Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Buffalo, Missouri - Rendezvous folks are like family and when one of us succeeds in life, we try to share their accomplishments with the world. My friend, Wolf Harvey, is a Missouri-born artist and master creator of Native American art including carving and sculpting. Born not far from the Cherokee Trail of Tears and is perhaps one of the most talented young artists of our time. He resides in Buffalo, Missouri. His art is truly beautiful!
Few artists can rival the standards of excellence with brilliance, superiority and distinction achieved by Master Artist Wolf Harvey over the past 20+ years. He is truly one of the country's most widely talented, recognized, primitive Native American artists who won First Place at the 36th Annual Trail of Tears Art Show in Tahlequah, Oklahoma in the Sculpture Division.
Wolf Harvey is one of the most sought after primitive, Native American artists and is most popular in Black Powder and Pow-Wow circles and Native American art.
Relief Carving
Mr. Harvey is best known for his diverse artistic abilities. He transforms natural skulls and bones in to masterpieces of art by relief carving and painting. He created a traditional six-hole Native American flute from a bear arm bone with remarkable sound. He carved a life-size snapping turtle sculpture made from cedar and hand-hammered copper shell complete with mastodon ivory claws, a gourd rattle and amber eyes to which the base was a two and a half foot hollow tree with the story of “Grandfather Turtle” painted in it. The turtle stood on a marble top placed over the tree stump.
Flint-knapper, Boat Design, Custom Paddles and Bow Maker 
In addition to his master sculptor talent, Artist Wolf Harvey is also a flint-knapper, a bow maker, a painter, a knife artist including obsidian, stone, wood, bone, antler, steel, and Damascus knives. He also carves a variety of stone resulting in flutes, pipes and other masterpieces. Wolf has also designed and created boats, kayaks and custom paddles, does custom gun building and other diverse masterpieces. He custom designs accessories for motorcycles from copper, steel and bone as well. He is a jewelry craftsman, and custom clothing designer for Native American Regalia. When it comes to leather, furs and other natural materials, Mr. Harvey has no limits. He invites and thrives on challenges that to most would seem unreachable.
Unparalleled Creativity
Wolf has created, shaped, formed, twisted, painted, sculpted and produced thousands of masterpieces with none mass produced, each piece being unique and exclusive. Mr. Harvey has created a vast amount of inventions that were born with his unprecedented, unparalleled, imagination. His friends say he has mastered all of the aforementioned talents and then some.
His use of earthy, traditional colors and Native American style with art born from his impeccable imagination and his fascinating style is often cited as the reasons for his immense popularity. Truly a modern-day Einstein with talents exceeding any renaissance artist.
Please visit Wolf on his Facebook page. He welcomes questions and comments on his art and invites you to meet him in person at Black Powder Rendezvous. He typically camps at the Old Greenville Rendezvous in April and he might make a surprise visit to the "Rendezvous on the River" in New Madrid, Missouri on October 4th and 5th, 2013.
Click here for Wolf's Facebook Page!
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
The Dexter Bearcat Booster Club is gearing up for their annual membership drive! When you join the Dexter Bearcat Booster Club on or before August 6, 2013 you will be entered into a drawing for a $50 Gift Certificate for Booster Club merchandise!
They offer many membership types to fit anyone's needs. Recent graduates between the ages of 18 and 25 can become Alumni Members for as little as $15.00 to help support all the great things the Dexter Bearcat Booster Club does for the schools, students, and community!
Individual Memberships are only $25 and Family Memberships are just $50 which include 2 Athletic Passes, good for 5 regular season athletic events.
Sponsor Memberships are $250 for those that like to support those 'Cats and aren't afraid to show it! They receive 2 Athletic Passes, good for 5 regular season athletic events and a Dexter Bearcat Booster Club yard sign.
Corporate memberships are $500 for the Bearcat Business that wants everyone to know that their true colors are RED & BLACK! They receive 1 All Sport Pass which is good for all 2013-2014 regular season athletic events and a Dexter Bearcat Booster Club yard sign. What an awesome deal and a great way to support your Bearcat Booster Club!
Check out the Dodgeball Tournament that will be held October 5th during the 1st Ever Fall Community Homecoming Weekend Event. The defending champions will hopefully be back in action for some great dodgeball beatdowns!
The Dexter Bearcat Booster Club supports the schools and the students and have over the last couple of years purchased software for the football team, golf bags for the golf team, a cooler, popcorn popper and a banner for the TS Hill Middle School. They even purchases a Vibraphone for the Jazz 'Cats. They also served dinner for the Fall, Winter, and Spring sports' banquets.
Each year they chose students who are graduating to receive a scholarship. At the 2013 Spring Sports Banquet Alex Rybolt, Ryan Joiner, and Sydney Graves each received $500 scholarships to further their education.
By joining the booster club you are helping to support our school and add money to the district expenditures that are not covered by the school's budget.
The DBBC also has a Board of Directors. Stacy Blocker was just recently elected at the President along with Candy Miller as Vice-President, Jason Mattison as Secretary, Kevin Bishop as Treasurer and members are Jimmy Aldridge, Kristi Boles, Marrianne Bruce, Jim Murdock, and Kristi Strong.
If you would like to help with various Booster Club sponsored events, volunteers are greatly appreciated! You can sign up for the Dodge Ball Tournament, Football Field Painting, Football Game Sales, and Basketball Game Sales. Or you can help with one of the Athletic Banquets in the Fall, Winter and Spring. Anyone who wishes to volunteer may contact a DBBC Board Member or when filling out the Membership Form designate by placing a check-mark in the appropriate box.
For more information regarding the Booster Club's activities, or to inquire about joining the club, visit www.bearcatbooster.com or email info@bearcatbooster.com. Also check out their Facebook page.
To download the Dexter Bearcat Booster Club Membership Form click here.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Dexter, Missouri – With schools out for summer, many children go without food as they lose access to regular daily school lunches and breakfasts. These meals typically provide at least one-third of the nutrients that a child needs during the school year. Because families cannot meet this need, hundreds of families seek help each month. The Stoddard County Gospel Mission tries to fill this gap and provide nourishment for adequate mental and physical health and growth.
This morning, the Stoddard County Gospel Mission was pleasantly surprised when SEMO Electric Coop trucks and other vehicles pulled up to their doors.
The Elders of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Dexter organized this summer snack drive for the children of our community and with the help of Sean Vanslyke, CEO of SEMO Electric Coop and several employees, they delivered and unloaded bag after bag.
Several Elders of the church were on hand helping including Mark Stidham, City of Dexter Administrator, Debbie Stidham, Kim Williams, Debbie Ellinghouse and Bill Boesin. Also present was City of Dexter’s Police Chief Sammy Stone supervising the transportation of goods across city streets!! Thanks to all who helped make this possible from donation to delivery!
The entire congregation of the Disciples of Christ Church donated money and snack type foods and filled the 350 white paper sacks with delicious goodies.
Ron Montgomery, President of the Board of Directors for the Stoddard County Gospel Mission was also on hand to help carry the bags into the warehouse. He is also the Purchasing Manager for SEMO Electric Coop.
Children under 17 will appreciate these summertime treats. Goodies included pudding, fruit cups, oatmeal packs, krispie treats, applesauce, pop-tarts, canned pasta, ramen, nutri-grain bars, peanut butter crackers, cheese crackers, cookies, and other delightful snacks. “I have to start calling families as soon as possible to get them scheduled to come in. We had over 400 children in the month of June who required our assistance,” stated Marty Starnes, Food Pantry Manager.
Students often have both parents working outside of the home during the summer months, leaving older siblings to cook for younger ones. These snacks will be easy to open and require little to no preparation.
Kim Slavings, SCGM Director smiled and said, “I am so grateful and I want to thank everyone who made this happen, especially the people at the First Christian Church. They are so generous!”
Kim continued, “We see so many each month needing assistance and with school out, children are not getting their normal lunchtime meals.”YOUcan help these families and their children by donating non-perishable foods such as can goods, canned vegetables, box drinks, dry goods, crackers, peanut butter, can tuna, and fruit snacks.
Hunger is a problem right here in our very own community. Please help a fellow neighbor and donate to those who are suffering. Start a food drive in your neighborhood, at work, at school or church. The rewards are unlimited!
The Stoddard County Gospel Mission is located at 207 N. One Mile Road in Dexter with the Food Bank open Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Please call 624-8979 to schedule a time to receive food.
Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
State of Missouri - The Missouri State Highway Patrol, a premiere law enforcement agency, is testing for new troopers. The Patrol is encouraging qualified individuals of all backgrounds to apply, and will offer testing at nine different locations in Missouri. Those who successfully complete testing will be eligible to continue in the selection process for the 99th Recruit Class, scheduled to begin training on July 1, 2014. The application deadline is August 23, 2013.
To be eligible candidates must possess a minimum of 60 college credits, or two years of federal active duty military service with an honorable discharge, or two years of POST-certified, full-time law enforcement experience at the time recruit training begins.
Test locations and dates include:
Troop G (Willow Springs) -- July 20, 2013
Troop E (Poplar Bluff) -- July 27, 2013
Troop D (Springfield) -- August 3, 2013
Troop I (Waynesville) -- August 3, 2013
Troop A (Lee’s Summit) -- August 24, 2013
Troop B (Macon) -- August 24, 2013
Troop C (Weldon Spring) -- August 31, 2013
Troop H (St. Joseph) -- September 7, 2013
General Headquarters (Jefferson City) -- September 9, 11, 13, and 14, 2013
The starting salary for trooper is $3,095 per month while in training; $3,281 per month after six months; and $3,578 per month at two years of service. Other benefits include group health insurance, contributory retirement, career advancement, and more.
The selection process is a multi-phase testing procedure including: written examination, a physical fitness for duty assessment, polygraph examination, background investigation, and oral interview board. After a conditional offer of employment, the applicant must successfully complete a medical examination (to include vision and hearing), psychological examination, a psychological interview, drug screening, and final applicant review.
Interested persons can find out more about the qualifications by contacting a Patrol recruiter at telephone number 1-800-796-7000, or may apply online at www.motrooper.com.
The number of successful candidates being extended an offer of employment is contingent upon factors such as budget constraints and the number of vacant positions statewide.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Dexter, Missouri - Every year Americans empty their wallets buying fireworks for the Fourth of July holiday. According to the American Pyrotechnic Association, in the year 2010 alone Americans spent more than $600 million on fireworks. But how exactly do these creations work?
According to Dr. Nikolay Gerasimchuk, associate professor of chemistry at Missouri State University, fireworks are a type of inorganic chemistry that contains two very important classes of compounds: propellants and explosives.
The colors visible when a firework explodes are caused by a large volume of gases mixing with heat, which creates the ignition of certain particles within the firework:
Magnesium and pieces of burning foil create the look of a shower of white stars falling from the sky.
Barium nitrate and copper creates a bright green color.
Potassium mixed with lithium creates a soft lilac color in the sky.
Together with the mixing of certain gases we get many beautiful colors. Silver is the burning of aluminum, titanium, or magnesium powder or flakes. Yellow is the burning of sodium compounds and orange is created when calcium salts are burned.
Though the origins of fireworks was not associated with the 4th of July, but with New Year's Eve; however It has now become an annual tradition that everyone enjoys.
The Dexter Fireworks Display will be held at dusk on Wednesday, July 3rd. Bloomfield Fireworks Display will be held on July 4th.
