburn’s brands, is headquartered at Kansas City.

From November 2007 to November 2008, Russell Stover chocolates were the top seller in the gift-boxed chocolate category, according to Information Resources, Inc. Whitman’s Gift Box Chocolates were second. Together, the two brands made Russell Stover Candies the largest U.S. producer of boxed chocolates, with about 50 percent of boxed chocolate sales.

Despite the success today, the company had humble beginnings in 1923 in Clara and Russell Stover’s kitchen at Denver, Colorado.

The Stovers opened their first factory at Kansas City in 1928. The headquarters were moved to Kansas City in 1932.

Visit www.russellstover.com for more information. —Rebecca Legel

Number 1 Gift Box

MOLTEN MAGIC AN OLD WINE BOTTLE may seem like nothing but trash, but to Doug Nash of Chesterfield, it’s a treasure. Whether Doug is dumpster diving at a restaurant that doesn’t recycle or searching eBay to find a particular wine bottle that has sentimental value to a customer, he has an elegant way of transforming an ordinary piece of glass into a oneof-a-kind piece of art.

The process used to make these unique pieces is called glass slumping. The combination of heat, various forms, and gravity inside the kiln causes the pieces to take the desired shape of the product.

“We load the kiln, close the door, and don’t open it until twelve hours have passed,” Doug says. As for the specific temperatures used to heat the kiln, he says, “I don’t want to give away too many secrets.”

In 2004, Doug and Sandy Nash bought The Smashed Chefs, a business started by Tamara Kasser and Holly Reece in 2002. When they took over, he decided he wanted it to be an online business.

Now, the business features all of its products on its web site, which is how most of them are sold. The rest of the pieces are sold when Nash travels to venues across Missouri.

The product line has expanded from 20 to around 125 new and original products. Pieces by The Smashed Chefs include artisancrafted bottleneck necklaces, bowls and vases for home décor, serving dishes, and personalized gifts such as monogrammed champagne bottle plaques.

Visit www.thesmashedchefs.com for more information. —Regan Palmer

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Distinctive, Splendid, Unique Missouri Things

Celebrity Candles Creative Candles

have been everywhere from the White

House to the Waldorf Astoria to the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong. They have even made appearances in Southern Accents, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Elle Decor. If these candles were people, we would know them as well as any celebrity. The coowners of this Kansas City-based company, Ken Weiner and Pam Fleischer, promise their customers quality and integrity in every product. “Mass-produced candles are not an option,” says the company profile. “Quality, not quantity, should be the benchmark.” Creative Candles produces thirty-nine-inch tapers, among the tallest in the world; pillars; floating candles; and a line of gourmet candles with fragrances from bayberry to carrot cake to vanilla, all of which are hand-crafted in small batches. They can be found at retail locations across the state and the country.

Call 800-237-9711 or visit www.creativecandles.com for more information. —Rebecca Legel

YOUR PET’S BEST FRIEND

COURTESY OF COMPANIES

DOGS AND CATS can join the trend and eat local, too, thanks to Diamond Pet Foods, based out of Meta, south of Jefferson City. Diamond, a family-owned company, began as Meta Feed and Grain in 1970 and offered mostly livestock feed. As pet food sales increased each year, Diamond slowly evolved into a pet-food-only business by discontinuing its livestock sales in the early 1990s.

In addition to its home in Meta, Diamond produces pet food at plants in California and South Carolina, and its products can be found in all fifty states and in fifty-five countries.

At the Meta plant, more than 50 percent of ingredients used in the pet food comes from Missouri, and the plant can produce about six hundred tons of pet food per day, accord-

ing to Mark Schell, vice president of manufacturing.

Diamond is also known in the pet food industry for its innovation and attention to pets’ health: It is the first pet food company to incorporate Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids in all of its canine products.

Pet owners can find Diamond Pet Foods in pet stores, feed and farm stores, and even in some Missouri grocery stores.

—Callina Wood

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G Trips O,IN GEes,TGeG taways & Road

Adventur

SELFISH INDULGENCES 6 G R E AT G E TA W AY S F O R T H E L O V E R I N Y O U

For the music lover, Branson offers great variety, from country to pop and rock and even Broadway show tunes.

Request any song for the pianists to play at Ernie Biggs Dueling Piano Bar and Grill while enjoying pizza or a sandwich for lunch. They claim to know every note from classic rock to popular ’90s tunes.

After lunch, a show at Legends Theatre features many music greats, including Tina Turner, Elvis Presley, Garth Books, and Buddy Holly.

Spend the night at the Welk Resort, where the Welk Theatre hosts many well-known performers. Before you leave, grab some CDs of the performers you saw for the trip home.

Call Welk Resort at 800-505-9355 or visit branson.erniebiggs.com or legendsinconcert.com for more information.

—Regan Palmer

Let the Music Play

Hermannhof and Stone Hill wineries.

Visit hermannwinetrail.com, Captain Wholt Inn at 573-486-3357, and Vintage Restaurant at 573486-3479. —Regan Palmer

DINNER THEATER YOU NEED ONLY tiptoe over the state line a bit for theater that rivals the shows in New York. For less than fifty dollars, the theater lover can enjoy both five-star cuisine and theater at Kansas City’s New Theatre Restaurant at Overland Park, Kansas. Opened in 1992, New Theatre was named “the best dinner theatre operation in the country” by the Wall Street Journal.

From February 4 to April 12, Hats! The Musical stars Joyce Dewitt from the television show Three’s Company as a woman dreading the big five-o until she meets a group of ladies who change her mind.

After the show, rest your head at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in downtown Kansas City, connected to the Crown Center, which is often called a city within a city.

Visit www.newtheatre.com or crowncenter.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index. jsp for more information. —Jennifer Gerling

COURTESY OF STONE HILL WINERY; COURTESY OF WELK RESORT; COURTESY OF NEW THEATRE

WINE, CHOCOLATE, AND THOU > The Chocolate Wine Trail February 21 and 22 in the heart of Missouri’s wine country at Hermann meanders to seven local wineries and is sure to pique the interest of the avid wine lover. Try a Chocolate Crown with Cheesecake Filling paired with a Port at Stone Hill Winery.

Then enjoy a dinner at the Vintage Restaurant at Stone Hill Winery. The restaurant is a restored carriage house and stable of the winery, and The tables and booths are even made out of wine barrels.

The menu features German specialty dishes and, of course, their best-selling Steinberg White.

After your day of wine trails and fine dining, find your way to the Captain Wohlt Inn in historic Hermann. It is located in walking distance from

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Adrenaline Rush

Courtesy of river of life farm; courtesy of boone’s lick trail inn; courtesy of missouri whitewater association

Back to nature > Escape from the pressures of everyday life in a luxury cabin or a treehouse at River of Life Farm, the Fly Fishing Resort, “Home of Treehouse Cabins,” where the river never freezes at Dora.

Myron McKee, who owns the resort with his wife, says, “The spring can just explode in February” if there are two or three days above 50 degrees.

A nature lover can enjoy the day fishing, floating (float trips are offered year-round), or just relaxing in nature, then indulge in a dinner of catfish, deep fried green beans, or sweet potato fries at Roy’s Store at Dora.

After dinner, head back to the resort for a stargazing experience. The sky is among the darkest in the Ozarks, according to Dr. Steve House, an astronomer and professor at Lindenwood University. “It defines beauty,” he says. “It’s the black zone of Missouri.”

Visit River of Life Farm at riveroflifefarm.com or call 888-824-2398 or Roy’s Store at 417-2612810. —Rebecca Legel

The forty-second annual Missouri Whitewater Championships, a two-day event held near Fredericktown on March 21-22, pulls adventure lovers from across the country to compete on a portion of the St. Francis River that runs through the Silver Mines Recreation Area of Mark Twain National Forest. The rivers are highest in the spring, providing challenges for avid competitors.

At the Whitewater Championships on Saturday, the gates are strung at the regulation height for kayaks. This is the same height that is used at the Olympics.

On Sunday, the gates are lifted so that open canoes can be raced as well.

A Historic Getaway Boone’s Lick Trail Inn

can serve as “home base” for his-

tory lovers. Built in the 1840s, the historic Carter-Rice building at St. Charles was originally used as a saddling and western shop for westward travelers on the Boone’s Lick trail, which weaves through the state to the start of the Santa Fe Trail.

After checking in at the bed-and-breakfast, feel free to explore the ten-block historic downtown, established in 1769, but if you’re there on February 11, make sure to get to the First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site for a lesson about candy making in Missouri in the 1820s from 4 to 7:30

pm.

The

program is designed to be a fun, hands-on look at candy-making history, but don’t spoil your appetite. The Mother-in-Law House Restaurant serves dinner until 9:30 pm. The restaurant provides fine, home-cooked meals in a Victorian-style dining room.

Visit www.booneslick.com, www.mostateparks.com/firstcapitol. htm, or www.motherinlawhouse.com for more information.

Silver Mines Recreation Area also provides sixty-six campsites with a choice of roughing it in your tent or parking in your RV. Once you’re loaded up on the way home (if you’re not too water logged), stop by Tomboy’s Barbeque Barn at Fredericktown, which celebrated its grand

—Rebecca Legel

opening last November. Washboards and farm tools add to its rustic charm.

Visit www.missouriwhitewater.org, www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/marktwain/ recreation/sites/silver_mines/, and Tomboy’s Barbeque Barn at 573-7837576 for more information. ‑—Elizabeth Galloway

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GET GOING

GET A GRIP

5 COOL MISSOURI SPOTS TO HANG OUT AND CLIMB |

MISSOURIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LANDSCAPE provides ample opportunities for rock climbing, but many places are off limits to the casual climber. While climbing sites on private land are often unavailable to the avid rock climber, there are places to get a toehold and ascend. Here are the top five legal and open to the public places to rock climb recommended by Steven Senger, former president of the University of Missouri Climbing Club; Jesse Gross, president of the Kansas City Climbing Club; and Jeremy Collins, who has climbed and developed routes across Missouri.

