Among the most memorable lines in L.M. Montgomery’s beloved book “Anne of Green Gables” is one that could apply to many Missourians as easily as to the Canadian author. “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers,” she writes.

"This (show) is a celebration of animal power, traditional skills, crafts and life before the industrial era, and how that knowledge is still valuable and relevant in today’s world."

– Gail Cross

Festival organizer

When he first stepped onto the stage, the bright lights warming his face, Gus McAfoos had never performed with a microphone before. A stagehand adjusted the stand’s height to better suit the 11-year-old Washington boy, and as McAfoos began, he concentrated on remembering the microphone tips …

Among a multitude of joyful and sometimes searing memories from 13 years volunteering at Franklin County CASA, one moment in particular never fails to warm Carol Gruber’s heart. She was attending a “A Winnie-the-Pooh Christmas Tail” at East Central College with the 9-year-old she’d been assi…

For music enthusiasts, peering into Greg Krone’s violin shop in rural New Haven inspires a similar feeling to one a child would likely have while viewing the elves at work in Santa’s toy shop. Work tables display the organized chaos of custom built violins in various stages of completion, fr…

In almost all of the many community projects that Norma Klemme volunteers for each year, she serves with her hands. From distributing food at the Union Food Pantry to collecting cans and boxes for the Zion United Church of Christ recycling program, her hands are her instruments. But each Oct…

Every time Tara Steffens looks at her arm, she remembers working crew for a live production of the play “Working” at the Washington City Park main stage. A surprise thunderstorm came nearly out of nowhere during Saturday night’s show, and Steffens burned her arm yanking lights down from the …

Nov. 25, 2020, is a day Mike Bursey will never forget. It’s the day he tested positive for COVID-19 and started a monthslong battle with the virus that doctors told him likely cut five to six years off his life.

For most of human history, medics and doctors could have done little to help the one in 10 Americans who live with diabetes, a chronic condition that causes people to not produce or absorb enough insulin, the hormone that turns sugars from the food we eat into energy. People with this diseas…

Following an unprecedented year for the Washington Town & Country Fair and the city’s history, the 2021 fair dug its toes in over the weekend with good showings at its first events. The 5K, 10K and kids 200-yard dash Saturday morning and Sunday’s well-attended parade and kickoff party ma…

A common challenge among churches for the past year-plus has been finding a way to get the message to the congregation when the congregation could not get to the church.

Each night at dinner tables across the country, family members share a meal and enjoy conversation, often starting with rehashing the day’s events at school or work. For the Vissers, that first conversation is usually shorter because they already know what happened at work. When it comes to …

For many area residents, the 50th anniversary of Six Flags St. Louis brings back memories of visiting the park as children — the heat of a sunny day in July, the taste and sticky sweetness of cotton candy, the smell of  waffle ice cream cones fresh from the oven. 

When Fred and Serena Stuart sit down to a meal at their Gerald farm, they can often name the exact acre of land that each item on their plates comes from. They grow the vast majority themselves, and other goods are sourced from farmer friends and markets where they have a relationship with t…

If all goes according to plan, the morning of Aug. 10, 2046, will be an exciting one at the State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSMO) in Columbia. On that day, museum staff will unveil a project that, 25 years earlier, in the present day, staff members and partner organizations say they a…

For Washington High School alumna Paige Hall, the road to success has often been more like an obstacle course than a straight sprint. Not unlike the drills she completes every weekday as an ROTC cadet at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE), Hall’s path requires determination and…

In the mid-1900s, neither St. Gertrude School nor St. Francis Borgia Regional High School offered formal art classes — but by the time artist Sally Dill graduated in 1962, she knew what she wanted to do with her future.

As a longtime mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, Kevin Knight and his mail delivery truck are what you might call age-old friends.

If the family resemblance wasn’t enough to link brothers Mark, Pat, John and Tim Zoellner in the minds of those who meet them, the American flags sticking out of their helmets would do the trick.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Genevieve Latting was in search of a new hobby. The Union-based licensed clinical social worker needed something to cure the restlessness she — and her two border collies — were facing amid their new routines. 

