The Regular Joe - St Joseph - February

FREE - TAKE ONE THE REGULAR JOE FREE - TAKE ONE

Jay KernerPublisher/Civic Noodge

The new Dog Park is open in spite of not being complete. The dog people couldn’t wait.

Once the fences and gates were in place, there was nothing to stop them and in they went.

We’ve received some nice comments about our small role in the process, but the real credit goes to the City Council and staff that listened to the public’s request and made it happen.

It just took longer than we thought.So what now? Maybe it’s time for a new project?There are plenty of opportunities, but in the end, we wanted to take on

something even more impactful to our community. That’s why we’ve decided to point our attention towards the riverfront.

The Missouri River. The “Big Muddy.” The “Mighty Mo.”That twisting, turning waterway is ultimately, why we’re all here.It brought city founder, Joseph Robidoux, and he set up his trading post

along its’ banks. It carried goods and supplies from the east, animal furs and eventually crops, the other direction.

It formed a natural boundary between the edge of civilization and the west-ern frontier.

St. Joseph’s entire identity was closely tied to our place on the river.But somewhere along the line, we forgot we were a river city.We’re not sure how or why, exactly. It probably was a slow process, taking

several decades.But regardless of the cause, we think it’s high time to do something about

it.Lots of folks use the wonderful walking trail along the river. It’s one of our

favorite sections. Hike the strip south from the Nature Center, and you’ll no doubt run into countless people you know. But unless the water is especially high, nobody except the homeless seem to spend much time in the sorry excuse for what we laughingly call our “Riverfront Park.”

Originally built as a landing spot for our “Spirit of St. Joseph” Riverboat Casino, it has fallen into extreme disrepair since the casino moved to new digs up-river and the “spirit” of the park left town when the boat did.

It doesn’t look bad from a distance, but up close it’s pretty shabby. We’ve got gobs of paved parking, but full of potholes. We’ve got a boarded up con-cession stand/restroom building, gutted and useless.

We’ve got multi-levels of concrete that lead down to a loading ramp for a boat that isn’t coming.

And we’ve got a completely unused gazeebo at the top, for no apparent reason whatsoever.

Some say the park is unused is because of the noise from the traffic on I229 overhead. Maybe that’s so, but if some of the talk we hear is true, maybe that’s not a long term problem. Maintenance costs have the powers that be consid-ering decommissioning the overpass and diverting the traffic to city streets. We’ve seen multiple approaches and will be curious to see which one emerges.

There has also been talk for some time about the casino coming back south to anchor a new riverfront development, but they may or may not.

The city’s gains from our increased Hotel Motel tax amount to almost a

million a year, and is earmarked for our newly designated “Entertainment Dis-trict”, which extends in a narrow band, east from the river.

There are a number of big, big, possibilities, involving convention centers, hotels, and everything else under the sun.

We like it.We just don’t want to wait for a major development before anything hap-

pens.We can hope for it and anticipate people following the construction, or we

can do things to attract people now, and watch as the money follows the people.We want to fix up that park a little and start using it. We want to move the

gazeebo to the bottom of the concrete from the top, forming a perfect amphithe-ater for bands. We want vendors along that parkway. A farmer’s market would be a good fit. A flea market makes sense. A place for artists and crafters and anybody else that wants to showcase their wares.

But mainly the river. We want access. We want docks and marina service for boats.

We know several groups are working towards many of these goals, and our little paper is going to get behind those efforts.

St. Joe is the river city that forgot about the river. But it doesn’t have to stay that way.

Our New “Pet Project”

The Voices of America Chorus announced today that it will be delivering Singing Valentines on Friday, February 13th and Saturday, February 14th from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. all around the St Joseph and Maryville areas. Singing Valentines can also be delivered by phone anywhere in the continental U.S. A surprise visit from a quartet - dressed for Valentine’s Day will deliver a sentimental love song, a red rose, candy kisses, and a card with a personal message to your significant other, at the location of your choice around the St Joseph and Maryville areas.

