Missouri Life June 2023

JUNE 2023

THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY

THEY BEGAN HERE CATTLE DRIVES!

JUNE EVENTS FOR SUMMER FUN 12 MYSTERIOUS & AMAZING MUSEUMS STYLIN’ AT 5 TRADITIONAL BARBER SHOPS GREAT GOLF, VIEWS & DINING AT ST. ALBANS 84

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vI s I t national wildlife refuge mIngo

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photo courtesy of ethan hoggard

CONTENTS

June 2023

FEATURES 36 Shave and a Haircut Styles have changed, but good conversation and time honored traditions live on at these Missouri barber shops. stockyards came to town. What was life really like for the rough and rugged cowboys who left their mark on our state’s history? 48 Unusual Museums Peruse whacky, weird, and heartwarming displays at a dozen delightful destinations. DEPARTMENTS 10 Letters 42 Cattle Drives Prosperity arrived with the herds when cattle drives and Our readers bond with us over bad shoes and share their excitement over hometown memories. A school building gets a new life, two teachers shine on the national stage, and a Kansas CIty film festival puts Juneteenth in the spotlight. ’Tis the season to say, “I do.” We vow to give you the stats on Missouri’s June weddings. The unique creations of artists from around the state come together at the new Missouri Life Mercantile. Whether you arrive by land or by lake, you’re destined for a memorable dining experience at 1932 Reserve. 12 Discover 14 State-Tistics 16 Made in Mo 20 Find Dining

22 Explore

48

Historic charm, great golf, peaceful trails, and chef led cooking classes await you during your relaxing St. Albans getaway. 24 Missouri Green Life Keep your cool when summer sizzles, thanks to money-saving tips from two Missouri energy experts. A probing new book coaxes readers to reexamine their views about people convicted of drug crimes. Fill your travel itinerary with fun June events from all around the state. 64 Events Calendar 28 Books

74 Conversation

Artist Zack Workman created his dream workshop in a historic Sears and Roebuck barn he restored himself.

COLUMNS 8 My Missouri Life

Editor-in-Chief Sandy Selby can count on her hair stylist for a top-notch cut and a sympathetic ear. Doug Frost explains why the world’s most popular wine grapes don’t feel at home in Missouri and why the world needs our versatile grapes.

56 Wine Dog

ON THE COVER Sedalia’s Trail’s End sculptures at the Missouri State Fairgrounds are life-size depictions of the cattle drives that brought longhorns from Texas to Sedalia in 1866. MARK HAMMOND

‹

JUNE 2023

THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY

THEY BEGAN HERE CATTLE DRIVES!

58 Musings on Life Ron Marr is a live-and-let-live sort of guy, until some hungry coyotes come a little too close for comfort. 60 No Place Like Home Lorry Myers is in search of a special doll that once brought happiness to a little girl living in a silent world.

DREAM, EXPLORE, & DISCOVER

JUNE EVENTS FOR SUMMER FUN 12 MYSTERIOUS & AMAZING MUSEUMS STYLIN’ AT 5 TRADITIONAL BARBER SHOPS GREAT GOLF, VIEWS & DINING AT ST. ALBANS 84

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MISSOURI LIFE, Vol. 50, No.4, 2023 (USPS#020181; ISSN#1525-0814) Published eight times a year in January, March, May, June, July, September, October, and November by Missouri Life Inc., PO Box 57, 208 Columbia Street, Rocheport, MO 65279 for $21.99. Periodicals Postage paid at Rocheport, Missouri, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Missouri Life, PO Box 57, Rocheport, MO 65279. © 2023 Missouri Life. All rights reserved.

KEVIN MORGAN

5 / JUNE 2023

CONTENT BY LOCATION

THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY PO Box 57, 208 Columbia St., Rocheport, MO 65279 Info@MissouriLife.com MissouriLife.com SUBSCRIBE MissouriLife.com missourilife@pcspublink.com 1-800-492-2593 PUBLISHER Greg Wood EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sandy Selby CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dan Bishop SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR Peg Cameron Gill 573-514-5453 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Nate Birt, Glory Fagan, Lisa Waterman Gray, Daniel Pliska, Ron Soodalter, Susan Atteberry Smith, Evan Wood Columnists Doug Frost, Ron Marr, Lorry Myers CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ILLUSTRATORS Glory Fagan, Lisa Waterman Gray, Mark Hammond, Merit Myers, Susan Atteberry Smith MARKETING 573-514-5453 DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING Deborah Marshall, 573-514-5453 ADVERTISING AND MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES Steve Belko, St. Louis, 636-980-0926 Mary Leonard Bullington, Kansas City, 816-868-7498 Mike Gonitzke, Springfield/Southwest, 901-826-6911 Mary Hiatt, St. Louis, 402-672-9449 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Danita Allen Wood EDITORIAL AND ART

Boonville, 44, 70 Branson, 51, 72 Brookfield, 68 Bucyrus, 16 Camdenton, 70 Cape Girardeau, 64

Osceola, 68 Ozark, 72

Hartville, 72 Independence, 44, 68 Jefferson City, 70 Joplin, 51, 72 Kansas City, 13, 14, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 46, 47, 50, 51, 68 Kimmswick, 66 King City, 68 Lampe, 72 Lebanon, 70

