Around Town: School is back

By Ernie Wren

The Boone County Journal is officially now a part of the Columbia Missourian newspaper family!

I would like to again thank former owners Gene Rhorer and Tara Blue for providing me with the opportunity to write for our community paper. To the Missourian and Elizabeth Stephens, who is the new editor for the Journal, thank you for reaching out to me about keeping this article active.

And finally, to all those out there that have contacted me and/or expressed their support and fondness for “Around Town,” I am honored. As Elizabeth posted, for ideas and suggestions, you can email bocojoreporter@gmail.com or submit a request to https://www.columbiamissourian.com/boonecountyjournal/submissions/.

If you’d like to talk to me about upcoming events for “Around Town,” you can always email me at erniewren@gmail.com.

The big news this next week is that SCHOOL IS BACK! So please be sure to check your speed as you drive by any of the four school buildings. The first week or two, there can be traffic backups, with little kids being dropped off and learning the ropes of crossing streets. School started Tuesday of this week and will be out this Friday through Monday for the Labor Day holiday. So, get your “fun in the sun” done this weekend while you can.

Some of you may have missed it, but from the school announcement: “The Southern Boone School District is excited to launch Rooms, a new way for families to connect directly with their child’s teachers, coaches and school staff, all within the Southern Boone App. Rooms is the go-to place for classroom updates, one-on-one conversations, group messages and important announcements. This allows us to give you one secure place to stay informed and connected to the Southern Boone School District.”

This year, the Ashland Fall Festival is occurring from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 13. This festival has had an interesting history of changes over the years and has occurred anywhere from July to September. October is avoided, primarily to not compete with the Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival, which is a huge event each year. Ashland’s Fall Festival originated in early October though, with a focus on homemade breads, pies and other bakery items that would go up for public auction. This was soon discarded due to Boone County Health code oversight initiating a cumbersome process for approval. There were also plenty of crafts, pumpkin painting, scarecrow making, cider tasting and live music. In recent years, the planners have added a car/bike show, petting zoo, magician and more. About 10 years ago, Ashland experimented with the theme “Lemon Daze,” which was an attempt to establish an annual theme, like how Hartsburg has pumpkins, but timing and overlapping events, such as the Show-Me Games, didn’t let the branding gain traction. Perhaps “Fall Festival” is the best, simple approach for Ashland and it focus on activities and food trucks. Either way, special thanks go out to the many volunteers making this event happen and be sure to pop out for the fun!

If you’ve driven by the Southern Boone Area YMCA, you’ve noticed the new parking lot expansion and walking trail is now in full construction mode. You can enjoy supporting the YMCA by attending its golf tournament afterparty Sept. 27, with doors opening at 6 p.m., dinner served at 6:30 p.m., and the band “Hang Your Hate” kicking off an acoustics show at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $45 per person or $80 a couple and include unlimited drinks and dinner catered by D Rowe’s. You can email Kip Batye at kbatye@jcymca.org for tickets.

With the partnership of the Columbia Missourian and Boone County Journal, here is a bit of historical information. The Journal was established in 1969 by Dan Fichel, while the Columbia Missourian was established in 1908 as the University Missourian. According to the Library of Congress, to start the Missourian, the School of Journalism hired three experienced newsmen as faculty: Walter Williams, editor of the Columbia Herald, who would be dean of the school; Silas Bent, from the staff of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; and Charles G. Ross, from the St. Louis Republic. In 1909, Bent was replaced by Frank L. Martin from the Kansas City Star. According to Dean Williams, the Missourian provided practical experience to journalism students, as the paper afforded “a laboratory course in actual newspaper making.” The Missourian is currently owned by the Missouri Publishing Association, a 501©3 nonprofit, and has over a century of news expertise serving Southern Boone County!