River Relief

April 27, 2011

May 10 Big Muddy Speaker Series

"Tales from Overton Bottoms"

A conversation with writers Fred Oerly and Meredith Ludwig about Mr. Oerly's childhood growing up in the little town of Overton on the banks of the Missouri River.

7:00 p.m. - Tues. May 10, 2011
lower floor of the
Les Bourgeois Vineyards Bistro
in Rocheport, MO
(directions below)
Presentation is FREE!
Come early to purchase a great dinner upstairs at the Bistro!

Join us for our monthly Big Muddy Speaker Series at the Les Bourgeois Bistro.

In his recently published collection of stories called "Some Mighty Good Years - Overton, Missouri 1925-1937", Boonville resident Fred Oerly spins a series of charming tales about his childhood in the little rivertown of Overton, currently part of the Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge.

At our latest installment of the Big Muddy Speaker Series, writer Meredith Ludwig will sit down with Fred and chat about some of the great stories he has of the time before and during the channelization of the Missouri River, thick in the midst of the Great Depression.

Oerly's father, Henry, was a pillar of the small town of Overton, running the General Store located near the train tracks. Fred's book recounts tales of the great characters that hung out at the store, the wild nature of the river that ran nearby and the adventures of a small child growing up in this little Missouri River town.

Back in 2004, Meredith compiled an oral and video history of dozens of folks that had grown up along the Missouri River as part of an oral history project run by the Missouri River Communities Network. The wonderful stories she collected are now archived in the Missouri State Historical Society and inspired a series of projects related to the Missouri River. In addition to helping with Fred's book, she co-wrote "Gumbo Bottoms: A Big Muddy Musical" with musician Cathy Barton. Each week, under the pseudonym "Muse Across the River" she broadcasts her "Compost Pile" radio essay collection during the Radio Ranger "Root'n Toot'n Radio" show on KOPN community radio (89.7) in Columbia, MO.

Directions

• Take I-70 to the Rocheport, MO, exit (Exit #115). It's the first exit east of the Missouri River.
• Head north toward Rocheport.
• After about a mile, turn left at the sign for Les Bourgeois Bistro. Follow the signs to the Bistro. You will probably need to park in the lot above the Bistro and walk the trail down.
• The presentations are held in the lower level. You can either enter at the restaurant entrance then go down the stairs to your left past the bar, or you can follow the walk to the right of the restaurant and enter through a glass door into the lower level.
  
• 14020 W. Hwy BB, Rocheport, MO (click for Google Map)