Fairs, Festivals, and Fitness in the Ozarks

2019 was the 8th year of my retirement and my husband's first.  Plenty of time on our hands and we found plenty of ways to utilize it!  Remodeling our vintage 1978 house in earnest this past decade always included a balance of fun with community fairs and festivals that typically began in late summer through the month of October here in the Ozarks.  There were several months of chaos caused by completing all main level flooring, repairs, and painting while we lived in both the main and lower levels.  When all the work was done, it was time to play!  It is about living a balanced life.

Together throughout the year we always stayed as busy as we wanted to be doing volunteer work with the local gardening group and enjoyed garden-related workshops with some of the larger county groups which expanded our knowledge as well as our relationships with other like-minded people.  It also got us outdoors more and the exercise kept us fit.  The annual Harvest Festival in Wheatland highlighted our main service project which is planning and caring for the gardens at Settlers Village where the festival takes place.  There are several posts in this blog that have details about this annual festival and our gardens as it has been our project for many years.  As with most all the fairs, festivals, and fitness-related subjects mentioned in this post, more details can be found by using the Search tool located on the home page of my blog.  Many of the past events were currently more of the same and we always love to attend or participate when we can and likely will continue doing more of the same in the future. It keeps us bonded to our home area that we chose to move to in 1978 while reaffirming that moving here was the best decision we ever made!    

Keith and Beti volunteer their time at the Hickory County Master Gardener Booth both days of the annual Wheatland Harvest Festival.

Missouri State Fair in Sedalia is attended most years.  The Missouri Department of Conservation, Art, Floral, and live concerts are our usual favorites to see!

Humansville Fall Festival doesn't change much over the years and is one event that is very close to home and was even closer when we lived on 50 acres nearby.  The parade is the most interesting with any kind of vehicle paraded whether it moved on it's own or pushed through the route....always entertaining! 

Stockton Black Walnut Festival is always a pleasure to attend with many craft booths, live entertainment, parade, and great food choices!  This trip we took the free tour again of the famous Hammons Products Company to see the process and buy some wonderful black walnut products. 

Cole Camp is an old German settlement that really knows how to party with dancing in the streets with live music, amazing German foods, beer, & wine, several streets filled with antique shops, and interesting people to watch and visit.  The history documented everywhere is amazing!

7 Springs Winery is our closest outdoor winery now that Sugar Loaf has closed after being our favorite for several years.  The awesome landscaping and fall changing colors in the hills pairs well with our favorite Norton wine and some great foods.  There is also live entertainment on the weekends in the afternoon.

Truman Heritage Days in Warsaw is our all-time favorite fall festival!  There is so much to do that it takes two days to get through it all.  Up by the Truman Dam in the encampments, old-time skills and crafts, settlement history and re-enactments.  In the town of Warsaw and along the harbor are numerous craft tents.  Below the dam is convenient parking with wonderful shuttle busses that take you to both areas as much as you want for both days.  Exceptionally organized - rain or shine!

Beti is "taking in the vapors" at Hot Springs, Arkansas!  This 4-6 day yearly Spa Trip has been a big part of our October plans for most of the past 20 years.  We always stay at The Arlington Hotel as seen in the background above.  I am so happy to have my brother and his wife join us again this year!  Hopefully, my other brother and his wife will join us next year as both my brothers and my husband retired in the same year and have the time to join us.  Maybe other friends and relatives will make it too!

Hot Springs, Arkansas tradition has been a horse-drawn carriage ride around the city on a Saturday night.  The service is available on the weekends in front of The Arlington Hotel.

Keith and Beti pose at the usual scenic stop overlooking the Ozarks on Scenic Highway 7 south of Harrisonville, Arkansas.  Many photos have been taken at this location since the kids were young.  It's a great place to stop and climb the tall overlook tower and shop in the small shop.

Pomme de Terre Lake Shore Clean-up was one of my volunteer projects this year just a few miles from home.  This is my 6th year as a member of the Missouri Master Naturalists, Lake of the Ozarks Chapter.   The greatest number of my required volunteer hours involved this PDT Lake.  It was such a  mess this year due to higher than average waters.  I was unable to safely take water samples from my kayak for 6 of the 8 required sampling times through the 2019 season in my 6th year with Lakes of Missouri Volunteer Program (LMVP).  The group above consisted of volunteers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Missouri Stream Teams,  Master Naturalist, and local citizens.  I'm in the back row, blue jacket.  We left the lake shore area better than we found it!  

Silver Dollar City in Branson is one of the largest theme parks in the country.  We have been here countless times since we moved to Missouri in 1978 and our daughter had worked here as an EMT for several years as a young, single adult.  It is as amazing as it is big and it's been awesome to watch it grow over the years along with the City of Branson and the massive highway system that supports it south of Springfield.  Last spring I won 2 free day passes to SDC at one of the gardening workshops Keith and I attended!  Definitely NOT a cheap place to visit!

Ha Ha Tonka State Park Castle Ruins is our most frequent state park visited close to home.  We started coming here before it was a state park and way before the fences and boardwalks were built to service the large crowds that come here in recent years.  So many photos had been taken with family as we all crawled and climbed throughout the ruins and cliffs along the rough trails.  Now it is all protected from excessive deterioration that comes with crowds.  It is still a great place to hike and enjoy.  The park also includes the lower spring area which has a great kayak launch area and is part of a 13-mile water trail that I volunteered to produce with the Master Naturalist group.  A great place to picnic, fish, hike, and kayak and we enjoy it all as much as we can!

I am thankful to live in a great area that includes a diversity of community activities that all contribute to a healthy lifestyle!  Since I turn age 65 about a year ago, I took advantage of free membership at the Bolivar YMCA which supports the Silver Sneakers Program covered by my health insurance.  Although I have been a member and/or participated at the Southwest Baptist University (SBU) Wellness Center for the past 25 years, it was only intermittent from January through May each year and I had to pay for it.  This past year, I have benefitted from the YMCA the most as I have lost 17 pounds with continuous and regular attendance.  I am happy that Keith joins me sometimes as programs and activities encourage opportunities to be social which is a big part of a good healthy lifestyle!

Being healthy, happy, and fit all contribute to the positive energy needed to enjoy our only grandchild, Kayleen.  Staying involved in community and socializing helps keep us interesting with a zest for life that we want very much to pass along to her for as many years as God blesses us to have.  Many opportunities are close to home and right in front of your face!  It does help if you have something to offer and recognize the joy you receive in return.