In years past, Singing Valentines have been delivered in homes, offices, retail business locations, doctors’ offices, Assisted Living Centers, restau-rants, schools, churches, social gatherings and more.

Quartets will deliver the Singing Valentines, and will be assigned as the orders come in. Cost is $25 for a telephone delivery and $50 for a live delivery within a 4-hour time window. Tighter win-dows are available for a nominal extra charge.

Doug Scheidegger, who chairs the Singing Valentine program, said we get requests from both men and women to sing to their loved ones. We sing to wives and husbands, girlfriends and boyfriends, children and grandchildren, parents and grandpar-ents. Some will cry, some will be embarrassed, but almost everyone appreciates the thoughtfulness and the unique Valentines gift. “It’s a personal musical performance,” Scheidegger said. “We spread love through harmony.”

Don Ransom, whose quartet delivered more than 40 singing valentines last year, explains that it’s a lot of fun to surprise the recipient at work or a restaurant to sing for them and share that special moment with them from someone who cares about them.

Make this Valentine’s Day one to remember for your loved one, or your favorite group. Orders can be made on-line at: http://www.vchorus.com or by phone (816) 387-7236

Dear Joe,Performing Arts Association presents Cantus at the Historic Missouri Theatre on February 7 at 8:00 PM. Tickets are now on sale at the Performing Arts Association, 816-279-1225.The Minnesota-based men’s vocal ensemble Cantus announced their 2014-2015 national touring season and the October 7th release of A Harvest Home this past September. With the new season, Cantus launches a brand new tour-ing program - Anthem - Anthem features works ranging from the Hebrew Burial Kaddish to the African American work song, “Rainbow ‘Round My Shoulder,” to works by Kodály, Holst, Verdi, Janáček and Tallis.Tickets for the perfor-mance may be pur-chased by phone at the Performing Arts Asso-ciation, 816-279-1225 or at the office, 719 Ed-mond Street or online: saintjosephperformin-garts.org.

WANTED Crafters & Artistsfor BIG CHIEF Arts & Crafts ShowMarch 14 ....... (10 to 3) for more Information call 816-248-2503Mitchell Park Plaza Art Gallery

Dear Joes,

Contact The Regular Joe816-617-5850

[email protected]. Box 1304 St. Joseph, Mo. 64502

Read us onlinewww.theregularjoepaper.com

Chamber Concert IIIFebruary 14, 2015-3:00 PMAshland United Methodist Churchfeaturing: Lory Lacy, FluteMeribeth Risebig, OboeRandy Cunningham, ClarinetClaudia Risebig, BassoonSara Giovanelli, HornCharles Badami, PianoRico McNeela, Viola

Chicago Chamber Musicians EnsembleFebruary 15, 2015-4:00 PMFirst Presbyterian Church301 North 7th StreetSt. Joseph, MO 64501 featuring: Joe Genualdi, ViolinRami Solomonow, ViolaLoren Brown, Cello Brad Opland, BassSteve Cohen, ClarinetGayle Williams, HornGregory Quick, BassoonKay Kim, Piano

Tickets: One Concert: Adults $23 / Students $10Both Concerts: Adults $40 / Students $17Purchase online or by calling 816-233-7701

Pre-Concert Talk February 10, 2015 Noon at Luna’s Fine Dining $30 per person RSVP with payment by February 6 by calling 816-233-7701.

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People like Mike Grimm and others from the Cracker House Project, understand the importance of saving the Cracker House, and so do we at TNP Historical Preservation & Education Project. We will do everything possible to save it and give it a new lease on life.

TNP would like to use the Cracker House as a base location to launch our Tourism through History & Nature stage of our project which is only one of many steps to promote St. Joe. We will use it to show visi-tors and St. Joe residents alike, things and sites about St. Joe’s history. These sites are right under their feet and all around them. After the building is repaired we will use it as a location to display the man-made and natu-ral artifacts along with maps of the historical sites and stories that have been forgotten.