“They’re all what I call ‘stuff you’d find on a farm.’ Nobody wanted them, so I took them and fixed them up. They’re really educational and neat to see.” – Stan Laubinger

“There is a lack of understanding of what an organ is and its importance, but I will say again, the fascination with the instrument is still there.” – Joseph Eckelkamp, Organist

In the seventh round of the scholar bowl’s High School National Championship Tournament, the Washington High School A team was down 30, 40 points — up until the last two toss-up cycles.

Traci Siebert and William “Bill” Schwab received the Velma Jones Stroetker Library Service Award for volunteer service to the Washington Public Library. They were selected in 2020, but due to COVID-19, they received the awards in a small ceremony this May.

When Emily Presley was a child running around with her siblings and riding horses on the family farm, she says her mom anticipated the “tough,” energetic child might one day become an athlete.

Union chef Trenton Garvey said he got great preparation for dealing with a fiery television chef at East Central College.

A few minutes before Maurice Gritzman casually mentioned he once worked at NASA, he jumped from his seat, walked to his high schoolers' tables and showed off the robots the students built. He was boisterous about them; the NASA info could wait.

For friends Amanda Koch, Washington, and Deanna Hudson, Union, their matching pink satin sashes are treasured mementos of a joyous day.

Miriam Weseman has celebrated more birthdays than most. Just weeks before her first birthday, the U.S. Congress voted to declare war on Germany, beginning the country’s direct involvement in World War I. On her second birthday, the world was preparing for a global pandemic, one that until re…

Growing up in Washington, Heather Jensen Suerig spent almost every day with her grandmother, Toledo Thorpe. Already 70 when Suerig was born, Thorpe still played with her granddaughter each day. She also taught Suerig basic sewing skills, so she could help the neighborhood women who would com…

DeAnn Fiedler is stitching new life into old band uniforms.

For Matt Brennecke, Augusta, with its rolling vineyards and historic winemaking, has always been home. The 47-year-old is production manager at Mount Pleasant Winery, where the view from his office window is a dramatic valley scene he’s known well since boyhood. His first view of the wine-ri…

“This little boy sees me and takes off down the sidewalk running toward me. He jumps on me and does not let go. That completely warmed my heart. I fell in love with doing this after that.”

– Daniel Feth, Midwest Batman

“When someone wins, the family is so proud. It means they’ve put a lot of heart and soul and work into their yard, so they are quite honored to be rewarded.”

– Sally Bocklage, longtime program coordinator

When Amber Raney and her husband became foster parents three and a half years ago, they opened their home to any child, of any age, needing any size or gender of clothes, at a moment’s notice. Ahead of their second placement, they were given about five hours to prepare their home for its two…

On almost every day of the week for most of the year, a drive past the Washington Historical Society Museum reveals a white GMC Sierra parked in the lot. The car is sometimes accompanied by others, but it’s not uncommon for it to be the sole vehicle there. Its driver spends thousands of hour…

Since its official beginnings in 1926, the legendary highway Route 66 has been bestowed with numerous nicknames: “Main Street of America,” “The Mother Road” (coined by the novelist John Steinbeck) and the “Will Rogers Highway,” among others.

Susie Lewis loves playing dress-up with her newest cat, Brighde. The cat has almost never left Lewis’ side since the animal moved into Lewis’ home in St. Charles County about a month ago. When she’s not meowing at Lewis’ feet, she’s often stretched out on the lap of Lewis’ 76-year-old father…

Several years ago, Joe Ridener made himself a promise. He was sitting in a jail cell when he says he broke down, fell to his knees and prayed. 

Spring into warmer weather with these 15 essential experiences for anyone living in Franklin County and beyond. Download a free printable list here. 

Before August and Katelyn Horstmann have even turned around, their dogs Kona and Fly hop into the small bed of a muddy UTV, their tongues lolling and tails wagging excitedly. To the right is a picturesque white farmhouse and to the left a vibrantly red painted barn. A friendly pig named Babe…

Union High School Cheer

Nine years into Coltyn’s Pajama Party, the guest list is growing. The annual fundraiser and donation drive for St. Louis Children’s Hospital put on by 9-year-old Coltyn Straatmann, his parents, Steven and Kristin Straatmann, and his siblings, Kendyl, 12, and Caysen, 6, is getting extra suppo…