CONTENTS Volume 70 | DECEMBER 2017 | Number 12 12 22 14 8 IN EVERY ISSUE The call of the midwife Midwives offer support, encouragement and experience to their patients 12 Grain train MFA's new rail facility speeds harvest 14 Healing harmony Mid-Missouri program pairs veterans with guitars 22 Beauty in the bone Lebanon carver sculpts art from antlers 30 A store of memories Life slows down for Eggers and Company B&B guests 32 I love my truck contest 4 Cooperation 5 Perspectives 16 Outdoors 18 Eats 26 Recipes 34 Events 40 Neighbors 42 Just4Kids 43 Landscapes Think your truck is something special? Enter it in our truck contest photos by Paul Newton D owntown Warrensburg will be bustling on Dec. 2 as the town celebrates Christmas spirit of the past, present and yet to come. For the eighth consecutive year, Warrensburg Main Street is hosting Dickens Christmas in the western Missouri city celebrating the English author's most famous title, "A Christmas Carol." Musicians and carolers dressed in period clothing - as seen on our cover - sing in local businesses and along Holden Street entertaining visitors. Guests can take a break from Christmas shopping by enjoying the chestnuts roasted over an open fire and taking a free horse-drawn wagon ride. Warrensburg Main Street's Executive Director Julie Turnipseed expects a good turnout for the annual gathering. "It is just a great community event," she says. "It continues to grow every year and is always the first weekend in December. It's kind of ABOUT OUR COVER our kickoff to Christmas." There will be two opportunities to hear a rendition of the Dickens' classic. The play "A Christmas Carol" will be performed during the day. A reading will also take place. Other activities include snow globe making and the Tiny Tim Soup Competition. The area around the Johnson County Courthouse will be bustling all day. Visitors can see the wellknown statue of one of Missouri's most famous canines, Old Drum - as seen at left. The day will culminate outside the courthouse with the decorating and lighting of a tree. Dickens Christmas will be held in downtown Warrensburg on Saturday, Dec. 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information visit www. warrensburgmainstreet.squarespace.com or call 660429-3988. DECEMBER 2017 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 3http://warrensburgmainstreet.squarespace.com http://warrensburgmainstreet.squarespace.com http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP