A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....04-27-04....Missouri - The "Show Me" State

Mama_Bear

[Mama_Bear]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997. Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Mama_Bear, dansangel, dutchess, Aquamarine ~

It's "Travelin' Tuesday"...

Please join "A Few of FR's Finest" as we make a cyber-visit to another state in this great Union of ours.

Over the past several months each "Finest" hostess has profiled her home state and I will be presenting the other states in random order. Please FReepMail me if you would like to participate in spotlighting your state. I would appreciate your input on what you would like to see highlighted.

These are the states
we have presented to date:

05-23-03 Alabama 06-27-03 Maryland 07-11-03 Vermont 07-25-03 Utah 08-05-03 Texas 08-22-03 Nevada 08-26-03 Wash DC 09-05-03 Tennessee 09-17-03 Florida 09-19-03 Minnesota 10-03-03 New Mexico

10-14-03 Georgia 10-17-03 Louisiana 10-22-03 Michigan 11-04-03 South Dakota 11-14-03 California 01-09-04 South Carolina 02-06-04 West Virginia 02-20-04 Oregon 03-09-04 Pennsylvania 03-30-04 Wyoming 04-13-04 Mississippi

As we celebrate this Fine state today,
we salute all of our Missouri FReepers!

Thanks for helping make FR the best
conservative forum on the internet.

What this page needs is...
MUSIC!!!



Click here for the
********"St. Louis Rag"********
written by Tom Turpin in 1903 for the
1904 St.Louis World's Fair.
or here for the
*******"St. Louis Blues"*******
written by W.C. Handy.
or here for the
*******"Maple Leaf Rag"*******
written by Scott Joplin in 1899.

Now that we have some toe-tappin' music to
set the mood, let's have some fun!

(Place cursor next to arrow, left click and drag mouse across text to highlight the "questions".)

These animals are hitched to Missouri as permanently as biscuits to gravy. Before tractors, they were the power source on about half of this state's farms.....

------>What is the Missouri Mule?

Iced tea and ice cream cones were first served at this event in this Missouri city.....

------>What is the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis?

This Missouri town was Mark Twain's childhood home and became the setting for his Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn adventure novels.....

------>What is Hannibal, Missouri?

These infamous brothers, born in Clay County, Missouri and the sons of a Baptist minister were responsible for many bank, train, and stagecoach robberies from 1866 through 1881......

------>Who are Jesse and "Frank" James?

According to Twain's "Life on the Mississippi", this riverboat beat the Natchez in the famous 1870 race from New Orleans to St. Louis by 6 hours and 36 minutes......

------>What was the Rob't E. Lee?

He gave his famous "Iron Curtain Speech" at Westminster College, in Fulton, Missouri, after receiving an honorary degree March 5th, 1946......

------>Who was Winston Churchill?

(An easy one......)With dwindling fan support in Los Angeles, this professional team moved to St. Louis following the 1994 season.

------>Who are the Rams?

Hey, did we have fun??? And, as a bonus,
we learned a few things too!

We are ALL Finest Jeopardy winners,
and we'll be collecting our winnings at
"Louie's" place!

So hop aboard for some of the
Finest Missouri hugs and hospitality
you'll find this side of the Mississippi! ;-)

Missouri Facts and Trivia

1. The 'Show Me State' expression may have began in 1899 when Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver stated, "I'm from Missouri and you've got to show me."
    
2. The first successful parachute jump to be made from a moving airplane was made by Captain Berry at St. Louis, in 1912.
    
3. The St. Louis Zoo is rated one of the best zoos in the country, and admission is free! Learn more about it here... 
4. St. Louis is also called the "Home of the Blues".
    
5. The "Missouri Waltz" became the state song under an act adopted by the General Assembly on June 30, 1949
    
6. The present Capitol completed in 1917 and occupied the following year is the third Capitol in Jefferson City and the sixth in Missouri history.
   The first seat of state government was housed in the Mansion House, Third and Vine Streets, St. Louis; the second was in the Missouri Hotel, Maine and Morgan Streets, also in St. Louis. St. Charles was designated as temporary capital of the state in 1821 and remained the seat of government until 1826 when Jefferson City became the permanent capital city.
    
7. The first Capitol in Jefferson City burned in 1837 and a second structure completed in 1840 burned when the dome was struck by lightning on February 5, 1911.
    
8. Kansas City has more miles of boulevards than Paris and more fountains than any city except Rome.
    
9. Kansas City has more miles of freeway per capita than any metro area with more than 1 million residents.
    
10. Jefferson National Expansion Memorial consists of the Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion, and St. Louis' Old Courthouse. During a nationwide competition in 1947-48, architect Eero Saarinen's inspired design for a 630-foot stainless steel arch was chosen as a perfect monument to the spirit of the western pioneers. Construction of the Arch began in 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965.
     
    

11. The Arch has foundations sunken 60 feet into the ground, and is built to withstand earthquakes and high winds. It sways up to one inch in a 20 mph wind, and is built to sway up to 18 inches.
     
