Grand Times

Grand Timesapril 12, 2012

Vol. 13, no. 1

A MAgAzine For MAture JeFFerson County reAders

Way toOn the cover

Senior travelers entered their vacation photos in the Grand

Times "Way to Go" photo contest. The winner, selected

by random drawing, is a humorous photo of eager photographers. See more

photos inside.Pages 5B-15B

Senior Expo is April 18

Come to the De Soto Knights of Columbus Hall April 18 for

the Senior Expo. Admission is free. Everyone 50 and older

is invited. Pages 2B-3B

To the Big House

The former Missouri State penitentiary in Jefferson City

offers a fascinating, eerie and, some say, haunted

tourist destination. Pages 16B-18B

Over the falls in a basket

Intrepid food columnist and traveler Kathleen Brotherton

recalls her trip over Niagara Falls.

Pages 18B-19B

GOSeniors share

travel memoriesPhotos from around the

world

2B Grand Times – A LeAder PubLicAtion APriL 12, 2012

Ted Howell photoIrene Gran of Pevely shouts “bingo,” during last year’s Senior Expo.

To Reach Grand TimesBy Phone

Voice: 937-7501 931-7560 Fax: 931-2226

By MailP.O. Box 159

Festus, MO 63028

By Car503 N. Second St.

Festus, MO, Next to the Post Office

By [email protected]

Pam LaPlantPublisher

Patrick MartinEditorial Page Editor

Glenda O'Tool PottsAdvertising Manager

Peggy BessEditor

Peggy ScottGraphics Editor

Jeff Adams

Rob SchneiderJanet WilkinsonAdvertising Sales

Debbie SkaggsMichelle Engelhardt

Production Artists

Kim RobertsonSteve Taylor

Kevin CarberyLaura Marlow

Reporters

Robert WillsProofreader

Sherree FiteTed Howell

Matt O’HarverPhotographers

Grand Times is an magazine for and about mature readers in Jefferson County. It is published periodically

by Leader Publications.

A Leader Publication for mature readers in Jefferson County

Grand Times

The Staff

Grand Times

Exposchedule

April 18Knights of Columbus Hall

Hwy. E, De Soto

n 8 a.m. Doors/booths open

n 9 a.m. Lee Ellen Hogan, Horizon Club, First State Community Bank

n 9:30 a.m. Bingo

n 11:30 a.m. Depart for casino trip

By Laura MarlowFor Grand Times

here will be plenty for seniors to do at the De Soto Senior Expo on Wednesday, April 18, at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 13225 Hwy. E, in De

Soto. Seniors citizens from throughout Jefferson County are invited to attend.

Doors will open at 8 a.m., and the first item on the agenda will be to grab a free cup of coffee and a Walmart Bak-ery doughnut, courtesy of Walmart and

April 18 De Soto Senior Expo offers vendors, free stuff, casino trip, fun

Leader Publications, the event sponsor.Throughout the morning, vendors

will be on hand to display a wide va-riety of goods and services of interest to seniors. Many will offer giveaways and drawings for free items. Seniors are reminded to bring pre-printed address labels, which saves on time and hand-cramping when it comes to entering

drawings, filling out forms or requesting information.

At 9 a.m. Lee Ellen Hogan of First State Community Bank in De Soto will give a presentation on the bank’s Horizon Club for seniors.

At 9:30 there will be free bingo, with prizes including restaurant coupons and gift certificates.

Attendance prizes will be awarded, including a set of Cardinal baseball tickets.

Casino tripImmediately following the Expo,

seniors can take a day trip to the River City Casino in south St. Louis. The cost is $15, which will include $15 in gaming credits from River City and a $5 lunch voucher, so lunch is basically free.

Huskey Trailways buses will leave the Expo at 11:30 a.m. for the casino, and will return at about 5:30 p.m. Hus-key also will provide transportation from Festus to the Expo that morning and will drop off in Festus and De Soto

T

See SENIOR EXPO, Page 3B

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3BApril 12, 2012 Grand Times – A leAder publicAtion

Ted Howell photoShirley and Harold Wibbenmeyer of Hillsboro visit with First State Community Bank representatives Lee Ellen Hogan and Judy Dubuque.

By Laura MarlowFor Grand Times

isitors to the De Soto Senior Expo on Wednesday, April 18, will have the opportunity to learn about First State Com-munity Bank’s Horizons Club,

whose members can experience new adventures and make new friends.

Lee Ellen Hogan, senior vice presi-dent of the De Soto bank branch and di-rector of the club, will give a presentation at 9 a.m. on the group, which is designed for bank customers age 50 and over.

“I hope everyone will join us at the Expo,” she said. “I will talk about past trips, and future trips we have ‘on the Horizon.’

“We will have a lot of fun.”The Expo will be held at the Knights

of Columbus Hall, 13225 Hwy. E, in De Soto. Doors open at 8 a.m.

Hogan said the Horizons Club is a great fit for customers age 50 years and up.

“Our members are people who want to take advantage of the special ben-

efits and activities we provide,” she said. “They enjoy in-town events like parties, picnics, golf tournaments and seminars. And we offer day-trip out-ings to entertaining, educating and his-torical locations.”

H o g a n s a i d people join the club for different reasons, and it offers benefits that appeal to many different needs.

“There are some who join just for the banking benefits,” she said. “Others go to just the local events. And then others are interested in the social aspect of it.”

The group has sponsored events like a Valentine bingo, a casino night and picnics in the park.

“We will have the picnic probably in September, when it cools off,” she said. “We barbecue every year. Last year, bank officials grilled 150 pork steaks.”

Another popular event is the golf tournament, held at Terre du Lac in Bonne Terre in September.

The club also offers longer trips,

Seniors can broaden their horizons with club

which can be appealing to single travelers and those who are reluctant to strike out on their own.

