CONTENTS Volume 71 | MARCH 2018 | Number 3 10 14 21 IN EVERY ISSUE 10 Monday night in McClurg Weekly gathering brings together good music, food and friends 18 The will to survive How faith, hope and miracles kept Gunther Skaletz alive 21 Lights for Chapasirca Volunteers bring electricity to mountain village in Bolivia 28 An appeal for freedom Dred Scott's legal battle roused national debate on slavery 34 Fluttering fantasia 4 Cooperation 5 Perspectives 14 Eats 26 Outdoors 30 Recipes 38 Events 44 Neighbors 46 Just4Kids 47 Landscapes An indoor adventure with a mission reaching beyond Missouri's borders photos by Paul Newton B oaters looking for a whitewater challenge in Missouri don't have a lot of options. There are short courses dotted across the Show-Me State, however, one spot stands above the rest. The granite outcroppings that run with the St. Francis River in the Millstream Gardens Conservation Area make it a premier spot for whitewater boating. "None are as consistent or accessible as The Saint," says Jim Warren, of the Missouri Whitewater Championships. "In that conservation area there just happens to be a good-sized river with those amazing rocks." The Missouri Whitewater Association has put on the championship for 51 years hosting competitors and fans from across the Midwest to the conservation area west of Fredericktown. The championships feature multiple styles of racing as well as classes depending on boat size. Different sections and drops in the river offer flavorful names as boaters head downstream. The downriver ABOUT OUR COVER course is the longest at about 2.5 miles. Competitors start at Fisherman's Put-In. They make their way through drops such as Big Drop, Cat's Paw and Double Drop as they race through the rapids. The slalom combines both time and skill and requires boaters to paddle through approximately 20 red or green gates hanging from above. The red gates are the most work requiring boaters to go through them upstream. While those competitions are against a clock, the boatercross races start with three to five boats and run through a short course with obstacles in a race to the finish. This year's championships will be held March 17 and 18 in the conservation area. Parking and admission is free with ample seating areas along the course. For more information on the Missouri Whitewater Championships or the Missouri Whitewater Association, visit www.missouriwhitewater.org. MARCH 2018 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 3http://www.missouriwhitewater.org http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP