Photos & Video

The annual Senior Health Fair was held Monday at Poplar Bluff's Twin Towers.

Inspired by Jesus’ great commandment to love God and others, the congregation of Fellowship General Baptist Church spent the last week demonstrating that love in various practical ways throughout the community.

The aroma of popcorn and funnel cakes wafted through the air Saturday as large crowds filled the streets of downtown Poplar Bluff for the 10th annual Iron Horse Festival and second annual Veteran Fall Festival.

The Veterans Honor Tour left Poplar Bluff early Friday on its way to Washington, D.C.

The Butler County Fair kicked off Thursday night with the Wiener Dog races. The fair will continue tonight and tomorrow with activities from tire tossing and tractor pulling tonight to the demo derby on Saturday.

More than 80 golfers participated in Friday’s 27th annual event, held at the Westwood Hills Country Club.

This week's throwback image is of the historic Black River Church in Butler County. The church was organized in 1818 east of Hendrickson and is the oldest congregation in the county. This 1913 photograph shows the third structure occupied by the church, near Keener Resort on the west side of the river. This building burned in 1925 and was rebuilt as a concrete block church on the same site in the amount of $600. A fifth church was completed in 1953 on Hwy. JJ about a mile and a half of Hwy. 67. The church continues to operate as a house of worship today. A feature on the history and life of Black River Baptist Church along with many other interesting stories about people and places in our region will appear in the Daily American Republic's annual Progress magazine, scheduled for release on Saturday, Oct. 26.

More highlights from the Poplar Bluff High School Sho-Me Band's first competition of the season at last Saturday's Farmington Marching Invitational in Farmington, Mo.

The Poplar Bluff HIgh School Sho-Me Band hit the road last Saturday to compete in their first field show competition of the season at the Farmington Marching Invitational in Farmington, Mo. The day started early for the band at Poplar Bluff High School with a 7:40 a.m. practice and run-through on the football field before loading the trucks and buses. The group filled the three Penske trucks with their equipment and uniforms, boarded four buses around 10 a.m. and headed to the Farmington High School campus. Upon arrival in Farmington, the band unloaded equipment ate a quick lunch provided by the boosters, then changed into uniforms. Warm ups were set for 2 p.m. followed by field staging, then their performance at 2:45 p.m. After performing, the band changed out of uniforms and once again, loaded equipment onto the trucks. The group was able to watch a few of the other bands compete until the awards ceremony that evening. Competing bands were representative of high schools from as far away as the bootheel of Missouri to northern areas of St. Louis. Poplar Bluff placed 2nd overall in the Class AAA category with Pattonville High School taking first place. The Sho-Me Band's next competition is set for Sept. 28 at the Wright City Wildcat Pride Marching Festival in Wright City, Mo.

The town of Old Greenville is being celebrated Sept. 21 and 22 with food, fun and family-friendle activities at the Old Greenville Recreation Area. Events are being held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Activities are organized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The 54th annual Truman Day Rally was held Saturday at the Holiday Inn ballroom.

Legendary Poplar Bluff High School alumnus, Eddie Moss, will celebrate his 70th birthday on Sept. 27. This week's throwback takes a look back at his accomplished sports history. Moss was a key member of the 1965 and 1966 Mules football conference champion teams. As a junior and senior, he was selected to the All-Conference team at three positions. Moss led the Mules basketball team in rebounding during the 1967 season and played Junior College football at Centerville in Iowa. He was a two-year starter at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau winning All MIAA (now OVC) honors both years. Moss was then drafted by NFL team, the Buffalo Bills and later played the position of running back with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Redskins. He is a member of the Poplar Bluff Sports Hall of Fame and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

Nearly 300 people participated in the annual WOODS (Wappapello Outdoor Opportunities for Disabled Sportsmen) event Saturday at the Redman Creek Recreation Area at Wappapello Lake.

Three Rivers College hosted its annual Art on the Run event Saturday morning.

