Volume 77 CONTENTS | AUGUST 2024 | Number 8 8 13 18 8 Fun in the air Touchstone Energy Balloon celebrates 25 years in the sky 13 A trip of a lifetime Co-ops sponsor youth on unforgettable week in D.C. 22 A gift for the kids Mechanical menagerie returns to Appleton City 24 The fi ght to keep the lights on Electric reliability under attack by government rules ON THE COVER 36 Unique museums Discover these quaint collections of historical artifacts 40 Summer's best story Join in on all the family fun at the Missouri State Fair In June, Missouri students took part in the trip of a lifetime as they visited monuments and museums in Washington, D.C. Read about the Missouri Youth Tour on page 13. Missouri RURAL IN EVERY ISSUE 4 Cooperation 5 Perspectives 18 Neighbors 28 Outdoors 33 Recipes 42 Eats 48 Events 50 Just4Kids Missouri State Fair | Cope Grass Farm | Appleton City Carousel AUGUST 2024 | ruralmissouri.coop AUGUST 2024 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 3http://www.ruralmissouri.coop http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP