Vox Magazine October 2018

GO IT ALONE AT THE MOVIES THIS MONTH PAGE 15

BOB BURCHARD IS HAVING A BALL PAGE 18

A LOCAL BIRDER LOGS LIFE AS IT FLIES BY PAGE 38

TAILGATE WITH THE BEST OF ‘EM PAGE 49

OCTOBER 2018 • THE VOICE OF COLUMBIA

Fall Arts Guide Plan your autumn around the film, theater and music CoMo has to offer.

PAGE 32

PROGRESS AWA R D S

Honoring those who move Columbia forward AWARD CATEGORIES J

Progress in Education: Recognizes an individual educator, administrator or support staff member or a program at an educational institution who has made an impact on his/her/their school or community at large through innovative approaches to teaching, programs, community outreach or mentorship.

J

Progress in Health Care: Recognizes a health care provider who has made an impact in Columbia by delivering high quality and innovative care, supporting public health through outreach and education, and modeling responsible health practices and medical ethics.

J

Progress in Social Justice: Recognizes a community member or program that has made an impact in advancing the values of equity, diversity and inclusion in Columbia.

J

Progress in the Arts: Recognizes a community member who has made an impact in Columbia by advancing the role of art and artists in Columbia. The arts can include music, theater, poetry, prose, paint, photography, sculpture and any other creative art form.

J

Progress in Sustainability: Recognizes a community member who has made an impact on environmental sustainability through innovative practices, education and continuous improvement.

J

Progress in Entrepreneurship: Recognizes a business owner or business owners who have successfully launched a startup or small business based in Columbia for at least a year. The recipient ought to reflect a commitment to their communities and support fellow entrepreneurs.

J

communities through fundraising and inspiring leadership to others in doing so.

Progress in Civic Engagement: Recognizes an individual who holds an elected, appointed or staff position in government who demonstrates a commitment to being engaged with citizens and upholds the ideals of open, fair and transparent local government.

J

We want to recognize the people and organizations that help make Columbia a great place to live, work and learn.

Award categories range from civic engagement to sustainability to philanthropy — there’s a category for everyone in our community.

HOW TO NOMINATE All nominations must be submitted online.

You may nominate as many people (or organizations) as you like for as many categories as you like. The last day to submit nominations is Oct. 26.

Access the nomination form at

columbiamissourian.com/progress

Progress in Philanthropy: Recognizes an individual or group that has modeled the way for what it means to give back to those most in need in our

J

The Missourian is hosting the second annual Progress Awards. The awards are designed to lift up people who are engaged in our community who may not be recognized for their contributions otherwise.

Progress in Corporate Citizenship: Recognizes a firm with a presence in Columbia that demonstrates a commitment to community service and involvement by supporting efforts in education, the arts, sustainability, social

AWARD SELECTION The editors of the Missourian will select the winners based solely on the nominations received from the public.

All nominees will be honored at the Progress Awards ceremony on

Tuesday, Dec. 4.

justice or entrepreneurship.

J

The Sherman Brown Jr. Award: Recognizes a community member who, like its namesake, serves his or her neighbors, patrons or customers with the highest esteem and commitment to treating each and every person “like gold.”

573.882.5700 221 S. Eighth St., Columbia columbiamissourian.com

111 Seasons of Bringing Performers of Prestige to Mid-Missouri

OCTOBER & NOVEMBER Roomful of Teeth

MU Choral Union: Handel’s Messiah

Ailey II

Missouri Contemporary Ballet

Rosario Andino, pianist

Great Russian Nutcracker

Tuesday, October 23 | Missouri Theatre Tuesday, October 30 | Jesse Auditorium Friday, November 2 | Missouri Theatre

Thursday, November 15 | Jesse Auditorium Friday/Saturday, Nov. 16 & 17 | Missouri Theatre Wednesday, November 28 | Jesse Auditorium

US Army Jazz Ambassadors

Wednesday, November 7 | Jesse Auditorium

BOX OFFICE

203 S 9th Street | Columbia

573-882-3781

www.concertseries.org

FROM THE EDITOR

E DI T OR -I N -CHI E F KEEGAN POPE

A COACHING LIFE

S

teve Hawes was many things to many people, but for me, he was a basketball coach and a teacher. He never wanted to be the latter — he enjoyed the finer things in life far more than the income a high school teacher typically allows. But he gave hundreds of players and coaches he worked with lessons they’ll hold for the rest of their lives.

He taught us professionalism by wearing pristine, straight-out-of-aMen’s Warehouse-commercial suits on the sideline during every game, no matter how far we had traveled to play. He taught us attention to detail by drilling proper shooting form into our brains every opportunity he had. And he taught us never to take ourselves or anyone else too seriously when he’d slip a wisecrack into a pep talk during a timeout at the end of a close game.

His life was about teaching, and so too was his death. At his memorial service two years ago, his family and friends talked about his penchant for watching the sun set. What they said struck me. No matter where he was or what he was doing — but especially

DE PUT Y E DI T OR STEN SPINELLA M AN AGI N G E DI T OR ELIZABETH ELKIN DI GI TAL M AN AGI N G E DI T O R MCKENNA BLAIR ON L I N E E DI T OR LAUREN PUCKETT

“He’s a man who, no matter how competitive the game gets, sees that there is life beyond X’s and O’s of basketball.”

ART DI R E CT OR S KELLYN NETTLES, MOLLY NAGEL PHOT O E DI T OR JESSI DODGE M ULT I M E DI A E DI T OR HUNTER BASSLER CALENDAR EDITOR JING YANG

AS S I S TAN T E D IT O RS CULT UR E JENNA ALLEN, KELSEY HURWITZ, BOBBI WATTS E AT + DR I N K ELIZABETH QUINN, CATHERINE WENDLANDT CI T Y L I F E LAUREN LOMBARDO,

if he was on a lake — he’d take 10 minutes to do something we take for granted: enjoy the moment, enjoy your life.

On Page 18, you’ll find the story of Bob Burchard, a man who also has dedicated his life to teaching the game of basketball. He’s a man who has strived to treat every person he meets the same way — because they each deserve that respect. He’s a man who, no matter how competitive the game gets, sees that there is more to life than the X’s and O’s of basketball.

I think they’d be kindred spirits, Bob Burchard and Steve Hawes. I think they’d be the kind of people who’d both stop to watch the sun fade behind the horizon.

LIBBY MOELLER, ROSEMARY SIEFERT CON T R I B UT I N G W R I T E RS JARED ANDREWS, JESSE BAALMAN, SADIE COLLINS, SIOBHAN CONNORS, SHANNON HENDERSON, CHRISTINA LONG, HANNAH MUSICK, LUCY SHANKER, SAVANNAH WALSH DI GI TAL E DI T OR S KAELYN ADIX, CAMERON FLATT, JENNA GRUNDTNER, MCKAYLA HELM, JOHN HENIFF, ALEXA HODGES, NAT KAEMMERER, CONNOR LAGORE, HAYLEY ODOM, ABBEY PERANO, MADI SKAHILL, GABBY VELASQUEZ M ULT I M E DI A E DI T OR S YANRAN HUANG, MADISON LAWSON, ZACHARY SAYER, JIAYI SHI, MAURICIO VENEGAS

E DI T OR I AL DI R E CT OR HEATHER LAMB DI GI TAL DI R E CT OR SARA SHIPLEY HILES E XE CUT I V E E DI T OR JENNIFER ROWE OF F I CE M AN AGE R KIM TOWNLAIN

­— Keegan Pope Editor-in-Chief

Vox Magazine

@VoxMag

@VoxMagazine

VoxMag

EDITORIAL 884- 6432 vox@mi ssou ri . e d u ADVERTISING 8 82- 5714 CIRCULATION 8 82- 5700 CALENDAR send to vox @m i s s o u ri . e d u o r submi t vi a onl i ne form a t v o x m a g a zi n e . c o m

BEHIND THE SCENES “I wanted to write a story about the outdoors, so I looked into bird-watching. I met with a few local birders, and they both mentioned a woman named Edge Wade (page 26), one of the most intense bird watchers in Columbia. I ended up going on a birding trip with her and was immediately drawn to her humor and intelligence. I knew I had found a story subject.”

— Peter Baugh

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VOX MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2018

TO RECEIVE VOX IN YOUR INBOX sign up for email newsletter at voxmagazine.com OC TOB E R 2 0 1 8 V OL UM E 20, IS S U E 2 2 PUB L I S HE D BY T H E COL UM B I A M I S S O U RIA N 320 L E E HI L L S H A L L COL UM B I A, M O 6 5 2 1 1

MAGAZINE Cover Design by Kellyn Nettles, Molly Nagel and Cover Art by N. Andrew Dent III, Jessi Dodge

FEATURES

26

Eyes on the Sky Edge Wade turned to bird-watching after a cancer diagnosis 25 years ago. Since then, she has seen 2,833 bird species and constantly looks for more, often using a phone app to mimic bird calls.

BY PETER BAUGH

18

32

He might be on the sidelines, but Bob Burchard is the powerhouse behind Columbia College sports. After being the head basketball coach and athletic director for 30 years, he still thinks of himself as a teacher.

BY ANNE ROGERS

October is the pinnacle of fall. Take advantage of the cooler weather to get out and explore the Columbia arts scene. There are enough concerts, movies, plays and festivals to enjoy before the last leaf falls.

BY VOX STAFF

Teaching the Game

Photography by Yehyun Kim

Artsy Autumn

VOX MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2018

5

SECTIONS

16

CITY LIFE

EAT + DRINK

47

41

These Columbia artists prove functional can be beautiful.

Boozy ice cream is all the rage. Cap off your night right at these four Columbia establishments.

50

43

Beauty Meets Utility

BFFs: Best Future Friends It’s tough trying to find friends as an adult. Search on with these tips.

Spike Your Sweets

‘Nuu’ Take on Thai The newest Asian food truck rollin’ around town is a family affair.

44

Worth the Race

Food Festivals Worth Falling For

There’s more to 5Ks than T–shirts, supportive signs and Instagram posts.

Missouri has plenty of foodie-friendly fests that are only a day’s trip away.

51

47 IN THE LOOP

CULTURE

7

13

Making Its Way Downtown Happy hour just got happier. Grab a drink at the new Las Margaritas opening in mid-October.

8

Black Man on Campus MU graduate Tashan Reed writes about his experience being black in Columbia.

11

Vox Picks Go to an orchard, eat some ice cream, listen to Young the Giant and more this month.

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VOX MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2018

New Altitude Emo-rap duo Atmosphere brings an ever-evolving sound to CoMo Oct. 27.

8

15

Going to the Movies Solo You don’t have to share popcorn, and you can go see whatever you please.

Peace out, compromise.

41

16

Stage Fright Longtime executive director and founder Ed Hanson retires, and Talking Horse Productions stages Sweeney Todd.

Photography by Taylor Emery, Derek Rieke, and Shauna Yates and courtesy of Tashan Reed

BEING BLACK IN

WHAT TO EAT AND

COLUMBIA P.8

WHERE TO GO P.11

Making its way downtown Try a different take on your favorite cocktail this October when Las Margaritas opens a new location.

BY ELIZABETH QUINN Although it’s common in Mexico to eat mangoes with chile, lime and salt, Las Margaritas brings its own twist to the beloved sweet fruit. The restaurant’s bright orange mango drink, served blended or on the rocks, is made with gold tequila. Salt on the rim is classic, but Corporate Lake location assistant manager Martín Esquivel says sugar on the rim is popular, too. The mixed drink comes in 12-, 27- or 32-ounce glasses, or if you’re with a group, order a 64-ounce pitcher for sharing. Some other flavors include strawberry or cucumber jalapeño. Or try Esquivel’s favorite: the top-shelf margarita, made with a tequila of your choice mixed with fresh juice. The restaurant chain’s newest location will open downtown at 220 S. Eighth St. by mid-October.

Photography by Bailey Valadez

VOX MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2018

7

IN TH E LOOP ESSAY

Black man on campus A recent graduate looks at the racism that pervades Columbia’s past and present and explains why he won’t live here again.

BY TASHAN REED

I

first visited MU during my senior year of high school in 2013 to interview for the George C. Brooks Scholarship. The award is designed to recruit and retain undergraduate students from underrepresented ethnic groups, and the majority of my fellow candidates were black.

Along with an interview, the visit included several presentations and a tour of the campus. Halfway through my tour, a pickup truck filled with white men drove by my group and yelled, “Go home, niggers!”

The white female student leading us suddenly paused. Red in the face and flustered, she blurted out a quick apology.

She was just a few months from graduation and swore that she’d never seen anything like that happen before. Just a few minutes earlier she’d been raving about how amazing and inclusive the university was.

A different Columbia On April 29, 1923, a mob dragged James T. Scott to the Stewart Road Bridge. He faced accusations of raping a 14-year-old girl but had been forced from his cell before any legal proceedings took place.

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VOX MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2018

No evidence connected him to the crime.

As a noose was placed around his neck, the fear he felt must have been unbearable. Despite pleas for his life, he was pushed off the edge. A crowd of spectators, composed of hundreds of prominent Columbia citizens, MU students and more, cheered as he was hanged.

Scott worked as a janitor in the medical school at MU and it was possible — even likely — that he was innocent. In that moment, the only thing that mattered was that he was black.

Although the city has changed radically since Scott’s murder nearly 95 years ago, blacks are still financially, academically and professionally behind their white peers. Despite making up just 10 percent of the population, black people in Columbia account for 15 percent of the impoverished population, according to Data USA. In the 2015 city trends report for Columbia, the average income for a white household from 2009 to 2013 was $46,455, while black households made just $27,750.

Stuck in place I grew up in Ferguson, Missouri, a qui-

Tashan Reed celebrated his May 2018 graduation from the MU School of Journalism alongside his father, Kenneth Reed Sr. He previously interned at The St. Louis American and currently works as a Florida State football beat writer for The Athletic.

et suburb of St. Louis that didn’t seem all too different from the surrounding neighborhoods. I lived below the poverty line in a split household, alternating time spent with my mother and father, and didn’t attend the best schools.

I felt that my childhood was the norm for a black boy in America. I didn’t complain much or see it as strange because many of those around me shared the same experiences. You get used to it when you don’t know anything different.

Photography courtesy of Tashan Reed

I N T HE LO O P ESSAY

Carl Kenney is a former adjunct professor at the MU School of Journalism.

Kenney spent his early life in Columbia and currently works in North Carolina as a culture columnist for Durham Magazine.

Traci Wilson-Kleekamp is the president of Columbia advocacy group Race Matters, Friends. She’s a black woman who was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She says she believes that situations like mine are the desired result of the system. “The system is designed to keep you trapped,” she says. “There’s so many barriers to having an equitable society because of the system and prac-

tices.” She named education, housing, poverty and unemployment as key areas of systematic concern but noted that the list goes on.

Unlike Wilson-Kleekamp, Carl Kenney says he thinks the root of the problem is internal. He’s a black man who grew up in Columbia in the 1960s before graduating from both MU and Duke University. “I think that it’s self-imposed limits that people of color put on themselves,” he says. He used an experience with his father as an example of these limits.