A large crowd gathered on the grounds of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and school in Poplar Bluff Saturday for its annual parish and community picnic.

The American Legion Post 153 celebrated 100 years of service on Saturday, Sept. 14, with an event open to the public. There was informational booths for veterans along with raffle tickets, food, and games for kids. The event was geared toward getting younger veterans interested in the organization.

The second annual SEMOcon returned to Poplar Bluff this weekend with 120 booths of vendors offering toys, hand crafts, jewelry, Legos, comic books and much more. The event also includes gaming and a variety of events. The con will be open Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Black River Coliseum.

A Cater County deputy wounded in the line of duty returned to Ellsinore and was greeted by East Carter students Friday afternoon.

Reprinted from the Daily American Republic Sunday, January 10, 1999 edition. James Wooten's eagerness to serve his country when he was a teenager allowed him to live a life of luxury in his retirement years. Wooten, of Poplar Bluff, was one of the last Civil War veterans living in the county when he died in March 1942 at the age of 94. Three of his granddaughters, Geraldine Carpenter, Alma Gulledge and Mary Temple, all of Poplar Bluff, have made sure Wooten will be remembered for eons. They have added his name to the then newly erected Veterans Memorial Wall in front of the Black River Coliseum. According to his discharge papers on record in the courthouse. Wooten served as a private in Company C of the 51st Regiment of the Missouri Infantry Volunteers "to serve one year or during the war" and was discharged Aug. 18, 1865, with "no objection to his being re-enlsted is known to exist. Said James A. Wooten was born in Perry Co. in the State of Illinois, is 18 years of age, 5 feet 4 inches high dark complexion, hazel eyes, black hair and by occupation, when enrolled, a farmer." According to a newspaper story about him on his 93rd birthday, Wooten served under Gen. John Logan.

The FCC Behavioral Health organization is working to raise awareness of suicide and suicide prevention during September, which is suicide awareness month. Today they and other community members such as Poplar Bluff Police Department, Butler County EMS and Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center are standing at the intersection of W. Pine Street and N. Westwood Blvd with signs. They are not taking donations. There will also be an event at 6 tonight at the Excel Center that will include three speakers sharing their experiences with suicide and a balloon release. There will also be free food.

The Three Rivers Shrine Club hosted its 12th annual championship rodeo Friday and Saturday night at the Black River Coliseum. Here's a look at the action from Saturday night.

From the September 8, 1997 edition of the Daily American Republic This week's throwback looks back on a story highlighting the R & R Rodeo Company out of Ellsinore. Harve and Donna Reynolds, along with their children, Monty and Amanda once leased roping and bucking stock to the southeast Missouri area community, high school and 4-H rodeos. The stock company was formed in 1986, a year after Harve Reynolds retired from the professional rodeo circuit.

Until February 1973, Piedmont's greatest claim to fame was its location near Clearwater Lake. All that changed Feb. 21, 1973 when Reggie Bone and a group of basketball players sighted a silent craft hovering in a field while returning from a basketball tournament in Dexter. That sighting touched off a flurry of world wide media attention for several weeks in 1973, making Piedmont "UFO Headquarters."

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73rd Annual Puxico Homecoming

The Poplar Bluff Mules football team held a scrimmage Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019, at Mules Stadium. The season opens Aug. 30 at home against MICDS.

The 1989 student body of Poplar Bluff High School saw some radical policy changes take place that year. According to an article in the Daily American Republic from Wednesday, June 7, 1989, during a summer meeting, the R-I board okayed a student non-smoking policy to take effect in the fall for the 1989-90 school year. The article further notes "The group discussed for some time whether to go on allowing students to smoke, to ban student smoking all together or to phase it out…letting the students know that their smoking days at school are numbered." R-I also made the decision to "close" its campus in 1989. Students were no longer free to leave school property during their lunch hours as was previously allowed. A few pages from the 1989 "The Bluff" yearbook make up this week's Throwback Thursday gallery.

Students returned to classes on Thursday for the Twin Rivers School District R-IV.