Cliff Drive is located in northeast Kansas City. Routes here rate from 5.7 to 5.12 in difficulty, based on the Yosemite Decimal System class. Cliff Drive contains routes that ascend more than sixty feet up the limestone cliffs that offer twenty sport and natural leads by the river. Sport climbing involves placing anchors prior to climbing, and as the climber ascends, he or she attaches the rope to the rock by use of the anchors. The Book, a 5.7 route, can be muddy after a rain, but enjoyable for an easier climb. For a harder climb of around 5.12, try The Overhang, which has thin cruxes and thin holds, making it more difficult.

Directions from Kansas City: Take Highway 24 west.

Take a right at the Paseo. The Paseo will become Cliff Drive, and the cliffs will be on the right as the road starts to wind.

Elephant Rocks State Park, located at Pilot Knob near St. Louis, is made up of huge granite boulders that stand end-to-end, resembling circus elephants. The site provides myriad opportunities for bouldering with grades of V0 to V10; however, Elephant Rocks does not allow rope climbing or camping. It might be helpful to rub your hands with magnesium carbonate chalk, or gymnastics chalk, to help with grip because the granite may be uncomfortable.

Directions from St. Louis: Take Interstate 55 south out of St. Louis to Highway 67. Turn right at Exit 174 onto southbound Highway 67 and drive past Bonne Terre, Park Hills, Leadington, and into Farmington. On the south side of Farmington, exit onto State Road 221 and travel nine miles. At the Route NN intersection, go straight onto Route NN. Continue for eight miles to a three-way stop.

Turn right onto northbound Highway 21 and travel two miles. The park entrance is on the right.

By Jennifer Gerling

Capen Park at Columbia has a cliff around seventy feet along the creek and a steep bouldering traverse near the parking lot. The park is great for overhang climbing and moderate crack climbing. There are rumored secret bouldering routes in the forest and creek bed in the park. There are ten boulder problems, or short very difficult routes, that may take many attempts, and twenty-five to thirty routes rating 5.6 to 5.11 and V0 to V4. Due to the fact that the bolts are not close to the cliff, you should bring a lot of webbing. Loose rock is also a concern when climbing.

Directions from Columbia: Take Highway 63 south to Stadium Boulevard.

Go west on Stadium to Rock Quarry Road and south on Rock Quarry Road to Capen Drive. Take Capen Drive to Capen Park. The parking lot is on the left.

Trappers Camp at Osceola gives climbers a variety of routes from which to choose. Climbs range in difficulty anywhere from 5.5 to 5.11.

Climbers on rockclimbing.com rate the Pontoon Wall around a 5.10 for its steepness and number of jugs, or holds. The Halloween Wall, around 5.7, is perfect for beginners because even though it is a steeper, more vertical climb, it has good holds and is easily protected.

After you park, walk down the steep hillside just Tuesday Critz boulders on a V5 north of the first pull out. in mid-Missouri.

Directions from Sedalia: Take the Route 83 south ramp toward White Branch. Turn left onto Route 83/ Wildcat Drive. Turn right onto Route 83. Turn right onto Route 82. There should be two pullouts atop bluffs. Hike south to the rap station, where climbers descend approximately three hundred yards and then hike west through woods.

Truman Lake at Warsaw provides many sport climbs without top-rope accessibility. The Washboard is a prime example of a very challenging and fun sport climb. Rockclimbing.com users recommend bringing a fifty-meter rope and protection devices because many of the sport climbs lack top rope accessibility.

Make sure to park at the golf course.

Directions from Warsaw: Go west on Highway 7. Cross the Osage River, and look out for SW 621 Road, which is also called West Dam Access Road; make a right. Take the first left, and park off the road near the gate. From the gate, follow the gravel road on the left to the trail. Follow the trail to the cliffs.

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Steven Senger enters the crux of a V7 in mid-Missouri.

Terms to know

Top Roping Climbing where the rope is already secured to the anchor before

Bolt Anchor used for protection that is permanently drilled into a rock.

Traditional or “Trad climbing” Climbing freely without the use of tools in

the climber ascends.

Bouldering The practice of climbing large rocks without going more than ten feet or so from the ground, so that a climber can use a spotter and crash

tion, such as nuts and hexes.

Webbing Hollow and flat rope used to make runners.

pads to descend instead of belay ropes.

Carabiner Clip used to fasten rope to an anchor or connect gear together.

Crux The hardest move or section of a climb.

Lead climbing Climbing technique in which the “lead climber” ascends and hooks the rope into various holds along the route for protection.

Climbing scales

The Yosemite Decimal System is the most commonly used grading system in the United States. The first number is the class of the climb and the second

Nut A type of passive protection made of a flared piece of metal connected to a cable and designed to be placed in constriction.

Courtesy of steven senger; courtesy of tuesday critz

ascending. The climber only uses hands and feet as well as passive protec-

number is the difficulty.

Class 1 is walking

Passive protection An anchor that has no moving parts and is usually connected to a wire or sling. Types include hexes, nuts, and slings.

Class 4 is steep hiking/scrambling

Class 2 is hiking up steep trail

Class 5 is climbing

Class 3 is steep hiking

Class 6 is aid climbing only

Quickdraw A short sling with a carabiner on each end.

Subgrades increase with difficulty from the easiest at 5.1 to the highest expert

Route The path of a particular climb.

level at 5.15. A suffix is often found on grades 5.10 and higher. Alphabetic

Runners Closed loops of webbing used for protection.

suffix range a (easiest) to d (hardest) within the grade.

Sport climbing Climbing where the anchors and bolts are already placed in the rock prior to climbing it. As the climber ascends, he or she could use

Bouldering is most often measured using the V Scale, or the Hueco Scale.

a quickdraw to clip one side to the bolt and the other hanging end of the

The scale is measured in ‘V’ grades ranging from 0-16. V16 is the hardest

quickdraw to the rope to prevent him or her from falling.

climb, and VO is an easier one. VB stands for basic or beginner.

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HISTORIC FULTON FUN FOR EVERYONE

Enjoy Rebekah’s irresistible homemade desserts along with the outstanding food and wine at Bek’s restaurant and wine bar.

In the heart of Missouri is Fulton, voted one of the top 10 places to visit in the Midwest and Callaway County’s gem. Named after steamboat inventor Robert Fulton, Fulton has a rich history with exciting sites and sounds all wrapped up in small-town charm.

Fulton’s downtown, made famous in the Ronald Reagan movie Kings Row, has kept its historic charm with brick streets, elegant architecture, 67 buildings on the historic register, great restaurants, romantic B&Bs, antiques and one-of-a-kind boutiques. Whether you are looking for a handcrafted gift, local art, great food or outstanding museums, you will find that and more in Fulton.

The newly renovated Churchill Museum at Westminster College features interactive displays that engage and educate visitors of all ages. In addition, you can walk through actual pieces of the Berlin Wall as you explore Edwina Sandys’ magnificent Breakthrough sculpture for another look back at living history.

For those interested in the local art and music scene, Kemper Center for the Arts at William Woods University is a must-see, and The Lighthouse Theater in nearby Millersburg offers live gospel and bluegrass concerts.

For outdoor lovers, there are Tanglewood and Railwood golf courses. Or rent a bike and tour the Stinson trail crossing a covered bridge and meandering below the lover’s leap bluffs. Or hike the historic Katy Trail. While you’re exploring the outdoors, enjoy the view and taste some distinctive Missouri wines and a creative bistro menu at Summit Lake Winery. Enjoy the view and unwind on the outdoor terrace or relax indoors by the snug fireplace.

Museums offering everything from whimsical to wheels are a draw for visitors to Fulton. The new Backer Auto World Museum displays an impressive collection of 84 historic automobiles in Hollywood-style sets for their era. Capture a sense of local history at the Historical Society Museum or pay your respects at the Missouri Firefighters Memorial. A museum of sorts, the

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

Apple Wagon Antique Mall & Home Décor Outlet has 20,000+ sq. ft. full of antiques and outlet-priced home décor.

Backer Auto World Museum displays an impressive collection of 84 [54] MissouriLife historic automobiles in Hollywood-style sets.

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PROMOTION

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whimsical collections at Nostalgiaville will also entertain all family members as will the Treasure Hill Doll House Miniatures museum and shop. Crane’s Museum in Williamsburg has been voted 3rd best in off beat attractions with over 4,000 square feet of regional history. Before you head out, stop by Marlene’s restaurant. A pulled-pork sandwich and slice of seasonal fruit pie will put a smile on your face.

Whether you prefer down-home country or uptown gourmet, you’ll savor scrumptious dining. Try Bek’s restaurant for a unique blend of old and new where Internet and espresso meet 1902 architecture. In addition to fabulous food, including amazing Parmesan Artichoke Dip and decadent homemade desserts, Bek’s has a welcoming atmosphere, and on Saturday nights, there is live jazz. You can even revisit the 1930s by sharing a shake made with locally made premium ice cream at Sault’s authentic soda fountain.

For overnight stays, great getaways, unique weddings and fabulous pampering breakfasts, Fulton has two of Missouri’s top ten inns, the historic Loganberry Inn where Margaret Thatcher stayed, or create a romantic memory at Romancing the Past Bed and Breakfast in the historic Jameson home.

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

For more information and calendar of events, Cranes 4,000 square foot museum is a onevisit www.visitfulton.com. of-a-kind viewing experience featuring rural Missouri history dating back to the 1800s.

Calendar of Events Pam Rubert Quilt Exhibit Mildred Cox Art Gallery William Woods University Campus Fulton, MO February 2 - 27, 2009

Chocolate Lovers Weekend Includes chocolate and wine tasting All February Weekends Loganberry Inn, Fulton, MO 573-642-9229 www.loganberryinn.com

Chocolate Tasting & Food Pairing Crane’s Museum Williamsburg, MO February 13 7p.m. $25 877-254-3356 Cranesmuseum@yahoo.com

Get-A-Way Spa Weekend Loganberry Inn Bed and Breakfast All March Weekends 573-642-9229 www.loganberryinn.com

Watercolor Missouri National National watercolor competition and show Winston Churchill Memorial 501 Westminster, Fulton, MO April 1 - May 17, 2009 573-592-5369 www.mowsart.com

Enjoy a variety of live concerts at Lighthouse Theater.

For more information, www.visitfulton.com 1-800-257-3554

Kansas City

128 miles

St. Louis

I-70

100 miles

FULTON Loganberry Inn’s fruit and hazelnut crepe is a work of art[55] FebruarySavor 2009a “brown cow” at Sault’s authentic soda fountain. to the eye and the palette.

