Missouri Life December 2011/January 2012

[ G U I D E T O F I N D I N G Y O U R C I V I L WA R A N C E S T O R S ]

Outdoors for the

THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY

HOLIDAYS

WHERE

TO GO

WINTRY MILLS ❆ SLEIGH-RIDING ICE FISHING ❆ CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

3M0ENTS

ORNArom— —f RI MISSOUNS ARTISA

16 HOLIDAY RECIPES FROM MISSOURI PAINTING THE PAST: GOVERNORS’ PORTRAITS ML1211_Cover_AB_F.indd 1

DECEMBER 2011 | $4.50 (Display until January 31)

www.missourilife.com

10/29/11 6:46 PM

[2] MissouriLife

002 ML1211.indd 2

10/26/11 4:10:35 PM

America’s Premier Wilderness Resort JanuaRy 2, 2012 - maRCh 1, 2012 – Sunday through Thursday only –

$125

Falls lodge deluxe King Room oR PRivate one Room log Cabin

Choose from a Private One Room Log Cabin with a wood-burning fireplace, a private deck, and an outdoor grill or a Deluxe King Room on the top floor of Falls Lodge, featuring a gas fireplace and a balcony overlooking the lake. Either accommodation will spoil you with Sleep Experience bedding and a jetted tub.

$99

Falls lodge double Queen Room Includes lodging for two adults in a Double Queen Room in Falls Lodge. Each room features Sleep Experience bedding, a patio, and a Jacuzzi bath.

*Limited availability. Surcharge is applied for additional guests. Offer not available to groups of 10 or more, on current reservations, holidays, or weekend stays.

Just one hour south of

ML1211

003 ML1211.indd 3

nation al headq uarte rs in spring field, Misso

uri.

1-800-BCLODGE • www .BIGCEDAR.COm [3] December 2011

10/26/11 4:12:08 PM

[4] MissouriLife

004 ML1211.indd 4

10/26/11 4:14:03 PM

[5] December 2011

005 ML1211.indd 5

10/26/11 4:15:06 PM

VisitMO.com

[6] MissouriLife

006 ML1211.indd 6

10/26/11 4:16:19 PM

Contents DECEMBER 2011

departments>

Haul out the Holly!

[12] MISSOURI MEMO

[54] MISSOURI ORNAMENTS

The magic of ice skates and Christmas decorations

This year, decorate your tree with Missouri-made Christmas ornaments. We’ve got a collection of 30 beautiful ornaments, all

[16] LETTERS

made by artists from around the state.

Defending Robert E. Lee and more unsung sports heroes

[19] ZEST FOR LIFE A ski team, 22 Buddhas, the World Chess Hall of Fame, Santa’s kingdom, and Jiminy Cricket, plus new books and a photographer capturing beauty through his lens

[30] MADE IN MISSOURI Vodka, beaver hats, and literary e-reader covers

[82] MISSOURI BEER AND WINE An eclectic brewpub and a new wine takes the Governor’s Cup (page 84)

[86] DINING DELIGHTS

featured>

[93] MUSINGS

[34] MILLING AROUND

On the pointless nature of doomsday prophecies

In this photo essay by Mike McArthy, Missouri winter weather provides the perfect backdrop for old Ozarks mills.

[46] WINTER WONDERLAND PLAY

[95] ALL AROUND MISSOURI Our listing of 71 events and festivals

Get outside with three North Country pastimes: ice fishing, cross-country skiing, and sleigh riding.

[60] PORTRAIT OF A GOVERNOR Missouri governors’ portraits prompt stories, as former Gov. Bob Holden’s is unveiled.

[68] STORING THE STORIES

COVER: PHOTO BY STEVE MASON

You can find photos of Jesse James and other historical treasures at the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City.

[70] A QUEST FOR FAMILY HISTORY

[106] MISSOURIANA

ML

Content by Location 46

86

This nifty guide helps you search for Civil War ancestors, plus follow one woman’s search for her family’s story.

[76] HOLIDAY FARE TO SHARE Bring along these holiday dishes from Missouri cookbooks to share with your friends and family.

86

30, 82, 22 46 86 30 8619, 30 19 60,68, 70 70 22 46 26 90 86

[90] THE HEART OF AMERICA

34

86

A town full of heart and pride, Plato becomes the U.S. population center after the 2010 Census.

[7] December 2011

ML1211_TOC_TS_3.indd 7

10/31/11 12:24 PM

Put a whole year of FUN under

2012

SEASON PASS!

WORLD-FEST, APRIL 12-MAY 6

World-class performances and the best acts from across the globe!

NEW IN 2012: Viva Italia showcases operatic tenor extraordinaire Aaron Caruso, who recently performed to a sold-out Carnegie Hall crowd.

• Little Italy and the Piazza de Fiesta features Italian flag throwers, living vines and statues, stilt walkers, and a colorful costume parade.

• Grammy Award-winners The Mariachi Divas are women from Mexico, Cuba, Samoa, Argentina, Japan and Switzerland. • Traditional Hawaiian Country Music Show stars four-time Grammy winner George Kahumoku • Peruvian Yawar Chicchi Sissor Dancers • Kenyan Sarakasi Acrobats RETURNING: Russian Academic Band • Ireland’s premier harpist Dearbhail Finnegan • Ecuador Manta • Slovenian Polka Party May 4–6

KIDSFEST, JUNE 9–JULY 22

This is the ultimate destination for families of all ages. See Guinness WorldRecord high-wire walker Nik Wallenda with The Fabulous Wallenda Family Circus, and a new stage show, LUMA, presenting a high-tech, three-dimension light show. Also new: Gazillion Bubbles features bubble artistry on a grand scale. Cartoon characters will meet and greet the kiddies, and the thrilling rides—some for all ages—will entertain everyone.

NEW! INDEPENDENCE DAY, JULY 4

Come for a special opening celebration and morning salute to veterans, plus an old-fashioned ice cream social and fireworks for a grand finale.

MOONLIGHT MADNESS, JULY 21–AUG. 5

Plan summer night thrills! • Rides stay open late for more than 30 rides and attractions. • Nightly street dances

BLUEGRASS & BBQ, MAY 10-JUNE 3

The International Bluegrass Music Association named this the best bluegrass event in the country! Come hear bluegrass’s biggest names and award-winning performers and see two national competitons. We’ve got the tastiest BBQ, too.

Bes t pr more ices a nd ben i f you efits buy befor e De c . 30!

Order now through Dec. 30! www.silverdollarcity.com or 1-800-831-4FUN (386)

SDC_1211.indd 1

10/28/11 8:50:19 AM

your CHRISTMAS TREE with a

All the reasons to come, and come again, in 2012! So much fun so close to home!

SOUTHERN GOSPEL PICNIC, AUG. 24-SEPT. 3

Hundreds of performances from nationally acclaimed gospel acts, including Grammy and Dove winners and Singing News fan favorites! Every evening, there’s a FREE two-hour Southern Gospel Nights Concert!

NEW! COUNTRY MUSIC WEEKEND, SEPT. 8-9

Country music legends Diamond Rio and Pam Tillis in concert

PLUS!

SEASON PASS BENEFITS,

NATIONAL HARVEST FESTIVAL, SEPT. 13-OCT. 27

NEW! Western Stunt Show • More than 125 visiting craftsmen • The final season for Silver Dollar City’s Headin’ West, named World’s Best Production by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions • Best of Missouri Hands juried artists • Legendary western star and artisan Buck Taylor and Friends • Wild Mustangs, cowboy poets, trick horses, rope and whip demonstrations, chuckwagons, and more!

Every season-pass holder may bring ONE GUEST FREE during selected times, and season ticket holders also get discounts for meals and Showboat Branson Belle tickets. Season Passes are only $62 for children, $66 for seniors, $72 for adults. Add a second or more season passes for only $45 each!

Ask about our 2-park pass, which includes “splashtacular” White Water!

AN OLD TIME CHRISTMAS, NOV. 3-DEC. 30

Next year will feature a NEW stage production, It’s a Wonderful Life, in addition to the returning theatre show, A Dickens’ Christmas Carol. Enjoy all of Silver Dollar City’s Christmas wonder—named by Good Morning America as one of America’s Top 5 Holiday Events: The Christmas on Main Street light and sound show featuring a 5-story special effects Christmas tree • The dazzling lights, a four-million light miracle! • The Light Parade, with two runs nightly • A musical living nativity • Unique shopping at more than 60 specialty shops offering handcrafted gifts that will become heirlooms • The light-bedecked Frisco Silver Dollar Steam Line train ride

Silver Dollar City is OPEN NOW for 2011’s An Old Time Christmas through Dec. 30.

SDC_1211.indd 2

10/28/11 8:51:49 AM

– THIS ISSUE –

On the Web www.MissouriLife.com

stay connected

digital edition of our magazine that includes bonus

award-winning website

features, such as photo galleries and video clips.

Conference “Best Website” award, held in Warrensburg. The

The digital edition is free to subscribers, or you can

award was presented by Congresswoman Vicki Hartzler.

PERFECT FOR e-readers, Missouri eLife is a

OUR WEBSITE WON the 2011 Missouri Business

purchase it online at www.missourilife.com/storedigital. • Stay connected with Missouri Life! Like our page, Missouri Life, on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @MissouriLife. • Sign up for Missouri LifeLines, our free e-newsletter at www.MissouriLife. com. Sent twice a month, this newsletter includes more Missouri events and festivals, plus extra stories. • Score deals on Missouri products and experiences with our Show-Me Steal Deals at deals.mis-

governor portraits

CHECK OUT OUR exclusive online gallery of Missouri governor portraits. We’ve got photos of each portrait hanging in the Capitol gallery, including those of territorial governors Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

sourilife.com. Or, you can watch for deals through Facebook and Twitter. You can also sign up to receive information on the deals before they go live!

holiday recipes

NEED MORE HOLIDAY dishes? We’ve got Mansion cake, and pecan roulade—perfect for a holiday bash!

start the new year

LET 2012 be your best year yet! Order your Missouri Life 2012 Calendar, Missouri Moments. Packed full of beautiful photography, each month will be better than the last! New bigger size!

on the cover

WINTER WONDERLAND

mills of the ozarks

We’re heading outside this winter for magical

six Ozarks mills in this issue’s photo essay by Mike McArthy,

sleigh rides, fun ice fishing, challenging cross-

as well as additional mills of Missouri. Seeing these beautiful

country skiing, and snowy Ozarks mills.

historic structures in their winter finery is worth the road trip.

GET DIRECTIONS and other information online for all

GREG WOOD; SETH GARCIA; ANDREW BARTON; NOTLEY HAWKINS; MIKE McARTHY

Dinner rolls, sweet potato soufflé, plum pudding, orange rum

[10] MissouriLife

ML1211_WebTOC_TS_3.indd 10

10/31/11 12:29 PM

HISTORIC FUCHS-DRESSLER HOME ON 88 AC IN DEFIANCE

Historic Boone Valley farm on 88 acres; 3 story stone home with huge stone mill barn/carriage house. Fully renovated, a rare opportunity to acquire an historic property built by a Boone family member in the early 1800s. These properties are usually bought up for institutional or public use, and never reach the open marketplace. This is an opportunity that you will look back on in a few years, and wonder why you didn’t act upon it when it was available. Price Reduced: $ 2,595,000. Financing in place!

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

Roberta Rollins Prudential Alliance Realtors rkrollins@hotmail.com www.robertarollins.com 314.541.5166

Publisher Greg Wood Editor in Chief Danita Allen Wood Executive Office Manager and Advertising Coordinator Amy Stapleton

Mid

EDITORIAL & ART Creative Director Andrew Barton Graphic Designer & Assistant Editor Sarah Herrera Graphic Designer Thomas Sullivan Con Calendar Editor Amy Stapleton n ec tin Assistant Editor Lauren Hughes g Editorial Assistants Nichole Ballard, Nicole Heisick, Sarah Redohl, Jacqueline Smith

s -Mi

i travelers to the wo sour rold .

Columnists Tom Bradley, Doug Frost, Ron W. Marr

Contributing Writers and Editors Sarah Alban, Alan Brouilette, Tina Casagrand, Drew Davis, Sylvia Forbes Kathy Gangwisch, Melanie Loth, Andrew Lovgren, Lisa Marks, Joe McCune Sheree K. Nielsen, Barbara Gibbs Ostmann, Melissa Shipman, Stephanie Stemmler Contributing Photographers Sarah Alban, Sylvia Forbes, Kathy Gangwisch Seth Garcia, Mike McArthy, Jason Miller Sheree K. Nielsen, Barbara Gibbs Ostmann, Tina Wheeler

Connecting mid-Missouri travelers to the world.

www.flymidmo.com 573-874-7508

Free parking near the terminal.

MARKETING Senior Account Manager Mike Kellner, Central and Western Senior Account Manager Brad Keller, St. Louis DIGITAL MEDIA MissouriLife.com, Missouri Lifelines & Missouri eLife Editor Sarah Herrera

HARDWARE OF THE PAST

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

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

F     

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

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

Reproduction Antique Hardware and Supplies for restoring Antique Furniture

405 North Main Street Saint Charles, MO 63301 636-724-3771 or 800-562-5855 www.hardwareofthepast.com

[11] December 2011

ML1211_Mast_TS_1.indd 11

10/31/11 11:31 AM

Memo

MISSOURI

THE SILVER SKATES

MAKING CHRISTMAS

GROWING UP in northwest Missouri on a farm in the ’60s

I SUPPOSE if there’s such a thing as a Type A Christmas, I might

meant a lot of long, cold winters and a lot of time spent outdoors. I was fortunate to have horses to ride, guns to shoot, and hills to sled down as snow was never in short supply, even though the game was. But even with all the regular things that farm kids like me had to do for fun, I was desperate to have a pair of I had just finished reading Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates and thought nothing could be as much fun as skating along the canals of Holland or across a frozen pond. Something I read in the book got my attention in the same way the silver skates became the focus for the main characters: unless you could afford skates made of steel, you would have to settle for skates made from wood. I thought this was quite GREG WOOD, remarkable. I had no idea you could make PUBLISHER ice skates from wood!

I knew we had no money for something as lavish as ice skates, and I wasn’t going to even ask. But I kept thinking about those wooden skates and decided I would As a boy of about 10, I had no clue how to make them, but I thought I could surely figure out something. So I found some sticks of wood that I thought just might work. I took them to the workbench in the barn and puzzled over how I could get them to stay on the soles of my boots. So I stuck one of the sticks into the big old vise and clamped it down tight. I drilled two holes in the sticks using the old brace and bit hand drill. I had just finished fishing two pieces of twine through the holes when my Dad stepped around the corner of the barn and looked at me, wondering what in the heck I was up to now. I felt embarrassed, but I told him what I was doing and how I had the idea. He walked away without saying a word. I didn’t think much about it and went on with my grand intentions with little result except for a sore rear end.

But a few weeks later, we were in a hardware store in Maryville and got a . My dad unexpectedly bought my brother Mike and I each a pair of ice skates! They were sized with much room to grow, but that didn’t matter to me. I was on them every chance I could get. A few years later, still on the same skates, my brother, our friend Dave Smith, and I were playing hockey on a remote farm pond when I slid to an abrupt stop. The end of my skate caught a stob of wood frozen into the ice and my splintering both the fibia and tibia in several places. Mike and Dave got me off the pond and to the hospital where I stayed for a couple of weeks. It was a long rehabilitation process, but I was back on the ice the next winter. Skating on a pond is about as much fun as you can have, then or now.

And it’s so much nicer on a pair of silver skates.

ice skates.

build my own.

big surprise

leg twisted,

have made a few of them through the years. I don’t go overboard with

outside lights on the house. But I do have a big five-shelf storage unit

with nothing but boxes of Christmas decorations. It takes one day to carry them to my dining table, and the next to get everything out.

I have sometimes put up three, even the big one in the living room, a small one in the kitchen or perhaps the dining room, and one in the basement when the kids were home and that was a hangout for them and their friends. And one for the upstairs hall. The idea was to admire the tree lights upstairs as we drive up our long lane to the house, but that didn’t work out because we turn them off when we’re gone.

I used to set my alarm for 4 AM on ChristDANITA ALLEN WOOD, EDITOR mas morning to go downstairs and turn on the tree lights so they would already be glowing softly when the kids awoke. Greg thought that was over the top, but I was creating atmosphere. I also encouraged Greg to assemble toys after the kids went to bed, including the Lego train set that had a gazillion pieces. (He would say I insisted rather than encouraged!)

I turn my front walk into Candy Cane Lane, with lights and big plastic candy canes, and Christmas doesn’t feel quite complete until we’ve made sugar cookies cut into Christmas trees, bells, stars, and about a dozen other shapes from Christmas I’ve collected. And then, of course, we need half a dozen colors of powdered sugar frosting to decorate them properly.

The house doesn’t feel decorated unless I hang a garland on the stair rails. If I’m ambitious, I wrap it between every two or three rails. If I’m slow in getting decorating done, I just tie it in big loopy swags with ribbons. Last year, I also wrapped garlands on the back porch rails, and I filled my planter with cedar boughs and snowflake and peppermint decorations.

Oh, and I do put lights on four dwarf Alberta spruces outside, as well as three other shrubs. And I decorate my mailbox with I can trace this holiday decorating mania back to my parents. My dad welded a big star frame to hold Christmas lights in the shape of a star at the top of the silo on our farm, and my mom inspired most of the activities above.

We top off all the decorating with the usual dinners and the Christmas Cantata at our church, and usually the Christmas Eve service.

A rationale part of me says, “Simplify!” But to tell the truth, I love every minute. And I think the family likes how we keep Christmas.

Merry, merry Christmas.

Please share your holiday traditions on our Missouri Life Facebook page.

four Christmas trees,

cookie cutters

silver bells.

[12] MissouriLife

ML1211_Mem_TS_1.indd 12

10/28/11 11:07 AM

Upcoming Events DECEMBER 1-4 “It’s a Wonderful Life” PRESSER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER www.presserpac.com | 573-581-2100 DECEMBER 15 71st Christmas Evensong MISSOURI MILITARY ACADEMY www.missourimilitaryacademy.org 573-581-1776 OR 800-581-2765

WELCOME TO MEXICO, MISSOURI

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

DECEMBER 15 Holiday Express 326 S. JEFFERSON www.mexico-chamber.org | 800-581-2765 MARCH 29-APRIL 1 “Man of LaMancha” PRESSER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER www.mexicomissouri.net | 573-581-2100

MEXICO AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE We work hard as a Chamber of Commerce to be the pulse of the community, assisting all to provide services that will nurture and encourage our businesses and strengthen our community. www.mexico-chamber.org | 573-581-2765 Tour the AUDRAIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM Tues.-Sat. 10 AM-4 PM and Sun. 1 PM-4 PM www.audrain.org | 573-581-3910

11TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY EXPRESS DEC. 15TH Santa Claus and his elves ride the train to visit 25 communities on 27 dates in seven states.

Access to the Holiday Express train is free and open to the public. Mexico is one of only 5 communities in Missouri with a stop.

Led by KCS’s Southern Belle business train,

the Holiday Express train includes a smiling tank car “Rudy”; a flatcar carrying Santa’s sleigh, reindeer and a miniature village; a ginger bread boxcar; a newly remodeled elves’ workshop; the reindeer stable; and a little red caboose. Enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and a chance for children to tell Santa their holiday wishes. Don’t forget to

take home the goody bag!

The Holiday Express train also has a charitable component. At each scheduled stop, The KCS’s Charitable Fund will make a contribution of gift cards to a local charity to provide warm clothing and other necessities for children in need.

Over the past 10 years, thanks to the generous contributions of KCS’s employees, vendors and friends, the Holiday Express has donated $953,984 in gift cards to this cause.

The Holiday Express will stop in Mexico, Missouri at 326 S. Jefferson on Thursday, December 15th at 4 p.m. After a visit with Santa, stop by the beautifully decorated downtown shops on the twinkling historic square for last minute shopping. Holiday Joy!

[13] December 2011

013 ML1211.indd 13

10/28/11 4:27:10 PM

[14] MissouriLife

014 ML1211.indd 14

10/26/11 4:17:50 PM

[15] December 2011

015 ML1211.indd 15

10/26/11 4:18:53 PM

ML

DECEMBER 2011

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

ROBERT E. LEE OPPOSED SLAVERY I read with disappointment the article “Two Generals, One Country” by Sarah Alban in the August 2011 issue. While the piece itself does not demonize the Confederate cause from the viewpoint of the writer, it does suggest the same tired and worn out belief that the South was evil. Had the writer done her research, she would have known that, contrary to the question posed in the article (“Can a slavery defender have been a good man—ever?”), it is a documented fact that General Robert E. Lee was opposed to slavery. In a letter written on December 27, 1856, in response to a speech by President Pierce, Lee wrote, “There are few, I believe, in this enlightened age, who will not acknowledge that slavery as an institution is a moral and political evil.” He went on to say, “Is it not strange that the descendants of those Pilgrim Fathers who crossed the Atlantic to preserve their own freedom have always

The National Archive’s Concourse Gallery in Kansas City featured the Virginia Historical Society’s exhibit, Lee and Grant.

proved the most intolerant of the spiritual liberty

name on the list (of Top 50 Sports Heroes in the August 2011 issue). Being born in Keytesville, please check on his background and see

of others?” There are other writings of Lee that

accomplish those tasks that must be done. If

if you don’t believe he deserves mentioning.

also indicate his disdain for slavery and desire to

Ron was racing with the rest of the rats, he may

Thanks much!

emancipate slaves that can be found with simple

have never noticed the acres of corn or had

research. Is it not time to realize that the Civil War

the time to consider what meaning might be

Good catch! Robert “Cal” Hubbard is the only per-

was not fought over slavery until Lincoln made

gleaned from them. Laughs, smiles, kindness,

son to be in both the Pro Football and Baseball Hall

it a central issue late in the war? The Confeder-

joy: I would happily settle for that combination

of Fames. —Editor

ates were not racists nor is the battle flag a racist

as my legacy.

symbol.

—Theresa Enderle, Independence —Jeff Stith, Pleasant Hill

—Debra Sellers, Keytesville

It appears you overlooked the sport of bowling, America’s largest participator’s sport. The world’s

OVERLOOKED SPORTS HEROES

top bowler in the mid-1990s was Dick Webber of

THANKS, RON!

Love this magazine! But had to say I was dis-

St. Louis. His son, Pete Webber, has been among

Thanks for all your continued hard work in

appointed when I did not see Cal Hubbard’s

the world’s top bowlers for the last 25 years.

making these publications of Missouri Life so

—William E. Kuster, Escondido, California

enjoyable and so colorful. Always enjoy reading

SEND US A LETTER

what Ron Marr has to say on life itself!

—Stan Busken, Liberty

THANKS FOR E-LIFE Thank you, thank you. I have ALS (amyotrophic

Email:

hands. However my feet and legs still work, so I type

is what makes it so pleasant when we come

Fax:

with my feet using an on-screen keyboard and foot

across someone who shares one of them.

Address:

pedals. I thoroughly enjoyed your e-magazine. I read

Ron Marr’s column “The Great Wall of Corn”

it cover to cover. I cannot thank you enough for this

(October/November 2011) left me smiling and

treasured moment. I was a school teacher before

feeling good about trying to find the peace

ALS got me. It is still nice to learn something new.

and happiness hidden in each day, even as I

—Serena Bolden, Pevely

GEORGE DENNISTON

lateral sclerosis) and have no use of my arms and We all have our own opinions, which I suppose

[16] MissouriLife

ML1211_Letters_TS_1.indd 16

10/28/11 11:00 AM

The Gift That Gives All Year Long!

First gifton ti subscrip9 $19.9

With just a click or a call your gift shopping is done. Your friends and family will think of you every time they receive a new issue packed full of beautiful photography, fun places to visit, surprising history, and other wonders of Missouri.

Make Gift Shopping Easy!

Special

Addition al gifts $16.99 each

Holiday Savings

Visit www.missourilife.com/holiday to order or call 1-877-570-9898 or send check to Missouri Life, P.O. Box 391, Boonville, MO 65233 and mention code QBZHG. Give as many as you wish!

(Special oer for new orders only.)

[17] December 2011

017 ML1211.indd 17

10/28/11 3:03:10 PM

[18] MissouriLife

018 ML1211.indd 18

10/26/11 4:42:00 PM

Zest FOR LIFE

Wildwood >

8th IN NATIONALS DRYLAND TRAINING began just after Labor Day for the independent Hidden Val-

St. Louis >

22 Buddhas REFLECTIONS of the Buddha, at The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, succeeds in opening a different world to the visitor. This exhibition was organized with the collaboration of the Nelson-

ley Ski Team. Members and coaches of the HVST prepare for racing on the slopes when snow falls in the winter. Training includes strength and conditioning, running up hills, slopes, rollerblading, and simulated race runs. When the Hidden Valley ski resort opens for the season, the team is there at least three times a week. Many athletes and coaches then travel to regional races.With 12 coaches and a roster of more than 60 kids ranging in age from 5 to 18, the Missouri team consistently racks up impressive accomplishments in regional and national alpine race events. For 11 straight years, members have qualified for the United States Ski and Snowboard Association regional Junior Olympics in Colorado. At the National Standard Race (NASTAR) National Championships in Colorado in March, athletes brought home 16 gold, silver, and bronze medals, placing the team eighth in the national NASTAR rankings. Dave Coulter, head coach and race director, finds the awards fitting. “Many people have the misconception that you can’t become a great skier from a small ski area, but it’s all about dedication to the sport and not the length of the hill.” —Stephanie Stemmler

Atkins Museum of Art, the St. Louis Art Museum, the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard University, and the Pulitzer. Selected from all over Asia with a span

St. Louis >

COURTESY OF HIDDEN VALLEY SKI TEAM, THE PULITZER FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS, AND WORLD CHESS HALL OF FAME

of more than 1,500 years, there are 22 pieces in the exhibition, 17 of which are statues.

The thematic and stylistic similarities and differences of the artworks are underlined by their inclusion in the boldly different gallery spaces of the museum.

It is Buddha (without a “Buddha belly” in sight) on dis-

Checkmate

play in the private ambience of the Entrance Gallery and under the airy high ceilings of the Main Gallery.

AFTER STAYS in New York and Miami, the U.S. and World Chess Hall of Fame

A key aspect of Buddhist sacred spaces is meditation and contemplation while seated on the floor. The

moved to St. Louis this fall. Housed just across from the Chess Club and Scholastic

function behind the half-closed eyes of the Buddhas is to make eye contact when you look up at them

Center of St. Louis, the 15,000-square-foot building is home to permanent exhibits

from the floor. The Pulitzer has preserved the original intention by arranging the figures so they look down

capturing the history of the game. Included in the collection is chess furniture that

on the viewer.

The back galleries include depictions of a wider

belonged to American Grandmaster and World Champion Bobby Fischer, the first

variety of other religious figures from Buddhism. With intricate scrolls and gilded statues, the intensity and

commercial chess computer, and a 500-year-

intimacy in the Cube Gallery is the best opportunity to connect with another world.

old ancient Egyptian piece from the earliest

The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts is open on Wednesdays noon to 5 PM and Saturdays 10 AM to 5

documented board game, Senet.

PM. The exhibit is open through March 10, 2012.

—Drew Davis

—Andrew Lovgren

www.pulitzerarts.org • 314-754-1850

www.worldchesshof.org

[19] December 2011

ML1211_ZestOpen_TS_2.indd 19

10/29/11 7:14 PM

PROMOTION ADVERTISEMENT

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

Unwind at two of Missouri’s Top 10 Inns, the historic Loganberry Inn where Margaret Thatcher stayed or Romancing the Past B&B in the historic Jameson home.

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

This four-million-dollar museum inside a priceless piece of architecture will give you a look back at living history. immErsE yourself in the arts and music at Kemper Center for the Arts or Westminster gallery. mArvEl at the impressive collection of 84 historic automobiles displayed in Hollywood-style sets for their era at the new Backer Auto World Museum. sAmplE some distinctive Missouri wines and a creative bistro menu at Summit Lake Winery. sAvor scrumptious dining at one of our great restaurants, like Beks, for a unique blend of old and new where Internet and espresso meet 1902 architecture.

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

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

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

Christmas is magical in historic downtown Fulton.

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

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

[20] MissouriLife

020 ML1211.indd 20

10/26/11 4:22:51 PM

PROMOTION ADVERTISEMENT

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

Calendar of Events victorian Christmas House tour

Saturday, December 3, 5-8:30 pm Fulton Tour followed by music.

573-642-2080

Fulton Jaycees Christmas parade Saturday, December 3, 1 pm Downtown Area, Fulton Local Bands, Floats and Santa parade through Historic Downtown Fulton 573-220-2752

Callaway singers Holiday Concert Thursday, December 8, 7 pm Delaney Auditorium, William Woods Free, donations accepted.

573-642-8715

Hazel kinder’s lighthouse theater Christmas shows December 2,3,10 and 17 3078 Lighthouse Theater www.lighthousetheater.com hazelkinder@yahoo.com 573-474-4040

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

new Year’s resolution Getaway

Beks, in historic downtown, features local seasonal fare for lunch or dinner and an extensive beer selection and hand-selected wine list.

Loganberry Inn Bed and Breakfast Any 2 to 7 days stay in January $199 per person per day double occupancy includes 3 meals/day, cooking class & spa services.

For details go to website. www.loganberryinn.com 573-642-9229

Kansas City

128 miles

I-70

St. Louis

100 miles

FULTON

The Historic Preservation’s annual Christmas house tour features vintage homes.

020 ML1211.indd 21

[21] December 2011

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

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

10/28/11 4:30:10 PM

ML

Zest FOR LIFE

Eureka >

SANTA’S MAGIC DRIVE THROUGH the four-story doors at Santa’s Magical Kingdom in Eureka, and you’ll enter the magical world of the North Pole. Complete with a snack bar, Kringle’s General Store, pictures with Santa, larger-thanlife 3D displays, and more than two million lights, this park works to make every child’s Christmas fantasy come true.

“We try to figure out what kids’ fantasies are about Santa and tailor the displays to that,” says Kathy Jones, who created the kingdom with her husband 19 years ago.

“All the displays are made with kids in mind—families, but especially kids.” Scott Jones created the park after a back injury ended his professional soccer career. As a player he loved entertaining fans and fami-

lies, and he wanted to find a way to continue to entertain.

He got the idea for a Christmas-themed park from the memories of going to downtown St. Louis with his grandpa every year to see the light displays, and he still cherishes those memories 30 years later. He wanted to create

something that would keep families coming back year after year.

Santa’s Magical Kingdom adds new touches season to season but also carries on with many displays that returning guests come to see. Some favorites include Santa’s Flying Reindeer soaring overhead, Candy Land filled with candy canes and gingerbread houses, Toy Land, Santa’s Castle, and a Waterfall of Lights that guests actually drive through.

The park offers wagon rides and the Santa Express Train to take families on tours of the displays or allows you to bundle up in pajamas, load up the car, and drive through the exhibits for $18 per vehicle. —Nicole Heisick www.santasmagicalkingdom.com 636-938-5925

Hannibal >

HE SOLD 74 million records and appeared

Edwards was born in Hannibal in 1895. When

In 1940 came his most famous voice role as

in more than 100 movies, yet the name of Mis-

he was 14, Edwards traveled south to St. Louis,

Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney’s Pinocchio. Ed-

souri’s own Cliff Edwards, the voice of Disney’s

taught himself to play the ukulele, and began

wards’s touching rendition of “When You Wish

Jiminy Cricket, has been nearly forgotten.

performing in vaudeville.

Upon a Star” earned the Oscar for Best Song that

While at the Arsonia Café in Chicago, a waiter

year, the first won by Disney. Throughout the

named Spot could never remember Edwards’s

1940s and ’50s Edwards’s career continued to

name and took to calling him “Ike.” The nick-

flourish, but he also battled alcoholism and suf-

name stuck. “Ukulele Ike” became a hit on the

fered economic hardships. By the 1960s, Edwards

vaudeville circuit. Edwards’s career skyrocketed

had dropped out of the public eye, and on July 17,

in 1924 when he appeared in Lady Be Good on

1971, he passed away.

Broadway with Fred and Adele Astaire. He made

Through video clips, vocal recordings, and

his first phonograph records in 1919. The first re-

photographs from his most famous films, Cliff

cording of “Singin’ in the Rain” was made famous

Edwards is once again in the spotlight at the

by Edwards and reached number one on the U.S.

Hannibal History Museum. Edwards is the cen-

pop charts in 1929. Edwards caught the atten-

terpiece of the museum’s new exhibit, Promi-

tion of movie producer/director Irving Thalberg.

nent Hannibalians. Though once nearly forgot-

Thalberg’s MGM Studios hired Edwards to appear

ten, Cliff Edwards and his remarkable body of

in Hollywood Revue of 1929, performing the film

work lives on, celebrated in his hometown of

debut of his hit “Singin’ in the Rain.” Edwards

Hannibal. —Lisa Marks

went on to appear in 54 movies during the 1930s,

www.hannibalhistorymuseum.com

including Gone with the Wind.

314-494-2918

COURTESY OF SANTA’S MAGICAL KINGDOM AND HANNIBAL HISTORY MUSEUM

“Ukulele Ike” Lives On

[22] MissouriLife

ML1211_ZestOpen_TS_2.indd 22

10/28/11 1:03 PM

the stunning work of notley hawkins ing midwestern scenes of everyday life. He went on to the visual artist residency program at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine before graduating with a Master of Fine Arts at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

His images are mysterious and interesting, utilizing low and wide angles. He also takes long-exposure shots using flashlights with colored gels to create strong colors and highlight movements in an enticingly fresh way. An ongoing theme in Hawkins’s work is carnivals, which he says

he has been fascinated with for more than 20 years.

Hawkins’s photos have appeared in many publications, local and international—from Missouri Life to Popular Photography. His work has also been published in five books, including Steve McQueen: A Tribute to the King of Cool. A collection of Hawkins’s photographs is available in the 2012 Missouri Life calendar.

Order the calendar at www.MissouriLife. com or 800-492-2593, ext. 101.

Hawkins is represented by PS:Gallery.

notley hawkins

Notley Hawkins takes vividly colored photographs and beautiful scenic landscapes of Missouri’s people and places. “I would say the subject matter is my ‘backyard’—any place that I can drive to in a reasonable amount of time,” Hawkins says “I draw inspiration from what’s around me and where I live.”

Born and raised in Columbia, Hawkins initially studied drawing and painting at Columbia College under a student of Thomas Hart Benton, whose paintings and murals were also well known for depict-

[23] December 2011

ML1211_ZestNotley_TS_1.indd 23

10/31/11 3:13 PM

ML

Zest FOR LIFE

BEST BOOKS Find these reads at bookstores or amazon.com unless otherwise noted.

BY SARAH REDOHL

Reflections of Missouri

By John Stoeckley, 208 pages, Acclaim Press, hardcover, nonfiction, $39.95 In his new coffee-table book, Reflections of Missouri, John Stoeckley includes more than 200 pen, ink, and watercolor works of art, all highlighting the heritage of Missouri.

Missouri memories are captured in brilliant colors and precise detail. Historical buildings, including college and university buildings, covered bridges, old mills, riverboats, and natural landmarks are all featured in this lovely compilation. Divided into six regions of the state, Reflections of Missouri places the stunning architecture of Missouri cities and towns side by side with our state’s tranquil country scenes. Accompanying the striking artwork of John Stoeckley are fascinating anecdotes and historical commentary. Reflections of Missouri would make a remarkable gift this holiday season for any sentimental Missourian. Available at MissouriLife.com or 1-800-492-2593.

The Way to Baghdad: Day 18 of the War

Marshfield

Shadow Traffic

Where We Can Read the Wind

By Richard Burgin, 272 pages, Johns Hopkins University Press, softcover, fiction, $30 Five-time Pushcart Prize winner and St. Louis University professor Richard Burgin haunts and humors us with a new collection of short stories. In Shadow Traffic, his seventh collection, Burgin explores motivation, ambition, and behaviors both criminal and primal in this eerie and unforgettable read.

By Missouri artists and writers with disabilities, 46 pages, VSA Missouri, softcover, poetry, $10 Written by Missouri artists and writers with disabilities, this is the second poetry anthology of its type published by VSA Missouri. The poets’ struggles inspire the work in this anthology and give readers a glimpse of the authors’ experiences with disability, both positive, as in An Angel and a Child, and negative, as in To Have Peace.

ANDREW BARTON; COURTESY OF JOHN STOECKLEY

By Zaid Mahir, 196 pages, Trafford Publishing, softcover, nonfiction, $14.95 Zaid Mahir’s routine trip home to Baghdad from visiting his father in Samarra, was interrupted when a U.S. Marine roadblock on the 18th day of the U.S. invasion threatened to hold him captive. Driven by his desire to return home to his wife and young daughter, Mahir weaves through dangerous circumstances to return to a shell of the city he used to know in this true-life tale. Mahir and his family now live in Columbia.

By Kaitlyn McConnell, 128 pages, Arcadia Publishing, softcover, nonfiction, $21.99 Seventh-generation Webster County-resident Kaitlyn McConnell brings Marshfield, a frequented stop on Route 66, to life with photographs and stories from the town’s rich history. Planned in 1856, Marshfield boasts the longest-running Independence Day ceremonies west of the Mississippi River and is the birthplace of famed astronomer Edwin P. Hubble. McConnell’s book serves as a collection of distinct moments from its past that have shaped present-day Marshfield.

[24] MissouriLife

ML1211_ZestBooks_TS_2.indd 24

10/28/11 1:01 PM

St. Louis

Holidays at the

Gift Idea-Great Tickets ™ and © Bring It On The Musical LLC.

Early Gift-See a Show

All Rights Reserved.

Charles Dickens’ Classic Tale

January 3-15, 2012 direct

broadfrom way

March 27-April 8, 2012

WINNER 2010 Tony Award® bEsT musIcAl

December 1-4

January 20-21, 2012

May 1-13, 2012

Live On Stage!

“IMPOSSIBLE TO RESIST!”

FAREWELL TOUR

February 3-5, 2012

May 18-20, 2012

-The New York Times

NETworks presents

December 20-24

December 6-18

©Disney

BeautyAndTheBeastOnTour.com

Drift back to a glamorous era with Frank, Sammy & Dean, a live 15-piece big band and the fabulous Burelli Sisters.

February 14-26, 2012

Fox Gift Certificates make Fabulous Gifts!

527 N. Grand • 314-534-1111 • FabulousFox.com

[25] December 2011

025 ML1211.indd 25

10/31/11 10:24:47 AM

ML

Zest FOR LIFE

A FAMILY Legacy

PHOTOGRAPHY is in his blood.

Ron McGinnis, a lifelong Fair Grove resident, creates art by many different means, but what he really loves is photography. The love affair began with 8- by 10-inch film with his father and father’s cousin, a then renowned blackand-white photographer. “They were instrumental in getting me started in it,” Ron says.

“We had a dark room in the house. A lot of what I learned was from the old, huge cameras. It’s incredible what we can do now on something half the size.”

Ron’s zest for photography continues today

in the digital age, but this change in technology doesn’t mean a change in technique. “Just because it’s a new camera doesn’t mean you can’t shoot old school,” Ron says. “No matter what camera you’ve got, it’s still just a box with a hole.”

Ron hasn’t always been a professional photographer. After years of construction work and a job creating archery targets, Ron made fiberglass sculptures for Bass Pro Shops and later for Great Fish Reproduction Studios.

Although it was somewhat artistic, it wasn’t enough for Ron. “I can paint a million sailfish and it will still be a sailfish,” Ron says, “but with photography everything’s a little different every time you push the shutter.”

Ron has photographed everything from vivid nature shots to storytelling portraits, but what he does the most of is rodeo, especially the riders. “Every time they come out of that gate, there’s something different happening,” Ron says.

But as much as he loves the unpredictable, fast pace of the rodeo, black-and-white fine art photography will always be his favorite, particularly portraits. Several of these are of a longtime friend of Ron’s, writer Dan Manning Left: Longtime friend Dan Manning poses for artist Ron McGinnis in Windows to the Soul.

Right: Sunrise in the Heartland.

of Fair Grove. The definition in the facial features and blend of light and dark create a story within each and every line and mark on the face, speaking volumes to the viewer. “I love portraits of people who have had a rough life, or at least their faces show the wear of one,” Ron says. “He’s spent a lot of time in front of my camera, and I’ve won some contests with photos of him. He has such a photogenic face.

He’s kind of like my secret weapon.”

Ron splits his time between photography and his “real job” helping out taxidermist Rick Lowry. “I earn about 50/50 between what I call my real job and my photography,” he says. “I make a living at it, but it’s not like I’m going to get rich off of it. Most of the people who buy the photos are the people who are in them. I have fun doing it, and they love to have them.”

Just as in any other compositions he has created, Ron wants his work to be emotionally involving. Whether the image is dark and touching or joyous and enlightening, he hopes to create an aesthetically pleasing image that connects to the audience. “When people look at an image they feel something,” Ron says. “That’s what I want. Whether I accomplish that or not is the thousand dollar question, but that’s what I shoot for.” www.ronmcginnis.com

COURTESY OF RON MCGINNIS

Ron McGinnis captures beauty and emotion through his lens. BY ANDREW LOVGREN

[26] MissouriLife

ML1211_ZestArtist_TS_2.indd 26

10/28/11 11:43 AM

“When people look at an image they feel something,” Ron says. “That’s what I want. Whether I accomplish that or not is the thousand dollar question, but that’s what I shoot for.”

[27] December 2011

ML1211_ZestArtist_TS_2.indd 27

10/28/11 11:43 AM

Art and Holiday Shopping Eagle Days Jan. 28-29

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

Bent Tree Gallery

Rustic Furniture & Accents Handcrafted Handbags Fiber Art and Baskets H I S T O R I C C L A R K S V I L L E M I S S O U R I 573-242-3200

The

A TRULY ‘GREEN’ BOOKMARK!

Bookmark features original hand-etched scrimshaw on a recycled antique ivory piano key with genuine leather and handmade paper accents. $22, plus $2 shipping/handling Check/Money Order/Visa/MasterCard 31 High Trail, Eureka, MO 63025 www.stonehollowstudio.com • 636-938-9570

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

Artists: Click on the

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

[28] MissouriLife

028 ML1211.indd 28

10/28/11 2:51:13 PM

SCHNARR JEWELERS, INC.

ANTIQUE OAK, WALNUT, PINE, CHERRY & MAHOGANY FURNITURE.

FINE ESTATE JEWELERY

DREAMCATCHER

SPECIALIZING IN ANTIQUE & MODERN FIRE FIGHTING MEMORABILIA: NOZZLES, HELMETS, TOYS, LANTERNS, EXTINGUISHERS, PICTURES, COLLECTIBLES AND NEW GIFT ITEMS.

Authentic Native American Jewelry Full Repair Service We buy gold, silver, and more 724 S. Main Street St. Charles, MO 63301 636-255-8885

AMERICAN, EUROPEAN & DECORATOR FURNITURE PIECES, OLD TOYS, DISHES, CROCKS, GLASSWARE, PRIMITIVES & COLLECTIBLES.

ANTIQUES UNLIMITED Home of Ye Olde Fire Company

www.SchnarrJewelers.com • www.Dreamcatcher6.com

573-486-2148 • www.antsunltd.com • 117 E. 2nd Street • Hermann, MO

Open Tuesday through Saturday 10-4 and Sunday 12-4.

MissouriLife

Statement of Ownership Management, and Circulation

MissouriLife (ISSN 1525-0814) is published bimonthly (6 times/year) by Missouri Life, Inc., 501 High St. Suite A, Boonville, MO 65233-1211.

Publisher: Greg Wood; Editor: Danita Allen Wood; Owners: Missouri Life, Inc. (Greg Wood and Danita Allen Wood).

Extent and Nature of Circulation: Average denotes the number during the preceding year. Actual denotes number of single issues published nearest to filing date, August 2011 issue. Total number of copies printed: average 22,017; actual 23,000. Total paid and/or requested circulation: average 21,750; actual 22,632. Free distribution by mail: average 268; actual 868. Free distribution outside the mail: average 0; actual 0. Total free distribution: average 268; actual 868. Total distribution: average 22,018; actual 23,500. Copies not distributed: average 0; actual 0. Percent paid and/or requested circulation: average 99%; actual 96%.

interesting d n a n u f A op! place to sh 818 South Main, St. Charles, MO 63301 • 636-925-2442

UPCOMING EVENTS

M I S S O U R I

888-792-7466

www.washmo.org [29] December 2011

029 ML1211.indd 29

10/31/11 8:37:04 AM

MOVE OVER, RUSSIA IN THE HISTORIC Soulard district of St. Louis, Todd McGowan and Max Burton envisioned their all-American vodka to be crisp, clear, and 80 proof. To debunk the myth that vodka is distinctly Russian, the two entrepreneurs decided to put some American flair into their own brand, 1860s Genuine American Vodka, in an effort to embrace the distinctly American attitude of rugged individualism. They distill their vodka five times with a trace of charcoal mesquite flavor, and they package it in a 100 percent recycled leather sleeve. Distributed in select states, including Missouri, this new product on the vodka frontier is available at most grocery stores. —Sarah Redohl www.1860sgav.com

Columbia >

Repurposed Books TECH SAVVY bookworms are in luck this holiday season. Nooks, Kindles, iPads, and other e-readers are becoming one of the hottest items to have.

Such a hot item deserves to be dressed well. JC Holmes and Maha Abu-Libdeh thought so, which is why they created ReAuthored.

Begun in April of 2011, ReAuthored takes old books and turns them into unique and beautiful protective cases for the many forms of e-readers available. Based in Columbia, the couple makes each piece by hand, carefully cutting, measuring, and pasting each book into the perfect case for its customer. The cases come in three standard colors, but the color, size, and accompanying picture can be personalized. ReAuthored has sold more than 200 cases and has just recently hit the shelves of its first retail location at Poppy, located in downtown Columbia. —Jackie Smith www.reauthored.com • 573-990-1031

THE HEADQUARTERS FOR RUSSELL STOVER CANDIES IS IN KANSAS CITY.

St. Louis >

New Haven >

Beaver Hats BEAVER BRAND HATS has been producing hats for Missourians since 1860. It started as the Langenberg Hat Company in St. Louis because it was the fur capital of America at the time. The company moved its headquarters to New Haven in 1928. Beaver Brand Hats offers 35 crown shapes and 24 brim shapes for its custom-made hats. It can customize any hat within those combinations of crown and brim shapes. The most popular hat is the riding derby, which is used in the equestrian industry. Beaver Brand makes roughly 35,000 pieces of head wear per year, some all beaver, and some made from a blend. A sizing chart and directions for taking care of the hats can be found on the company’s website.

—Melanie Loth www.beaverbrandhats.com•573-237-5604

COURTESY OF GENUINE AMERICAN VODKA, BEAVER BRAND HATS, AND REAUTHORED

Made

IN MISSOURI

[30] MissouriLife

ML1211_Made_TS_2.indd 30

10/28/11 11:02 AM

.

[31] December 2011

031 ML1211.indd 31

10/26/11 4:29:31 PM

VISIT KIMMSWICK

Cherrika’s Come experience country flavor and discover hidden treasures tucked in every alcove throughout this specialty shop.

OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL DECEMBER 2, 3, 4 Carolers, Entertainment, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Mrs. Claus’ Children’s Workshop, Shops and Restaurants OPEN Extended Hours AND

COOKIE WALK - TICKETS $15 Includes Holiday Cookbook filled with Shop Owners’ favorite Sweet Recipes, plus Gift Bag and Map to collect your “Sweet Treats” from each participating Merchant.

Decorative Garden Flags Dog and Cat Boutique Spiritual Gifts Country-Lodge-Western Home Décor Kitchen Linens Lamps and Lamp Shades Florals, Candles, Potpourri, and Oils AND SO MUCH MORE!!