Point Lookout, 51 Reeds Spring, 72 Rocheport, 16, 70 Rolla, 64 Saint Robert, 50, 70 Salem, 64 Sedalia, 12, 38, 39, 43, 44, 45, 46, 70 Sibley, 68 Sikeston, 64 Slater, 8 Springfield, 18, 38, 41, 72 St. Albans, 20 St. Charles, 16, 66 St. James, 64 St. Joseph, 54, 68, 74 St. Louis, 20, 30, 49, 54, 66 Ste. Genevieve, 64 Steele, 30 Warsaw, 70 Washington, 66 Webster Groves, 66 West Plains, 64

Carthage, 72 Cedar Hill, 12 Centralia, 70 Chesterfield, 30

Chillicothe, 68 Cole Camp, 70 Columbia, 12, 13, 52, 70

Lee’s Summit, 68 Lexington, 44, 68 Linn Creek, 70 Linn, 54 Marble Hill, 13 Marshall, 16, 39

Dadeville, 64 Downing, 66

East Prairie, 64 Eminence, 64 Excelsior Springs, 52 Fair Grove, 10 Fredericktown, 10 Fulton, 70 Green City, 16 Grubville, 10 Hannibal, 16, 66

Marshfield, 37, 38, 41 Maryland Heights, 66 Moberly, 39, 40, 66 Nevada, 72 New Madrid, 49

Newburg, 64 Newtonia, 37 Osage Beach, 18

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Amy Stapleton, 573-514-5453 DIGITAL MEDIA Heidi Strong, Manager Javeed Shaikh, Newsletter Producer

Siena Juhlin, Social Media CIRCULATION MANAGEMENT NPS Media Group

Visit ChoiceHotels.com/Missouri-Hotels or call 1-877-424-6423 to get our lowest price guaranteed.**

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*Rate Restrictions: Valid only for Choice Privileges members (program enrollment is free). The reservation must be made on ChoiceHotels. com at participating hotels and must be made at least 7, 14, 21 or 30 days in advance, which will vary based on the hotel for which a reservation is being made. Subject to availability, the rate starts at 15% off Best Available Rate, is non-cancellable, non-changeable and non-refundable. Your credit card will be charged for the total reservation amount within 24-48 hours of booking. This rate has a seven (7) night maximum length of stay. Rooms at this discount are limited. Offer is not available to groups and cannot be combined with any other discount. Choice Hotels reserves the right to change or discontinue this offer at any time. Eligibility restricted to U.S. and Canadian residents. Members must book direct at ChoiceHotels.com/Missouri-Hotels or call 1-877-424-6423. All Choice Hotels properties are independently owned and operated. **Guarantee applies to Third Party Website standard rates for a Choice single or double occupancy room that are at least 1% and $1.00 less than the Choice rate. Claims must be submitted within 24 hours of booking and 48+ hours prior to 6 PM check-in time the day of hotel arrival. Other terms also apply; see www.choicehotels.com/legal/best-rate-rules for full terms and conditions. ©2023 Choice Hotels International. All rights reserved.

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MY MISSOURI LIFE

A Cut Above I DON’T HAVE A THERAPIST, but I do have Courtney. My hair stylist keeps my split ends at bay, and she listens and commiserates as I recount dramas that have unfolded since my last cut. She has hovered over me with scissors and a blow dryer during job changes, cancer treatments, and car trouble. I tell her things I don’t typically share, and I wonder, as I blabber on unfiltered, if stylists are required to take a course on counseling between sessions on spiral perms and beachy highlights. It took me awhile to find a hairstylist to call my own. I spent years bouncing from chair to chair at quick- service salons where someone would competently (usually) cut my hair in a jiffy. Conversation, it if hap pened at all, was superficial and forgettable. I always hoped to find the kind of relationship my mom had with Inez, the woman who did her hair for years. That was back in the day when weekly salon visits involved lots of curlers, teasing, and sculpting; there was plenty of time for stylist and client to cultivate a friendship. When Courtney set up shop not far from where I live (which is not particularly close to anywhere, so that fact alone was something of a miracle), I hoped she would be someone I could count on for consistently good cuts. Lucky for me, convenience wasn’t the only thing Courtney had going for her. She is an absolute pro as a stylist, a gifted conversationalist, a mesmerizing storyteller, and one of the kindest people I know. A visit to her salon is good for my hair and my state of mind. Fifty years ago, this magazine featured a story about a small-town barber whose customers valued both his

Sandy Selby with Courtney Soltvedt of Amazing Designs Salon near Slater.

SANDY SELBY EDITOR-IN CHIEF Sandy@MissouriLife.com

services and his stories. When we decided to do an update, we were pleased to find barber shops all over the state that maintain the time-honored traditions of quality cuts and reasonable prices with amenities that include cigars, hot towels, and tall tales. Customers at those barber shops and at Courtney’s salon know the truth: Sometimes a haircut is more than a haircut. It’s a pause in our busy lives when we can make a genuine human connection with the friend we trust with our hair … and our secrets.

SANDY SELBY

8 / MISSOURILIFE.COM

Whether it’s enjoying a refreshing hand-crafted beverage on the Ozarks Tap and Pour Craft Beverage Tour or cruising down a scenic water trail on a kayak, we love our city and know the best places to eat, drink and play. The Best Watering Holes

SEE YOU IN SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI

LETTERS FROM ALL OVER

You Write Them. We Print Them.

