The University of Blog

Today I made the trek to Rock Bridge State Park. We made the turn for a sweet trail that led into a creek and a swimming hole. I went with a friend from work who brought her dog Figo. The three of us were the only ones on the trail. After an initial slip in the mud on my part, we walked through the creek and arrived at a deep, cool place to swim complete with a rope swing. The water was high so the rope swing was ineffective, but it was a great reward to hike for about twenty minutes and jump into some refreshing water. The amazing thing was that it was just us- there was no one else around, and I felt such a part of nature. Just like Thoreau in Walden Pond. We brought some snacks and ate while playing fetch with Figo. Basically, it was a great day, and I can’t wait to go again.

Our convergence class hooked us up with some freebies—including a free ticket to Ira Glass, host of This American Life. My friend from Lawrence was in town and we ventured to Jesse Hall together. It was great because he opened with his voice among the darkness. He said that he tried to persuade the producers of the show to have the entire show in darkness. They told him that maybe that would fly in Lawrence, Kans., but not here.

It was one of the most inspiring performances/ speakers that I have ever witnessed. We are just about halfway through the semester, which means that I am incredibly burned out with pretty much everything. Thus, to hear from someone who has the same perspective on journalism and his own formula for making it work, I was enthralled. Journalism can be about people and life, not just hard news.

Glass talked about how he got into radio. And what was really amusing about it was he played one of his radio stories eight years in that was self-admittedly really awful. It is okay to suck, at least initially. And it may take awhile to find that voice. He then shared his formula for a great story, which includes motion. There is always a bigger “thing” in his stories. Everything moves in that story to a greater thing—clues or information or something that is essential to the story. He also mentioned that there can be a little something in a story that is just there purely for the enjoyment of the journalist or highlighting the humor lightheadedness of life.

Among his advice to aspiring journalists, he played some interesting and FUNNY stories. One of his stories that I really enjoyed was when he went to the Oreo cookie factory, he was actually surprised that it smelled, well, like cookies since he was so used to Oreos being a processed food. Who knew that Oreos smelled like cookies. Only Ira Glass.

I had the pleasure of attending the University Concert Series production of Mel Brook’s musical The Producers at Jesse Hall. My brother makes me so jealous when he says that he attended a performance of The Producers with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane in Chicago before it opened in New York. However, I got to see the winner of twelve 2001 Tony Awards on Sunday night. Even though it was a traveling company without the original cast, it was absolutely fabulous and so funny. Easily one of the best Broadway shows that I have seen.
Dancing old ladies, sexual innuendos and colorful characters made the performance simply fabulous. I haven’t been able to go to enough professional shows this year. I remember when I as in highschool, we were able to get tickets for $5 and I would review the shows for the local newspaper. I miss this option. However, I hear that if a show is not sold out, that you can get a ticket for $6 for the remaining seats. I have not tested this theory, but the program is great.

Some upcoming shows include Evita, Kenny G, Moving Out, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hairpray and Ira glass. There is a diverse program and so many great show come into Columbia, it would be a crime to not take advantage of the great cultural offerings.

(this was an extra credit assignment for my newswriting class)

The sun sets over the Missouri River on Sunday, Sept. 23.

As the sun set over the Missouri River, it brought the close to the Second Annual Eco Art Festival, a two- day event highlighting the necessity to clean up the river. The festival provided arts, music and educational events on Sept. 22-23 at Coopers Landing on the bank of the Missouri River.
Karen Crane of the Missouri River Relief worked a booth at the festival to help get young people interested in cleaning up the river.
“I’m a regular down here,” Crane said. “I would like to bring more people into it and push younger generations to realize the importance of the river and have more respect for it. Basically, keep it clean and don’t dump your trash there.”
Crane believes her efforts have been worth it after meeting a couple of young guys at a campfire and getting them interested in helping clean out the river.
“People love the environment,” Crane said. “It gives them idea of what is good, history and how much we actually get since we get a lot of trash.
To concentrate on the natural resources of the river, the festival also brought in artists that use natural materials and are inspired by the environment. This adequately fit the theme “Our Local Treasures.”
“I like the fact that it brings so many creative artist here,” Crane said. “It brings a lot of lovely talented people.”
Columbia resident Gale Johnson uses electrical wire and Missouri river rocks in her sculpted jewelry.
“Electricians can’t work with short pieces and it ends up somewhere,” Johnson said. “I keep as much as I can out of the recycle bins and trash cans.”
When Johnson helped to clean up after Hurricane Katrina, she picked up pieces of ceramic and glass from the shore to keep kids safe and decided to use it in her necklaces and hanging art to help preserve the earth as our “playground.”
“I make it all up myself and take art to a different place,” Johnson said. “I use the leftover wire and start making stuff. The shards from hurricane Katrina are absolutely beautiful and meaningful.”
The festival raised money for the Missouri River Cultural Conservatory as well as raised awareness for the Missouri River in a relaxing, scenic atmosphere.
“Being on the river is an absolutely beautiful place,” Johnson said. “It couldn’t get better than this.”

