Submitted by

Beth Farrah, SMT Writer

Jefferson City, Missouri — Visitors will have the opportunity to discover spring wildflowers on guided hikes this spring at Sam A. Baker State Park. Sponsored by Missouri State Parks, the hikes will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 13 and Saturday, April 27. The hikes are free and open to the public.

The wildflower hike will provide the opportunity for hikers to discover the diverse wildflowers found in the park. A park naturalist will lead the hike along the popular Shut-ins Trail while teaching about the types of flowers, how to identify them, their medicinal and edible purposes and historical folklore.

For both hikes, visitors should meet at the Mudlick Trail trailhead, across the road from the park store. It is recommended that hikers wear sturdy, closed-toed shoes.

Sam A. Baker State Park is located on Highway 143 about four miles north of Patterson. For more information, contact the park at 573-856-4514. For more information about state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Qulin, Missouri – The Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) today announced that a Qulin not-for-profit organization has been approved for state tax credits under the Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP). The approved projects are part of approximately $6.6 million approved in the second round of NAP applications for FY 2013.

Community Senior Citizens, Inc. has been approved for $350,000 in NAP tax credits. The organization will utilize the NAP tax credits to construct a 5,000 square-foot nutrition center and food pantry. Construction of the new facility will enable the Community Senior Citizens to expand congregate and home-delivered meal services and health education programs, as well as creating a community thrift shop.

The DED administers the Neighborhood Assistance Program that helps not-for-profit organizations and raise private-sector funds by providing partial state tax credits to businesses that make contributions to approved community improvement projects.

Businesses can donate cash, materials, supplies or equipment; technical assistance and professional services; labor; real estate; or stocks and bonds. Credits can equal up to 50 percent of the total amount contributed or up to 70 percent for projects located in most rural areas.

Not-for-profit organizations participating in the NAP program conduct capital campaigns or provide services in the areas of crime prevention, education, job training, physical revitalizations, or community services. The Neighborhood Assistance Program is utilized by not-for-profit organizations throughout Missouri to make their communities a more desirable place to live and work, as well as pave the way for economic development.

^{Written by}

^{Beth Farrah, SMT Writer}

Highway 25 - The days on the calendar are flying by and we are getting closer and closer to the famous 100 Mile Yard Sale. The 15^th annual event will begin on Friday, May 24^th and will end on Sunday, May 27^th. Drivers, tourists, and locals will be seeing plenty of tables, tents, and people during that busy weekend along Highway 25, stretching all the way from Jackson down south to Kennett.

Although we are accustomed to the busy traffic and crowds of people, the Missouri Department of Transportation reported that the traffic and business of the local area increases by about 50% during Saturday on Memorial Day weekend and about 30% on Friday. The flow of people is predicted to be heavy this year, just like the many years before.

Some refer to the yard sale as “100 Miles Worth of Bargains”. In fact, there are so many things to see and buy along the way while driving through the stretch of towns and miles. Some of these towns include: Delta, Bernie, Advance, Bloomfield, Dexter, Malden, Clarkton, Holcomb, and of course Kennett and Jackson. The multiple booths that are set up along the way have a wide variety of items available for purchase. Many booths may have homemade arts and crafts, antiques, furniture, collectibles, clothes, toys, and so much more.

The event is sponsored by the Dexter Chamber of Commerce, the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, and the Kennett Chamber of Commerce. There is some land eligible for booths or tents that are still available. Many local establishments and businesses are offering spots for tents and sellers for a small fee. To find out more information on setting up a tent of your own and where to do it, you can contact the Dexter Chamber of Commerce at 573-624-7458.

There is no certain time that the event starts but certain booths or tables will be open when the owners arrive, certain booths owned by homeowners will be opened on late Thursday before the yard sale officially begins. There is also no admission fee to participate in the yard sale. People that may be driving on Highway 25 are encouraged to stay alert and drive slower than the speed limit signs that are posted. The goal of the weekend is to keep people safe and to have fun.

This historical event started in 1999 and has grown tremendously every year. Memorial Day Weekend is a hotspot for tourists who sometimes travel from Arkansas and Tennessee to participate in the bargain shopping. This whirlwind of people sometimes disrupts the lives of the locals, but has been managed fairly well in the past couple of years.

Many of the yard sale participants break their weekend up into two different pieces. They will travel as far south as they can on the first day and then travel the rest of the way the next. Throughout the weekend, many of the people are in need of places to rest that sell food or have bathrooms open for use. Some local businesses and churches along the route will offer these necessities.

With thousands of people participating in the weekend, it is always a great success. People from all over the region love to be a part of such a big event. Many bargains are made throughout the weekend and as soon as the yard sale ends on Sunday, some people will already be preparing for next year’s. For people who want to get rid of clutter and extra items around their homes, the 100 Mile Yard Sale is always a great opportunity. This may be why it is such a popular event for both sellers and buyers. 