SOLE SISTERS My husband showed me your “Saving Your Soles” story [ “My Missouri Life” by Sandy Selby, May 2023 ], and I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed it. I have flat feet and always had to wear sensible oxfords, so I identified with the girl-embarrassment of wearing clunky shoes. It has shaped me into being a clunky-shoe, New Balance adult. I’m on the left in this snapshot as a 13-year-old sensible-shoe girl. —Betty Manning, Fair Grove HOMETOWN TREASURE Thank you for unveiling The Old School on the Hill B&B, Osage County’s Hidden Gem! [ “A Hidden Gem in Every County,” May 2023 ] I have been returning to my home town for the past two years for Chamois Day Weekend. I always reserve my over night stay in the school room named for Ms. Edna, my seventh-grade teacher and principal of the Osage R-1 School. My dad graduated from the Old School in the ’30s, and I grew up within sight of the building. Perhaps many Missouri Life readers will be attending the festivities on September 16 and staying at The Old School, all because of your May issue. —Glenda Ferguson, Paoli, Indiana LESSONS LEARNED Your “A Teachable Moment” article [ “Musings” by Ron Marr, November/ December 2022 ] is quite entertaining. I attended a college of pharmacy, and the differences in teaching became notice able. Boy, were some of those individuals strange. I wouldn’t doubt that some did collect old food because they sure couldn’t teach. I don’t think the college even

thought about unqualified educators at the time. If one was good at something, you could become a professor in that “something.” They had a language-barrier educator who we couldn’t understand. Also, the math professor was an individual who worked on the A-bomb. Wow! He would get sidetracked and talk about his Model A. Another professor of chemistry was so smart he had to grade on a curve to get anybody to pass his course. What good is dumbing down if one doesn’t learn? Communication is key. —Phil Streib, Fredericktown GRUBVILLE MYSTERY As a young man I remember a site just south of Grubville above the Big River on a cliff. Found a lot of arrow heads there. The site had a flat area where a village must have been. There is a natural spring, chard, and several small mounds on the hillside. Is this of any significance, or is it known? —Charles Mutrux, Fort Lauderdale, Florida We could not find any information about the site you describe. The State Historic Preserva tion Office maintains a list of archaeologic sites and could verify if archaeology has been con ducted at that property, but the information is only available to the property owner.—Editor WRITE TO US Info@MissouriLife.com FACEBOOK /MissouriLifeMagazine TWITTER @MissouriLife INSTAGRAM @MissouriLifeMag Missouri Life

A student brings food waste from his home to compost at Sunrise School in DeSoto. Sole Sisters

Hometown Treasure

PO Box 57, 208 Columbia Street Rocheport, MO 65279 Missouri Life

BETTY MANNING, GLENDA FERGUSON

10 / MISSOURILIFE.COM

Jefferson City, MO

Missouri State Penitentiary Museum

DISCOVER

1

Adonis Foundry visitor Debbie Castello stands with the clay model to provide a sense of scale.

NEW TO THE TRAIL The Trail’s End sculpture installation on the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia features life-size bronze depictions of cowboys, horses, and longhorn cattle. The art memorializes and educates about the grueling cattle drives that put Sedalia on the map in the 1860s. (Discover more about those adventures on page 42 of this issue.) This summer, a new figure—an American Indian scout on horseback—will join the oth ers at the Trail’s End . The piece by artist J. Michael Wilson and the Adonis Foundry of Salt Lake City is set to be unveiled in July, shortly before the Missouri State Fair begins. The clay model, shown here at about 90 percent completion, will be used to form molds for the final bronze casting.

2

Summer School Even during a month when school bells are silent, there’s no shortage of learning opportunities here in Missouri. Take a look at the people, places, and programs that put fun on the summertime syllabus.

HISTORY TEACHERS OF THE YEAR Two Missouri history educators are in the running for the prestigious Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award for middle and high school teachers who participate in the National History Day (NHD) program. Winners will be announced at the NHD contest in College Park, Maryland, on June 17. Each state can nominate two educators for the award, and Missouri’s 2023 nominees are Dr. Beth Winton, coordinator of Secondary Gifted Programs for Columbia Public Schools and teacher at John Warner Middle School, and Phillip Reed, an American history teacher at Northwest High School in Cedar Hill. Every nominee from all partici pating states will receive a $500 prize. Two final award win ners will each take home $10,000. There’s no room in this contest for dull lecturers. These nominees must demon strate a commitment to engaging history students through the innovative use of primary sources and implementation of strategies to foster thinking skills that will serve students for a lifetime.

ADONIS FOUNDRY, BETH WINTON, STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI

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OLD-SCHOOL STYLE What was once Academic Hall for Will Mayfield College at Marble Hill has graduated to a new purpose. Owners Daniel Polanczyk and Anthony Yates purchased the historic building earlier this year as an investment in their community. The old classroom building has served many purposes since its school days from 1878 until 1934, including as a hospital, a retirement home, and a restaurant. Daniel and Anthony successfully transformed the building into an elegant, multipurpose facility: the Mayfield Event Center.