Most of the money from sales will be reinvested to promote more tourism business, museums, schools, and more.

This project is not limited to the St. Joe area only. This involves many more towns in Missouri and Kansas.

We are waiting to hear from you. If we can be of any service please contact us at 816-364-0080 and ask for Mike.

Thank you very much for your time and interest.

WHY TNP WANTS TO SAVE THE CRACKER HOUSE

Jay Kerner

Somewhere around 25 years ago or so, I wrote my first family Christmas letter.

We always received a few clever ones from some crazy creative family and friends, so I knew I was going to have to do something different if I wanted to hang with the pros.

That’s why I added a little bonus: a silly picture of me in a smoking jacket seated next to my taxider-mied goat. (We could talk more about the goat, but that’s a story all its own.)

Anyway, I sent out around 50 copies to folks across the country, to mostly popular response.

Over the next months and years I experienced a visceral thrill to discover that picture on lots of my friends and families’ refrigerators.

I began to realize that I had crossed that invis-ible barrier that separates the important from the mundane, the relevant from the not so much. I had become refrigerator worthy!

My picture was up there with the good report cards and the “save the date” notices. My art, (if I may be so bold as to call it that), right up there alongside the hand-traced turkeys and finger-paint masterpieces.

And a surprising number stayed there for years! Come the next holiday season I started getting

early requests for the new version. Now the pres-sure was on. You can’t keep giving them the same ol’-same ol’.

There were a few hits and some horrible misses over the next few years. But then, the kids every-where (and of all ages) got their hands on Photo-

shop, and before you knew it, everybody was an art-ist, and pretty much any knucklehead with access to a keyboard was putting out the kind of stupid stuff that had been my personal domain for a number of years.

It wasn’t fun anymore after everyone was doing it, so I slacked off for a bit.

Then, the opportunity popped up to do this ri-diculous paper, and with it, the chance to inflict my silliness regularly on an unsuspecting audience.

After doing this going on eight years, we’ve had some hits and misses in the paper, too. We’ve been lucky to have put out a few things that resonated with some folks. Again, we’ve been excited to have seen a few of them on refrigerators.

If you think about it, hasn’t that simple kitchen appliance become the main repository for the bits of paper we hold in highest regard?

Photos. The key-code for the internet. Long ex-pired pizza coupons. The cartoon that just nails it.

Grocery lists, doctor’s appointments, baseball schedules and the card from your bail bond guy.

And all held up with little magnets. You can talk about Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, or any other titan of American indus-try, but I wonder about the dude that invented the refrigerator magnet. We may have a car in every garage in this country and a dozen or so lightbulbs in the average home, but both figures are dwarfed by the number of refrig-erator magnets.

There’s a hierarchy in the magnet world. The

old-school, heavy duty ones are reserved for the most important stuff. Over the decades, magnets have gotten thinner and cheaper, to the point that some budget-advertiser’s versions won’t hold up anything at all. Heck, they’ll barely hold them-selves up there. Yet we still keep them for some reason. Who throws away a perfectly good refrig-erator magnet?

But I digress. (I do that!) Anyway, it always tickles me to see my stuff on people’s fridge or any-where else they may have kept them.

When my mother-in-law passed away this fall, I was touched when I found a dozen or more of her favorite pieces of mine, cut out and saved in a kitchen drawer. (Those feelings were tempered a bit by the fact that I found them under about a hundred of Alonzo’s.)

When you create a disposable medium like this, you get excited anytime one avoids joining their brethren at the recycler. I guess that’s what keeps us going in the wee dark hours; the idea that something we produce, just maybe, has a chance at kitchen immortality. We know we won’t hit every time, but shoot, a boy can dream, can’t he?

Fridge Worthy

Brian J. Myers

The nightlife scene in downtown St. Joseph has taken some major hits in the last few years. The closures of three nightclubs since 2012 have left a noticeable void on Felix Street for club goers and live music fans, many of which have began fre-quenting venues in other parts of the city, or taking their business outside of the community altogether.

