Events

As part of its mission to generate interest and appreciation for the rich cultural heritage of the state and its people, the Society hosts a wide range of engaging and educational events for scholars and community members of all ages.

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Through the Lens: The Photography of Raymond Corey
July 10, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm | Kansas City Research Center, UMKC

Through the Lens: The Photography of Raymond Corey is on display this summer at the Society’s Kansas City Research Center. Join us for the opening reception July 10 from 4 - 6 p.m. at the SHSMO Kansas City Research Center, Miller Nichols Library (Room 306), University of Missouri-Kansas City. Corey worked as a news photographer for the Coffeyville (KS) Journal, the Kansas City Kansan, and the Kansas City Star.


Bait Street Boys
July 11, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm | Columbia

Since 2000 the Bait Shop Boys have been covering bawdy blues and Jumpin’ Jazz from the first half of the last century. When pressed to explain, they call their music “Hillbilly jazz”. Famous for catchy call back tunes, audience participation is irresistible. They became known for unplugging and sauntering table side to flirt with the crowd during the 2 years they were the house band at Les Bourgeois bistro.


Mail Carrier with A Camera
July 12, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm | Center for Missouri Studies, Columbia

You're invited to join SHSMO for our opening reception and book release/signing Mail Carrier with a Camera: Photographs of Burford Royston Saturday, July 12, 10 a.m. to Noon at the Center for Missouri Studies. Seventy-five photographs, mostly taken in the 1950s, were selected from hundreds of slides in the Burford Leon Royston Collection and recently donated to SHSMO by the Royston family.


Cyclists on Katy Trail at Hindman Junction. Photograph by Dennis Coello
September 9, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm | Center for Missouri Studies, Columbia

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Katy Trail State Park, a popular recreation trail that stretches along the Missouri River from Machens in St. Charles County to Clinton in Henry County. The first section of the rails-to-trails corridor opened in Rocheport in 1990. Today, the 240 miles of trail traverses some of the most scenic and historic parts of the state. 


Joe Keene at board, Kennett Sound Studios
October 14, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm | Center for Missouri Studies, Columbia

More than 350 country, gospel, and rock performers and groups recorded at Kennett Sound Studios (KSS) in Kennett, Missouri, during its almost 30 years of existence. Owned and operated by musician and songwriter Joe Keene, KSS hosted several well-known performers including Kennett native and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Sheryl Crow. Though its clients traveled from as far away as Norway, KSS primarily served musicians living in southeast Missouri and northeast Arkansas. 


Second Imperial Klonvokation, Kansas City, Mo. Sept. 23, 24, 25 & 26, 1924. Convention Hall
November 11, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm | Center for Missouri Studies, Columbia

Between 1915-1930, the Ku Klux Klan experienced a nationwide revival through the enrollment of millions of new members, including tens of thousands in Missouri. Though largely remembered for its violent opposition to African Americans during the Civil War and the post-World War II Civil Rights Movement, this second Ku Klux Klan also focused on immigration restrictions, Prohibition enforcement, and political activity, combined with racism and religious intolerance. 


Ray Beck, (right) and aerial view of Columbia I-70 looking West, 1960
December 9, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm | Center for Missouri Studies, Columbia

Author and journalist Jodie Jackson’s new biography of retired Columbia City Manager Ray Beck offers insight into the longtime civil servant who helped shape Columbia from 1960 to 2006 as a sanitary engineer, public works director, planning director, and city manager.


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