Kenney, a former MU School of Journalism adjunct professor, moved back to Columbia in October 2013 to take care of his ailing father. His dad was hospitalized but complained that his cable service at home hadn’t worked for months. Kenney solved the problem while his father was in the hospital and then offered to ask the company for a refund for the time that their service hadn’t worked.

“Don’t go down there,” Kenney Sr.

WIN A NEW

told his son. “I have a good reputation among these white people, and I don’t want them to be mad at me.”

The conversation stood out. “It was that moment that I clearly understood this non-written code where black people stay in their proper places,” he says.

“They remain in a place where they’re not gonna be considered a problem.”

Deeper than skin There weren’t many white people where I lived to begin with, but I couldn’t recall being wrongly treated by any of them. I knew racism and structural oppression were real, but I hadn’t seen either in their overt form.

That all changed Aug. 9, 2014, when Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson. The ensuing uproar, protests, police brutality, vandalism, burglary and national media coverage changed my hometown and perception of race forever.

A couple weeks later, I started my freshman year at MU. I lived in Mark

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VOX MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2018

9

IN TH E LOOP ESSAY

Twain Hall, where I could count the number of black people in the entire building on two hands. This was the first time that I actually felt like a minority.

I found myself angry, not just at the police officer who shot Michael but at all white people. I didn’t want to talk about what had happened in Ferguson. I stayed mostly to myself, noting how tense the racial atmosphere at MU seemed to be.

In the fall of 2015, then-Missouri Students Association President Payton Head took to Facebook to voice his frustrations with the racist and homophobic experiences he’d faced at MU. Head, a black and openly gay student, focused on an incident in which people in a pickup truck shouted racial and homophobic slurs at him.

I was reminded of my initial visit to campus — it had happened again.

Head’s status and willingness to speak out, however, meant it wasn’t ignored.

Protests led by activist group Concerned Student 1950, a hunger strike by student Jonathan Butler and a boycott by the Mizzou football team followed.

In the aftermath, a couple of MU administrators stepped down, diversity and inclusion training programs started, and enrollment dropped. It didn’t make racism at MU go away. I think the rest of the protesters knew it wouldn’t. I knew it wouldn’t.

A long history Instead of fleeing to nearby cities, black people in Columbia have historically banded together.

From the early 1900s to the 1960s, the Sharp End business district served as a separate community for blacks.

Stretching along Walnut Street, between Fifth and Sixth streets, the district featured everything from restaurants to meeting halls.

Columbia residents frequented the Blue & White Cafe, which became famous for its hot dogs and hamburgers served by “Pop” Britt.

Students from nearby Douglass High School visited the restaurant before school and at lunchtime.

The Harvey House, one

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VOX MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2018

of the only places that offered lodging to blacks who passed through the city, was a rooming house that hosted both Columbia residents and travelers.

These establishments were torn down during an urban renewal project in the 1960s. Just like that, the “cultural heart of the black community” was snatched away.

Kenney grew up in Columbia during this era. He lived what he described to be a comfortable life. He was a good student and an athlete. There was one thing, however, hanging over his head: He was black.

Kenney didn’t think anything of it when he was walking home from school one day and a group of three boys approached him. Suddenly, he was tossed against a tree. Moments after Kenney’s back slammed against the rough bark, he was kicked in his side. “Nigger!” the gang shouted as they surrounded and towered over the defenseless boy.

No one came to Kenney’s aid. He was forced to endure the beating. Afterward, he stood up from the base of the tree, brushed himself off and reflected.

He wasn’t sure why the boys attacked him, but he knew that “this race thing was going to be a problem.”

Nothing has changed At the 21st annual Columbia Values Diversity breakfast on Jan. 11, 2018, Columbia City Manager Mike Matthes gave a speech using a PowerPoint to promote the strategic plan initiative, Columbia’s primary way of combating issues of race. After talking about white and black unemployment rates and economic inequality, Matthes turned to discussing the topic of racial bias.

While displaying images of young blacks dressed casually on the screen behind him, Matthes said the pictures made him uncomfortable. “In the upper left, he’s flashing a gang sign,” Matthes said. “The guy in the middle looks like he’s gonna rob a bank. The upper right, I’m not sure which gender he or she is; I’m befuddled. Lower left, why is he so angry? And the lower right, that’s totally inappropriate dress in a professional environment if you’re looking for a job.”

BY THE NUMBERS: BEING BLACK IN COLUMBIA The dropout rate for black students in Columbia Public Schools is 3½ times higher than white students, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

For every $1 earned by a white household in Columbia, a black household earns 60 cents, according to the 2015 City Trends Report.

According to 2016 Census data, 28.8 percent of black families in Columbia live in poverty, compared to 7.8 percent of white families.

As of 2016, underrepresented minorities accounted for 13.8 percent of students enrolled at MU, according to MU’s fall 2017 enrollment summary.

Once he finished judging the photos using several stereotypes, Matthes flipped to a slide showing the same people wearing more professional clothes.

The crowd, inexplicably, began to applaud. “Now, I’m not so uncomfortable anymore,” Matthes said.

Matthes’ comments drew immense criticism from breakfast attendees, media, Twitter and even the NAACP. Matthes’ presentation was insensitive, particularly ill-timed and highlighted some of the issues that permeate the community.

Fourth Ward Councilman Ian Thomas, a white man who was born in London, lands somewhere between Kenney and Wilson-Kleekamp. He places the burden on white people while avoiding completely blaming them.

“I’m absolutely certain there are people in Columbia that are resistant to this [change,] and some of them are in high positions,” Thomas says. “I think people are on a spectrum as to whether they care about this or whether they even know about it.”

Doing something about it Since becoming a member of the Columbia City Council, Thomas has strongly pushed for a policy that would seek to benefit Columbia’s black residents: The Community Outreach Unit, a community policing program.

The EdX program, an educational initiative that offers full-ride scholarships and jobs to minority students pursuing careers in education, is another positive step that Thomas brought up.

Despite showing promise, these programs can get held back by a lack of funding, participation and a general unawareness that they even exist.

I believe that cooperation between blacks and whites — paired with an acknowledgment of the unequal treatments of blacks in Columbia — are crucial for any substantial change to occur. Reversing these conditions will take a lot of time and immense effort from all parties.

I can confidently say that I’ll never live in Columbia again. In my four years here, I’ve never felt comfortable, and I don’t think that will ever change.

I N T HE LO O P VOX PICKS

Vox’s guide to

OCTOBER

Each month, Vox curates a list of our favorite shops, eats, reads and experiences in and around Columbia. We highlight the new, trending or criminally underrated — so you’re always informed of the best our city has to offer. BY ROSEMARY SIEFERT

Try...

Grape stomping. Les Bourgeois is hosting its 26th annual Crush Festival to commence harvest season. Although the wine might be reserved for those 21 and up, the fest welcomes kids and adults alike for grape stomping, pumpkin painting and live music at the vineyards.

Oct. 6, 2–6 p.m.; Oct. 7, noon to 4 p.m., Les Bourgeois A-Frame, Free, 698-3401

Visit...

Huffstutter Orchards for the peak of apple-picking season.

Originally in St. Joseph, the orchard is now located 25 miles west of Columbia in New Franklin after interstate construction in 1958 forced the original owner, Wilbur Weisenborn, to move. His grandson, Richard Huffstutter, now manages the New Franklin location with his wife, Pamela Huffstutter.

Friday–Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., 2126 State Route P, $6 per peck, missouriapples.com

Eat...

Rolled ice cream.

Fried food is a classic comfort treat, so Thai stir-fried ice cream must be just as good, right? This sweet rolled confection has recently popped into the Columbia dessert scene to satisfy your flavor cravings.

At Let’s Roll Ice Cream, you can add a bubble waffle as a warm, doughy base.

Sunday–Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday– Saturday, 11 a.m.–midnight.; 21 Conley Road, $6.50, 443-7655

Buy...

Mirror Master. Available in stores Oct. 12, this adventurous record is alternative group Young the Giant’s fourth studio album. “Simplify” and “Superposition,” the two singles released in advance of the other 10 songs, hint at Coldplay-meets-Keane vibes, and “Simplify” has already reached the band’s top-five most popular songs on its Spotify page. Well-known for songs “My Body” and “Cough Syrup,” the band from Irvine, California, has been making music since 2004, when they called themselves The Jakes.

Request at Hitt Records or pre-order on Apple Music for $7.99.

Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday–Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 6 p.m., Hitt Records, 777-9299 Photography by Nadav Soroker/Archive and Marcus Johnson and courtesy of Young the Giant/Twitter and PIXNIO

VOX MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2018

11

84 million Americans

Maybe even you, have prediabetes.

Guy-who-thinks-teamjerseys-are-formal-attire.

POPCORN FOR

A NEW ERA AT

ONE P.15

TALKING HORSE P.16

New altitude Rap duo Atmosphere comes to Columbia with fresh perspective and a new album.

BY NOAH MCGEE 1997: The year Atmosphere, an emo-rap group from Minneapolis, released its first album. Over the next 20 years, the group would become a dominant voice of underground indie rap, with albums When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold and Southsiders cracking the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart. Flash forward to 2018: the year Atmosphere fully embraced its new “dadrap” reputation. Its seventh album, Mi Vida Local, will be released on Oct. 5 and is filled with anxiety over our changing world. To promote the new album, the twoman team, featuring rapper Slug and DJ/producer Ant, is playing a 36-city tour that includes Columbia. Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m. doors; 8:30 p.m. show, The Blue Note, $25

Photography courtesy of Rhymesayers

VOX MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2018

13

CULTURE MUSI C

Concerts to queue With 30 bands in the lineup for the Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival, there are plenty of bands to see beyond the headliners.

For the best afternoon acts, use this flowchart as a stairway to musical heaven. BY LUCY SHANKER Are you there for the blues or the rock?

The blues.

Father John Misty: Is he pretentious or a genius?

Rock ‘n’ roll, baby!

What do you think of Muddy Waters?

Overrated.

Pretentious.

Genius.

Do you prefer happy Beach Boys’ songs or sad ones?

Sad. Happy!

Legend. Duh. Eh. When should Buddy Guy stop touring?

Now.

Absolutely. He’s St. Louis grown!

Searching for a modern sound?

Do you tend to go for alt-rock bands?

What?

Never.

NOPE.

Definitely.

Yes!

4 p.m. Sept. 30, MO Lottery Stage Music Maker Blues Revue For those wanting a classic blues band with some Jimi Hendrix guitar skills.

1:15 p.m. Sept. 30, Great Southern Bank Stage VOX MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2018

Israel Nash He mixes his modern sound with classic influences such as Guns N’ Roses and Pink Floyd.

2:45 p.m. Sept. 30, Great Southern Bank Stage

Do you like your music to take you back in time?

Nah.

Valerie June Festival alum Gary Clark Jr. gave his stamp of approval to this folk, gospel and soul singer.

14

Do you like Pokey LaFarge?

Yes.

Ha Ha Tonka If your favorite show at last year’s festival was Band of Horses, this group of Missouri natives is a must.

The Cactus Blossoms For fans of Etta James and Chet Baker, this sibling duo can rock a retro tune.

2:15 p.m. Sept. 30, MO Lottery Stage

4 p.m. Sept. 29, MO Lottery Stage

Photography courtesy of Clement Caron, Jason Gonulsen, Kris Wixom and Graham Tolbert

C U LT U RE MOVIES

The movies, myself and I How I learned to brave the cinema in the best way possible — alone.

BY KELSEY HURWITZ

T

he first movie I saw in theaters by myself was The Theory of Everything. I didn’t exactly do this on purpose. It started as a family outing to see Into the Woods, but I’ve had a deep fear of witches since my first brush with The Wizard of Oz. No way was I going to see that movie.

There was something sort of embarrassing about going to a movie by myself, and on a deep, socially programmed level, it just felt wrong. But I found myself with a ticket to see Eddie Redmayne fall in love with Felicity Jones. With a small popcorn and a cherry Icee in hand, I found my lone seat in a theater that was dotted with strangers, none of whom appeared to be staring at me with disgust or outrage or condescension. The movie was great, and I had saved myself from weeks of witch-related nightmares.

As I strived to stop caring what other people think, going to the movies solo became a trailer-length victory for my Saturday nights, and a movie-length victory for my independence. Plus, other than being a jumbo popcorn-sized F-you to the status quo, it makes for a much improved movie-going experience. Here are some reasons why solo-viewing is the best viewing: Not‘cho nachos My philosophy on sharing boils down to this: Get your hands out of my popcorn.

Sure, sometimes I don’t mind sharing a bite or two of my snacks, but everyone knows that much like eating a single Oreo, eating a single handful of popIllustration by Sadie Collins

corn is physically impossible. It’s science.

And honestly, I don’t want to share that much, so going to a movie by myself means no sharing and no caring.

No partner, no problem Agreeing on a movie choice with a friend can be tough. Sometimes it feels impossible to convince someone to see the 27th Fast and Furious or a rom-com featuring one of your favorite Ryans (Gosling, Reynolds) or Chrises (Evans, Pine, Pratt). Maybe you have a thing for movies with terrible trailers because the worse the teaser is, the more you have

Unlike going to the theater with friends, solo movie-goers don’t have to share their popcorn.

Movies this month A Star is Born, Oct. 5 Venom, Oct. 5 First Man, Oct. 12 Halloween, Oct. 19

to see the flick, right? There comes a point when it’s more important to see the film you want to see than to see it with someone else. There’s no need to sit it out when you can go solo.

On your terms You know what’s great? Being the only person in the theater at a 2 p.m. weekday screening. There’s something so peaceful about giant, empty rooms, and going alone means you can squeeze in a movie whenever your schedule permits. That way, you don’t have to wait for a showtime that works for someone else.

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CULTURE STAGE

Stage fright Talking Horse Productions’ rendition of Sweeney Todd will shake up tradition and audience members’ nerves.

BY LUCY SHANKER

T

alking Horse Productions’ performance of Sweeney Todd will be one of many firsts. It’s the first Talking Horse show Kathleen Johnson has directed and the first most of the cast have ever acted in. It’s the first Talking Horse show founder Ed Hanson is not producing and the first Chara Knight is producing. In fact, it’s Knight’s first time producing anything — anywhere. “I’m scared to death,” Knight says with a laugh. “I’m going big; go big or go home.”

It might be Knight’s first time producing, but her experience in theater is extensive. She was the vice president and the fundraising chair at Talking Horse, and she’s dabbled in assistant directing, stage management, costuming and props.

Knight is one of two people taking over for Hanson, who retired Sept. 1.

Now, she and Artistic Director Adam Brietzke are serving as co-directors, splitting Hanson’s job into two parts and taking turns producing shows. Hanson isn’t going far; he’s still on the executive

Actor Tom Phillips and chorus member Christine Bay review scripts as a fellow cast member skips across the stage at the first rehearsal of Sweeney Todd.

board and has a role in Sweeney Todd, an “iconic” production he says he’d considered introducing to Talking Horse since his friend came to him with the suggestion. Hanson says worries about the project’s magnitude didn’t stop them.

“We’ve been full steam ahead since we decided about a year and a half ago to do it,” he says.

Knight says she hopes to instill positive change, but she’s not planning on drastically remodeling the company. “A lot of the foundational work that

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Photography by Derek Rieke

C U LT U RE STAGE

[Hanson] laid is perfect,” she says. “Why reinvent the wheel?”

However, as the new executive director, Knight says she hopes to attract people who have never seen a Talking Horse production as well as new actors.

“We have a base of actors who always come and show up,” she says. “We want to break that cycle. I think Sweeney is the start of it.”

Although the director, actors and producer might be new, Sweeney Todd itself is not. The show depicts a vengeful barber in London who, after being falsely exiled, returns with a taste for murder.

The dark tale became a Broadway hit in 1979, but the story dates back to the 19th century.

The show has been done and redone, but Johnson says it’s never been done like this. Talking Horse is a black box theater, which means there is no raised stage, creating a more intimate environment with only 12 actors. In a more traditional

David Hall, playing Tobias Ragg, walks through his stage directions for the song “God, That’s Good!” Despite dark music and themes, director Kathleen Johnson says the show is, above all, about empathy.

theater, there would be close to double the cast members. As Johnson told the actors when they auditioned, “You can’t hide.” The theater’s unconventional setup will make the show more immersive. “Our goal is that when you walk into the theater, you feel like you are in Victorian London,” Johnson says. “You are experiencing that deep, seedy, gritty underground part of that world.” The theater’s center aisle, which cuts through the crowd, will be transformed into Fleet Street, where all the action happens.

Knight says she’s looking forward to the authenticity the theater will evoke, especially from the actors, but she acknowledges its challenges. “You have to be on all the time because your audience is right there,” she says. “You can’t just go through the motions and phone it in.”

Talking Horse Productions presents Sweeney Todd Oct. 12-13, 18-20 and 25-27 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 14, 21 and 28 at 2 p.m.

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Teaching the game Longtime Columbia College athletic director and basketball coach Bob Burchard still has lessons to impart before he takes a shot at retirement.

BY ANNE ROGERS

A

fter the buzzer sounded, after his team shuffled into the locker room, after he had done his media interviews and talked with his family and fans, Bob Burchard walked out of Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City and looked at his assistant coach, Sean Dooley, in bewilderment.

“Can you believe we did that with that team?” Burchard said, shaking his head.

If you would have told him two months earlier the team that had embarrassed themselves in a 77-60 loss to William Woods would be playing for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) title in March, he would have laughed. But a single coaching decision made out of frustration would give Burchard one of the most successful seasons he’s had in his 30 years at the helm of Columbia College Athletics, both as the men’s basketball coach and the athletic director. Not for the run the Cougars made, but what the season taught him. The 61-year-old doesn’t consider himself a coach. Instead, he thinks of himself as a teacher, and like every good teacher, he has to constantly learn and grow if he wants his classroom and the people in it to do the same.

Bob Burchard’s impact at Columbia College is impossible to miss, from his namesake basketball court to the multi-million dollar renovation of the Cougars’ athletic facilities.

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I N T HE LO O P ESSAY

Photography by N. Andrew Dent III and Jason Vance

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IN TH E LOOP ESSAY

A piece of paper and a dream Since his sophomore year at McLean High School in McLean, Virginia, Burchard has wanted to teach the game of basketball. His basketball coach, Clay Estes, had such an impact on him that when Burchard was assigned a paper about his career aspirations, he wrote that he wanted to coach someday. He kept that paper until water from a nearby creek flooded the basement of his first family home when they moved to Columbia in the 1980s.

Burchard’s high school career led him to Catawba College in North Carolina University, where he played point guard from 1975-1979. “Not a very good one,” he says. “What do you have to be? Fast.

Probably have to shoot the ball. I wasn’t good enough.”

What Burchard lacked on the court, he made up for on the sidelines and in the classroom. He went to graduate school at East Carolina and earned his master’s degree in education with an emphasis in physical education in 1980. There, he met his future wife, then Faye Cromwell, who was in the same classes as Burchard and helped him in his tennis teaching assistantship.

“I found out she was a tennis player — the No. 1 tennis player at Arkansas State for undergrad,” Burchard says.

“That was a nice in.”

Burchard drove by in his 1968 blue Mustang one day, and when he saw Faye running, he stopped to chat. After he found the courage to ask her out, he drove off as soon as she said “yes.” Faye watched the Mustang speed down the road.

“Now I have to run back home after I’ve been standing around for half an hour?” Faye says, laughing. “I’m five miles away. Thanks a lot.”

“Yeah, that was on her; that wasn’t on me,” Bob counters. “You crash and burn, and she says ‘no,’ then you’re just out of there. It’s perfect. Done.”

Burchard’s plan worked, even if Faye did have to run five miles back to her house. The two began dating as they looked for jobs, so when Missouri Western State University’s Student Recreation

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Once Burchard’s playing career at Catawba College was over, he left for grad school to get his teaching degree and begin his coaching career.

While at the helm of the Cougars’ basketball program, Burchard has led the college to more than 600 wins and an appearance in the NAIA national championship.

Department hired Faye, Bob went looking for a job nearby.

Jameson, Missouri The place where Burchard landed was an hour from Faye and his first home in his lifelong career as a coach. Initially, though, he couldn’t find it.

MO-13 is the only highway that borders Jameson, a 141-acre town in the northwest corner of Missouri. In 1980, Jameson High School, now North Daviess R-III, didn’t look like a school to the 23-year-old coach from the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Burchard drove

by the three-story building — one level each for elementary, junior high and high school — three times before realizing it was the place he was supposed to be interviewing for a job.

Eventually, he parked and waited for someone to open the school doors.

An old, muddy truck rumbled up to Burchard’s Mustang, and a farmer stepped out. The two talked for about 20 minutes before heading to the doors; Burchard assumed the man was a janitor.

“Turns out, he’s the superintendent,” says Burchard, who still uses the story as a teaching moment to his players today.

Photography by Jakob Berr/Archive Photograph andby Tim Photographer Nwachukwu/Archive Name

I N T HE LO O P ESSAY

“First lesson is I either got the job or didn’t get the job in the parking lot. You can’t assume anything. Everyone should be treated at the highest level.”

The superintendent offered Burchard a physical education and coaching position for $8,000 a year. Burchard pushed for $10,000 for a job that included teaching seven periods of PE and coaching four sports: softball, track and field, and boys’ and girls’ basketball. He rented a trailer from the town’s general store owner for $100 a month and lived just outside the school’s backyard. He didn’t even have to cook.

“The moms of the town ran the cafeteria for the school, so everything was home-cooked,” Burchard says. “They kept giving me food. I think I put on about 30 pounds that year. I haven’t recovered from that.”

Burchard inherited a basketball team that had won more than 50 consecutive games and a fan base that lived for those games. He learned quickly that if students weren’t in church or in school, they were

Photograph Photographyby byPhotographer Mikala Compton/Archive Name

playing basketball.

Jameson’s court was smaller than most, and there were no poles to hold the baskets; the hoop was nailed to the wall. Burchard and his player pupils went 19-8 in his one year at Jameson, but he spent his free time driving the hour to St. Joseph where Faye worked. He played tennis with her and Missouri Western’s basketball coach, Gary Filbert, almost every weekend. The Burchards married in 1981, and Filbert offered Bob an assistant coaching job on the Missouri Western staff. He said goodbye to his trailer and the 136 people in Jameson, making the hour-long drive to St. Joseph one more time, where he and Faye would stay for seven years.

In 1988, Columbia College had a job opening for athletic director and men’s basketball coach. It was common then for smaller programs to have one person do both jobs. Burchard calls himself a dinosaur because most colleges now have separated the positions.

Filbert was the one who advocated

heavily for Burchard to get the job with the Cougars. Columbia College president Don Ruthenberg officially hired Burchard and put him in charge of an athletic department with no fulltime staff members, four sports and fewer than 75 student athletes. Faye Burchard, who was hired as Columbia College’s director of student activities and later as the dean of student affairs, didn’t think they’d be around for long — such is the life of a coach’s family.

But Burchard had a vision.

Bob Burchard’s passion for coaching has been passed down to his son, Bret, who was recently hired to coach the Phoenix Suns’ NBA G League team.

Building a program Faye says that from the day Bob walked into the tiny gym with two sets of wooden bleachers, a small table for ticket sales and another for concessions, his plan began to form. It has taken 30 years, but he transformed a four-sport NAIA college to a 16-sport NAIA powerhouse, expanded Cougar facilities and fostered recruiting.

Burchard guided the men’s basketball team to an 18-12 record in his first

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IN TH E LOOP ESSAY

1988- The Columbia College Athletic Department hired

Burchard so that there were now two full-time staff members, four sports and fewer than 75 student-athletes.

1989- With a record of 18-12, the men’s basketball team broke the school’s records for most victories and highest winning percentage in a season.

1991- The Cougars’ soccer field was built and named R. Marvin Owens Field.

2002- Renovations began on the Southwell Complex, which arranged for seating over 1,000 fans, a brand-new Cougar Press Box and The Courts — two multi-use courts for basketball, volleyball and tennis.

FOR THE RECORD The athletic department at Columbia College has flourished under 30 years of guidance from athletic director and men’s basketball coach, Bob Burchard.

2009- Columbia College made program history when the men’s basketball team advanced to the Final Four.

2012- Burchard won his

600th career game at Columbia College and was also inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame.

2013- The Antimi Softball Complex became the home of Cougar softball.

2015- The Arena of Southwell Complex was renamed Burchard Court at Southwell Complex.

2018- Three associate athletic directors, four support staff members, two athletic trainers and 20 head and assistant coaches all guide the 16-sport athletic department.

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Photograph by Photographer Name

I N T HE LO O P ESSAY

gardless of where you are in the workout ... I think his reminders were a lot more frequent, a lot louder than they are now.”

Faye thinks her husband remembers every loss he’s ever had as a coach. “When he was an assistant, I won’t lie, I pretended to be asleep sometimes when he came home after a long road trip,” she says. “The thing is, he might be mad or disappointed right after, but by morning, he’s already looking positive and wants to see what he did wrong.”

Early in his coaching career, Bob Burchard was known for his intensity on the sideline, such as at this 1990 game. Despite taking on a more relaxed demeanor over the years, his competitive edge remains.

year — the first winning season in 15 years.

Burchard made a bet with his team that first fall. If the Cougars finished above .500, he would allow a player to shave his head. Thomas Roberts transformed from player to barber in front of students in the cafeteria the day after clinching that winning record. Burchard grimaced while the players grinned. Burchard’s son, Bret, a toddler at the time, burst into tears when he saw his dad come home without hair. Worth it? Absolutely.

Burchard is vastly different from that first season. On the sidelines, he’s either sitting, crouching or standing – not pacing or yelling.

During timeouts, he lets his players and assistant

Photograph by Photography byPhotographer Lauren Lantos/Archive Name

coaches solve problems before offering his advice.

“He doesn’t have a lot to say all the time, but then what he does have to say is really important,” says former player Nathan Biggs. “I know that he’s not happy after we lose. You can tell.

But he’s had enough experience to understand that he needs to keep it collected and save it for practice.”

Was he fiery when he was a younger coach?

“Oh yeah,” says Drew Grzella, who played for the Cougars from 1998-2000 and became the associate athletic director for advancement and marketing in 2011. “If one moment happened and he didn’t like it, he’d snap right then, re-

White vs. Blue Cindy Potter, associate athletic director for media relations and compliance at Columbia College, has a bobblehead sitting on a shelf in her office. It’s a miniature Bob Burchard, and it is spot on.

Little Bob, in a gray suit with a white and blue striped tie, is holding a Diet Coke can — a staple for the coach in his office and on the court. The corners of his eyes are wrinkled, exposing the smile his graying mustache hides.

He’s crouched in a surfer’s position, mimicking the photo on the box the bobblehead came in.

It was handed out at a game in 2012, right before Burchard’s induction to the NAIA Hall of Fame. The photo is Burchard riding the wave on top of a table in a Municipal Auditorium locker room shortly after his team clinched its place in the NAIA title game in 2009. Players surround him, howling with laughter and clapping. The bobblehead is a symbol of the legendary coach it takes shape from, but it is also a reminder of the special season that formed from a broken team.

Burchard was mad after that abysmal loss to William Woods in January. Not only was it to the Cougars’ rival, but his players also didn’t play well together. Burchard decided on the 30-minute bus ride home from Fulton that he would split the team in half: the white team and the blue team.

Each team would get five minutes of playing time before the other team would be substituted in.

Because there were 11 players, one player would float between the teams in case of foul trouble or injury. There were no starting lineups; it was either the white team or the blue team. Every drill in practice — white against blue.

Burchard’s white team liked to attack and didn’t pass the ball much. The blue team, on the other hand, loved to pass. Burchard matched the teams based on personalities, too. Both got along off the court.

The idea came from North Carolina coach

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IN TH E LOOP ESSAY

Dean Smith’s substitution plan: Put the reserves on the court in crunch time so starters will get vital rest. Burchard had attempted it before, but he had never sustained it. If they were going to do it, he told his assistant, Dooley, they had to go all in.

The Cougars won 17 of their last 18 games before playing Rocky Mountain College in the NAIA championship game.

“It was basically out of frustration,” Burchard says. “This team sucks. We’re not getting any better. We have to do something. Desperation is what we’re going to do. And all of a sudden it was brilliant.”

When the postseason came, Burchard told his players that they needed to ride the wave, and they were either going to have the ride of their lives or crash and burn.

The Cougars wore teams out because of the pattern, but the championship game was different. There were TV timeouts. Burchard and Dooley didn’t want to switch the strategy, but there were more breaks than normal, allowing Rocky Mountain to rest, too. The

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Cougars couldn’t keep up.

“Fairytale rides don’t always… well, we crashed on the beach,” Burchard says.

“It just took us a long time to do it.”

Columbia College lost 77-61 to Rocky Mountain in the Cougars’ first championship game in program history.

Burchard hasn’t used the substitution pattern in the same way since, nor has he been able to bring his team back to the last round of the tournament.

Yet, he says if he could go back to that game, he would do it the same way.

No one event would define that weird, turnaround season. The Cougars figured out how to get a job done, and that’s what mattered.

“It was the right button to push,” says Dooley, who is now the head coach at Baker University, an NAIA school in Kansas City. “He always finds a way to figure out a way to get that team or individual to the next level.”

That year, Burchard learned how to manage the personalities that comprise a team rather than competing against them.

As his accomplishments have grown, his attitude has become less about winning

Burchard and the Cougars cut down the nets again last year, winning their eighth consecutive American Midwest Conference regular season championship.

and more about how he can improve the lives of others.

“He’ll probably tell you that he’s more proud of what his players have accomplished and the graduation rate and all that,” Dooley says. “For his assistant coaches too, he’s not trying to keep us there forever. He wants us there to learn and try to help us become a head coach.”

He’s no less competitive, though.

That has been consistent since his first game at Jameson. But now, he has a spot where he can withdraw, harness his competitiveness and come back refreshed.

Burchard enjoys going to his Lake of the Ozarks house because no one calls him “Coach” there. All that matters is the water temperature and if the fish are biting.

