Raising a Glass to History: Hermann, MO's Rich Heritage

Arnold00:00:00

Here's a question, folks, I bet that you won't get what is the oldest continually operated concert hall and tavern west of the Mississippi? We'll find out on St. Louis in Tune.Welcome to St. Louis in Tune and thank you for joining us for fresh perspectives on issues and events with experts, community leaders and everyday people who make a difference in shaping our society and world. I'm Arnold Stricker, along here with co host Mark Langston. Mark, it's been a while since we've been on the air.We took a hiatus there with the summer and the July 4th holidays, etc.

Mark00:00:45

And all that kind of stuff. Howdy. That's my. Is my country showing.

Arnold00:00:49

Howdy, partner.

Mark00:00:50

How do.

Dea00:00:52

Hey, y'. All. That's it. Hey, y'. All.

Mark00:00:54

What's on your boot?

Arnold00:00:58

Clean it off.

Mark00:00:59

Get it off before you come in the house. Get that stuff off. Anyway. Howdy, Arnold.

Arnold00:01:05

It's good to see you, Mark. And I know that you would say it's good to be seen. It's good to be seen. That's correct. We have a incredible show for you today.One of our guests that we've had on previously back in studio to talk to us about the latest book. And I was changing up the show a little bit and we'll get into that, but just want to give folks a little bit.We're going to kind of change things up. We normally have done in a what I would call the return to civility and we're going to start a new kind of thing.

Mark00:01:38

Have we given up on civility? Is that.

Arnold00:01:39

No, we've not.

Mark00:01:41

I think I finally got to you.

Arnold00:01:42

I think. I think, yeah, I'm tired of being civil. We exhausted the 365 thoughts. Return to civilities.

Mark00:01:51

And it didn't make any difference. No, it didn't.

Arnold00:01:53

Hopefully it did for some folks. So we're going to do some thought thoughts to ponder and just think about these things. Some of them are, I would say trite.Some of them are really deep. Some of them are like, oh yeah. And some of them are like, I never thought about that.So here's one for all of you who are really encouraged about staying healthy. The only bad workout is the one that didn't happen very good. The only bad workout is the one that didn't happen.So if you're concerned about good health and you want to work out, a lot of times, just don't overdo it. Just working out in moderation. Moderation is always kind of like food intake, moderation, sleep. I never get a Sleep moderation.I don't know about that one.

Mark00:02:36

Yeah, Chair yoga.

Arnold00:02:38

Yeah, chair yoga is good.

Mark00:02:39

Yeah.

Arnold00:02:39

Yeah. Actually Tai chi. Tai chi.

Mark00:02:41

Oh, is okay.

Dea00:02:43

They say that walking is just as effective as running for your health.

Arnold00:02:46

That's correct. And it's better on your knees because you'll pay for it when you're over 60 if you run.

Mark00:02:51

I'm paying for it now.

Arnold00:02:53

Yeah, I am too.

Dea00:02:55

I just didn't run.

Mark00:02:57

She's the smart one.

Dea00:02:58

That's a Nordic track.

Arnold00:03:00

That's the voice of Dea Hoover. Dea was born in Hannibal and raised in Vandalia, Missouri.She is a full service tour operator in the city of St. Louis and her business is called Are we there Yet? And it is a full service travel agency. She is the also best selling author from Reedy Press of STL Scavenger and a Walkthrough History.And she's here to speak to us about her new book, Hannibal. Excuse me. Herman, Missouri, A Walk Through History. It's another H book, Another H city in the state of Missouri.

Dea00:03:33

For Hoover.

Arnold00:03:35

Yeah, for Hoover. That's right.

Mark00:03:38

Good.

Arnold00:03:39

I was surprised with a lot of things. You know, Mark and I are both St. Louisans. We're native Missourians. We're born and raised in St. Louis and we've both been to Herman, Missouri.But there's some things I learned about Herman that I never knew. And one of those things was the. Was this about the oldest continually operated concert hall and tavern west of the Mississippi?

Mark00:04:01

What?

Arnold00:04:01

That's wild.