WHAT’S HAPPENING ONLINE

4

HOW MANY HORSES? There’s a whole herd of horses to be found on the pages of this issue. How many? You tell us. Count them, then email your answer to Sandy@ MissouriLife.com . We’ll pick one winner from all the correct answers to receive a prize from our new Missouri Life Mercantile. CUTENESS OVERLOAD The final round of voting for our “Show-Me Missouri Creatures Great & Small” pet contest is underway. Drop in to MissouriLife .com/petcontest to peruse the photos of readers’ adorable dogs, cats, horses, and other critters and choose your favorites. The winners will be featured in an upcoming issue of Missouri Life magazine.

HORSE SENSE Two Columbia institutions, the University of Missouri and Stephens College, are teaming up to educate a new generation of equine veterinary professionals. Starting with the fall semester of 2024, the Women in STEM Research at Stephens College will accept 10 first-year Stephens students each year who will take classes together and collaborate as they progress through a four-year program. The horses at the Stephens College Stables will be part of the program, too, as the students use the animals for hands-on training led by MU’s

equine veterinary experts. 3

5

FOX 4 NEWS, MAYFIELD EVENT CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, D. BISHOP beginning with two 2023 films, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (May 31) and The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster (June 1). Three other films round out the festival picks: Miss Juneteenth (June 5), The Blackening (June 13), and Do the Right Thing (June 19). Explore Juneteenth-KC.com for details. FROM FREEDOM TO FILM Juneteenth, a federal holiday since 2021, is a remembrance of the end of slavery in the United States. In conjunction with that important commemoration, Kansas City’s Fox 4 News film critic and African American Film Critics Association cofounder Shawn Edwards has curated the inaugural JuneteenthKC Film Festival at the Screenland Armour Theatre in North Kansas City. The festival celebrates the Black experience through cinema with a mix of new film releases and classic cinema. The festival takes place over five nights

Missouri Life pays to plant replacement trees for all used to print this magazine.

13 / JUNE 2023

STATE-TISTICS

Getting Married in Missouri

June is a lovely month for a Show-Me State wedding.

41,685 That’s how many wedding ceremonies took place in Missouri last year. Our state ranked 19th among all states for number of weddings in 2022. $20,797 The average cost of a wedding in Missouri may seem like a hefty price tag, but it’s a bargain compared to the cost of weddings in other states. Only 10 states have a lower average cost for “I Do’s.” 30 Days Feet getting cold? Don’t wait too long from the time you pick up your marriage license from the county’s recorder of deeds until you make it official. An unused Missouri wedding license becomes void after a month. $0 Budget-minded couples know that it’s possible to create colorful, beautiful bouquets from Missouri wildflowers you pick yourself. Flowers like Purple Coneflowers and Indian Paintbrushes are abundant in June, and wildflowers are in vogue for rustic-themed weddings. Be sure you have permission from the property owner before your flower-gathering adventure. And unless you have an eye for design and a good knowledge about how to keep flowers looking fresh through a long day of celebration, you may want to pay for the wildflower wisdom of a professional florist. 80+ Years The longest marriage for a Missouri couple, according to available records, belongs to Adolph and Lucy Velasquez of Kansas City. They were married in July 1942 and made a splash with local media when they celebrated their 80th anniversary last July. June 2023 newlyweds will have to wait until 2104 to equal their achievement.

Sources: The Wedding Report, Mo.gov, Missouri Department of Conservation, Wikipedia

FREEPIK/D. BISHOP

14 / MISSOURILIFE.COM

MADE IN MO

e’re pleased to announce the opening of another terrific branch of Missouri Life : our Missouri Life Mercantile. When you’re in Rocheport, come visit us at 208 Columbia Street. We’ve Got A Lot in Store … at Missouri Life Mercantile. W

Here’s just a small sampling of what’s in store at Missouri Life Mercantile:

One-of-a-kind ornaments and fantasy prints and creatures inspire the imagination, from Debi Pickler at St. Charles.

Unique metal necklaces and earrings, botanical ornaments, ring bowls, copper “river baskets,” and more are crafted by Virginia Fisher at Bucyrus.

Attractive and functional pottery from Steve Ayers, who plays in the mud at Hannibal. See the platters, chip bowls, soup tureens, wall art, and more.

Fun wire and bead flowers and fashionable jewelry are made by Laura Richardson at Marshall. You can buy one flower or a whole bouquet!

This handsome rooster print is available in different sizes or framed, by Joyce Ayers at Green City. She also paints cows, calves, landscapes, and other farm-inspired subjects.

Most items in the Missouri Life Mercantile are one-of-a-kind, and many are from Best of Missouri Hands juried artists. So come browse. With Missouri Life Mercantile, you’ve got it made (in MO)! Order online at Missourilife.com/shop.

MISSOURI LIFE MERCANTILE

16 / MISSOURILIFE.COM

SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2023 · DOWNTOWN EXCELSIOR SPRINGS Wine Festival 17th Annual SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2023 · DOWNTOWN EXCELSIOR SPRINGS UNCORK & UNWIND 17th Annual SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2023 · DOWNTOWN EXCELSIOR SPRINGS UNCORK & UNWIND 17th Annual UNCORK & UNWIND

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HISTORIC CHARM. THAT’S MY M-O.