With the bedrock of the entertainment district still holding strong (Felix Street Pub, Buffalo Bar, The Rendezvous, and Fosters), an opportunity ex-isted to capitalize on replacing some vital pieces of the downtown nightlife.

“Mirrors at Loft 111 is actually a rebrand-ing of a nightclub we were operating downtown ten years ago,” says co-owner Tracy Allen. Allen and her partner, Beth Siapno, successfully own and operate Buffalo Bar, and decided to reopen their popular dance club that existed in the space cur-rently occupied by Buffalo Bar.

The newer incarnation of Mirrors is situated on the upper floor of the building Buffalo Bar oc-cupies on Felix, in the spot that had most recently been “The Villa.” “We’re using more of the top floor than we did with The Villa, making Mirrors at Loft 111 a much bigger space,” states Allen. “We wanted to take what our customers loved about the old Mirrors, and make it more modern, with a bit different format.”

The new Mirrors has a large dance floor, a VIP section with bottle service during certain occasions, and a fully stocked bar that offers a wide variety of classic and signature cock-tails.

While Mirrors at Loft 111 has

been a choice spot in recent months

for those wanting the dance club scene, fans of live music will be pleased to know that many of their favorite St. Joseph bands will be performing at the venue. With shows from “Afterparty” and “Hub-cap Bandits” already under their belt, the crew at Mirrors are already promoting an upcoming Zombie Valentine themed show on February 13th with Dsoedean, Third Wounded Man, and Burnstyles. The club also has a night featuring stand up comedy on January 31st, featuring KC comedians Randy Delp and Aaron Naylor, and St. Joseph comedy veterans Brian J. Myers and Ryan Gerster.

“We’re a night club, but we like to mix it up and have different types of live music, too,” says bar manager Tyson Moran. “It’s a work in progress, trying to create something that looks and feels new and different to St. Joseph.”

Moran, who managed O’Malley’s in Weston, MO, was the first choice for Allen and Siapno to help relaunch and lead Mirrors Loft at 111. “Tyson was a former employee of ours, and has done a phenomenal job at managing and market-ing this business,” says Allen.

You can visit

Mirrors at Loft 111 at 111 N. 5th every Friday and Saturday night from 5pm to 1:30am. Be sure to check out their Happy Hour every Friday from 5:30-7:30. The club can be entered on the 5th street side, or through the Buffalo Bar downstairs.

8 Mirrors Loft at 111 Breathes New Life into Entertainment District

9

Woods & Bruce Electric“No job too small!”

David Bruce, Master Electrician816-617-1152

Cafe’ Acoustic 2605 FrederickALL SHOWS @9:30pm unless listed otherwise.Feb 4 OPEN MIC Hosted by Jason OsbornFeb 6 BBQtioners Feb 7 Iris ProjectFeb 14 Valentine’s Night with DREAM GIRLFeb 18 OPEN MIC hosted by Jason OsbornFeb 21 Scruffy & the Janitors, SLUT & Holy Mother ExhaustFeb 22 A Tribute to the Beatles with Tom mayfield, Scot Brunette & Joe StretchFeb 25 OPEN MIC hosted by Jason OsbornFeb 26 the MODEL STRANGER Feb 27 The Royal Absinthe CompanyFeb 28 Christina Bday Bash w/The HOUNDS of Bastardville

Eagles Lodge North BeltSat, Feb 7th, Friends, 8:00Sat, Feb 14th Amanda Lynn & Rock’n Country, Sat, Feb 21st No Limits

Lucky Tiger 8th & FrancisFirst Saturday Live Music

Magoon’s Deli 8th & LocustMon 2/2 Amalgam Jazz 5-9Tue 2/3 JamWed 2/4 Tracy HuffmanThurs 2/5 Colby Walter and Brian ShankFri 2/6 Levee TownSat 2/7 Amanda FishTue 2/10 JamWed 2/11 Motors - No CoverThur 2/12 Jeff LuxFri 2/13 Page IISat 2/14 Jerry Forney Blues BandSun 2/15 Mardi Gras Party 3-7

