Newton County Memories to be available at Newtonia Fall Festival

I will be at the Newtonia Fall Festival between 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday, September 29) with signed copies of Newton County Memories.

The 43rd annual festival will begin 9 a.m. at the Newtonia Community Building.

A full slate of activities is scheduled for the day, including performances by area musicians, arts and crafts, games and activities, the king and queen contest and the parade, which is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. and will include semis and antique tractors.

The event was originally held to raise funds to build the community center. A ham and bean lunch will start at 11 a.m. and will continue until the food is gone.


The festival is scheduled to conclude at 3 p.m. with the announcement of the final raffle winners.

In addition to copies of Newton County Memories, I will have my books on the Joplin Tornado, including 5:41: Stories from the Joplin Tornado and Silver Lining in a Funnel Cloud, my education books, Let Teachers Teach and Classroom Confidential, and other titles available, as well as Turner Report t-shirts.

Newton County Memories includes the following chapters and names:

Chapters

Introduction
2. Cold-Blooded Assassin (Remembering Dean Keeling)
14. Becky’s Mom (Remembering Helen Hildebrand)
18. Good Intentions Don’t Cut It (Remembering Willi Pierson)
21. The Meeting Place (Remembering the Neosho Square)
25. The Hangout (Remembering Gertrude Brown and the Brown Derby)
28. A Commitment to Young People (Remembering Terry Shepherd)
33. A Bases Loaded Intentional Walk (Remembering Gary Shepherd)
39. Special Delivery (Remembering Gary Nagle)
42. Return to Granby (Remembering the Newton County News)
50. No Love for the Captain and Tennille (Remembering James Payne)
53. The Long and Difficult Road (Remembering the Newtonia Tornado)
56. One-Year Anniversary (Remembering the Newtonia Tornado)
59. One of a Kind (Remembering Duane Beaver)
62. The Trailer Classroom (Remembering T. J. Bowman)
66. Those Who Can (Remembering the Teachers)
70. World Champions (Remembering the 1967 St. Louis Cardinals)
73. (The Words That Keep Her Alive (Remembering Barbara McNeely)
76. Letter to the Editor (Remembering Mr. Patrick)
79. No Stealing in Heaven (Remembering Rev. Freddie Franks)
82. Death of a Newspaper (Remembering the Neosho Daily News)
86. Art for the Ages (Remembering Newtonia History)
89. The Joy of Reading (Remembering the Bookmobile)
93. The Man in Charge (Remembering Rue Porter)
96. The Last Cup of Coffee (Remembering Wilma Bragg)
99. Taking the Blame (Remembering Mickey Owen)
102. The Last Performance (Remembering Bill Pierson)
105. Solid, Steady and Reliable (Remembering Tom Channel)
108. Instead of Just A Wishin’ (Remembering the Sportsman’s Friend)
111. The Place to Be (Remembering Rita Wheeler and Reta’s)
114. The Baseball Fields of Neosho (Remembering Ralph Houk)
116. The Last Time I Wore Makeup (Remembering Patty Renfro)
119. A Slap in the Face (Remembering Susan Warren and Little Moon of Alban)
122. A Few Ill-Chosen Words (Remembering Ranae Powell)
125. The Voice of the Cardinals (Remembering KMOX)
131. A Name From the Past (Remembering Bob Shore)
134. Making the Past Come to Life (Remembering Dixie Haase)
136. The Face of the Newspaper (Remembering Harlan Stark and Bill Ball)
139. The House on the Hill (Remembering Max Carter)
142. The Final Deadline (Remembering Eulah Hawkins)
145. It Started at East Newton (Remembering Ron Lankford)
148. Conversation and Politics (Remembering Mike Camerer)
151. Stolen Bases (Remembering an Oldtimers Game )
157. A Child Discovers Reality (Remembering Ranger Ed and the Fun Club and Children’s Shows of Yesteryear)

Names and Places

Jack Anderson
Slim Andrews
Anything Goes
Louis Armstrong
Ted Arnall
Aroma Express

Karla Babb
Pete Babb
Bill Ball
Buzz Ball
Lou Ann Ball
Baseball Digest
Duane Beaver
Don Bogle
Maggie Bowman
T. J. Bowman
Ken Boyer
Roy Bragg
Sharon Bragg
Vicki Bragg
Wilma Bragg
Lou Brock
Teddy Brock
Ernie Broglio
Brown Derby
Gertrude Brown
Vernie Browning
Jack Buck
Burnett Grocery
Bill Burress
Howard Bush
Richard Bush

