Hello! Well, I made it through the trip to KC and the wedding and the accompanying stuff (I need to find another word to use...junk?) associated with 2 motels rooms, bored kids, a big fancy detailed wedding, and a 3 1/2 to 4 hours drive one way...let's say it was a pretty good weekend, all things considered. Even got to visit the 1859 Jail in Independence, MO and ride in a "prairie schooner", a wagon pulled by a Belgian draft mare and driven by a Ralph Goldsmith, whose mother still lives in Galena, Stone Co. MO (he graduated from Reeds Spring HS). The redhead bought himself a coonskin cap at the Jail's giftshop, and proceeded to wear it almost all weekend, except for the wedding and reception. Of all our kids, Brett is the one most likely to follow in his mother's footsteps on matters of history and genealogy. <BG> The trees are a-changin' and this part of fall makes the Ozarks the prettiest spot on earth. They said there wasn't going to be much color this year, due to the lack of rainfall, but the scrub oak in my backyard is bright red in spots for some reason...<BG> might have somethin' to do with the dogs? The trees changed from our trip to KC on Friday to the trip back home yesterday...that's how quick it can happen. I want to thank each of you who have sent me a note telling me you appreciate my litanies and hollerin'. THANKS! Anyone ever notice that there are some real creative folks doing genealogy? Look at the email addys sometime...I like that "Searchin4deadppl" one! Gosh...I didn't see the person's name, but I already like 'em! And to sign up for EVERY MO county...oh, man. That's dedication. Got all kinds of news. Rather scary, when you think about it...but things have been cookin' right along--and y'all thought I've been jest sittin' 'round... The White River Valley Historical Society will be 40 years old in 2001, and we are going to celebrate in a big way! Gotta do some backtracking here... First of all, y'all know you can access the WRVHS website from the WRV home page, right? http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~moarwrv/wrvhs.html No matter what time of year you join--the end of our membership year currently is 30 June--you'll get all back issues of the Quarterly for the year you join. The Quarterly is chockfull of goodies, stories about various parts of the WRV and the people in it. It is a magazine, not a newsletter, although we are talking about a newsletter (it's in the "someday" file). One of the folks on these lists, Ingrid Albers, is the new Editor, and a good friend to boot...she's been helpful to several 'sides me who are looking for family. The Quarterly alone is worth the $15 Individual membership dues. And most of you know, historical and cultural preservation has been a big issue for me. I've gone from realizing that we in Taney County--and some surrounding counties--don't have a single historical marker, building, museum, or anything, besides the long-established Ralph Foster Museum at College of the Ozarks, and the occasional little cemetery sign sitting down some dirt road miles from pavement, to trying to figure out some way to change that. A group of other folks and I have done some cemetery-hopping, but it's not just cems...it's the cabins and the roads and the creeks and the hills, and so much more...the feuds, the weddings, the bushwhackers, the Bald Knobbers, the people...our people. For several years, membership in the Society dwindled, due to some apathy, and some of the older ones passing away. Young families and people tend not to get involved with these things, because a) they're busy raising families and living life and thinking they'll get involved when they get older and have more time; b) believe it or not, some folks find history boring--how?--and sometimes the presentation of history IS pretty dry and boring...but history itself isn't ever boring to me. Some time periods are more fun to deal with, due to events that directly affected our families or caused our brick walls. Anyhow... I've been having little "events", things that have been culminating into some big "events", and the time has come to share some of this with you. Ingrid and I have been yakkin', doing some brainstorming, and she's great to bounce ideas off of. Ingrid wanted to expand the current Law Day, held every May over at the Old Taney County Jail, home of the WRVHS. Then Kathy Riggan came over one day last month for me to do some copies of her and Bob Miley's Taney County Cemetery work for volunteer transcribers. Kathy and I were doing some thinking out loud--something I'm sure you're aware I do frequently--and we hit upon some ideas, so many so quick I didn't take time to go find a notepad--just started writing on a napkin, since we were at the kitchen table (my fave place to talk). Some of it to do with Law Day, some of it to do with an event later in the year 2001, some of it concerning a Historic Sites tour, some of it concerning the jail's restoration and expanded use. Some of it with a Bald Knobber re-enactment, some with a pow-wow, some with a Civil War re-enactment. Since there was no limits to our imaginations, and no one to say "WHOA", we went wild. Ingrid, once apprised of this, went even further; being more organized than myself, she managed to break it up into workable sections. Only now I got about 6 different projects going, and then Greg decides to start up a computer business...LOL and I still don't have one of them "time-clock punching" jobs. <BG> So...this is the clincher. After several serendipitious meetings with people who also think we need more, encouragement by even