The nameʼs Missouri, but you can call me Mo. Iʼm here to invite you to an upscale restaurant located inside what was once a commercially operating watermill. Come experience sustainable dishes crafted from ingredients cultivated on-site. Discover new and unique Missouri experiences at VisitMo.com

18 / MISSOURILIFE.COM

FIND DINING

By Land or by Lake The 1932 Reserve restaurant is a sure thing on the shore. STORY Chef Daniel Pliska Osage Beach. The building has an interesting history that began in 1932 when it first opened as Franklin Lodge, the area’s first lakeside lodging. The building is situated on a famous cove, where audiences in the ’50s and ’60s were wowed by professional water skiers performing spectacular maneuvers. Later, the building became the Osage Beach Lodge then served as a root beer factory for a short time before it closed and was sold in 2014. Current owner Mark Spears saw the potential of the building. After investing in an extensive renovation, he unveiled it as a luxury property complete with six loft apartments offered as nightly vacation rentals and a first-class restaurant. Mark wanted to find a chef with a worthy pedigree who could set his restaurant apart in the crowded restaurant scene at the lake. He found that chef in Scott Romano. Originally from New Jersey, Chef Scott was a protégé of New York Chef/Restaurateur Charlie Palmer, a James Beard Award winner. Scott traveled and opened restaurants for Chef Palmer in prestigious dining regions of the country, including Dallas, Los Angeles, and California wine country. After working and travel ing with his wife all over the country, Scott decided to relocate near his wife’s family at Lake of the Ozarks. I arrived at the restaurant and entered through the patio with its tall, fire-burning, portable space warmers and headed into the main dining room. As I sat with Chef Scott, he explained his philosophy for his style of New American Cuisine with Asian, French, and Mediterranean influences. He took me for a short visit to the kitchen to meet the kitchen crew, then served me several dishes from the seasonal menu. First came the Sesame Cauliflower Fritti served on a sweet and slightly spicy sauce made with pineapple, Mirin (a Japanese plum wine), and fermented black A ccessible by land or by water, the 1932 Reserve restaurant sits beside the Lake of the Ozarks at

beans on a bed of kimchi fer mented in-house—a true fusion dish that could be found in Southern California. Next came two of the most popular entrees: Chilean sea bass

Clockwise, 1932 Reserve offers diners a lovely lake view. The spiced apple cake features cinnamon buttercream, streusel, and vanilla ice cream. A salmon burger is elevated with pastrami spices and pecan-smoked bacon. Chef Scott Romano and writer Daniel Pliska stand near the restaurant’s well-stocked bar.

and grilled double-bone pork chop. The crispy sauteed Chilean sea bass was presented on a bed of sugar snap peas and fingerling potatoes with crispy sauteed fresh baby artichoke hearts, ringed with a flavorful basil beurre blanc (butter sauce) and garnished with pea ten drils. The brine-cured pork chop was served on a bed of creamy grits and pureed parsnips and an ever-so-lightly smoked pureed apple sauce topped with roasted shards of parsnips. This was a delightful combination that reminds me of the classic northern French dish, Pork Normandy. Then the 18-ounce Cowboy Ribeye arrived. It was served with charred baby carrots and creamy, layered au gratin potatoes. The steak was topped with roasted garlic bacon butter and rested on a pool of rich borde laise sauce. During the meal, I was treated to an old fashioned cocktail that was smoked tableside in a closed wooden box—impressive presentation, to say the least. For des sert, I tried a chocolate and peanut butter brownie with coffee ice cream and a chocolate and caramel sauce. It was a truly decadent meal and worthy of the luxury loft hotel on a historic arm of the Lake of the Ozarks.

CHEF DANIEL PLISKA is a certified executive chef and author. He teaches culinary arts at Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield.

Discover more features and specials at 1932Reserve .com.

CREDIT 1932 RESERVE

20 / MISSOURILIFE.COM

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EXPLORE

ast of St. Louis, the small community of St. Albans invites visitors to escape urban life. The highly walkable village, anchored by The Inns at St. Albans, is a favorite destination for weddings, fam ily gatherings, or retreats. Along the hilly drive to the town, dense trees flank narrow, winding roads, and rail fences surround massive horse farms. St. Albans was once the playground of wealthy shoe-industry magnate Oscar Johnson Sr. and his Southern belle wife, Irene Walter Johnson. As the Johnsons’ business grew, so did the town. St. Albans is considerably quieter now than when it was a shoe man ufacturing hub but is still home to about 700 people and a destination for thousands of guests each year. The Inns at St. Albans includes The Lodge, the Studio Inn, and several cottages and whole-house rentals. The Lodge opened in May 2021 and features a dozen spacious rooms, where tall doors open to a bal cony with lake views. It accommodates small groups, with plenty of enticing public areas, too. Think deep upholstered seating, wood spindle railings, and cozy furniture clustered near a rustic-chic fireplace. There’s even a lobby wet bar. For old-school luxury, there’s The Studio Inn. Designed by St. Louis Union Station architect Theodore Link as a summer home for Irene Johnson, the facility now accommodates up to a dozen guests and features gorgeous views of a nearby vineyard and the Missouri River. No retreat is complete without good food, and The Country Club of St. Albans serves Inns guests and club members inside a massive building with golf course views. A floor-to-ceiling, glass-walled wine room stands just outside the restaurant. At The Golfer’s Lounge and Oak Leaf Bar, many customers arrive in golf gear, while others dress up for dinner. Upholstered dining chairs surround each four-top table and several televisions at the bar offer muted news and sports broadcasts. One summer meal here included a berry and nut-rich salad, luscious fish tacos, and house-made tiramisu. In Their Shoes Retreat to the elegance of St. Albans’ well-heeled past. STORY AND PHOTOS Lisa Waterman Gray E

Clockwise from top, Head’s Store has been a community gathering place for more than 130 years. Opened in 2021, The Lodge, which is part of the Inns at St. Albans, can accommodate up to 40 guests and offers tranquil lake views. CookINN classes give guests the opportunity to learn gourmet techniques from professional chefs, then enjoy the dishes they create. A comfortable seating area at The Lodge invites guests to relax and mingle.

