River Relief

April 30, 2012

May 8 Big Muddy Speaker Series in Rocheport

"Six Generation Farm in the McBaine Bottom"

presented by Boone County farmer John Sam Williamson, who farms in the McBaine bottom near Huntsdale

John Sam Williamson's family has been farming the McBaine bottoms along the Missouri River for six generations. They've fought floods, droughts and the changes of the river while taking care of the rich bottomland and growing food for the country.

There's a lot going on in the McBaine bottoms, including Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, the Columbia Water Treatment Plant and well field and the much revered site of the state record bur oak tree, which Williamson and his family have been taking care of for generations. Williamson is also the president of the McBaine Levee and Drainage District and treasurer of the Boone County Fire Protection District.

John will share some of his family history in the area and bring the story to the present, where changes in the management of the Missouri River mean changes in the ways farmers deal with levees.

photo by Kristen Coleman - from the Big Tree in McBaine facebook page

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

7 p.m. presentation
lower floor of the Les Bourgeois Vineyards Bistro 
in Rocheport, MO (directions below)

Presentation is FREE and open to the public! Come early to purchase a great dinner upstairs at the Bistro!

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)