Welp. (That's hillbilly for "Well!", when you gotta pause to think afore you say somethin'. The thinkin' part's the hard part.) In a huge way, I wish more of you lived closer to home. I know you'd be just as excited as us homefolks are about this year. "Outlaw Roundup" is coming along well, I think, in my totally unprofessional opinion. Having never done this kind of thing before, when it comes to donations, etc., I ask for the moon and stars, and seldom get disappointed when I get a chunk of the moon in return. Sometimes I get more than that. First of all, the Bald Knobber Re-enactment. The script, while Ingrid, Rick, and I have never written one from scratch before, is roughly 2/3 done. We only have a card game and a couple-3 more killings to go. The tentative title is "The League: Taney County Justice". I think we ought to be hired to do the screenplay for the movie... there's funny stuff, hugely emotional stuff, dramatic stuff, all the makings for a real story that is as accurate as we can make it, given our limitations on time, space, and funds. Ingrid and Rick both have theater backgrounds (I'm too inhibited to be an actor), and all of us have done some writing. We have approached the local PBS station and notified some of the powers-that-be involved with the Ozarks Studies Institute in Springfield; we're hoping that maybe someone will come film the re-enactment. We've started filming ourselves (is that facetious or what?) while writing, in case we have to do our own documentary LOL. But we're gonna be too busy on 19 May to film the re-enactment. We are looking to schedule musicians and story tellers to do their thing in the morning, from 9 - 1. The play will start about 1:30, then I'm still hopping up and down on one foot, trying to get "Big Smith" in to do a benefit concert, and "kick it in" as soon as the play's over. They do a number of benefits every year. For those of you interested, go to: http://www.bigsmithband.com/ and check out their music. These are Bilyeu and Williamson cousins, with Rik Thomas (another cousin), and a really hot band in the area right now. A bunch of us are going to see them Saturday night in Springfield. We have an inside track in that Greg's uncle went to school with the Bilyeu's mother and Rik's dad in Spokane--I hope. Rik said they are not booked on that date, but whether they'll make us one of their benefits is another story. Y'all say your prayers, for we're spending a lot on this benefit for the jail restoration, and I'd rather not have to pay a chunk of that for the band as well. Since admission is free to the whole event--another rule we're breaking--let's hope! We are going to do hayrides, kids' activities e.g. gravestone rubbing, and the cabin down in Shadow Rock Park will be cleaned and opened to the public. If you want to help with this, let me know... And this is just the beginning...Ingrid's mom, Jo Stacey Albers, told me last night not to talk about "White River Valley Homecoming" to be held the last weekend in October this year, anymore--she's looking forward to it too much, she can't wait! LOL That's gonna be the big shindig, with a pig roast, "survival" crafts, and a lot more. But I gotta do "Outlaw Roundup" first...that's my "baptism by fire", so to speak. Meeting will still be 30 Jan at Una's Cafe at 6 pm for all who can make it! Vonda ListMom for MOTaney and MO-AR-WRV http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~moarwrv/ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gregvonda/