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Get Going

Suits of armor and knickknacks join customers for meals at Johnny Macâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at Bonnots Mill. Right: As you descend the hill leading to Bonnots Mill, the trees give way to welcoming rooftops and small-town charm.

[56] MissouriLife

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Driving Every Mile of Stat

e Highway

Road Trip

Up and Down Osage County E x p l o r e 1 1 t o w n s , 4 r i v e r s , 3 B & B s , a n d 3 r e s ta r u a n t s Story by John Robinson and Photos by Seth Garcia

People tell stories. Stories require names. Names are useful. Useful sits in eastern Osage County, just south of Freedom, which is also useful. Two Useful antique stores define this town of five or so people, with even more antiques in the Useful Cemetery. Enamored with this name and other curious monikers within honking distance, I turned my car loose on Osage County.

Among towns with 1,354 people, Linn may be America’s longest, skinniest. The town towers on a ridge, parted neatly along its crown by Highway 50. For years I’ve marveled at the linear layout of the community, although in recent years, development seems to be spilling down the mountainside. I stopped in town to pick up a copy of the world’s best-named newspaper, the Unterrified Democrat. For a lark, I spit-pasted the newspaper’s banner to my bumper and drove through this land bordered by two great American rivers, skewered by a third.

Heading east, we turned north onto Route A into Lenk, Germany’s, little sister, a town called Loose Creek. I wondered if the creek is still loose, all these years after European settlers hung that wayward name on it. The road traced a series of ridges with spectacular views cascading down deep valleys to port and starboard. As Route A descends toward the Osage River near its confluence with the muddy Missouri, the road bends sharply right. My car went straight and descended the steep entrance into Bonnots

Mill. We crept slowly down to avoid losing a grip on the road and smacking into a church at the bottom of the hill. It’s that steep. Bonnots Mill unfolded before us, a town unspoiled by change. The name of the town suggests there’s a gristmill. Well, yes, though the town was named for a sawmill that fashioned wooden ties for a voracious new railroad plowing along the riverbank. That was back in the 1850s. I stopped for a meal at Johnny Mac’s,

a delightful wooden bar and grill and museum with a bazillion relics hanging on the walls and rafters. Fish traps. Surf boards. Kayaks.

I had lunch sitting next to a full suit of armor, which, thankfully, didn’t try to steal any of my fries. The ground shook as a train rumbled past, a dart throw’s distance from the restaurant’s picture window.

The unavoidable truth about Bonnot’s Mill is that if you walk anywhere, it’s uphill. Felix Bonnot had that in mind when in 1852 he

established the first plat in this protected hollow that opens into the Osage River valley. The plats are French in nature, which is to say they’re long, narrow lots to allow for outbuildings behind the main house. Uphill from Johnny Mac’s, toward St. Louis of France Catholic Church, original outbuildings peek from behind the Dauphine Hotel. Three of the outbuildings are functional outhouses for the adventurous. The Dauphine, built in 1840 before the sawmill came to town, is a unique bed-and-breakfast, established in 1875, where guests can choose from a handful of rooms, all with indoor plumbing. And so far as I know, one of the only bed-and-breakfasts in Missouri that cooks breakfast to order.

Atop the hill, get on your tiptoes to see the confluence of the Osage and Missouri rivers. In the other direction, you can see the Missouri State Capitol ten miles away.

I rejoined Route A and continued along ridges and beautiful vistas to Frankenstein and a lovely stucco church with an equally unique name, Our Lady Help of Christians.

I passed the Kremer farm, a small operation that sells direct to Chipotle Mexican Grill. The farmer and the restaurant chain share a commitment to raising animals in a humane environment. Yes, the hogs still become burrito filling, but while they breathe, they live a lot more like hogs.

Down the road, we hit a driving thunderstorm. I stopped in Chamois, dried my car, and then peeked around the Old School on the Hill bed-and-breakfast. Along the Missouri River is

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GET GOING > ROAD TRIP

From top: The Dauphine Hotel at Bonnots Mill has three outbuildings, two of which are functioning outhouses, like this red one that’s a far cry from the shack with a moon on the door that often comes to mind.

a sign saying “Future home of the Chamois Ferry.”

Around the bend from Morrison, on Route J, the Fredericksburg Ferry is doing a booming business. My car and I rode the ferry’s deck across the Gasconade River, a trip that takes every bit of a minute or so. The skipper deftly fielded a boatload of questions. “What happens during a flood? Why doesn’t the highway department build a bridge?

How many cars do you ferry on a Saturday?”

“I have no idea,” he ended my questions.

Even with 231,418 miles on its odometer, my Sunfire sprinted like a thoroughbred up the short, steep incline from the ferry to the River’s Edge Restaurant, a treat of an eatery that is the official address for “the middle of nowhere.” I ate

a catfish that could have swam through this very restaurant during the last flood.

Completing my loop of northern Osage County, I came back to Highway 50, where I had to make a decision. Should I go east toward Mt. Sterling and the Schaeperkoetter General Store? Schaeperkoetter’s is a vestige of the past that sells everything from cake mixes to crescent wrenches, according to testimony from my cousins Gabee and Bill, who live on the Gasconade during weekends. The jaunt east would take me to the old dairy farm turned Wenwood Winery and the Dutch Mill at Drake. But I kept my focus on Osage County and cut through Rich Fountain to the aorta of my travels, Highway 63.

I’ve driven that road so much I can shut my eyes and count the number of dotted yellow lines in every passing lane from here to Thayer.

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The town of Chamois overlooks the Missouri River.

Among towns with 320 residents, Westphalia is Missouri’s longest and skinniest. The town is on a ridge, parted neatly along its crown by a remnant of the very first Highway 63. For years, I bypassed the linear layout of this old community, driving instead along new Highway 63 past ball fields and convenience stores. But if you take the old road, on the northern edge of the Maries River and drive up the steep hill to the ridge, the town unfolds like a 3-D movie. The buildings reflect the solidness of the German settlers who built them. Near the town’s epicenter is the Westphalia Inn, a tribute to family-style dining, featuring fried chicken and country ham.

Like generations of Westphalians, I took Route 133 to get to the Osage River. Just past tiny Folk is one of our state’s more obscure natural history museums. It’s called Painted Rock Conservation

Area, named for a centuries-old painting on a bluff overlooking the Osage River, the area’s first highway. A mile-and-a-half trail delivered me to a pair of dramatic bluff-top panoramas of the Osage Valley. The painted rock itself is not accessible. Our ancient predecessors had the foresight to hide them from our highways, lest they look like billboards.

I returned to Highway 63 and crossed the Osage at the confluence of the Maries and Osage rivers, the so-called Mari-Osa Delta, watched over by America’s most remote bowling alley and an old mansion at the top of the hill called Huber’s Ferry B&B. As I crossed the bridge, I thought about stopping at Soda Popp’s worm ranch. Soda is a longtime friend and the best schoolteacher in Missouri, according to both my daughters. Today Soda raises worms, a thriving

business in the rich bottomland of the Osage.

As an unterrified democrat who followed an asphalt thread through names like Useful, Loose Creek, Chamois, Frankenstein, Freedom, and Folk, I found the towns to be every bit as entertaining as their names.

Nobody knows Missouri like John Robinson.

King of the Road

John, a former Director of Tourism for Missouri, is dedicated to driving every mile of statemaintained highways.

This makes him King of the Road. To date, he has covered 3,531 state roads, with 370 to go. As he drives each road, he marks it on his map, which truly has become his treasure.

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highlights...

University Concert Series COLUMBIA, MO

Ailey II Sunday, February 8, 2009, 7 p.m.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Sunday, February 15, 2009, 7 p.m.

Spencers: Theatre of Illusion Thursday, February 19, 2009, 7 p.m.

Saint Louis Symphony Sunday, February 22, 2009, 7 p.m.

STOMP! Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 7 p.m.

The Pink Floyd Experience Friday, February 27, 2009, 7 p.m.

Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 7 p.m.

THE SPENCERS

THEATRE OF ILLUSION

NY Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 7 p.m.

Golden Dragon Acrobats Saturday, March 14, 2009, 7 p.m.

The Duke Ellington Orchestra Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 7 p.m.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Thursday, March 19, 2009, 7 p.m.

The Charlie Daniels Band Thursday, April 2, 2009, 7 p.m.

The Drowsy Chaperone Saturday, April 4, 2009, 7 p.m.

Golden Dragon Acrobats Tickets at (800) 292-9136 409 Jesse Hall on the MU Campus and 24 hours a day at

www.concertseries.org

David Sedaris Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 7 p.m.

Greater Tuna Monday, April 27, 2009, 7 p.m.

Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy Saturday, May 2, 2009, 7 p.m.

National Russian Ballet Theatre: Sleeping Beauty Sunday, May 3, 2009, 7 p.m.

Missoula Children’s Theatre: The Little Mermaid Saturday, May 9, 2009, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.

[60] MissouriLife

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ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW BARTON

G BROU

Y OU BY M i s s o u r i L if e HT TO

The Wild West is not just about history; it’s autobiography. Many of us grew up playing Cowboys and Indians or watching Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. The Wild West is a collective story about the American experience, our looking-glass self. That image remains vital to Missouri life.

What does the Wild West have to do with Missouri? During the nineteenth century, in fact and imagination, Missouri was the beating heart in the heart of the nation. Centrally located and at the confluence of two great river systems, a natural gateway, Missouri became the storm front of westward expansion and a major casino in America’s unregulated economic development. Missouri offered important natural resources like lead, commercial ventures like the Pony Express and cattle drives, and settlements connected to rivers and railroads. Fortunes and lives were won and lost here; not everyone played by house rules. From Kit Carson to Jesse James to Calamity Jane, mythic Missouri heroes lit out for the territories, to mountains, caves, or Wild West shows, to escape civilization.

Why is our Wild West heritage still important? Simply put, such powerful myths shape our future. Where do heroic individuals go now to escape? We continue moving to less-developed areas, wondering why problems of “civilization” like traffic congestion come along for the ride.

In the new frontier, abundance will grow out of creative recycling, even of our myths. We Missourians can honor in-laws, who stayed to build healthy communities, as well as outlaws, who became the stuff of legends. We can emphasize authenticity in Missouri communities that celebrate the uniqueness of their people, periods, and places and create progress in the wake of globalization. We can develop economically by conserving and restoring our natural and cultural heritage, including our role in the westward rush.

