Lifestyles

Breathe in the fresh pine air, grab a saw and take a tour of the Log Providence Pines Christmas tree farm. Dean Fitzgerald and his wife, Diane, serve up hot cider and family traditions along with acres of trees. For some people, it wouldn't be Christmas without a fresh-cut tree.

When Kim Phillips and her sister, Stacey Karabegovic, peeked through the cracks in the window coverings of a former ceramics shop on historic Rocheport’s Central Street, they knew that they’d found something special.

On Circus Day, time stood still. Banks and schoolhouses shut their doors, and unpaved Main streets were clogged with folks from down the block and across the county.

Children stood alongside businessmen as everyone strained to hear the air calliope, also known as a steam organ, and squinted to see the first cart of the horse-drawn spectacle: the circus parade.

As cart after cart passed through the throngs, people who might never have ventured more than a few miles from where they were born stared tigers, monkeys and elephants straight in the eyes.

"Back then, it was an annual event," said circus clown Joey Kelly of St. Louis. "You saved up for it. When circuses came to town, a lot of businesses shut down, so you could make a day of it."

Janet Davis, associate professor of American studies at the University of Texas at Austin and author of "The Circus Age," said the circus was the biggest thing going at the turn of the century.

Fifteen years ago, Donna Kasper burst into tears in the soup aisle of a grocery store. Kasper was surrounded by food, but she could not find anything to eat.

With the holiday season approaching, stress is nearly inevitable. One way to de-stress is through meditation, the focusing of thoughts and promotion of calmness.

According to statistics from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 million of the 13 million Mormons in the world live outside of the United States.

The play, with its all female cast, features a tale of a 19th-century female explorer and touches on both feminist and political themes.

A busy Columbia family bustles from activity to activity while enjoying together time.

At his core is an entrepreneurial drive, something fostered in the Columbia native at an early age by family, lemonade and some magic.

When you cook for the masses on Turkey Day, you're bound to have so remnants left on the table after it's all over. Here are some quick recipes to help keep the fridge free of clutter.

Christian networks from across the world are spending millions of dollars annually to distribute the Bible through audio, video and multimedia to the furthest corners of the earth.

Bob Boross, the new chairman of the dance department at Stephen's college, is new to town but brings a lifetime of experience

As a little girl, Navajo weaver Sarah Natani remembers watching her mother, who was a weaver and potter, work.

Bouncing on her mother's knee, Sophia Rounds sat in a green onesie, a snail prominently displayed on the front, and pulled her mother's brown hair. Throughout their appointment, the 5-month-old blonde kept tugging her mom's hair, prompting Jill Rounds to look down and ease her baby's grip every couple of minutes as she answered a series of questions about herself and Sophia.

Scientists have made ordinary human skin cells take on the chameleon-like powers of embryonic stem cells, a startling breakthrough that might someday deliver the medical payoffs of embryo cloning without the controversy.

The number of tick-borne illnesses in Boone County mirrors a statewide trend.

Chris Mazurek and his wife used his winnings from the game show to help them buy a new house.

Muslims continue a tradition of pilgrimages to the second-most holy city of Islam.