Mon 2/16 Colby w/ Folk AllianceTue 2/17 Fat Tues Jam (Jambalaya red beans/rice)Wed 2/18 Tracy HuffmanThur 2/19 Colby w/Folk AllianceFri 2/20 Monzee Leo!Sat 2/21 Brody Buster BandTues 2/24 JamWed 2/25 Tracy HuffmanThurs 2/26 Colby does DylanFri 2/27 Hubcap Bandits and Mo. HomegrownSat 2/28 Coleman Hawkins Fund Fest 5:30 CloseRich Berry, MWSU All-Stars, Gastown Lamps

First Ward House St. Joe Ave & Grand Fri 2/6 The TransientsSat 2/7 The SouveneersFri 2/13 Hubcap BanditsSat 2/14 Enchantment Under the Sea Prom w/ Money For Nothin’Fri 2/20 Gas Town LampsFri 2/27 DboxSat 2/28 Echo

Live Music Hi-Lites

BK Vineyards is a wedding/event venue situated on the rolling hills of the 102 river bluffs one mile east of Riverside and Frederick Avenue on Hwy 6. BK is also a working vineyard with approximately 2 acres of wine grapes.

We planted about 1200 wine grape plants eight years ago with the idea of providing grapes for the fledgling wine industry of Northwest Missouri. Our grapes are now in many of the wines being produced in our area. After the grapes reached the point of maturity in which they actually produced a harvest, or vend-age, we became inundated with requests for weddings. However, we had no fa-cilities for anything other than the couple, the witness, and a minister.

So, about five years ago we tore down some out buildings and built a gazebo and reception hall. We had an old dairy barn that we had to demolish before the wind took it down. We had to replace it with a smaller version to hold our vineyard equipment. Later we added a deck to the reception hall. Since then we have hosted over 35 weddings and many receptions, baby showers, rehearsal dinners, and other types of parties.

Our gazebo, which is nestled in the midst of our grape vines, will seat about 45-50 comfortably inside under the cupola, but many brides and grooms elect to get married on the steps of the gazebo with the attendees seated in the grassy area in front. We have facilities, parking mainly, for about 90-100 guests. The reception hall will hold approximately 40 inside, but our patio and deck will allow expansion for about 20 more. The gazebo can also be used to expand the seating for parties.

We have catered to the small to medium sized, intimate, weddings and parties. It has, indeed, been an exciting time on our hilltop piece of paradise. We feel that we have one of the most beautiful settings for outdoor venues in all of Northwest Missouri. Come and visit or check out our website, BKVineyards.com!

BK Vineyards ForYour Event

Picture this: The stage at the Missouri Theatre has been transformed in to a jungle. The lights are low and green. You sit anxiously in your seat during the overture and finally the stage lights brighten to reveal the jungle coming alive with a large gorilla family jumping and playing. The music escalates and you hear the opening notes from one of Phil Collin’s greatest musical numbers. The gorillas split in the middle to reveal TARZAN swinging in from high in the jungle. It’s fantastic and seems like something from a movie. How did they do it!? This is what we theatre folk so lovingly and simply call “Theatre Magic”.

“Theatre magic” refers to many gadgets, effects and illusions during a live theatre production. From making Alice in Wonderland grow and shrink right before your very eyes to The Wicked Witch of the East disappearing through a trap door in the stage during a billow of green smoke, theatre magic is used in every production no matter how big or small. Flying is just one of those magical aspects. Robidoux Resident Theatre is currently producing Disney’s Tarzan The Musical and will need quite a bit of illusion to make the show work. Half the cast are playing apes, so, stage makeup and costuming will play a huge role in this pro-duction. But what would Tarzan be without him swinging from branch to branch. Who are you going to call? Flying by Foy! Flying by Foy is the most prolific and widely-respected theatrical flying service in the world. Since 1957 they have flown everyone from Paula Abdul to The Backstreet Boys and now our very own St. Joseph actors.

So, who gets to fly besides Tarzan? Carol Myers, director, says, “In Tarzan, we are going to try to have as many different actors fly as possible. What actor doesn’t want to add flying to their acting repertoire? We will have Tarzan and Jane flying or course, in addition to some apes, and a creepy, crawly creature.” It sounds like a heap of fun for the cast but there is still a lot of work that goes in to keeping those actors safe. There will be at least 5 people backstage whose sole job is to be on fly crew. They

will

hook the actors up in their harnesses, counter balance the weight, and make sure everyone is safe then unhook, remove harness and hook the next actor up. Only three people can fly at once so, the delicate ballet preformed backstage will be just as entertaining as the show itself.

“Flying is important to this show because it allows the audience to feel as if they have gone to the jungle and to experience life quite different from their own.” Myers adds, “Not every show calls for flying and flying doesn’t always fit into a show’s budget. So you won’t want to miss this opportunity to see Tarzan at the Missouri Theater.” The last time RRT used Flying by Foy was in 2008 for their production of Peter Pan! Myers actually played Peter that year and is very familiar with the flying aspect. “Flying adds an element of mystic to any show. Yes, the audience knows that the actor is not magically flying through the air, but we all like to pretend that it’s possible, so we do. It is part of why we go to the theatre, to escape and dream the impossible.”

Disney’s Tarzan The Musical run Febuary 20th, 21st and 22nd at the His-toric Missouri Theatre in St. Joseph, MO. Call (816)232-1778 to purchase tick-ets or go online at rrtstjoe.org to make your reservation! See you at the theatre!

RRT Flies!

Danny R. PhillipsRegular Joe Music Guy

There is just something about Elliott Smith in the dark of the new day’s morning.

The angelic, lost soul voice of Smith, who passed away by his own hand on October 21, 2003, washes through the room like the ghosts of lost love, regret and fragments of opportunities wasted, friends no longer on your side, friends yet to be dis-covered.

As I stare into the beginnings of a new life alone, Elliott comforts me, soothes me and tells me it will be just fine, much like The Beatles showed me melody, Big Star showed me perfection and Nir-vana told me it was ok to be pissed; and to focus that anger into words on a page. Elliott Smith made great albums over his all too short life, be it “Either/Or,” “From a Basement on a Hill,” (a posthumous offering compiled by his family and finished by friends following his suicide) or any others I may have omitted criminally in my words here. How-ever, the one that calls me back is 2000’s “Figure 8.”

Opening with the track “Son of Sam,” “Figure 8” is a showcase of how Smith’s musical influences had affected him. Whether they come from his days in punk rock bands, his unabashed love for The Bea-tles and, especially Memphis, Tennessee’s Big Star, the gang of rock n’ roll misanthropes is certainly present and accounted for.

“Son of Sam” is possibly the bounciest, liveli-est ditty ever written about a dog worshipping serial killer; light piano work opens the track but, much like many of Elliott’s songs, “Son of Sam” has mo-ments of anger and confusion.

“Somebody I Used to Know” really hits home for me now that my marriage has departed. “Now that you’re big enough to run your own show/ You’re

just somebody that I used to know.” It is a story for failed lovers or someone that just failed at life.

“In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)’s” piano line plays like it is sound tracking a silent movie, slowing and speeding up to go along with the ac-tion, all while Elliott’s voice is layered like seraphim on high, singing for a sunny day. Elliott Smith was always looking for a crack in a cloud, wanting des-perately the warmth of the sun on his tired face.

Sadly, the sun hid itself away from Elliott, only peeking from the curtain, only showing up in the grand arrangements that weave themselves to Peter Glass as much as The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson and the jagged simplicity of folk great Pete Seeger. El-liott Smith stands with all the other great that went mostly unnoticed in their lifetimes (look up Nick Drake to set as the prime example) and only garner fans and curious onlookers as what they were in real-

ity: greats of their craft.They say every writer has one great book in

them, every musician one great album. “Figure 8” is his shot to greatness, “Figure 8” is his masterwork.

From the Shelf: Elliott Smith’s “Figure 8”

THANKSFOR READING

THE REGULAR JOE!

Jimmy “Hambone” Hamilton

We once considered putting on a bridal fair. We figured we’d book a space and spend weeks hitting up all the various businesses that make up the in-dustry and put out a special issue. We’d worry and stress and watch the weath-er, and go into the event not knowing whether Friday’s checks would clear on Monday. Been there. Done that.

We remembered our deal is supposed to be writing about people doing things, and that’s what we’re doing instead.

So we found a St. Joe bride. One that was just starting the process of putting together her wedding. One that agreed to share her experience for our readers.

Let us say right from the git-go that we realize there are all kinds of wed-dings, from shotgun affairs at the courthouse to the most over-the-top extrava-ganzas. Like you, we’ve attended pretty much every type, and have had both wonderful and miserable experiences across the board. In fact, one of our favorites all time was held in a field of wildflowers with a potluck reception in the barn.

No matter how you do it, the wedding itself is no indication of how the marriage will work out. To us, there’s nothing sadder than still making pay-ments on a big wedding that’s already ended in divorce. (We know a few folks in that situation and maybe you do yourself.)

So our recommendation is this: Start with the bride’s wishbook and factor in the budget for the affair. Not just a made-up number, but where it is coming from. Do what you can with the cash you can come up with. Even if every-body lives happily ever after, what seems crucial in the planning stage, becomes a “what-the-heck were we thinking” item when you’re continuing to make pay-ments on it down the road. Our wish for every St. Joe bride is for them to have the wedding of their dreams at a price that doesn’t bankrupt whoever is footing the bill.

That being said, let’s have a wedding!You would think that the first item on the agenda after the “Will ya’s” and

the “Yep’s” would be picking a date. Nope. First you have to find a venue. Maybe the most important thing to remember in wedding planning is that there are lots of brides and a fixed number of Saturdays. To get the place you want, you may have to be flexible on your dates.

Our St. Joe bride has three that she thinks will work, all towards the end of this summer. In the wedding world, 7 or 8 months isn’t much time to pull this off, but they have a small window to get everyone there that wants to attend. If they can’t make it work, the next opportunity won’t come till the fol-lowing spring.

The first draft of her guest list is over 200 people, so unfortunately, some places she wanted to consider were already scratched. There are several really nice choices that seat up to 150, but the couple isn’t ready to downsize at this point unless they have to.

This would be a good time to mention that our bride is planning a wed-ding and reception in the same big space. That was a new one on us, when we saw it the first time a couple of years ago, but it worked so smoothly that we understand why it’s becoming a trend.

She considered the hotels and private clubs. They all had nice facilities and were clearly set up to handle such events, but unfortunately, the dates didn’t

work. She went online to see what else was available, and found some options

that hadn’t occurred to her. Some she knew, others she’d never heard of. So she made the rounds and compared notes.

It turned out that her next-to-the-last stop was the bull’s eye. Someone had told her about the Paradox Theater, the recently remodeled space in the old Mattingly’s building on 6th Street downtown. The word theater gave her some preconceived ideas, so she wasn’t overly optimistic walking in.

Beau Walker met her at the door and ushered her into the dark space while he went to hit some lights. Our bride said she knew the minute the first switch flipped. She could see the layout in her mind, and it was all over from there. When he found a single Saturday inside her window next summer, she wanted to grab it on the spot, but remembered she had one more appointment that after-noon. Beau was nice enough to hold it for 24 hours so she could think it over.