Fighting for relevance When Columbia College broke ground on the renovated Southwell Complex in 2002, it was a big deal. Burchard organized the fundraising, the date and the press around the event. It was all set, until the Laurie family announced it was donating money to MU and what is now

Photography Photograph

by Jennifer

by Photographer Mosbrucker/Archive Name

I N T HE LO O P ESSAY

called Mizzou Arena. Goodbye press.

Faye also made her mark at the college as “Trying to carve out a niche of — importance the dean for student affairs before she retired is maybe not the right word — but belonging, in in 2016. Inside the student commons, the this town, you’re always balancing the positive Burchards’ Cougar Café is a testament to the and negatives of the big state U,” Burchard says. impact Bob and Faye have had on the college.

“Always.”

Their two children, Jennifer, now 33, and Being a small private college in the same Bret, now 31, grew up on the Columbia College town as a large public university poses problems campus. “We’d come over at night, and Bob for the athletic director side of Burchard, who would be having practice, and I would drop the wants to attract as many fans as possible to events. kids off in the living room of the residence hall He likens it to being a preacher. and say, ‘Hey, can they watch TV with you for “We have a lot of followers but not a lot a little bit while I go over and do this student of attendees,” Burchard says. “We have a lot of group?’” Faye says. people who know the success of the team, but Jennifer went to Missouri State to swim, and they don’t come. They don’t come watch.”

Bret went to Taylor University in Indiana to play Compare Columbia College’s fan base now basketball. “Our dinner conversations were Bob to the pre-Burchard days, Potter says, and the asking Jennifer, ‘Why don’t you go to Columbia difference is monumental. MU will always out- College?’ and her saying, ‘Why don’t you build weigh Columbia College, but “people know who a swimming pool?’” Faye says. “And (Bret) had we are now, and I think that’s because of him,” literally grown up here, so nobody was going Potter says. to let him grow up here. He was always going Columbia College has made sweeping chang- to be little Bret.” es since Burchard took over. He oversaw the Together, the Burchards made their impact expansion of the Southwell Complex, includ- on the campus, and now Bob is still influencing more seating, a ing the athletics larger press box and department. After the addition of two 30 years as the deTHE BEAUTY OF new courts in the partment’s main COMPETITION IN guide, though, back, and, in 2010, the connector that retirement seems ATHLETICS IS, IT’S 100 links the arena to like it has to be PERCENT UNSCRIPTED the academic and forthcoming.

ENTERTAINMENT. training centers “I know that it’s probably not was built. In 2016, – BOB BURCHARD too long before the main basketball court in the comhe retires,” Potter plex was dubbed Bob Burchard Court. says as tears form at the corner of her eyes, “but Burchard has been named Athletic Director there’s no replacing him.” of the Year in the American Midwest Conference Burchard doesn’t have a plan for his resix times. He has brought the NAIA Softball tirement, nor does he want one. “The beauty Championships to Columbia four times and the of competition in athletics is, it’s 100 percent NAIA Women’s National Volleyball Tournament unscripted entertainment,” he says. “There is to the college twice. He has developed the ath- no script. I don’t know when I’m going to end. letic administration from only himself when he Maybe today. I’ve worked on a handshake here started to now three associate athletic directors, for 30 years. My contract is a handshake, so it’s four support staff members, two athletic trainers unscripted.” and 20 head and assistant coaches. There are even Because even after all of the hires he has more graduate and student assistants who help. made in his department, after all of his accomBurchard is quick to give the credit to his plishments on the court, after all he has done to staff because without them, he wouldn’t be able grow Columbia College Athletics in the city and to manage his two roles. “He’s never told me ‘no’ in the NAIA, Burchard will never be satisfied. if I have an idea, and he thinks that if you have He will always have things to experience, to an idea of something that you think will benefit learn, to teach. the group, then go ahead,” Grzella says. “And if “My guess is that it will end unscripted,” it doesn’t work, ‘I like it, good try.’” he says. “If it would end today, I’d go fish.”

Photograph

by Photographer Photography courtesy of Columbia Name College Athletics

A COACH’S COACH Bob Burchard’s coaching tree, the former players and assistants who have taken coaching positions elsewhere, has grown to include high schools and colleges throughout Missouri.

Bob Burchard

Brian Meny (1988-1990)

Head Coach, Battle High School

Eric Schwein (1993-1995)

Head Coach, Marquette High School

Ed Talton (1989-1991)

Assistant Coach, Monroe City High School

Armeake Estes (1999-2001) Assistant Coach, Kirkwood High School

Sean Dooley (2000-2002) Head Coach, Baker University

Zach Rockers (2011-2016) Matt Brock (2012-2015)

Assistant Coach, Helias High School

Head Coach, Missouri Baptist University

Jesse Brown (2015-2017)

Assistant Coach, Hickman High School

VOX MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2018

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Eyes on the Sky After a health scare 25 years ago, Edge Wade turned to bird-watching and never looked back.

S

STORY BY PETER BAUGH PHOTOGRAPHY BY YEHYUN KIM

he was gone before the baby had a name.

In May 1999, Edge Wade and her husband, Jerry, set out on an ambitious bird-watching trip to Attu, Alaska, a nearly uninhabited island that’s closer to Tokyo than Juneau. Their first grandson had been born two days earlier.

Edge had booked the three-week Attu journey over a year in advance, well before her daughter, Kim Wade, was pregnant. Edge wasn’t going to miss the trip, even though her grandson still needed a name.

Kim didn’t mind. She likes that her mom is independent. She likes that Edge has an intense passion: bird-watching.

Edge Wade visits different places, including the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary (right), almost every day to watch birds.

Sometimes she goes alone. Other times, she heads out with fellow birders such as Bill Mees.

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During her time on Attu, Edge spotted 111 bird species. The bird-watchers’ base camp is a weathered concrete building that the U.S. Coast Guard abandoned decades earlier. Edge and Jerry sleep in a bedroom with stalactites hanging from the ceiling and have to mop the floors twice a day because of water seeping through the walls. They each eat 4,000 calories a day but still lose weight from biking and hiking across the island. It’s all in search of feathered friends who have flown off course while migrating.

Edge learns her grandson’s name, Elliot, while relaxing in the base’s common room, an open area with four tables and a few plastic chairs. She receives the call on a bulky, footlong satellite phone. She finds the name nice enough, but it doesn’t take away her focus on Attu’s birds. The mission of the trip remains unchanged. This is the life of one of the country’s most hardcore bird-watchers.

Edge mentions her cancer in passing, as if it’s a low tank of gas or a bird that got away.

“You had lymphoma?” I ask.

Dumb question.

“I have lymphoma,” she says.

Last year, Edge couldn’t drive for four months due to chemotherapy. Birding excursions evaporated. On good days, she’d feed the birds at her feeders, her cats and herself. Other days, the birds missed out.

Edge stands 5-foot-2. Her 74-year-old face is wrinkled. It looks like she has spent plenty of time outdoors and experienced a few sunburns. She sports several tan bandages on her arms, and she often wears a bandanna around her neck.

Now Edge is in remission, and she says her current treatment gives her a 60-percent chance of surviving at least five years from the time she was diagnosed. She’s on year three. As the years go by, birding gives Edge something to look forward to. She connects with friends over the winged creatures. Bird-watching also ensures she exercises, which helps her health.

“Well, if I’m alive, I’m birding,” she says.

“And birding is part of what keeps me alive.”

You don’t want turkey vultures to poop on your car. Their waste is so corrosive, Edge

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Edge Wade knows birds well enough to make their calls herself, but she also uses a phone app that plays their songs in the hopes of attracting more. “It doesn’t always work, but sometimes they come out, and you can see them better,” Edge says.

says, that it will eat the rubber off windshield wipers. We are at the Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area. Gravel crunches under Edge’s tires as she maneuvers her beige Jeep through the Great Missouri Birding Trail. She peers at the turkey vulture ahead. The bird has a small red head jutting from its body, which is disturbingly large. Its wingspan can reach 6 feet.

Edge’s brain contains a wealth of knowledge about all kinds of birds, but she describes herself as a late-blooming birder — she began after doctors discovered a two-inch blockage in her left femoral artery in 1993 and had to operate. She grew tired of sitting indoors in the weeks following her surgery, so Jerry took her to Rock Bridge Memorial State Park on a spring day. While in the wild, Edge noticed a group of tiny bright birds.

When Edge returned home, she used bird guide, which she now says was awful, to identify the species as yellow-bellied flycatchers. She purchased a better field book, and a couple months later found out those flycatchers were actually ruby-crowned kinglets. That summer, she started studying two species a day and quizzing herself at the end of each week. Her passion was born, and her species list began.

Edge Wade has traveled around the world to see birds, often camping or sleeping in her car.

During a mosquito-ridden trip in 2007 to Big Bend National Park in Texas, she spotted the fan-tailed warbler, a bird that typically appears only in Mexico and Central America. “That was an earned bird,” Edge says.

Fan-tailed warbler

Jerry grew fond of birds, too, though not as much as Edge. He still prioritized New Year’s Day football over New Year’s Day birding, and he wasn’t a dedicated lister, someone who makes lists of the birds they’ve seen. Still, it was a passion they shared. Edge gave Jerry her hand-me-down binoculars, and he even served as president of the Audubon Society of Missouri from 2002 to 2004.

Edge’s list now features 2,833 species of birds around the world, and eBird, an online database that gathers bird-watching information, lists her in the top 100 birders in the United States. She bought her car in November 2014, and it already has over 100,000 miles on the odometer. Cross-country road trips in search of birds will do that.

The Jeep’s walls protect Edge from the cool weather outside. At the start of the journey in Eagle Bluffs, she notes the temperature is 28 degrees. She wears a dark vest, and a hat covers her mostly gray hair. Bill Mees, a friend and fellow birder in the passenger seat, logs each bird in a notebook.

Edge is frustrated. A white-tailed kite, a bird

she has never seen in Missouri, had been spotted 160 miles southwest of Columbia in Stockton.

She had tried to see the bird two days earlier but arrived 20 minutes too late. She’s going back today; she has her bag packed in case she needs to stay overnight. Edge usually uses TripAdvisor, a travel website, to find hotels while on outof-town birding trips, but she’s not opposed to sleeping in her car. She did that in 2004 after a long day of birding on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

Edge is both steadfast in tradition and accepting of technology. She enters the birds she sees into eBird, but she criticizes young birders for using their phones to look up birds in the field. Sometimes their eyes are glued to the screen, and they miss the birds flying overhead.

Edge uses the internet birding log only when she gets home. Bill interrupts his friend’s gripe when he sees a bird, quieting her in an instant.

Edge halts her vehicle. She rolls down the windows, both birders grab their binoculars, and a church-like silence falls over the car.

Bill had seen a sparrow. It’s a common bird, but the pair takes time to observe it. Savannah sparrows are small, Edge says. They have streaky upper breasts and forked tails. It’s what birders call the quintessential “little brown job.”

When Edge is doing what she loves, she’s

happy to talk, but her priority is always spotting birds. Since she started birding, Edge has learned songs and what habitats suit certain birds. This knowledge helps give her a bird list of staggering numbers. She now hopes to reach 3,000 bird species sightings around the world when she flies to India in November, and she is up to 368 in Missouri after spotting a green-tailed towhee in late April in Dallas County.

“Birding is not a hobby,” she says. “It’s a way of life.”

Jerry Wade was an S.O.B. Spouse of birder.

“He enjoyed chasing, going for a special bird,” Edge says. “But he didn’t like just going out day after day and looking at birds.”

Jerry, a Columbia City Council member from 2007 to 2010, was a bearded man who traveled the world with Edge until he died from lung cancer in 2014. The couple met while studying at MU in 1962, and they were married for 49 years.

Birding has helped Edge through the grieving process. She’s able to immerse herself in a world of quests and exploration, which mostly takes her mind off things.

A guide for the novice birder There are more than 150 birds that people can see regularly in Missouri each year.

Here’s a short list of birds you might spot in the Columbia area.

Backyard birds A few birds you can spot in your backyard are ruby-throated hummingbirds, northern cardinals and eastern bluebirds, Missouri’s state bird. To attract them, put out feeders with sugar water, sunflower seeds or mealworms. Or, try setting up a bird bath.

Around town birds If you’re hanging out in CoMo, you’re likely to see house finches or American robins.

These little birds like grassy and suburban areas. If you’re heading out to Columbia Regional Airport, look for the eastern meadowlark, which prefers open pastures.

Well, if I’m alive, I’m birding.

– Edge Wade

Birds you’ll hear first The Carolina wren, orchard oriole and least flycatcher all flit and fly through forests. They might be hard to spot through the trees, but you’ll definitely hear them. Keep your eyes peeled at the ground because the wrens like brushy areas and exposed tree roots.

Photography by Rick Bennet/Flickr, Joshua Mayer/Flickr and Dan Pancamo/Flickr

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Black-capped chickadee

Although Edge Wade hesitates to pick a favorite bird, she does have a soft spot for black-capped chickadees. The birds’ memory of where they’ve stored food is so strong, other birds often tail chickadees in wintertime.

“It’s a two-edged sword in a lot of ways, too, because he was my aider and abettor and support, and I miss that a whole lot,” she says.

“On the other hand, I can go out and look at a bird and just go off with that.”

Edge drove her old car around the country in the months following Jerry’s death, needing to visit places she went with her husband. She wanted to relive the good times, the years before the cancer, and she wanted to make new memories.

Sometimes Edge played through a few CDs as her car streaked down the highway, but a lot of the time she spent without music. She visited Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California, where she searched for birds and thought of the man she loved. Then it was back to the car for long hours of meditative silence. She needed to take the trip alone because she knew she couldn’t control her emotions. Just a widow and the road, an occasional bird passing overhead.

As the Eagle Bluffs trip with Bill Mees comes to a close, a group of coots emerge. They are small black water birds with white heads.

They were Jerry’s favorite.

Edge doesn’t mention Jerry as she talks about the coots’ lobed feet, but she thinks about her husband. These outdoor adventures often clear her mind, but they can also bring back memories of her birding companion.

Edge laughs when asked how often she goes birding. If she’s breathing, she’s birding.

Every vacation, every time she looks out her window, every trek to a park. There’s always time for birds.

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“Literally every trip,” Kim, says. “Like, a trip to the gas station.” Edge says it’s unfathomable to a non-birder to understand how tuned in birders are with their surroundings.

She keeps a pair of binoculars in her car. She watches the trees across the street as she sits in a coffee shop, just in case a bird flies by. Edge says she has three favorite birds: the bird she just saw, the bird she wants to see next, and chickadees.

The songbird has great knowledge of where food is located, so when migratory birds swoop into town, they follow the chickadees’ lead.

Edge likes that they know what’s going on. She is kind of the chickadee of birders; she knows where all the birds are.

Sitting in Lakota Coffee Company, her iPhone rings. The ring tone is loud and sharp; her ears aren’t good. Edge answers and sips a cup of hot coffee.

Kathleen Anderson, another birder, is on the line. She just saw a loon and red-necked grebe, so she called Edge. “That’s a fantastic find,” Edge says.

This is part of what makes Columbia birding fun. There’s some competition, but birders always give one another tips on where to search.

“Now that I know where she is and what she’s got, I’ll be going there,” she says.