—W. Arthur Mehrhoff Now that would be wild!

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By Charles E. Reineke

As settlers from Kentucky, Virginia, and other points east streamed into Missouri following the Louisiana Purchase, they encountered only token resistance from the once-great American Indian nations that had previously called Missouri home. And by the time of the cattle drives following the Civil War, cowboys in Missouri almost never encountered bands of Indians, hostile or otherwise.

STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, COLUMBIA

O

to

them. Such resistance not only involved the peoples overwhelmed by the tide of tribal viophysical defense of their lands, but also deft lence and western expansion. The Osage also playing of one enemy off another through adroit struggled in this rapidly changing new world. alliances and treaties.

Early travelers described the Osage as a sophisUnfortunately, the Osage way of life someticated, culturally advanced civilization. But they times thwarted even the best-laid plans of its also noted that, thanks to multiple-front warfare, governing elders. A particular problem involved the Osage appeared to be in decline. Tribes from manhood rituals. These rites of passage often east of the Mississippi periodically raided Osage involved murderous raids against competing villages and took captives, while tribes from the tribes, as well as property crimes against white north, armed with guns obtained from fur tradfarmers and ranchers. ers, were even more threatening. Hostile groups The sad fate of the tribe for whom our state is Acting territorial governor Frederick Bates from the Plains also took their toll. named helps to explain why. The Missouri were wanted punishment for these “outrages.” Militias It didn’t help that the Osage were divided. a prosperous band whose earth-covered homes were mustered, forts constructed, and in 1808, The Little Osage, or U-Dse-Tsa, who lived with dominated the hills at the confluence of the President Thomas Jefferson ordered a get-tough the Missouri in what is now the northwest part Republic and Missouri rivers, but by the time of policy. A new treaty forced on the tribe that year of the state, and the Big Osage, or Pahatsi, who the Lewis and Clark expedition, they had been essentially removed the Osage from their eastern lived along the river that today bears their name, decimated by smallpox and tribal warfare. lands and imposed harsh trade conditions. had split years earlier, possibly due to popula“The Missouri Nation resided under the Io The treaty set in motion a chain of calamities tion pressures.

The Arkansas protection of the Osage, after wa y from which the Osage never recovered. By the Osage had split from the their nation was reduced by end of the century, the remnants of the Osage tribe years earlier, migrating the ‘Saukees’ below,” reported Missouria Illi had been forced out of the state. south.

William Clark on June 15, 1804. ni Today, according to the most recent U.S. Still, for more than a cen“They built their Village in the Census numbers, less than one half of 1 percent tury, the Osage successfully same low Prairie and lived there of Missourians identify themselves as American resisted Spanish, French, and many years. The war was So Osage w pa C Indian. The majority of those who do live in the American efforts to control hot & both nations become So a hic u Q ks aw state’s southwestern region. reduced that the Little Osage & a few of the Missouris moved & built a village 5 miles nearer the Grand Osage, the rest of the Missouris went and took protection under the Otteaus [Otos] on Platte river.”

The Sac were part of the Sac and Fox nation, two peoples of Algonquian origin The American Indian that had come together to stave off French community joins with Missouri State Unive Native American Herita rsity at Springfield and attempts to exterminate them in the late ge Month Celebration hosts a . Held in November, eve pus have included film nts in the past on the 1700s from what is now northern Missouri. s, lectures, concerts, MSU camand games, all culmin ating in a weekend po “The contemporary po Most famous of the Sac was wwow. wwow is a large event focused on singing and nizer Richard Meado dancing,” says event ws, a professor of soc Makataimeshekiakiak, or Black Sparrow orgaiology, anthropology, and criminology at Mis “It is the largest eve nt and the highlight Hawk, a chief now known simply as Black sou ri Sta te. of our Native American Heritage Month Celeb public has the opportu Hawk. Against Black Hawk’s warriors, the ration.” The nity to see many dan cers in beautiful clothin shop for arts and cra g and a wide variety smaller, less-well-armed Missouri never fts, and sample native of dances, foods such as fry bre also opportunities for ad and Indian tacos. had a chance, not even when accompanied the crowd to come out There are and participate in the Visit multicultural.mis event. by their better-equipped Osage allies. souristate.edu/45037 .htm for more inform ation.

The Missouri weren’t the only native

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STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, COLUMBIA

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October 2003

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[64] MissouriLife

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By Jennifer Gerling

COURTESY OF WELLS FARGO; DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY

The history of the Butterfield Route starts after the migration to California, during the Gold Rush. The growing western population quickly revealed a need for a transportation and mail service, and John Butterfield stepped up to fill the need.

With the help of a six-hundred-thousand-dollar contract with the government, Butterfield built a stage line that premiered on September 16, 1858. The Butterfield Overland Stage Route left Tipton on a 2,800-mile trip to San Francisco, California.

Pulled by four to six horses, the coaches were used to deliver mail and transport passengers several days a week. Passengers usually paid two hundred dollars to ride the entire distance west and one thousand dollars to return. The Abbot-Downing Company made stagecoaches of the finest woods. They were usually painted with bright colors and could

hold two tons. Coach drivers were often rough men who had strict policies on the stagecoach ride. The coaches only stopped for a change of horses and brief meal breaks. This was assuming that outlaws didn’t pull the coaches over to rob them.

Stage lines began appearing within the state as well. According to the Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri, “A four-horse daily stage line ran around Missouri from St. Louis to St. Charles, St. Charles to Warrenton, and Danville to Fulton. Another one ran from St. Louis to Union, to Jefferson City, and from Jefferson City through California, and Georgetown to Independence.”

The average time it takes to drive from Jefferson City to Springfield via car is approximately two and a half hours. During the stagecoach period, it took about forty hours.

Coaches frequently stopped at The Old Stagecoach Stop in Waynesville, previously

known as The Waynesville House, on the St. Louis to Springfield route to rest and feed passengers and horses. This road became a critical location during the Civil War when the Union army moved men and supplies along the line.

The restored stop is a house museum where each room is decorated to represent what the building was used for throughout the decades, including a dentist’s office and cabin.

Butterfield’s line was coming to an end, with worn-down horses and coaches, when Missourian Ben Holladay purchased it. He bought new horses and Concord coaches and created Holladay Overland Mail and Express Company. He acquired a near-complete monopoly of the stage line business and earned the title “The Stagecoach King.”

In 1866, Wells Fargo & Co. bought Holladay’s coaches and combined them all. It was shortly after in 1869 that the transcontinental railroad was completed, and stagecoach use declined.

James Bridger Mountain man James Bridger spent much of his life

Rocky Mountains. The pass, which became known

in Missouri. When he was a boy, his family moved

as Bridger’s Pass, ran south from the Great Basin.

to St. Louis, where he became a blacksmith

This pass was used as a route for overland mail.

apprentice, skilled shot, and woodsman, and later,

Later it was used for the Union Pacific Railroad line,

a trapper. Bridger’s first trapping job was with

and today it is Interstate 80.

General Ashley’s Upper Missouri Expedition. They

With the immigration of the Mormons to Utah,

trapped and traded along the northern Missouri

business slowed, and eventually Bridger returned

River until they were forced to move south after

to Missouri with his wife and children. The Mormons

encountering hostile Blackfoot Indian tribes.

took over the fort. While he did continue to make

As the fur trade was dying out, Bridger had to find a new way to earn a living, and he did this by

trips west, his family remained at their farm just outside of Westport, now part of Kansas City.

building Fort Bridger in Utah. As a trade post for

After years of trapping, trading, exploring, and

both settlers and Indians, Fort Bridger became a

mountain guiding, Bridger returned to his Westport

successful business venture.

farm when his health began to deteriorate. He died

Before he moved back to Missouri, Bridger was

in 1881 on his farm. He is buried at Independence.

also a guide and found a shorter path through the

—Elizabeth Galloway

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By Regan Palmer

The Westward Migration of the 1800s was the largest voluntary overland migration of people in history.

Northwestern Missouri towns made their place in history as jumpingoff points for this great migration.

Rich in supplies, the economies of Independence, Westport, St. Joseph, and neighboring towns boomed from about 1840 through 1860 as around four hundred thousand emigrants passed through on their way to making new lives for themselves. They had hopes and dreams of striking gold, farming fertile land, and foreign trade.

The beginning of the Santa Fe Trail was in 1821 in Franklin. Mexico had just declared its independence from Spain and reversed the previous Spanish policy to resist foreign trade.

This change in legislation led thousands of

entrepreneurs to travel west to Santa Fe, Mexico, to make money in the business of foreign trade. John Mark Lambertson, director and archivist for the National Frontier Trails Museum, says the Santa Fe Trail was unique in American history because it was an overland foreign trade route. This nine-hundredmile route was a two-way trail taken mostly by men. Missouri merchants took goods to Mexico, and Hispanics brought trade goods up and sold them to Independence. “The trade along the Santa Fe Trail was just a huge cash cow for Independence and the surrounding area, as well as the state,” John Mark says. Emigrants traveled this trail until 1880, when the building of a railroad to Santa Fe left the trail abandoned.

It took twenty years after the Santa Fe Trail opened for another trail to emerge. The California Trail started around 1841 by farm-

ers looking for rich land to settle in the West.

On January 24, 1848, James Marshall discovered gold in Coloma, California, which triggered the California Gold Rush. It was like the floodgates opened, John Mark says. More than 250,000 gold seekers seeking quick riches as well as farmers looking for land, took the two-thousand-mile trail. “Most of those men did not find the type of success they were looking for financially and ended up coming back disappointed.”

The Oregon Trail began in 1843, just two years after the California Trail. This twothousand-mile trail to Oregon City, Oregon, led settlers who wanted to make homes in the northwestern part of the country. “The motive was the federal government was giving away free land,” John Mark says. This trail attracted mostly families who were planning on living permanently in the

Belle Starr Legend has it that the Missouri native, “Bandit

former Missourian, and had a child two years later.