She looked at the last option, but her mind was already made up. She knew what she wanted when she saw it, and that was all there was to it. She made the deal, put down the deposit and signed the rental agreement. She had a date and a venue. The wedding clock is ticking and the crazy starts now!

Look for more Joe wedding stories somewhere inside the issues leading up to the summer event. As for me, I’m going to get the heck out of the way so I don’t get trampled in the love fest.

It’s a Nice Day for a Joe Wedding

MUGSHOTS

We caught these people at Boudreaux’s, Galvin’s and the always wacky streets of the Joe.

If you know any of these folks, tell ‘em you saw their mugs in The Regular Joe!

The 9th Annual Polar Plunge will take place Feb. 28, 2015. Brave men and women from around the area will don costumes and swimwear and take “polar” dips into Lake Contrary. Their Reason for Freezin’. . . the athletes of Special Olympics Missouri! All proceeds from this year’s event will benefit training and competition for the 1,085 Special Olympics Missouri athletes here in the North Area.

The Polar Plunge is open to anyone 10 years or older who is a fan of having a good time for a good cause. The event is hosted by St Joseph Police Depart-ment and Maryville Treatment Center and will take place at Lake Contrary. Day-of registration begins at Noon and the Plunge starts promptly at 2 p.m.

In 2015, 300 Polar Plungers raised more than $60,000 for Special Olympics Missouri athletes. Each participant must raise a minimum of $75 to partici-pate and can earn incentives by reaching fundraising goals. This year’s goal is $67,000 with 350 Polar Plungers. Organizers hope to break the million-dollar mark across the state with 14 events.

Costumes are highly encouraged. Awards will be given in the following categories: for the Top Fundraisers, Top Fundraising Group and Top Fundrais-ing School. Golden Plunger Awards for the most creative costumes will also be presented to Top Groups and Top Individuals.

No wet suits are allowed and shoes are required.The easiest and most efficient way to register is

online at www.somo.org/plunge. Participants may also pick up paper registration forms at the SOMO North Area Office 2300 Frederick, Ste. 204, St Joseph.

All plunging participants will receive an official Polar Plunge commemorative shirt, bragging rights for freezing your fur off.

For more information about the Polar Plunge, please contact Melody Prawitz, Development Director, at 816-233-6232 or email [email protected].

Missouri Western State University’s Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society was named 2014 Student Chapter of the Year for the North Central Section of The Wildlife Society, the sixth time the chapter has won the honor in the seven years it has been eligible.

“In the North Central Section, our chapter competes against some of the largest, oldest student chapters at some of the largest natural resources management schools in the country,” said Dr. Cary Chevalier, profes-sor of biology and organization advisor. “We can be very proud of the hard work and commitment our student chapter members invested and the respect and recogni-tion they have clearly earned across eight states and 21 other student chapters.”

Missouri Western’s student chapter was honored as the section chapter of the year in 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014. The chapter was twice honored as International Student Chapter of the Year by The Wildlife Society, in 2011 and 2013, and Dr. Chevalier was honored as International Student Chapter Advisor of the Year in 2013.

Student chapters are evaluated in several catego-ries, including workshop development, professional development, contributions to wildlife management, community service and contributions to natural resource education. Many chapter activities allow wildlife and conservation management majors to work alongside professionals in the field, Dr. Chevalier said, an opportunity welcomed by the professionals as well as the students.

“It is an honor and privilege to work with such a high-quality university and staff,” said Dr. Paul McK-enzie, endangered species coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “This award is a prime example of why Missouri Western continues to excel in prepar-ing students for careers in the many different facets of outdoor conservation. The Fish and Wildlife Service enjoys the long-term excellent partnership with all of the staff of Missouri Western’s Department of Biol-ogy.”

Missouri Western’s students volunteer thousands of hours every year at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and with the Missouri Department of Conservation. Volunteer activities include deer surveys, managed deer hunts, habitat work days, teaching hunter safety classes and much more.

18 -Joe Western

MWSU Wildlife Society Again Named Chapter of the Year

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