“This (group travel) gives them the opportunity to go on trips, and they don’t have to go by themselves,” Hogan said. “They have the comfort of being picked up, and of being fully escorted the whole time. They also have the opportunity to

meet new people and have fellowship.“We try to plan trips that appeal to

them. We plan with our customers in mind.”

Potential Horizon Club members must be First State Community Bank cus-tomers at least 50 years old. A minimum

after the casino adventure. Call Huskey at 636-937-8481

or 1-888-248-7539 to reserve a seat. For more information about the Expo, call the Leader at 636-931-7560.

Way to GoLeader readers age 50 and up

are a traveling bunch, and they like to share pictures of their adventures with their fellow wanderers.

More than 30 photos were sub-mitted for the Grand Times’ fourth annual “Way to Go” Contest.

Jefferson County seniors snapped photos close to home and as far away as Greece. They took group photos and pictures with scenery as the focal point.

Nina Elliott of Imperial won this year’s grand prize of $200 when her entry was drawn at random from among all entries. Her picture

is a comical look at trav-el photog-raphy from the o ther side of the lens, taken d u r i n g a family trip to Oregon in February 2011.

“We were at this fish ladder, which is where they count salmon and other kinds of fish as they jump upstream,” Elliott said. “On this wall, it showed the different kinds of salmon and information about them. Here I am taking pictures of the waterfall, the fish, that kind of thing – and I look and all three of them (her family members) are tak-ing a picture of that wall.

“It was just funny, all three of them shooting at the same time.”

The following pages showcase contest entries. Thanks to all those who entered for sharing their travel memories with Grand Times!

Senior ExpoContinued from Page 2B

Nina Elliott of Imperial won this year’s grand prize of $200.

See HORIZONS CLUB, Page 4B

V

Lee Ellen Hogan

www.huskeybus.com • 888-248-7539

• Limousine ServicesCars & Buses

Weddings • Birthday Parties • Proms Special Events • Airport Pickups

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Do you find yourself worrying about your job prospects and your ability to retire comfortably? A recent AARP survey found 50-plus respon-dents “very worried” about everything from the stock market and political gridlock, to losing their jobs, endur-ing another recession, and bearing the brunt of rising taxes and health care costs.

AARP offers several tips about managing your finances. Join one of AARP’s free upcoming webinars: Five Tips to Avoid Investment Fraud on April 24, (http://bit.ly/x3YpnG), and Navigating Today’s Job Market on May 24 at http://www.aarp.org/moneywebinars.

You can also visit www.aarp.org/readyforretirement for more infor-mation on these and other financial security issues.

AARP offers help with work plan

Center, Pabst Mansion, the Miller Brew-ing Co. and the Harley Davidson Motor-cycle Museum.

• Visit the Discovery World and Aquarium, followed by a dinner cruise on Lake Michigan.

• Traditional fish boil dinner in Door County.

• Fire Boat Tour.• Stops at the Maritime Museum and

a local winery.• Breakfast at the unique Al John-

son’s Restaurant.Reservation and payment deadline:

April 19.

Napa Valley, Calif. Sept. 13-21

Hop on a plane for nine days of wines, rails, redwoods and San Francisco!

• Explore the “City by the Bay” on a narrated city tour including the Golden

Gate Park, Union Square, the Embar-cadero, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Civic Center, Chinatown, North Beach.

• Explore Alcatraz Island, Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square.

• Visit the new Disney Family Mu-seum, which traces the history of vision-ary cartoonist and theme park founder, Walt Disney.

• Day trips to several local wineries in the Santa Rosa area for tastings and tours.

• Visit Bodega Bay, Armstrong Redwood State Park, Luther Burbank’s home, the Charles Schultz Museum and the Filoli Mansion.

Reservation and payment deadline: July 10.

New York City and Hudson River Valley

Oct. 6-12

Journey to the Big Apple just in time for the leaves to turn. Stay at the Millen-nium Broadway Hotel near Times Square.

• Sightseeing tour that will include Central Park, Museum Mile, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Rockefeller Cen-ter, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Times Square, Grand Central Terminal, the United Na-tions, Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Union Square and the Flatiron District.

• Dinner cruise on the Hudson River.• Sightseeing tour that will include

SoHo, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Little Italy, Wall Street, the Canyon of Heroes and Bowling Green.

• Visit the 911 Memorial, City Hall, the Woolworth Building and the Brooklyn Bridge.

• Tour the United States Military Academy at West Point, including the Cadet Chapel and Trophy Point.

• Fall foliage dinner cruise in New-burgh, N.Y.

• Tour the home, library and museum of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

• Lunch and a tour at the Culinary Institute of America.

• Tour the Vanderbilt Mansion.Reservation and payment deadline:

Aug. 1.

balance is required. For more informa-tion, visit the First State Community Bank website at www.fscb.com and click on “Horizons Club.”

To join, visit any Jefferson County branch (De Soto, Hillsboro, Imperial or Shady Valley) and speak to a customer service representative or the branch’s Horizons Club director.

Upcoming tripsThe following trips are scheduled for

Horizon Club members. For more infor-mation, rates and reservations, contact the Horizons Club director at any First State Community Bank branch.

Wonders of Wisconsin July 19-26

A seven-night motor coach trip that includes:

• Tours of Case-IH tractor manufac-turing plant and Kohler manufacturing plant.

• Tour of Fred Hermes Basement Bijou, including a concert on his 2,500-pipe Wurlitzer organ.

• Dinner at the Apple Holler Theater and a performance at the Fireside Dinner Theatre.

• Stops at the Reiman Publications Visitors Center, Taste of Home Outlet

Horizons Club: Trips set for Wisconsin, Tennessee, Napa and New YorkContinued from Page 3B

The Tank Wall features 100 tank designs personally selected by Harley-Davidson Styling Department for both their historical and aesthetic significance.

Golden Gate Park is on the itinerary for the California trip.

Visit Times Square in New York City.

Dollywood theme park offers a holiday lights spectatular.