Dea00:04:03

It is, because the community was planned. I think that's the thing that we don't ever hear about because you don't do the historical part of Herman, right.You hit the winery, you got beer at 10 mil, you're going on the wagon ride or you're taking the train in. But it was a planned community in 1837 by the Philadelphia Settlement Society. So the people that moved there wanted to be there and stay there.And I think that's something I always tell people from out of state when I give them a tour. I said Missouri was the Wild West. I always joke. Kathleen Madigan, the comedian from here has the joke. Missouri during the Confederate War.Why leave home? Because we had the third most skirmishes after Virginia and Tennessee. We fought all the time.We had Jesse James, Robin, people saying it's because of the Union. And they had the younger boys and we had all these skirmishes. And even Mark Twain joined the Rawls county militia.And then he decided he didn't like it and left and went west. So the Thing about Herman is they wanted to be there. And I think that's the.And you had the French fur trappers and traders there, but then they left. Right. But you had this community that wanted to retain and promote German values and culture.

Arnold00:05:08

Now, the Philadelphia Settlement Society, they're obviously from Philadelphia.

Dea00:05:12

So this is something you learn, especially in Texas. Have you all ever been down to Texas, to Fredericksburg?

Mark00:05:18

No, I haven't gone to Fredericksburg.

Dea00:05:19

So what happens in Germany? And one of the reasons Adolphus Bush was here, he was one of 22 children.The male, the oldest male of each German family receives the inheritance of the land. So if you're those 21 other kids, if you're a girl, you better marry well. And if you're a boy, you better go figure out how to make your own way.And of course, you had the regime changes happening in Germany. There was a lot of political unrest, and so they were settling people here.So Philadelphia was one of those settlement societies that sent letters back to Germany, put out flyers, had it announced in the churches. Come to America. Come get land. And then they thought, we're assimilating too much. Because immigrants, especially then, were forced to assimilate.And so they said, we need to preserve our German culture and language heritage. So they sent poor George Baer west. And I'll tell you why. He's poor George Bear at the end, and he finds this land.And of course, the weather's beautiful. He sees the Missouri river, reminds him of the Rhine. Said, this is it. He pays for it, goes back. Okay, everybody who wants to go, sign up.When they came here to settle, it was the winter time. And it was one of the coldest winters we had ever had. He fell ill. Couldn't come with the first group.

Arnold00:06:33

They're here, the original tour group to Herman.

Dea00:06:37

The tour director's down. They're all just loosey goosey. Nobody's telling them what time to do stuff, where to be, what to do. Yeah, it was a disaster from that aspect of it.And then he finally got there, and he was. He had to divvy up the plots of land. So they had been there, like not knowing what to do as much.And some of it was happening, but he was supposed to be in charge. And the poor guy's a schoolmaster. He's not a business person. He's not someone who's been a clerk. So that's how everything happened.But like in Texas, same thing. They were sending letters back to Germany. Come to Texas. I always tell people when we go to San Antonio Listen, that mariachi band. Hear that bum bum.What does that sound like? The Oompa. Because the Germans were there and that mixed in with the music. Because they had their tubas.

Arnold00:07:19

Wow.

Dea00:07:20

So it's interesting that I didn't understand all that until I became an over the road tour director. And it happened a lot across the US because we had land available.

Arnold00:07:27

So why the name Philadelphia? Was it just because.

Dea00:07:30

No, Philadelphia is just where a big group of Germans were.

Arnold00:07:32

Okay.

Dea00:07:33

And so that's where. Because also remember, like, if you do, the Campbell House Museum here in Virginia, get all our furniture. Not New York, not Boston. Philadelphia.It's the place. So that was a large city, and that's why the streets are so wide in hermit. Because it was going to be as big as Philadelphia.

Arnold00:07:47

Yeah, that's something you mentioned in the book. That they are. And they're currently still.

Dea00:07:52

They are, yeah.

Mark00:07:52

Yeah.

Arnold00:07:53

So George Bear, he ended up.

Dea00:07:55

He came there, they were so unhappy. And then he dies. And I'm sure it was a stress. Okay. So they bury him facing away from town. They put out an edict.No one can be buried within 35ft of him. And he was shunned, basically.

Mark00:08:10

Really?

Arnold00:08:11

So they turned the casket so his face is facing out of town.

Dea00:08:14

Yes. So he can't see the beautiful river and settlement. So then when they had the sesquicentennial in the 80s, they had a mock trial.They turned him around and they voted him back in. And he's got a nice little. There's a picture in there. He's got a nice little cast iron. He's got an extra marker.

Arnold00:08:28

What about people who are really upset?

Mark00:08:30

Wow. This is all.

Arnold00:08:32

Why were they so upset?

Dea00:08:33

Because they're German. They know how to hold a grudge. I'm German on both sides, man. And I. They know how to be mad for a long time. My grandfather's name was Herman.

