Where great folks meet...

Blackwater, Missouri, "Where great folks meet"...


This city's slogan couldn't be more truthful. This beautiful historic town has a whopping population of 199, and I'll introduce you to a few of my favorites. I want to remind everyone that this is the second meeting of the, "Finer Things Club", that consists of me and my heavily tattooed friends traveling through small town Missouri to experience the land we love and the people that keep these tiny towns going.

The warmth, generosity, and sincerity of the people of Blackwater was humbling and inspiring. The way these kind people embraced and received us was truly impressive. When a group of people with face tattoos led by a nearly 6 foot tall platinum blond with a habit of compulsive camera shooting enters a town of 200, I never really know what to expect, but I always hope for the best. The hospitality of these people was higher than any expectations I ever imagined, and I will try my best to pass it forward.

Our initial stop was Bucksnort Trading Company where we first met the fine Blackwater citizens. This shop was filled with treasures of all sorts. Beautiful aromatic homemade soaps, decorative pieces of all sorts, beautiful native pieces, and much much more. We asked what was the best spot to eat and the kind store owner said, "There's a 90 year old lady on the corner that makes the best pies. Her flag is out today, so that means she's open." My eyes widened with excitement. Done and done, Thomas Keller could have had a spot around the corner and I would've skipped over it to meet Imogene, the infamous pie lady of Blackwater. She also advised us to check out the saloon next door, that was a soda pop shop fully restored to it's original design from a photo taken in 1880.

We eagerly headed next door to the Bucksnort Saloon and walked through the saloon doors where we met Gerald, a gracious host with a passion for history like I've never seen. While sipping on our old fashioned sodas he shared with us stories of the town, and explained how he created this living history exhibit. He told us so many fabulous stories about the Natives he knows, and how he works with them to preserve their culture and history.
A small quiet man in the corner, walked up to Gerald and whispered, "I think they might be interested in the corn." Gerald had a look of great joy on his face and eagerly asked us if we would accept a gift. We surely agreed and moments later he came back with this


then the two explained that this corn has been traced back to the Trail of Tears and is the most prized possession of the Cherokee people. The white streaks are referenced as White Eagles and it is said that when the White Eagles appeared on the corn it was time for change, a spiritual change, and that it was to be brought about by the White man. Then with the utmost sincerity said, "and by listening and preserving in this, we are doing just that". Later he went on to say he met a Cherokee woman and he offered her some of this corn and she wept. I was nearly moved to tears too.

After a long conversation at the Saloon it was finally time for pie! So we walked down to the corner and saw many beautiful sights along the way...

fabulous fountain in beautiful garden

passion flowers growing outside a business

street shot!

and finally (1 minute later) we arrived to our destination, The Picket Fence.

We walked in the front door into a small house filled with wall to wall hand sewed items and saw a tiny beautiful woman sitting at her sewing machine. She got up and greeted us with a smile. Looking around you could see all of her needlework for sale, small folding tables set for a meal, and a long card table filled with beautiful homemade pies.

Imogene serves homemade chili, sloppy joes, grilled cheeses, sandwiches, and fresh baked pies. We placed our order with her and sat at the tables as this incredible 92 year old woman whipped up our lunches. I think we might've been the first people to tip her, and after insisting she keep it, she was over joyed. Eric even killed a fly for her, that had been pestering her all day. Truthfully this experience seemed unreal. It was so perfect it was hard to believe it a place like this actually exists.

serving up her famous pies

this chili was SPECTACULAR

delicious blackberry pie

There was also an incredible historic hotel called The Iron Horse. It was not open, but the outside was absolutely spectacular. To my understanding the hotel has 10 rooms and has fine dining in the evening. I'll definitely be back to check it out, without a doubt.

Thanks for reading and I hope you've seen a little bit more of the Show Me State.

The land that I love...

I love Missouri. I love our winding rivers and I love our lush mountains. I love our sunrises and even more our vibrant sunsets. I love our starry skies and I love the sounds of the night. I love our rich history, bountiful vineyards, picturesque farmland, unique cuisine, and most of all I love the natives. We gave you Mark Twain, pork steaks, toasted ravioli, gooey butter cake, and Calamity Jane. Missourians experience all four seasons to their fullest potential and we are the heart of the United States. I’ve traveled to so many beautiful places, but I will always come home to Missouri. I don’t have a southern accent, and I’ve never milked a cow. I love fishing, but I’m afraid to touch the fish. I attend a major university and my parents are not related. We typically end sentences with unnecessary prepositions, and the only thing we love more than baseball is hating Kansas. Missouri is so much more than you’ve heard, I promise. This is my new weekly resolution to share with you the land that I love (don't worry I'll still cook up fattening recipes!!).

**Below are some shots I took in Missouri

Growing up, every Sunday my family attended mass and then set out on a “ride”. We drove, we drove, and we drove some more. We drove until we found a new spot we had never been; dined at whatever eatery the small town possessed, and drove home with full bellies. That’s how my family spent Sundays, together. I loved Sundays, and I miss Sundays. So in the spirit of “Sunday Funday” Gabe and I decided to carry on tradition with “The Finer Things Club”. We hopped in the car and headed west. We wound up in Boonville Missouri (Boonville is home of the military school Chucky was filmed in, creepy right?). We stopped at the Historic Hotel Frederick and ate an incredible family style meal at Glenn’s Café. Glenn’s Café sits inside the 100+ year old Hotel Frederick, and overlooks the beautiful Missouri River. It’s fabulous and so full of character. Let me just say it is now Tuesday and I cannot stop thinking about that meal. We had fried chicken, pot roast, mashed potatoes, garden salad, corn on the cob, bread, and peach cobbler-- all refillable and all fabulous. Forget fork-tender pot roast, this pot roast is beyond fork tender, you might as well spoon it into your mouth after drowning it in gravy obviously. The chicken was so crispy and perfectly fried. The potatoes were peppery and perfect. It was just as good as a home cooked meal made by your grandmother, but with the precise execution of a Chef. I wouldn’t change a thing if you held a gun to my head, I’d be content with this being my last meal.

**These photos below of the Cafe were not taken by me, I found them online, and I thank whomever shot them. I am dumb and did not bring my camera on my very own adventure.

Stay a weekend when passing through, Hotel Frederick | At Main & High Streets, Boonville, Missouri 65233 | 1.888.437.3321