Rural Missouri - October 2011 - (Page 3)

C O N T E N T S Features 10 4 Departments Comments National and statewide news Columns Hart to heart Dining on the tracks Columbia Star Dinner Train recalls a bygone era of train travel 5 12 Zagonyi’s Charge Bloody charge brings little glory or strategic gain to Union 10 15 Outdoors Staying on target 22 Out of the Way Eats Coffee & More at the Bank 24 Hearth and Home A little love from the kitchen 15 Staying on target Disability is no barrier for this champion archer 19 Husking heritage Marshall hosts 2011 national cornhusking championship 15 26 News Briefs News you can use 30 Marketplace Classified ads 32 Around Missouri Missouri happenings 36 Neighbors Fans of respect 20 Painting memories John Stoeckley reflects on career drawing Missouri’s historic sites and people 29 On the brink Post offices across Missouri face the threat of closure 20 38 Just4Kids Fun stuff from Buddy About our cover J ust before 8 p.m., the countdown begins. It’s the moment the crowd of children and adults alike has been anxiously awaiting on this early autumn night. “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,” they sing out in unison as the anticipation builds. “Five, four, three, two, one . . .” And with the flip of a switch, the Great Pumpkin Mountain, seen at left, is once again glowing and alive. Standing more than 30 feet tall and comprising more than 600 pumpkins — a vast majority of which are hand-carved by local middle school students — the electrically lit Pumpkin Mountain is the centerpiece of the annual PumpkinFest in St. Joseph. This year’s festival is scheduled for Oct. 7-9. First organized by the Pony Express National Museum 16 years ago, this three-day family-friendly event features live entertainment, a children’s costume parade, roaming entertainers, carnival rides, games, crafts and food. According to Cindy Daffron, the museum’s director of development, PumpkinFest initially was organized to raise enough funds for the museum to continue operations during the slower winter months. Today, it has become a St. Joseph tradition that has “carved” out its niche on the second full weekend in October. This year’s event will be especially memorable. On Saturday evening, the museum will officially open its newest addition, an 1860s-era one-room schoolhouse exhibit called the Pony School. The 25-by-50-foot interactive exhibit is a partnership between the museum and the St. Joseph School District. The Pony School will be open for tours. PumpkinFest is held at Patee Park, located at Ninth and Penn streets, across from the Pony Express National Museum. Admission is free. For more information about this year’s event, call 800-530-5930 or visit www.ponyexpress.org. Cover and photo at left by Jason Jenkins To order prints of these photos, see page 17. OCTOBER 2011 3 http://www.ponyexpress.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - October 2011

Rural Missouri - October 2011
Table of Contents
Comments
Columns
Dining on the tracks
Zagonyi’s Charge
Staying on target
Outdoors
Husking heritage
Painting memories
Out of the Way Eats
Hearth and Home
News Briefs
On the brink
Marketplace
Around Missouri
Neighbors
Just4Kids

Rural Missouri - October 2011