Mark00:08:45

Wow, this is a tough room here today. I'll tell you right now. Wow. Yeah. Are you sure you weren't a runner? I'm out of breath.

Arnold00:08:57

Now. I knew about the train disaster.

Dea00:09:00

Oh, you did? A lot of people have told me they didn't.

Mark00:09:02

I haven't heard about that. It was a train disaster in there.

Dea00:09:05

Yeah. It's a typical thing, right? It was a big media event. This is what, 18? But it's still a big media event. The whole push. Okay.So first of all, I was just on a train down in Arkansas, A and M. So remember, even to this day, railroads are privately owned in the United States. Amtrak pays and Asks to get on the schedule to take the rails. We still are all privately owned. Atlas Shrugged. Remember Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged?It was all about the railroad owners and investors.

Mark00:09:33

I don't think I ever thought about gave it a thought.

Dea00:09:36

And so still is.

Mark00:09:37

That sure explains a lot. You're right, Arnold.

Dea00:09:40

So they're promoting this train to bring all these tourists because St. Louis people, obviously, we have one of the largest. You know, one of the largest immigrant populations is German. And to bring them here and to get away from the. Remember, we had.We were burning the soft coal. So all. Anywhere there was a factory or at somebody's house burning the cheap coal. It was like black. So you wanted to come to the country. So they had.They had rain and not rain, but a gully washer. And so the captain or the conductor had such hubris.He did not check to see if everything was okay because they'd run a train over the day before, before the overnight rain. And that's what happened. Because you know where the post hole.I don't know if you call them post holes, the braces that go down in the ground and in the water had gotten washed away.

Mark00:10:22

Oh, my.

Dea00:10:23

And there were some very. There were very prominent St. Louis people on this. And this 47 people were at the. In total were the ones a Shoto.

Arnold00:10:30

Descent was on that.

Dea00:10:31

Yeah. Shoto descendant was like, yes.

Mark00:10:33

What?

Dea00:10:34

Yeah. It was a big deal. It was the high rollers of the day, the important people of St. Louis, and they wanted to be on the train.It was a big deal to get a ticket. It was a big deal to go. They went to see and be seen. And then this happened. And what a tragedy.This is why when I'm sitting on a plane and they say we have to check something and people start grousing, I look around, I'm like, so, do you want to get there?

Arnold00:10:57

Yeah.

Dea00:10:57

I used to work. Run the service department at Saturn. Do you want to get there? Do you want your wheel to fall off or you got an axle bad here?Do you think you ought to fix that?

Mark00:11:04

Yeah, let them check.

Dea00:11:05

Are you ball joint?

Arnold00:11:06

Let me ask you this, because you've taken the train to Herman many times. Do they slow down going over the Gasconade river now?

Dea00:11:11

It's on the. We're usually not there. That's on the other side. See, when you're from St. Louis to Herman, it's past Herman. That was the other part of it.Everybody had to come from Herman to go help rescue the people. And they did Everything they could. So it was. Yeah, it was very tough. Very tough. And remember, the old trains were the mules.So now it's the River Runner. But back then, they were the Missouri Mules is what they called them.Because we were very proud of that because we had won the grand championship at the World's Fair in 04. That was Tom Bass from Mexico, Missouri, who was a biracial trainer. He trained a mule to ride, be ridden like a horse.And so the army, after the 1904 World's Fair, after that mule won grand championship, all mules in the military had to come from Missouri. Then I find out from my mom when we're in Cape Girardo at the museum that both of my grandpas had mules.

Arnold00:11:59

You learn all kinds of things on St. Louis in Tunesville.

Mark00:12:02

And I looked at her.

Dea00:12:04

I looked at her and I said, where's the mule money? I could have been a mule heiress. And just like that, said Grandpa Bonce was getting Uncle Bill out of jail. And your Grandpa Hoover had 15 kids.So there's. There was a.

Mark00:12:18

Where is that coming from? The bush family had 22. And then the 15.

Arnold00:12:23

You know about.

Mark00:12:24

They're all Catholic.

Arnold00:12:25

You know about them.

Dea00:12:25

They're German. They were all German. Yeah, the Hoovers were German. The Bonsets were German.

Arnold00:12:28

It was cold. Mark.

Mark00:12:30

I'm Catholic, so I can say.

Dea00:12:32

And we weren't Catholic. I found out why the Hoovers. My grandpa was so we were Huguenots. Apparently, they do not like the Catholics.

