The 40/40 Project

KBIA's Darren Hellwege visits one of the smallest towns that will be part of the 40/40 project, Clark, Missouri. There may not be as much excitement as you'd find in a big city, but there are friendly people. One of them, Johnny Collie, sits on his front porch with Darren and talks about growing up in Clark and why he's still glad to call it "home".

About halfway between Columbia and Booneville, the small town of Rocheport is more well known than many nearby towns similar in size. Kelly Gehringer visits with the Trailside Cafe and Bikeshop near the Katy Trail.

KBIA's Darren Hellwege takes us on a visit to the seat of Moniteau County, the town of California where we hear a story of community pride, the restoration of the Finke Theatre which has gone from opera house to movie theatre and is now hosting live performances as similar theaters in other communities crumble.

Small towns, people say, are school and church communities.  Well, drive just 15 minutes into the countryside around Jefferson City and you'll find Lohman, a town too small to have its own school.  As a matter of culture, or default, public life revolves around the local Lutheran church in Lohman.  KBIA's Scott Pham visited that church and found a town with a strong sense of history in the face of major changes to its way of life.

Fulton is a town of roughly 13,000 people, located about 20 miles east of Columbia. Some residents say that Fulton has an independent character, due in part to the presence of Westminister College and William Woods University. The town is also home to the Fulton State Hospital, and the Missouri School for the Deaf, which is the first of its kind west of the Mississippi. But Fulton is perhaps most famous for being the location Winston Churchill delivered his famous Iron Curtain speech, on the Westminister College Campus.

KBIA’s Darren Hellwege was surprised by New Franklin. He went out expecting to meet older folks and talk about the town’s interesting history, and the story of how it went from being “Franklin” on the river to “New Franklin” up the hill following a devastating flood.

When the city of Linn, Missouri celebrated its centennial anniversary last year, all eyes were on the past. The city honored its most historical locations, from the Mayor’s House—the city’s oldest continuous home—to the Thriftway Grocery Store, originally established 50 years ago. But for lifelong Linn residents like Roberta Schwinke and Mary Lou Schulte, preserving the city’s stories and treasures is a year-round effort.

Darren Hellwege takes us on a Sunday morning visit to Boonville. We find a church where the ministry is a family affair, and some old friends who are a part of a great music scene in Cooper County. They all share a love of their neighbors, and of the history of this friendly river town.