Harry Caray
Max Carter
Orlando Cepeda
Norma Champion
Tom Channel
Charles O. Chester
Preston Chester
Civil War Cemetery
Bob Clark
Roberto Clemente
Sue Cole
Combat
Ronna Cook
Ed Cooper
Anne Cope
Ken Cope
Randy Cope
Geoff Cornish
Corral
Crowder College
Nettie Cummins

Dairy Dip
Bill Dalbom
Diamond
Diamond Middle School
Dog N Suds

East Newton High School
Lester Ray Edgar
Harold Ensley

Fairview
Fife and Drum
Kiley Finkbiner
Woody Fitzmaurice
Curt Flood
John Ford
Rev. Freddie Franks
The Fugitive
Donna Fullerton
Reta Fullerton

Bob Gibson
Charles Goade
Andy Griffith
Carroll Gum

Dixie Haase
Scott Harris
Eulah Hawkins
Gerry Henson
Whitey Herzog
Todd Higdon
Becky Hildebrand
Bob Hildebrand
Helen Hildebrand
Laurie Hildebrand
Anita Hilton
Danny Hilton
Craig Hopper
Jim Hunter
Ralph Houk
Kaylea Hutson

J. C. Penney
Julian Javier
Jackie Jensen
Billy Johnson
Burney Johnson
Hattie Mae Johnson
Lee Ann Johnson
Stan Johnson
Teddy Johnson
Don Johnston
Joplin Globe
Joplin News-Herald
Danny Judd
David Judd
Gary Judd
Larry Judd
Mark Judd
Tim Judd

Bill Keith
Ken’s Pizza
KMOX
Paul Knight
Debbie Kruse
KUHI

Ray Lankford
Ron Lankford
Tony LaRussa
Helen Lee
Lettermen
Brad Letts
Charlie Letts
Steve Letts
Tim Letts
Little Moon of Alban
Jim Lobbey
Lumberjacks

Joyce Mann
Mickey Mantle
Roger Maris
Janice Matthews
Willie Mays
Tim McCarver
Patrick McFarland
McGinty’s
Gray McKinney
Barbara McNeely
Midway School
Ron Mitchell
The Mouse That Roared
Stan Musial

Gary Nagle
Roger Neer
Rick Nelson
Neosho
Neosho Boulevard
Neosho Daily News
Neosho Newsstand
Neosho Nurseries
Neosho Square
Newton County News
Newtonia
Newtonia Community Building
Nichols Grocery

Old Mining Town Days
Gene Oliver
Roy Orbison
Mickey Owen
Alan Oxendine
Gary Oxendine

Helen Patrick
Hodgen Patrick
James Payne
Drew Pearson
Sherry Pettey
Bill Pierson
Willi Pierson
Rue Porter
Burl Powell
Keith Powell
Ranae Powell
Elvis Presley

Ranger Ed
Steve Ray
Irene Relf
Patty Renfro
Reta’s
Ritchey House
Johnny Rivers
Mae Robbins
Rita Roller
Jean Rowe

Chief Saddler
Ray Sadecki
St. Louis Cardinals
Karen Sapp
John Scott
Wana Senter
Mike Shannon
Gary Shepherd
Rob Shepherd
Terry Shepherd
Red Schoendienst
Bob Shore
Skinny and Rusty
Dick Smith Memorial Park
Bob Snyder
Rhonda Speak
Sporting News
Stark City
Harlan Stark
Chad Stebbins
Casey Stengel
Sterling's
Carolyn Strait
Emery Styron
John Styron
Pat Styron
Vern Styron
Amber Swartz
Randy Switzer

Danny Tanner
Richard Taylor
Vickie Thomas
Tigers
Joe Torre
Herb Troxel
Robyn Trowbridge
Bill Turner
JoAnn Turner
Kelly Turner
Vicki Turner

Rob Viehman

Susan Warren
Scott Watson
Bill Webster
Minnie Weems
Larry Wheeler
Rita Wheeler
Scott White
Steve White
Williams
Ed Wilson
Woodpeckers
David Wormington
Dee Wormington

Zoey

Newton County Memories is also available locally at Granby Auto Supply and Hardware, Always Buying Books and Changing Hands Book Shoppe in Joplin and Pat's Books in Carthage. It can be purchased online through Amazon in paperback and e-book formats at the links below.