318 Market, Kimmswick, MO 63053 636-464-8270 Open Wednesday through Sunday

www.gokimmswick.com • 636-464-6464

LATEST CRAZE 101 Mill, Kimmswick (636)464-2883 www.latestcraze.net

Unique one-of-a-kind jewelry, Wind and Willow dip mixes, Jilly’s Cupcakes, Nora Fleming platters, Primal Elements soaps, ScentChips, Holiday gift collections, and so much more.

Everything Nice Come visit this charming two-story home, so characteristic of a historic town! We offer an endless array of creativity with themes throughout including seasonal gifts and gifts of any decor ... inside and out. You’ll LOVE the tranquility of the backyard area, with even more shops, and our unique upside-down tree.

Tuesday - Friday 10 to 4, Saturday 10 to 5, Sunday 10:30 to 5 303 Elm St., Kimmswick, MO 636-464-9696

Alexander’s 209 Market St. Kimmswick, MO 63053 877-878-2102 info@alexandersfinegifts.com www.alexandersfinegifts.com

Open Tuesday - Friday 10 am - 4 pm Saturday - Sunday 10 am - 5 pm One Bag Endless Possibilities

[32] MissouriLife

032 ML1211.indd 32

10/31/11 10:25:35 AM

e Eve her “W

Shop Beyond the Ordinary!

Artisans from Missouri and Beyond!

One-of-a-kind gifts in Handcrafted Jewelry, Glass, Pottery and so much more!

• Ne’qwa Art Handpainted Ornaments • Holly Yashi Jewelry • La-Tee-Da! Fragrance Lamps • Special Gifts for your Someone Special!

Located in Historic Kimmswick 6050 2nd St. • 636.464.3360 www.mississippimudgallery.com

rything is Home

mad e”

Restaurant & Bakery In Historic Kimmswick, MO

Christmas Haus of Kimmswick 311 Elm Street Kimmswick, MO 636-464-0779

The area’s largest year-round Christmas house, with more than 40 decorated trees, ornaments from all professions, and a large selection of sports, teachers, and Irish ornaments. We carry Bayer’s Carolers and Baldwin Brass. A holiday shopping experience! A SHOP where SANTA STOPS!

“Home of the Famous Levee High Apple Pecan Pie” Featured on the Food Network, Travel Channel’s “Pie Paradise,” and The Oprah Magazine!

www.theblueowl.com (636) 464-3128

Tuesday - Friday 10 to 4, Saturday 10 to 5 and Sunday 10:30 to 5

Fredmar Farms

Anheuser Estate

Tue.-Fri. 10-3, Sat. & Sun. 10-5

Kimmswick, Missouri historic charm on the

Mississippi river since 1859

Plan your Spring trip back to 1916, at the historic Anheuser Estate in Kimmswick, Missouri.

Take a day to stroll around our cozy town and chat with the warm, friendly people. Step inside one of the unique shops that are filled with antiques, collectibles, home decor, jewelry, fashion, gifts, and special treasures. Enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal and dessert at one of our celebrated restaurants and cafés.

Travel down a quiet country road in our quaint town to a beautiful

23-acre estate with the nation’s greatest river for a backyard. Step inside and experience a slice of the life of Mabel-Ruth and Frederick Anheuser, who made their home here for over 50 years. The home is adorned with the couple’s collections, heirlooms, and Anheuser memorabilia. Take a walk around the grounds that offer a sweeping view of the Mississippi River and include a barn, stable, horse arena, and gatehouse. The Anheuser Estate whisks you away to a simpler time, is full of beautiful memories, and alive with elegant charm.

Open Seasonally April-November Thursdays from noon to 4 p.m. | $5 person, no reservations needed Please call to reserve a date and time for groups of fifteen people or more.

holiday 2011 December 2, 3, & 4 Christmas Festival

spring 2012 June 2 & 3

Strawberry Festival

fall 2012 October 27 & 28

Apple Butter Festival

Experience Kimmswick come to life during our popular annual festivals. History lives on every corner in Kimmswick, MO! Sponsorship and investment opportunities are available now!

Kimmswick City Hall (636) 464-7407 | www.CityofKimmwsick.org

www.CityofKimmswick.org

[33] December 2011

033 ML1211.indd 33

10/31/11 10:26:07 AM

ZANONI MILL Zanoni Mill, in Ozark County, is located on the grounds of a picturesque working cattle ranch.

Visitors can catch a glimpse of the mill from the highway, and the owners will usually allow visitors.

MILLING AROUND

Award-winning photographer and writer MIKE McARTHY of Photozarks has spent years milling around the Ozarks region, discovering that the Show-Me State has some of the finest old water-powered gristmills in the nation. In his book Historic Ozarks Mills, he takes you on a tour of these relics, some of which are open to the public during warmer months. To order, visit www.photozarks.com. For detailed information and directions to the mills, visit www.MissouriLife.com.

ROCKBRIDGE MILL Now part of a fishing resort with lodging and dining, Rockbridge Mill in Ozark County was built in 1868. The mill is open to the public from spring through fall.

[34] MissouriLife

ML1211_OldMills_AB_1.indd 34

10/28/11 1:48 PM

OLD DAWT MILL Old Dawt Mill sits on the bank of the North Fork River. It is one of five historic mills in Ozark County.

Recently, it was renovated and is now a restaurant at Dawt Mill resort.

[35] December 2011

ML1211_OldMills_AB_1.indd 35

10/28/11 1:48 PM

FALLING SPRING MILL Hidden deep in the Mark Twain National Forest of Oregon County, Falling Spring Mill was powered by a spring that pours from the bluff behind the rare over-shot wheel.

[36] MissouriLife

ML1211_OldMills_AB_1.indd 36

10/28/11 1:48 PM

HODGSON MILL Hodgson Mill was originally built in the 1860s. The current structure was erected in 1882 after a fire. Recently bought by new owners, it is still open to the public during warmer months.

REED SPRING MILL Built in 1881 to grind wheat and later generate electricity in the 1900s, Reed Spring Mill is on the West Fork of the Black River and a private farm in Centerville. Visitors can see the mill from the road.

[37] December 2011

ML1211_OldMills_AB_1.indd 37

10/28/11 1:49 PM

BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY EVENT! You still have time to book your holiday party at Glenn’s Café, located on the main floor of this historic hotel. We’ll be decorated for the season, so call today and book your party.

LOOK AT ALL THE GOODIES! Stop by our fully stocked gift shop for unique and whimsical holiday gifts.

HOME TOUR and WINE TASTING! The historic Hotel Frederick is on the Boonville Chamber of Commerce’s Historic Homes tour on December 3. Tour the homes, and then join us for a Wine Tasting from 3-5 pm. Call for details.

COME STAY AT

THE HOTEL FREDERICK

This historic boutique hotel is located on the Missouri River and the Katy Trail in Boonville. www.hotelfrederick.com • 888-437-3321

Books Make Great Gifts!

Find these and more at www.MissouriLife.com/store or call 800-492-2593 ext. 101 Reflections of Missouri, Drawings and Watercolors from Artist John Stoeckley ($39.95), Coming Home Again, A Missouri Journal by W. Arthur Mehrhoff ($19.99), Lewis and Clark’s Journey Across Missouri ($24.95). Tax shipping and handling $7.50 each.

[38] MissouriLife

038 ML1211.indd 38

10/31/11 10:24:02 AM

039 ML1211.pdf

1

10/28/11

12:25 AM

™

Cool, comfortable clothing

designed and hand-printeD in

Saint Louis, MISSOURI SWING IN FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS AT TIDALBITE.COM 039 ML1211.indd 39

[39] December 2011

Follow us on Facebook 10/28/11 3:14:36 PM

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

KEEPING THE COMPETITION

HOT

IN THE COLD OF WINTER

WINTER SPORTS TO WATCH IN COLUMBIA

BY JOE MCCUNE

MU WRESTLING

The University of Missouri wrestling team won’t have Dom Bradley on the roster this year. Not because he’s hurt. Not because he’s given up the sport. Not because he has used up his eligibility.

Instead, the senior All-American is taking an Olympic redshirt season, training for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, which are April 21 to 22 in Iowa City, Iowa.

But just because the Tigers lost their only returning All-American—who went 30-4 and took third at the NCAA Championships—the cupboard isn’t bare for coach Brian Smith’s team. Missouri has seven returning NCAA qualifiers including the following: 197-pound junior Brent Haynes, who went 29-11 last season; 174-pound senior Dorian Henderson (25-11); 165-pound sophomore Zach Toal (21-14); and 125-pound sophomore Alan Waters (39-7). Missouri’s home schedule is light, but the Tigers host the Big 12 Conference championships March 3.

[40] MissouriLife

ColCVB_1211.indd 40

10/31/11 8:31:30 AM

COURTESY OF MIZZOU ATHLETICS AND HICKMAN HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

GRAND PRIX Want to see American swimmer Michael Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics? How about Ryan Lochte and Aaron Piersol, who went 1-2 in the 200-meter backstroke? Or Rebecca Sonni, who set a world record in winning the 200-meter breaststroke?

Those are just a few of the big names who might compete at the 2012 Grand Prix, held February 10 to 12 in Columbia on the MU campus. The meet is the third USA Swimming event out of seven in the Grand Prix series.

What’s certain is that no matter who shows up, you won’t see anyone who is seriously slow.

“You need to be a pretty good athlete to have made that qualifying standard,” to compete in a Grand Prix event says Missouri assistant coach Roric Fink, who has trained Olympic athletes such as Amanda Beard and Gary Hall Jr. “The

MU MEN’S BASKETBALL Home Schedule, all games at Mizzou Arena 12/2 vs. Northwestern State 12/10 vs. Navy

times are pretty fast across the board … We should end up with a good complement of world class athletes.”

Fast as in just a few seconds off world-record times fast. Only the best high school, college, club team, and international swimmers can hit those demanding standards. Besides Americans, Fink says Canada is sending a contingent, and other countries are expected to send select swimmers, too.

For Americans, the Grand Prix series is used as a measuring stick leading up to the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials, which will be held in late July and early August in Omaha, Nebraska.

“A bunch of our post-college graduates are getting ready for the Olympic trials,” Fink says of former Missouri swimmers. And because 2012 is an Olympic year, “more people will hit more meets,” Fink says. “It just depends on their 12/15 12/18 1/3 1/14 1/16

vs. Kennesaw State vs. William & Mary vs. Oklahoma vs. Texas vs. Texas A&M

coaches and their training schedules.”

For athletes who attend many Grand Prix meets, enter multiple events and do well, it can be a lucrative endeavor because there are prizes and money available at individual meets and cumulatively across the series. Generally, high school swimmers aren’t in the running for money and prizes because of NCAA rules that would make such a person ineligible to swim in college. But for everyone else, there are incentives to enter and swim their best.

Although independent and post-college athletes might enter four or five events, members of Missouri’s team won’t take on such a load.

Ten days after the Grand Prix ends, the four-day Big 12 Championships kick off in Columbia, so the Tigers will taper for that meet instead and then point to the NCAA Championships one month later.

1/28 2/11 2/15 2/21 2/29

vs. Texas Tech vs. Baylor vs. Oklahoma State vs. Kansas State vs. Iowa State

ROCK BRIDGE & HICKMAN HIGH SCHOOLS GIRL’S BASKETBALL With All-State guard Lindsey Cunningham leading the way, the Rock Bridge girls’ basketball team is gunning for its seventh consecutive season of 21 victories or more. Last season as a junior, Cunningham led the team in points, assists, steals, and free throw percentage.

The Bruins aren’t a one-person show, not with 75 percent of their scoring returning. Junior forward Hannah Dressler, sophomore guard Chayla Cheadle, sophomore guard Bri Porter, and senior swing player Carmen Boessen all contribute to the Rock Bridge attack.

Playing an independent schedule, the Bruins

will put 3,328 miles on the bus in the regular season. But they won’t have to travel at all to face one of their biggest rivals: Hickman plays January 25 at Rock Bridge.

The Kewpies, however, will be without returning All-District shooting guard Jade Holly, who tore her right anterior cruciate ligament earlier this year.

To make up for what coach Tonya Mirts calls “a D-1 talent,” Hickman will rely on seniors Kim Lake (center), Andrea Drake (forward), Paige Nelson (wing), and sophomore Kendahl Adams (point guard).

In addition to the returning players, the Kewpies (17-8 last season) will rely on at least two or three

freshmen making an impact on the varsity squad.

“We have a large, extremely athletic freshman class,” Mirts says. “To have so many speaks volumes about this group of kids.”

As many as six other freshman will play on the junior varsity squad and receive spot time with the varsity. Whether that will be enough to unseat Rock Bridge as the class of Columbia remains to be seen, Mirts says.

“Obviously the kids (from both high schools) go to school together, grade school or junior high,” Mirts says. “There are bragging rights in the city, but we just want to be the best we can be.”

[41] December 2011

ColCVB_1211.indd 41

10/31/11 8:31:55 AM

COLUMBIA COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL If you’re looking for a Columbia sports team with the longest conference winning streak, don’t look to the University of Missouri. Don’t look to the local high schools, either. Instead, look to the college just north of downtown.

The Columbia College volleyball team has won more than 130 consecutive American Midwest Conference games. Or, to put it another way, it has been more than 3,200 days since they lost a conference game, in October 2002. That’s nine years—and counting.

This season, the Cougars boast the reigning National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics player of the year, Paula Ferreira, and first-team AllAmerica selection Vesna Trivunovic. Ferreira is the third player of the year honoree for Columbia College, joining two-time POY Yang Zhe in the 1997 to 1998 season and Deng Yan in 1999.

Expectations are high, as they are every season at Columbia College. From head coach Melinda Wrye-Washington on down, the goals

are to “win conference, win nationally ranked games and then win the national championship,” she says. “My experience is you can’t go blindly into a season.”

Columbia College runs a 5-1 offense with eight athletes getting the bulk of playing time. This isn’t your PE class volleyball. It’s an all-out assault.

“Think of volleyball and how it used to be,” Wrye-Washington says, alluding to a conservative side-out game of years gone by. These days, she says, the brand her teams play is anything but conservative: “It’s an exciting game.”

Each player carries a binder that spells out the rules and expectations each must meet, but also short- and long-term team and individual goals so that everyone is on the same page. It’s that binder that binds a roster stocked with players from around the globe. Ferreira is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Tirvunovic is from Zrenjanin, Serbia. Ola Shawky is from Cairo, Egypt.

Two others are from Canada, one is from Texas

and five hail from Missouri.

Wrye-Washington doesn’t travel to the farflung reaches to recruit, but the school has built up a network of connections around the world, she says, that helps Columbia College land players from overseas. And, of course, she and her assistants work the Internet to ferret out future Cougars.

Put it all together, and Columbia College is consistently one of the top teams in the NAIA. Now the challenge is to improve on last year’s runner-up national championship finish and bring home the school’s fourth title and first since 2001, Wrye-Washington’s second season as head coach.

(Former coaches Susan and Wayne Kreklow, who now are at the University of Missouri, won back-to-back national titles in the 1998 and 1999 seasons.) Under Wrye-Washington, the Cougars have two other second-place finishes, one third, and two fifths. The lowest they have finished under Wrye-Washington is 13th in 2009.

[42] MissouriLife

ColCVB_1211.indd 42

10/31/11 1:05:20 PM

MU GYMNASTICS MU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

COURTESY OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE AND MIZZOU ATHLETICS

So what will she do for an encore?

University of Missouri gymnast Mary Burke was last season’s Big 12 Conference all-around champion and tied for fourth at the NCAA Regional meet. A four-time Big 12 gymnast of the week last season who also earned Big 12 honors on the beam, the senior leads the Tigers against home opponents that include North Carolina State, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Other Missouri gymnasts to watch this season include Tori Howard, Rachel Updike, and Katelyn Trevino. The regular season begins January 8 with Iowa State visiting Columbia.

ColCVB_1211.indd 43

Missouri women’s basketball senior Christine Flores wasn’t with the Tigers when practice started—but it might make the team better in the long run. That’s because the 6-foot-3 senior was competing with the U.S. Pan American team that played for the championship in October in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Flores is the Tigers leading returning scorer and rebounder, averaging 13 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

With her leading the way, Missouri looks to improve on last season’s 13-18 record for coach Robin Pingeton. Other returning starters are Sydney Crafton, a 5-10 junior who averaged 6.5 points and 5.7 rebounds and BreAnna Brock, a 6-2 senior who averaged 4.1 points and 3.3 rebounds.

573-875-1231 | www.visitcolumbiamo.com 300 South Providence Road [43] December 2011

10/31/11 8:30:50 AM

ADVERTISEMENT

Caroline’s Columbia

EXPLORING MY CITY!

Winter Shopping in The District Nothing says winter like bundling up and window shopping! I love the Living Windows Festival in The District on the first Friday of December. It’s a world of fun strolling through the bustling shops with Mark and the kids. Meredith, who just turned four last month, loves watching all of the people perform in the window displays. Plus, it’s a treasure trove for holiday shopping. Last year I stopped off in Good Nature on Alley A and bought a nice bottle of wine for Mark’s mom and a knit alpaca hat and scarf for my sister. Mark also found a beautiful wooden pipe for his dad at Jon’s Pipe Shop, and I found all sorts of books at Get Lost! Bookshop.

UPCOMING EVENTS Be sure to catch these cool events around Columbia. Holidays are great here!

Living Windows Festival December 2

This year, I plan to hit Rock Bottom Comics in the North Village Arts District for Ben. At nine years old, he’s obsessed with superheroes, and I think he’ll love owning his own comic books. My friend Rebecca told me about a new kitchen store downtown called Tallulah’s. Hopefully I can find something for Mark’s sister and her new husband!

2 COMMENTS: Bailey F. said … If you like Tallulah’s you should try Grace: A Place of Restoration on Broadway.

Natalie D. said … Also Mustard Seed Fair Trade has so many cool gift ideas!

Shopping Break I stopped off at Uprise Bakery before getting started this morning and indulged in an espresso and pastry. Just the right kick I needed to start my day!

University Concert Series: St. Louis Ballet’s The Nutcracker December 3 University Concert Series: The Nebraska Theatre Caravan’s A Christmas Carol December 10 First Night December 31

JIM LICKLIDER, COURTESY OF THE DISTRICT

1 COMMENT: Bailey F. said … I also like going to Upper Crust if I’m on the south end of town.

Unique Gifts from Columbia I’m always trying to come up with unique holiday gift ideas for those I love.

This year, I’ve got some great ideas. Olivia’s turning into quite the artist, so I’m heading over to Hands On Ceramics to buy her a gift certificate so she can take a friend to paint pottery. And, since Mark got a new digital SLR camera for his birthday this year, I thought I would surprise him with classes to help him learn how to use his new camera at Columbia Photo.

They’re so helpful … I’m sure he’ll be a pro in no time!

As a special gift, I’ve picked up passes to the 2012 True/False Film Festival for myself and Rebecca. It’s partly a gift for me—it’s been far too long since we’ve spent time together, and I thought a weekend full of independent documentaries would be a great idea.

1 COMMENT: Bruce K. said … Another great gift idea from Columbia Photo? They’ll turn your home videos into DVDs.

ColCVB-blog_1211.indd 1

10/31/11 8:34:30 AM

M

U Football players Dominique Hamilton and Dan Hoch prove their toughness on the field. Siblings Brookson and Eliyah prove their toughness, too, as Brookson battles a congenital heart defect and Eliyah battles epilepsy. One thing they all share is perseverance and a fighting spirit. Please join Dominique, Dan and the Missouri Tigers in cheering on Brookson, Eliyah and the dedicated specialists at MU Children’s Hospital. To support Children’s Hospital, please call (573) 875-9000 or visit www.muchildrenshospital.org.

[45] December 2011

045 ML1211.indd 45

www.muchildrenshospital.org

10/26/11 4:30:53 PM

H O R S E - D R AW N S L E I G H R I D E

ICE FISHING

CROSS - COUNTRY SKIING

ML1211_NorthSports_AB_4.indd 46

10/28/11 1:07 PM

ML1211_NorthSports_AB_4.indd 47

10/28/11 1:07 PM

~PL AY~

WHEN THE SKY DUMPS BUCKETS OF SNOW onto the ground, it’s always tempting to retreat inside our homes to a warm fire and a good book, or a snuggly blanket and reruns of a favorite TV show.

But there are plenty of other ways to appreciate the beauty of winter in Missouri this coming season.

You’ll love taking a ride through Missouri farm country on an old-fashioned sleigh, and you’ll find ice fishing to be just as cool (and cooler) than fishing in the summer. Or get a kick out of crosscountry skiing on one of our state’s many trails.

Nothing beats coming home to a crackling fire and hot cocoa after a long day of romping through the snow.

Skiing, ice fishing, and riding in old-fashioned sleighs? Count us in!

Winter Wonderland

TINA WHEELER, JASON MILLER, SHEREE K. NIELSEN

Fishing Through the Ice Ice fishing wasn’t something I ever thought I’d do. I’m new to fishing, and I’m not one for cold weather. But in the spirit of adventure, I pushed aside my doubts and signed my husband Wyatt and myself up to learn. Every year since 2007, the Missouri Department of Conservation hosts an ice fishing clinic to teach anglers about ice safety, as well as give advice on fish species. Our clinic was held at Mozingo Lake in Maryville, where we sat down for a short training session led by Tory Mason, a fisheries management biologist.

After 30 minutes of information and tips, we bundled up and headed to the ice. I added an extra pair of socks and pushed an ear warmer over my head. Only then did I realize I was about to walk onto a frozen lake, and I paused.

But, Tory explained how to test the ice, which he’d already done for the day. He begins checking ice thickness after several nights of singledigit temperatures. He goes out to a shallow pond or lake and drills a series of holes, venturing out further if each hole shows a safe thickness.

There are many factors when it comes to ice thickness, including the body of water, wind direction, snow cover, flowing water under the ice, and waterfowl activity. Toward the end of the season, ice can be 10 inches thick but soft enough to kick a hole through, in which

B Y M E L I S S A s h i p ma n

case, it’s not safe. Tory recommends the ice be at least four inches thick for anglers who are walking on the pond, and at least eight inches to drive an ATV across the ice.

When we reached the available fishing holes, others had already begun fishing, and the MDC staff was busy drilling holes with a power auger or a hand crank drill. Since it began, the ice fishing clinic has doubled in size from 60 to around 120 guests. The MDC now has enough equipment and supplies on hand to provide for more than 100 guests at a time, including poles and bait. All we needed was warm clothing and a strong will to fish through the cold.

After all, in order to ice fish, you must stand on a six-inch-thick ice cube for hours, often covered with the slushy, melting water. In our case, there was a large snowfall a few days earlier and the bright, clear sunshine was melting the snow. Insulated rubber boots are a must.

The rods and reels provided for us didn’t

seem like much at first glance, but after a few minutes of fishing, it became clear they’re perfect for the delicate task of watching and feeling for a bite. Cold water makes the fish sluggish, and the bite on a line can be so faint it is almost impossible to feel with your hand.

Luckily, each rod was equipped with a bobber to make the job easier.

The bait—tiny wax worms known as beemoth larvae—dictates how you fish. With this bait, we had to use a steady up-and-down motion to attract the fish. It takes practice, but after a few unsuccessful reel-ins, I got the hang of it and pulled up my first fish. The hardest part of ice fishing is that the snow and ice block light from the water. There’s no way to see if fish are moving, and it can be hard to judge how deep your bait is dangling.

Using the right bait is important. Tory says wax worms are best for pan fish, though bass and catfish will nibble too. As he describes other types of bait, I am overwhelmed. All of it is way over my head—I’m just a beginner. But that’s the great thing about this clinic. There are lots of beginners. Pretty soon, we had a pile of small fish that we just kept on the ice. That’s one perk of ice fishing—it makes for easy storage. Soon I was cold and ready to head inside.

Despite frozen fingers and toes, it had been a satisfying day. We each caught three fish.

Of course, it could’ve just been beginner’s luck.

JASON MILLER

Ice fishing is an unexpected twist on a summer favorite.

[48] MissouriLife

ML1211_NorthSports_AB_4.indd 48

10/28/11 1:07 PM

Winter Wonderland ~ PL AY~

Cross-Country Search Cross-country skiing is an unfamiliar winter sport worth the search.

BY L AU R E N H U GH E S

LAUREN HUGHES

I HAD TO SUPPRESS THE SMILE THAT WAS STARTING TO FORM ACROSS MY FACE. “I am not very good at cross-country skiing,” he said.

Well of course you aren’t, I thought to myself. That’s when he held up the boot. The very old, and now very broken, boot.

Part of me was relieved that we hadn’t found any ski boots my size, but I was also curious to know exactly how hard crosscountry skiing was. Jim’s first attempt was a bit lackluster. He came back, face red and sweating. Something had clicked, though— he actually liked it. Jim insisted we purchase shoe adhesive and fix the boot immediately so he could try again the next day.

For those brave enough to try something most Missourians never attempt, consider cross-country skiing.

But first, you’ll have to scrounge around for the equipment. Because cross-country skiing isn’t as popular in our state as it is in more northern states, most stores don’t carry the equipment. Don’t let this discourage you.

With a little persistence (and hopefully no shoe glue) finding used and even new crosscountry equipment can be a relatively simple task.

What you’ll need are special ski boots, bindings, ski poles, and of course, skis. The bindings hold or clip the toe of the ski boot onto the ski. The poles, which are shoulder height, are then used for balance and to propel forward. If we lived in Minnesota or another snowy state, it would be easy to find cross-country ski kits suited for gender and age, but since we do not, I was left piecing together the equipment.

I had a pair of women’s skis and poles borrowed from a friend, but no boots or bindings. After an afternoon scrambling around Columbia searching for cross-country shoes,

I came up short. I had hoped local outdoors shops might have them, but they didn’t.

Because Missouri’s snowfall is meager compared to northern states, sporting goods stores don’t keep anything cross-country skirelated in stock. I was beginning to lose faith in my endeavor at this classic North Country sport when I turned to Jim’s parents’ house.

My fiancé’s parents have random things in their house—they collect antiques and very rarely get rid of things. They have a 150-yearold horse saddle just sitting in their attic and still have a metal toy dump truck from when Jim was a kid. It only made sense that they just might have some cross-country equipment lying around, especially since two of Jim’s aunts live in Minnesota.

My hunch was confirmed when we found a pair of men’s skis and poles along with a pair of men’s ski boots. They were a throwback to the 1970s, of course, but they would still work. As we pulled out of his parent’s driveway, the snow continued falling on the windshield and our excitement rose.

Unbeknownst to me, Jim tried cross-country skiing that night, when the night sky was

bright from the reflection of the white snow.

And that’s when he broke the shoes. I probably would have broken them too after listening to what it was like: “It’s kind of like rollerblading with really long rollerblades, only more awkward,” he told me. “But once I got the hang of it, it was really fun.”

After watching him ski the next day, I could see what he meant. Despite the fact he looked like a newborn giraffe learning to stand, I hopped on the Internet in search of women’s equipment for myself.

Cross-country ski equipment may not be in Missouri stores, but Missourians do have them. A source for couches and apartment sublets, Craigslist (www.craigslist.com) is a catchall when it comes to used goods. Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbia, and St. Joseph all had some sort of cross-country gear.

What is listed is random, though, so skiers searching for this type of gear will have to search diligently and frequently. But, the used prices can’t be beat for any beginner wishing to try their luck at cross-country skiing.

For those wanting to spend a little more on this winter sport, the REI store in St. Louis is the best bet. Skiers in the St. Louis area can order cross-country ski gear online and choose the store location as the shipment destination for free shipping. Customers that don’t live in the area can order them online and pay extra to ship it directly home. Other big-box sporting stores in the state either did not offer this kind of equipment or had stringent policies about returns.

Either way, used or new, cross-country skiing is a challenge worth the tackle for adventurers around Missouri. That’s why I’ll keep searching.

You never know, I may need them to go to the grocery store during Missouri’s next blizzard.

[49] December 2011

ML1211_NorthSports_AB_4.indd 49

10/28/11 1:08 PM

Winter Wonderland ~ PL AY~

ICE FISHING Newbies can attend the Missouri Department of Conservation workshop or go with an experienced guide the first time. However, if you’re ready to try it on your own, anything north of I-70 should have some safe ice fishing during the winter, with the season typically lasting from New Year’s Day to Valentine’s Day. Though ice fishing is most promising in northern Missouri, if winter is cold enough people across the state can participate in this cold-weather sport. However, it’s important to be cautious. Ice should be four- to five-inches thick and clear, without snow on top, and a fishing permit is required. Some lakes worth noting for ice fishing include: Lancaster City Lake, Lancaster La Plata City Lake, La Plata Spurr Pond, Kirksville Forest Lake, Kirksville For more information on the MDC ice fishing clinic, visit www.mdc.mo.gov or call 816-271-3100.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING TRAILS Missouri trails are beautiful any time of year, but when winter rolls around, these trails stand out among the rest for cross-country skiing.

Across the state Katy Trail State Park 237.7 miles

Northwest Grant’s Trail 8 miles

Southwest Frisco Highline Trail 35 miles

Urban Trail 14 miles

Central M.K.T. Trail 8.5 miles

Northeast West Alton Trail 2 miles

SLEIGH RIDES Many pick-your-own-tree farms, in addition to the ones we’ve listed here, offer sleigh rides throughout the winter season. If it hasn’t snowed, many will do wagon or carriage rides through winter wonderlands instead. Call ahead for availability and information.

Bourbon RS Ranch Rides 573-732-4590 www.rsranchtrailrides.com

St. Louis St. Louis County Parks & Recreation 314-534-1111

Orrick Twin Cedar Farms 816-770-3709

TINA WHEELER

Kansas City Faulkner’s Ranch 816-761-5055 www.faulknersranch.com

ML1211_NorthSports_AB_4.indd 50

10/28/11 1:09 PM

The Horse Knows the Way Horse-drawn sleigh rides are a nostalgic winter treat.

BY SHEREE K. NIELSEN

SHEREE K. NIELSEN

Two draft horses, one black and one gray, swiftly gallop to greet us. Snow crunches under the tires as we drive up the entrance of RS Ranch in Bourbon. A truly nostalgic winter pastime awaits— horse-drawn sleigh rides.

When we approach the log cabin, Tanya Schoenbeck, a tall woman with long brown hair, greets us and waves us inside. Upon entering the cozy cabin, the smell of a crackling fire mixes with the aroma of fresh chili cooking on the stove.

Tanya and her husband Roy chat about the history of the ranch and sleigh riding. The Schoenbecks have owned RS Ranch for more than 20 years. The team heading up their nearly 100-year-old antique sleigh is made up of Percheron draft horses, a breed from France built for pulling and known as Gentle Giants.

All of the horses’ names begin with an ‘R’ and were purchased from an Amish man in Curryville. The two beauties that met us on the road were Ruben and Roman, weighing about 1,600 pounds apiece.

As for the sleigh, it can hold eight people and comes with antique blankets for warmth.

The Schoenbecks own two other sleighs— one that holds four people, and an 1880 Albany Cutter single, purchased from the Busch family (of beer and Clydesdales fame).

We head outside where Tanya and Roy have hitched Ruby and Rachel to the sleigh. The two horses eagerly await us. RS Ranch promises a different experience every time.

With 500 acres, Tanya says, “When you leave the driveway, you will never come back the same way.”

Snuggled and toasty under the blankets, our journey begins at the log-sided barn built by Roy. We amble through a meadow with rolling hills. In the distance, the scenery is dotted with trees and horses.

As the horse-drawn sleigh meanders to Evans Creek, Tanya points directly behind us.

“Look quickly!” We turn around to see Prairie Dawn, a buttermilk buckskin mare, rolling on her back in the snow. As the mare rises, a herd of Foxtrotters—bays, buckskins, and sorrels— bolt down the hill to check us out. I pause to capture the moment with my camera. Once at Evans Creek, I feel the Gentle Giants dragging the sleigh through the solid rock bottom beneath me.

A forest with majestic cedars lies ahead.

The sleigh glides along, and I notice the exquisite trees, their branches laden with snow. My mind is quiet. The woods exude a peacefulness and serenity. The only sound we hear is the scraping of the runners and the jingle of the harness. Resembling a Currier and Ives Christmas card, a curved tree branch drapes overhead as the sleigh exits the woods.

As Roy stops the sleigh for several minutes, I gaze at the pasture. The unfolding scene is picture perfect. A pale blue line dances on the horizon. The sky fades into bright white and then into blue again. Silhouetted trees in the distance offer a dark contrast against the stark snow. Willie, a

red heeler, rests with Ruby and Rachel in the snow, contemplating the cornflowercolored sky.

After the break, more surprises await.

Our sleigh enters a field with longhorn and beefmaster cattle where we meet Ruthie and Pepsi, donkeys protecting the cattle from wild dogs and coyotes. We pass old barns, view an ice-covered lake in the distance, and observe and identify species of birds. Near the end of our journey, Tanya and Roy direct Ruby and Rachel to pull the sleigh into the stable. The couple unhitches the horses, who settle comfortably into their stalls.

While our snowy trek was filled with noteworthy sites, numerous unseen delights remain to be experienced another day—an 1869 cemetery with Civil War descendants behind the main house or a moonlight ride lit only by carriage lights. Imagine all the stars! “It’s one of the nicest rides,” Tanya says, and she promises to “keep it interesting, anytime you want to go.”

Sleigh rides are an exceptional winter activity for family members of all ages. The Schoenbecks’ 16-month-old granddaughter, also named Ruby, loves horse-drawn sleigh rides, and one woman took a sleigh ride for the first time at age 86.

The Schoenbecks’ neighbor, Debbie Anderson, says, “If you love horses and love outdoor life, you can’t beat it.” Sleigh riding reminds her of being around horses as a child. “After the ride is over, the campfire is blazing—you can sip hot chocolate and converse.”

Because of the horses, Tanya has met amazing people. Guests from 11 countries and 35 states have visited the ranch.

The schedule is flexible for sleigh rides, provided the ground is frozen. The draft horse team, black-and-white spotted Raymond and Ramona, is available for rides. The cost is $25 per person for a one-hour ride.

And remember: Wear your winter clothes!

[51] December 2011

ML1211_NorthSports_AB_4.indd 51

10/28/11 1:09 PM

E H T E S U A C BE

e l o P h Nort S AWAY. E L I M 8 6 7 , 3 IS

Your winter getaway begins at explorestlouis.com.

St. Louis Thanksgiving Day Parade

St. Louis Holiday Magic

The Loop Ice Carnival

November 24th

December 3rd - 4th

January 14th

stlholidaymagic.com

visittheloop.com

christmasinstlouis.org

052 ML1211.indd 52

[52] [2] MissouriLife MissouriLife

10/28/11 2:36:59 PM

U.S. Cellular Family Winter Carnival in Soulard January 28th stlmardigras.org

052 ML1211.indd 53

[53][3] December April 2011 2011

10/28/11 2:37:27 PM

Holly H au l o u t t he

30 Artists Help Us Spread a Little Holiday Cheer we all have our own tree-trimming traditions, from family heirloom ornaments and popsicle-stick reindeers to hundreds of lights and a special tree topper. This year we’ve hauled out the holly to share with you what our tree would look like—a Missouri-made tree, of course! We’ve got hand-blown glass, geometric wooden ornaments, and hand-painted creations from 30 artists, artisans, and craftspersons from across our state. Spread a little holiday cheer this Christmas with these beautiful Missouri-made ornaments!

1. Dodie Eisenhaur

5. Kathy Nowak

9. Roberta Langford

sculpted wire ornaments

573-486-5839

314-359-8458

www.villagedesigns.com| 800-268-3642

6. Kenneth Marine

10. Gail Crozier

Original miniature art print ornaments

www.kennethmarineglass.com | 417-335-2021

www.strandedglass.com | 636-978-1790

www.colorfulbrushes.homestead.com

7. Peggy King

11. Ellen Hendricks

www.snowflakeglass.com | 573-445-3279

636-673-2690

8. Gail Kelley

12. Terri and Gordon Balden

www.bestofmissourihands.com/

www.copperleafstudio.net | 417-498-6073

Brass mesh and crystal angel tree topper;

2. Catherine Mahoney 573-486-2444

3. Thomas and Patricia Hooper Pewter ornaments

www.aslpewter.com | 573-754-3435

4. Sam Davisson

Hand-blown glass ball ornaments

German Springerle cookie ornaments

Hand-blown glass ornaments

Glass Christmas trees

Fabric ornaments and pinecone creatures

Miniature scenes atop pinecones

Ornaments made from recycled materials

Gourds with geometric shapes

Earthenware star-shaped ornaments

fabrications.htm | 314-842-3328

816-835-1279 PRO D U CE D BY SA R AH H ER R ER A | PH OTO G R APH Y BY AN DR EW BARTO N

[54] MissouriLife

ML1211_Tree_AB_1.indd 54

10/29/11 4:27 PM

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

8.

6.

7.

11.

9.

10.

12.

[55] December 2011

ML1211_Tree_AB_1.indd 55

10/29/11 4:27 PM

H AUL OU T T HE

Holly

13. Pat Mehaffy

20. Dennis Nevergall

stockings, and other Christmas motifs

www.bestofmissourihands.com/

www.bestofmissourihands.com/

backwoodsparquetry.htm | 417-247-1357

Hand-painted porcelain stars with Santa,

Geometric wooden shapes

15.

patschinaart.htm | 417-334-8174

14. Michael Parrett

21. Mary A. Brinkley

314-608-9530

573-221-1516

15. Darlene Spell

22. Louise Bremmer

www.darlenespell.com | 573-778-5781

Christmas images

16. Shirley Nachtrieb

417-339-9814

ornaments

Hand-painted poinsettas on glass ball

Metal snowflakes

Miniature prints of landscapes

Watercolor cardinals and dragonfly

Glass balls with painted birds

Painted wooden blocks, children’s

23. Marilyn Weimer

www.nachtrieb.com | 636-947-1936

ornaments

17. Steven Juhlin

www.marilynweimer.com | 816-424-6338

Gourds with cut-out stars www.groovygourds.com

18. Mike Ochonicky Etched scrimshaw

24. Charles and Sharon

Pritchard

Ebony ornaments www.bestofmissourihands.com/ creativewoods.htm | 660-665-1905

www.stonehollowstudio.com | 636-938-9570

19.

19. Joan Merrell

1.

Paper casts and paper-mâché balls www.joanmerrell.com | 573-635-5116

22.

[56] MissouriLife

ML1211_Tree_AB_1.indd 56

10/31/11 9:00 AM

14.

13.

17.

18.

20.

6.

16.

19.

1.

12.

21.

9.

5.

24.

23.

[57] December 2011

ML1211_Tree_AB_1.indd 57

10/29/11 4:28 PM

H AUL OU T T HE

Holly

25. Serena Boschert

Hand-painted ceramic ornaments featuring Christmas and winter themes www.bestofmissourihands.com/ serenaboschert.htm | 636-946-1874

26. Kris Scharfenberger

Calligraphy and colored pencil ornaments www.khrisart.com | 314-846-7453

27. Bill Merritt

25.

Miniature hummingbird feeders made from decanter lids and copper wire www.ozarklake.net |573-286-0491

28. Fred Schollmeyer

Airbrush-painted sand dollars

www.fredschollmeyer.com | 573-763-5684

29. Cheryl Cooper Painted utensils

18.

www.bestofmissourihands.com/ coopercrafts.htm | 573-547-2130

30. Lanin D. Thomasma

Custom-crafted polymer clay caricatures www.ntoonz.com

28.

SPECIAL THANKS: OAK LEAF HOLLY PROVIDED BY GARDEN HEIGHTS NURSERY, ST. LOUIS

[58] MissouriLife

ML1211_Tree_AB_1.indd 58

10/29/11 4:28 PM

27.

3.

26.

29.

13.

20.

30.

[59] December 2011

ML1211_Tree_AB_1.indd 59

10/29/11 4:29 PM

T h e Fa s cinat ing tale s behind T HE Gov e r nor port r a i t s

T

wo Missouri governors; two guns.

They’re fighting a duel and only one man—another governor—stands between them. At least, that’s the story Bob Priddy tells when he looks at the governors’ portraits in the Missouri Capitol. He points to this row of paintings: Thomas C. Reynolds, Thomas C. Fletcher, and Benjamin Gratz Brown. Reynolds was Missouri’s second Confederate governor in 1862 (he also served as governor before the Civil War from 1840 to 1844), and the portrait collection’s chronological layout happens to put him in the same row as his political enemy: the Free Soil, antislavery Brown, elected governor in 1871. In 1865, the two fought a duel at Bloody Island on the Mississippi River. “Reynolds shot Brown in the knee,” Bob says. “So he limped all the rest of his life.” Fletcher’s portrait hangs between them, echoing his role at the dual; he served as governor from 1865 until 1869.

Bob is the news director of MissouriNet and is the co-author of The Art of the Missouri Capitol: History in Canvas, Bronze and Stone. The book covers all of the Capitol’s art. Among these masterpieces, the governors’ portraits seem more like yearbook photos. But like any yearbook, the collection sparks stories about love, backstabbing, candor, and crime.

Bob knows the stories: There’s Meriwether Lewis, then Benjamin Howard, whose portrait was painted from a woodcut, and then William Clark. All were territorial governors. Clark died in St. Louis as an Indian agent, wishing he had become Missouri’s first state governor, a privilege that went to Alexander McNair, whose portrait also hangs.

The modern portraits capture the personalities of the governors well, Bob says. John Dalton, shown in yellow and teal hues, is followed by the anti-establishment Warren E. Hearnes, who came into office as a young guy. His portrait smiles wryly against a smoky gray background. Then there’s the Kid. “Richard Webster, a former senator, called him ‘Kid Bond,’ ” Bob says, nodding to the portrait of Christopher “Kit” Bond, Missouri’s youngest governor. Now a U.S. senator, Bond is immortalized 40 years younger, caught mid-turn with a thoughtful smile and curly hair.

These paintings fill each corner of the Missouri State Museum’s resource hall on the Capitol’s lofty first floor. Some portraits were destroyed when the Capitol burned in 1911, though records on that remain scarce.

St. Louis art students painted some in the current collection. A Springfield artist named Ralph Chesley Ott painted many others. Several of the early canvases were signed by Strauss, a St. Louis-based studio that specialized in photographs made to look like painted portraits.

1. Roger B. Wilson, 2000-2001 2. John Ashcroft, 1985-1993 3. Melvin E. Carnahan, 1993-2000 4. Joseph P. Teasdale, 1997-1981 5. Hancock Jackson, 1857 6. James Wilkinson, 1805-1806 7. Albert P. Morehouse, 1887-1889 8. James T. Blair, 1956-1960 9. Forrest C. Donnell, 1941-1945

Many portraits are unsigned; many are deteriorating. Lewis’s portrait, for instance, is wrinkled behind the glass. “Paintings of our governors need to be taken down, taken out of their frames, and restored,” Bob says.

As Bob speaks, a mottled portrait of Trusten Polk sadly gazes, with white streaks swirling and dripping around his shoulders. The canvas was not properly prepared, so the paint sinks into its fibers.

Bob reaches down and frames Gov. Brown’s portrait with his hands.

“Benjamin Gratz Brown was an interesting guy on several fronts,” Bob says. Brown is the man who built the governor’s mansion, using rock from his quarry. Diagonal from him across the hall hangs a portrait of Jim Blair, who renovated the mansion nearly a century later.

Some portraits have more personality than the standard bust: Take Forrest C. Donnell, who won by just 3,613 votes in 1940. He wears a gold pinky ring and peers at you over his nose. Or Phil M. Donnelly, whose strong black eyebrows contrast with his graying hair.

A few men are missing. One is Abraham J. Williams, a Boone County man who had no known images created of him, so there’s nothing to make a portrait from. Others have been temporarily moved to make room for a Civil War display.

Although some portraits’ stories are lost to history, the contemporary portraits have former state senator Jim Mathewson to commission and preserve them. In his role as treasurer of the Missouri Academy of Squires, Jim says he led efforts to raise $10,000 for portraits of each governor since Bond.

In 2000, he was shocked to find the collection only included territorial governors through Governor Hearnes in 1973. With support from the Squires, he found an artist to paint Mel Carnahan, who died in a plane crash about two weeks before the portrait was presented to the Squires and the Carnahan family.

“And that was a fine thing to do, but when we went over to hang that in the Capitol, we didn’t have John Ashcroft, we didn’t have Kit Bond, we didn’t have Joe Teasdale,” Jim says. “To me, that was embarrassing.”

He started with Kit Bond, whose portrait had already been painted by artist Gilbert Early—it just wasn’t hanging in the Capitol. Then, the portraits of Ashcroft and Teasdale were painted from reference photographs.

“I think the main thing about a painted portrait is it’s hand done, and when the hand with a brush makes a mark on a canvas it breathes some life into it,” Gilbert says. “They withstand the test of time.”

These portraits evoke emotion and spark narratives. These men fought duels with one another, campaigned against each other, built and improved railroads and mansions decades apart, and built off their forerunner’s successes to make Missouri a better place to live.

With artists, caretakers, and storytellers such as Gilbert, Jim, and Bob, the portrait gallery allows us to come face-to-face with the story of our state.

Visit www.MissouriLife.com to view the complete collection.

B y t i n a c a s a g r a n d | P H O T O GRA P H Y B Y S E T H GARCIA

[60] MissouriLife

ML1211_GovPortraits_AB_6.indd 60

10/29/11 7:39 PM

2.

1.

3.

PAINTING T H E PA S T

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

[61] December 2011

ML1211_GovPortraits_AB_6.indd 61

10/28/11 4:41 PM

Former Governor Bob Holden’s portrait is almost ready to hang in the Capitol gallery.

[62] MissouriLife

ML1211_GovPortraits_AB_6.indd 62

10/31/11 10:31 AM

F

ormer Gov. Bob Holden strides into an

alcove just off the main floor rotunda of the Capitol in Jefferson City where his official portrait—a painting in progress mounted on an easel—awaits his review.

He studies it, but when two ladies touring the Capitol wander into the alcove and are looking at past governors’ portraits already mounted on the wall, he quickly loses interest and asks them where they’re from—Maryville—and discovers they’re in town for a meeting. One might think he was campaigning, about to ask for a vote, or maybe the campaigning habit is hard to break.

In downtown St. Louis, when Gov. Holden leaves his office in the Old Post Office to cross the street to the Culinaria for lunch, the first person to greet him is a man wearing jeans, pushing a trash can on wheels. “Hi Governor,” he shouts. Another two or three people greet him while he’s choosing lunch or standing in line to pay. “Hello, Bob.” “Hello Governor.” He begins a conversation with the cashier, as she rings up various items and he pulls out his wallet. Upstairs in the cafeteria-style dining area, a man in a suit calls across the small area, “Hi, Bob.” Everyone seems to know former Gov. Bob Holden.

A ONE-ROOM SCHOOL Gov. Holden may have inherited his passion for education from his father. Lee took classes at the University of Missouri at Columbia, against his father’s will and with no support. Unprepared by the small rural school he had attended, he didn’t make it at college. But he made it clear to his children he expected them to go.

Young Bob started school in a one-room school at Birch Tree.

“But as hard as the family worked,” says Gov. Holden’s wife, Lori Hauser Holden, “Bob’s parents encouraged school, sports, and other extracurricular activities. Those came first. Sometimes that made Bob’s grandfather mad. He thought the farm ought to come first.”

In high school, the seeds of public service were planted by his civics teacher, James Orchard. He went to Boys State at age 16 and was class president to a class of 25 when he graduated. He still goes out of his way to mentor young men at Boys State. When Josh Travis, a former Boys State delegate in high school, lost his campaign for the presidency of the Missouri Student Association at MU in 2010, he got a call that evening from Gov. Holden, encouraging him and urging him to stay involved.

BLOWING UP BALLOONS TINY TOWN, TWO GOVERNORS The 53rd governor of Missouri, who went from a one-room school house to the Governor’s Mansion, repeatedly gives credit to his parents, Wanda and Lee Holden: his mom for teaching him compassion, his dad for teaching him how to work hard. Gov. Holden was born in Kansas City, but his parents moved back to his grandfather’s farm near Birch Tree when he was three. Birch Tree, with a population of 300, was also the birth place of Mel Carnahan, governor from 1993 to 2000.