The Columbia Audubon Society — a different organization than the Audubon Society of Missouri — meets once a month, and birders from around mid-Missouri take part in the organization. Established in 1958, the society promotes “the earth’s biological diversity through education, environmental study and habitat restoration and protection,” according to its website.

The National Audubon Society has more than 600,000 members in 500 different chapters across the country. Some members take a more casual approach and simply enjoy watching birds while outside. Not Edge, who keeps detailed lists of the birds she sees and where she sees them.

She’s been to every state except Connecticut and Rhode Island, owns timeshare condos in California and Texas, and has seen 797 types of birds in the United States and Canada, excluding Hawaii. “You don’t have a list like that without making some significant effort,” Bill says.

Effort indeed. Edge has seen birds on six continents, and near-misses still bother her.

She can easily recount a vexing trio of birds she has missed seeing in Florida: thick-billed vireo, bananaquit and Bahama mockingbird. “If I had

Bird-watching by the numbers 1918

President Wilson signs the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which protects migratory birds,nests and eggs.

2002

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology launches eBird, an online database that gathers information from birders worldwide.

1 million +

People who have used eBird to track their bird sightings this year

56 million

People who participated in the National Audubon Society’s 2017 Christmas Bird Count by taking a census of the birds they found in specific areas from Dec. 14 to Jan 5.

435

Different bird species in Missouri

18,000

Bird species in the world

4 billion

The number of birds that will fly through the contiguous United States this fall.

2,833

Bird species Edge Wade has spotted worldwide since beginning her birding adventure in the 1990s

every bird that I’ve missed in Florida,” she says, “I’d be well over the 800.”

Edge went to South America this summer, which cost around $12,000. “Kim gets no inheritance,” she said before she left. It’s hard to tell if she’s joking.

Fellow birder Kathleen took a group trip with Edge across the western part of the United States last fall. She compliments Edge’s spotting abilities and research. “She does her homework as to the bird’s habitat and where it might have been seen or where it’s most probable to be seen,” Kathleen says.

Edge writes birding guides of different local areas for the Audubon Society of Missouri, which ties into her educational background. She majored in journalism at MU before earning a master’s in environmental history from University of Illinois-Springfield, then called Sangamon State.

She spent her working days completing various environmental projects. Some were for the Environmental Protection Agency, some were for MU. She even spent a summer as a park ranger. Since her 1993 surgery, she has been retired; her career is now birding.

Edge stays politically informed. She worries about the environmental impact of President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall; it would cut across some of the country’s best birdwatching, making areas impassable. While driving with Bill, Edge won’t refer to Trump by name, instead calling him “he who occupies the presidency of the United States.”

As she reflects on birding, Edge has trouble naming her favorite bird sighting.

She stayed at campsites across Big Bend National Park in Texas until she found a fan-tailed warbler in 2007. A friend once called her and said a rare bird was in Iowa, so she dropped what she was doing and drove through a blizzard until she found it.

For Edge, her list is more than numbers. Each species brings back a memory.

Birding is a passion, an escape, a way to see old friends and make new ones. The birds missing on her list represent goals, hopes for her coming days.

Edge says she has three favorite birds: the bird she just saw, the bird she wants to see next, and chickadees.

Edge Wade is a leader in the birding community in Columbia, writing local bird guides for the Audubon Society of Missouri.

Her husband, Jerry, wasn’t quite as dedicated as Edge, but he served as the ASM president.

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Autumn’s Array Dropping temperatures. Shorter days. Longer nights. Fall is coming, that’s for sure. Something else you can be sure about? Columbia’s art scene hosting plenty of events to get you out of the house. Here’s our guide to the exhibits, theater productions, concerts and films that won’t “leaf” you disappointed.

Jefferson City Art Club Professional Show Motor over to the state capital, where members of the Jefferson City Art Club will showcase their work in a month-long exhibit. Meet with some of the artists during a reception on Oct. 26 from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 27–Oct. 30, Capital Arts, Free, 635-8355

Sager Braudis October Exhibit The artwork of regionally, nationally and internationally acclaimed artists will flood the walls of the Sager Braudis Gallery during this engaging exhibit. For the October show, the artists include Ellen Heck, Laura Moriarty, Amanda Outcalt, Brandon Styles and Thomas Wuf. Oct. 2–27, Tue.–Sun. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Free, 442-4831

Tiffany D. Jackson In partnership with the Unbound Book Festival and the Columbia Public Schools Foundation, Skylark Bookshop welcomes award-winning and best-selling author Tiffany D. Jackson to discuss her debut novel,

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arts

Allegedly, which follows a girl who strives to uncover the truth after she is convicted of murdering a baby. Oct. 4, 7–8:30 p.m., Skylark Bookshop, Free, 777-6990

known for her collections of poetry, will hold a discussion of her latest works, including The New Nudity, Lullaby and The Frame Called Ruin. Oct. 11, 7 p.m., Ellis Library, Free, 884-7773

Photovision 2018

Boone County Art Show

Local photographers will compete for cash prizes — awarded based on the quality of their pieces — at this open-themed exhibit. Oct. 5–27, 2–3 p.m., Orr Street Studios, Free, 875-4370

Eclectic artists from across Boone County will have the opportunity to take over the Columbia Art League this month. Potential pieces include paintings, drawings, sculptures, mixed ceramic work and fiber work. Oct. 13 and 14, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Central Bank of Boone County, Free, 443-8838

First Fridays Galleries, shops and businesses will connect the community with music, art, demonstrations, children’s activities and refreshments on the first Friday of each month. Oct. 5; Nov. 2; Dec. 7, 6–9 p.m., North Village Arts District, Free, 442-2999

Silent Book Club B.Y.O.B. (bring your own book, that is), and enjoy coffee and cookies, conversations with other book-lovers and one hour of silent reading. Oct. 9; Nov. 13, 6–7:30 p.m., Columbia Public Library, Free, 443-3161

Hadara Bar-Nadav As part of the MU Creative Writing Program’s Visiting Writers Series, author Hadara Bar-Nadav,

Stories in Art, Art in Stories The Columbia Art League will host an afternoon where children ages 5 through 9 can create art projects based on a picture book. Registration is required. Oct. 13; Nov. 10, 3–4 p.m., Columbia Public Library, Free, 443-3161

CelebrARTy This grand evening of auction, film, art, food and fun benefits Access Arts, a studio for artists both professional and non-professional. Join eight local artists as they auction off their masterpieces in a fundraising event accompanied by music and cocktails. Oct. 25, 5:30–10 p.m., N.H. Scheppers Distributing Company, $25, 875-0275 Photography by N. Andrew Dent III

Citizen Jane More than a tagline Citizen Jane’s original mission of empowering and encouraging women filmmakers gets a boost from the #MeToo movement.

BY BROOKE JOHNSON

W

omen are disrupting the system. Moving and shaking everything in sight, they’re trying to get what’s theirs — an equal place right in the middle of things, right next to the men.

In 2006, Tarana Burke founded the Me Too movement to help survivors of sexual violence, not knowing that it would become a viral hashtag more than a decade later, in late 2017. On social media, women began sharing their stories, many of which had been kept private for a long time. Fear of speaking out against predatory men was overcome by something stronger: a community of fellow survivors and a moment in time when it seemed as if people were actually listening.

In January, galvanized by a letter from a legion of Latina female farmworkers offering solidarity to the cause, a force of influential women in Hollywood penned their own letter promising to put the kabosh on mistreatment of women, sexual or otherwise. Time’s up, they said. No more sweeping abuse under the rug.

They started the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund to assist women in all industries with the financial burden of taking legal action against perpetrators and created an online resource to recognize and address workplace harassment.

Even before Time’s Up and #MeToo though, Stephens College’s Citizen Jane Film Festival was dedicating one fourday weekend each year to addressing the discrepancies between the treatment of men and women in the film indus-

WOMEN CAN MAKE ANY MOVIE, AND EVERYBODY NEEDS TO REMEMBER THAT. – DONNA KOZLOSKIE

try. Since its inception in 2005, Citizen Jane has been fostering a community of female directors by bringing them to a film festival that’s part discussion, part celebration, part networking and part artist retreat. The goal of the weekend is to inspire audiences and energize female filmmakers to keep telling their stories.

Citizen Jane begins each year’s festivities with a summit during which a panel of industry professionals addresses a particularly timely topic. The theme this year is Who can tell your story? It’s a fitting follow-up to last year’s theme: #MeToo. Emerson Van Roekel, a digital filmmaking student at Stephens, says that although revelations of sexual harassment in the film industry didn’t come as a surprise, the 2017 summit was the first time Citizen Jane attendees talked openly about it. Before, she says, there were only private conversations about sexual harassment; a mentor might pull a Stephens filmmaking student aside and say something like, “Hey, just so you know, this is what this is, and this is how you deal with it.”

Van Roekel is thankful for the emergence of a template to actually confront the issue. In reference to Time’s Up, Van Roekel says, “We’re seeing so many influential women not brushing it off.

(They’re) talking about it and being up in arms and getting the whole country up in arms about it, and that’s really inspiring.”

Being able to openly discuss sexual abuse and other mistreatment of women in the film industry isn’t the only change Citizen Jane has experienced over the past year. Female filmmakers also seem to be taking greater creative risks because of their bolstered confidence, says Donna Kozloskie, programming director for the fest. She adds that women might no longer feel relegated to making Hallmark movies and romantic comedies.

Kozloskie is the one who selects all of the feature films and some of the shorts that play at Citizen Jane, and she makes a concerted effort to represent as many genres as possible. In doing so, she hopes to broaden people’s view on what women are capable of. “Women can make any movie, and everybody needs to remember that,” she says.

It appears that more people in the industry are taking note. Kozloskie says that for Citizen Jane, an unanticipated consequence of women moving into the foreground of filmmaking is that it’s more difficult to get female directors to attend the festival. This means more flexibility is necessary on the part of fest organizers, but Kozloskie doesn’t mind. In fact, she’s thrilled that women are getting more work — she knows they deserve it.

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Citizen Jane NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN

Western heroes aren’t only men with pistols anymore; sometimes they’re women just trying to get by.

C

Joanna Luloff

When Women Wrote Hollywood

Author Joanna Luloff will discuss her book Remind Me Again What Happened, a mystery in which the main character must piece back together her life.

Oct. 25, 7–8 p.m., Skylark Bookshop, Free, 777-6990

In collaboration with the Citizen Jane Film Festival and the Unbound Book Festival, some of the authors of the book When Women Wrote Hollywood join to read and discuss their work. The book is a collection of essays that showcase the lives of remarkable women screenwriters from Hollywood’s Golden Age. Nov. 3, 1–2:30 p.m., Skylark Bookshop, Free, 777-6990

Charles J. Shields Acclaimed biographer and New York Times bestseller Charles J. Shields presents his latest book, The Man Who Wrote the Perfect Novel, about author John Williams, a former MU professor, and his writing. Oct. 26, 7–8:30 p.m., Skylark Bookshop, Free, 777-6990

Kris Holloway

Orr Street Studios displays original artworks that were designed to reflect the various characteristics of Columbia. Oct. 28–Dec. 2, Orr Street Studios, Free, 875-4370

Co-sponsored by MU, Kris Holloway recounts her personal experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer and of Monique Dembele, a midwife Holloway met in a small village in Mali, West Africa in her book Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years With a Mali Midwife. Nov. 9, 2–3 p.m., Columbia Public Library, Free, 443-3161

LaTanya McQueen

Socrates Café

MU alumna LaTanya McQueen returns to share work from her latest essay collection that explores black female identity, And It Begins Like This, coming out in October. Nov. 1, 7 p.m., Ellis Library, Free, 884-7773

Let’s get philosophical. The Columbia Public Library hosts a discussion where participants can consider and debate thought-provoking topics from Christopher Phillips’ book Socrates Café: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy. Nov. 20, 7–8:30 p.m., Columbia Public Library, Free, 443-3161

The Columbia Scene

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BY BROOKE JOHNSON

urrently boasting a 100-percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, Nia DaCosta’s debut drama Little Woods — the Citizen Jane Film Festival’s opening night film — confronts one tough decision after another. The movie takes on the health care and justice systems through simultaneously small and monumental personal choices.

The story is about a young woman named Ollie, played by Tessa Thompson, who navigates family, financial and moral crises in economically struggling Little Woods, North Dakota. Ollie must determine whether to return to an activity she thought she’d given up for good: smuggling painkillers across the Canadian border.

Little Woods explores feminism, the opioid crisis and other hot- button topics. In fact, Donna Kozloskie, Citizen Jane programming director, chose this film precisely because of its accessibility to diverse audiences.

The film grapples with heavy, oppressive issues in a way that is relatable and human, she says. “It deals with poverty in this really realistic way that I feel like isn’t often portrayed. It’s usually not this palpable, not this true.”

Kozloskie also appreciates the way Little Woods reimagines the Western. According to AMC’s Filmsite website, most Westerns are moral tales focusing on archetypal conflicts, such as virtue versus evil. The heroes of these films are typically men, often sheriffs, who combat the forces that threaten to tear society apart.

Conversely, the main character in Little Woods must decide whether to subvert the system entirely in order to save her family.

And not only is Ollie an outlaw, but she’s also a woman, further pushing the boundaries of who a Western hero can be.

Little Woods will be screened Nov. 2. Tickets will be available for $10 ($8 for students and senior citizens) starting Oct. 21.

Citizen Jane A scene set in Missouri These flicks show there’s no one way to showcase Missouri.

BY RUNJIE WANG

E

ach year at the Citizen Jane Film Festival, a selection of films are chosen to represent the Show Me State. Featuring films set and produced in Missouri, the aptly named Missouri Made series showcases the diverse stories that come out of the fest’s home state.

This year’s lineup includes minidocumentary Such and Such and narrative comedy Dicey. The directors of these films, Ashley Seering and Tiana Williams, spoke separately with Vox about their films, the festival and why they picked Missouri as the backdrop to tell their stories.

Tell us about your films Such and Such and Dicey.

Ashley Seering: Such and Such is a short documentary film. It’s essentially about a farm in Missouri just outside of St. Louis called Such and Such Farm. It was started by a young couple, and they didn’t have any prior farming experience, so they would learn either from other local farmers’ techniques or search the internet. But they liked the idea of sustainable farming and being able to support themselves by growing their own food and growing it in a way that was good for the environment. Through their persistence, they were able to create this farm that now provides food to some of the best restaurants in St. Louis.

Tiana Williams: Dicey is a short narrative comedy about two roommates who get stood up on the same night, cast a love spell on their love interests and have to figure out how to break the spell they’ve cast. I was inspired by exploring spiritu-

ality and also by a relationship. I want to explore the intimacy in friendship.

Can you tell us about your Citizen Jane experience?

Seering: This is still a very male-dominated industry, and I think this sort of festival that celebrates the work of women is really amazing. There are women filmmakers all over the country, but how many times do we collaborate with one another to meet in person and actually be able to make these connections? I think that’s really important.

What has your experience been making films in Missouri?

Seering: I loved it because there’s a lot of freedom. I think St. Louis is a great place to make films because there’s so many great ideas that exist there and

Photography courtesy of Citizen Jane Film Festival

Citizen Jane was founded in 2005 as a lecture series and evolved into a film festival in 2008.