A Tennessee Christmas Nov. 28 – Dec. 2

A five-day tour of the Great Smoky Mountain area to kick off the holiday season.

• Enjoy shops and restaurants in Cookeville, Tenn.

• Visit Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg.

• Dinner and a show with the Smith Family.

• Enjoy a Smoky Mountain Christ-mas at Dollywood, then a drive through a four million-plus holiday lights display.

• Hatfield and McCoy Dinner Feud and Stunt Show.

• Country Christmas Celebration at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, featuring a Christmas dinner show and lighting display.

Reservation and payment deadline: Sept. 27.

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Way toGO Seniors share travel memories

Nina Elliott’s mother, Kathe Camp; Elliott’s sister, Shelly Reno; and Elliott’s uncle, Hank “Sonny” Daehnke take a photograph at the same time.

Triple snap for the win

Nina Elliott of Imperial captured this light-hearted look at photography during a family trip to Oregon in February 2011.

Her photo was selected in a random drawing of all the entries to win the Way to Go photo contest and a $200 prize.

“This was the week my daughter got married last year,” Elliott says. “It was the first time for my family to all be in Oregon. We had the best time!”

Elliott was with her sister, her mother and her uncle when she snapped this pic-ture. They were touring the Winchester Dam near Roseburg, Ore., where steel-head and salmon are counted on their way upstream. They were viewing a “fish ladder,” which is a staircase-like series of small pools that enable fish to scale the height of a waterfall in small increments.

“What’s funny to me about this im-age is that our family all love to take pictures,” Elliott says. “So when we get together to show off our pictures, we all generally have the same shots...and you can see why.”

Doris Wilson, left, and her daughter, Marla Craven, with a slow-moving resident of the Galapagos Islands.

Turtle tripDoris Wilson of Crystal City was

treated by her daughter and son-in-law, Marla and Gary Craven, to a trip to the Galapagos Islands in 2000.

“We visited San Salvadore, San Cristobal, Bartoleme and Genovese,” Wilson says. This picture was taken at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island.

“I have wonderful memories of being on those islands, where the animals and birds are not afraid of people and you can walk in among them.”

Picture ThisFor more information call John Winkelman at 636-933-5372.

Photo by Ann Held

A s construction and remodeling continues throughout Jefferson Regional Medical Center, many

hospital hallways now have artwork provided by area residents. Pictures of familiar scenes – from names you would recognize – can be found throughout the medical center and in our off-campus facilities.

Community residents are being asked to submit high-resolution, digital color images. In cooperation with the custom frame shop at Fast Foto in Festus, your photographs will be matted and framed for display in our hallways and waiting areas.

Artwork is selected on the quality of the photo and uniqueness of the scene. Original negatives are required for 35 mm photos. Electronic images must have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.

Send Your Pictures To:Jefferson Regional Marketing DepartmentPO Box 350Crystal City, MO 63019or send via e-mail to:[email protected]

Take advantage of the following at the fair:

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Getting the aloha spirit

Beverly Scott of Imperial sent in two photos she took during a vacation to Hawaii in March. The trip was a reward for her husband, Jack, from his employer, Heubel Material Handling, for his years of service.

“The first picture is of a sunset on Maui,” Scott says. “The second is the mountains on Oahu.”

Barb Altman on the Appalachian Trail

To the GapBarb Altman of Arnold and her sister,

Winona Sutton of Valles Mines, took a bus tour to the Great Smoky Mountains in April 2011. They stopped at a waypoint on the 2,174-mile-long Appalachian Trail that runs from Georgia up to Maine.

“My sister took this picture of me,” Altman says. “We traveled up to the New-found Gap, an elevation of about 5,000 feet. It was about 40 degrees, and some of the trees were covered with hoarfrost, ice formed from the fog. Despite being cold, I was glad I had an opportunity to walk on this famous trail.”

Sweet surprise

Rosemary Graham of De Soto and her husband, George, had made a trip to Biloxi, Miss., in 2009, enjoying it so much they booked another the following year.

“The second trip was really neat because we had no idea that our friends, Tom and Shirley Schillings, were going on the same trip,” Rosemary Graham says. “When we boarded the bus, there they were!

“Being in good, fun company made an enjoyable trip so much better.”

Rosemary Graham in Biloxi, taken by her husband, George.

Shirley and Tom Schillings

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Really big BuddhaRalph Meuser of Dittmer took this picture of Susan Cook of Hillsboro during a 2003 vacation to Hawaii. “Outside of Lahaina on the island of Maui stands the largest Buddha statue outside of Japan,” Cook says. “This is just a short walk from downtown Lahaina, with the world’s largest banyan tree and also the famous Bubba Gump’s.”

Next stop: Waikiki Beach“This photo was taken in February 2003, on a four-island tour of Hawaii,” says Susan Cook of Hillsboro, in the photo with Ralph Mueser of Dittmer. “Diamond Head, located in Honolulu, is a great walking tour. After walking to the top, the reward is a captivating view of Waikiki Beach.”

Karen Myers of Hillsboro submit-ted a picture of herself and her cousin, Don Hawkins, formerly of Hillsboro, during a Florida vacation in March..

“Don has a home in Naples, Fla., where he and his wife, Midge, spend the winters,” Myers says. “The rest of the year, they split their time between homes at Lake of the Ozarks and Terre du Lac.”

Since Don’s birthday is Feb. 25 and Myers’ is March 12, Don invited Myers and her husband, Tom, to come down and celebrate together.

“My birthday is also our anniver-sary,” Myers says. “My husband and I

have been married 47 years.”The two couples went to the dog

races, walked the beach and went on an airboat ride, where they snapped pictures of alligators.

“We even went to a tiki bar,” My-ers says. “It was my first time, and my first airboat ride.”

The visit was all the more mean-ingful for being rare.

“Our families don’t get together that often. When you all have your own families, it’s hard to find time,” Myers says. “But Don asked us, and we said ‘We will be there!’