12. Saint Louis University received a formal charter from the state of Missouri in 1832, making it the oldest University west of the Mississippi.
     
13. In 1889, Aunt Jemima pancake flour, invented at St. Joseph, Missouri, was the first self-rising flour for pancakes and the first ready-mix food ever to be introduced commercially.
     
14. Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, Missouri is the largest beer producing plant in the nation. They have proudly supported the U.S. armed services for nearly 150 years. In 1921, Adolphus Busch's widow, Lilly, opened the Busch family garden to the public, donating admission fees to disabled veterans. Read more about "Operation Salute" here....
     
    
15. President Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, May 8, 1884.
     
16. The first train of the Atlantic-Pacific Railway, which became the St.Louis-San Francisco Railway, or "Frisco," arrived in 1870.
     
17. Missouri was named after a tribe called Missouri Indians; meaning "town of the large canoes"
     
18. Situated within a day's drive of 50% of the U.S. population, Branson and the Tri-Lakes area serves up to 65,000 visitors daily. Branson has been a "rubber tire" destination with the vast majority of tourists arriving by vehicles, RVs and tour buses. Branson has also become one of America's top motor coach vacation destinations with an estimated 4,000 buses arriving each year.
     
    
19. Jefferson City, Missouri, the state's capital, was named for Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States.
     
20. In 1812 Missouri was organized as a territory and later admitted the 24th state of the Union on August 10, 1821.
     
21. In 1865 Missouri became the first slave state to free its slaves.
     
22. Between Kansas City and St.Louis, Missouri has five professional sports teams.
     
    
23. Soybeans bring in the most cash for Missourians as a crop.
     
24. Missouri Day is the third Wednesday in October.
     
25. On Sucker Day in Nixa, Missouri, school closes officially and the little town swells to a throng of 15,000 hungry folks. All craving a taste of the much maligned but delicious bottom dweller fish loathed by almost everyone else.  

A Few Finest Quotes from
Missouri's native son,
Mark Twain...





Click below for more
wit and wisdom from Mark Twain.





Be sure to check out these
websites for more information about....

The Winston Churchill Memorial and Library in Fulton, MO
Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech
St. Louis, Facts and Information
St. Louis Gateway Arch Facts
Hannibal, Missouri - America's Hometown

And, last but not least, click below for a guide to the many exceptional restaurants serving up culinary delights in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas.

St. Louis


Kansas City

This has been a fun state to present and I hope you have enjoyed our cyber-tour as much as I enjoyed creating it. There is so much more to say about the "show me" state! I hope our Missouri FReepers will come and tell us why they are proud to be Missourians.







A special 'thank you' to "ST.LOUIE1" and "JustAmy" for their suggestions and assistance, and thank you, fellow
cyber-travelers, for joining us today.

Have a wonderful day!

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 04-26-04...Military Monday

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[Mama_Bear]

[Mama_Bear]

If you would like to be added to or removed from the Finest Ping List, freepmail me.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Mama.

[Judith Anne]

Thanks for posting! I'm from St. Louis, and have lived in the Missouri Ozarks for 15 years.

I'd just like to take a moment to mention the Jack's Fork River and the Cross Country Trail Rides in Eminence, some of the most beautiful country scenery in the world.

[Mama_Bear]

Good morning and good night. It is the bewitching hour here. I'll be back when the sun comes up.

[Mama_Bear]

Hi! Thanks for coming by. I thoroughly enjoyed presenting your beautiful state. I think I would like to live there. :-)

[Mama_Bear]

[Judith Anne]

Here's a Missouri story for everyone...

A fellow died and went to heaven. He was greeted with much fanfare by St. Peter, who personally welcomed him at the Pearly Gates. "Welcome sir, come right in! Your mansion is prepared, right this way!"

As the man entered, he saw a ragtag bunch of disreputable looking people just inside the Gates. Looking closer, he saw they were in chains...

"But wait!" he protested to St. Peter, "Who are those people?"

"Pay no attention to them," the dear saint admonished, "They're crazy."

"What do you mean, they're crazy?"

"They want to leave Heaven," St. Peter said. "They think there's someplace more beautiful."

"Leave Heaven! Who would want to leave Heaven? What could e more beautiful than this?" the man asked, incredulous.

"Well, they're hillbillies," St. Peter explained, "And it's Springtime in the Ozarks.

;-D

[JustAmy]

Good evening!! I've been to Missouri twice.

The second visit was with a distant cousin to do some genealogy research. Yes ..... I also have Missouri roots!!

But my first trip to Missouri proved to everyone that JustAmy is not only a Hooligan, she's a ding-a-ling!!


A few years ago, FriendAnn asked me to go to Branson with her. She is afraid to fly so she took the bus and left three days earlier than I did.

I took some vacation time and flew into Springfield with plans to rent a car and meet her in Branson. The flight and connections were uneventful until I arrived at the car rental desk. There my blonde roots were exposed!!!

As I answered all the questions and offered my credit card, it became apparent that I was in trouble. After searching my handbag three times, I realized I was there without a driver's license. I knew exactly where it was, in another handbag at HOME.

