It’s Float Trip Time With James River Outfitters!

Established in 2003, James River Outfitters is the most respected outfitter on the James River. They offer a wide range of services including outfitting for canoeing, fishing, tent camping, floating, swimming, nature photography, bird watching or just relaxing and enjoying the scenery. Local family owned and operated, we offer a lifetime of experience and we’re eager to share our knowledge with you. Our customers return time after time in order to enjoy the Ozarks and James River Outfitter’s personal and professional services.Wanting to float from Hootentown to Galena? JRO has everything you need to make your trip memorable and exciting. There’s nothing like a good old fashioned float trip with James River Outfitters. While floating on the river you will see breathtaking rock bluffs and wildlife such as: bald eagles, deer, mink, fox… the list is endless. Come see for yourself!

The James River offers a broad selection of fish. “Catch & Release” or “Feed The Family” – everyone will have a great time! So come and enjoy nature as Ozark sportsmen have for over a century.

For more information contact:
James River Outfitters, LLC.
110 Y-Bridge Road
Galena, MO 65656

417-357-6443
Home: 417-357-6447 • Cell: 417-830-1344

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Goober’s Gone

R.I.P. Goober…George Lindsey, the Alabama native who played Goober on The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry RFD and Hee Haw, died early this morning in Nashville after a brief illness. He was 83. Goober was the cousin of the character Gomer Pyle played by Jim Nabors. Griffith issued a statement: “George Lindsey was my friend … Our last conversation was a few days ago … I am happy to say that as we found ourselves in our eighties, we were not afraid to say `I love you.’ That was the last thing George and I had to say to each other. `I love you’.” Best known as Goober, Lindsey had a long TV career that included roles in Gunsmoke, MASH, The Wonderful World of Disney, CHIPs, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, The Real McCoys, The Rifleman, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and The Twilight Zone. Movie roles included Cannonball Run II, Take This Job and Shove It and voicing characters in Disney animated features The Aristocats, The Rescuers and Robin Hood.

 

Taney County Sheriff Jimmie Russell

Sheriff Jimmie Russell is a familiar face in Taney County, and has been for almost 50 years. He was raised on his family’s farm near Taneyville, MO — very close to where he and his wife Della, raised their family of three. All their children plus four grandchildren still live in Taney County and enjoy camping, fishing and all the joys of family life in beautiful southwest Missouri.Sheriff Russell’s career in public service and safety began in 1982 as a paramedic for Taney County Ambulance. From there he joined the Branson Police Department in 1985 where he rose to the rank of Patrol Sergeant before leaving in 1992 to become a Deputy Sheriff for Taney County. In 2000, the voters selected Russell as their Sheriff, a position he has proudly held ever since.Sheriff Russell has served the public continuously in a variety of roles with a wide range of responsibilities through the years.

Visit Sheriff Jimmie Russell’s site.

This Weekend

Crews work to stop erosion near bridge in Galena

GALENA, Mo.–About $250,000 is being spent to stop Mother Nature from causing any further damage in Galena.

Large rock will be put in place to stop erosion and try to correct the flow of the James River.  About fifty feet of the bank has disappeared in the last few years.  Flooding in 2008 and again this Spring have accelerated the problem, and if it keeps up, it could compromise the Highway 413/248 bridge. (more)

Woman Could Be Jailed For Vegetable Garden

Posted: 7/8/11 05:05 PM ET

Julie Bass, of Oak Park, Michigan, wanted to grow her own food. She was a fan of organic vegetables, so she decided to convert her front yard from the grass-and-tree landscaping typical in her neighborhood into an edible garden. Because she had just torn up the front lawn to install a new sewer system, she had a perfect opportunity to start fresh. She planted cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs in raised wooden planters, and waited to reap her produce.

A neighbor didn’t like her choice of landscaping.

The neighbor called the city and complained that Bass’s yard disrupted the look of the neighborhood. The city agreed, and issued Bass a ticket. (more)

Joplin Tornado Devastates Local Special Olympics Program

The World of Special Olympics

Wanted to share this email update we just received from our friends at Special Olympics Missouri.  Needless to say our thoughts and prayers are with them in this time of devastation and loss.  I hope everyone who reads this can share your message of support by commenting here, sending letters to the address included, posting on their Facebook wall, Tweeting them, or in your own unique creative way just offering any support you can to them in this difficult time.

June 1, 2011

Thank you to each of you who have reached out to us with words of comfort, encouragement and offers of support. This last week has been one of much grief as so much has been lost in the devastating tornado in Joplin. The outpouring of love we have felt from you is comforting and so appreciated.

Sadly, we lost three very special men. Tripp Miller, Rick Fox and Mark Farmer were lifelong friends and had been SOMO athletes for decades. The three men lived in their own home and took great joy in being Special Olympics Athletes. All three had bowled in our state tournament last November which was held in Joplin. At Tripp’s funeral they shared the story that upon being found in the rubble of what was left of his home, he greeted his first rescuer with a huge smile, and said, “thank you.” Those were his last words. Read more about Tripp.

(more)

22nd North Arkansas Ancestor Fair

The 22nd North Arkansas Ancestor Fair will be held Friday, June 3rd and Saturday, June 4th, in Marshall , AR.  This year the theme will be the Civil War Sesquicentennial, and the talks on Friday will be about what happened in 1861 in North Arkansas and about researching Confederate and Union Soldier ancestors.  Saturday will be devoted to family historians swapping information, but there will also be the opportunity to get help writing family reminiscences about the Civil War.

The North Arkansas Ancestor Fair is the longest running genealogical event of its kind in North Arkansas.  It has two sections:  on Friday, there are speakers who talk about subjects of interest to genealogists and family historians; on Saturday family genealogists are provided tables and chairs so they can visit and swap information with the public, who have com to see what information is available.  North Arkansas county genealogical and historical societies have tables to offer information, publications for sale and to attract new members.

This year, there will be enough seating for both Friday and Saturday events so that advance registration is not necessary, but early arrivals will get the best seats, or table locations.  Friday’s talks will be held at the new VFW building, located just north of the Stoplight, and Northeast of Highway 65.  Russell Baker, Arkansas History Commission-Retired and perhaps the most knowledgeable person on Arkansas research, will speak from 9:30am on “Finding Confederate and Union Ancestors”.  He will also have a fillip on results of DNA tests on a couple of Newton/Searcy county families.  Friday afternoon, James Johnston, Searcy County historian, will tell about what happened in Searcy and surrounding counties in 1861.  This will include the formation, betrayal and capture of the Peace Society and the Chain Gang that took them to Little Rock.  This will be followed by a discussion group where attendees will be invited to tell their family stories of the Chain Gang.  Friday’s lectures cost $7.50 for a half day or $10.00 for all day, which will be collected at the door.  The Discussion Group is free and everyone is encouraged to attend.

Friday night there will be a Mixer Dinner – place to be announced – where folks can mingle, visit, meet new-found kin, and get a start on Saturday’s ancestor hunting.  There is usually some musical entertainment as well.

Saturday’s Genealogical Swap Meet at the Searcy County Civic Center on Zack Road is free all day for providers who want table and chairs for their information and wares and for the public who only want to browse.  The doors are open at 8:00 am to set up for providers of information and wares, and are open at 9:00 am for the public.

The Ancestor Fair has drawn as many as 500 in years past, but recently the numbers have declined.  However, the sponsor, Searcy County Historical Society, expects the Civil War Sesquicentennial theme will attract over 200 visitors this year.

Additional information is available at the Ancestor Fair website.  www.ancestorfair.us ,or from Shirley Gray at shirleysdream@windstream.net or 870-448-3308

Cattle Thieves Put On Notice

Posted: May 30, 2011 6:50 PM by Associated Press

Investigators have begun alerting Missouri sale barns about stolen livestock that may turn up at their auctions in an attempt to stifle a lucrative rustling trade.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said it began sending the alerts to the sale barns in the spring, providing the businesses with descriptions of the stolen animals.

“We approached them from a networking, partnership point of view,” said Maria Furey, a criminal intelligent analyst for the Patrol’s rural crimes investigative unit. “Most of them, pretty much all of them, are accommodating because they don’t like the idea of potentially selling stolen livestock either.”

The St. Joseph News-Press reports that livestock, especially cattle, are an easy target for thieves and can be sold at reputable sale barns without the owner’s knowledge unless proper precautions are in place.

“The thing I hear about the auctions is they’re so incredibly fast-paced and they can be almost chaotic, in a rhapsody kind of way. A complete controlled chaos,” Furey said.

The alerts allow sale barn owners to identify stolen livestock before they’re put on the auction block. Jeff Windett, executive vice president of the Missouri Cattleman’s Association, said the effort has been successful so far.

Most stolen livestock are sold within 100 miles of the theft location, so emphasis in the alerts is placed on livestock stolen within their particular region. The Patrol’s rural crimes division has six regions in the state.

Not all stolen livestock are sold through sale barns, Furey said, and not all sale barns are negligent in making illegal sales.

Mark Servaes, manager of the St. Joseph Stockyards, said his business takes many measures to make sure its selling legitimate, healthy livestock. He said the company checks the identification of sellers and allows only those it is familiar with or who come with a reputable reference to sell livestock there.

“We’re pretty tough security at our place,” Servaes said. “If someone has a reputation that could be a little bit off the record, we just don’t invite them to sell at our place. So that keeps most of those doors unopened for us to get some of those stolen cattle, because they know we’re going to look for something. Other places will invite them to make a dollar off them, but we don’t do that.”

Farmers are asked to diligently keep track of their livestock so they can provide accurate descriptions for the alerts. That includes keeping regular inventory of their herds and being able to describe the color, size and tags of the animals.

“We need to have concrete, identifiable attributes,” Furey said. “That’s the best way to put out an alert, so that people who are trying to help know what to look for.”

Information from: St. Joseph News-Press, http://www.stjoenews-press.com

Beard & Mustache Competition benefits Isabel’s House

Beard & Mustache competition, benefiting Isabel’s House: The Crisis Nursery of the Ozarks. Saturday, June 04, 2011 from 8:00 PM – 1:00 AM. at Patton Alley Pub, local men will be judged on their facial hair in a number of categories, including “Mustache, Natural”, “Mustache, Styled”, “Partial Beard-Natural” and so on. There’s even a “Fake Beard” category. Among the judges will be Devin Cara, who currently holds 3rd place in the world  in the Garibaldi category, and his wife Kelly, who ha been to two world competitions. Christian Hutson of Just For Him will also judge. Drinks and other fun will be there throughout the night.

Registration is from 6:45-7:45 p.m.. The contest will probably last until 10 p.m., with Deep Fried Squirrel playing afterwards. Registration is $10 at the door, or you can register online at queencitybeards.com. Also visit the website to learn more.

(See 417 Mag for more outlandish things to do in 417 Land!)