Poplar Bluff, Missouri – The managing board of the Rodgers Theatre, Southern Bank and Fox Radio Network is pleased to announce the upcoming Unplugged concert featuring Nashville superstar, Collin Raye.  The concert will be held on Saturday, May 4 at the Historic Rodgers Theatre.

Raye charted several #1 songs and 24 Top 10 hits through the 90s with songs like “One Boy, One Girl,” “ Little Rock,” and “In This Life.”  His songs are heartfelt, soulful and are a true reflection of his passion for music.   Raye has been nominated five times as country music’s Male Vocalist of the year and will carry on the rich tradition of Nashville talent to the Unplugged Series on stage at the historic Rodgers Theatre.

Opening for Raye will be local talent, Rebekah Northern.  Northern’s fresh voice and youthful presence is sure to prep the audience for Raye’s performance.  Northern has been featured on local radio stations and Siruis XM The Highway.  A few of Northern’s songs include the popular “Hey Baby,”, “What You Wanted,” and many more.

“We are excited to bring this level of entertainment to the Rodgers Theatre.  Brent Davis has been instrumental in organizing the Opry at the Rodgers and has brought life back in to the Theatre.  Our plan was to simply expand on the Opry’s success and bring Nashville superstars to the stage.  With previous success of the Unplugged Series, we felt Raye would be a perfect fit,” stated Jim Hoyt, event co-organizer and Rodgers Theatre Board member.

 Tickets are available online at www.rodgerstheatre.org, any Poplar Bluff Southern Bank location, The Chamber of Commerce, The Bread Co, Hay’s Music and The Corner Cottage in Dexter.

Dexter, Missouri - Brittney Greer, a Dexter native and co-owner of American Wasteland Entertainment along with her business partner, Jason Brasier, a Willow Springs, Missouri native attended the LA Webfest recently held in Los Angeles, California.

American Wasteland Entertainment is a Springfield-based production company and had two of only three entries from Missouri, all three being from Springfield.  There was a total of 200 entries throughout the United States. 

At the LA Webfest, American Wasteland Entertainment received the following awards:

Drifter: Broken Road:  Outstanding Lead Actress (Vanessa Leinani), Outstanding Composer (Michael Brasier), Outstanding Writing (Jason Brasier), & Outstanding Directing (Jason Brasier). 

Stage Fright:  Outstanding Series (Horror/Scifi Category), Outstanding Editing (Jason Brsier and Robert Curry), Outstanding Directing (Jason Brasier), Outstanding Sound Design (Jason Brasier and Rob Curry), & Outstanding Composer (Jason Brasier, Michael Brasier and Tyler Durham), Best Producing (Brittney Greer, Jason Brasier, Babette Nicola Schlum and Jason Lee Knight).

At the end of the night, the Marseille, France web festival, a partner with the LA Webfest announced that they would be selecting 19 web series from the LA Webfest to come and show their work at the Marseille Webfest in October 2013.  Drifter: Broken Road was one of those web series.

In addition, Drifter: Broken Road is also showing at Hollyweb Festival this coming weekend and is up for awards there.

The second season of Drifter will begin shooting this year.  The season’s name will be announced in the coming months and will be shot locally in the southwest Missouri area.

Drifter: Broken Road stars Vanessa Leinani (Columbia, MO), Hannah Duncan, Nick Herra (Springfield, MO), Rodney Wiseman (Springfield, MO), Ryan Shields (Springfield, MO), Todd Hansard, Dale Gehris (Springfield, MO), Blake Flageolle (Springfield, MO), Jerry-Mac Johnston (Springfield, MO), Zac Rantz (Nixa, MO), Jason Brasier (Springfield, MO), Michael Brasier (Springfield, MO), Scott New (Springfield, MO), Andrew Long (Nixa, MO), Kevin Keppy (Springfield, MO), Angel Gonzales (Springfield, MO)

Drifter is produced by Jason Brasier, Christopher Johnson, & Brittney Greer and is written & directed by Jason Brasier.   Music was by Michael Brasier. 

Stage Fright stars Brittney Greer (Springfield, MO) and Zac Rantz (Nixa, MO), Chris Greig (Springfield, MO), Mickey Stone (Springfield, MO), Stephen Nations (Springfield, MO), Elaine Jenkins (Springfield, MO), Haley Bertrand (Branson, MO),  Jennifer Eiffert (Springfield, MO), Kevin Keppy (Springfield, MO), Marci Manna (Branson, MO), and Angel Gonzales (Springfield, MO)

Stage Fright was written by Brittney Greer & Jason Brasier and directed by Jason Brasier.   It was produced by Brittney Greer, Jason Brasier, Babette Rickett, and Jason Knight.

Those wanting more information on Drifter or Stage Fright or how they can support or be a part of these series can check out www.americanwastelandent.com.

Congrtulations Brittney!  The Dexter community is so proud of you!