February 22 & March 1 • 3 p.m.
Open every Saturday 9 a.m. t0 1 p.m. and on Wednesdays, seasonally. GO FARM Farmers Market of West Plains on Facebook for more information.
The Lincoln School Project will host three public programs on Saturdays in February as part of its 2026 Black History Month observance. The series features presentations by historians and cultural scholars exploring African American military service, artistic traditions and early Bland communities in the Midwest.
The series begins Feb. 7 with “Cole County Colored Troop,” presented by Michelle Brooks, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Brooks is a historian, journalist and author with more than 20 years of experience researching Missouri history. A former reporter for the Jefferson City News Tribune, she is known for her work documenting the 62nd U.S. Color Troops and other underrepresented stories from the Civic War era.
On Feb. 21, Dr. Paulette Sankofa will present “The Threads That Bind (Quilting)” from 3-5 p.m. Sankofa is a cultural scholar and educator whose professional work centers on African American traditions and community storytelling. Her presentation will examine quilting as both an art form and a historical record that preserves cultural memory across generations.
The series concludes Feb. 28 with “Slavery in Minnesota and Its Ties to Missouri,” presented Dr. Christopher Lehman from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Lehman is a historian, author and professor of history and ethnic studies at St. Cloud Sate University in Minnesota. He presentation will explore the economic and legal links between the two states. According to Lehman, Minnesota welcomed the financial investments of enslavers as both a federal territory and a free state. Many investors came from the slave state of Missouri, bringing enslaved people with them and leaving a lasting political influence on the north.
The presentation will cover historical touchstones such as the Dred Scott freedom lawsuit, which resulted in slavery briefly becoming legal in Minnesota, and the role of St. Louis as a steamboat hub that served as a halfway point between the Deep South and Minnesota.
Message Lincoln School Project for more information or the RSVP.
Doors open 5:00 PM
Bell Ring Time 6:00 PM
Tickets Front Row $10 General Admission $6
Visit ACWTHESHOW.COM for tickets
Check the Country Express Band Facebook page for cost and other details, including potential cancellations due to weather, holidays or other unforeseen circumstances.
From Country Express: Two step, Cha Cha, Waltz, Electric Slide, Charleston, Foot Boogie, River Waltz, Sweetheart, Around the Room, Tennessee Waltz, Neon Moon Cha Cha, and many more. Or just come listen to some good ole country music. Old country, new country, southern rock music. No alcohol allowed. Family fun for all ages.
February 22 & March 1 • 3 p.m.
February 22 & March 1 • 3 p.m.
The MSU-West Plains University Community Band invites you Masterworks and Marches: A Celebration of Symphonic Music on Monday, March 2, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the West Plains Civic Center Theater. Join us for an evening of classic concert band repertoire, showcasing the rich tradition and power of wind band music. The program will feature a variety of works ranging from timeless marches to expressive concert pieces—performed by our talented ensemble of students and community members.
This concert is free and open to the public, and we welcome music lovers of all ages to attend. For more information, please contact Rocky Long at RockyLong@MissouriState.edu or call 417-255-7291.
West Plains Women’s Acappella Community Chorus Rehearsals, Every Tuesday, 7pm to 9pm, West Plains Boys and Girls Club. Women singers always welcome. Get more information at 661-303-8686
Open every Saturday 9 a.m. t0 1 p.m. and on Wednesdays, seasonally. GO FARM Farmers Market of West Plains on Facebook for more information.
Meet at Johnny Hatchet’s Axe Throwing & Coffee House at 9:15am. Clean-up from 9:30-11:30am. Bring gloves!
Virtual Golf Fundraiser Tournament on Facebook.
Join us for an afternoon of dance. Our students have been working hard and can’t wait to show you what they have been learning.
Tickets are only $10 in advance, and $12 at the door. That’s only $2 a comic if you order online, and also makes you look like a thoughtful planner! Our comics love the Yellow House, and those who support it, please come join us on Saturday March 7th! Tickets here.
Erik Paulson has nerve damage induced shakes, and he talks about how he has adapted in the funniest way possible. He can make one heck of a mixed drink!
Giovahna Calvetti gives her perspective as a short and spicy single mom in her 30’s. All she has to do to get people laughing is talk about her real life on stage!
Jessica Johns is a trans woman with an attitude, and a heart of gold. She’s extremely knowledgable about comic books and pro wrestling, and is also one of the silliest comics on this lineup!
Nate Schaefer is a fanny pack wearin’, clove smokin’, oddity that everyone can enjoy, and we still don’t know if he’s a vampire or not.
Chris Grant is a guy who’s been through the wringer, and keeps enjoying success, despite the odds. His comedy is absurd, well thought out and covers a wide array of subjects that almost anyone can relate to. Expect a funny song or two from him on the acoustic as well!
Check the Country Express Band Facebook page for cost and other details, including potential cancellations due to weather, holidays or other unforeseen circumstances.
From Country Express: Two step, Cha Cha, Waltz, Electric Slide, Charleston, Foot Boogie, River Waltz, Sweetheart, Around the Room, Tennessee Waltz, Neon Moon Cha Cha, and many more. Or just come listen to some good ole country music. Old country, new country, southern rock music. No alcohol allowed. Family fun for all ages.
The West Plains Photography Club currently has 34 members and meetings are at 6:30 p.m. the second Monday of each month in the Missouri State University-West Plains Creative Discovery Center, 411 West Main Street, Suite 1. Everyone regardless of age or ability is invited to join the club which has no membership dues.
The purpose of the club is to share and support everyone’s passion for photography arts whether they are a beginner or have been engaged in photography for many years. Present members include some who do not even own a camera to professionals who make a living by selling their art. For more information on the club feel free to call Bob Cunningham at 417-257-8206 or Dennis Crider at 417-274-7101.
When a 24-year-old schoolteacher talked her way into a job on the Denver Express a hundred years ago (1923), she was in the right place, at the right time, with the right temperament to take advantage of opportunities that presented themselves in a changing world. Even before she knew much about writing a news story, Lucile Morris Upton met the President of the US; later she reported on leading feminists of the day, flew with aviation legend Wiley Post, covered the worst single killing of US police officers in the 20th century, and spearheaded a movement to preserve iconic sites of regional history. In the 1950s and early 1960s, her partnership with news photographer Betty Love made them both famous across the Ozarks for doing what they loved – covering the news and telling stories about where they had been.
Susan Croce Kelly has been involved in the writing world most of her life. During the course of her career, she has been a newspaper reporter in St. Louis and Springfield, practiced public relations in the US and Europe, was editor of two magazines, an executive speechwriter, and author of three award-winning books.
Her newest book, Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks, won the Missouri Library Association’s 2024 Literary Award. She says the book speaks to her love of the rapidly disappearing newspaper world.
She grew up in the St. Louis suburbs, holds a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University, and a research master’s degree from Saint Louis University. Today she lives with her husband, Joel Kirkpatrick, and a black-and-white dog named Sunshine. They have three children and two perfect grandchildren.
Free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. This event is also sponsored by Missouri Humanities as part of the Missouri Speakers Bureau and West Plains Council on the Arts.
West Plains Women’s Acappella Community Chorus Rehearsals, Every Tuesday, 7pm to 9pm, West Plains Boys and Girls Club. Women singers always welcome. Get more information at 661-303-8686
Exhibit is ongoing January through March, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Mondays-Fridays.