By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor
OLD GREENVILLE - Spring is here and soon the smell of gunpowder will be in the air as the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers at Wappapello Lake and the Crowley’s Ridge Black Powder Club host the 34th Annual Black Powder Rendezvous on April 14 and 15 at the Greenville Recreation Area.
The annual rendezvous is an opportunity to take a step back into time Re-enactors and craftspeople are on hand, spending the weekend as would the fur traders and pioneers in early America.
The Fur Trade Era began after the first European explorers, Louis Joliet and Father Marquette, canoed up the Des Plaines River and passed through the Chicago Portage in 1673. It lasted until local Indian tribes left northeastern Illinois after 1833.
The Rendezvous was the high point of the year for the traders who bartered supplies for furs with local tribes. "Brigades" or "outfits" of voyageurs would bring supplies from the headquarters of the fur companies and collect the cured skins and pelts. For sometimes as long as two weeks, the men would meet to trade and socialize, dance and sing, eat, drink, fight and race canoes.
Afterwards, the brigades would return with their cargoes to Canada and the East and the traders would return to their posts for a long winter in the "Illinois Country"
Bring your family and enjoy this pre-1840 era fur trapper rendezvous which is currently the longest consecutive running rendezvous in Missouri. It will take you back in time as you walk among the lodges, browse through the traders’ goods and talk with the trappers. There will be mountain skills competitions both days among the campfires, freshly shot gunpowder, and whistling tomahawks as well as old time games. Crafters and vendors will be on hand to make the event complete.
The primitive camp will open around 10 a.m. Saturday morning and close around 3 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free to the public. Shuttles in horse-drawn wagons will be available from the parking area to the campground.
While at the Rendezvous take an moment to see Old Greenville. In 1941, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the flood control project for the St. Francis River known that created Lake Wappapello. The resulting lake level necessitated the relocation of the town of Greenville to its present site, two miles northeast of its original position.
Because of its archaeological and historic significance, the old town of Greenville has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since March of 1990. Today this site is commonly referred to as Old Greenville. For a journey through the past, tour the sidewalks of Old Greenville on a self guided historic walk known as "Memory Lane" and learn about a town and its people.
For more information, please contact Park Ranger John Daves at the Wappapello Lake Project Office at (573) 222-8562, or Crowley’s Ridge Black Powder Club members Dale Kemp at (573) 624-9769 and Devin Scott at (573) 776-8746.
As a reminder, the new access to the Old Greenville Recreation Area is now located on the east side of U. S. Highway 67, approximately two miles south of Greenville, Missouri.
No foolin' - It's April 1! And Tori Seabaugh is in the ShowMe Spotlight for the month. Tori is a senior at Dexter High School and the daughter of Heather and Steve Foster and Jeff Thomas. Tori is a member of Future Teachers of America, Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She is the treasurer of DECA and a member of the Kickin' Cats Dance Team. The ShowMe Spotlight is a monthly feature of the ShowMe Times, featuring one of the Top 12 finalists in the annual Miss Dexter Pageant sponsored by the Dexter High School Choral Music Department. (Photo by SMT Reader Shannon Putnam .. Thanks so much, Tori and Shannon!)
Frogs. Little kids have stuffed them in pockets, they are in our ponds, lakes and stream, and their springtime song is a special kind of nature’s music.
A special time for seeing some off the ShowMe State’s frogs is slated for tonight, Friday, March 30 at the Missouri Department of Conservation Cape Girardeau Nature Center. "Frog Chorus Adventure" is designed for youngsters 12-15.
Want a chance to meet frogs up close and personal? Well, grab your muck boots and join us as we wade through amphibian-infested waters to hear the early spring chorus
The event is from 7 – 9 p.m. Friday at the Cape Girardeau Nature Center.
“Don’t miss this chance to meet some of the smallest and loudest frogs of Missouri,’ said Lisa Seyer of the center.
Registration for the event is required. Call 573-290-5218 to register or for more information.
Colorful, harmless, vocal and valuable
Missouri toads and frogs are colorful, harmless, vocal and valuable. Our forests, prairies, rivers, swamps and marshes are home to a multitude of toads and frogs, but few people know how many varieties we have, how to tell them apart or much about their natural history.
Native to Missouri
The toads and frogs native to Missouri are a valuable part of our outdoor heritage. Most people probably do not give them much thought, but we need these amphibians to control destructive insects and to add their voices to the sounds of spring and summer nights. Just hearing or seeing them adds to our enjoyment of the Missouri outdoors.
Good indicators of environmental health
Their role in nature can be illustrated by the huge number of insects they eat and by the number of animals that eat toads, frogs or their tadpoles. Since their bodies readily take in contaminants, they are good indicators of environment health. Amphibian skin secretions also are used in medical research to control and cure human diseases. And, a discussion of the value of frogs should include the fact that thousands of bullfrogs are harvested in our state each year for human consumption—one of Missouri’s truly gourmet outdoor foods.
By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor
Dexter’s T.S. Hill Middle School was overflowing with pink on Tuesday night when the 7th and 8th grade girl’s volleyball teams played Bernie in the second annual game for to raise fund and awareness for breast cancer
This year’s game – Hits For Hope – not only brought out an overflowing crowd of enthusiastic middle school volleyball fans, but also broke this year’s fundraising goal. Special fundraisers – from pink bracelets and t-shirts, honor name tags and a silent auction – all combined to raise over $5,300 for cancer patients.
“The Second Annual Hits For Hope was a huge success,” said middle school principal Scott Kruse. “We want to thank everyone who helped make this happen. Our volleyball players and coaches had set a goal of raising $3000.00 and as of right now, they have raised an accurate total of $5307.50.”
The Dexter ladies all sported special pink uniforms, and the fans joined in the action as well, with pink seen in the stands as far as the eye could see. The enthusiasm of the young fans was evident, which much of the middle school cheering section on their feet through the game. Young gentlemen sported shirts or name tags encouraging the volleyball players.
Baskets featuring everything from Vera Bradley bags to services from Dexter businesses were featured during the silent auctions. The ShowMe Times – ShowMe Dexter Barbecue – had sauces and seasonings from Dexter Barbecue restaurants, including Leon’s Dexter Queen, Hickory Log, Dexter Barbecue and Hick’s World Championship Meats – and promoted Dexter as the “Barbecue Capitol of Missouri.”
Bernie's own Becky Dennington was also on hand to autograph her book chronicling her journey with cancer, "Me and the Ugly C."
“The money will go to 18 FORE Life and then directly on to families fighting cancer,” Kruse said. “The effort will be recognized at the 18 Fore Life June 1 banquet. Our community is kind and generous. Again, thank you for your support.”
Dexter’s T.S. Hill Middle School was overflowing with pink on Tuesday night when the 7th and 8th grade girl’s volleyball teams played Bernie in the second annual game for to raise fund and awareness for breast cancer
This year’s game – Hits For Hope – not only brought out an overflowing crowd of enthusiastic middle school volleyball fans, but also broke this year’s fundraising goal. Special fundraisers – from pink bracelets and t-shirts, honor name tags and a silent auction – all combined to raise over $5,300 for cancer patients.
“The Second Annual Hits For Hope was a huge success,” said middle school principal Scott Kruse. “We want to thank everyone who helped make this happen. Our volleyball players and coaches had set a goal of raising $3000.00 and as of right now, they have raised an accurate total of $5307.50.”
The Dexter ladies all sported special pink uniforms, and the fans joined in the action as well, filling the stands with pink every where you looked. The enthusiasm of the young fans was evident, which much of the middle school cheering section on their feet through the game. Young gentlemen sported shirts or name tags encouraging the volleyball players.
Baskets featuring everything from Vera Bradley bags to services from Dexter businesses were featured during the silent auctions. The ShowMe Times – ShowMe Dexter Barbecue – had sauces and seasonings from Dexter Barbecue restaurants, including Leon’s Dexter Queen, Hickory Log, Dexter Barbecue and Hick’s World Championship Meats – and promoted Dexter as the “Barbecue Capitol of Missouri.”
“The money will go to 18 FORE Life and then directly on to families fighting cancer,” Kruse said. “The effort will be recognized at the 18 Fore Life June 1 banquet. Our community is kind and generous. Again, thank you for your support.”
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