Gov. Holden’s father probably ingrained in him an independent streak, a courage to do what he thought was right. Here’s the telling story about his father: His grandfather had promised Lee $100 and 100 acres if he didn’t smoke or drink before he turned 21. But Lee Holden was very independent and smoked a cigarette in front of his father a few days before he turned 21. He then took off for Kansas City, where he worked for a cattle company. He met and married Wanda while there.

When Lee moved back to the farm to help his father, the family moved into a house that had been his great-great-grandparents’ home; it had been vacant for a long time. So there was Wanda, a city girl from Kansas City, moving into a house that had been used for grain storage. But she persevered, raising Bob, who is the oldest, Calvin, Steve, and Cindy. It wasn’t easy. Lee’s father wouldn’t step foot in their house; he had disapproved of Lee leaving the farm and the marriage to a city girl. But she persevered in that too, and things got better when Wanda gave so much help to Lee’s mother when Lee’s father got sick.

Maybe Gov. Holden learned perseverance from his mother. When he ran for state treasurer in 1988, he lost. Rather than settling for something else, he ran again in 1992. This time he won by a landslide and began the trajectory that would lead him to the top office in the state.

He went on to Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State University) in Springfield, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. It was at SMS that his passion for politics crystallized. He took two political science classes from David Heinlein, an advisor to student government, who also encouraged him to run for student senator. “I asked a woman to be my running mate. We lost, but that was the beginning.”

Heinlein was the leader of the local Democratic party, and Bob followed him into other campaigns. It was an exciting time. The Vietnam War, civil rights, and women’s rights were on the political agenda, and Bob Holden wanted to help.

He got his start on the state-wide political stage simply by helping set up a hospitality room for Senator Eagleton in Springfield in 1972.

“I was walking around the Colonial Hotel, which was the headquarters for Jackson Days. There was a lady blowing up balloons, and she asked me if I wanted to help,” he says.

Jim Spainhower hired him in 1975, when he graduated. Then in 1980, he had the opportunity to work for Tom Eagleton, one of his heroes. (Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. are his others.)

Later, he also took classes at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and is a graduate of Harvard’s Government Executive Program.

As state treasurer, his passion for supporting education manifested itself by his creation of the Mo$t program, to offer tax savings for those who saved for college. “I got 25 cents a week allowance as a kid, but I had to put 10 cents into college savings. That helped motivate the Mo$t program, where you could put away as little as $25 at a time.”

One time, Gov. Holden was speaking to a classroom full of fourth- or fifth-graders in either Raytown or Independence, no one recalls exactly.

Gov. Holden was promoting the Mo$t program when he asked the

B y D a n i t a A l l e n W o o d | P H OTO G R A P H Y B Y S ET H G A R C IA

[63] December 2011

ML1211_GovPortraits_AB_6.indd 63

10/31/11 10:31 AM

students what they might save money for. He was used to hearing answers such as cars, a trip, and game stations. When one little girl replied, “accessories,” his staff fell into fits of laughter. “I was laughing so hard I had to leave the room,” says Gary Collins, his chief of staff at the time.

“But Bob kept his composure and played along.”

As governor, education was one of his top priorities and the legacy in which he perhaps takes the most pride.

When Gov. Holden took office, he faced unprecedented challenges: a perfect storm of an economy in a tailspin, a reduced tax base even though program commitments had expanded, and Republican control of the Missouri Senate for the first time in 53 years. Then came 9/11.

GOV. BOB HOLDEN’S CAREER ► State Treasurer Jim Spainhower hired him as an assistant in 1975. ► He was a member of State Treasurer Mel Carnahan’s staff from 1980 to 1982. ► He ran for public office himself in 1982, as a state representative for the 136th Legislative District in Greene County. ► In 1988, he ran for state treasurer, but lost. ► He joined U.S. Congressman Dick Gephardt’s staff as administrative assistant and ran the St. Louis office in 1989. ► He won the race for state treasurer in 1992 and also won the second term. ► He won the governor’s race, and was inaugurated in January 2001, to become Missouri’s 53rd governor and the first one to be elected in the new century, and served until January 2005, after losing the party nomination to Claire McCaskill, who in turn lost the election to Gov. Matt Blunt. ► Holden is chairman of The Holden Group, which advises public and private clients on business development and international trade strategies. ► He is a visiting professor at Webster University, where he leads the Gov. Bob Holden Public Policy Forum and lectures on public policy and leadership. He also served as a Dole Fellow at the Dole Institute at the University of Kansas. ► He is chairman of the Midwest U.S.-China Association, which works with Midwestern governors to improve economic cooperation and to stimulate business growth between the Midwest and China.

Major accomplishments ► During the recession that started at the beginning of his term, he slashed

All of this meant Missouri would face a deep deficit. While cutting more than a billion dollars in the budget, he fought to protect primary and secondary education from cuts and actually grew funding by $250 million. He also increased support of the A+ program, which helps many young people who wouldn’t otherwise have a chance for more education by covering tuition and fees to a community college or public vocational school. He also increased state support for the new Life Sciences Center at MU, which had economic development potential for the state.

A CHINA CONNECTION Gov. Holden still hammers the message that education is what will position our children and our state to compete in a global economy. His interest in keeping our state competitive plays out today in his volunteer chairmanship of the Midwest U.S.-China Association. The goal is to advance mutual opportunities for cooperation, growth, and development and mutual understanding of each other’s culture.

On this particular day, Gov. Holden is focusing on Missouri schools offering cross-cultural exchanges. He supports schools offering a second language to students as early as the elementary grades. As an assistant prepares to film a spot, she asks for permission to powder his forehead.

“There’s a little shine,” she says. He agrees and then asks, “Could you give me some more hair, too?”

Then he turns serious. “The goal is for every student to feel like they could win and be part of the global economy. We want to give them the tools, history, and background so they will be able to take part.”

Right now, he says, there are more people in China who speak English than here in our own country because almost every Chinese school teaches English and, of course, the People’s Republic of China has a larger population. “China has been successful in reaching out to other cultures, with their Confucius Institute. We should be a partner in that. The Chinese people will see us teaching our children about their society and culture, and their language. Let our students talk to students in different countries over the Internet. Let them learn each other’s embedded values.

“I want it to be the U.S. who leads the economy of the future. We can do that through a message that we welcome different backgrounds and cultures in our society. And what it does for a child: It gives them more flexibility, more confidence, and an ability to experiment.

“You don’t go to war with people you understand and know,” he adds.

$1 billion dollars from the budget by streamlining and eliminating jobs. ► He kept Missouri’s AAA bond rating, one of only seven states to do so during this time. ► Missouri’s unemployment rate remained below the national average during the recession while he was governor. ► During the last year and a half of his term, the state ranked ninth in the nation in job creation. ► He appointed more than 200 African-Americans to leadership positions. ► Missouri moved from 41st in the nation to 5th in rankings for women appointed to top policy positions.

ROMANCE WITH A VOLUNTEER Gov. Holden has a laser-like focus and intensity when he’s talking about politics, the global economy, and education that is missing on other topics, such as vacation, exercise, food, or almost anything else—except for family. His wife of almost 30 years, Lori Hauser Holden, has been his partner on the campaign trail for their entire marriage. “The joke was if two or more people were getting together, Bob or Lori would be there,” he says.

But Bob doesn’t remember the very first time he met Lori, when she was one of a group of volunteers. Lori, who grew up in Aurora, explains,

[64] MissouriLife

ML1211_GovPortraits_AB_6.indd 64

10/31/11 3:24 PM

Gary Collins, still Gov. Holden’s financial advisor at Hawthorn Bank, describes driving to St. Louis with then State Treasurer Holden once during his term. Randomly, at a gas station along the way, he started talking to a young woman and eventually hired her as Director of Technology in the State Treasurer’s office.

“That’s typical of Bob,” Collins says, “to start up conversations.”

On a different day on the Webster University campus, in Marletto’s Marketplace, the cashier greets him. “Hello, Governor.”

A woman with a name tag, “Mary,” also greets Former Gov. Bob Holden’s portrait has a portico him, walks up to him, and gives him a big hug. His and view beyond symbolizing his rural roots and characteristic smile, almost V-shaped, deepens. He his service from the Governor’s office. tells her the pizza she arranged to be delivered to his evening Pizza and Politics Forum was popular as usual. He asks her about her family.

After buying his tea and settling into a booth, many students and GoING DOOR TO DOOR adults who pass his booth wave to him, nod at him, or greet him.

“Our whole lives have been interwoven with politics,” Lori says. “We Gov. Holden teaches two classes at Webster University, one on the took the boys with us on the campaign trail—we’ve done six campaigns Obama Administration and one on Campaign Strategies and Political together.” Lori says. “He loved going door to door. That was really an Power. He is a visiting professor at Webster, where he has established the extension of Bob, and who he is,” she says.

Holden Public Policy Forum, located in the Old Post Office. The Forum Gov. Holden agrees, saying he started in May and continued right up hosts events throughout the year focused on public policy, politics, and until the day before the election. “I went into wealthy areas, poor areas, civic concerns. onto college campuses, into downtown areas, into senior high rises.”

Since its inception, more than three dozen politicians and public Today, he advises young people who are thinking about politics to do policy leaders have participated, including former Arkansas Gov. Mike the same thing. “Going door to door was a real education. You educate Huckabee, Sen. Mike Johanns, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and yourself as well as win support. Until you’ve seen poverty up close, until Congressman Russ Carnahan, among others. you’ve seen a single mom struggling to raise her child, you can’t underThe Forum captures Gov. Holden’s personality, the genuine friendlistand the issues.”

He describes going into one tiny home with a busted screen door, and ness and spirit of service that allow people of opposing viewpoints to seeing a man with both legs amputated, lying in a baby bed. The doorcome together for civil conversation and to explore common ground in to-door work doubled his desire to help those in need. And that’s how an effort to find solutions for real problems that sometimes seem comJulie Gibson, one of his three chiefs of staff during his term and now the pletely polarized in today’s political landscape. (You can view past forums on YouTube and learn more about the Holden Public Policy Forum by visiting Director of the Division of Workforce Development, says she still pictures www.webster.edu/holdenppf/.)

Bob Holden today: with his hand out-stretched to greet people, reaching out to people.

Yet, through all those years of campaigning, Lori says, “Both of us still serving made the boys’ award assemblies and most of the ball games.”

In his 8:30 am class on Obama, he asks about 15 students, “Did you Today, Gov. Holden still brings Lori a red rose most Fridays, and he watch the debate last night?” meaning the Republican candidates’ debate. constantly gives Lori credit for her contributions to campaigns, his ac“Did you watch President Obama’s job speech?” complishments, and for her work with the arts and education. His chilAt the beginning of this semester, Gov. Holden assigned this class the dren are still top priority. Robert drops by to visit him at the office, and if challenge of cutting $1.3 trillion from the federal budget. He used a New John D. has soccer, “I get in the car and go where I need to be,” he says.

York Times article categorizing how the federal government spends money as a model. “My goal was to show students it’s not as easy as it sounds and to show the conflicts in society over priorities, that every cut has a NEVER MET A STRANGER consequence that will affect people,” he says.

He says of his mother, “She never met a stranger.” And apparently, neither Bob Holden still cares. has he.

carla steck

“I went to SMS a few years after Bob. In my senior year, my sorority sister was campus coordinator for Spainhower. She asked if anyone would like to help. I volunteered for a full day, and at the end, Mr. Holden came by and thanked us.”

In 1982, while working in a law firm in Springfield, she volunteered to work for his first campaign as a state representative. Someone arranged for them to have lunch, but he canceled to have lunch with Roy Blunt. She eventually did get that lunch, and this meeting, he remembers. They were married in December 1983, after Bob missed the wedding rehearsal because Gov. Christopher “Kit” Bond called a special session. Their sons, Robert and John D. were born in 1990 and 1994, respectively. Robert is going to college at Webster University in St. Louis, and John D. is a junior in high school.

[65] December 2011

ML1211_GovPortraits_AB_6.indd 65

10/31/11 2:29 PM

ABOUT THE PORTRAIT GOV. HOLDEN, who is 62, cares about

glasses stick out too far?” And then: “Is his skin a little pale? Well, he is fair.”

So far, Carla has revised the painting’s background color from chartreuse to blue and made other edits to the painting, as well as adding the portico. Carla carries the portrait in a garbage bag and takes it to the Capitol for these critique sessions. She welcomes the suggestions, she says, noting that often “the innocent eye,” as she calls it, hits on just the right improvement that the artist has perhaps come too close to see. She insists on seeing the painting in the place it will be displayed, so that she can ensure the color is exactly right. She calls him “Governor Bob” during these critique sessions, and they share a passion for education, although Carla’s is for art education.

Carla found her way into the arts via the Nichols Career Center in Jefferson City. It was Donna Drew who encouraged her interest in art, awarded her an internship with the Conservation Department, and helped her apply and win a scholarship to study graphic design at Missouri State University. There, a painting and drawing teacher encouraged her to go study at the New York Studio School, which she did, and she soon learned a career in fine arts was possible.

“So many people grow up without art,” she says, and she’s made it a life mission to take art into the schools, both by visiting classrooms and by having school children participate in outdoor exhibitions for the public. Just one of her projects is producing “Art Inside the Park” in Jefferson City for Cole County, which pairs artists with students to create art-

[66] MissouriLife

Artist Carla Steck gives a colorful, impressionistic touch to the Holdens’ portraits. Carla is the first woman to paint a governor in Missouri.

work based on a themed curriculum.

Carla first met Lori Holden when Lori served as executive director for Jefferson City’s Council on the Arts while Bob was serving as state treasurer. She got to know both the Holdens a little better through school functions and their sons, who were the same age.

When it came time to plan the inauguration, Lori wanted something different and recruited Carla to help. Then when it came time for Lori’s portrait to be made, Lori entertained Carla’s request, and Carla was selected. “It was my first chance for an official public portrait.

Lori wanted a woman artist, a Missouri artist,” she says. “As an artist, you dig into your soul.

What I hope comes through in both paintings is their absolute honesty and integrity.

“Both the Holdens and I wanted a little bit more of a contemporary color palette and approach, so it’s a departure from the historical portraits. The challenge is how much of a departure. They’re willing to take a risk. It’s going to look a little different.”

CARLA STECK

his portrait and the legacy he hopes it represents. He asks, with just a hint of anxiety, “What do you think of it?” He wanted something different, and Carla Steck is delivering.

Carla is a Jefferson City native who splits her time between her hometown, where many family members remain, and Kansas City. She painted Lori Hauser Holden’s First Lady portrait in 2004, and she is the first woman, everyone believes, to paint either a First Lady or a Missouri governor’s portrait, although information is sometimes sketchy and even nonexistent about many past artists.

Carla was also commissioned by the First Lady in 2003 for the first contemporary art installation at the Governor’s Mansion—12,000 snowflakes that Lori solicited from fourth graders in 233 different Missouri schools.

Carla designed a kinetic chandelier and kaleidoscope for the grand hall as the main attraction. Snowflakes hung from metal spirals and draperies. She created one giant snowflake made of thousands of smaller flakes for a two-story window. She also designed a major snowdrift using every single snowflake the children submitted.

Her portrait of Gov. Holden, much like the First Lady’s in the Governor’s Mansion, has a slightly more impressionistic touch than the traditional photo realist paintings or photographs of former governors. There’s a Capitol portico representing the governor’s office in the top left hand of the painting. There’s a farm field beyond the portico, and trees lining the river beyond the farm field. Bob suggests, “Try a little river.” Carla tries to convince the governor it isn’t needed, but in the end, there is a river.

Bob and Lori both love the portico and scenery added to the portrait. It has special meaning to them and calls to mind something Gov. Holden said during his term, “You may not see the people through this window. But I see them.”

Lori asks, also with some hesitancy, “Do his

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER. As pork producers we have a proud history of responsible farming that we are committed to continuing. Our industry’s ethical principles clearly define our values on food safety, animal well-being, safeguarding natural resources and improving the quality of life in our communities. No one has more on the line when it comes to responsible and ethical practices than we do, and we believe it is the responsibility of each of us to demonstrate our commitment, not just in words, but in actions.

Funded by America’s Pork Checkoff Program and Missouri’s Pork Producers.

Pictured: Everett Forkner, President of National Pork Board from Richards, Missouri

Roast Pork with Sweet Potatoes, Pears & Rosemary

Drizzled with cider sauce, this Pork Roast with Sweet Potatoes, Pears and Rosemary is the perfect centerpiece for your next get-together. Discover your next inspired idea at PorkBeInspired.com

©2011 National Pork Board, Des Moines, IA USA. This message funded by America’s Pork Checkoff Program.

PorkBeInspired.com [67] December 2011

067 ML1211.indd 67

10/26/11 4:43:27 PM

Storing the Stories The Missouri State Archives offers its collection to the public.

Missouri has pack rats, but that’s a good thing.

While countless articles tell us how to get rid of old stuff, the Missouri State Archives keeps acquiring documents telling our Missouri history. And best of all, the archives are available to everyone.

The items collected are mind-boggling. One can research handdrawn maps dating to the 1700s, land grants more than 200 years old, family histories, court records, the papers of legislators, and every press release a governor’s office issued.

Among hundreds of other old treasures, you can find out the state dinosaur, Hypsibema missouriense, roamed Missouri 99 million years ago. Fossils were found in 1942 near Glen Allen.

You can trace your own family history through death certificates from 1910 all the way through 1960. (Missouri law states that death certificates may be transferred to the archives after 50 years have passed. Certificates for 1961 will become available via the archives beginning the first working day of 2012.)

You can research old court records such as files related to the New Madrid Earthquake of 1811. Landowners were allowed to trade damaged land for other unclaimed federal land in the territory of Missouri.

Just about everything finds its home at the archives, where there are almost 400 million pages of paper, a half-million photos, 15,000 books, more than 10,000 maps, 200,000 reels of microfilm, and hundreds of audio and video items. And that’s just since 1965 when the archives were established by the legislature.

Huge underground vaults house many of these original and rare

pieces, says State Archivist John Dougan. This is where all of Missouri’s original signed laws are kept, as well as all territorial records and early state road maps. The concrete and steel bunkers have extraordinary security and are temperature controlled to a finite degree. Items stored there will last a minimum of 500 years.

“There’s a story with every record we have,” John says. “For example, some of the men who drew early maps of what ultimately became the Missouri Territory must have had time on their hands.

On several very old maps,” John says as he points to a few, “we’ve found drawings of such things as musical scales, rural cabins with smoke curling from chimneys, people fishing. It’s incredibly interesting to examine what some of these fellows did when they were probably bored.”

Within the archives is a conservation department where workers handle precious documents, mending many of them. Absolute care is used when handling the documents, with workers wearing white gloves. Original paperwork from the Dred Scott Decision and paperwork from the court cases involving Jesse James have been handled at the archives.

The archives’ storage area is a steady 65 degrees and there is a fire suppression system in place. Seeing the measures taken to keep our historical treasures safe is impressive, but you don’t have to visit the archives in person to explore all of its artifacts. Many, such as death certificates, can be examined online.

Not surprising, the archives house files of all Supreme Court cases beginning before we were even a state. Between the years

[68] MissouriLife

ML1211_StateArchives_AB_2.indd 68

10/28/11 11:15 AM

From left: State Archivist John Dougan shows off storage technology. The State Archives houses rare photographs of Jesse James. The reading room gives visitors a quiet place to research and reflect.

1812 and 1820, Missouri was a territory controlled by the federal government, and the highest court was called the Superior Court, not the Supreme Court. Searches for court cases in this time period bring up topics such as the lifetime debts of Meriwether Lewis, breach of promise of marriage, and even a wife who filed for divorce because her alcoholic husband threw an axe at her.

Of interest to many are the military service cards for just about every Missouri man or woman who has ever worn a uniform. These date back to the War of 1812 through World War II, although the bulk of the information details soldiers who served in the Civil War. The archives’ collections also include state penitentiary records beginning in 1836, detailing each prisoner with glass plate negatives of convict mug shots.

This is part of the magic at the archives. War heroes and convicts are brought together in one place for modern day history buffs to research, reflect upon, and remember.

Photo collections are some of the most popular artifacts at the archives. Images exist of the building of the current Capitol in 1915, the State Penitentiary riot of 1954, a pictorial history of the State Fair, and early Missouri Department of Transportation black-andwhite negatives, among thousands of other pictures and negatives.

The archives even boast some original photographs of Jesse James in its collections.

Remembrance is important here at the archives, even for items deemed unsuccessful. Alongside collections honoring success is a

treasure trove of bills that failed, including a bill submitted to the legislature in 1929 calling for Missouri housewives to make hot biscuits two times every day. Another defeated bill defined what an inferior bottle of wine was when being used to pay off an election bet. Kansas City Representative John Kennedy submitted a bill in 1913 defining a bottle of wine as “one quart of champagne of some well-known and highly respected vintage.” His bill elaborated that it would be a felony for anyone to pass off an inferior bottle of wine in the payment of an election bet, and the guilty party “shall be shot at sunrise without the benefit of clergy.” Rep. Kennedy put this together after winning a bet over the 1912 election and receiving what he deemed an inferior bottle of wine as payment.

The Missouri State Archives isn’t just a place for old things. It’s a place to breathe life back into our state’s history. Actors recreate historic venues and times in Archives Alive!, a theater for fourth through sixth graders who arrive on field trips from all over the state. The archives are also a place to connect with your past and your community. Public outreach programs, available to schools and organizations, range from genealogy workshops and guided tours of the facility to interactive lesson plans for teachers and tutorials on how to protect your books and family papers to tips and aid to those doing research.

With history this fascinating, who could blame our state for its pack rat ways?

600 W. Main St. • 573-751-3280 • www.sos.mo.gov/archives

S T O RY A N D PH O T O G R A PH Y BY K AT H Y GA NGW I S C H

[69] December 2011

ML1211_StateArchives_AB_2.indd 69

10/28/11 11:15 AM

Comb through your own family’s Civil War history with this handy guide.

CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS AND SAILORS DATABASE: Basic information for 6.3 million soldier’s names from 44 states and territories. Tip: Try different spellings. www.itd.nps.gov/cwss

Do you know the regiment and company he fought for?

THE STATE ARCHIVES SOLDIERS DATABASE: Reports side, unit, regiment, company, and rank of men in Missouri regiments. You can enter partial names if you’re not sure of exact spelling. www.sos.mo.gov/archives/soliders

What side was he on?

Union INDIVIDUAL HISTORY THE 1890 VETERANS & WIDOWS CENSUS: www.archives.gov/veterans STATE FEDERAL SOLDIERS HOME RECORDS: This index from St. James, housed at the archives, reports spouse, regiment, and medical information.

DESCRIPTIVE ROLLS: Shows physical description, age at enrollment, residence, and birthplace.

(next page)

The Missouri State Archives at Jefferson City has a great military history collection. Among the most helpful for doing Civil War research are:

WAR HISTORY

Congratulations!

This ancestor was on the “winning” side of the war. You know what they say about history: it’s written by the winners. Records for Union soldiers are mostly complete. Here are some general sources that apply to both sides.

WAR OF THE REBELLION SERIES: The official records of the Union and Confederate armies. Start with the index to look up regiments, places, and people.

That will direct you to one of the 130 plus volumes in the set.

COUNTY HISTORY BOOKS such as the ones published by the Goodspeed’s publishing company in the 1880s.

(next page)

[70] MissouriLife

ML1211_CivilWar_AB_3.indd 70

10/29/11 6:53 PM

Start Here Do you know the name of your ancestor?

Ask living ancestors or search backward through death certificates (www.sos.mo.gov/archives) and census records. Good places to start are www.ancestry.com (subscription service) or www.familysearch.org (free).

VECTORSTOCK.COM

Confederate

INDIVIDUAL HISTORY

WAR HISTORY

INDIVIDUAL HISTORY

JOSEPH H. CRUTE’S UNITS OF THE CONFEDERATE ARMY: This book, housed at the archives, contains regimental histories with regimental name changes and combinations.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES COMPILED SERVICE RECORDS: www.archives.gov/veterans

COMPENDIUM OF THE CONFEDERATE ARMIES: Search this book, also housed at the archives, for information on specific battles in Confederate military history.

UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY RECORDS: Biographical information found at the State Historical Society in Columbia.

UNION PROVOST MARSHAL DATABASE: Details activity of citizens who were Confederate sympathizers or at least accused of being for the Confederacy. These records also hold other information on treatment of civilians by both sides—loss of property, seeking protection from bushwackers, etc. www.sos.mo.gov/archives/provost CONFEDERATE PENSION APPLICATIONS: Especially helpful for undocumented home guard units; consult the archives for this information.

After searching for someone in the Soldiers Database from the Missouri State Archives, you can click on the regiment name to see a list of everyone who enlisted in that regiment. This might include other family members or neighbors.

1. Census records, found at the archives, from 1860 and 1870 will tell you about the soliders, whether they still lived with their parents before enlisting, whether they got married and had kids, and other information such as property value, occupation, and where they were born.

2. The 1910 Census reports whether a person was a survivor of the Civil War. 3. Search marriage, probate, or deed records for more information on the soldier’s life.

CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS HOME APPLICATIONS: At the archives, these records show spouses who applied to this home in Higginsville.

MUSTER ROLLS: Consult the archives for accounts from the unit’s involvement. (next page)

(next page)

[71] December 2011

ML1211_CivilWar_AB_3.indd 71

10/29/11 6:53 PM

(continued)

Write, email, or visit the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City to look up any of the previously mentioned documents (you’ll need to provide the soldier’s name, regiment, and company).

Explore!

Contact or visit the county historical society of your ancestor for more information as well.

Search online and in library catalogs for books on specific regiments, battles, or individuals.

THE CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS AND SAILORS DATABASE: “Search Regiments” to find summaries on regiments and the battles they fought. These are also available in the Compendium to the War of the Rebellion.

Visit military and battlefield libraries. The Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield just southwest of Springfield has one of the best libraries in the National Park system, and the librarians there are happy to help you learn more about regiments.

Check out www.mocivilwar150.com. You’ll find Missouri Civil War resources compiled by both the State Archives and the Department of Natural Resources, as well as videos on researching Civil War ancestry.

End SEARCHING FOR NAPOLEON

BY TINA CASAGRAND

I’M NO HISTORY buff, but I took a job making Missouri Civil War Sesquicentennial videos for the Department of Natural Resources because my boss promised I’d meet characters: reenactors, archaeologists, people who throw their lives into history. My first assignment was ancestry research—interesting, since I only knew vague references about my family history. I learned a lot on the assignment: My family has lived in this state since it was founded; one of my Civil War-era ancestors was named Napoleon Bonaparte Perkins, and whatever wartime experience he had, it certainly didn’t make the history books. It’s a typical Missouri tale, completely lacking in drama and heroics, but it’s hard-earned knowledge nonetheless.

I started at the Missouri State Archives and met the reading room’s manager, David Snead.

He told me that a name is enough to start searching. That was a problem. I didn’t know much about one side of my family. I knew the names of my great-grandpa Walter Keaton’s parents. Other than that, I was on my own.

After searching the archives’ death records database, I found his father, also Walter Keaton;

Walter’s father, Isaac Keaton; and Isaac’s father, William Lenox Keaton. I typed all of their names into the Missouri Civil War Soldiers database. No results. I tried the National Park Service Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database. Nothing.

Of the roughly 1.5 million people living here during the Civil War, more than 380,000 Missouri service cards are filed in the archives.

Surely my Keaton ancestors would be among them. But, due to Missouri’s unique position in the Civil War, regiment titles often changed, as did loyalties, which depended on individual experience or whatever army happened to be in town that day.

Having no luck with the Keatons, I marched forward with the other side of my family. More death records, another database run, and finally a hit. There he was, N.B. Perkins, under three listings: 28th Enrolled Missouri Militia (E.M.M.) companies B and A and Captain Adam Miller’s Osage County Provisional Company E.M.M. (P.E.M.M.) All of this brought me to the Osage County Historical Society’s historic Zewicki House and research center in Linn. A woman working

there listened to my story, and when I listed Napoleon’s regiment, she smiled. “Adam Miller was my great-great-grandfather,” she said.

She introduced herself as Mary Lou Schulte.

She described the war in Osage County, how the Confederates destroyed bridges and our ancestors guarded them together, among a million other things that failed to persist in records. The rest is inferred from documents and full of gaps, but it has a happy ending. I picture my great-great-great grandfather standing at a secretary’s desk on August 1, 1864. He announces, “N.B. Perkins.” And that’s that, his abbreviated name is on the roster, and he gets instructions on his duties.

About a month before the P.E.M.M.’s dissolution, Napoleon married Louisa Lambeth, a sister of one of his comrades. They moved to Maries County, where their daughter Della Rue met and married my great-great-grandfather Walter Keaton. Then, 150 years after the start of the war, Napoleon’s great-great-great-granddaughter shook hands with the great-greatgranddaughter of his captain, Adam Miller.

I was promised characters; I had no idea they’d be in my own story.

Missouri Life is commemorating the Civil War sesquicentennial by including stories of the war in every issue.

[72] MissouriLife

ML1211_CivilWar_AB_3.indd 72

10/29/11 6:54 PM

l i c G e n e a l og y L i b r a r y b u P t s e g s Lar ’ n o i t Na The Independence,

MO

midwestgenealogycenter.org [73] December 2011

073 ML1211.indd 73

10/28/11 2:32:37 PM

HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS Buy one, get one at 50% off* The Dibbuk Box $19.95 pb

A true account of a mysterious wine cabinet that owners claimed brought health problems, accidents, or death, is now owned by a Missouri museum curator who has discovered more than he bargained for.

111 N. Main, Liberty, MO • 816-781-9473 www.jamescountry.com • jamescntry@aol.com

Emigrants on the Overland Trail $40 pb

Presenting new archival sources of the wagon trains of 1848, seven emigrants give details of their challenging trek to Oregon and California.

Dear Harry, Love Bess $40 hb; $24.95 pb

Collected and edited by grandson Clifton Daniel, these letters provide new insight into the lives and personalities of Bess and Harry Truman.

Deaths on Pleasant Street $22.95 pb

A 1909 Missouri true-crime story in Independence, MO.

*Discount on the lower-priced book.

CIVIL WAR SESQUICENTENNIAL

100 E. Normal Ave. Kirksville, MO 63501

tsup.truman.edu 800.916.6802

$29.95 B/W photos, map s, illustrations 272-page softcove r

+ shipping & handling

Carrying a complete line of Civil War Living History needs for Ladies, Gentlemen, Civilian, Military – featuring patterns, weapons, accessories, research. Our specialty: the Border Wars.

The best in Historical Accuracy • Documentation Value Service

A TOUR GUIDE TO MISSOURI’S CIVIL WAR: FRIEND AND FOE ALIKE Missouri is a treasure trove of Civil War history, far from the track beaten by most cultural tourists, yet Missouri witnessed more battles or engagements than any other state except for Virginia and Tennessee.

Travelers from the Midwest seeking adventure can spend days exploring the battles, the military campaigns and the personalities that all together make up Missouri’s Civil War. Buffs and historians alike will enjoy reading and traveling the pages of the informative and attractive new book.

THE CIVIL WAR’S FIRST BLOOD: MISSOURI’S CIVIL WAR 1854-1861

lor photos 143 full co ons ti ra st and illu ftcover so ge a -p 4 14

$24.99

Written for novices and Civil War buffs alike, The Civil War’s First Blood: Missouri,1854-1861 takes you by the hand and walks you down back roads, with thorough reports on ALL the action here during the war, with 143 photos and illustrations of every major player. This 144page, softcover, illustrated publication will be a great addition to any bookshelf.

+ shipping & handling

www.MissouriLife.com 800-492-2593 [74] MissouriLife

074 ML1211.indd 74

10/31/11 8:25:40 AM

Gourmet

Gift Baskets

plus a Missouri Life gift subscription make a great gift that will keep on giving all year long. Each basket will include the first issue of the subscription, and the rest will be mailed.

1

1

To order, call

800-492-2593

or visit MissouriLife.com

1

2

Holiday Treat Choice of Semi-Dry Mon Fils (red) or Semi-Dry Cobblestone White. Holiday Pasta and Sauce, Roasted Almonds, Chocolate Covered Pretzels, Gourmet Popcorn Mix, Christmas Candies and Chocolates. The Mon Fils is a Semi-Dry Blend of Norton and Concord. The Cobblestone White is a Semi-Dry Blend of Seyval and Vidal grapes and is light and fruity. $59.99 plus $18 S/H Total $77.99.

2

Holiday POPs Kettle and Caramel Popcorn in fun holiday bags, Kitchen towel, Christmas Tree Cork ornament, Pop on the Kernel Popcorn, Holiday Chocolates and 2 Chocolate Chip Cookies. $55 plus $10 S/H. Total $65.

3

3

4

Simple Snow Christmas Copper Hand Painted Bucket loaded with winter goodies to delight. 375ml Bottle of Alpenglow, our seasonal semi-sweet red wine, served warm with cinnamon sticks, included. Also enjoy the fun White Yogurt Covered Malt Balls, Coffee, Chocolate Spoon, Biscotti, Christmas Candies. $49.99 plus $10 S/H. Total $59.99.

4 Fun at home Popcorn Pumpkin and Kettle Corn in 32oz re-usable containers, Triple Butter Seasoning for popcorn, 4 ounces of Amish White Popcorn, Chocolate Bridge Mix, Ghiradelli Chocolate Squares, Kitchen Towel and Microwave Popping Bowl. $55 plus $10 S/H. Total $65.

5

5 Tasty Christmas Choice of Little Hills Chambourcin or Little Hills Chardonel, CheeseStix, Sausage, Cheddar Cheese, Mini-Mustard, Coffee, Biscotti, Chocolate Spoon, White Yogurt Covered Pretzels, Christmas Chocolates, Holiday Pasta, Bacon and Cheddar Dip Mix, Christmas Candies. A great holiday ornament “ May we always have old wine, old friends and young cares.” $69.99 plus $15 S/H. Total $84.99

[75] December 2011

075 ML1211.indd 75

10/31/11 10:46:18 AM

SHOW-ME

Flavor HOLIDAY FARE

to Share

Carry these dishes from Missouri cookbooks to this season’s holiday parties. COMPILED BY LAUREN HUGHES

DECIDING WHAT TO TAKE to a holiday soiree can be a daunting task.

PIMENTO CHEESE SPREAD

From Silver Dollar City’s Christmas Memories Recipes to Christmas at the Mansion: Its Memories and Menus, we’ve scoured Missouri cookbooks to bring you these holiday recipes that are easy to make, take, and are sure to please a crowd!

Appetizers Snow Peas with Herb Cheese

From “Christmas at the Mansion” Ingredients >

25 medium-large snow 1 clove garlic, finely peas chopped 6 ounces cream ¼ cup mixture of fresh cheese, softened basil, dill, and 3 scallion heads, parsley, chopped chopped (or 1 teaspoon onion powder)

Directions >

1. Blanch peas in boiling water for 45 seconds.

Drain and rinse. Place in bowl of ice water for 1 minute. Drain. Dry on paper towel.

2. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl, mixing well.

3. Using a sharp knife, split the snow peas on curved side. Using a pastry bag, fill each pea pod with the cream cheese mixture.

Note: You can also make a pastry bag by snipping a small corner from a heavy plastic freezer bag. Serves 5.

Hummus with Pistachio Nuts

From “Christmas at the Mansion” Ingredients >

1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1⁄3 cup tahini 2 cloves garlic, minced and mashed with ¼ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon cumin 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons water 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced Salt and pepper to taste ½ cup pistachio nuts, chopped

Directions >

1. In a food processor, combine chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, and oil; puree until very smooth.

2. Add water, parsley, salt, and pepper; pulse until blended.

3. Transfer to covered container and refrigerate until ready to serve.

4. Top with chopped pistachio nuts and serve with pita wedges or baked mini-bagel chips.

Yields 2 cups.

Pimento Cheese Spread

From “Christmas at the Mansion”

Ingredients >

2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded 1 (2-ounce) jar diced pimento, drained 1⁄3 cup mayonnaise 1⁄3 cup chopped pecans, toasted

6 small pimentostuffed olives, diced ¼ teaspoon hot sauce ¼ teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon dry sherry

Directions >

1. Blend together all ingredients and chill.

Yields 2 cups.

[76] MissouriLife

ML1211_Recipes_TS_1.indd 76

10/28/11 11:26 AM

Capitol Hill Meatballs

From “Missouri Sesquicentennial Cookbook” Ingredients >

1 ½ pounds ground chuck ½ cup soy sauce ¼ cup water 1 tablespoon powdered ginger

1 garlic clove, minced or 2 tablespoons garlic powder

Directions >

ANDREW BARTON

1. Mix ground chuck, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic together.

2. Shape into tiny meatballs and bake at 275° F for 1 hour. Serve hot with relish or sauce.

Makes 50 meatballs.

[77] December 2011

ML1211_Recipes_TS_1.indd 77

10/29/11 7:09 PM

ML

SHOW-ME

Flavor

Glazed Sugar-Cured Ham

From “Missouri Sesquicentennial Cookbook” Ingredients >

1 sugar-cured ham 1 cup vinegar ½ gallon water, plus 1 cup water, divided

1 cup fruit juice or sherry wine Whole cloves

GLAZE: 1 pound brown sugar moistened with pineapple juice ½ cup mayonnaise ½ cup pineapple juice

1. Trim away any excess fat from ham. If needed, clean ham by scrubbing with 1 cup vinegar and ½ gallon water.

2. Rinse and place in roaster pan with fruit juice or sherry wine and 1 cup water. Cover with lid of roaster (all vents closed). Cook at 325° F, 20 minutes per pound of ham.

3. Forty-five minutes before end of cooking time, remove ham from oven and finish cooking uncovered after skinning or peeling the rind from the ham.

4. Score the fat in 1-inch squares and place whole cloves in each corner of square. Baste often with the glaze. While cooking, prepare the mustard sauce by mixing ingredients together in small bowl.

5. When finished cooking, let cool and slice.

Serve with mustard sauce on Mansion Dinner Rolls (recipe at www.MissouriLife.com).

ANDREW BARTON

MUSTARD SAUCE: 1 cup dry mustard 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Directions >

[78] MissouriLife

ML1211_Recipes_TS_1.indd 78

10/28/11 11:27 AM

Side Dishes Cauliflower Scallop From “Simply Yours: Simple Recipes to Reunite Family Dining”

Ingredients >

1 (10-ounce) can 1⁄3 cup pimento, cream of celery chopped soup 1 tablespoon onion ½ cup milk powder 2 eggs, beaten 2 (10-ounce) packages 1 cup cheddar cheese, frozen cauliflower, shredded cooked and ¾ cup bread crumbs drained ¼ cup parsley, chopped

Cranberry Salad

From “Missouri Sesquicentennial Cookbook” Ingredients >

1 (9-ounce) can crushed pineapple 1 package cherryflavored gelatin ¼ cup sugar 1 cup fresh cranberries, finely chopped

CRANBERRY SALAD

1 orange, quartered, seeded, and crushed 1 cup chopped celery ½ cup English walnuts or pecan pieces, chopped 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions >

Directions >

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. 2. Mix everything together and bake in a 2- to 4-quart baking dish until hot and bubbly, around 30 minutes. Serves 6.

GOLDEN RISOTTO

1. Drain the pineapple, reserving the syrup. Add water to the syrup to make 2 cups.

2. Combine gelatin, sugar, and liquid; heat until dissolved. Chill until partially set.

3. Add fruits, celery, nuts, and lemon juice. Chill until firm. Serves 6.

Main Dishes Golden Risotto with Asiago Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomatoes From “Christmas at the Mansion”

Ingredients >

6 to 8 cups chicken broth, canned or homemade 6 tablespoons butter, divided 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 cups Arborio rice

¾ cup dry white wine ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped ½ teaspoon saffron ¾ cup Asiago cheese, freshly grated Salt to taste

Directions >

1. Heat broth in medium saucepan. Meanwhile, melt 5 tablespoons of butter in large saucepan.

When butter foams, add onions and sauté over medium heat. Add rice; mix well. Add wine and cook, stirring constantly until wine has evaporated.

2. Add ½ cup of the broth to the rice mixture and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.

3. When rice has absorbed the stock, add the remaining broth ½ cup at a time, stirring each time until rice has absorbed the liquid. Add sun-dried tomatoes before the final addition of broth, reserving small amount of broth to dissolve the saffron.

4. Continue cooking and stirring the rice, about 15 to 20 minutes. Rice should be tender, but firm to the bite.

5. In a small bowl, dissolve saffron in a little hot broth and add to rice mixture. Stir in Asiago cheese, retaining enough to use as a topping, and 1 tablespoon butter. Season with salt.

6. Top with a sprinkle of Asiago cheese and serve. Serves 6.

Ham Loaves with Orange Sauce

From “Christmas at the Mansion”

Ingredients >

1 pound ground pork ½ teaspoon fresh 2 pounds ground ham garlic, minced 1 ½ cups bread crumbs ½ teaspoon black pepper 2 eggs 2 tablespoons parsley, ½ cup evaporated milk finely chopped ORANGE SAUCE: 1 (6-ounce) can frozen ½ cup brown sugar orange juice 2 tablespoons vinegar concentrate

Directions >

1. Mix first 8 ingredients. Form into loaves or balls. Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes.

2. While ham loaves cook, prepare orange sauce by mixing all ingredients together.

3. When ham loaves are completely cooked, drain grease and pour orange sauce over loaves. Bake another 10 minutes.

Serves 25-30.

[79] December 2011

ML1211_Recipes_TS_1.indd 79

10/28/11 11:26 AM

ML

SHOW-ME

Desserts

Flavor MAMMA'S GINGERBREAD

Mamma’s Gingerbread

Cran-Apple Tartlets From “Christmas at the Mansion”

From “Grandma’s Ozark Legacy: Hand-Me-Down Recipes”

Ingredients >

1 cup flour ½ cup pecans, finely chopped ¼ cup sugar 4 tablespoons butter, softened 1 egg 1 ½ cups fresh whole cranberries 2 small Granny Smith

Ingredients >

2 eggs, beaten ½ cup brown sugar ¾ cup molasses ½ cup oil 2 cups whole-wheat flour 1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 1⁄8 teaspoon cloves

½ teaspoon nutmeg 2 teaspoons baking soda ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup water 1 cup raisins

apples, peeled and diced 1 ½ tablespoons grated orange zest ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch of ground cloves

Directions >

1. Combine flour, pecans, and sugar. Blend in butter and egg until mixture begins to crumble.

2. Press dough into bottom and sides of a mini tart pan or small muffin pan, forming a thin wall. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine remaining ingredients and spoon into chilled tart shells.

4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until crust is golden and fruit is bubbly. Yields 24-30 tarts.

Directions >

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar, molasses, and oil.

2. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Combine the two mixtures.

3. Bring water to boil. Add boiling water to raisins. Add the hot water and raisin mixture to the batter. Pour into prepared loaf pan.

4. Bake at 350° F for 45 to 50 minutes. Serves 8.

CRAN-APPLE TARTLETS

Honeycomb Pecans

From “Silver Dollar City’s Christmas Memories Recipes” Ingredients >

2 cups sugar ½ cup water 2 tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons vanilla

extract 1 teaspoon rum flavoring 3 cups pecans

Directions >

EGGNOG

1. Combine sugar, water, and honey in a heavy saucepan, stirring to mix. Bring mixture to a boil (do not stir) and cook to soft ball stage (240° F).

2. Remove from heat; add vanilla and rum flavoring and cool to lukewarm. Beat with an electric mixer 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture turns creamy.

3. Add pecans, stirring until coated. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let cool. Serves 8.

[80] MissouriLife

ML1211_Recipes_TS_1.indd 80

10/28/11 11:27 AM

Beverages

Hot Mulled Wine

Holiday Cranberry Punch From “Christmas at the Mansion”

Ingredients >

4 cups cranberry juice cocktail, chilled 2 cups orange juice,

chilled 12-ounce lemon-lime soda, chilled

From Stone Hill Winery

Ingredients >

1 ½ cups boiling water 1 bottle (750 ml) of ½ cup sugar Stone Hill Winery ½ lemon, sliced Hermannsberger 2 sticks cinnamon (or other dry red 2 whole cloves wine) Nutmeg

Directions >

Directions >

1. Combine cranberry and orange juices in a punch bowl. Pour the carbonated soda down the sides of the bowl. Serves 18.

1. Combine boiling water, sugar, lemon, cinnamon, and cloves; stir until sugar dissolves.

2. Add wine; simmer 20 minutes. Do not boil.

Strain. Serve hot with a sprinkling of nutmeg.

Serves 8.

Eggnog

From “Silver Dollar City’s Christmas Memories Recipes” Ingredients >

2 eggs, beaten 1/3 cup sugar 1 (3 ½ ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix

6 cups milk 1 tablespoon vanilla extract Nutmeg (garnish)

Directions >

1. Combine and cream together eggs, sugar, and pudding mix.

2. Add milk and vanilla extract; mix and garnish eggnog in a punch bowl with nutmeg.

Serves 10 to 12.

Victorian Spiced Tea Punch

From “Christmas at the Mansion” Ingredients >

1 teaspoon whole cloves 2 whole cinnamon sticks 6 quarts cold water 5 teaspoons black tea (or 5 tea bags)

Juice of 6 oranges, about 1 cup Juice of 3 lemons, about ½ cup 1 ½ cups pineapple juice 1 ½ cups sugar

Directions >

ANDREW BARTON

1. Place spices in a cheesecloth or tea-infusion bag. If using loose tea, place in a separate bag.

2. Bring water to boil and add tea and spices. Let stand 5 minutes; remove and discard bags.

3. Stir in the juices and sugar, adjusting to taste.

Serve hot or cold. Yields 35 punch cups.

Visit www.MissouriLife.com for more holiday recipes and information about cookbooks

HOT MULLED WINE

[81] December 2011

ML1211_Recipes_TS_1.indd 81

10/28/11 11:27 AM

ML

SHOW-ME

Flavor

TOM BRADLEY

Customers can see what’s brewing through the wall of windows separating the brewing area from the dining room area.

GIVE MY REGARDS To Broadway’s underground brewery in Columbia.

COLUMBIA

is known to many as home of the Missouri Tigers. But if you’re looking for black and gold, as well as ambers, reds, and browns, skip the hallowed halls of Mizzou. Instead, head downtown and spend an afternoon or evening visiting old friends and making new ones at Broadway Brewery.

Eclectic and eccentric are words that won’t get over-used at Broadway Brewery.

Referred to as the “new city hall,” you must first descend a story below street level just to reach the front door. The atmosphere, the art hanging on the walls, the menu, the beer, (dare I say the customers?) are eclectic and eccentric.

But isn’t that what visiting microbreweries is all about? Meeting new folks, learning about different regions, and experiencing something you’ll tell a friend about? And once you find a spot you like, it’s fun to return and experience it again. Guess that’s why I’ve managed to beat a well-worn path

to Broadway Brewery’s underground lair.

On any given day at Broadway Brewery, you can find a decent variety of brews. Typically, there are over a half-dozen running the gamut of flavors and gravities. My most recent visit showcased a Milk Stout, Brown, IPA, and Cherry Saison among others. The Milk Stout was good, but the IPA and I became such great friends I had to take a growler home for a whining brother-in-law.

I’ve always appreciated the personal pride brewers take in their craft. Yet that can quickly turn into arrogance if they disallow other beers in their presence. Broadway Brewery doesn’t play that game. In addition to its own creations, it’s more than happy to carry and serve other brews from around the region and world. So when you look at the ever-changing chalk board, you’ll see the house brews along with a decent list of guest beers currently being served.

Broadway Brewery’s origin sprang from

a former neighbor called the Root Cellar, which carried local and seasonal foods.

Likewise, Broadway Brewery celebrates local farmers, such as Terra Bella in Hatton and Root Cellar Farms in Millersburg, and local food with a rotating seasonal menu.