Queen” Belle Starr, was a great female outlaw of

In 1871, Reed was charged with murder in Arkansas

the Wild West who wore buckskins and moccasins

and moved the family to California. It wasn’t long

while she stole from the rich and gave to the poor,

before they returned to Texas. Reed proceeded to

rode down the streets on horseback firing pistols in

steal thousands of dollars from people in the Indian

the air, and became an acquaintance of the famous

nations and on the stagecoaches. In August 1874,

lawbreakers of the time. This reputation was largely

Reed was shot and killed by a deputy sheriff.

exaggerated because of yellow journalism in publications like The National Police Gazette.

Belle then married Cherokee Indian Sam Starr in 1880. A few years later, the two of them were

Belle was born at Carthage as Myra Maybelle

charged with horse theft and served nine months

Shirley in 1848. In 1864, her family moved to

in the House of Correction in Detroit, Michigan.

Scyene, Texas, after Carthage was burned. There

In 1886, Sam was shot to death by a longtime

she reunited with Missourians Jesse James and

nemesis. Belle spent the remainder of her life on

On February 3, 1889, an unknown assassin shot

the Younger brothers, who her family let hide out

the wrong side of the law. She was charged several

Belle Starr. People speculated about who the killer

at their home.

times with robbery but released each time due to

was, just as they did about other aspects of her life.

At eighteen, she married James C. Reed, also a

lack of evidence.

—Jennifer Gerling

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STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, COLUMBIA; DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY

A pioneer family and their Conestoga wagons, circa 1870 Pacific Northwest. Some people also veered off of the Oregon Trail to the California Trail in hopes of striking gold.

Independence is the best-known starting gate for the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon trails. The bend in the Missouri River made it easy for emigrants to begin their journey. Also, the Indian Removal Act of 1830 moved most American Indians west of the Missouri River, meaning no towns or supply points could be established past the Missouri border.

Soon the jumping-off point at Independence moved to Westport. At Westport, emigrants were a little further west, which made the starting point more convenient. They also didn’t have to cross the treacherous Blue River.

Other northwestern Missouri towns were also pivotal in the migration west. Some emigrants traveled by steamboat about one hundred miles north to St. Joseph. When they arrived, they waited to be ferried across the Missouri River. The only problem was the limited access to the ferries. This left many emigrants waiting for days to leave or traveling thirteen miles north to catch the ferry at Savannah. St. Joseph’s population grew from 800 people in 1843 to 8,932 people in 1860.

In The Great Western Migration to the Gold Fields of California, 1849-1950,, Robert J. Willoughby describes the advantages of beginning the journey farther west in towns like Weston and St. Joseph: “Weston and St. Joseph could rightfully boast that by staying aboard the steamers for another day of comfortable upriver travel the emigrants could save themselves a hundred miles and a week’s hard overland travel.”

John Mark says, “One of the biggest surprises I think people have is that people heading west on these trails, almost all of them, walked the entire distance.” They had to keep the wagons as lightweight as possible for the animals pulling it, so most people walked beside the wagon or rode on horseback.

The three overland trails and the ambitious settlers who traveled the rugged routes not only changed the face of America, but they also laid the foundation for Missouri towns to prosper and now celebrate their western heritage.

The Museum of Westwa rd Expansion houses artifacts and exhibits that chro nicle the American Indians and pioneers who sha ped the history of the West. The museum is located at 11 N. 4th Street at St. Louis.

Call 314-655-1700 or visit www .nps.gov/archive/ jeff/expansion_museum.html for more information.

National Frontier Trails Museum, located at 318 W. Pacific at Independen ce, features the histories of the Santa Fe, the Ore gon, and the California trails, plus interactive exhibits , including two that challenge you to pack your wagon or your saddle for your trip on the trail.

Call 816-325-7575 for more information.

Merchants at Westport outf itted wagon trains for their journeys west. Find thes e stories and more at the Westport Historic al Society at 4000 Baltimore at Kansas City.

Call 816-561-1821 or visit westporthistorical. org for more information.

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At a time when civil war was inevitable and California was quickly populating because of the Gold Rush, there was a need for faster communication with the West. St. Joseph was on the edge of the frontier and the farthest western city that the railroad tracks and telegraph lines reached, making it the perfect place to start a new, faster way of communication: the Pony Express.

William H. Russell, William B. Waddell, and Alexander Majors founded the Pony Express to deliver mail using relays of men on horseback all the way to Sacramento, California. Their vision became a reality on April 3, 1860. The first lone rider, Johnny Fry, sped out of the legendary Pikes Peak Stables at St. Joseph with a saddlebag filled with forty-nine letters and five telegrams and rode the first seventy miles to Seneca, Kansas.

The first trip to Sacramento lasted nine days and twenty-three hours, an unheard of speed for that time. President Lincoln’s inaugural address was mailed in a record time of less than eight days.

The three founders chose the first floor of the Patee House Hotel for their headquarters.

More than thirty riders stayed at the hotel, and letters bound for the Pony Express were mailed from the office.

The nearly two-thousand-mile trail to Sacramento was treacherous. John Foley, administrative assistant of the Pony Express

Museum, says only young men with no families who were willing to risk death on a daily basis were encouraged to be riders. “They wanted small, wiry riders because of the weight factor and also young, strong, and fearless men because of the hardships of the trail, the weather, and the Indians. Most of all, they needed good riders.

Boys and men raised on the frontier seemed to be the answer,” he says. Eventually, there were more than one hundred stations, eighty riders, and four hundred to five hundred horses. The riders covered 650,000 miles on horseback; they switched riders at home stations, seventy-five to one hundred miles apart.

The Pony Express lasted a mere nineteen months, as it was soon replaced by the telegraph.

Though the ride was dangerous, only one rider was killed during the Pyramid Lake War in Nevada by the Paiute Indians, resulting in the only delivery ever lost throughout the duration of the Pony Express. It never became a U.S. mail service, and it was never financially successful, as the three founders lost five hundred thousand dollars and were bankrupt after its failure. Even though unsuccessful, the Pony Express sparked a change in communication and is still one of St. Joseph’s claims to fame to this day.

“It tied California to the rest of the country when the Civil War was going to break out shortly and allowed California to stay in the Union,”

ices for the Home of the off Stables at ak Pe es Pik the in d Patee Locate the Express, Pony The , eph Jos St. at eet 914 Penn Str 1202 Penn House Museum at m occupies Pony Express Museu houses the last Street at St. Joseph the first Pony t tha site al gin ori the Railroad steam Hannibal & St. Joseph out of on red nde thu r ride s Expres y mail car. locomotive and railwa April 3, 1860. visit www.

06 Call 816-232-82 or visit www.

Call 800-530-5930 or /patee. ess stjoseph.net/ponyexpr ex.php for ind rg/ s.o res xp nye po n. html for more informatio more information.

John says. “It also made communication faster.”

In 1959, materials salvaged from the original Pikes Peak Stables at St. Joseph were used in the restoration of the building that would be the Pony Express Museum on the stables’ original site. Further renovations in 1993 restored the stables to the size they were in 1860. The Patee House was also transformed into a museum and is the only complete original Pony Express building still in existence at St. Joseph.

The pride of the Pony Express still lingers at St. Joseph.

A two-ton, bronze statue of a horse and rider was unveiled in 1940 and sits on the corner of Tenth Street and Frederick Avenue overlooking downtown (Missouri Life February 2008 cover).

There is also a rerun of the Pony Express each June. The reenactment either starts or ends at Patee House. Five hundred fifty riders of the National Pony Express Association carry mail across the 1,966-mile trail to Sacramento over a ten-day period, just as the brave lone riders did nearly 150 years ago. This year is the thirtieth anniversary of the event.

The Pony Express Museum is an important part of Missouri history and is still one of the main drawing points for tourists in St. Joseph, John says. “There was a lot of legend that surrounded it. Over the years, they ironed those out, but they’re still with us.”

COURTESY OF PONY EXPRESS MUSEUM; COURTESY OF FORT SCOTT HISTORICAL SOCIETY

By Regan Palmer

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COURTESY OF PONY EXPRESS MUSEUM; COURTESY OF FORT SCOTT HISTORICAL SOCIETY

‘Hanging’ Judge Isaac Parker

Judge Isaac Parker was known to have a no-non sense attitude when it came to sitting on the bench.

Lawbreakers shook in their boots when word came that he would be presiding over their trial.

Isaac Parker was born October 15, 1838, in Belmont County, Ohio. At seventeen, he decide d to pursue a career in law. After he passed the bar exam, he traveled to St. Joseph in 1859 to join his

uncle’s law firm. He was elected to city attorney

a Democrat in April 1861.

as

The Civil War broke out four days after Parker took office, and he cut ties with the Democrats and

enlisted in the 61st Missouri Emergency Regiment, part of the pro-Union Home Guard. In the same year,

he married Mary O’Toole, a St. Joseph native.

In 1868, Parker won a six-year term as a judge

for the Twelfth Missouri Circuit, which consisted of the northwest counties of Atchison, Holt, Nodaway,

Andrew, Buchanan, Gentry, and DeKalb. In 1870, he resigned his judgeship and ran as the Republican

nominee for the Seventh Congressional District. He

served two terms as a Missouri representative in the U.S. Congress from 1871 to 1874.

After leaving Congress, Parker sought a presidential appointment to public office, and in 1875, he was appointed judge for the Western District of Arkansas, headquartered at Fort Smith. In twenty one years as a judge, he sentenced 160 people to death for guilty verdicts of rape or murder, which

earned him the nickname “Hanging Judge Parker .”

Parker died November 17, 1896, at Fort Smith, Arkansas. —-Porcshe Moran

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A staged train robbery, 1907

With a reputation in the late 1800s of being “the robber state,” Missouri was in the heart of the legendary Wild West.

The James-Younger Gang crossed the state, robbing banks, and soon began the risky business of train robberies.

The gang included Frank and Jesse James, Arthur McCoy and two of the Younger brothers, along with additional members who participated in different robberies. “Jesse was probably credited with being the inventor of train robberies,” says Gary Chilcote, director of the Patee House Museum and Jesse James Home at St. Joseph. The gang robbed its first train in Adair, Iowa, in 1873. It went off without a hitch, and the gang returned to Missouri to raise havoc.

On January 31, 1874, at Gads Hill, just 120 miles south of St. Louis, the gang robbed its first Missouri train. In this robbery, gang members hid their faces with white masks with triangularcut eyeholes and also robbed the passengers since the baggage car only had a small amount of money. There is a marker in Gads Hill that commemorates the first Missouri train robbery.

After this robbery, the Pinkerton National

Detective Agency was hired to catch the outlaws. John W. Whicher, who was investigating the James brothers, was found shot to death in March of 1874. The James brothers were the main suspects of this murder. Two other agents were shot six days later. One of the agents was able to kill John Younger before he was shot.

Two years later on July 7, 1876, the gang struck again in Otterville. The New York Times reported about seventy-five thousand dollars were stolen from the safe of this Missouri Pacific train. Three years later on October 8, 1879, the gang traveled to Glendale in Jackson County, fifteen miles east of Kansas City, to rob the Chicago and Alton Railroad, its third Missouri train.

The robbery in Winston, just ten miles north of Cameron, in July of 1881 was particularly significant because there were fatalities, Chilcote says. On the hot July night, seven members of the gang stopped the train. The engineer, William Westfall, and one passenger were killed during the robbery. The gang got away with less than two thousand dollars and rode off on horses. There is still evidence of this train rob-

bery today. An old stone culvert can still be seen where it is said the gang waited before robbing the train. In Plattsburg, you can find William Westfall’s grave with an inscription reading: “Killed by train robbers July 1881.”

In July 1881, Missouri Gov. Tom Crittenden pursuaded the railroads and express companies to sponsor a ten-thousand-dollar reward for the capture of each of the James brothers.

The gang’s last railroad robbery was at Blue Cut, just two miles west of Glendale, on September 7, 1881. The Pinkerton Detective Agency had still been unsuccessful in catching the outlaws. It wasn’t until a bank robbery in Northfield, Minnesota, that they were finally captured. The entire gang was either killed or captured, except for Jesse and Frank James.

Jesse moved to St. Joseph to hide out with his family. Just nine months after the reward was offered for Jesse’s capture, he took the Ford brothers with him for a bank robbery in Platte City. When they got back home, Bob Ford shot Jesse in the back of the head while he was standing on a chair to adjust a picture frame on the wall. The Ford brothers tried to collect

DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY

By Regan Palmer

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the ten-thousand-dollar reward but were charged with the murder of Jesse James instead. They were sentenced to hang, but Governor Crittenden pardoned them.

Frank James went to trial for a bank robbery and the Winston train robbery but was found not guilty in both cases. Frank lived the rest of his life a free man.

There were many factors that made Missouri susceptible to train robberies, Chilcote says. “The James gang’s headquarters were in Missouri, and the mountainous Ozarks made it easy to stop a train.” Plus, the government shipped money through the railroads, which made it possible to make a lot of money with one robbery.

After the James-Younger gang’s era, there was an attempted train robbery in 1900. Five or six men, including Charlie Frederick, were caught when Frederick’s sister learned of the plan and alerted the authorities. Frederick got off with probation for his role, but the judge told him to always wear a black shirt to show for his sins. Even after the judge died, Frederick wore a black shirt every day for the rest of his life.

The James Brothers Just before the Civil War, Missouri’s Western bor-

Confederacy. The next year, he joined William

der with Kansas was one of the most violent areas

Quantrill’s guerrillas to continue fighting for the

of the nation. With slavery legal on one side of the

Confederate cause. Before the Lawrence raid,

border and a militant form of abolitionism on the

Union soldiers had come to the James’s farm

other, conflicts often arose. Both Kansans and

and assaulted Mr. Samuel, Zerelda, and Jesse.

Missourians rode across the river to burn farms,

At sixteen, Jesse was left with a sense of injus-

steal slaves, and kill for their respective causes.

tice and a purpose. Like his brother, he also

Perhaps one of the most famous raids took place

began riding with guerrilla soldiers, under the

on August 21, 1863. William Quantrill led

DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY

See items owned by Jes se James and his fam ily at the Jesse James Home located at 1202 Penn Street at St. Joseph. The Jame s Family Farm at Kearney features tours of the farm and a museum.

Call 816-232-8206 or visit www.stjoseph .net/ ponyexpress/jesse.ht ml. Visit www.jesseja mes.org for more information.

Peer into the original bank vault at the Th e Jesse James Bank Museu m at Liberty where the James gang robbery in 1866 made history.

Call 816-736-8510 for more information.

The John W. Barriger

III National Railroad

Library at One University Boule vard at St. Louis houses collections and information on the earliest train rob beries.

Visit www.umsl.edu/b arriger for more inform ation.

command of William “Bloody Bill” Anderson.

the raid that resulted in the massacre of

After the Civil War, Frank and Jesse’s gang

two hundred men and boys at Lawrence,

roamed the United States, robbing banks and

Kansas. Frank James, Jesse James’s older

trains and killing people. Frank played a leading

brother, was among Quantrill’s gang.

role in the Liberty bank robbery on February 13,

Frank James was only twenty years old

1866, which is thought to be the first daylight

at the time, born on the family farm near

bank robbery during peacetime in U.S. history.

Kearney on January 10, 1843. Jesse was

Together, they helped build the image of the

five years younger, born September 5,

American outlaw that persists today.

1847. Their father, the Reverend Robert

Remembered as a political figure and an out-

James, was a Baptist minister and farmer

law, Jesse acted with confidence in both actions

who helped found William Jewell College at

and words and manipulated the media, promoting

Liberty. But when he left the family to minister

himself as an avenger who punished those who

to miners in California, the family changed

rejected the Confederacy. He defied Union author-

dramatically. Their mother, Zerelda, remar-

ity and was not afraid to voice his opinions.

ried twice after Robert’s departure. Zerelda’s

On April 3, 1882, Jesse was killed at his

third husband, Reuben Samuel, was content

house at St. Joseph by Robert Ford, a member

to let her be head of the household. She was

of the gang, who had agreed to turn Jesse in for

strong and passionate, with an unrelenting

a ten-thousand-dollar reward. After his brother’s

temper when provoked, as were her boys.

death, Frank turned himself in to authorities and

Frank had enlisted with the Missouri State

was held at Independence. He was tried twice but

Guard in May 1861, but he was captured by

acquitted both times and lived peacefully for the

Union soldiers in 1862 and paroled from the

rest of his life. —Rebecca Legel

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Cattle Round Up, Circa 1900-1920

By Charles E. Reineke

Our national sense of self can be plotted along the timeline of our great westward migration. Part of that sense of self includes a strong sense of independence, respect for hard work, and love of the land. And for better or worse, no aspect of America’s history has so fired our imaginations and influenced our collective sense of identity as the western cattle trade and its venerable knight-errant—the cowboy.

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“Perhaps the cowboy, riding his horse across an endless prairie, has become a symbol of what we used to be, or at least think we used to be, and of what we would be if we could,” John R. Erickson writes in his book The Modern Cowboy (2004). “He doesn’t have to punch a time clock, drive through snarls of traffic every afternoon, shave or wear a tie to work, or to participate in hollow rituals in order to gain advancement.

When he gets tired of the scenery, or if the boss crowds him too close, he packs his few possessions in a pickup and horse trailer and moves on to another ranch. In the American cowboy, we find qualities we deeply admire—simplicity, independence, physical strength, courage, peace of mind, and self-respect—but which, to one degree or another, we have surrendered in order to gain something else.”

In his wizened, no-nonsense account of life and work in the cattle industry during the 1960s and 1970s, Texas cowboy and author Erickson describes the sense of pride and longing that still informs this pop cultural view.

Erickson, however, is no romantic.

During a phone conversation from

his seven-thousand-acre ranch in the Texas Panhandle—rugged canyon country where moving cattle on horseback is essential—he suggests cowboy realities can be less inspiring than suburban mythologizing might indicate.

“When I was ten years old, I wanted to be a cowboy like my grandfather and great-grandfather,” Erickson says. “I’ve also been critical of people who write romantically about the cowboy, people who don’t ‘have the smell of the fire on them,’ you might say. There are people who have read a lot of books about cowboying, and they can talk eloquently about the honor of being a cowboy. I’ve felt that, too. But I’ve also been on the other side when it was a day like this—cold, overcast, and windy—and I didn’t feel too honored to be where I was.”

In other words, the work is physically demanding, the hours long, and the pay too often abysmal. Still, Erickson says, he’s never seriously considered another line of work.

A Negative Term

Scholars echo this ambivalence, taking pains, too, to set the historical record straight. Historians of the American West say the term “cowboy,” through much of the nineteenth century, had a

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distinctly pejorative cast, a word commonly associated with bands of unruly young men who were as likely to be stealing cattle as tending them.

This unromantic type of cowboy established his bad reputation in Texas, where struggles between Anglo settlers and established Mexican ranchers led to decades of political instability and lawlessness. Think Sergio Leone rather than John Ford.

In his 1947 classic, The Longhorns, J. Frank Dobie wrote that until various “wild west shows” changed perceptions in the 1880s, calling someone a cowboy was to infer dereliction, drunkenness, and thievery. Historian Paul Carlson of Texas Tech University cites evidence of this in a recent essay, quoting antebellum rancher John Clay’s less-than-laudatory assessment of cowboys. They were, Clay writes, “a devilmay-care, roistering, gambling, immoral, revolver-heeled, brazen, light-fingered lot, who usually came to no-good end.”

This is not to say all cowhands were of ill repute: Most ranch workers in Texas as elsewhere were perfectly respectable and hardworking. It’s just that these workers didn’t usually end up on cattle drives.

DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY

Magnets for Vice

Long drives were reserved for the leastexperienced, most-expendable workers: the young, the rootless, and the delinquent. Far from being celebrated, when these “cow boys” approached more civilized trading and transshipment centers up the trail— cities like Springfield, Kansas City, and St. Joseph—they were viewed with trepidation, if not outright hostility.

The reason isn’t hard to understand.

Young men fresh from the trail, pay in hand, were magnets for vice and those who figured to profit from it.

Town trouble aside, Missouri citizens had other reasons to fear Texas cowboys and their herds, though these didn’t emerge until later. Through much of the antebellum period, the longhorns and their minders provided a welcome influx of supplemental livestock for traders buying and selling Missouri’s “native breeds.”