Mark00:12:42

Stand in line.

Arnold00:12:45

If you wanted to go to the worst house in Missouri.

Mark00:12:48

Okay, go ahead.

Arnold00:12:49

You go to. You go to Herman. And it's really the Versed house. Not the worst house, but it's people who don't pronounce the Js.The first house, go to the worst house in Missouri.

Dea00:12:59

Is that Tim Conway?

Arnold00:13:00

Their name's the worst.

Mark00:13:01

That's right.

Arnold00:13:03

That's a long standing place there. The Verst house.

Dea00:13:06

He opened it. He was.

Mark00:13:07

Oh, wait. Is that the first or the worst? What is it?

Arnold00:13:10

W U R S T. It's the first on.

Dea00:13:13

It's the first on first. He's actually originally from Swiss Missouri.

Mark00:13:17

The first, not the worst. Okay, okay.

Dea00:13:22

If you give me the hiccups, you're in big trouble.

Mark00:13:24

I'll turn my microphone off.

Dea00:13:28

So Mike Sloan, who got a full page. Now, I don't always. I send in the pictures and I let the editors do their job. And I was like, mike, man, you're looking.Auto parts building is what it was. And he bought it and came in and put the smoker in the back. The deer are back there. So when I bring my St. Louis people, we do the tour.I just pray he doesn't have a deer hanging there.

Mark00:13:50

Oh.

Dea00:13:52

Because I grew up with that. Like in Vandal, your neighbor would get a deer and you'd look out the back window.

Arnold00:13:56

It is what it is, the venison in the. In rural Missouri.

Dea00:13:59

Yeah, yeah. So anyway, so Mike moved in and he's made such a go of it and he's a great Steven.He wins all these awards before for the sausages, for the wor, for the verse and. Yeah, like my favorite thing is the. I think it's the Lebanon bologna. It's sweet bologna. And so he makes all kinds of stuff.So we are going to be there on the 27th of July. And by the way, my birthday is the 29th and I'm a Leo. So if you'd like to bring me something. Yeah, like a card.

Mark00:14:26

Money.

Dea00:14:28

Money. No, just wish me happy birthday. I just want to be recognized. Sunday, July 27th.It's part of the barbecue and beer festival that's happening in Herman the 26th and 27th. So I'm gonna be there after church like 11 until 2 on Sunday.

Arnold00:14:41

Signing books.

Mark00:14:42

Yeah. What is the. Was the river that goes through Herman?

Dea00:14:45

Missouri River.

Arnold00:14:45

Missouri River.

Mark00:14:46

And the bluffs are beautiful. Gorgeous if you've ever been there, which.

Dea00:14:50

Is why they want to settle there.

Mark00:14:52

I mean, they are there. It's like a vista. It's just absolutely gorgeous. Those bluffs, that was the first thing I noticed when I went to the.

Arnold00:14:57

And if you're a bicycle enthusiast, you could take the Katy Trail. Ride the Katy Trail out to Herman and cruise across the bridge. It's the Kit Vaughn Bridge. And ride right in. Stay at it.

Mark00:15:08

How far is that from St. Louis to ride?

Arnold00:15:10

It's quite a ride, I would think.

Dea00:15:12

Remember that mile marker 26 is the beginning of the Katy Trail. I had this couple that had bicycled all the way from California and they called Maggie. They were over in Alton and wanted to do a tour.So I went and I said, tell them the air conditioner. That was back when I had my husband's beat up blazer. I'm like, it's only going to get down to 80. And they're like, that's fine.We almost froze to death in the mountains. So then they're telling me when I pick them up in Alton, they're telling me that they are on the Katy Trail and all of a sudden there's a rock.And it ends like it doesn't go across a bridge. So it's like I had to get my map out and they had to make their way to Alton on bicycles with saddlebags over the bridge. Wow.To get to chain of rocks.

Mark00:15:48

What are we paying taxes for?

Dea00:15:51

Where were the arrows? I know. Where were the wayfinding signs for them? Because they assume everybody's going to be picked up and dropped off by a car.

Mark00:15:57

Right.

Dea00:15:57

So it's crazy. Yeah.

Arnold00:15:59

No, it's. It's quite a ways, Herman. You know, if you drive out 70 even, but you have to go down Highway 19.So I'm going to guess it's probably, oh, at least 100 miles. Yeah, at least.

Mark00:16:11

Is it in Franklin County? Is that Franklin County?