In fact, Broadway Brewery co-owner and part-time farmer Kenny Duzan helps supply the kitchen with bushels of the finest vegetables and fruits. Check out the stuffed zucchini with sausage, craft pizzas like the Drunken Rooster, or Broadway Brewery’s Burger Bar entrée, which offers your choice of a dozen toppings.

And if you ever stroll into downtown Columbia on a Saturday and smell the brew master hard at work, don’t hesitate to stop in and ask for a warm bowl of spent grain. I did, and then washed it down with a pint of Broadway Brewery Ale. Come to think of it, I guess we’re all a little eccentric now and then. www.broadwaybrewery.com

TOM BRADLEY

BY TOM BRADLEY

[82] MissouriLife

ML1211_TomBradley_TS_2.indd 82

10/28/11 11:36 AM

FFV Mo Life Ad Dec v1.indd 1

083 ML1211.indd 83

[83] December 2011

10/3/11 6:39 PM

10/28/11 2:59:09 PM

ML

SHOW-ME

Flavor

DOUG FROST

DESERVING WINES A new wine wins the Missouri Governor’s Cup.

DID YOU KNOW ... YOU CAN ORDER ST. JAMES WINERY WINE ONLINE AND SAVE WITH $15 FLAT RATE SHIPPING? NOW YOU DO!

S T . J AMES , M ISSOURI 1.800.280.9463 www.stjameswinery.com

WITH HUNDREDS of wines in the running, the Missouri Governor’s Cup Wine Competition isn’t a pushover anymore, if it ever was. Judges no longer hail exclusively from Missouri; the competition includes a slate of industry veterans from around the country. But here’s the thing: The wines are deserving of this kind of scrutiny.

Not long ago, there were heated arguments as to which wines would be awarded the coveted Best in Class, and though it may sound odd, the arguments are a bit less personal now because the wines are better.

In the past, some of the wines under consideration might have tasted good to some judges, but to others they were unbalanced or even flawed. Faced with the prospect of handing a top award to a flawed wine, conversations in the judging room got testy, if not downright insulting. And aside from questioning the morals of a judge’s sister, it can be tough to get through to a recalcitrant fellow judge.

But times have changed. Now disagreements about the wines are based upon style not quality, and that leads to far fewer bruised feelings. Norton is a particularly good example. Stone Hill’s Estate Bottled

Norton 2009 beat out all other Nortons for the C.V. Riley Award as the best in the state, though I thought others such as Augusta’s 2008, Les Bourgeois’ Reserve 2008, Mt. Pleasant’s Estate 2008, and Stonehaus Strother Ridge’s 2009 Cynthiana had plenty to offer as well. But they were differently styled (more robust, toastier, or riper; each was its own), and the outcome became a matter of preference.

Change happens. Of all the changes, the biggest this year was the Governor’s Cup winner, the 2010 Valvin Muscat from Blumenhof Vineyards. Don’t be alarmed if you haven’t heard of it; it’s new. But if things continue in this manner, you will hear a great deal more about it, not only from Missouri, but from the rest of the country as well. Blumenhof’s Valvin Muscat remains the best I have tasted from anywhere, with the floral intensity of its parental variety Muscat.

Citrus and tree fruit notes give it a dry and tangy finish, despite the sweet nose.

There are other stars amongst the 38 Gold Medal winners at this year’s competition. But I’m collecting bottles of Blumenhof’s lovely Valvin Muscat just to show my friends from elsewhere that Missouri’s got it going on.

©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

BY DOUG FROST

[84] MissouriLife

ML1211_Wine_TS_2.indd 84

10/28/11 11:41 AM

[85] December 2011

085 ML1211.indd 85

10/28/11 3:00:19 PM

ML

SHOW-ME

Flavor

Independence >

ITALIAN ROMANCE ARE YOU READY for romance? Flirt with temptation at Cafe Verona, where classic Italian cuisine is made to seduce the taste buds. And what better place for a culinary affair than in a cafe named after the site of the greatest love affair of all time? You don’t have to be Romeo or Juliet to appreciate the fresh interpretations of traditional Italian dishes. And Cafe Verona is no fickle lover. Every dish is a worthy choice, served in generous portions. Some prefer the bold, cheerful flavors in the pesto chicken panini sandwich and pesto gnocchi, while others choose the equally flamboyant flavors of sun-kissed tomatoes baked into lasagna and eggplant parmigiana.

Still others like

the shyer, but equally alluring, flavors of sweet corn risotto with garlic cream sauce, or shrimp in a lemon basil cream sauce. For each choice, there’s an equally appealing wine. Order the Sicilian artichoke dip. This creamy, mildly spicy treat served with grilled pita chips is addicting. The chef makes it differently than most, adding sausage, tomatoes, and ancho chiles for a sumptuous, modern-European flair. The desserts are seductive. Zeppoli, little cinnamon-sugar spiced pillows of dough served hot, simply melt in your mouth. An accompanying zingy raspberry dipping sauce makes for a sweet experience. Classic Italian desserts such as gelato and cannoli are also available along with tiramisu and other specialties. By the time the meal is finished, you’ll be smitten with the food. The best part? The love affair can continue each time you return to dine. An old Italian tradition is for a couple to carve their initials on a padlock and lock it to a railing, to ensure that their love lasts forever. Cafe Verona invites diners to continue the tradition on their front gate. —Sylvia Forbes www.cafeveronarestaurant.com 206 W. Lexington • 816-833-0044

Branson >

Home Cookin’ to P lease a toasted baguette. And you

customers for years at the Bradford House Bed and Break-

can’t go wrong with the pulled

fast in Branson. In fact, they make you feel like you’re part

pork sandwich. For dinner,

of the family. Now you can find that same friendly, out-

start with the wild mushroom medley in a fresh puff pastry

standing service at the Bradford Eatery nestled inside the

shell as an appetizer. Then, move on to the New York prime

Bradford Inn which overlooks the neon lights of Branson’s

strip steak with bordelaise sauce and pomme dauphine.

famous strip, Highway 76. For lunch, try the southwest

For dessert, try the award-winning plum preserve crème

chicken wrap with avocado and fresh tomato or the Brad-

brûlée. —Greg Wood www.bradfordeatery.com

ford chicken salad served on a bed of mixed greens with

3590 State Hwy 265 • 417-338-5555.

SYLVIA FORBES; GREG WOOD

BOB AND KRISTY Westfall have been entertaining

[86] MissouriLife

ML1211_RestReccos_TS_1.indd 86

10/28/11 11:33 AM

Clayton >

25 Years Of Date Nights Cardwell’s has been around for nearly 25 years. There’s no gimmick. It’s not raucous. It’s not the size of a barn. There’s no theme or lengthy descriptions of where the radishes in your salad came from. It’s a nice, quiet neighborhood joint—the kind of place you go on date night when you’re not counting what number date it is anymore. It’s just peaceful and pleasant, an underrated combination. It’s also polished. The service is friendly and attentive, including a table visit from the chef himself to clarify how we wanted a steak cooked. (“Pittsburgh rare,” charred on the

sarah alban; courtesy of beks; barbara gibbs ostmann

outside but still rare on the inside, is neither common nor easy, and they nailed it.) The Carpaccio appetizer made up for unremarkable bread, and the peppered New York strip had remarkable onion strings. A nice double-baked potato complemented the beef. A “Mexican Martini” off the specialty cocktail menu turned out to be basically a margarita—shaken not stirred. The showstopper of the meal was a cocktail: the interestingly delicious “Strawberry-Basil Martini.” It is exactly what it sounds like, and it is worth a visit all by itself.

—Alan Brouilette www.cardwellsinclayton.com 8100 Maryland Ave. • 314-726-5055

we taste food worth the travel.

Fulton >

Small Town, Hip Food the small town of Fulton was good enough for Winston Churchill’s famous Iron Curtain speech, and it’s certainly worth your time— especially for the hidden gem that is Beks. This hip, down-to-earth restaurant feels like it could be in St. Louis or Kansas City, but you’ll find Beks tucked along Court Street in downtown Fulton, near antique shops and a soda fountain. It’s the ambience that really sells Beks, with three stories of amber wooden floors and a sleek bar. The menu offers varied prices and meal options from filet mignon and seared salmon to a chipotle chicken sandwich and the teriyaki salmon salad. And let’s not forget the beer and wine list. Wines of all kinds, including one locally produced, and special reserve wines are available, as well as a long list of seasonal beers. —Lauren Hughes www.beksshop.com 511 Court Street • 573-592-7117

Winona >

Good Country Cooking down-home cooking is on the menu at Flossie’s Apple Barrel in Winona. A day at the Apple Barrel begins with a hearty breakfast menu, then lunch specials, then catfish on Friday night and steak on Saturday night. Homemade pies and rolls keep guests coming back for more, as does the chili. Knotty pine walls and apple decorations set the scene for a comfortable and cheerful dining experience where the friendly wait staff, many of whom are family, serves good country cooking with a smile. —Barbara Gibbs Ostmann www.sunrae.com/flossiesapplebarrel North 19 Hwy • 573-325-8273

[87] December 2011

ML1211_RestReccos_TS_1.indd 87

10/29/11 7:08 PM

Historic Hannibal jewelers of america certified master bench jeweler

AVA Originals are handcrafted on location in our family owned & operated studio

This Holiday Season Visit our family-owned & operated studio, home of award-winning AVA Originals.

avagoldworks.com

211 center hannibal,mo

573.221.1928

Short Drive.

BIG Adventures... in History; in Caving; in Dining; in Arts; in Romance; in Unique Shopping; in Outdoor Recreation; in Family Fun; and on the Mississippi!!

VisitHannibal.com

1-TOM-AND-HUCK (1-866-263-4825)

[88] MissouriLife

088 ML1211.indd 88

10/28/11 2:44:03 PM

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

NATIVE AMERICAN TRADING CO. AND GALLERY

AUTHENTIC NATIVE AMERICAN GOODS INDIAN ARTS & CRAFTS ASSOCIATION MEMBER

Wine tastings at Garth Mansion in 2012

ALMOST A MUSEUM!

No need to travel our entire state! Our wine tastings will feature wines from Blumenhof (the owners spent their honeymoon at Garth Mansion); Crown Valley, with their Port House; St. James Winery, with favorite wines of Missouri travelers; and Augusta and Montelle Wines as well. PLUS take a guided tour of Garth Mansion’s main floor, and see and hear just who the Garth family was. May be closed for private events/weddings some weekends; call if traveling a long distance. OPEN Sat. 11 am-3 pm, Sun. noon-4pm. For questions or reservations, call 888-427-8409.

115 N. MAIN • HANNIBAL, MO • 573-248-3451 WWW . NATIVEAMERICANTRADING . COM

OPEN 7 DAY

www.garthmansion.com • drinkwine@garthmansion.com

Proud Members of: Professional Association of Innkeepers International and Bed and Breakfast Inns of Missouri

Missouri’s largest selection of

Byers’ Choice Carolers

EXCLUSIVE DEALER FOR MARK TWAIN, TOM SAWYER AND BECKY THATCHER CAROLERS At the corner of Main & Broadway Downtown Hannibal, MO Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m - 5 p.m.

To order Carolers, call 888-749-7373 or visit www.pixperf.com

Making Skin Care Products Naturally.

Bee Naturals has been making natural skin and body care products since 1992.

Mention this ad when you visit our shop in the working artisan community of Clarksville, MO for a 5% discount on any products in our company store, or order on-line at: www.beenaturals.com 103 N. First Street, Clarksville, MO 314-322-5018

[89] December 2011

089 ML1211.indd 89

10/28/11 5:04:53 PM

SHOW-ME

Showcase In the Heart of America:

PLATO, MISSOURI This town is small in size, but big in character. BY SARAH ALBAN

A CURSORY SNAPSHOT OF PLATO, MISSOURI, THE POPULATION CENTER OF AMERICA:

WHAT PLATO has to say about that: “It’s like winning the lottery without getting any money,” says native Meg Sartain, joking about being the nation’s center.

Meg is the daughter of Bob Hartzog, on whose farm, just beyond a creek, deep into prickly brush and pastureland grazed by cattle, lies the population center of the nation: coordinates 37.517534 N and 92.173096 W. Meg’s grandmother, Hazel Hartzog, used to teach Plato Mayor Bob Biram English.

Bob won’t say if he was a good boy or bad boy but says Hazel made him study. She hit.

She smoked. She was the type of woman grown men respected. She taught Bob intellectual work, in addition to the physical work he’d learned by picking up hay bales on summer days on Bob Hartzog’s farm when he was a boy: hard, sweaty labor. Many years he’d worked on the farm that would become the 2010 U.S. population center. And in 2000, Bob did the single deed that would make the farm eligible to be the center.

When he was 56, Bob was volunteer-

ing as the village sewage-system cleaner.

Because the village needed a new system, Bob petitioned to get Plato incorporated, the first time anyone had thought to do so since its founding in 1858 by Joshua McDonald. The petition worked, Plato got its new sewage system, and in 2010, Plato became the closest incorporated community to coordinates 37.517534 N and 92.173096 W. Nearby, the unincorporated community Roby, despite being 0.9 miles closer to Hartzog’s farm than Plato, was still “just a POPULATION CENTER BY CENSUS

spot on the road,” like Plato had once been, Bob says. The sewage system lagoon, incidentally, sparkles like a sun-drenched pool near the town’s bus-auto shop.

Plato has so many yellow school buses sitting in its school yard that if the town took a collective field trip, all its residents could have their own seat, be cloned, sit next to themselves, and have their pair of selves be cloned to sit across from themselves, too. To boot, the nine quadruplets on each bus would never run out of stories, no matter how long the trip. Plato residents might be few in numbers, but they are wealthy in local and personal history. Not that Plato buses out; it’s really their neighbors who bus in.

The Plato school district buses in students from towns and countryside 35 miles out. Its campus includes three classroom buildings, a couple buildings with gym equipment and more classrooms, a pavilion, a greenhouse, and a ball field grounded in $3,000 to $4,000 of imported, rain-resistant volcanic dirt. (Former major-leaguer

SARAH ALBAN

Doctors: 0 | Grocery stores: 0 | Gas stations: 0 | Stoplights: 0 | Population: 100 Population according to the 2010 census: 109 (down because military personnel left) Status: Incorporated village and 2010 U.S. mean population center

[90] MissouriLife

ML1211_ShwCase.Pluto_TS_3.indd 90

10/31/11 11:55 AM

Kennie Seenstra grew up pitching on that field.)

“Our population is 100,” Bob says, “but sometimes it’s 700 or 800.”

That can explain how 500 commemorative postcards have sold out at 50 cents apiece as soon as they landed on the shelves at the local Legacy Bank.

It explains how 200 people packed the ball field’s bleachers to listen to U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves celebrate Plato and unveil a standing red-granite monument topped with a silver survey disc pointing to Hartzog’s farm.

It explains why Plato never went under as a tiny unincorporated village: Its residents have heart. It is America’s heartland, census-declared or otherwise.

The marker at coordinates 37.517534 N and 92.173096 W is a short pile of rocks with an American flag sticking out of it.

Bob says he wants to glue them together to make them more official. His handkerchief hangs from a tree inches away, where he marked the spot in a pinch. Plato is a town full of people like that: ones who’ll surrender their handkerchiefs in a pinch. Bob isn’t even the mayor. People call him that, but a town without 500 residents can’t elect a mayor.

All the people on the west coast plus all the people on the east coast balance out the country so a small town like Plato gets this distinction. And what’d they leave behind in this here Midwest?

“They left the best part,” Bob says.

Unofficial mayor Bob Biram shows off the official monument for the U.S. population center in Plato. One day he’ll create a more established marker at the actual coordinates.

POPULATION CENTER Picture an

[91] December 2011

ML1211_ShwCase.Pluto_TS_3.indd 91

10/31/11 11:11 AM

Y EVENTS SPECIAL HOLIDA

FUN, AFFORDABLE, FAMILY OUTINGS

UNIQUE SHOPPING AR EAS

lstourism.com • Make this Weekend Fun • 888.647.5470 [92] MissouriLife

092 ML1211.indd 92

10/26/11 4:38:53 PM

Musings ON MISSOURI

WHAT LIES AHEAD

ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW BARTON

BY RON MARR

THE YEAR 2012 is nigh upon us, the era when the ancient Mayans claimed time would halt and the world would go splat. I view that prediction with the same block of salt with which I approach every turning of the calendar. It seems that everyone with a soapbox, megaphone, or Internet connection achieves preternatural insight from December 1 to New Year’s Day. It’s the season when we are subjected to the inevitable onslaught of political prognostications, climatological conjecture, financial forecasts, and an associated amalgamation of alliterative auguries.

Personally, I prefer that my sneak peeks at destiny arrive via the cryptic, time-honored references found in tea leaves and chicken innards. These harbingers are often less than precise and usually don’t tell me a dang thing I didn’t already know.

However, the tea is tasty and I’m always blessed with the whispered tidings that those chicken hearts, gizzards, and livers will soon find their way to the Fry Daddy. I’m plenty enlightened if the sole nuggets of advice I’m provided by chicken guts are “add more corn meal” or “don’t forget the French fries.”

Lately, impressed and well-sated with the stunning enlightenments available via the interior of a chicken, I’ve expanded my visionary techniques to include consideration of chicken wings, thighs, breasts, and drumsticks. I’ve also started seeking clues to eternity in ribs, T-bone steaks, catfish, pizza, and ice cream. What more do people need? Do we really require prior notification of impending events more crucial than “What’s for dinner?” If all the hand wringing among the populace and the media is any indication, then yes, we do.

I’ve never quite understood any of this. I’m oblivious as to why anyone would want to know the future, but mankind has always been obsessed by the concept. Life is often sort of boring—with redundant schedules and reoccurring obligations—and receiving advance notice of even the tiniest surprise would suck much of the fun out of existence. If I had a working crystal ball, I’d use it as a paperweight. If a modern-day Cassandra darkened my doorstep, I’d tell her to go shovel some snow. Today is good enough.

Speculating about tomorrow leads to indigestion. Looking further than that only makes people surly, confused, and humor-impaired.

You see, for most citizens of planet Earth, divination is sort of a negative thing. Cynicism is in our DNA. It’s the rare soul who goes to sleep thinking the impending morn will trumpet the onset of unforeseen magnificence. Most people wake up wondering if their boss is going to be a jerk, if gas prices will rise, if the stock market will fall, or if they’re going to get coughed on by a flu-infected bagger at the grocery store. We think way too much, and most of the stuff we think about causes us to get in our own way. We fret and stew and worry about “what ifs,” a habit that causes us to miss out on things like the descent rate of snowflakes, the antics of dogs, the smell of coffee, and the shadowed silhouettes of winter-stripped trees.

The only seers I trust are my two canine companions, Jack and Hugo. Each and every morning Jack predicts that, over a two-day period, I will throw his tennis balls for 2.7 hours. As I rub the tired from my eyes, he further imparts that I will purchase a bag of rawhide chew bones, accidentally drop several hunks of bacon, grant him ownership of the recliner, and tune the satellite receiver to the classical music station (seriously … Jack is into Bach and Hayden). Hugo educates me to the fact that I will open the back door for him before 6:00 AM, scratch his stomach on 25 separate occasions, fetch his favorite pillows, and turn the heat up a minimum of 10 degrees. Mostly, Hugo just nods toward Jack and clearly states, “Yeah … what he said.”

Foretelling hands that are yet to be dealt is just too big a responsibility for mere mortals. Even if such were possible, we’d likely make a terrible mess of the interpretation. The reality is that 2012 will be better than some years, worse than others.

It will rain, snow, get cold, and be hot. Some people will laugh, some people will cry, some will do both. Anything more is superfluous. Never trust a prophet, a pundit, or the doomsday ramblings of a long-expired Mesoamerican civilization.

The Mayans were full of it, whereas my dogs RON MARR have never been proven wrong.

[93] December 2011

ML1211_Musings_TS_1.indd 93

10/28/11 11:10 AM

[94] MissouriLife

094 ML1211.indd 94

10/28/11 3:02:09 PM

ALL AROUND

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

featured event >

ELEBRATION 1855 CHRISTMAS C to reflect buildings are decorated

> Antebellum Dec. 10, Lee’s Summit from the , and English immigrants an rm Ge , ch en Fr of s holiday tradition lidays, while reters prepare for the ho erp int d me stu Co y. tur mid-19th cen al visit from Belrm period music. A speci rfo pe s ian sic mu d an rs 55 at carole al treats. Missouri Town 18 eci sp th wi ren ild ch the snickle will delight w.jacksongov.org $3-$5. 816-503-4860, ww Fleming Park. 9 AM-7 PM.

NORTHWEST & KANSAS CITY AREA HOLIDAY CHOIRS Nov. 28-Dec. 16, Kansas City > More than 130 area choirs perform. Crown Center Shops Atrium. 10:30 AM-1:45 PM and 5-8 PM Mon.-Fri. Free.

816-274-8444, www.crowncenter.com

CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK Dec. 1-31, Lee’s Summit > Three hundred thousand lights and 75 animated figures. Longview Lake Campground. 5:30-10 PM Sun.-Thurs., 5:3011 PM Fri.-Sat. Donations accepted. 816-5034800, www.jacksongov.org

FROM TOPS TO TRAINS Dec. 1-Jan. 10, Independence > Exhibit includes toys and collectibles which belonged to the Truman family. Harry S. Truman National Historic Site. 8:30 AM-5 PM. Free. 816-254-9929, www. nps.gov/hstr/index.htm

CANDLELIGHT HOMES TOUR

COURTESY OF JACKSON COUNTY OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

Dec. 2-4, Weston > Tour five homes and one downtown loft, and enjoy drinks and hors d’oeuvres on Friday. Historic Downtown. 5-8:30 PM Fri.; noon-8 PM Sat.; noon-5 PM Sun. $5-$30.

816-640-2909, www.westonmo.com

CHRISTMAS ON THE FARM Dec. 3, Lawson > Caroling, reading of family letters, holiday treats, flaming of the plum pudding demonstrations, and Father Christmas. Watkins Woolen Mill State Park. 2-7 PM. Free. 816-5803387, www.mostateparks.com/park/watkinswoolen-mill-state-historic-site

VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS

Visit MissouriLife.com for more events!

Dec. 3, Lexington > Tour the decorated Anderson House and enjoy sweets and punch. Battle of Lexington State Historic Site. 3-8 PM. Free.

660-259-4654, www.mostateparks.com/park/ battle-lexington-state-historic-site These listings are chosen by our editors and are not paid for by sponsors.

[95] December 2011

ML1211_Cal_TS_5.indd 95

10/28/11 4:09 PM

Missouri

ALL AROUND

THE REAL SANTA CLAUS Dec. 3, Independence > Dressed in a Civil Warera Santa suit, historian Jim Beckner tells how some modern Christmas traditions began. National Frontier Trails Museum. 2 PM. $3-$6. 816325-7575, www.frontiertrailsmuseum.org

HOLIDAY CONCERT Dec. 4, Platte City > Community Band performs many holiday classics. Wilson Center for the Performing Arts. 3 PM. Free. 816-858-5342, www. plattecitymo.com

KINGS OF CHRISTMAS Dec. 7-8, St. Joseph > Performance by former members from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Missouri Theater. 7:30 PM. $27-$60. 816-2321778, www.rrstjoe.org

ARTISTS’ EXHIBIT Dec. 9-Jan. 20, Kansas City > Three women artists exhibit their diverse works. Kansas City Artists Coalition. 11 AM-5 PM Wed.-Sat. Free. 816421-5222, www.kansascityartistscoalition.org

ST. LOUIS BRASS QUINTET Jan. 21, St. Joseph > Concert features a variety of music. Missouri Theater. 8 PM. $12-$32. 816279-1225, www.saintjosephperformingarts.org

Heirloom-quality

CANDLELIGHT TOURS

SOUTHEAST CHRISTMAS WITH SANTA Dec. 2, Ellington > Visit Santa and Mrs. Claus, have a photo taken, and enjoy cookies and cocoa. High School Old Gym. 6 PM. Free. 573-6637877, www.ellingtonmo.com

CHRISTMAS PARADE Dec. 3, Jackson > Floats, marching bands, equestrian groups, and Santa and his helpers.