For casual offerings, such as breakfast burritos and quesadillas or lunchtime club sandwiches, drop in at Head’s Store, where the 1892 ambience and dining area meet charming retail space. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this community gathering place also hosts a book club and seasonal porch parties. There are two 18-hole championship golf courses that guests can use when they stay at the Inns of St. Albans. For more vigorous exercise and pretty, nat ural views, hit the paved walkway that surrounds St. Alban’s Lake, or check out three new hiking trails that opened in 2022. If you love to cook, book a class at state-of-the-art cooking school International Choux Co. “CookINN” classes feature a variety of instructors, such as Kansas City-based baker, chef, and cookbook author Judith Fertig. After Fertig’s demonstration on this particular day, 12 residents and guests enjoyed a delectable meal as midday sun filled the room. CookINN classes are a delicious way to complete a delightful stay in St. Albans.

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MISSOURI GREEN LIFE

ummertime heat in Missouri might scorch your skin, but it doesn’t need to burn your wallet, too. Apply a few easy-to-use energy tips and you might be sur prised by how much you save. Missouri Life asked two energy experts— Tony Lozano, director of energy solutions for Ameren Missouri, and Paul Englert, weatherization specialist for Spire Energy in St. Louis—to share their hot takes on keeping cool as temperatures rise. TIP #1: Make your thermostat work smarter, not harder. You can save up to $180 in energy costs annually by installing a smart thermostat programmed to run cooler when you’re home and a tad warmer when you’re out of the house, Lozano says. But don’t just consider your AC thermostat. Also examine your water heater. By adjusting that water heater from the default 140 degrees to 120, you can save between 6 percent and 10 percent on water-heating costs. TIP #2: Tune up your HVAC system. Have a trusted service provider do a routine inspection of your HVAC system before things really heat up, Englert advises. “Make sure to clean the AC condenser,” he says. Lozano adds a reminder to replace your in-home air filters at least once every three months. “Improve air flow while preventing things like dirt, pet dander, and pollen from circulating throughout the home,” he says. “A clogged air filter can cause HVAC systems to use up to 15 percent more energy.” TIP #3: Keep those shades at the ready. You prob ably wear sunglasses when it’s bright outside. Your house deserves the same treatment. Keep curtains and drapes closed, especially during the afternoon, to cut down on heat in your home by as much as 33 percent, Lozano says. TIP #4: Investigate the attic. A place you seldom visit could contribute in a big way to overall energy savings. First, make sure your attic is insulated with R-49 materi al, which keeps substantial amounts of heat out, Englert says. Next, explore air-sealing your attic, to close cool air escape routes. TIP #5: Fine-tune your ceiling fan. Here’s a fun fact: When you set your ceiling fan to rotate counterclock Keep Your Cool 9 Summer Energy-Saving Tips STORY Nate Birt S

wise, it distributes cool air better than the other way around, Lozano explains. What’s more, running a fan in tandem with your AC means you can set your thermo stat four degrees higher than normal—saving you on your cooling bill while maintaining optimal comfort. TIP #6: Visit your vents. Avoid funneling extra ener gy—and by extension, extra cash—into rooms you’re not using. Check each room where you have vents. Close vents in places you seldom or never use. Then, close the door behind you. This will make sure the energy you pay for only goes where it’s needed most, Lozano explains.

Making simple changes, such as installing a smart thermostat, can equate to hundreds of dollars in energy savings every year.

Tip #7: Seal off those gaps. Try this exper iment: At each exterior door in your home, place a dollar bill against the door frame, hold it in place and close the door. “If the dollar bill can pull out easily, you are losing money,” Englert says. This is a sign you need new weatherstripping. This material, available at any hardware store, keeps cool air inside while preventing hot air from entering your house. Tip #8: Take your activities outdoors. Consider a sum mertime menu that gets you cooking outdoors, Lozano says. This can help you avoid trapping heat in your house. Plus, you’ll get to enjoy the breeze and views. Tip #9: Seek high-efficiency appliances. Your utility companies might offer rebates on HVAC systems and other appliances that use less energy than other models, Englert says. Upgrades on a small scale can help, too. Lozano points to advanced power strips that provide surge protection while cutting off power to connected devices when not in use. “Eliminating standby power from unused devices can save the average household $100 per year,” he says.

