James Baughn was the webmaster of seMissourian.com and its sister newspapers for 20 years. On the side, he maintained even more sites, including Bridgehunter.com, LandmarkHunter.com, TheCapeRock.com, and Humorix. Baughn passed away in 2020 while doing one of the things he loved most: hiking in Southeast Missouri. Here is an archive of his writing about hiking and nature in our area.

Quick roundup of early fall events

Posted Monday, September 18, 2017, at 1:40 PM

The Battle of Pilot Knob re-enactment will be held Sept. 23-24.

The official start of fall is only days away, which means that the calendar starts to fill with community events trying to take advantage of the brief stretch of pleasant weather sandwiched between summer and winter. Here is a roundup of history and nature events coming in the next couple weeks:

U.S. Grant Symposium, Tuesday, Sept. 19

The Kellerman Foundation for Historic Preservation is hosting the Fourth Annual U.S. Grant Symposium in conjunction with an exhibit of Grant memorabilia. Lectures will be held at Heritage Hall, 102 N. Main in Cape Girardeau, and then the event shifts to Common Pleas Courthouse for a musical performance and keynote address. This event is free and open to the public.

More info: http://www.semissourian.com/story/2443796.html

Active Living Expo, Wednesday, Sept. 20

The Active Live Expo at the Isle Casino event center features a variety of programs and demonstrations. I'll be presenting a program at 11 AM, but I don't want to give away the subject. Be sure to stick around for Fred Lynch's program "Frozen Moments: Images Preserve our Past" at noon.

More info: http://expo.semissourian.com

Re-enactment of the Battle of Pilot Knob, Sept. 23-24

Fort Davidson State Historic Site at Pilot Knob, Missouri, is the home for this Civil War battle re-enactment held every few years. See my photos from the 2014 event.

More info: http://www.battleofpilotknob.org/reenactment.html

Planning meeting for the 2018 Original Families Reunion

Plans are underway to hold a reunion in 2018 for the descendents of the twenty families that arrived with George Frederick Bollinger in 1799-1800. A planning meeting will be held Thursday, Sept. 28, 7 PM, at the History Center in Jackson for anybody interested in helping with this super-reunion.

Pinta & Nina docked at Cape riverfront, Sept. 29-Oct 2

These replicas of Christopher Columbus' ships will be open for self-guided tours (fee applies). The ships are expected to arrive Sept. 28.

More info: http://www.semissourian.com/story/2441537.html

Cape Girardeau Heritage Day, Saturday, Sept. 30

The historic sites around Cape Girardeau will be hosting special free events, including the Red House Interpretive Center, Old St. Vincent's Church, Fort D, Glenn House, Heritage Hall, Cape River Heritage Museum, and River Campus Crisp Museum.

More info: http://www.visitcape.com/HistoricWeekend2017

Annual Fete de l'Automne, Sunday, Oct. 1

This free annual event honors the French heritage of the Old Mines area of Washington County.

More info: http://omahs.weebly.com/annual-fecircte.html

Snake Walk, Saturday, Oct. 7

The Friends of the Shawnee National Forest will host a walk along the Snake Road at LaRue-Pine Hills near Wolf Lake, Illinois. Herpetologist Scott Ballard will be on hand to point out the snakes and other wildlife. The event starts at noon from the Winter's Pond parking area at the north gate to the Snake Road.

More info: on Facebook

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