West Main Street. 2 PM. Free. 573-243-8131, www.jacksonmochamber.org

Dec. 9-10, New Madrid > Tour historic sites decorated for an 1860s holiday season. HunterDawson Home, Historical Museum, Hart-Stepp House Gallery, and Higgerson School Historic Site.

6-8:30 PM. Free. 877-748-5300, www.wix.com/ newmadrid/holidays

FRENCH CHRISTMAS Dec. 11, Ste. Genevieve > Celebration highlights the traditional music, food, customs, and decorations of an early French Christmas. Felix Valle House. 1-6 PM. Free. 573-883-7102, www. mostateparks.com/events/events.htm

LA GUIGNOLÉE

Dec. 5, Rolla > This nostalgic and funny play is set in 1959 at a Sunday School Christmas program. Leach Theatre. 7:30 PM. $15-$20. 573-3414219, www.leachtheatre.mst.edu

Dec. 31, Ste. Genevieve > Join the group of singers and musicians as they celebrate this 250-year-old tradition with roaming performances and the ringing in of the new year.

Throughout historic downtown. 6 PM-1 AM. Free.

573-883-7097, www.visitstegen.com

LIGHT UP CUBA

50 STATES FIRE UP

AWAY IN THE BASEMENT

Dec. 10, Cuba > Lighted parade with floats, Santa, battle of the bands, and a lights and decorations contest of homes and stores. Downtown.

4:30 PM. Free. 877-212-8429, www.infocubamochamber.com

Dec. 3-Jan. 29, Poplar Bluff > Ceramics invitational displaying a diverse array of works from all 50 states. Margaret Harwell Art Museum. Noon4 PM Tues.-Fri.; 1-4 PM Sat.-Sun. Free. 573-6868002, www.mham.org

COURTESY OF JAMES SEWELL

ML

100% wool blankets, socks & more!

Heirloom-quality

Family Fun,

By Nature.

100% wool blankets, socks & more!

Winter, spring, summer and fall, you’ll find something in Clinton for the young and young at heart.

unrisePastures Swww.sunrisepastures.com

Explore our natural beauty, step back in time in historic settings or wrap up your holiday shopping.

660-963-2685*Laclede, Mo

Visit our All-America City and let us show you that we are Clinton, and we are Great People, By Nature.

Back Issues

For more information, call 800-222-5251 or visit

www.ClintonMo.com

MissouriLife.com • 800-492-2593 [96] MissouriLife

ML1211_Cal_TS_5.indd 96

10/31/11 11:21 AM

HUMOROUS STORYTELLING Jan. 20, Cape Girardeau > National humorous storytellers Bil Lepp and Kevin Kling perform sidesplitting tales. Rose Theatre at Southeast Missouri State University campus. 2 and 7 PM. $10. 573-335-1631, www.capestorytelling.com

SOUTHWEST HORSING AROUND Dec. 1-10, Springfield > Exhibits showcase the tradition of horsemanship in Greene County from racehorses to showhorses including horse costumes, photos of horses from the Civil War, articles, clothing, saddles, and bridles. The History Museum for Greene County. 10:30 AM4:30 PM. Tues.-Sat. $1-$3 donation. 417-8641976, www.springfieldhistorymuseum.org

WINTERFEST Dec. 2-4, Springfield > Exhibit and sale of works by some of the region’s best visual artists, live performances of holiday music, and ticketed performances. Juanita K. Hammons Hall.

2-10 PM Fri.; 10 AM-10 PM Sat.; noon-5 PM Sun. Free (except ticketed performances). 417-8366776, www.hammonshall.com/winterfest.aspx

elegance in Rolla > JAMES SEWELL BALLET Jan. 17, Rolla > Founded in New York City, this performance challenges any outdated notions about ballet. Leach Theatre. 7:30 PM. $10-$35. 573-341-4219, www.leachtheatre.mst.edu

[97] December 2011

ML1211_Cal_TS_5.indd 97

10/28/11 4:09 PM

[98] MissouriLife

098 ML1211.indd 98

10/26/11 4:41:14 PM

[99] December 2011

099 ML1211.indd 99

10/26/11 4:37:06 PM

ML

Missouri

ALL AROUND

ARTS AND CRAFTS FAIR Dec. 3, Nixa > Handmade and handcrafted items. Jr. High School. 9 AM-4 PM. Free. 417-2251660, www.nixachamber.com

CHRISTMAS ON THE FARM Dec. 3-4, and 10-11, Springfield > Learn what happens on a farm during the winter, make holiday crafts, and enjoy hot cocoa. RutledgeWilson Farm Park. 10 AM-4 PM Sat.; noon-4 PM Sun. Free. 417-837-5949, www.parkboard.com

ADORATION PARADE Dec. 4, Branson > Lighting of the area’s largest nativity scene and inspirational community gathering. Historic Downtown. 5 PM. Free. 800214-3661, www.explorebranson.com

Dec. 10, Springfield > Symphony performs holiday favorites, sing-a-longs, and a gospel choir.

Juanita K. Hammons Hall. 7 PM. $10-$30. 417864-6683, www.springfieldmosymphony.org

“God bless us, every one.” > DICKENSFEST Dec. 9-11, Joplin > Costumed Dickens characters, street performers, indoor concerts, Olde English Village, luminaria, Father Christmas, petting zoo, and Magic Lantern Show. Third and Moffet Ave. 6-8:30 PM. Free. 417-483-3166, www.murphysburg.org

XTREME LIGHTS CONTEST Dec. 10-23, Nixa > Businesses and homes compete in decorating with lights and sound contest. Throughout town. Dusk-9 PM. Free. 417725-1545, www.nixachamber.com

COURTESY OF ALEX FUHR

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

[100] MissouriLife

ML1211_Cal_TS_5.indd 100

10/28/11 4:11 PM

SANTA TRAIN

CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE

Dec. 11, Hollister > Climb aboard the decorated train and visit Santa. See a fire truck and squad car and enjoy snacks. Train Depot. 2-4 PM. Free.

417-334-3050, www.hollisterchamber.net

CENTRAL VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS

EAGLE WATCH Dec. 17 and Jan. 21, Cassville > Watch a video on bald eagles in Missouri and view live eagles coming in to roost. Roaring River State Park.

3-4:30 PM. Free. 417-847-3742, www.mostateparks.com/park/roaring-river-state-park

Dec. 1-31, Fulton > Fundraiser for the museum featuring food, handbags, ornaments, and children’s items. National Churchill Museum. 10 AM4:30 PM. Free (except museum tours). 573-5925263, www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org

LIVING WINDOWS

OZARK STORYTELLERS Dec. 18, Springfield > Folktales, personal narratives, and modern day stories. Library Station.

2 PM. Free. 417-865-1340, www.thelibrary.org

Dec. 2, Jefferson City > Storefronts and windows come alive. Take a hayride, visit Santa, and listen to carolers. Downtown. 6-9 PM. Free. 573634-7267, www.visitjeffersoncity.com

FIRST NIGHT

CANDLELIGHT TOURS

Dec. 30, Springfield > Family-friendly celebration with grand finale. Downtown and Jordan Valley Park. 5:30 PM-midnight. $8-$30. 417-8622787, www.firstnightspringfield.org

THE SEAFARER Jan. 12-15 and 19-22, Springfield > Darkly funny play set in Ireland on Christmas Eve. Vandivort Center Theatre. 7:30 PM Thurs.-Sat.; 2 PM Sun. $10-$22. 417-831-8001, www.vctheatre.com

Dec. 2-3, Jefferson City > Tour the decorated Governor’s Mansion and receive a special holiday greeting from the Governor and First Lady. Governor’s Mansion. 6:30-9 PM Fri.; 2-4 PM Sat. Free.

573-751-0526, www.missourimansion.org

Dec. 2-10, Boonville > Tour the DAR mansion.

Soup and dessert lunch with live music and Tree of Patriotism lighting ceremony honoring veterans, servicemen, firefighters, police officers, and EMTs on Friday. Roslyn Heights. 5:30 PM Fri.; 10 AM-3 PM daily. $1-$5. 660-882-5320, www. c-magic.com/boonvill/roslyn.htm

LIVING WINDOWS Dec. 3, Columbia > Live holiday performances in storefront windows, holiday lights, strolling carolers, holiday treats, and a visit from Santa.

The District. 6-8 PM. Free. 573-442-6816, www. discoverthedistrict.com

CHRISTKINDELFEST Dec. 3, Jefferson City > Celebrate the holiday in true German fashion with traditional Christmas music, German Mass, and a bake sale with homemade cookies. Central United Church of Christ and Ashley Street. 9:30 AM-1:30 PM. Free.

573-635-1041, www.oldmunichburg.com

DICKENS LIVING WINDOWS

THE NUTCRACKER Dec. 2-3, Versailles > Performance of the timeless Christmas classic. Royal Theatre. 7 PM. $5$10. 573-378-6226, www.theroyaltheatre.com

Dec. 3, Warrensburg > Artists demonstrate their craft in the windows. Carolers and horse-drawn wagon rides. Downtown. 10 AM-5 PM. Free. 660429-3988, www.warrensburgmainstreet.com

A Gift for your Favorite Gardener Native plants bring nature home. Our excellent catalog features only Missouri native plants–wildflowers, ferns, trees, shrubs and vines. Send a gift certificate and catalog to your favorite gardener!

A Museum on Main Street exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service & the Missouri Humanities Council

Young women deliver ice, 1918. National Archives Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs

Visit the exhibit in Rolla now through Dec. 17, 2011 at The Centre 1200 Holloway St. - Rolla, MO Arts Rolla will also present a Civil War art exhibit through the month of December and a photography exhibit through the month of January.

The Way We Worked, an exhibition created by the National Archives, is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Missouri Humanities Council

The Way We Worked exhibition will share the stories of how work became a central element in American culture. The exhibit features striking images from the National Archives, audio tours and artifacts. A local exhibit depicting “the way we work” in the Rolla region will also be on display.

Exhibit Hours Saturdays - Noon to 4pm Sundays - Noon to 4pm Mondays - 9am to Noon & 6pm to 9pm Wednesdays - 9am to Noon & 6pm to 9pm Fridays - 9am to Noon & 6pm to 9pm Exhibit Closed - Thanksgiving Day For more information on the exhibit and other events in Rolla visit

www.VisitRolla.com

Missouri Wildflower Nursery 9814 Pleasant Hill Rd. Jefferson City, MO 65109 573-496-3492 mowldflrs@socket.net www.mowildflowers.net

[101] December 2011

ML1211_Cal_TS_5.indd 101

10/28/11 4:11 PM

ML

Missouri

ALL AROUND

CIVIL WAR TOURS Dec. 3, 10, and 17, Jefferson City > Learn about the Civil War on this special tour. Missouri State Museum. 2 PM. Free. 573-751-2854, www.mostateparks.com/park /missouristate-museum

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION Dec. 4, Lincoln > Carols, buffet-style lunch, and concert by the College of the Ozarks Handbell Choir. Heit’s Point Ministries. 12:30 PM. $6-$10.

660-668-2363, www.heitspoint.com

HOLIDAY IN THE PARK Dec. 4, St. Robert > Crafts, pictures with Santa, music, live reindeer, train rides, bonfire, and caroling. Community Center. 4-7 PM. Free. 573-3363988, www.visitpulaskicounty.org

EITZEN MANSION TOUR

Dec. 2-4, California > Guided tour of the decorated mansion benefits Moniteau County Historical Society. Wine and cheese party on Friday with reservations. North Oak Street.

6-9 PM Fri.; 10 AM-5 PM Sat.; 1-5 PM Sun. $10-$15. 573-796-0282, www.calmo.com

Dec. 9-10, Blackwater > Bob Milne performs ragtime. West End Theatre. 8 PM Fri.; 2:30 PM Sat. $13. 660-846-4511, www.blackwater-mo.com

BAND CONCERT Dec. 11, Fayette > Performance by CMU’s 77-member concert band. Student and Community Center at CMU campus. 4 PM. Free. 660248-6317, www.centralmethodist.edu/finearts

COURTESY OF PAMELA GREEN

rare glimpse of a privately owned mansion >

RAGTIME CONCERT

Bring the Mansion Home

$20 This book captures the memories of Christmas at the Missouri Governor’s Mansion with more than 140 full-color photos and holiday recipes.

Find this and other great gifts at the Missouri Mansion Preservation Gift Shop online.

www.missourimansion.org ° 573.230.3118

[102] MissouriLife

ML1211_Cal_TS_5.indd 102

10/28/11 4:11 PM

CHRISTMAS DANCE PARTY

POLAR MELTDOWN

Dec. 7, Linn Creek > Dance to big band-style music performed by the Lake Jazz Band. Camden County Museum. 7-10 PM. $6. 573-346-7191, www.camdencountymuseum.com

Jan. 20, St. Robert > Chili cook-off and samples.

Community Center. 11 AM-3 PM. $5-$10. 573-3365121, www.waynesville-strobertchamber.com

GARDENS BY CANDLELIGHT Dec. 10-11, Kingsville > Hundreds of luminaria and twinkling icicle lights light up the path to the gem of the garden, the Marjorie Powell Allen Chapel, live seasonal music, and homemade cookies. Powell Gardens. 5-7:30 PM. $3-$7. 816697-2600, www.powellgardens.org

FIRST NIGHT Dec. 31, Columbia > Family-friendly celebration featuring music, dance, children’s procession, resolution sculpture, art creation area, and a grand procession with a fireworks finale. The District. 7 PM-midnight. $8. 573-874-7460, www. firstnightcolumbia.org

DIVERSITY CELEBRATION Jan. 12, Columbia > Breakfast, live music, program honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and a presentation of the Columbia Values Diversity Awards. Holiday Inn Select Executive Center. 7-8:30 AM. $14. Registration. 573-874-7488, www.gocolumbiamo.com

JUNE’S GOT CASH CONCERT

the telling of the Christmas Story in narrative and song, lighting of the Riverside Christmas tree, and carols around the yule log bonfire.

South Main and Frontier Park. 6 PM. Free. 800366-2727, www.stcharleschristmas.com

Jan. 28, Versailles > Johnny Cash and June Carter tribute band perform huckleberry humor, country comedy, and classic hit country tunes.

Royal Theatre. 7 PM. $5-$10. 573-378-6226, www.theroyaltheatre.com

WEIHNACHTSFEST

NORTHEAST & ST. LOUIS AREA

TOUR OF HOMES

STAR TREK THE EXHIBITION Dec. 1-May 28, St. Louis> 45 years of Star Trek artifacts featuring one-of-a-kind costumes, props, and filming models from every television series and feature film with special events on Fridays. Science Center. 9:30 AM-4:30 PM Mon.-Sat.; 11 AM-4:30 PM Sun. $6.75-$17.50. 314-289-4424, www.slsc.org

LAS POSADAS Dec. 3, St. Charles > Reenactment of a Spanish tradition where Mary and Joseph seek shelter,

Dec. 3-4 and 10-11, Hermann > Traditional 19thcentury German Christmas. Pommer-Gentner House at Deutschheim State Historic Site. 10 AM4 PM. Free. 573-486-2200, www.mostateparks. com/park/deutschheim-state-historic-site

Dec. 4, Kirksville > Tour decorated homes.

Throughout town. 2-6 PM. $5. 660-626-4641, www.visitkirksville.com

HOLIDAY STROLL NIGHT Dec. 13, O’Fallon > Stroll through the Celebrations of Lights display, fireworks, caroling, crafts, and Santa. Fort Zumwalt Park. 6-9 PM. $2. 636379-5614, www.ofallon.mo.us/col

HOLIDAY EXPRESS Dec. 15, Mexico > A six-car train brings Santa to town. Decorated displays inside and out. South Jefferson Street. 4 PM. Free. 573-581-2100, www.mexicomissouri.com

C�� C���� S������ C���� The Only Overnight Animal Camp in the Country

CUB CREEK SCIENCE CAMP is a traditional summer camp, offering all the classic camp activities, but it has gone one giant step further than everyone else by building a zoo just for campers. Campers can go into each animal’s enclosure for some up-close and personal contact. They can feed a sloth, walk a llama, hold a baby kangaroo, pet a porcupine (very carefully of course), launch rockets, explore a cave, make candy and crafts, pick blackberries, go fishing, slide down a zip line, climb a tower, and shoot an arrow or a rifle. This camp focuses on learning and fun, using each camper’s own curiosity to guide them on their camp adventure. Cub Creek has a modern facility with air-conditioned cabins, great food and caring staff. They offer one of the only Jr. Vet programs in the country. Visit the website to see what sets them apart. ● ●

573-458-2125 www.myanimalcamp.com

At Cub Creek, a young camper cradles a chinchilla. Outside, another camper lifts a box turtle found on an animal safari.

[103] December 2011

ML1211_Cal_TS_5.indd 103

10/28/11 4:11 PM

ML

Missouri

ALL AROUND

Baby, it’s cold outside > SNOW IN THE TROPICS Dec. 1-31, Chesterfield > Stand among more than 1,000 Paper Kite butterflies amidst the greenery of the indoor tropical conservatory. Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House. 9 AM-4 PM Tues.-Sun. $4-$6. 636-530-0076, www.butterflyhouse.org

Dec. 17, St. Charles > The Buckhannon Brothers perform old-time mandolin and fiddle music in the candlelit legislative chambers. Historic First Missouri Capitol. 7:30-9:30 PM. $8.

636-940-3322, www.mostateparks.com/park/ first-missouri-state-capitol-state-historic-site

Center. 1 and 6 PM. $16. 314-821-6663, www. dancecenterkirkwood.com

THE NUTCRACKER

RV AND TRAVEL SHOW

Dec. 17-18., Kirkwood > Dance Center of Kirkwood presents this holiday classic. Community

FREE LISTING & MORE EVENTS At www.MissouriLife.com PLEASE NOTE:

Jan. 13-15, St. Louis > Every style of recreational vehicle on display. America’s Center. 10 AM10 PM Fri.; 10 AM-9 PM Sat.; 11 AM-5 PM Sun. $3.50-$8. 314-355-1236, www.stlrv.com

LOOP ICE CARNIVAL Jan. 14, St. Louis > Ice sculpture competition, s’mores, ice slide, human dog sled races, and putt putt pub crawl. Delmar Loop in front of Craft Alliance. 10 AM-6 PM. Free (except special events). 314-725-1177, www.craftalliance.org

RAIN: BEATLES TRIBUTE Jan. 20-21, St. Louis > This group delivers a note-for-note performance with every song and gesture like the legendary group. Fabulous Fox Theatre. 8 PM Fri.; 2 and 8 PM Sat. $31.75$66.50. 314-534-1678, www.fabulousfox.com

FOOD AND WINE EXPERIENCE Jan. 27-29, St. Louis > Sample food and wines from more than 90 vendors offering samples of

international wines, specialty foods, and cooking accessories. Chase Park Plaza Hotel. 7-10 PM Fri.; noon-5 PM Sat.-Sun. $175-$250 Fri. for the premier tasting; $25-$100 Sat.-Sun. 314-9684925, www.repstl.org

SLEEPING BEAUTY Jan. 28, Kirksville > Russian Festival Ballet performance of this classic love story. Baldwin Auditorium at Truman State University. 7:30 PM. $7. 660-785-4016, lyceum.truman.edu

FETE DE GLACE Jan. 28, St. Charles > Professional ice carving competition where artists use chainsaws, sanders, and irons, and the crowd votes to determine the winner. North Main Street in the historic district. 9 AM-4 PM. Free. 800-3662427, www.historicstcharles.com

EAGLE DAYS Jan. 28-29, Clarksville > Watch wild eagles from the riverbank and enjoy educational programs for an up close view. Appleshed and Riverfront Park. 9 AM-4 PM Sat.; 10 AM-3 PM Sun. Free. 660-785-2420, www.mdc.mo.gov

COURTESY OF THE SOPHIA M. SACHS BUTTERFLY HOUSE

CANDLELIGHT CONCERT

[104] MissouriLife

ML1211_Cal_TS_5.indd 104

10/28/11 4:12 PM

The Little Mermaid

Dance in America from Great Performances

Hans Christian Andersen’s haunting tale of love from the San Francisco Ballet, choreographed by John Neumeier with a score by Lera Auerbach.

December 17 at 8 p.m.

Andrea Bocelli in Concert in Central Park Tenor Andrea Bocelli performs with the New York Philharmonic, Céline Dion, Tony Bennett, Chris Botti and David Foster. December 10 at 7 p.m.

KMOS-TV broadcasts in HD on channel 6.1, and is carried in many communities on channel 6. You can also see broadcasts of lifestyle/how-to shows on 6.2 and international programs on 6.3

December 3 Korean Food Diary Join Marja Vongerichten as she discovers her Korean roots. Traveling through Korea, Marja experiences all aspects of Korean food and culture.

December 10 Steeple Chase We’ll follow travel experts through Europe to see the world’s most beautiful cathedrals.

December 17 The Gift of Giving Take notes from our gift specialists who will demonstrate ways to add special details to homemade gifts.

December 24 Joy of the Holidays Create's lifestyle experts show ways to prepare a feast and decorate your home for any festive holiday.

December 31 Midnight Celebration Indulge in the tasty appetizers prepared by some of our exceptional chefs and toast the New Year with Rick Steves as you tour France’s Champagne Region.

Saturdays channel 6.2

kmos.org KMOS Create is broadcast on channel 6.2, Mediacom channel 86 and DirecTV channel 6-2 [105] December 2011

105 ML1211.indd 105

10/26/11 4:35:33 PM

Missouriana Trivia JUST FOR FUN

Final thoughts on eccentric governors, Olympic skiing, and Charles Dickens.

We wish he could see it today!

—Charles Dickens, in 1842 on one of two visits to the United States, describes the possible dangers of catching fever in St. Louis.

ROBERT STEWART, governor from 1857 to 1861, is said to have been “ECCENTRIC,” and is reputed to have ridden a horse up the steps of the executive MANSION to feed it oats from a GRAND piano.

MISSOURI became the first slave state to abolish SLAVERY on January 11, 1865, before the U.S. Constitution was AMENDED.

CHARLES PROCTOR, born in Columbia in 1906, COMPETED in the second annual Winter Olympic games in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in ski jumping and cross country SKIING, placing 26th in the combined events.

Did you know this?

JEFFERSON CITY WAS ESTABLISHED DECEMBER 31, 1821,

BY GOVERNOR ALEXANDER MCNAIR.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY TOM SULLIVAN

“It is very hot, lies among great rivers, and has vast tracts of undrained swampy land around it, I leave the reader to form his own opinion.”

BY ANDREW LOVGREN

[106] MissouriLife

ML1211_Missouriana_TS_2.indd 106

10/28/11 11:20 AM

WE KNOW YOUR GAME.

We’ve got your room.

Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa is Kansas City’s premier destination for indulgent spa treatments, five unique restaurants and a casino packed with nonstop excitement. And each luxurious room features plush bedding, a high-definition TV, mosaic-tiled bathrooms with granite countertops and

Proud recipient of the AAA Four Diamond Award.

KN

E

E

W

See for yourself. Come spend the night where everybody knows your game.

.

rain showerheads, and much more.

A O W YO U R G

M

F O L LOW U S O N FAC E B O O K A N D TWITTER!

WWW.STAYARGOSY.COM 1.800.270.7711 KANSAS CITY, MO Must be 21. Gambling Problem?

[107] December 2011

107 ML1211.indd 107 111388_ARKC_8.5x10.875_ML.indd 1

Call 1.888.BETS.OFF or Visit 888betsoff.org.

10/26/11 4:34:17 PM 9/29/11 5:03 PM

Gather your friends and join us at The Lodge during the holiday season!

THE LODGE of FOUR SEASONS G O L F

R E S O R T

&

S PA

S H I K I

Horseshoe Bend Parkway | Four Seasons, MO | On The Lake of the Ozarks 8 0 0 -T H E - L A K E ( 8 4 3 - 5 2 5 3 ) | 5 7 3 - 3 6 5 - 3 0 0 0 | w w w. 4 s e a s o n s re s o r t. c o m

[108] MissouriLife

108 ML1211.indd 108

10/26/11 4:32:18 PM