These herds got their start in the early

1830s as drovers from Kentucky began bringing shorthorn cattle, called at the time “Durhams” after the English county where they originated, into Missouri’s fertile and well-watered prairies. The idea was to use Durham stock to improve the less desirable breeds already prospering on Missouri’s abundant grasses. Thanks to enterprising experts in husbandry, who, beginning at the 1835 Boone County Fair, convincingly touted the advantages of selective breeding, within twenty years the state had developed a prosperous, and profitable cattle industry.

The timing of the industry’s ascent couldn’t have been better. The late 1840s saw the beginnings of the migration West, with thousands of settlers spiking demand for beef. For pioneers destined for Oregon and prospectors and merchants bound for California, Missouri was the last chance to purchase the cattle that would supply meat and milk for the months-long journey.

These were the best of times for ranchers. In the two decades leading up to the Civil War, tens of thousands of shorthorn herds from Missouri, along with longhorns driven north from central Texas, were used to outfit wagon trains departing from Independence, Westport, and Kansas City.

As these settlers established themselves in the western territories, their ongoing need for beef created still more opportunities to profit. Cattle selling for ten dollars per head in Kansas City fetched more than one hundred dollars in California.

Demand in eastern cities, meanwhile, was also strong, and stockyards located near Missouri railheads did a booming business.

But the good times eventually turned sour, thanks in large part to the spread of the cattle-killing Spanish, or Texas, fever.

Over the years, longhorns had built up resistance to the often-fatal, tick-borne disease, now known as bovine babesiosis. When these Texas cattle were driven to northern markets, however, Missouri’s herds, with no protective immunity, were vulnerable. This was especially true in the summer when ticks were most active.

No one can “blame the citizens of Missouri for adopting summary measures

Kit Carson

Sensationalized as superhuman in dime store novels and adventure stories, Christopher “Kit” Carson became famous for his exploration of the West.

Born Christmas Eve 1809 at Madison County, Kentucky, Carson lived at Howard County, Missouri, until the age of seventeen when he moved to the Santa Fe, New Mexico, area. He worked as a fur-trapper and hunter in the West until the early 1840s.

In 1842, after returning to Missouri, Carson met John C. Fremont and began working for him as a guide. Fremont, second lieutenant of Topographical Engineers of the United States Army, chronicled their travels through the West in his widely read reports, making Carson a household name. Carson was known for his humble, kind nature. Yet, throughout his travels he was an expert navigator, survived extreme cold, and fought successfully with Indians and trappers that attacked him. From 1853 to 1861, Carson worked as the appointed federal Indian agent for northern New Mexico. Carson was also involved in an economic war against the Navajo Indians in an attempt to keep them confined to government reservations.

After their crops, orchards, and livestock were destroyed, they surrendered to Carson in 1864 and nearly eight thousand Navajo men, women, and children took the “Long Walk” of three hundred miles from Arizona to Fort Sumner, New Mexico, where they remained in disease-ridden confinement until 1868.

Carson died at Colorado in 1868. His remains were moved to a small cemetery at Taos, New Mexico. —Porcshe Moran

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ansas City Livestock Pens, K Stockyards, 1945

Kansas City and St. Louis Stockyards Mayhem after the Civil War affected the fortunes

Louisians seldom bragged about it, for a time the

of several Missouri cities. In 1867, for instance,

famed “Gateway to the West” became an impor-

mules, to hundreds of processors.

In 1929, for example, some 2,179,000 head

a massive herd of longhorns bound for the

tant cow conduit to the east. In 1884, for example,

of cattle and 4,151,000 hogs were sold through

new Pacific Railroad depot in Sedalia—260,000,

St. Louis rail companies shipped 360,717 head of

the stockyards, many bound for the huge meat-

according to the Missouri Historical Review —was

cattle to hungry East Coast consumers.

packing plants that grew up adjacent to the yards.

“diverted by trouble about Texas cattle.” The inci-

As the era of the long drives peaked in the

Close to a dozen railroad companies plied the

dent, according to the Review, ended Sedalia’s bid

1870s and 1880s, the sound of the cowboy and

crowded lines leading into the yards. Live animals

to become the nation’s “first major cow town.”

his herds was supplanted by the decidedly less

in, meat products out. Only Chicago could claim to

A law passed in 1867, much more restrictive

romantic blast of the steam whistle. Mounted

put more meat on the world’s dinner tables.

than an earlier one, effectively banned Texas

stockyard workers had much in common with their

The sprawling pens, chutes, and scales, once

cattle from crossing the state because of Texas

trail-riding brethren, but the lifestyle of the cowboy

spread across 640 acres spanning the Kaw River

fever, except when packed in rail cars or steam-

was ill-suited to these giant processing facilities.

and the Missouri-Kansas border, are gone now,

ships. The law coincided with the extension of

As an unnamed Works Progress Administration

Missouri Pacific rail lines to Kansas City. The rail-

writer wrote in the Depression-era Missouri: A

head, along with the opening of the new Hannibal

Guide to the ‘Show Me’ State, “A few herdsmen

Of Missouri’s great nineteenth-century stock-

Bridge over the Missouri River in 1869, meant

brought something of the cow-country atmosphere

yards, only the St. Joseph Stockyards, estab-

Texas drovers could skirt Missouri entirely, driving

to the stockyards district, but the boys in ‘high

lished in 1887, remains in business. The original

the herds through friendly outposts in eastern

heel boots, chaps, and spurs’ were swallowed up

building built in 1887 burned in 1898, but a new

Kansas to an endpoint just across the river from

in the larger life of a community busy killing hogs,

Livestock Exchange building opened in 1899. The

the Missouri Pacific depot.

handling wheat, grinding flour, and supplying agri-

four-story, 105-room building in its heyday includ-

cultural implements to the grain farmers.”

ed a bank, post office, telegraph office, market

A huge new stockyard in the city’s West

supplanted by the rise of regional processing centers located closer to farms and ranches.

Bottoms grew up to accommodate the Texas

At the height of the Kansas City stockyard

information posted hourly, a restaurant, and was

herds. The stockyards at Kansas City Live Stock

operations—a forty-year period between con-

considered the most complete livestock exchange

Exchange once were one of the nation’s largest

struction of the nine-story Kansas City Live Stock

building in the United States. While the building

livestock sales processing complexes.

Exchange Building in 1911 and a devastating

closed in 2008, the stockyard is still going strong

Stockyards and packinghouses at St. Louis

flood in 1951—the facility sold millions of ani-

and sold 161,850 head of cattle, sheep, goats,

were also substanital. Though sophisticated St.

mals, including cows, hogs, sheep, horses, and

hogs, and feeder pigs in 2007.

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to protect their stock from the fearful ravages of Spanish fever,” thundered the Clinton Journal in a widely reprinted story from 1859. And summary measures did become the order of the day.

Herds of longhorns, sometimes starving after months on the trail, were turned back from borders and river crossings by angry local ranchers and their neighbors. Drovers were robbed, beaten, and sometimes killed along with their herds by Missouri vigilantes. In 1861, the state legislature was forced to respond, passing a law severely restricting the movement of Texas beef through the state.

But the cowboys came, braving storms and stampedes, hostile American Indians and angry settlers. Some got through; many more did not.

Virginia Sue Hutchinson, writing in the Missouri Historical Review, recounts for example how a Texas cowboy named James M. Dougherty and his herd encountered “a yelling angry mob” of Missourians about twenty miles east of Fort Scott, Kansas. “Dressed in homespun pantaloons, coarse hunting jackets of tow [woven hemp], cowhide shoes, and coonskin caps, these formidable appearing men galloped at full speed toward the herd, screeching and yelling,” Hutchinson writes. “Naturally a stampede resulted.”

The teenage Dougherty was “arrested” by the mob for “bringing ticks” to Missouri and severely whipped before eventually being freed.

One of his fellow drovers, John Dobbins, was shot dead in the saddle.

Ranching today

Unlike some of their Western counterparts, the Derks family of King City doesn’t do any riding and roping beneath a big sky. They don’t wear chaps and spurs and don’t cook up their chuck in a wagon. When these Missouri ranchers ride through the icy mud and blowing snow to check on their herd, it’s usually in the heated cab of a Dodge 4x4.

“To tell you the truth,” Chris Derks says, “I’ve never been on a horse.”

He is instead, at the moment, mounted on the vinyl bench seat of his mud-spattered truck, intent on delivering the forage his hungry cows will need to get through another winter day.

On his 2,600 acres, six hundred hungry Angus cows—some of which are almost ready to begin calving—are dependent on the secondgeneration cattle rancher for sustenance.

As a cluster of some forty animals looks on expectantly, Chris navigates through a rutted gateway. The truck, a diesel-powered workhorse, is equipped with a hydraulic bale lift and unroller.

Chris has used the lift to deposit two massive hay-bale rolls onto the bed, a process he’ll repeat over and over before his workday is done.

“It’s great that we can do these things two at a time,” Chris says while pulling on a pair of leather and canvas utility gloves. The thirty-six-year-old is a stout guy and looks bigger in his Carhartt chore coat. “I’m gonna take the wrap off this bale of hay right quick,” he

Breaking camp, Circa 1900-1920

says, and in a few seconds, he’s done just that, exposing the surface of a tightly wound roll of some two thousand pounds of pliant, slightly sweet-smelling hay.

The lift jerks to life; its twin hydraulic arms slowly hoist a massive round bale toward the rear.

Cows low expectantly; the truck jerks and shudders. Thirty seconds later the bale is locked into place, ready to be unwound atop the frozen field.

Chris shifts the pickup into gear, and it’s soon bouncing across the pasture. He hits a button, and the hay begins to unfurl like a frayed yellow carpet on the crusty surface of the snow.

Ethics and Economics

Chris says most ranchers, like him, are determined to provide consumers with the same healthy, well-treated beef that their own families consume. The reason has to do with both ethics and economics.

“If we don’t raise the best beef, you’re not going to come back and buy from us,” he says. “We always have to be considerate of the consumer—people in St. Louis, in Kansas City, in Columbia, in Springfield. We have to produce what they want. If we don’t, they’re going to go somewhere else.”

For now there seems little danger of that.

KANSAS CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY; DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY

Find the spirit of the Kansas City Stockyard s at the Exchange Building at 1600 Genesee Street that was recently renovated for the offices of Nation al Farms, Inc., a regional cattlefeeding business, alo ng with architecture, filmmakin g, and advertising pro fessionals. The building is als o home to Golden Ox (816-8422866), a sixty-year-old steakhouse that served those who once worked in the yards and packinghouse s.