more people (Beth!) and a proposal drawn up and presented to the board of the WRVHS on Saturday (I had to go to KC, confound it!), I am pleased to announce (ta da!) Law Day 2001: Outlaw Roundup To be held 19 May, 2001, at the Old Taney County Jail in Shadow Rock Park in Forsyth, MO, from about 8 or 9 AM until about 6 PM (Definite Schedule TBA) These are the planned events-- A 40th Anniversary Quarterly Special Issue will be available to members and for purchase by non-members. It has not been decided if this will be a separate edition from the regular Spring Issue; but we'd like to have it so, then make it available for online and later orders from folks who can't visit on Law Day. We are inviting all historical and genealogical societies in the region covered by the WRVHS (see website) in MO and AR to have a display table for publications and membership applications as well. We are inviting publication vendors, including regional magazines like the Ozarks Mountaineer, to also have exhibits or representatives onhand to visit with folks. IF the Historical Sites Committee can get the sites picked out and a trail worked out, there will be a contest, rather like a scavenger hunt, with prizes. The winner would be the first one to leave and return with a marker from each site on the Trail, or something similar in nature. There will be a costume contest, under the categories of members and guests. Costumes could be from any time period in WRV history, from the 1820s (even earlier) to the 1950s, I guess. Prizes will be awarded in various categories such as Best Native American, best Victorian, best Turn of the 20th Century, Best Ancestor Characterization...some haven't been determined yet. Everybody likes to dress up; not everyone gets a chance. (Besides, I needed something to wear my tear dress to; and I want to live long enough to see "Mountain Man" Greg actually wear one of the men's calico mountain man shirts he rescued from the yard sale pile last month. Realistically, I know that men actually wore calico--I just have an extremely hard time visualizing my mountain man doing so.) There will be story-telling and music. Wanda Pickett Ehlers has already decided to do an impersonation of her great-grandmother, Elizabeth Hutsell Rittenhouse Stewart (she's does a wonderful "I'm going to go drown myself!" with the arm resting on the forehead and the eyes dramatically pathetic. Elizabeth apparently said that when Wanda's grandmother announced her engagement). We are talking with many of the old-time folk and hillbilly music players. There will be a picnic, details still being worked on. There will be Kids' Activities, with scavenger hunts and crafts, obstacle course maybe, and prizes. "Make your very own Bald Knobber Mask" might be a good craft! There will be a Bald Knobber Re-enactment. Major events in the history of the Bald Knobbers will be acted, on the same grounds they happened in the first place, beginning 115 years ago. A playbook, discussing the re-enactors and the events, hopefully, if donations and grants permit, will be sold. There will be Outlaw Exhibits, with pictures and stories about the outlaws (and in some cases, in-laws) of the White River Valley, such as Alf Bolin, Old Lady Melton, Nat Kinney, Jake Fleagle, Quantrill, and we can't forget Jesse James, who apparently never committed any robberies in the WRV (the area was too poor) but hid out here; there's others. Doc Gonce might be a good one...Barb Logan, care to work up some pictures and the story of Doc? I'll glue 'em on the exhibit boards! We hope to have a still--not to worry, won't be producing "shine", but will definitely have a [rubbing] alcohol aroma...if we can figure out how. We are planning to have basic lessons on filling out a 4-gen chart; and maybe see if we can contact someone at Rootsweb and other online genealogical websites/software vendors to have a rep. I am thinking of putting out a guest book that would include family lines folks are researching, as well. We want this particular event to take on a research/document aspect; another event in the works for next fall will be more of a lifestyle event. I will be sending out copies of the proposal to major corporate donors in the area in the next week, with a cover letter explaining what we need. Our main concern is the funds, and the "manpower" behind the committees. What you CAN do, as descendants of people in the White River Valley, is this: join the Society. If you can come to Law Day, COME! If you live here, get involved! If you don't live here, and you can afford it, send a little extra--and you can even designate what you want it to go to, be it the Jail Restoration, a certain event at Law Day, or some other activity. All proceeds from this and other events to be announced will go towards the Society! Ingrid and I are going to be writing grant requests to the MO Humanities Council (yet summat else fer me ta larn!), and going and getting prices, etc. for various things we'll need done. Am I forgetting anything? This has gotten long enough, so I'll post about the Jail in a bit. With Greg, the kids, and the phone, I've gotten derailed enough. Please try to get involved with the White River Valley Historical Society. I live where my ancestors did, and thus am a bit more fortunate than some of you. But maybe there's a society near you, as well, that could use some volunteer work or whatever you can do; what goes around really does come back again. Vonda ListMom for the MOTANEY and MO-AR-WRV at Rootsweb http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~moarwrv/ mailto:vonda@copper-turtle.com