Arnold00:16:13

Gasconade?

Mark00:16:14

Gas.

Dea00:16:15

Well, you've got gas. Yeah. At Franklin is Washington.

Mark00:16:17

Okay.

Dea00:16:18

So Washington, New Haven. So you can come out 50 if you're driving. I highly encourage. Unless it's planting season or harvest season. Then you don't want to do that.

Arnold00:16:25

That's a pretty drive.

Dea00:16:26

It's a beautiful drive and it's not too curvy, but it's nice. Like when I had a Mini Cooper. It was a great drive.

Mark00:16:32

Wow.

Dea00:16:32

Little six speed supercharger.

Arnold00:16:34

Yeah, this Arnold Stricker with Mark Langston of St. Louis and Tune. We're talking to Dia Hoover about her latest book, Herman A Walk through History.One of the things and I'm probably going to forget because this is what happens when you get older is you forget what you were going to say. And I should have said that before I did the who we are.

Mark00:16:49

And you explain over explain things.

Arnold00:16:51

Yeah, I do over explain things. Yeah. Overthink things. Yeah, I do overthink. Now I can't remember what I was going to say.

Dea00:16:58

Do you have a note? Do you have your notepad in your pocket? That's what our great aunt used to do.

Arnold00:17:02

Yeah, that's exactly right. It is.

Dea00:17:03

So when she walked into the room, she knew what she was supposed to get. I thought that was really smart.

Arnold00:17:07

I have no clue what I was going to say. It'll come back to me sometime. Probably in the next 15 years.

Dea00:17:11

All right.

Arnold00:17:12

So there's not only beer there, but wine and the deer. Burke's did a thing with wine.But talk a little bit about which a lot of people don't understand, how Missouri saved the French wine industry and the California. Okay. Yes.

Mark00:17:26

Really?

Arnold00:17:26

Yes.

Mark00:17:27

California is beholden to us.

Arnold00:17:29

Well, and the French and French wine. All those vines in France.

Dea00:17:33

So Veuve Clicquot if you've seen that on Netflix about the story of the widow who took over the Vive Clicquot. That's a bright orange wine bottle label that they're the only ones that they can. That can use it. It is patented for.It's V E U V E. I'm probably not saying it C L I C Q U O T. But that was the grape that was saved. If you go way back, like when I was a kid about Luther Burbank, remember him grafting plants?So then the Stark brothers in Louisiana, Missouri, cabbaged onto that and they made the red. The famous Red Delicious apple. And it was one of the biggest, most. Because again, it won at the World's Fair. That made the best.That made the best apples that could resist bugs, that had the best flavor. And so George Hussman was doing this with grapevines. So what happened was.And now the rest of the story, like they had a really good article in Feast magazine. I think we actually sent the varmint over to France on a boat. It like slipped on a boat and then got on there vines.We said, oh, we'll save you because our roots are resistant.So what happened was they took the roots that were resistant to this louse or lice and they grafted it to their grapevines and that resisted because their.

Arnold00:18:43

Grapevines were just dying.

Dea00:18:45

And they'd see, okay, this makes my head itch. But they're like, oh, there's all these lights. So they just see the lice just chewing up the roots, which you never think about lice in the ground.And I think about them jumping on our heads, but I don't think I'm in the ground. So that's what was doing it. Then California had another. They had a problem.And so again, he went out there and showed them how to graft the roots that were resistant. That's a. That was a very forward thing in the 1800s to think about. And the Durburgs are opening. One of their wineries is the Husband Winery.

Arnold00:19:12

Okay. And those vines came from out in the Herman area.

Dea00:19:15

Well, they had brought them with them. And the French have brought theirs as well. So everybody's sharing vines.You've got all these different grapes because remember in Europe the water would kill you. That's why everybody had wine and beer. That's why the monasteries made beer, because the water will kill you.Because back then they didn't understand about germ theory and bacteria and all that. So that's why you always drink. Yeah, Exactly. And so it was very important to have your grapes to make the wine.And the Bush family really preferred wine, but you can't make it consistently. And it was so interesting when I learned that at the brewery.And then when I was on a plane years ago, I sat next to a guy from AB and we had talked about it. He said, the problem is you can't have consistent grapes. He goes, hops are consistent. Rice. Everything we make the beer with is consistent.But with grapes you never know. That's why different years are different.

Mark00:20:02

Interesting.