Sorry .... no driver's license, no car!! I used all my charm but to no avail. I asked if we could request the California DMV to fax them a copy and if that would work. Nope!!

The lady behind the desk was very sympathetic. She realized that I was there alone in the evening and didn't know a soul. I asked about any buses running to Branson or any other means of transportation. The only thing she could suggest was a cab, but she told me in addition to it being pretty pricey, I may not find anyone that wanted to take the hour trip at that time of night. (She was also a little concerned about my safety)

She asked that I give her a chance to check with some people and to come back in half an hour. Well time to call home!! After explaining my dilemma, I was asked 5 times by Mr. JustAmy how I could have possibly left home without my driver's license. I told him where it was located and asked that he Express Mail it to the motel the next day.

When I returned to the car rental desk, she told me that she had found someone who would take me Branson for $60.00 but I had to wait until he finished his shift which took about an hour. She assured me that she knew the driver and that I didn’t need to worry about my safety. It was almost an hour drive to Branson. Needless to say, it was a verrry long day.

FriendAnn and I were in Branson for three days without a car but that didn't stop us from enjoying our little vacation. The motel manger's husband acted as our personal taxi whenever possible. He drove us to the post office to pick up the mail. He drove us to three different theaters so we could purchase show tickets in advance. He even took a little side trip on the way back to the motel to show us some of the area.

While there we saw Andy Williams' Christmas Show, Charlie Pride and Shoji Tabuchi. All three were excellent shows and so different from the other two. Andy Williams' show was like watching a Christmas special on TV. The Shoji Tabuchi show was an extravaganza with lots of glitz. The Charlie Pride show was good old comfortable southern hospitality. I would recommend Charlie Pride to anyone planning a trip. He was not only entertaining; he appreciated his audience and worked hard to please everyone. If you were not a Charlie Pride fan before, you were after watching him perform.

All in all, it was a delightful trip and we met some pretty nice people who made every effort to make our time there as stress free as possible.

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin', everybody ! Happy Tuesday !

[Bahbah]

Mornin' Meekie. I'm in St. Louis and I agree, springtime around here is hard to beat.

[.30Carbine]

My husband and I recently visited the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home in Mansfield on our way to points West. It was my first visit to the state. I loved the Ozarks!

[dansangel]

Beautiful, absolutely beautiful (((((Mama_Bear))))))

Thank you for the gorgeous lesson on our very own [[[[[{{{{{(((((Louie_Wolfie_Man)))))}}}}}]]]]]'s home state.

(((((HUGS)))))) to all as I'm off to start another rollicking day at the salt mines. :-(

To our resident *curmudgeon* whom I've not seen in *eons* - (((((((skinny dood))))))))))

[Lakeside]

'Mornin' everyone! Mama_Bear,,you've outdone yourself again----what a lovely tribute to Missouri. Our vacation "home away from home" is just across the MO line into Arkansas. We can ,in fact, see MO from our back deck.Yes, it's in the Ozarks on Table Rock Lake and yes, it is most beautiful in the spring. I,on the other hand, am quite partial to the Ozarks in the fall. Breathtaking!

We hope to retire there some day. I just love it!

[The Mayor]

God . . . has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. —1 Peter 1:3

The Christian's inheritance is guaranteed forever!

[The Mayor]

April 27, 2004

A Good Will

Read: 1 Peter 1:3-12

God . . . has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. —1 Peter 1:3

Bible In One Year: 1 Kings 1-2; Luke 19:28-48

---

Perhaps you know someone who didn't receive the inheritance intended by a parent because of a faulty will. In an article titled "Money & The Law," attorney Jim Flynn says that if you want your estate to go to your chosen recipients instead of to members of the legal profession, you should avoid do-it-yourself wills. Such documents are usually legal but they are often unclear and fail to make provisions for unforeseen situations. Flynn advises having a formal will to be sure your wishes are carried out.

Man-made wills can fail, but there is no ambiguous language about the inheritance God has in store for us. The apostle Peter affirmed that God "has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:3-4).

No fluctuation in the economy can reduce this inheritance. It is not subject to review by the courts nor to debate by squabbling families. No amount of suffering or trials can diminish or change what God has in store for us. Our inheritance is certain and eternal (Hebrews 9:15). And as we live for Him, we are assured that His will for our lives today is "good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2). —David McCasland

Why do we live like paupers,
When riches we possess?
We have become joint heirs with Christ
With blessings measureless. —Sper

The Christian's inheritance is guaranteed forever!

[GailA]

Good morning FRiends, it's cool here in Memphis this morning but will warm up and be sunny soon. We are going on vacation tomorrow morning and will be gone through Sunday. Going up to Paris Landing, TN, Land Between the Lakes area.

Coffee's on

[dansangel]

Ping to # 13 - I hadn't had my coffee yet......

[The Mayor]

Beautiful jom Mama

I have cousins that live in Missouri....

[MeekOneGOP]

I love this time of year. ;^)