IF YOU GO When: Nov. 1–4 Where: Screenings at various locations downtown Tickets: Weekend passes ranging from $65–$105; individual tickets $10; $8 students and seniors.

stories that I think deserve to be told but often get overlooked. I love to be able to tap into that and tell these stories that otherwise may not have been paid attention to.

What are your thoughts on diversity in the film industry?

Williams: I think we are in a prime time for creating more space for African-American women and women of color to tell stories. But there’s always room for more growth. We definitely haven’t made it to where we want to be; we’re just getting started. I think that what is happening is stemming from #MeToo. It’s a great time to turn something painful into something beautiful. Now that women in the industry have our attention, I think they are using this opportunity to share their story and take the main stage.

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MUSIC Space Jesus Self-described as “the feeling you get when you travel through a wormhole in a fresh pair of Jordans,” Space Jesus is an electronic music DJ. He has been creating beats since he was young and has performed at large EDM festivals, such as Tomorrowworld. Oct. 2, 7 p.m., The Blue Note, $17 in advance; $20 day of, 874-1944

Corey Smith Country star Corey Smith will be bringing his southern flare to Columbia. The singer wrote every song on his 10 albums and has begun releasing singles from his forthcoming album, the Great Wide Underground. Oct. 3, 7 p.m., The Blue Note, $20, 874-1944

Eli Young Band This Texas band returns to Columbia with new songs from its album Fingerprints as well as classic hits such as “Even If It Breaks Your Heart.” Prepare for a night of love songs and boot-stomping anthems.

Oct. 4, 8 p.m., The Blue Note, $25, 874-1944

Missouri’s fourth annual men’s choral concert.

Males ages 10 and up come together and practice their vocals in order to put on a concert in one day. Oct. 6, 5 p.m., $5, MU Fine Arts Building, choralartsallianceofmissouri.org

2018 Mid-Mo Rock Awards Welcome to the Grammy Awards of mid-Missouri.

This black tie, red-carpet event will award rock and metal bands in 15 different categories. Come check out the live performances, and make your predictions on who will win each category. Oct. 7, 7 p.m., The Blue Note, $5 in advance; $7 day of, 874-1944

Raleigh Keegan Up-and-coming country music singer-songwriter Raleigh Keegan is ready to show our city that he’s one to look out for with his debut single “Lookin’ Like That.”

Oct. 12, 9 p.m., Cost TBD, Nash Vegas, www.raleighkeegan.com

Lauv

Electric indie duo Cherub shot to fame with its song “Doses & Mimosas” in 2012. They’ve played festivals around the world, such as Lollapalooza, Glastonbury and Bonnaroo. Oct. 5, 9 p.m., The Blue Note, $20 in advance; $22 day of, 874-1944

EDM singer-songwriter Lauv is best known for his singles “The Other” and “I Like Me Better.” What began as music produced in his bedroom has evolved into tunes that have been streamed over 1 billion times on Spotify. Oct. 14, 8 p.m., The Blue Note, $20 in advance; $24 day of, 874-1944

All Men A-Loud!

Roomful of Teeth

Come and listen to the Choral Arts Alliance of

Part of the University Concert Series, Roomful of

Cherub

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Teeth is an ensemble featuring eight people who will bring their Grammy-winning talent to the stage.

Oct. 23, 6 p.m. doors open; 7 p.m. show, $28; $23, children, Missouri Theatre, 882-3781

Lanco The country group was included on Country Music Television’s “18 for 2018” list of artists to watch. The band is currently touring with its debut album Hallelujah Nights, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard country albums chart. Oct. 24, 8 p.m., The Blue Note, $25, 874-1944

ONA Grab a beer, and enjoy the sounds of indie rock with a band composed of longtime friends whose debut record American Fiction earned national success. Oct. 28, 8 p.m., $5 in advance; $7 day of, Rose Music Hall, 875-0588

Rosario Andino One stage. One piano. One woman. Having begun her musical studies at the age of four, Cuban pianist Rosario Andino brings her talents to Columbia having performed throughout the United States, Cuba, Mexico and Europe. Nov. 2, 7 p.m., Missouri Theatre, $28; $23, children, 882-3781

Dismal Niche Let’s get experimental Get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the artists scheduled for the annual music festival.

BY MADISON SKAHILL

W

hen it comes to the boundaries of sound, don’t rule anything out for the 2018 Columbia Experimental Music Festival.

Dismal Niche has curated a captivating experience for curious listeners, with well-known experimental genre artists and mid-Missouri pioneers alike.

Dismal Niche Director Matt Crook says there’s plenty of interest in experimental music in Columbia. “We’re trying to pull from a pretty large demographic that falls within the experimental music community,” Crook says about the cross section of performers in the lineup.

Originally formed as a local tape label in 2013, Dismal Niche became a nonprofit in 2015 and has since changed its focus to bringing new music to Columbia through this annual event. This year’s festival will take place Oct. 5-7 in favored local watering holes such as Cafe Berlin, Hitt Records and Eastside Tavern.

The festival will also feature a number of workshops and art installations.

Tickets for the festival can be purchased on the Eventbrite page. Prices for the festival starts at $10 for an individual Friday pass, $20 for a Saturday or Sunday pass and $50 for a full weekend pass.

“I think (festivalgoers) can expect the same thing that we’ve kind of developed a reputation for every year, which is there will be really challenging music,” Crook says. “And there will be really calm, restorative, relaxing, meditative music.”

Here are a few artists to scope out.

Entrancer If you’re into dance textures, composer Ryan McRyhew, known on stage as Entancer, has something fresh for you on Saturday at Eastside Tavern. He explains: “I’ll go from ambient spaces — things that are really sparse and minimal — to really rapid, 160-bpm rhythms. PolyPhotography courtesy of David Magdziarz

rhythms. Really complex dance music.”

McRyhew has been releasing mixes since 2014 but says his performances aren’t based on anything he’s previously put out, and they teeter on improvisation. “It’s kind of just like grabbing all these different genres, like techno and free jazz and ambient music, and then trying to like throw them into one sort of digestible performance or not digestible,” he says.

Glenn Jones American luminary Glenn Jones will bring divine acoustic skills to Senior Hall on Saturday. And if you can’t pay to make it to the main act, Jones will also be playing a bonus show free for the public at the Daniel Boone Regional Library on Sunday.

Crook says Glenn Jones is also at the forefront of American folk guitar and plays intimate shows for his audiences.

After a 21-year break from performing, ONO returned to the music scene in 2007. The group rotates members for every performance making it a surprise for the group and the audience.

2018 COLUMBIA EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC FESTIVAL Oct. 5-6, 5 p.m.

Oct. 7, 11 a.m. $10–50 single day and full weekend passes available, cargocollective.com

ONO Dubbed by the Village Voice as “one of the most influential bands you’ve never heard of,” this Chicago-based avant-gospel group will be bringing its sound to Cafe Berlin Friday evening.

Founder of the group and performer Michael Ono describes the sound as an expression of emotion. “It’s all about about gospel spiritual in combination with afro-futurist noise,” he says. “Sound, spoken word, a little bit of free jazz, somewhat.

It’s all about catching the holy ghost and getting the feeling.”

Jennifer Simone Jennifer Simone is a festival veteran making this year her fourth consecutive appearance. Although she hails from Cincinnati, her performance is craved in Columbia for a reason. “I don’t use the word ‘transcendent’ very often to describe music,” Crook says. But of Simone’s music, “I would use that word to describe it.”

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MUSIC Pokey LaFarge After getting the crowd dancing last year at Roots N Blues, Pokey’s coming back. The St. Louis based American musician, writer and actor is known for his reflective sounds. Nov. 3, 8:30 p.m., The Blue Note, $17 in advance; $20 day of, 874-1944

The Ford Theatre Reunion This quintet meshes Balkan folk and hot club jazz to reveal their own form of progressive metal. The band has a distinctive genre that can only be defined by their music. The party continues with The Barroom Billies the same night. Nov. 4, 8 p.m., $5, Rose Music Hall, 875-0588

U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors For more than six decades, this U.S. Army Field Band has combined support for our country with music as they tour around the nation. The 19-piece ensemble, also know as America’s Big Band, will be performing contemporary jazz.

Nov. 7, 7 p.m., Jesse Auditorium, Free, 882-3781 Aaron Watson Inspired by classic country artists, Watson’s music has a honky-tonk vibe that echoes the tones of his idols. This show is a Salvation Army Rock the Red Kettle Event, and a portion of the

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proceeds will go to the charity. Nov. 8, 8 p.m., The Blue Note, $20, 874-1944 Sounds of Japan Join Columbia Chorale for a Japanese-themed concert that blends Eastern and Western sounds to create music that unifies these cultures. Nov. 10, 7 p.m., Cost TBD, Missouri Theatre, choralartsallianceofmissouri.org Katie Thiroux Trio She’s a bassist-vocalist, and it’s her trio’s first appearance for “We Always Swing” Jazz Series. She is known for captivating many with her jazz and classical vocal styles. Nov. 11, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m., $28-46 general, $20-25 students, Murry’s, 449-3009 Showcase Ensembles Concerts Stephens College’s ensembles The Velvetones and A Class Act Musical Theatre Troupe perform vocal jazz and musical theater in this concert series.

Nov. 11 and Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m., Historic Senior Recital Hall at Stephens College, Free, 442-2211 Tyler Childers This country singer-songwriter’s debut album Purgatory documents his hometown in Kentucky.

Childers was nominated for Emerging Artist of the Year at the Americana Music Association Honors and Awards. Nov. 13, 8 p.m., The Blue Note, $15, 874-1944

Ashley McBryde Country rock artist and Arkansas native Ashley McBryde has opened for big names such as Chris Stapleton and Eric Church. McBryde was dubbed one of Rolling Stone’s “Artists You Need to Know.”

Nov. 29, 8:30 p.m., The Blue Note, $15, 874-1944 Home Free Kick off your Christmas celebration with this acapella five-man band. ’Tis the season to enjoy your holiday favorites with a country twist. Dec. 20, 8 p.m., $20–130, Jesse Auditorium, 874-1944

Stage The Anastasia Trials in the Court of Women Why simply watch a play when you can get involved? The Warehouse Theatre Company asks its audience to work as both judge and jury in this courtroom drama that puts five women on trial for their betrayal of Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov. Oct. 4–6, 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 7, 2 p.m., Warehouse Theatre Company, $8, general; $6, seniors and students, 876-7199

Songs for a New World Take a stand and make a choice. The MU Theatre Department presents Songs for a New World, a series of musical stories that focus on life, love and choices. Oct. 11–13; Oct. 18–20, 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 14, 2 p.m., McKee Gymnasium, $16, 882-7529

Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood What if Maid Marian was the one underneath the hood? The Stephens College Playhouse Theatre Company presents this gender-bending tale following Robin Hood and her merry (wo)men.

Oct. 26 and 27, 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 27 and 28, 2 p.m., Playhouse Theatre, $16; $8, seniors and students, 876-7199

Ailey II Witness the extraordinary choreography and captivating spirit of Ailey II, originally called the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, a dance group that embodies the ideals and visions of choreographer

Alvin Ailey. Ailey II has dominated the stage for more than 40 years — go to the show, and see why. Oct. 30, 6 p.m. doors; 7 p.m. show, Jesse Auditorium, $18–38, 882-3781

Fever/Dream A modern-day retelling of Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s Life is a Dream, this production follows a man named Segis as his life is interrupted with an important discovery: He’s the heir to a business empire. If you buy tickets at least one week in advance at the box office, you’ll receive a $2 discount. Oct. 31–Nov. 3, 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 4, 2 p.m., Rhynsburger Theatre, $16, 882-2021

Sans Merci A contemporary drama by Johanna Adams, this production follows a woman who survived rape and attempted murder by South American revolutionaries during a dangerous humanitarian mission. The mother of another victim visits her three years later, and together they must cope with the loss and figure out the truth of what happened.

Nov. 8–10, 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 11, 2 p.m., Stephens College, $8; $6, student and senior, 442-2211

Opera Scenes Join the MU Theatre Department for a night of opera and mystery. Student composer Hans Bridger Heruth will debut his production, “A Certain Madness,” based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous Sherlock Holmes novels. Nov. 9 and 10, 7:30 p.m., Rhynsburger Theatre, $5; Free for MU students, 882-7529

Missouri Contemporary Ballet In its 13th season, Missouri Contemporary Ballet will inspire with a repertoire performance titled “Intersections” that combines creative talents from a diverse set of choreographic masterminds.

Choreographers include Missouri Contemporary Ballet’s Artistic Director Karen Mareck Grundy and Resident Choreographer Fernando Rodriguez.

Nov. 16 and 17, 6 p.m. doors; 7 p.m. show, Missouri Theatre, $28–48, 882-3781

Great Russian Nutcracker This classic features handcrafted sets and costumes that will warm hearts and kick-start the holiday season. Exquisite dancing and lively puppetry will make this a production to remember. Nov. 28, 6 p.m. doors; 7 p.m. show, Jesse Auditorium, $30–50, 882-3781

Leader of the Pack For fans of ’60s music, Stephens College presents Leader of the Pack, a production celebrating the life of Ellie Greenwich, one of the most successful pop music writers of her era. The musical takes audiences through Greenwich’s hit songs and tunes. Nov. 30–Dec.1; Dec. 7 and 8, 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 2, 2 p.m., Playhouse Theatre, $16; $8, seniors and students, 876-7199

Mary Poppins Jr. This one-hour production brings the magic of this Disney classic to CoMo. There’s even an opportunity after the show to meet the characters. Dec. 1 and 2, 2 p.m.; 7 p.m., Warehouse Theatre, $12; $7, children, 449-4536

The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged) The Reduced Shakespeare Company will perform a holiday show that’s funny and festive. Bring a gift of $5 or less, and you can participate in an audience gift exchange. Since it started in 1981, the company has crafted 10 world-famous stage shows along with TV specials and radio shows.

Dec. 12, 6 p.m. door; 7 p.m. show, Missouri Theatre, $38; $28, children, 882-3781 VOX MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2018

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IN TH E LOOP

Talking horse ESSAY

His curtain call When Ed Hanson founded Talking Horse Productions in 2012, he changed the local theater scene and people’s lives along with it.

BY HIROAKI KONO

S

unlight shines softly through the hall at Talking Horse Productions where founder Ed Hanson pauses to consider the theater’s origins.

“He was hoping to be able to convince me to start my own company,” Hanson says, referring to the landlord who owned the space that originally housed Talking Horse. “At first I told him no, and then the more I thought about what a unique opportunity it would be to start something from scratch, the more intrigued I became with the idea.”

That was August 2011. Six months later, Talking Horse opened its doors with Hanson at the helm. He was armed with 28 years of music teaching experience and a lifelong passion for theater.

After six years and more than 50 shows, Hanson has begun his second retirement, officially stepping down from his role as artistic director on Sept. 1.

A self-identified theater person, Hanson has been involved in performing groups since he was 12. That experience ultimately led him to pursue a career in music education. In 1981, he began teaching music to students in kindergarten through 12th grade in Ashland, where he also gave private piano lessons and directed elementary choir and high school plays. In 1992, he relocated to Columbia and continued teaching.

