2024 Missouri Snapshots Photo Contest
Year after year, our readers have been eager to show us how much they love to spend time in Missouri’s state parks with their friends, family and furry companions. And why shouldn’t they? The parks draw nearly 20 million guests annually with more than 400,000 nights...
Chocolate-Covered Goodness
Dessert artist crafts mouthwatering sweets and treats For Ciara Kennell, Valentine’s Day is a series of numbers: 900 strawberries, 95 pounds of chocolate, 14-hour days and hundreds of happy customers. She wouldn’t have it any other way. Since 2021, Ciara has been...
IDK Cafe
Fried chicken is the thing at this northeast Missouri gathering spot Employees of the IDK Cafe have a standard response when newcomers ask: “What does IDK stand for?” Their answer is, “I don’t know.” Eventually the guests get the texting abbreviation, but not the...
Travels with Greg
Doniphan man roams in the slow lane When Greg Ponder retired from his job as the manager of finance for M & A Electric Power Cooperative in Poplar Bluff, one of his coworkers, Steven Austin, suggested he spend his newfound free time driving the length of Highway...
Easy to forget
Turns out it is easy to forget something you’ve done for years and take it for granted. Likewise, it’s easy to forget where your electricity comes from today. We all know the luxury of just flipping a switch or plugging in a cord. But it wasn’t long ago those of us who lived in rural America were in the dark.
Never too old to hunt
Missouri Baptist Homes helps seniors get outdoors There comes a time in the life of every hunter when it seems like hanging up the blaze orange is inevitable. It could be because the legs no longer hold up long enough for a trek into the woods. Or maybe the eyes grew...
100,000-mile man
Runner Rod Williams pounds the pavement around Warrensburg On July 22, Rod Williams toed the starting line on the University of Central Missouri track, a place he knew well from his time as one of the Mules’ distance runners. Then he backed up 30 feet to ensure he was...
Painterly realism
The heroic art of Kyle Carroll If a roomful of people were asked how they know Kyle Carroll, the answers would be as varied as the respondents. As a former Missouri Department of Conservation agent, retired Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper, Dekalb County...
Glass bender
Jim and Becky McCarter keep history alive through neon signs Every sign has a story, and every sign is worth saving — at least to Jim and Becky McCarter. The couple from Columbia have been dedicated to the craft and history of neon signs for more than four decades....
New year, new day
Front-row parking at the grocery store, stopping at the gas station and finding my cellphone on the tailgate of my truck or catching the biggest trout at fish camp opening day — if you ask my wife or any of my buddies, I’m a pretty lucky guy. I’m going to let you in...