What's Inside This Issue:

American Idol Season 7 Winner,
Missouri's Own. . .David Cook
Millions of people around the country fell in love with rock belter David Cook while watching him make other people’s songs his own week after week on the seventh season of American Idol. Cook won the competition handily thanks to viewers connecting with his rich, unfettered voice and passionately intense performances, not to mention his down-to-earth Midwestern charm. Now, with the release of his self-titled major-label debut, this gifted 25-year-old is eager to show those fans what he can do when he’s in the driver’s seat.

Cameras: Bane or Boon?
The bios in the membership directories of the various professional outdoor media associations I belong to depict me not just as a writer but also as a photographer. That’s technically true, I suppose, because I’ve sold various publications hundreds of photographs over the years and have thoroughly enjoyed spending the money. But be that as it may, I’ve never been able to shake the sometimes eerie feeling that cameras are cantankerous entities that take great delight in causing the human behind the viewfinder to record events for posterity that were better left in the present.

Celebrate America with the Dam Experience
When the sun goes down, the excitement begins on Truman Dam! Thousands of people flock into the area by boat and car to enjoy tailgate barbeques and companionship with family and friends while they wait in excited anticipation for The Dam
Experience!

Cowboy Town
Brooks and Dunn will rock the Missouri State Fair Pepsi Grandstand Saturday, Aug. 22.

There is no doubt that the seasoned duo of Brooks and Dunn continue to pull its audiences to their feet as Ronnie Dunn flexes his wide-ranging vocal abilities on stage. And Kix Brooks absolutely has his own unique style as he strums the guitar, dances across the platform, and belts songs in his signature honky-tonk fashion.

Mark Twain for a Day
“...nothing so liberalizes a man and expands the kindly instincts that nature put in him as travel and contact with many kinds of people.” ~Mark Twain

Aptly named “America’s Hometown”, Hannibal, Missouri, portrays the traits of small towns throughout the USA. There is captivating history, friendly residents, local businesses that open their doors and lives to tourists, and a strong sense of days gone by.

When the Steamboats Came to Missouri
Once upon a time, before there was the lake, there was the river. It was a very different time than today in many ways. Instead of fishermen in fast, gasoline-powered boats, there were natives (primarily Osage, Shawnee, Sac, Delaware and Kickapoo) and a few early settlers, in rafts, keelboats, ferries, and flatboats. The river flowed heavy in the spring and ebbed low in the late summer. It twisted, turned, and snaked its way across the land, sometimes almost meeting itself coming and going.

Warsaw Jubilee Days

More. . .