Arnold00:20:03

Just a side, like, wealth of information. That's why the water in St. Louis is so good too. Because of the brewery.

Dea00:20:08

Yes. And they made sure it was pure and there were no. No extra minerals. It's not hard water. And we get ranked, like best water all the time.

Mark00:20:16

I know.

Dea00:20:16

We drink out of the tap. I drink out of the tap all the time.

Mark00:20:18

I know. I'm. Yeah. Spoiled about it.

Arnold00:20:22

Here's what my. I was going to remember the county. I didn't know this either. The county back then stretched all the way down to. Where is it?

Dea00:20:30

Almost the border of Kansas.

Arnold00:20:31

Almost to the border.

Dea00:20:31

Yeah.

Arnold00:20:32

Of Kansas and down south.

Dea00:20:34

Yeah. It was huge because they're out there plaiting this land and you got the fur trappers running around.The Trail of Tears had not been totally pushed out. And they're like platting these maps so they're making these enormous counties.So Today, Missouri has 114 counties and St. Louis City is its own county, remember? And that means that unfortunately. But there's. I know there's 114.So that's how much we have shrunk the size of each county because the power was in the county seat. So if you're the banker and the lawyer, you want your town to be the county seat. And you gotta make a county to have a county seat.If somebody else has already got it.

Arnold00:21:09

And they have a great courthouse in Hermit. It's just.

Dea00:21:12

Did you read the story about that?

Arnold00:21:13

No, I didn't.

Dea00:21:14

Okay. So first of all, it's the only courthouse in the country made with private money.There was a businessman there who gave the 50 grand, said, Here, let's build a great courthouse. Copper dome has brick on it. But I did not know until I was writing this book that you cure brick with vinegar.So they would put the vinegar on it to cure it. But you can also cure it with beer, and it was cheaper. So the entire courthouse, they pour beer on their bricks. They put beer on the brick.

Arnold00:21:40

Was this after.

Dea00:21:42

Yeah. And it cures well because today we seal our brick. Right. After 50 years, your brick becomes a sponge on your home and then it pulls the water in.So you need to seal it. So same drunk courthouse. Now, I don't know that it sealed it, but it made the clay. It was fired. But you protected it.

Arnold00:21:59

Yeah, protected it a little bit.

Dea00:22:01

And this may be totally wrong.

Mark00:22:02

Some scientists seal my brick in my house.

Dea00:22:04

Yeah. We did ours because my father in law in New Jersey said you need to do that because it's. Because ours is 1926 on the hill. Yeah.So we had a guy come seal it. Now how do you know they really did it though? Right? Because it's clear. What if they just put egg yolks on it or something? How would you know?But I'm trusting that he was an honest guy because, well.

Arnold00:22:19

And you have to be careful with that because you have to let the house breathe.

Dea00:22:23

Thus the painting is bad.

Arnold00:22:25

And some paint will allow the moisture to go through. You have to buy the right paint if you're going to paint your brick because otherwise it holds the moisture.

Mark00:22:32

Brick iris hurt.

Dea00:22:33

You're right.

Mark00:22:35

So there's a special paint for painting bricks.

Dea00:22:37

Yes.

Mark00:22:38

Learning something all the time here.

Dea00:22:40

Are you taking notes?

Mark00:22:41

I am.

Arnold00:22:42

We are a wealth of information for everyone who listens to.

Mark00:22:44

I've always heard, don't paint brick. It's bad.

Arnold00:22:47

Yeah. And that's why. But they've developed a paint that allows the brick to allow the moisture to go through, but no moisture to come in.

Mark00:22:54

Gotcha.

Arnold00:22:55

I don't understand it.

Mark00:22:56

I sounds expensive.

Arnold00:22:58

It is. That's why people paint it with cheap latex paint and it ends up peeling and they end up having mold on the inside of the wall.

Mark00:23:07

Bad idea.

Arnold00:23:08

So we're going to come back to DIA Hoover and talking about the book Herman A Walk Through History. And I have to show you folks the front of this cover. If you're watching on Facebook or YouTube, you can see that.But we're going to talk more about the book with DIA after our brief break. This is Arnold Stricker with Mark Langston of St. Louis Tune don't go away. As strange as it may sound. At better rate mortgage.We love talking to people about mortgages. Everyone in St. Louis promises a better mortgage rate. But what you really need to turn that perfect house into your dream home is a better mortgage.At better rate mortgage. We open the door to so much more. So where are you in the home buying process? Researching maybe wondering how much you can afford House hunting.Get a pre approval from Better Rate Mortgage. Ready to buy.Our team is ready to make your mortgage process fast and easy, whether you're purchasing your first home or taking cash out to make your dream home even dreamier. Our door is open. Come on in and get started. Today we'll show you how.Call Sean directly at 314-375-3293 or online@betterratemortgage.com Remember, at Better Rate Mortgage, a better rate is just the beginning. Betterratemortgage.com and MLS ID 2401335 and equal housing Lender the United States has a strong tradition of welcoming newcomers and refugees.The welcome Corps is a new service opportunity for Americans inspired to welcome those seeking freedom and safety and in turn help strengthen their own communities. Welcome Corps is a public private partnership that is inspired by what Americans represent to so many around the world, a beacon of hope and refuge.All it takes is a helping hand. Are you ready? To learn more, contact the International Institute of St. Louis@infoistl.org or call 314-773-9090.That's infoistl.org or call 314 203-9090. Welcome back to St. Louis in Tune. We talking about Herman, Missouri, a walk through the history with Dio Hoover.Now this Arnold Strick with Mark Langston of St. Lucian. Tune. And we're talking to Dia Hoover, who was born and raised in Hannibal and then moved to Vandalia.And she's done a book on Hannibal, A Walk Through Hannibal. You've done a book on the what was your first book?

Dea00:25:42

Scavenger Hunt. STL Scavenger. The 15 neighborhoods around St. Louis.

Arnold00:25:45

Yes. STL Scavenger Hunt. And now the Herman, Missouri book. DIA the photos in this are just stunning.And I want to give a shout out to one of the groups that did these and that's the Flying Squirrel Aerial Optics. I love the name. Mark Flying Squirrel Aerial Optics.

Mark00:26:02

Really?

Arnold00:26:03

They have a drone. And these photos are just gorgeous.

Dea00:26:07

So when I was sitting at the Mark Twain Diner, which I would always go grab a loose meat burger at the diner, Made right. Made right.And they had all these pictures on the wall and I looked at and I called my friend Megan Rapp, who is now the director of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum, which I'm very proud of, and I said, who are the who's this? Fl oh, that's Dave. I work out with him@the ymca. So I used some of his pictures in Hannibal.So I called him up I'm like, hey, I'm doing this book on Herman. Have you all been down there and taken pictures? He said, no, but we've been looking for an excuse.And all of a sudden, I get this Dropbox file with all these beautiful photographs. He uses a drone, and he just takes amazing photos. Like the front cover. Look at that. You get the whole Main Street. You couldn't do that any other way.And they went down there during fall for me, and it was really nice. They got the McKittrick. You're talking about the Katy Trail, the McKittrick stop there.They got that real good picture because it doesn't look great from the ground. I kept trying to take pictures, and it looks much better to see. Okay, here's the trail. Here's the little shelter.

Arnold00:27:02

And a lot of the buildings there are now historic preservation.

Dea00:27:06

They're very smart. So Florissant did that. Ferguson did that. Herman did that. Hannibal did it. They went and got them on the National Register of Historic Places.This one is back in. I believe, in 71 also.And it was smart because then look at all the things that got torn down in St. Louis by protecting those brick builds that were originally built. They had to stay right, because think about taking the second one out, the fifth one out. It just looks terrible if somebody builds a modern building.So they were smart, and they locked that down. Like, when I was up in Hannibal working on it, I saw that Aslie Hamilton, St. Louis County Historic Preservation.He was friends with Henry Sweets, who was the director of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and museum for over 30 years, and they were the ones that did it. When I went to the Missouri State Parks and pulled it up, it was that they.They did it together in Hannibal because it takes time, and you got to write it the right way. It's like looking for a grant. And I thought, good on them for getting it done.

Arnold00:27:56

Absolutely.

Mark00:27:57

Yeah.

Arnold00:27:58

Something I did not know you had these areas throughout the book called. Did you know? And I said, no, I didn't know this.

Dea00:28:04

Yeah, that was my hope.

Arnold00:28:05

The vault of the twelve Apostles.