“We had a great time.”

Cousins Don Hawkins, left, and Karen Myers with Don’s beloved dog, Bailey, who travels a lot with his owner. “That dog has probably flown more than most human beings,” Myers says.

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The door to fun is being with friendsDoris Wilson of Crystal City sent in this photo, snapped by her friend, Patty Borgfield. It depicts Patty’s husband, Harry Borgfield, and Wilson on a 2003 trip to the Door County area of Wisconsin. “Door County is beautiful,” Wilson says, “and being with friends made it even more memorable.”

Down time – finallyPauline Shiverdeck of Festus snapped this picture of her husband, Charles, in a rare moment of leisure during a March trip to the Branson area. “My husband has worked two jobs for many years. He retired from one of them this year,” she says. “So when my daughter offered this vacation to us, it was a very nice getaway. We really enjoyed watching our grandkids’ enjoyment. The family stayed at the Indian Point Lodge on the shores of Table Rock Lake. “The condo was right by the lake. It was very peaceful,” Shiverdeck says. “It was hard to stay in when it was so beautiful outside. My husband hasn’t had a restful time in a very long while. It was great to see him relaxed for a change.”

TuckeredPauline Shiverdeck of Festus sent in this photo of her grandchildren, Matthew, left, and Ashley Rogers, taken during a family trip to the Branson area in March. “We were on I-44, and they had napped off andon the whole trip,” Shiverdeck says. “We were past St. James, where we had stopped and had McDonald’s for lunch. They were excited about the trip. It was great to see them contented and peaceful. Our family really enjoyed being together just for fun.”

Bonnie Van Pelt Negri of Fen-ton submitted this photo of herself, her three children, and her niece and nephew, taken in August 1967 by her sister-in-law, Kitty Van Pelt Rhoades.

The two women, both recent wid-ows, were on a day outing with their children.

Negri had been a 21-year-old wife and mother of three small girls when her husband, Larry Van Pelt, was killed in 1962. The family was on the way to visit relatives when a drunk driver hit their car. Less than four years later, Larry’s brother, Wayne, was killed in a private plane crash, leaving his wife and young son and daughter.

Bonnie Van Pelt Negri in 1967 with her three children, her niece and her nephew near the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Kathy Van Pelt (now Brinkmann), Kerry Van Pelt (now Holtzclaw) and Kristen Van Pelt (now Venegoni), along with niece Cindy Van Pelt (now Dixon) and Gary Van Pelt.

Moms, kids have fun at homeThe two women banded together

to raise their children, who became fast friends and are still close.

“My husband and his brother were so close,” Negri says. “And I wanted that for the kids, to have that kind of a bond.”

Outings like this one helped ce-ment those bonds.

“Our families took a ‘staycation’ before the word was really invented,” Negri says. “We went to downtown St. Louis and visited sites like the St. Louis Zoo and rode on the Admiral. We also got free licorice at the Switzer licorice factory on the way home. It was a great day!”

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Carol Hagan of Hillsboro visited solemn military sites during a vacation in Hawaii in February 2009.

“My husband, Harold, and I visited this cemetery after visiting the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor,” she says.

“While my father was not in the Navy at the time of the Japanese attack, he was later deployed in 1944 on the U.S.S Macdonough.

“It is believed that the gun crews of the Macdonough were responsible for the destruction of at least two enemy planes on that fateful day,

Carol Hagan snapped this photo of a lei-shaped tree at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific during a 2009 visit to Honolulu, Hawaii.

Where heroes walkedDecember 7, 1941,” she says.

“It was an honor to learn about our military heroes and walk among them on those hallowed grounds and know that my father had also been there in the Pacific waters on this destroyer when he was called to duty.”

Hagan’s photo, taken from below, shows a ficus tree framing the American flag. She says they are pruned to a specific shape. “These trees at the main memo-rial staging area are shaped as Hawaiian lei,” Hagan says, “as a symbol of the love, honor, and respect due to our fallen military.”

No mythNeda Swiney of Crystal City captured this view of the Parthenon during a Mediterranean cruise in November 2011. “This was one of the many points of interest during the two-week Star Princess cruise,” she says. “I remember studying Greek mythology in high school, and dreamed one day of traveling to Greece. My dream came true!”

VroomGinny Leitner of Festus aboard an ATV at Packer Ranch in Hawaii in 2007. Th is photo was taken by Leitner’s son, Robert Leitner.

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A Grand adventureBob Herroon of De Soto snapped this picture of Fran Dolmage of De Soto during a Grand Canyon hiking trip in October 2008. “We hiked to the bottom and camped out in a tent,” Herroon says. “Then we returned to the rim the next day.”

Multigenerational memories Debbie Holmes of Hillsboro took this picture of her son, Charlie Holmes, and her mother, Margaret Hahlweg, together on the beach at Destin, Fla., in 2004. “We had taken my parents to Florida,” Holmes says. “My mother was suffering from Alzheimer’s. I recall how much love and happiness my mom and Charlie shared. “From the looks on their faces, it’s hard to tell who was having the most fun.”

Cruisin’Neda Swiney of Crystal City took this picture aboard the Holland America ship Zuiderdam during an April 2011 cruise. “This picture was taken as the Zuiderdam was going through the first lock of the Panama Canal,” she says. “I was standing in the ‘crow’s nest’ taking the photo, and thinking what an undertaking it must have been to accomplish such a wonder.”

Winona Sutton, 73, of Valles Mines aboard a camel during a 2011 vacation to Tennessee.

Camel ride in TennesseeWinona Sutton of Valles Mines and

her sister, Barb Altman of Arnold, took a trip together in May 2011 to the Great Smoky Mountains.

“What a spectacular day we had in the National Park,” Sutton says. “(There was) a lot of beautiful scenery, and the trees were covered with ice formed from the fog and (they) glistened in the sunshine.”

