by Caleb Jones A couple of months ago, my brother and I took our boys, our dad and a handful of cousins and family friends on the fishing trip of a lifetime. Our destination was Fletcher Lake, Ontario. Calling it “remote” doesn’t do it justice. There are no roads to...
Missouri students travel to D.C. for a week of monuments and memories STORY AND PHOTOS by Paul Newton Standing inside the U.S. Capitol, Joe Snyder found himself struck by more than marble columns and ornate ceilings. The Maryville teenager had always imagined...
Donna McClanahan recalls the ‘Day the Lights Came On’ STORY AND PHOTOS by Jim McCarty It would be difficult to find a more passionate electric cooperative supporter than Donna McClanahan. The wife of former Macon Electric Cooperative director and board president, the...
Co-ops Power the Next Generation Behind every restored power line and every light that flickers back on after a storm, there’s a skilled team making it happen. Across Missouri, electric cooperatives are investing in that future — training the next generation of...
Hi Striker rings the bell for entertainment STORY AND PHOTOS by Jim McCarty It happens at just about any carnival, festival or fair. A pitchman stands next to a tall contraption with a bell on top holding a heavy hammer. A man comes by with his girlfriend and the...
by Caleb Jones Last weekend, Lindsey and Charlie headed out of town for a dance competition. Max and I had other plans. While they were packing dance shoes and hair spray, we were loading turkey decoys, camouflage and enough shotgun shells to make every gobbler in...
At Countryside Farm & Market, passion takes root in every plant STORY AND PHOTOS by Sara Schafer Step inside the door at Countryside Farm & Market and you’re greeted by a sea of green — and then the color hits. Thousands of hanging baskets sway gently in the...
by Caleb Jones Missouri was home for the first stretch of Route 66 to ever be paved, but Route 66 changed lives for many people all across the country. Growing up in Moniteau County, my world consisted mostly of gravel roads, neighboring towns and good fishing...
by Caleb Jones Growing up on the farm, there was a hierarchy for just about everything. By the time I got a pair of coveralls or jeans, they had already been worn by my older brother and usually had a hole or two to prove it. The one exception was boots. I always got...
Welcome to the New Rural Missouri You’re holding in your hands a new chapter of Rural Missouri. We’re excited to share this refreshed and redesigned issue with you — and even more excited for what it represents. Over the past year, our team has taken a deep look at...