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THROUGH THE EYES OF MO LOUIS RADIO DJ, 102.3 BXR, DISC GOLF ENTHUSIAST Mo Louis is a man of many scenes — music, disc golf, social, culinary, microbrew — and for him, Columbia checks off all the right boxes. Whether it’s catching a live show at Rose Music Hall or trying to beat the world-renowned disc golf course at Harmony Bends, there’s a good chance you’ll find Mo making the most of his Columbia any day of the week. See his story and others at MeetCOMO.com. MEET COLUMBIA

CoMo

Stephens Lake Park is a favorite destination for fishing, swimming, winter sports, leisurely strolls and some of the city’s most popular festivals. The 116-acre park is designed with

family entertainment in mind. It includes an 11-acre lake, playgrounds and spraygrounds, a swimming beach, a large sculpture, waterfalls, walking trails and one of Columbia’s premier sledding hills. In addition to a wide variety of tree species on the grounds, the park is home to the Hindman Discovery Garden. That garden features four themed areas—Plant Communities, Grow to Know Your World, Council Ring, and Art and Science of Horticulture. The park’s educational offerings also include demonstration rain gardens and a children’s grove. Open 6 AM to 11 PM daily • CoMo.gov/parks/stephens-lake-park • 2001 E. Broadway • Columbia Rock Bridge Memorial State Park , as the name suggests, features a rock bridge that was formed when a portion of a cave collapsed. But that’s just part of the story of this ecologically diverse park. With its complex cave system, the park is a haven for adventurers who appreciate Missouri’s reputation as “the cave state.” There are also streams, forests and restored prairie to explore on eight different trails that traverse the 2,273 acre park. Park staff coordinates tours, orienteering courses, and other events throughout the year to help visitors get in touch with the unspoiled natural world that exists just a few miles south of Columbia. Open year round, sunrise to sunset • MoStateParks.com/park/rock-bridge-memorial-state-park • 5901 S. Highway 163 • Columbia • 573-449-7402 The MKT Trail runs from Columbia’s Flat Branch Park to the intersection of the State of Missouri’s Katy Trail State Park near McBaine and is widely regarded as one of the best urban trails in the nation. This multiuse trail welcomes cyclists, runners and walkers to experience the feel of unspoiled nature as it threads through the heart of the city and beyond for 8.9 miles. The 10-foot-wide trail sits on the abandoned railbed of the MKT railroad. Fitness stations, bicycle repair stations, water fountains and restrooms are located along the trail for the comfort and convenience of the thousands of outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy this popular Columbia attraction. Open year-round (some amenities are closed during cold-weather months) • CoMo.gov/trails/mkt-nature-and-fitness-trail Grindstone Nature Area is 199 acres of outdoor adventures just waiting to be discovered. Be sure to bring along your best dog pal because the entire park is an off-leash area. As you walk through the park on Grindstone Nature Trail, you’ll enjoy views of bluffs, Grindstone Creek, and colorful fields of wildflowers. The site is rich in history and a portion of the park is listed on the National Register for Historic Places because it was once home to now-extinct animals and early native tribes. There’s still a historic silo and spring house on the property. There’s a bike repair station in the park, as well as a picnic shelter. And if you’re eager for a longer hike, Grindstone Nature Area serves as the trailhead for Grindstone Creek Trail and Hinkson Creek Trail. Open 6 AM to 11 PM • CoMo.gov/parks/grindstone-nature-area • 2011 Old Highway 63 S. • Columbia meetcomo.com

Photos Courtesy of Columbia CVB

BOOKS

How to Blow Up a Pipeline A new book examines and deconstructs the criminalization of prescription drugs. REVIEW Evan Allen Wood

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or Shaun, the trouble started with his knees. He hurt them playing football in high school and college and was prescribed opioids to treat the chronic pain that resulted from years of injuries. But oftentimes the doctors Shaun, a Black man, went to for pain management

A word of advice to readers: Forget what you think you know about institutions such as the prison system and the health care system before you pick up this book. Smirnova makes a compelling case in this text that outcomes within these institutions vary wildly based on a variety of factors including class and race. Each story told within the book tends to feature a person looking for solutions to chronic pain or psychological issues stemming from childhood trauma (often parental abuse) and subsequently being failed by these institutions. One point Smirnova illustrates particularly well is how in American society we tend to frame each person’s life as a matter of individual success or failure. We view criminal behavior or poverty as failures of morality and motivation. Stories in the book like that of Walter, a 65-year old Black man, ask us to revisit these internalized notions. According to the book, Walter was landscaping and home remodeling by day and going to school for computer programming by night, which he saw as a path both toward upward class mobility and a way to continue to make a living when he aged out of manual labor. Then he was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition which forced him to abandon his education. “Walter did not want to be a patient or a victim,” Smirnova writes. “He wanted to take his future into his own hands, but during the course of his struggles, he became a prisoner instead.” Smirnova asks us to suspend the idea that her interview subjects are guilty individuals who made negative choices and instead to question the extent to which structures outside the control of any individual influenced the course of their lives. Smirnova is writing about a system that is political in its nature, and therefore her perspective is political, which inherently means some readers may not agree with it. It’s worth noting that this text is academic in its construction—the tone of its writing is comprehensible but formal. These interviews were conducted as a part of an academic study, and the book includes methodological notes and citations. If you object to Smirnova’s conclusions, you can at least verify her sources.

doubted his intentions and under-prescribed medication, assuming he was using them to get high. In a cruel irony, this led to Shaun using illicit options to treat his pain, which eventually resulted in his incarceration. Shaun grew up in rural Missouri, and he is one of 80 incarcerated individuals interviewed by Michelle Smirnova for her book, The Prescription-to Prison Pipeline , published in March of this year through Duke University Press. Each interview was conducted at a Missouri prison, and the stories that Smirnova relays from these conversations may be tragically familiar to readers from the region. In the book, Smirnova,

a sociology professor at the University of Missouri Kansas City, posits the idea that our current system of managing pain and psychological issues is highly stratified based on socioeconomic class, among other factors. The result is that those who can afford it receive quality care, which helps orient them toward healing, while the poor tend to be treated with the prescription pad only, setting them off on a journey that all too often ends, as in Shaun’s case, in the carceral system. Smirnova argues this pipeline is entrenched within American society to the deleterious effect of all involved.