The pair had some sunny-day free time in nearby Gatlinburg, Tenn.

“We saw a variety of shows, includ-ing the musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

“We even had a chance to ride a camel, which made our trip really fun and exciting. It’s something to tell my grandchildren: ‘Grandma rode a camel!’”

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SnaarrrlllGinny Leitner of Festus makes with the claws during a St. Louis Science Center trip to Mt. Rainer, Wash., in July 2011.

Is it just me, or is it hot out here?Glenda Bequette of Hillsboro snapped this picture of her husband, Danny, during a February trip to the Death Valley area of California – the hottest, lowest and driest place in the U.S. “Good thing we went during the winter months,” she says. “It was only 88 degrees that day.”

Barb Altman of Arnold had the opportunity to visit the World Trade Center in New York City during a 1984 bus tour of the Northeast.

“More than 80,000 people visited the center daily,” she says. “The open-air rooftop on the 110-story tower was the highest outdoor platform in the world at that time. Each tower was

Barb Altman atop the south tower of the World Trade Center in 1984.

served by 23 high-speed elevators, traveling at speeds of 1,600 feet per minute.

“Especially after 9/11, we were so glad to have so many wonderful pictures of the World Trade Center,” she says.

The photo was taken by Altman’s husband, Frank.

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With the help of a “gorilla pod” – a flexible tripod – and a remote control camera shutter, Nina Elliott of Impe-rial and her daughter captured this self-portrait on the Marin Peninsula in San Francisco, Calif., in January 2010.

“My daughter, Erin, became engaged with a great guy from Oakland, Calif., so they flew me out to meet his parents and we spent a few days hitting all the cool places in San Francisco,” Elliott says. “The Golden Gate Bridge was amazing, and I loved seeing Muir National Forest with all the enormous redwood trees.

Nina Elliott, right, and her daughter, Erin, at the Marin Headlands in San Francisco, overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.

Bridge over chilly waters

Sin City sweetsDanny Bequette of Hillsboro took this picture of his wife, Glenda, with Mrs. Brown at M&M World during a vacation to Las Vegas in January. “You never know who you will meet in Vegas,” he says.

“We went inside the Point Bonita lighthouse on the Marin Headlands. The waves on the ocean there were huge that day! I took way too many pictures.”

Elliott enjoyed the food choices but was a little surprised by the weather.

“Downtown San Francisco has great bakeries and coffee shops, with cannoli that are to die for,” she says. “What I didn’t know was that San Francisco is rather chilly; it’s not hot and humid there.

“But it is a photographer’s paradise. And the streets are hilly.”

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Sisters Winona Sutton of Valles Mines and Barb Altman of Arnold joined the seniors group at Sutton’s church for a trip to Branson in the fall of 2011.

They happened to have some free time at the same time that Sut-ton’s granddaughter, college student Brittany Hilgert, had a break between classes and work.

“Brittany is a student at the Col-lege of the Ozarks, a Christan college

Hang loose Ralph Meuser and Susan Cook give the famous “Hang Loose” hand sign during a 2003 trip to Hawaii.

Hawaiian heaven

Ralph Meuser has fond memories of the 2003 trip to Hawaii he took with Su-san Cook. The pair explored four islands, and had adventures galore.

Cook is shown in the photo with a Hawaiian dancer at a floating luau on Kauai. The vacation included an evening on the beach, with Diamond Head in the background.

“Don’t pass up a trip to Hawaii,” Meuser says. “It’s one step closer to heaven.”

Susan Cook and a Hawaiian luau dancer.

also known as ‘Hard Work U’ because all students are required to work so many hours in exchange for their education.”

Brittany, 21, of High Ridge works as manager of the college’s student cafeteria.

“It was nice to have lunch at the Keeter Center with Brittany,” Sutton says, “because she hadn’t seen any family for several months and she was a little homesick.”

Pedal powerGinny Leitner of Festus, left, and her son, Robert, downhill bicycling in Skagway, Alaska. This photo was taken by a tour guide on the 2006 trip along the scenic railroad trail.

Wayne and Marietta Weston of Hill-sboro first visited New Harmony, Ind., in 2005. Marietta calls it a “quaint historical town, a favored, not-too-far-in-the-car place to revisit.”

This was the couple’s first vacation since 1987; they had spent other summers on missionary trips to Jamaica.

Wayne took his wife’s photo in front of the Red Geranium Restaurant, a fa-vorite of theirs. “This became a favorite restaurant and town, when we could get away,” he says.

Marietta says her husband is a history buff, and she snapped this photo of him in 2008 outside the town’s library/museum, examining a World War I trench mortar.

“It was his last trip there,” she says. “Arthritis limits travel distances now.”

New Harmony, the place to be

Wayne Weston in New Harmony, Ind.

From left, Barb Altman, Brittany Hilgert and Winona Sutton in front of the Keeter Center at College of the Ozarks.

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By Sean KellyFor Grand Times

efferson County residents who want to visit “Star Trek: The Exhibition,” at the St. Louis Science Center have only a few weeks and a few special events left to

take it all in.The Exhibition has been boldly

going on at the Science Center, 5050 Oakland Ave., since October 2011. It will close on May 28.

The Exhibition brings together the science and the fiction of science fiction – dazzling visitors with an up-close-and-personal look at the vener-able 45-year-old franchise, while also informing them about the real science involved in making Gene Rodden-berry’s fantasy a reality.

For the fiction, the Science Center has one more “First Friday” left in the Exhibition’s run, bringing home the entertainment that got a lot of this generation’s great minds into science in the first place.

The final “First Friday” is on May 4, featuring a Star Trek costume contest on the Science Cen-ter’s first floor, which should provide ample people-watching op-portunities for people w h e t h e r

Bonnie Van Pelt Negri of Fenton submitted this photo of her daughter, Kathy Brinkmann, and family during a Florida vacation in 2010. “This was taken near Jupiter, Florida, in the summer

From left, Kathy and Jim Brinkmann with their children, James, Danielle and John Brinkmann, and “Pirate Pete.”

Arrrrrrgh you smiling?of 2010,” Negri says. “Our family has a few pictures where pirates are included in the photo.

“It must be because our family has such ‘hidden treasures.’”

they have an interest in the show or not.The exhibit itself features authen-

tic “Star Trek” artifacts, including original costumes and models used in filming the television series and movies.

Ticket prices range from $6 to $14, with varying prices for students, members of the armed forces, seniors, members of the Science Center, etc. Children 12 and under can visit the exhibit for free on Sundays, when ac-companied by an adult paying admis-sion. Children under 5 are free.

For those who enjoy a healthy dol-lop of real science to go with their sci-ence fiction, the May 10 installment in the Science Center’s second Thursday Lecture Series will focus on the New Horizons mission to Pluto. Although Pluto has lost its status as a planet, it is still an important component in our solar system, and the program promises to explain why.

For more information, contact the Science Center at (314) 289-4400, or go to slsc.org.

Frank Altman of Arnold submitted a photo of himself and his wife, Barb, during an August 2011 day trip to a local airport. The photo was taken by Barb’s sister, Winona Sutton of Valles Mines.

“We went to see the zeppelin, the world’s largest passenger airship, parked at the St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia,” Altman says. “It was on the first-ever barnstorming tour of the United States.”

The Farmer’s Airship visited more

Barb, left, and Frank Altman at an airport in Cahokia, Ill., with a zeppelin in the background.

Zipping to visit a zeppelinthan 20 cities on its tour. At 246 feet in length, the craft is 15 feet longer than a standard Boeing 747 and 50 feet longer than the largest Goodyear blimp in ser-vice. “It was in St. Louis for a week,” Altman says. “We were glad we had the opportunity to get so close and see how BIG it was.”

The Altmans like to explore the nearby area. “We enjoy day trips to see new things, and have a nice lunch out and about,” Altman says.

Last chance: Science Center’s ‘Star Trek’ display closes May 28

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By Patrick Martin For Grand Times

ore and more Missourians are going to prison – voluntarily.

Since 2009, one of the bloodiest, most gruesome, and possibly haunted sites in the state – the former Missouri State Penitentia-

ry in Jefferson City – has become one of mid-Missouri’s most popular day trips.

In just three years, tour offerings have expanded from a basic walk-through to a broad array of history tours, ghost tours, private group tours and even over-nights in what used to be called the Graystone Hotel.

When it closed in 2004, the Pen was the country’s oldest functioning prison west of the Mississippi River. It was built in 1836, the year the Alamo fell (temporarily) to Mexico. Andrew Jackson was president.

In its 168-year run as a penal institution, the Mis-souri State Pen was home to notable guests such as

Going to the Big HouseFormer Missouri State Penitentiary, built in 1836, has fascinating history

Michael Schlueter photo

Depression-era desperado Pretty Boy Floyd, former heavyweight champ Sonny Liston, who learned to box while incarcerated, and James Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The prison was the site of a wild, two-day riot in 1954 when the inmates took over. Tour guides, all of whom were former wardens, assistant wardens or guards, give a detailed account of the riot, pointing out the key locations where the drama unfolded.

An untellable number of stories unfolded behind those gray walls, most of them far less dramatic than a major riot or the presence of a celebrity prisoner. Tour guides do their best to give an overall impression of life inside the wall, mixing their personal experiences with the historic facts.

The prison itself, though, sets the mood. Knowing the evil and suffering that lurked in the place, visitors are transported almost immediately into a church-like quiet. This is a fascinating place in the way that disasters and car crashes are fascinating. Even in bright sunlight, it’s a spooky setting.

M

The former Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City.

Among punishments at the penitentiary was “The Line.” Prisoners were forced to stand at attention for eight hours a day until they collapsed.

Missouri State Penitentiary photo


Getting inside The tour begins on the Lafayette

Street side of the prison, beneath a grim stone entry that bears the chiseled inscrip-tion, “Female Department.” Our tour guide, Mike Groose, began working at the MSP in 1968 and was warden from 1991-1996.

He explained that this entrance was the one where women prisoners were processed into their new way of life.

A gloomy shower tile-like hallway stretches away from a small guard station, a walled and windowed enclosure that re-minds visitors of a gas station attendant’s booth in a tough neighborhood.

Not as tough as this one, though.Peeling paint and a general feeling

of abandonment give the idea that the prison must have been a pretty dirty place to live. Groose corrected that impression right away.

“When we left here in 2004, the place was spic ’n’ span,” he said. “This shows how fast an abandoned building can deteriorate.”

When the new prison just outside Jefferson City opened Sept. 15, 2004, the state hadn’t decided what to do with the old one. Officials had an inkling that the public might be interested in seeing it, so a one-time open house was planned for October of that year.

“It was open for one weekend and we had 22,000 people come through,” said Steve Picker, executive director of the Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau, which runs the tours with the Missouri State Penitentiary Redevelop-ment Co.

Picker said there was obvious interest in the old pen, but there were obstacles. Who would run the tours? What about li-ability? What sort of hazardous materials, including asbestos, were lurking in such an old facility? And what about preserv-ing such an historic site?

“We had to prove that people weren’t going to go in there and destroy the place,” Picker said.

Slowly, those issues were resolved. Ironically, the delays did lead to the dete-rioration that the hard-hatted visitors see today – peeling paint, rust, general decay.

“The demolition by neglect is one of our biggest concerns,” Picker said.

When the tours finally got off the ground in 2009, staffing was minimal and so was visitor capacity.

“Mark Schreiber, a prison historian (and longtime MSP employee) was our only tour guide and we worked him to death,” Picker said. “We did 13 tours one Saturday.”

Schreiber survived that ordeal to

compile a hardback history, “Shanks to Shakers,” published in 2011, which has a treasure trove of historical photos of MSP. A shank is prison slang for a homemade knife. Shakers referred to salt shakers, one of numerous items manufactured by inmates over the decades.

Meanwhile, more guides were re-cruited and the fledgling program man-aged to get 9,000 visitors through the pen that first year. By 2011, the number had

nearly doubled to more than 17,000. The variety of tours has mushroomed.

The toursTours have been refined to cover

everything from a new one-hour tour for younger students ($10 per person) up to private overnight group tours (though there is no sleeping allowed). In between there are options ranging from the origi-nal two-hour prison tour ($12) to a three-hour in-depth tour ($25) to ghost classes and ghost tours ($35).

There are photography sessions set up specially for shutterbugs, though anyone can bring a camera on the regular tours.

Some of the ghost tours supply para-normal detecting equipment for visitors so they can “see” whatever it is ghost seekers believe they are discovering.

Our group took the original tour, which takes the group through the induc-tion center to the prison yard to the “A” Hall, one of the multi-level residence buildings in which the cells all look out to a central catwalk area. Visitors can go inside individual cells to get a sense of how cramped and horrific the prospect of spending years in there would be.

The tourists in our group went in – and came out quickly. No extra charge for the inevitable shivers and shudders.

One of the highlights – or lowlights – of the regular tour is spending a few moments in the dark of the “dungeon” cells, abandoned in the 1930s. They were

Michael Schlueter photo

See PRISON TOUR, Page 18B

Between 1938 and 1989, the gas chamber at the penitentiary was the site of 40 executions. Mug shots of the condemned are the only decorations on the interior walls of the small white stone building.

In 2011, more than 17,000 visitors toured the Missouri State Penitentiary.

Harry Vaughn, Edward Raymond and George Ryan back in custody after an escape from the penitentiary in 1905. They used dynamite to blow the doors off the hinges.

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reserved for the worst of the worst. The cells were in the basement, drippy with moisture and completely dark. Prisoners were crammed into those rock-walled cells with only straw on the floor and a “honey bucket” in the corner.

Groose said few emerged from this prison of last resort.

“They either went insane or they died,” he said. “They’d throw a button on the floor across the room and they’d all get on the floor to try to find it. Anything to keep from going crazy.”

Prison guides are not reluctant to dis-cuss such treatment as part of the prison’s history, which was in step with penal theories of the time. Whips, chains, iron rings and dungeon cells were part of the deal for prisoners a century ago.

“The main means of population con-trol,” Groose said, “was death.”

Sometimes the Grim Reaper came naturally, sometimes at the hands of other inmates. More rarely, it came from the state. One of the more somber and creepy parts of the tour is the gas chamber. Be-tween 1938 and 1989, it was the site of 40 executions. Mug shots of the condemned are the only decorations on the interior

walls of the small white stone building.

EscapesThe escape attempts and murders

within the walls are nearly uncountable, records being sketchy from the prison’s earliest days.

Newspaper accounts from long ago

recount escapes that were made by horse-back, on foot, in wagons and on trains. Many prisoners ran off from work details outside the walls. Manhunts and armed citizen search squads were common.

Some escapees got away, some were shot dead. Others were captured and, in the case of a 1905 escape in which two guards were killed, the three prisoners were brought back, tried and hanged. The Cole County Democrat covered the hanging with the headline, “Jerked To Eternity.”

James Earl Ray, who escaped by hiding in a bread truck, was such a small-time criminal that the reward offered for

hen I was a kid, I had a fun way to deal with cold, snowy winter days. I’d get out my View-Master reels and sit in the rocking chair beside the old black King Heater wood stove

in our living room. Then I’d take a no-travel vacation, soaking up 3-D views of Hawaii, Niagara Falls, the Painted Desert,

Intrepid traveler takes a basket ride above the FallsDon’t look down!

the Great Smoky Mountains, Yosemite, our national parks and other scenic loca-tions in our beautiful country.

I’d dream about seeing them for real someday. Years later, after I graduated from high school and was able to realize a few of those dreams, I discovered some destinations were even better than I had anticipated.

his capture was just $50. He was in the pokey for robbing a Kroger store in St. Louis seven years earlier.

Less than a year after he escaped, Ray shot and killed Martin Luther King, Jr. as the civil rights leader stood on a Memphis balcony.

Preparing to tour MSP has an excellent website, Mis-

souripentours.com, which has detailed descriptions of all the tours as well an overall history of the prison.

None of the old buildings is heated or cooled, so midsummer touring can be toasty, to say the least. Wear comfortable shoes. The property is not accessible to wheelchairs or walkers.

Tours are offered six days a week. Reservations are encouraged. The prison is closed on Mondays for prisoner clean-up crews from the new Big House.

The up-close experience of touring a prison doesn’t include interaction with inmates. Amazingly, the prison used to permit elementary school children to tour the prison, including walking through the yard with prisoners present. Groose thought that practice went on at least into the 1970s because he remembered those tours.

There still is an off-chance of en-countering a former resident, he said.

“We’ve had former prisoners on tours; we’ve had their family members,” he said. “They want to know, ‘Where was Grandpa’s cell?’”

Food for thought By Kathleen

Brotherton

My first bus trip out West was in June 1962. On my third day out, the old Trailways bus rolled into the desert region of Arizona on old Route 66. The sun was sinking slowly behind the rugged mountains to the west, creating sunset colors like nothing I’d ever seen, casting

Prison tour: Tours offered six days a week, reservations recommendedContinued from Page 17B

See FOOD FOR THOUGHT, Page 19B

Some say the former Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City is haunted.

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rying any fresh fruit or vegetables with them into California. Until then, I’d had no idea this was a normal event to pro-tect crops from possible disease or bug infestations.

A few years later, I found myself on another summer bus trip, this time through upper Michigan, into Canada. My plan was to see both the Canadian and American sides of Niagara Falls.

The View-Master pictures from my childhood didn’t do this magnificent site justice. I arrived on a hot, humid mid-June day and took a spot by the railings overlooking this wonder of nature. I heard the deafening roar of rushing water over the falls and felt the cooling mist from the spray of clear, sparkling water. The Falls were more than I ever could have expected.

An added tour was available for an extra $10. For that price, you could take a cable car ride over the rapids just above the falls, from one side of the Niagara River to the other. When you’re young, you’re fearless, and I thought, “Why not?” I’d met a girl about my age on the tour from Colombia, South America, and we talked each other into the adventure.

Eight people, including me and my new friend, got inside a basket-type rig hanging from a cable. We moved slowly above swirling whirlpools, hearing the creaking sound of metal on metal above our heads. I found myself unable to speak, afraid the cable might snap at any moment.

Though speech was impossible, I sure did pray, promising God that if He let us survive that ride, I’d never do anything that stupid again.

purple shadows into the distant peaks and valleys.

There was no air conditioning on the bus so passengers had their windows halfway open as we approached the des-ert, but the driver suggested we might like to close the windows after sunset because the desert temperatures would drop quickly after dark. It was hard to imagine cold temperatures in a desert. But this “greenhorn” soon realized the driver wasn’t kidding. Windows were shut and the heater was on.

It was nearing the wee hours of the morning when I was awakened by the angry voice of an older lady a few seats in front of me.

“You have a lot of nerve waking me up in the middle of the night trying to sell me fruit!”

Why on earth, I wondered, would the bus stop to allow someone to sell fruit?

The answer soon became clear. No one was selling fruit. The bus had reached an agricultural inspection office at the California-Arizona border. Officials had to make sure no one on board was car-

APPLE DOUGHNUT BALLS

Oil for deep-frying2 cups flour1/4 cup sugar3 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 teaspoon nutmeg1/2 cup half-and-half1/3 cup frozen apple juice concen-

trate, thawed1 egg, slightly beaten1/3 cup sugar1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In deep fryer or heavy 3-quart saucepan heat 3 to 4 inches oil to 375 degrees F. In large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg; blend well. Add half-and-half, apple juice concentrate and egg; stir with fork until thoroughly mixed. Drop by teaspoonfuls into hot oil, 5 or 6 at a time. Fry doughnut balls 1 to 1/1/2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. In small bowl or plastic bag, combine 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, roll warm doughnuts in mixture. Makes 30to 35 doughnut balls.

120 calories and 8 g. fat per doughnut balls

DEVILED TUNA POT PIE

1 tablespoon unsalted margarine1 medium-size yellow onion,

chopped fine2 cloves garlic, minced1 large stalk celery, sliced thin1 cup fresh or frozen whole-kernel

corn1 jar (4 ounces) pimientos, drained

and chopped fine1/4 teaspoon black pepper4 teaspoons flour1 cup low-sodium chicken broth1/2 cup skim milk2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

cheese2 teaspoons Dijon or spicy brown

mustard2 teaspoons lemon juice2 cans (6 1/2 ounces each) water-

packed light tuna, drained and flaked4 refrigerator buttermilk biscuits,

halved horizontally and slightly flat-tened

1/8 teaspoon paprika1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

F. In a medium size heavy saucepan, melt the margarine over moderate heat; add the onion, garlic, celery, corn, pimientos and black pepper, and cook, covered, for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft.

2. Blend in the flour, then the chicken broth and milk, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the cheese, mustard and lemon juice. Remove from the heat; fold in the tuna.

3. Transfer all to an ungreased shallow 5 or 6-cup casserole. Arrange the biscuits on top, sprinkle with the paprika, and bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until the biscuits are golden. Serves 4.

284 calories and 8 g. fat per serv-ing

Food for thought: RecipesContinued from Page 18B

1 lemon supreme cake mix1 small box instant fat-free pudding mix3/4 cup fat-free Egg Beaters1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce8 ounces Diet Sprite1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, Egg Beaters and applesauce. Beat with electric mixer on low speed until well blended.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring Sprite to a boil; add vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add hot Sprite to batter.

Continue beating on medium-speed for 2 minutes.Pour batter into a Bundt pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees

for about 30 minutes. Serve plain, or lightly dust with powdered sugar. Serves 16.160 calories per serving. 3 g. fat per serving

LIGHT LEMON CAKE


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We would like to thank all the vendors that are helping make our Spring Expo successful. A special thanks

to Huskey Trailways and First State Community Bank.

2012 SPRING SENIOR EXPOEntrance

Stage Area

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LOWER LEVEL

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BINGO

SEATINGSideDoor

1. Huskey Trailways 2. Vantage Credit Union 3. Benchmark Healthcare of Festus 4. Fortune Insurance 5. Advanced Family Chiropractic & Rehabilitation 6. Premiere Eye Associates 7. Algonquin Nurses 8. Crystal Oaks Skilled Care, Assisted Living & Rehabilitation 9. Joyce Factory Direct10. The Villas11. Sterling Insurance12. Des Peres Hospital13. Two Nurses & A Broom14. Hillcrest Care Center15. St. Clair Corporation

16. Fresenius Medical Center17. Festus Manor18. Thomas Construction19. Martha C Brown & Associates, LLC20. Baisch Nursing Center21. Mahn Funeral Homes22. Jefferson County 9-1-1 Dispatch23. Scenic Nursing & Rehab24. Coffee & Doughnuts25. Valle Ambulance26. Autumn Ridge27. Nationwide Insurance28. Help at Home29. Jefferson Regional Medical Center30. First State Community Bank31. Leader Publications, Inc.

Schedule8 a.m.

Doors Open9 a.m.

Lee Ellen Hogan with First State Community Bank speaking on the

Horizons Club.9:30 a.m.

Bingo11:30 a.m.

Bus departs for Casino adventure! Expo closes

Documents

Grand Times