Handmade with a higher cause
New Florence shop offers decor and more There’s just a little bit of everything going on inside the country craft store. A couple passing by stopped to check out some of the fall decorations and homemade candles that are making way for the upcoming Christmas displays....
The patient photographer
Persistence pays off for wildlife photographer Danny Brown You might walk right past Danny Brown and never know it if you spend any time outdoors in Missouri. He’s likely perched in a chair covered with camouflage netting, patiently waiting for his prey to show up in...
Larry’s line art
Laclede Electric lineman makes art from cast-off poles With a wide sweep of his hand, Larry Taylor gestures toward the pile of raw materials in his shop near Hartville. “All of this was headed to the trash,” Larry says. He’s talking about the stack of wood cut from...
Big league portraits
Jackson man uses artistic skill to paint for the pros Listening to the baritone voices of John Rooney and Ricky Horton smoothly dictate the action inside Busch Stadium on the radio, the artist is in his happy place. The baseball radio announcer’s job is to paint a...
The Many Mediums of Jimmie Marler
by Paul Cecchini | info@ruralmissouri.coop Hartville artist’s hands never rest The world record for most prolific painter is held by Pablo Picasso, with over 13,000 paintings and designs to his name. Hartville native Jimmie Marler has produced around 11,500 at this...
Going For Gold
Powerlifter Charlie Phillips gears up for Medal Run Amid the roar of the crowd and the music, Charlie Phillips takes the stage. Grasping almost a quarter-ton of weight between his hands, the 26-year-old straightens his legs and rises on the cheers as if carried on a...
Porcelain Perfection
Julia Allspach passes down the art of china painting Looking back on a lifetime of drawing and painting, Julia Allspach can’t estimate how many different artworks she’s made. While her home is adorned with tiles, vases, plates, Christmas ornaments, lampshapes and tea...
A lady on the line
Kimberly Bradshaw makes history as State Tech’s first woman lineworker Kimberly Bradshaw had no idea she was breaking new ground the day she toured State Technical College of Missouri. “I came here and I toured after I got accepted,” she says. “The guide at the end...
Community, Creativity and Culture
Columbia rapper NicDanger plans a better future, one track at a time Growing up in Columbia, Nicholas Rodriguez, or NicDanger, as he’s better known around town, felt like the odd kid out around his peers. The 32-year-old’s rise from being a frustrated grade schooler...
The Goat of Many Colors
Gerti the goat brings joy to people of all ages by Heather Berry Like most every 4-year-old kid, Gertrude, or Gerti, is a bundle of energy. She hops up on everything. She likes playing dress up and meeting people. She loves snacking on chips, cereal and, well, even...
Ready to hoop
Dennis Gates leads Mizzou Men’s Basketball as team’s 20th coach Dennis Gates is chomping at the bit for the ball to be tipped against Southern Indiana on Nov. 7. Mizzou’s first-year head men’s basketball coach hopes to revive the Tigers’ program on the court and in...
Treasuring the West
Crane author uses Missouri history to keep adventure alive by Jessica Jainchill | info@ruralmissouri.coopphoto by Zach Smith | zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop The Western book genre has been popular for almost as long as cowboys have existed. Starting as dime novels in...
The Daredevil Drafts of Catawissa
Michaela Redeker and her Clydesdales ride with style They sound like muffled thunder as they round the bend. Dust clouds follow as their rider guides them with her reins. The Clydesdales continue galloping within inches of one another and in sync so the rider can...
Truth & Exaggeration
Jefferson City artist Jim Dyke colors the world as he sees it If you’ve been to the Missouri State Fair, chances are you’ve seen him in action under an awning near the concert grandstand. Marker in hand, caricature artist Jim Dyke quickly sketches likenesses on paper,...
Just for the record
Wayne Glenn collects, recollects and more Wayne Glenn is one of the rare few who can say he’s loved his career from start to finish. He took a hobby from his youth and spun it into a 43-year career on Ozarks radio airwaves. Last May, the Nixa man known as “The Old...
A leatherworking legacy
Eric Van Alstine puts old tools to work making historical leatherwork Looking back on the craft he practices, historical leatherworker Eric Van Alstine realizes he’s come a long way. “I knew nothing about leatherwork,” he says of his entry into the craft. “All I knew...
An eye for beauty
Benton photographer captures small towns, landscapes It’s no surprise that Larry Braun was drawn to photography. He got it from his dad, who purchased his camera in Japan just after World War II. Likewise, Larry picked up his first camera — a Canon F-1 — in Hong Kong...
Cake boss
Jackson baker creates over-the-top cakes Katie Goodpasture had a problem. Her soon-to-be 4-year-old daughter Grace had a birthday coming up and she had a specific request. “She wanted a My Little Pony-themed birthday,” Katie explains. “It wasn’t popular in 2009 and...
For He’s a Jolly Red Fellow
One man's journey to become Santa Claus Even an unseasonably warm day in the Ozarks doesn’t deter Greg Winters from donning his characteristic colors. The red overalls, green T-shirt and white beard let you know there’s more to this man than wearing Yule colors all...