The impact Hanson had in the classroom didn’t go unnoticed. In sixth grade, Mark Baumgartner played Thomas Edison in a school play Hanson directed — a formative experience that cemented his dream to become an actor.

Baumgartner went on to act in Talking Horse shows, and he and Hanson keep in touch. “There is rarely a day that goes by that I don’t employ a piece of advice from Ed,” Baumgartner says.

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WHAT’S NEXT

Hanson’s retirement isn’t stopping Talking Horse from staging its slated productions: • Sweeney Todd, Oct. 12–14; 18–21; 25–28 • Clever Little Lies, Dec. 7–9; 13–16 • White People, Feb. 8–10; 14–19

A lifetime performer, Ed Hanson has influenced midMissouri through not only his time teaching in public schools but also through the development of Talking Horse Productions.

To date, Hanson says his most memorable experience at the company was directing and performing in A Man of No Importance. In a condensed time frame — with only two and a half weeks to prepare — the show provided a platform upon which Hanson could relay an important message to audiences, which he sums up in this way: “You should love people for who they are, not for other reasons.

You love your friends because you have a friendship.”

Although he plays less of a role in Talking Horse’s day-to-day operations

since his retirement, Hanson says he hopes the production company expands its audience to include a younger demographic while embracing its authenticity.

And, above all, he hopes Talking Horse continues to share art that affects those who witness it. “(Art) impacts me that way, and being able to share what I do and see that it impacts other people that way, too — there’s just nothing quite like that,” Hanson says.

“It’s a real gift that I enjoy sharing with other people, and I hope that Talking Horse just continues to do that.”

Photography by Huong Truong/Archive

GET A TASTE OF THAI P. 43

NEAR, FAR, FOOD FESTS FOR ALL P. 44

Spike your sweets Who says you can’t have your alcohol and eat it, too?

BY CHRISTINA LONG Tasty treats and boozy beverages: Combine the two, and you’re jumping on board with a trend that’s been catching on in restaurants from New York to California to Columbia, with alcohol-infused ice cream being the crowd favorite. Ice cream has never been just for kids, with its origins dating back to Alexander the Great.

The trend puts an especially grownup twist on the popular treat. Spiked ice cream isn’t a new invention, but it has seen an uptick in popularity in the past few years. New York-based Tipsy Scoop has sold its alcohol-infused flavors online and to restaurants since 2012. They became so popular that in May 2017, the retailer opened an ice cream “barlour” in the city. CoMo has been ahead of the inside scoop. Businesses such as Sparky’s Homemade Ice Cream and Chris McD’s have offered alcohol and ice cream combinations for years. Here are four places perfect for a sweet night cap.

Chris McD’s The Brandy Alexander Photography by Jason Vance

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E AT + DRINK

The Brandy Alexander Through an after-dinner cordials menu, Chris McD’s offers its take on a cocktail called an Alexander. Rather than following a traditional recipe and straining a mix of gin, creme de cacao and heavy cream into a martini glass, Chris McD’s does it somewhat differently. “We’ll do brandy, creme de cacao and three scoops of vanilla bean ice cream,” says bartender Sarah Prettyman, “and then we’ll blend it and serve it in a brandy snifter.”

Chris McD’s, 1400 Forum Blvd., $8

KOPN 89.5fm...Where Else?

It’s not just radio, it’s community radio.

Chocolate Amaro Mousse Although Flyover, a small-plate style restaurant, doesn’t have a regular dessert menu, chef Adam Wells-Morgan says he likes to include chocolate mousse made with amaro, an Italian liqueur common in desserts, in some of his nightly offerings. Whether it’s a coffee-based amaro mousse or a simple chocolate mousse topped with charred oranges, Wells-Morgan says it always sells out quickly. The combination of chocolate, tempered egg yolk, vanilla and cream makes the dish. Wells-Morgan chills the chocolate, egg and sugar mixture, adds the amaro and then folds whipped cream into it.

Flyover Restaurant and Bar, 212 E. Green Meadows Road, $8-12

Vanilla Soft-Serve Slushie The vanilla soft-serve slushie was meant to be a summer special, but Silverball owner Nik Parks says it was so popular he decided to keep it on the menu. Made with a vanilla soft-serve drink mix and vanilla vodka, the slushie allows for all sorts of flavor combinations. “People love mixing it with strawberry daiquiri or peach or blueberry — all the fruity flavors — because it just tastes like a summer treat,” Parks says.

Silverball Arcade Bar, 122 S. Ninth St., $6

On your radio dial at 89.5 fm or live streaming at kopn.org

Guinness Floats Among the classic flavors like chocolate, cake batter, and cookies and cream, you might also find boozy ice creams behind the glass at Sparky’s, such as the vodka-infused White Russian or the Les Bourgeois and Ghirardelli flavors. Sparky’s also offers a stout float: a scoop of your choice in a glass of Guinness.

Sparky’s Homemade Ice Cream, 21 S. Ninth St., $5.61

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‘Nuu’ take on Thai This family of five brings a classic cultural menu to CoMo.

BY ALEXA HODGES veryone has always told Renu Olson that she had a knack for cooking. Finally heeding her friends’ compliments, she teamed up with her husband, Rob Olson, and opened Nuu Thai food truck, a mobile trailer serving dishes similar to the ones Renu grew up with in Thailand. Nuu Thai dishes out chicken and peanut sauce, pad thai, drunken noodles and more in the Macadoodles parking lot.

Renu and Rob’s three kids — 19-year-old Levi, 16-year-old Luke and 13-year-old Yada — also help to staff the 8-by-16 kitchen and take orders at the window. Together, the Olson five prep, cook and serve to locals with a more international palette.

For Rob, the best part of the business is doing it as a family. “We have our ups and downs, of course, but it’s kind of fun to be together in the food trailer,” he says. If you ask Luke, the middle child, what his favorite part of working at the food truck is, he’ll tell you with a big grin that it’s “eating the food.”

Nuu Thai — inspired by Renu’s nickname, Nuu, and pronounced like “new” — quietly opened while college students were away this summer, so it’s possible that folks who were out of town might not have noticed it. The truck has limited operating hours and is open only from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Saturday.

Staying open more would be tough, if not impossible, because Renu and Rob have full-time jobs, and the children have school during the week.

Monday through Friday, Rob works in the information technology services division for the State of Missouri in Jefferson City while Renu chases kids

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Photography by Di Pan

Levi and Yada Olson work in the family food truck when they are not in school.

The Olsons say they enjoy the family unity of serving food together.

Basil chicken is the best-selling dish at Nuu Thai, a family business created by Renu “Nuu” Olson.

IT’S FUN TO BE TOGETHER IN THE FOOD TRAILER. –ROB OLSON

during her workweek baby-sitting.

Despite the loaded schedules, Rob and Renu began to put the idea of a food truck on paper back in December when they started the process of opening a business with the city. Six months later, they opened and immediately ran into a technical issue with the trailer that caused them to close two hours into their first day.

Luckily, there haven’t been any major problems since, and business is doing well. “It’s been good,” Rob says. “Every week we were doing a little bit better, and now, we’ve kind of leveled off.”

The couple says they think the heat could be a reason the number of customers has steadied, but support from local establishments keeps the Nuu Thai

owners optimistic. They’ve received continued requests to sell their food at different businesses and events around Columbia.

In the future, Rob says one goal is to “make it through the winter,” as he and Renu share a laugh. “To be able to sell at least one or two weeks when it gets cold. But maybe by next summer, open another day — maybe during the week or something,” he says.

If you go, make sure to try the basil chicken or pork with rice, fried egg and cucumbers. It came highly recommended from Luke and Yada. Renu says she could “eat that every day.”

You can find Nuu Thai at Macadoodles from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

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Food festivals worth falling for Take your taste buds on a day trip with these seasonal Show-Me activities.

BY SAVANNAH WALSH

F

all is synonymous with warm ciders, cool air and pumpkinflavored everything, but the season can also make an ideal setting for an intrastate road trip. Across Missouri, fall festivals use food to foster community — no matter your neck of the woods.

Grapes will be stomped, apple butter will be churned, and a lot of leaf-shaped desserts will be eaten. No matter what you’re craving, our state offers festival options to quench your appetite for autumn.

Get nutty with it Brunswick might only have a population of 800, but Tammy Taylor, president of Brunswick Pecan Festival, says the event brings new people into town to experience some delicious food in the process. Local pecan growers sell nuts downtown while the pecan pie-baking contest draws upwards of 40 pies each year. The top three pies are auctioned off, with one pie selling for $2,200 last year. This slice of smalltown goodness comes with a price — if you’re willing to bid at the auction — and the guarantee of a sated stomach.

Where: Downtown Brunswick Distance from CoMo: 70 miles When: Oct. 5–7, times vary by day

Other nut festivals to check out Black Walnut Festival, Stockton, 160 miles from Columbia, Sept. 27 to 29, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Missouri Chestnut Roast, New Franklin, 26 miles from Columbia, Oct. 6, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Through the grapevine The Hollister Grape & Fall Festival takes love of fruit to a new level with the Color Me Grape 5K and a grape-stomping competition, which chairman D. Todd Aeschliman describes as “90 seconds of nuttiness.” Local businesses help with festivities. Lindwedel Winery provides drinks for a Beer and Wine Garden, while Bear Creek Farms picks grapes from its

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vineyard for the stomping competition.

Where: Downtown Hollister Distance from CoMo: 208 miles When: Oct. 13, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Other wine festivals to check out Crush Festival, Les Bourgeois in Rocheport, 13 miles from Columbia, Oct. 6, 2–6 p.m., Oct. 7, noon to 4 p.m.

Get ready for the crisp air of October by enjoying the fall flavors of grapes and walnuts along with local wines at these festivities.

Brew at the Zoo & Wine Too, Kansas City Zoo, 126 miles from Columbia, Oct. 20, 7–10 p.m.

Apples to apples In Mt. Vernon, a sense of tradition permeates Apple Butter Makin’ Days. Groups convene around the historic county courthouse to make apple butter in copper ketPhotography by N. Andrew Dent III

E AT + DRI N K

tles over wood fire. Mike Tebow, chairman of the festival, says the callback to a vintage pastime is inspiring. “We’re just a little bitty town of like 4,500 people,” Tebow says. “But during Apple Butter Days, we’ll have close to 100,000 people.”

Where: Historic Lawrence County Courthouse Distance from CoMo: 197 miles When: Oct. 12-13, 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Oct. 14, 9:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It’s a foot stompin’ time at the Hollister Grape & Fall Festival where everything focuses on fall — the competition, the 5K and the drinks.

Other apple festivals to check out Versailles Olde Tyme Apple Festival, locations around town, 67 miles from Columbia, Oct. 6, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Kimmswick Apple Butter Festival, downtown Kimmswick, 134 miles from Columbia, Oct. 27, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Oct. 28, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Photography courtesy of D. Todd Aeschliman

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SURE, AT FIRST I WAS A LITTLE TAKEN ABACK

BY THE WHOLE PEEING STANDING UP THING. BUT I TAUGHT HIM TO THROW A STICK AND NOW HANGING OUT WITH HIM IS THE BEST PART OF MY DAY. — EINSTEIN adopted 12-09-10

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ADULTING 101: LET’S BE FRIENDS P.50

Beauty meets utility Columbia artists embrace the simplicity that comes from creating fine art.

BY JENNA GRUNDTNER

Theophile Gautier, the French novelist behind the idea of “art for art’s sake,” once said, “Nothing is truly beautiful unless it cannot be used for anything.” Functional art proves that’s simply not true. Sitting somewhere between fine art and everyday objects, functional art, also known as craft, includes a wide array of items such as dishware, pottery and books.

These four Columbia artists found their niche in the gap between the practical and the decorative.

Photography courtesy of Mary Sandbothe

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C ITY LIFE HOME Reader’s Digest issues become book covers (below) in the hands of paper artists Mary Sandbothe and Courtney Swisher.

Taylor Emery of Clay by Tay draws inspiration from pop culture for her designs (left).

Mold and Deckle MU graduate Mary Sandbothe and her partner, Courtney Swisher, created Mold and Deckle as a business specializing in handmade paper and repurposed book covers. Their journals are “made dearly and queerly in Columbia, Mo.” Sandbothe discovered her passion for papermaking as an undergraduate.

She started her business to make some extra income while in graduate school, when she worked in the university’s fiber studio. Now she has a home studio in her basement replete with hydraulic papermaking presses and a paper dryer.

Sandbothe says the distinction between fine art and craft is arbitrary because functional art gives life and beauty to something as simple as paper. “There is as much craftsmanship in papermaking as there is in painting.” moldanddeckle.com Find it at: Poppy, 920 E. Broadway #1

Adinkra Wil Palmieri, an artist and MU study abroad coordinator, says artistic moments often happen when one’s identity collides with an inspiring experience.

For Palmieri, that moment was studying abroad in Ghana and backpacking through West Africa. While in West Africa, Palmieri noticed the prevalence of handkerchiefs. Locals used them to wipe the sweat from their brows, dress up a tailored suit, wave at celebratory events and even shoo away children.

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This duality — being dressed up or down — inspired Palmieri to create Adinkra, a brand named after a word in the Akan language that means visual symbols that convey a concept or an original thought. Palmieri says the Adinkra parables transcend all cultures and teach about underlying values of humanity. The Adinkra brand encourages people to use its handkerchiefs as a way to have fun with fashion and to not take themselves too seriously. “Whether they want to dress up or use it more functionally, it’s a fun, playful tool,” Palmieri says. sagerbraudisgallery.com/adinkra Find it at: Sager Braudis Gallery, 1025 E. Walnut St.

Iconceramics As a full-time art professor at MU and studio artist, Joseph Pintz has a demanding schedule, but he appreciates that teaching allows him to dedicate his summers to art-making. After teaching for the past six years, Pintz started working at home last year in his garage studio, where he creates both utilitarian ceramics — plates, bowls and cups — and sculptural pieces.

Functional art affords him the best of both worlds. “Craft is bound to use,” Pintz says. “But all of those materials can be used to make art as well.” His ceramics have been sold in about a dozen galleries across the country, and he has shown his work in Sager Braudis Gallery. This past December, Pintz opened

up his home to sell art, and he hopes to do the same this year. iconceramics.com Find it at: Sager Braudis Gallery, 1025 E. Walnut St.

FEEDS TO FOLLOW Mold and Deckle @moldanddeckle

Iconceramics @joepintz Clay by Tay @claybytay Adinkra @wilpalmieri

Clay by Tay It’s funny how one academic requirement can lead to a lifetime passion. For St. Louis native and Columbia College graduate Taylor Emery, a fine arts degree required a three-dimensional art course, and the choice of ceramics proved to be the best option. Emery currently lives in Goshen, Indiana, working as an apprentice to potter Justin Rothshank. She also teaches at Goshen Youth Arts — a nonprofit that provides fine arts classes to students ages 9 to 19 — and runs her company, Clay by Tay. Her Etsy shop includes mugs displaying the faces of Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson and Kanye West, and her most recent project includes ceramic jewelry.

