During Thursday’s Small Animals’ Show at the Dent County 4-H/FFA Expo, Hawk Phelps had a standout day, earning Grand Champion Male Breeding Poultry, Reserve Champion Female Breeding Poultry, Grand Champion Buck Rabbit, Grand Champion Doe Rabbit, and Grand Champion Market Rabbit Pen. The Grand Champion for Female Breeding Poultry was awarded to Bella Dunlap, while Karlie Jex won Reserve Champion Buck Rabbit. Reserve Champion Doe Rabbit went to TaLula La Rue, and Kassidy Case received Reserve Champion Rabbit Pen. For Poultry Showmanship Awards: Junior was given to Liam Flowers; Intermediate to Hawk Phelps; and Senior to Conner Jex. For Rabbit Showmanship Awards: Junior was given to Kassidy Case; Intermediate to Dallie Chapman; and Senior to Charlee Duncan. Congratulations to all! Today, the shows will kick off at 7:00 in the morning with the hog show, followed by the Sheep and Goat Show. The Beef and Dairy Show will start at 1:00 Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning at 8:00, there will be a breakfast that will be followed at 9:00 with the highlight of the Expo, the 4-H and FFA Market Sale. The auction will be carried live on KSMO Radio (AM 1340 and FM 95.7) and also live streamed on KSMO Media (ksmoradio.com, KSMO Stream Facebook and the KSMO YouTube Channel.)

The Dent County Commission met for its regular meeting Thursday morning at the courthouse. Under public comments, resident Sean Collins urged action to be taken to prevent further usage of the Flock cameras. Collins argued the cameras violated the 4th Amendment of the United States Constitution, and that the cameras violate citizen’s privacy. Collins further argued the cameras are owned by the private company Flock Group Inc., doing business as Flock Safety, and that the data collected is also owned by that company, and its usage of the data can not be guaranteed. Commissioners reiterated that the question of the Flock cameras can not be put on the ballot, citing previous legal advice provided by Attorney Travis Elliot of the Missouri Association of Counties. Moving on to road reports, First District Commissioner Keith Green reported that crew members are planning to grade and haul rock to County Road 6020, a  road eligible for reimbursement from FEMA, and County Road 4220. Cutting brush is planned for county roads 6240 and 6245. Second District Commissioner Jimmy Williams reported crew members are planning to grade county roads 5225 and 5240 and cut brush on county roads 4010 and 4020. Grader #42 is to be serviced. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson reported he has signed a reimbursement invoice from Great Rivers Engineering on the FLAT project totaling $11,286.20. County Clerk Angie Curley reported that bills are to be approved. No excuse absentee voting is to begin next Tuesday, July 21st. The courthouse will be open for absentee voting on Saturday, Aug. 1st from 8:00 in the morning to noon. Absentee voting will be open until Aug. 3rd. For any questions on voting or the voting process, please contact the County Clerk’s Office at 573-729-4144. The commission also signed the Deputy Sheriff Salary Supplementation Fund (DSSSF) 2026 Grant for $40,000. Each deputy will receive an additional $3,000 annual salary. The next meeting of the County Commission will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and is open to the public.

The Scenic Rivers Performing Arts, the community theater of Salem, will be performing “The Sound of Music” this weekend. The cast and crew will feature a talented cast from Salem and the surrounding areas. Showtimes will be Thursday through Saturday at 7:00 in the evening. There will be matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 in the afternoon. Tickets will be available at the door, or you can search Facebook for “Scenic Rivers Performing Arts” to purchase your tickets online and in advance. 

An economic impact analysis conducted by the University of Missouri revealed Missouri’s state park system generates about $1.5 billion in total business sales and supports approximately 12,000 jobs from Missouri’s 93 state parks and historic sites. According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Director Kurt Schaefer, the system operates on a $68 million annual budget. The study surveyed visitors in state parks statewide and analyzed Katy Trail State Park. When initial visitor spending is combined with purchases, such as hiking gear, camping supplies or outdoor apparel, and calculated against economic effects, the total footprint of Missouri’s approximately 20 million park visitors a year includes: $1.5 billion in total sales for Missouri businesses; $882.7 million added directly to the state’s Gross Domestic Product; $514.7 million produced in local labor and payroll income; and 11,890 jobs sustained across Missouri. On an individual level, day-trippers spend an average of $46 to 67 per day, while overnight guests increase that spending to $64 to 148 per day during their stays. This data was collected via comprehensive surveys managed by University of Missouri researchers in cooperation with Missouri’s Division of State Parks to assess direct visitor expenditure and secondary economic impacts using recognized economic modeling metrics.