The Roots ’N’ Blues ’N’ BBQ festival attracted around 60,000 people to downtown Columbia. Boone County National Bank sponsored the event for their 150th anniversary. There are currently no plans to host another event, but I believe that it was great success. Around 50 vendors shared their crafts as the smoky smell of BBQ filled the air.

I was able to interview Chris Thomas King for The Maneater. He played Tommy Johnson in “Oh Brother Where Art Thou” as well as a bandleader in “Ray.” King also won a Grammy for Best Album for his work on “Oh Brother Where Art Thou.” Read the article here.

The sweet smell of kettle corn and smoke from the blacksmiths’ fires filled the air as over 40 crafters and 100 performers demonstrated their skills and knowledge of the 1800s and before during the 30th Annual Heritage Festival and Craft Show.
Thousands showed up to see authentic crafts, enjoy the weather and watch history come alive during the event on Sept. 15-16, 2007 in Nifong Park.
“Everything is traditional,” Public Information Specialist for Parks and Recreation Tammy Miller said. ”We strive to make it a truly historic festival.”
The festival, which takes place during the third weekend of each September, has grown significantly since its birth in 1977. According to the Parks and Recreation Department, many of the artisans return year after year.
Some of the crafts included handmade jewelry, weaving, candles and pottery. During the festival, the artisans showed how they created their works to make it an interactive experience.
“I am teaching my granddaughters a trade,” said Columbia resident Pat Kelley, who brings her eclectic jewelry to festivals around the area.
With the help of her granddaughters, Kelley picks up beads at the festivals that she visits to design necklaces, earrings and bracelets. Kelley saw an ad in the newspaper to be a vendor at this year’s event and decided to participate.
“I really like this festival,” Kelley said. “It’s my first year, but I definitely want to come back.”
Further recreating history, the department also brought in professional performers. Oral historian Jim Two Crow Wallen presented his knowledge of fur trapping as a mountain man. Wallen has prepared 19 different historical characters and presents an average of 300 performances a year.
“This is all I do for a living,” said Wallen who began performing in 1980.
Wallen, who is part Cherokee, grew up with an appreciation of oral history through his grandfather. He has been to 46 states sharing his love of history, educating both youth and adults.
“Festivals like this bring history alive,” Wallen said. “This is an interactive thing. When you can go inside a tepee and feel it, it brings it to life. People come expecting to see history.”
Even on a MU football weekend, many people showed up to experience history by attending performances, participating in interactive drumming or talking to local artisans.
“It is fun and educational,” Miller said. “The Heritage Festival is really well known in Columbia and is a true tradition.”

(left) Man weaving his loom. (right) Mr. Peddlesworth displaying his unique bicycle collection.

A performance by Wilco concluded Columbia’s outdoor concert series Summerfest last night. More than 2,000 people gathered Ninth Street outside the Blue Note to listen to some music and to enjoy the atmosphere. Dr. Dog from West Philadelphia opened with their three-part harmonies off of their new album We All Belong.

Wilco gave a great show and really appealed to the audience. They performed at Summerfest two years ago and seemed to be a crowd favorite. When “You Are My Face” was played, the crowd immediately gathered closer toward the stage. Creator Jeff Tweedy told us that that we were the best audience on the tour. After leaving the stage once, the crowd cheered them on for three encores, and Wilco did not disappoint. Since the band was formed in 1994, it is true that Wilco have been around for awhile. However, they still know how to please a crowd and provide an entertaining, enjoyable show for all ages.

Goodness, what a busy day!

It began with my News Writing lab course. We started with a classmate interview and our story is due on Thursday. It will be a lot of hands-on work, but that is the best way to learn. That is the definition of the “Missouri Method.” Then, I had my Fundamentals of TV, Radio and Photojournalism class. I will begin researching three story ideas that I will spend a majority of the class exploring. Then I had my Introduction to Film Analysis class and we discussed Mise en scene (everything that goes on in the film) in The Graduate.

Also, I filled out my paperwork for my new job at Sycamore, a contemporary American restaurant. I will begin as a busser and go from there. I will be there every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. This means that I will need to record Grey’s Anatomy and be an avid multitasker (which I am anyway).

I was invited to the awards ceremony for the editor’s prizes of the The Missouri Review. The Missouri Review is a literary magazine that is edited by community members, students and professors. The magazine was founded in 1978 and publishes four issues annually. On Saturday night, I got to hear some up and coming authors from the area share their award-winning works chosen to be included in the Missouri Review.

My friend works for them this semester, and for me, it was great to be exposed to some creative writing, poetry, stories and essays. There is a program at Mizzou to take the Missouri Review course instead of an upper level English class. From what I’ve heard, it has been a good experience for the students who have chosen that path. If you’re interested, there is also EMU’s (English at Mizzou) literary Magazine: Epic.