The American Ro yal Association loc ated at 1701 American Royal Ct. also calls the West Bottoms home. The Royal beg an as a Hereford cow show in 1899. Today, its two -month-long fall festiva l of horse, cow, barbecue, and rodeo competitions dra ws more than 250,000 visitors.

There is also a museu m featuring the history of the Royal.

Visit www.americanro yal.com for more info rmation.

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According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, domestic beef consumption weighed in at 28.1 billion pounds last year, an all-time high. U.S. producers in 2007 processed some 34.3 million head of cattle, a trade worth an estimated $74 billion at retail, though exports of American beef are down in both dollar value and as a percentage of production—a hangover effect from the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy or “Mad-Cow Disease” in 2003.

“The cattle around here get taken care of pretty well,” Chris says. “That’s something that’s very important to us—that they have good quality feed, that there’s clean water for ’em, and that they get checked on daily. If there’s one out here that’s injured herself on the ice, we get her up and take care of what needs to be done.”

Missouri 2nd in Nation

Taking care of what needs to be done might well be the informal creed for generations of Missouri cattle ranchers, hardworking, business-savvy men and women who, like Chris and his wife, Cas, have made Missouri the second largest producer of beef cattle in the nation. They may not ride the range, but last year, according to the Columbia-based

Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, ranch families in Missouri managed some 2.1 million head of beef cattle on close to 12 million acres of pasture. Total sales topped one billion dollars. Only Texas can claim a bigger share of the nation’s beef production.

Still, while the Derks say they’re more likely to spend their free time at the movies rather than the rodeo, they remain strongly influenced by the values, traditions, and most importantly, the work ethic passed down by previous generations of Missouri ranchers and cowhands.

“Some people might not look at this as a positive thing—I don’t know—but Chris and I really try to instill in our children the idea that, hey, when school is out, we work,” Cas says.

Because their three children are young—the eldest, Madeline, is nine, sons Samuel and Gabriel are still preschoolers—work and play for the kids remain almost indistinguishable. Still, the Derks say, it’s never too early to teach a lesson.

“We want them to understand that there are chores and other responsibilities that they have to take care of,” says Cas, a former elementary school teacher with an education degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia. “It’s our way of promoting that work ethic, that love for being outside, that bond to the land.”

Independence, hard work, and love of the land are principles the Derks and other ranch families strive to live by. And so the cowboy tradition lives on. Ranchers such as Chris and Cas Derks are confident cowboy culture has a healthy future, in spite of a host of new economic challenges. The Derks say rising land prices, driven in large part by wealthy “hobby ranchers” and land-hungry hunters, are making it increasingly difficult for the next generation to purchase acreage in northwest Missouri.

Rising land valuations can also mean huge estate tax liabilities for ranchers looking to pass their land along.

Still, both the Derks and author John Erickson (page 72) remain convinced the rancher, the cowboy, and the values they stand for will long survive.

“The cowboy culture won’t die, because the cowboys won’t let it die,” Erickson says.

“The economics of it aren’t good, but they haven’t been for the last hundred years, except in a few rare times. Ranching is not a place to go to make money. It’s a great place to go to build families, to build character, to build citizens for the next generation.

You can’t beat it; there are people who will sacrifice anything to maintain it.”

Chris Derks

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Calamity Jane The life of western figure “Calamity Jane” has been exaggerated and improvised by media, and the woman herself, for years. A thin line divides the truth from fiction.

Martha Jane Canary was born on May 1, 1852, at Princeton, Missouri, to Robert and Charlotte Canary. She was the first of six children and supported her siblings after their parents died within a

NOTLEY HAWKINS; BUFFALO BILL MUSEUM; COURTESY OF SOUTH DAKOTA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Wild Bill Hickok’s Springfield Shootout When James Butler Hickok shot and killed Davis Tutt on the Springfield square July 21, 1865, an American myth was born.

The ritual of formal dueling had erupted into spontaneous gun fighting, and the era of the Wild West shootout began.

Born in Illinois, Hickok had already earned the nickname “Wild Bill” by the time he landed in Springfield toward the end of the Civil War. He had known Tutt earlier in the war, and when the two met in Springfield, they renewed their acquaintance. They soon had a falling-out, however, and the friction between them came to a head on July 21 at a card table in an upstairs room just south of the square.

Tutt demanded payment of a prior debt, and the two argued over the amount. Tutt picked up Hickok’s gold Waltham watch and vowed to hold it until the debt was paid. Hickok told him not to carry the watch in public, and Tutt responded that

year of one another when she was fifteen.

Martha moved the family to Wyoming, where she found work as a scout at Fort Russell when she was twenty-two. At this time, she started dressing

he planned to wear it on the square.

“If you do,” Hickok replied, “I’ll shoot you.”

Later in the day, Hickok stood near the corner of South Street with his Colt .44 Dragoon waiting to see if Tutt would carry out his threat. When Tutt appeared near the northwest corner of the square and started across the open area, both men went for their guns and fired. Tutt collapsed and died almost instantly.

Hickok was tried and found not guilty by reason of self-defense. A month later, a writer for Harper’s New Monthly Magazine arrived at Springfield to pen a romanticized version of the shootout, exaggerating Hickok’s character and marksmanship.

When it was published in February 1867, Hickok became a legend. By the time he was killed at Deadwood, South Dakota, in 1876, he was the most famous figure in the American West. —Larry Wood

as a male and earned a reputation as a good shot and an expert rider. She frequented the saloons and developed a tolerance for Frontier Whiskey.

Martha claims her nickname, “Calamity Jane,” came from rescuing Captain Egan, the captain she served under who was trying put down an Indian uprising near Goose Creek, Wyoming. Egan got shot, and Martha came to the rescue and lifted the fallen captain from his horse onto hers. She says he named her “Calamity Jane,” but he denies any of it ever happened. Most likely, she acquired the name because in western history women were called “Janes,” and because Martha was around so many shootings and unpleasant events, she was called, “Calamity Jane.”

Martha had several husbands. She claimed to have married and had a child with American West hero Wild Bill Hickok.

In 1903, Martha developed pneumonia at age fifty-one. She left behind her daughters and her devout followers, who cared not about what was real, but what made a good story. —Jennifer Gerling

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∑

∏ • Shoot inside and outside. Producers look for the perfect interior shots as well as exteriors.

Help the Missouri Film Commission and Missouri Life identify great new potential film locations for every season to share with Hollywood producers.

We’re looking for a range of ideas, and anything could be the grand prize winner.

Take those digital cameras and start snapping. Major prizes will be chosen quarterly for a year.

Go to MissouriLife.com home page, click on Location Scout and follow the directions for uploading your entries.

You will upload a low resolution photo, but you will need to keep a larger image for possible printing. You will also need to give us a two-sentence description of the photograph and precise directions for finding the location. Get permission to shoot private property if you do not own it.

Enter photographs of public sites, too. Hollywood is happy to work out filming permissions and fees, should the site you shoot be chosen.

• Location, location, and location are the criteria we’ll use to judge the contest. Think fascinating locations more than beautiful photography.

• You must include the precise location. We have to be able to tell scouts how to find your entry.

• The location must exist as shown in the photo today.

G R E AT

P H O T O G R A P H S

THE ROYAL THEATRE, VERSAIL

LES

S U B

We’ll pick one major prize winner plus a winner in every category quarterly, and one grand prize winner who submits the most entries accepted by the film commission at the end of a full year of scouting. Enter as many locations as you’d like.

• S MALL TOWNS • L ANDSCAPES • O ZARK M OUNTAINS • L ANDSCAPES WITH WATER (RIVER, LAKES, PONDS) • U RBAN S CENES • C OLLEGE CAMPUS S CENES • C OUNTRY ROADS • FARMSTEADS • H ISTORIC B UILDINGS • M ANSIONS, I NSIDE AND O UTSIDE • O THER H OMES, I NSIDE AND O UTSIDE • C EMETERIES • A IRPORTS • THEME PARKS • C OMMERCIAL B UILDINGS • B USINESS LOCATIONS • I NDUSTRIAL LOCATIONS • TRAIN STATIONS AND TRACKS • O THER U NUSUAL LOCATIONS M I T T E D I N P R I O R Q U A R T E R TAMUNN FA

∑

CL ARE SWAN N

CINDY DAVENPORT

RM & HOME, MARTH ASVILLE

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∑

• Quarterly Category Winners: Two tickets to one movie shown at the theater of your choice.

• Community prize is a 30-second commercial using im-

• Community entries may be submitted by anyone, but must include at least 12 photographs of location-worthy spots around your community. You may define your community. Perhaps you’re a small section of a larger urban area, such as Maplewood in St. Louis, or Downtown Columbia. Separate prize for this winner.

• This contest is sponsored by the Missouri Film Commission, Net fl ix, the M issou ri Motion Media Association, True/False Film Festival, and Missouri Life.

• Winter and Early Spring Season, • Late Spring and Early Summer, • Summer and Early Fall Season, • GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Enter By

Win By

Mar 20 June 20 Sept 20 Sept 20

Mar 30 June 30 Sept 30 Oct 15

ages submitted on Missouri Life’s web site to run in a theater of your choice for one week, plus special recognition in a future issue of the magazine.

See MissouriLife.com for more prize details.

Entries must be digital and submitted online. Winners will be judged by representatives of the Missouri Film Commission and Missouri Life. Judges’ decision is final. Winners will be notified by email or mail. Prizes may not be exchanged for cash or substitute. A list of winners names will be posted at MissouriLife.com or may be obtained by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Missouri Life at 515 E Morgan St, Boonville MO 65233. Entry gives permission to the Missouri Film Commission and Missouri Life to post name and use images submitted.

See MissouriLife.com for complete rules.

∏

• Grand Prize Winner: A four-day vacation to Branson with lodging and tickets to shows and attractions, plus a year’s subscription to Netflix movies (see netflix.com), plus two passes to all films shown at the next True/False Film Festival in Columbia.

• Quarterly Major Prize Winner: A six-month subscription to Netflix, plus a $100 gift certificate to the theater of your choice.

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PROMOTION

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