Emery brings a burst of fun and personality to her ceramics and says she tries to make her ceramics accessible to all people regardless of their art knowledge. “In my work, I try to merge the gap between fine art and pottery,” she says. “I want to make a consumer who knows nothing about pottery buy something and someone well-versed in it buy something because they recognize fine craftsmanship.” claybytay.com Find it at: Poppy, 920 E. Broadway #1

Photography courtesy of Taylor Emery and Mary Sandbothe

C I T Y LI FE WHAT TO PACK

Tackle tailgating It might seem like all fun and games, but with a great tailgate comes great responsibility.

BY MEG CUNNINGHAM Football season has arrived, and with it comes everyone’s favorite Saturday tradition: tailgating. There’s a lot to consider when it comes to your setup, from big-ticket items such as grills or flat-screen TVs to smaller essentials like hammers and hand sanitizer. According to this trio of tailgating veterans, these items are essential to making sure your tailgates are easy, fun and stress-free.

1 3 4

Get away from the rays In the mid-Missouri sun, tents and canopies are a must for seasoned tailgaters. “If it’s your first year and you’re starting out, a small grill, a table, a canopy would be nice,” says Rick Storie, who’s been tailgating since 2009. “You can get them cheaper now.”

The overlooked items For many, it’s easy to forget small things like utensils. Grilling essentials such as tongs and spatulas are a must. Storie, who attends every game, made a tub full of his grilling accessories and extra eating utensils so he doesn’t have to repack them every tailgate.

2

Sweat the small stuff Victoria Lemme, who’s been tailgating for six years, says: “I’ve added in Purell for people to wash their hands.

Extra trash bags –– they supply you with a little bit, but you never know when you’re gonna need more.” Extra tip: Pack the car the night before, and find a tailgating spot early.

Ice, ice baby This is a necessity in the early weeks when game days are guaranteed to be sweltering. “You’ve got to have tons of ice to pack your food in so it doesn’t spoil,” says Brian Garner, a season ticket holder for 11 years.

5 6

It comes in handy Tools will always come into play, especially if you’re assembling canopies or making quick fixes to a grill. “You need essential tools like pliers, screwdrivers and hammers,” Lemme says.

Get the party started Cornhole is a staple, but Storie says games get added to his tailgate frequently. “I always like hillbilly golf. It’s easy to stow away. It’s light. Cornhole is always good.”

Photography by Julia Hansen

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CITY LIFE NEIGHBORS

BFFs: Best Future Friends Whether you’re into board games or basketball, Columbia has options for those looking to make new friends as an adult.

BY JACK RADETIC

A

dulting is hard. There aren’t enough hours in the day for work, personal time and making friends, especially if you’re in a new city. Friendships often take a back seat in adulthood. In fact, according to a study published in the Psychological Bulletin, “while social circles increase through early adulthood, friendship networks peak and start to decrease” in a person’s 20s.

But don’t let the study get you down.

Sure, you’ve left the playground, but there are still plenty of people out there who’d love to trade sandwiches and secrets.

Columbia has several organizations designed to help adults make friends.

Find a cure for your board-em Board games have always been a way to bring families and friends together, and a group in Columbia uses them to forge new bonds. Formed in 2012, the Nerdy Society is a group of adults who meet to play board games every Wednesday at the Columbia Mall. Although the group has more than 550 registered members on the website Meetup.com, about 12 to 25 people attend each week with the sole purpose of having fun. Group organizer Jim McElmurry says gathering around board games helps introverts and those with social anxiety get to know other people in a more relaxed situation.

“For us introverts who didn’t develop those skills in high school and grade school, it is very difficult to approach people in general and speak up and see where you click,” McElmurry says of struggling with social skills and getting to know new people. “If you’re new, I try to meet you, introduce you to a game, and you can get familiar with the game and the people around you before you try having conversations.”

The group also organizes movie nights, laser tag and paintball outings.

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Members of the Nerdy Society gather to play board games and meet new people at the Columbia Mall. The group of gamers meets every Wednesday.

Relive the glory of your athletic years If board games don’t get your blood pumping, try a sports team at the Missouri Athletic Center.

For adults, the MAC offers soccer, volleyball, basketball and pickleball (a paddle sport that mixes elements of tennis, ping pong and badminton), some of which you can sign up for without a full team.

Soccer, for example, is a popular sport to sign up for solo. MAC Director Anna Lower says that each year there is usually at least one team is that is made up of players who sign up alone.

Nerdy Society: Columbia Mall Food Court, 7-9 p.m. Wednesdays MAC Teams: 2900 Forum Blvd., varies by sport CoMo Growlers & Pints: 1413 Grindstone Plaza Drive, 7 p.m. Mondays

Test your knowledge with a trivia night Trivia nights are a way to enjoy a drink and have some fun battling it out with other adults. CoMo Growlers & Pints hosts trivia nights away from the studentdense downtown bars. Question themes include history and pop culture, with first place receiving a $25 credit to their tab and second place winning the chance to choose a question category for the next week’s event.

Although it’s easier if you arrive with a team, you are welcome to join forces with other groups or individuals.

Photography by Jennifer Mosbrucker

C I TY LIFE RECREATION Charity races, such as the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, give participants an emotional tie to the event.

Worth the race There’s a greater meaning behind why we run 5Ks — and it’s not just for the T-shirts.

BY TYNAN STEWART

Y

ou know the feeling. You’re trying to meet a friend for Saturday brunch, but some guy in an orange vest stops you at an intersection.

A tide of runners in neon gear streams by.

But try not to honk. That run is likely for a good cause.

Although it’s not clear who organized the first-ever charity run, its origins probably stem from fundraiser walks.

These began with events such as the CROP Hunger Walk, which was first held in 1969 and has been called the “granddaddy of charity walks” by the Los Angeles Times. Guess you have to walk before you can run.

But why have charity athletic events become so popular?

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James Owen, executive director of Renew Missouri, a nonprofit working for energy efficiency in Missouri, says the best kind of fundraiser is one where people have an active role in the charity event. The Renew Missouri’s Earth Day 5K, which Owen helps organize, definitely does that — as does any charity athletic event.

This idea is supported by human psychology. Researchers from The Journal of Behavioral Decision Making have found evidence for what they call the “martyrdom effect,” a theory of human behavior that predicts people are more willing to contribute to a charitable cause if it takes pain and effort.

The symbolism of such an event can be powerful. In some ways, you’re putting

1-2-3 TO 5K THE RIGHT WAY 1) Pick a location early to allow time for paperwork.

2) Volunteers are key. Some organizers recommend about one volunteer for every 10 runners.

3) Make it fun!

Have your 5K stand out with a post-race snack, beer, T-shirt or live band.

yourself into the shoes of those you’re trying to help — a sentiment the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life capitalizes on. The organization asks teams to constantly keep a member on the track as a reminder “that cancer never sleeps.”

People might be running for a good cause, but that doesn’t have to be the only draw. “I’m one of those people in that group that really likes to run,” says Jennifer Backes, who spearheaded the inaugural Run the Numbers 5K in June, “— for the cause and probably for the T-shirt, too.”

Extra perks might reel in more participants, but it also spells free advertising for businesses. “One of the things we always like to see is getting our name out there,” Owen says.

Photography by Marta Payne/Archive

CALENDAR

TO-DO LIST

the 27th annual Pumpkin Festival. This familyfriendly weekend offers a pumpkin patch, local vendors and even a parade.

Make sure to bring cash; the small town of 150 residents doesn’t have an ATM. Oct. 13 and 14, 9 a.m.

Your curated guide of what to do in Columbia this month.

CULTURE Honky Tonk Angels

to 5 p.m., Hartsburg, Free, 808-1288

Three women follow their country music dreams to Nashville in this hilarious production presented by the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre. With songs such as “9 to 5” and “These Boots Are Made For Walking,” this show is sure to have you on your feet.

South Farm Showcase

DON’T MISS IT Celebrate yet another successful growing season with the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture’s Harvest Hootenanny.

Enjoy local beer and wines while tasting a Missouri-grown meal paired with live music, games and a raffle. Oct. 6, 3-8 p.m., Urban Farm, tickets $10-$100, 514-4174

Sept. 27–30, 2 p.m.; Sept. 28 and 29, 2 and 8 p.m., Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, $39, 660-837-3311

Sweeney Todd The classic tale of Fleet Street’s demonic barber comes to Talking Horse just in time for Halloween. The company will present the audience with its own spin on the 1840s story in its black-box space. Oct. 12–14, 18–21 and 25–28, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m., Talking Horse Productions, $15; $13 seniors and students, 607-1740

CLUE On Stage Young actors of Columbia bring the classic whodunnit board game to life with CLUE On Stage. The PACE Youth Theatre production promises to keep audiences guessing. Oct. 11–13, 7 p.m.; Oct. 14, 2 p.m., PACE Youth Theatre, $10; $8 seniors and students; $5 children, sarahpaceinfo@gmail.com

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Center for Missouri Studies Fall Lecture and Luncheon Caroline Fraser discusses her 2018 Pulitzer Prizewinning biography, Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder, a book exploring the life and accomplishments of the Little House on the Prairie author. Oct. 13, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Courtyard by Marriott, $35 members; $50 nonmembers, 882-1187

Boone Plein Air Nature and the arts combine during the MidMissouri Arts Alliance’s first outdoor painting event and art show. Act fast because participation in the event is limited to the first 30

VOX MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2018

MU South Farm Research Center invites the entire family to visit for a full day focused on local farming and agriculture. There will be plenty to do, including corn mazes, cow milking and interacting with barnyard animals. Sept. 29, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., South Farm Research Center, Free, 882-4450

FOOD Pinnacles Park Hog Roast

CIVIC

Benefit the Pinnacles Youth Park through a hog roast meal and silent auction.

Expect meat, beans, slaw, dessert, tea and lemonade at this event to celebrate the park’s more than 50 years as a hiking destination.

Senior Activity Center Garage Sale

Sept. 30, noon to 4 p.m., Pinnacles Youth Park, $12; $7 kids under 12, 445-1244

artists to register. Oct. 18, all day, Cartwright Business and Technology Park, Free, 657-0711

Support Columbia’s senior community with this fall fundraiser. Items for sale include fabrics, furniture, tools, small appliances and glassware to help fund the center. Sept. 28, 7:30 a.m.

Taste of the Tigers

Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival

Ready your tastebuds, Tigers. This event, hosted under the east concourse at Memorial Stadium, will serve guests tailgateinspired food and drinks.

Faurot Field will be abuzz with activities, including multiple auctions and remarks from Mizzou Coach Barry Odom. Oct.

Grab some friends, and head out to Hartsburg for

4, 5–8 p.m., Memorial Stadium, $50, 474-9932

to 3:30 p.m., Columbia Senior Activity Center, Free, 874-2050

Photography by Hannah Baldwin/Archive

C ALE N DAR

MUSIC The Sword Rock out all night to the sounds of this heavy metal band as it debuts its latest album Used Future. The Sword formed in 2003 and has been creating music and touring ever since its early days in Austin, Texas. Oct. 1, 8:30 p.m., $16, in advance; $20, day of, Rose Music Hall, 875-0588

Whitey Morgan Hailing from Flint, Michigan, this honky-tonk artist performs country music classics such as Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard. Come to hear singles such as “Me and the Whiskey” and “I Ain’t Drunk.” Oct. 12, 8 p.m., The Blue Note, $21.50 in advance; $25 day of show, 874-1944

Bach’s Lunch Student Recital Series A variety of Stephens College singers will perform musical theater, vocal jazz and classical pieces at this fall recital.

The event will feature both soloists and ensembles. Oct. 25, noon, Historic Senior

Campus Tradition for over 50 years Kitchen Open Late

410 S 9th Street | Columbia 573-449-6927

www.theheidelberg.com

Recital Hall at Stephens College, Free, 442-2211

SPORTS Pumpkin Fun Run Whether you’re a walker or a runner, you have a place to participate in this race, part of the annual Show-Me State Games. The 1.4-mile route travels around Perry Phillips Lake, and parents are free to participate with their children (but you’ll have to hand over some cash if you want a shirt, too, Mom and Dad).

Oct. 6, 8:30–11 a.m., Perry Phillips Lake, $10 students; Free, parents and teachers, 882-2101

Mizzou Football vs. Kentucky It’s a fight between felines as the Tigers take on the Wildcats at this SEC game.

This is your last chance to get your football fix at Faurot in October, so don’t miss out. Oct. 27, kickoff time TBA, Memorial Stadium, prices vary, 882-6501 VOX MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2018

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COLUM BIA VOIC ES Q&A

Old game, new tricks Perry Leslie is on a mission to help innovate golf for those with physical limitations or for people hoping to switch up their swing.

BY CONNOR HOFFMAN

W

hile living in Malibu, California, Perry Leslie met Grant Gerson, who introduced him to the Golf Chucker. An invention of Gerson’s, the Chucker was designed to help veterans with disabilities throw golf balls on the driving range at his ranch. Chucker Golf — the name of the sport — is somewhat similar to the original game of golf, but players use the Golf Chucker to launch the ball down the fairway in an overhead motion, similar to a tennis serve. Leslie, a former golf pro who played on the PGA Tour for six years, had the idea to take the sport from the driving range to the golf course. After moving back to Columbia in 2012, Leslie is still teaching people of all ages to play his new take on the game.

What was your first experience with the Golf Chucker?

I was a golf professional at a club. A man named Grant Gerson came over to the club, and he walked in, and he had this Golf Chucker in hand. I mean that guy, he’s really one of the most unique individuals I have ever met in my life. I fell in love with the guy, just as cowboy as you can get. He walks over and told me who he was. We went out to the driving range, and I started throwing it. Everybody came over and said, “Hey, let me try that.” And then this guy in a wheelchair showed up, and we went and played. I put a couple dozen in the pro shop.

and he said, “I wouldn’t sell it to you, but I’d partner with you.” So, he basically became the manufacturer, and I’m the wholesaler, and I sell them wholesale to shops.

When did you begin selling it?

I moved back here in 2012. I was retired. I wasn’t doing anything and kind of renewed my interest in it. So, I called out there, and that’s when Glen Gerson, Grant’s son, told me his dad had died, but that he still had some of them down in the warehouse. He sent me a dozen of them, and I thought: “You know what, I’m not doing anything, I’ll try and see if I can do something with this thing.” I called (Glen) up,

What do you think interests people about Chucker Golf?

It is absolutely the perfect family sport. One of the things I used in promoting it was that I have the only sport that I know of where I can use the club, hold it in one hand, have a can of beer in my other hand and play the game. Not only can I do that, but then me, a 75-year-old man out there with my 11-yearold granddaughter, and she’s walking, and

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I’m holding her hand and playing the game.

I’ve got everybody covered.

When did Chucker Golf start in Columbia?

I had a tournament two years ago for the Boys & Girls Club of Columbia. Nobody had ever heard of the game. I had 48 players — 12 foursomes. I took them out to Midway, took half an hour to show them how to play. Then, they went out and played a four-person scramble and walked 18 holes on that par-3 course. Every one of them had a good time, and I raised a couple thousand bucks for the Boys and Girls Club. It went just like a regular golf tournament.

Photography by Yehyun Kim

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