THE PRESCRIPTION- TO-PRISON PIPELINE Michelle Smirnova, 176 pages, nonfiction, Duke University Press, softcover, (6 by 9 inches), $24.95

THE PUBLISHER

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From Parks, Trails and Lakes to Shopping, Breweries, Local Cuisine and everything in between. Clay County has something for everyone!

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BOOKS

Mailboxes and Mysteries Take a summer trip inside these pages.

HAS THE MAIL GONE OUT YIT? Patricia Wallace Birkhead, 317 pages, nonfiction, self-published, softcover, (6 by 9 inches), $14.99. This book purportedly presents tales of a rural mail carrier in Missouri, but it’s really a slice of what rural life in Missouri was like from 1882 to 1959. In her

The author explores the history, legends, investigations, and more in six chapters, and the final one reveals what the spook light actually is. Will that revelation delight or dismay aficionados of the legend?

SEE PRESIDENT MCKINLEY OR DIE TRYING, Fedora Amis, 354 pages, fiction, Mardon Moore Books, softcover, (6 by 9 inches), $19.95. The Chesterfield author continues her Jemmy Mc Bustle mystery series with cub reporter Jemmy going un dercover in an insane asylum in a bid to come up with a

first novel, the author, who lives in San Antonio, relies on multiple visits to Steele to interview people who knew her grandfather, hear stories, and soak up both the language and the culture that existed in the first half of the 20th century. She completes a mission her father and grandfather had long talked about by delivering on her grandfa ther’s belief that “There’s a story behind every mailbox.” It’s an en tertaining read, with 24 chapters, but inexplicably, no page numbers. THE OZARKS SPOOK LIGHT: HISTORY, LEGEND, AND SPECU LATION, Larry Wood, 100 pages, nonfiction, Hickory Press, soft cover, (6 by 9 inches), $9.99. A mysterious light appears at night on a lonely road near the Oklahoma-Missouri line five miles south of the Kansas border. In its early days, it was known as the Hornet Spook Light because of the nearby town.

story that will let her keep her job at a St. Louis newspaper. It’s 1898, but a patient wrongly committed by her husband has now truly lost track of reality and time and thinks it’s 1886. She is determined to escape and convince President McKinley, whom she believes to be in St. Louis for a political convention, that she’s not insane. Jemmy must deal with a possible murder, a handsome doctor, a gangly newspaper photographer, her meddling aunt, and a young cousin nicknamed Horrible Heathcliff the Hellion. The author won the Mayhaven Literary Award for fiction for her Victorian whodunit, Jack the Ripper in St. Louis , the first Jemmy McBustle mystery.

THE PUBLISHERS

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RIVERFRONT DINING IN THE HEART OF THE OZARKS

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Coming Soon THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST JELLIES EXHIBIT

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Shave and a Haircut Today’s barber shops hold fast to time-honored traditions. STORY AND PHOTOS Susan Atteberry Smith

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When Missouri Life featured Newtonia’s Ted Arnall in a 1973 story, he had been cutting hair and telling tales in his small town barber shop for 62 years. Fifty years later, Ted and his shop are immortalized on a mural in Newtonia, and the qualities he embodied of providing good service for a fair price ($1.25 for a haircut back in ’73) live on in the barber shops we visited for our 50th anniversary update. It’s Noah West’s third visit to Robin Rader’s barber shop in the southwest Missouri town of Marshfield, but it’s the first time the sixteen-year-old has heard the story of Victor the wrestling bear, one of Robin’s visitors some 40 years ago. Yes, a 650-pound Alaskan brown bear once lumbered into the shop. “It was so funny,” says Robin, remembering the bus that pulled up in front of Rader’s Barber Shop and Natural Hairstyling. “This guy came in and he stood there. And he said he had somebody else out there he needed to get in for a haircut.” The bear’s trainer was kidding about getting Victor’s mane trimmed, of course. Still, he brought Victor inside long enough to pose for a photograph that still hangs above a mirror at the shop: It shows Robin with her scissors poised to clip a hank from the gigantic bear’s fur as he faces away from the four-foot-nine barber like an ordinary customer. It’s still quite a story to tell her customers—and barber shops like Robin’s are full of those. Fifty Missouri barbers have closed their doors over the past two years, according to the Missouri Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners, possibly because some weren’t able to recover after the pandemic. Nevertheless, 1,100 locations were still open in February, board statistics show—and the number of licensed barbers has grown by more than 200 to 3,060 since November 2021.

Robin Rader, 80, owner of Rader’s Barber Shop on Marshfield’s square since 1978, chats with customer Noah West, 16, who tells her about his dream of becoming a country music artist.

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