Flour, water, salt, time and love
Baker finds peace making bread the old-fashioned way It’s a quiet and still morning on the farm. Cell service is spotty at best and not many cars pass by on the gravel road. Chris Foley is alternating his time between chopping wood and hurling a Frisbee for his dog,...
Pastvina pork
David Borrowman returns to the farm From his kitchen just outside Smithville, David Borrowman can see the long rows of corn he planted stretching to the horizon. The corn he can see out the window is the hybrid variety typical of most Midwest farms. When it’s...
Taking the time
A traffic stop that ended with more than a ticket It was after 10 p.m. one hot Sunday night in August 2020. Missouri Highway Patrol Cpl. Jeffrey W. Huff was westbound on Interstate 70 when the headlights of a speeding car quickly came up behind him. “I clocked the car...
The Eli era
Mizzou's Eli Drinkwitz is hungry for more wins in 2021 At the time the Mizzou football team notched its first win of the 2020 season, head coach Eli Drinkwitz probably thought he had seen it all. On March 16 he had to cut his team loose due to COVID-19 fears, without...
The little town that could
Neighbors come together to fight hunger Tonie Lott will tell you the idea of a mobile food pantry came from her daughter, Jaydin. The then-8-year-old came home from school one day, grabbed a bag and headed straight to the food-lined shelves in their kitchen.“I asked...
Woolen Wonders
Missouri artist gives life to wool through needle felting Her slim fingers deftly work, punching the barbed needle quickly into the wool fibers. One hand feeds a cloud of the natural fiber in front of the darting tool. Magically, the gentle curve of a lady’s face...
A New Light
Life is good at the end of the line John Murphy says his family has always been blessed with a good memory. He remembers as a 9-year-old boy, watching an electric cooperative truck laden with poles being winched out of a ditch. The “most brilliant” memory of the same...
Hats with Attitude
Millinery isn’t old hat with Rose Monzyk Dainty hands smooth the damp fabric over the domed wooden form. The seemingly unforgiving material finally begins to give after numerous tugs, relaxing around the shape. As it gives way to the designer, pins are strategically...
Flower Power
Fresh bouquets keep business blooming in Clarence Inherited objects are wonderful keepsakes. Pam Stenger inherited a shared appreciation of something from her grandmother decades ago. Today she shares that passion with others in a beautiful way. “As a child, I used to...
A Steady Progression
Brent Foster honed his carving skills from an early age Looking for the right words to describe his lifetime of carving wood, Brent Foster calls it a “journey of self progress.” He recalls getting started at the tender age of 8, watching an experienced friend whittle...
You’re the Coach
Football fans call the play in new board game If you’re guilty of being a Monday morning quarterback after Sunday’s big game, you’re in good company — and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Raymondville football fan Michael Wray Jr. has been considering statistics,...
Christmas Creations
Perryville artist transforms antiques into works of art There could be a piece of art out there you didn’t know you needed to have. And if that’s the case, Cheryl Cooper might have had her hands involved in it. The Perryville artist has dabbled in many different art...
100-Mile Man
John Cash goes the distance for extreme adventure There’s a certain progression most runners go through. They start with a 5K, and if that goes well, move up to a 10K or even a half-marathon. The pinnacle is reached by running a marathon, 26.2 miles of bragging rights...
Rescue on a Mission
Without a sound, she’s by your side gazing up at you. As you sit at the table, the furry greeter quietly hops up in the chair beside you and pleads with big brown eyes to be invited to sit. “Olive will work her way onto your lap and into your heart before you know...
Sara Evans: Born to Fly
Missouri’s sweetheart of country music A screen door squeaks closed in the background. You can imagine Sara Evans is taking this call with a cup of coffee while curled up on a porch swing at her Nashville home. Her warm smile carries through the phone as the easy...
Signs at a Stroke
Rolla man carries on hand-painted tradition If you’ve traveled the main streets and back roads of central Missouri, chances are good you’ve seen David Davis’ artwork and not even known it. The mural welcoming you to downtown Rolla, a car dealership’s window pane or...
Legend of the Game
Gene Bess retires as college basketball’s winningest coach Gene Bess didn’t give much thought to how long he would stay when he was named assistant basketball coach at Poplar Bluff’s Three Rivers Junior College in 1970. He was just glad to have a job. “Everybody was...
Family Tradition
Generations share memories of Youth Tour Kyle Kruse will never forget the day he stepped on the Braniff flight in 1987. At 17 years old, it was his first flight and he was headed to Washington, D.C. “I was just a country boy from Russellville,” says Kyle. “It was a trip...
Making Mobility Fun
The Frog is making kids mobile by Heather Berry | hberry@ruralmissouri.coop The front door opens as a flash of green zips through the foyer and then spins around to see who’s arrived. A smile breaks across the face of 2-year-old Brody Moreland, then zip, he’s off...
Sisters forever
Living organ donors bonded for life by Heather Berry hberry@ruralmissouri.coop Doncella Liggins won’t forget the day three years ago when she left a follow-up appointment after a weeklong stay in a Kansas City hospital. Her parents, who had come along, waited in the...