Dea00:28:08

Yes. And I will tell you, I did not unearth that story. Actually, one of the people at Reedy Press said, hey, what do you know about these?And I instantly went in super researcher mode. So at Stonehill Winery, and there's a very good video on YouTube from Stone Hill.So at Stone Hill Winery, they had these beautiful carvings on these 12 enormous casts. And, of course, they were the 12 apostles. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. I guess they did. I guess they did. Judas I don't know.But anyway, they had the carvings. Then prohibition comes along and they're keeping wine in them. These are wine barrels. So the employees find out.So they empty the wine out of them and bottle it. And then they take the. Take apart the. I'm using the word. Yeah. The cask and the little. The wooden staves. Staves. Thank you. Staves. So you remember that?

Arnold00:28:56

Yeah.

Dea00:28:56

There you go.

Arnold00:28:58

Staves from Missouri Oak.

Dea00:29:00

That's right. White. Yes, yes, White oak. So the staves apart. And they were. The plan was to put it on a train and put it on a ship to Germany.Prohibition was during World War I. So we believe, because that plan got foiled, they diverted. They were going to take him to a German.There was a whole German community in Brazil farming. And they were planning to take it there, but they were never heard from again.And my suspicion is they're in some private collectors collection, like all the great stuff.

Arnold00:29:24

Or they're in some barn somewhere that nobody knows about.

Dea00:29:26

Yeah, like the guy up in Lake County, Illinois who rescued a carousel that was like sitting out in the middle of the field in Nebraska. And he took it up there and put it together.So anyway, they were there and everyone knew about them and they were talked about and they were written about and they were talked about in the papers. So we know that they existed.So what I said is, if you go to Deutscheim, which is the settlement house that's under Missouri State Parks office, they have a cast there and I have a picture of it that is carved. Now it's not near the size, but it will give you that idea of the carving that was happening in German.

Arnold00:29:58

How big were those casts in Herman?

Mark00:29:59

Yeah, roughly.

Dea00:30:00

I think they were like 8 foot tall.

Arnold00:30:02

Holy smokes.

Dea00:30:03

They were really tall. Yeah. I watched that YouTube video and he was explaining what they had in their.

Arnold00:30:07

Records, which that would make sense because I'm going to read this first sentence from this. Did you know area Stone Hill has one of the largest cellars in the world and at one point it held 1.25 million gallons of wine. Mark.

Mark00:30:18

Aye. Yai yai.

Arnold00:30:19

That's crazy. Yeah, that is crazy.

Dea00:30:22

And Herman, and the thing I want to share with you is we're the Cave state, right. Missouri. That's where the show me state. But we're also the cave state. That's a hand dug cellar. They didn't just go in and use pants.

Arnold00:30:31

Are you kidding me?

Dea00:30:32

They dug it out. So it was as deep as they wanted it and wide as they wanted it. And the way they wanted it. Can you imagine? Yeah.

Mark00:30:39

Dug it out.

Dea00:30:40

Yeah. That's what's so interesting about it.

Arnold00:30:42

Wow.

Mark00:30:42

And it didn't collapse. They built it. Right. Wow. What's the population of Herman do you know?

Dea00:30:49

Like 2500 people.

Mark00:30:50

Isn't that something?

Dea00:30:51

And they used to have. Now, I don't know with Airbnb is. It's hard to track. They used to have 50 bed and breakfast 10 years ago.

Mark00:30:56

Yeah.

Dea00:30:57

Which is staggering for a town that size. But like my friend, she has bed. She had bed and breakfast in Morrison. So they had his.They called it the mother in law house because it was her mother in law's house. And they fixed that up and then they had the one at the top of the hill. So people had homes and you can convert them. I mean, they.The convention visitors bureau there. The visit Herman. They say that there's about 300 rooms available in Herman for overnight, which is pretty amazing.

Arnold00:31:21

So really, tourism is probably their biggest industry.

Dea00:31:24

That. And then. Yeah. And they have a few factories and stuff. But yeah, the tourism is huge. Right.This is why I try to tell people as a tour director, I'm like, you want us because we come and we leave a bunch of tax money and we leave a bunch of room. Tax money. Like for instance, in St. Louis, it's 17% on a room. Cleveland's the same way. And then we leave. We don't use your schools.We don't use the sewer. Except for a few days. We're not taking your water. We're not very good thing. Then you leave. It is a huge industry. And the wine.And now the Durburgs have brought in the beer. And then they're doing distilling now. Yeah. So the distillery is very interesting. They moved in and that just means to wander.Fernois means wanderlust. And they're right there at the end as you go up the hill towards the church. Yeah.

Arnold00:32:11

Talk about your tour business for a little bit. What do you do? How often do you do it? Where do you go?

Dea00:32:16

So I. It's my third career. I was in retail. Then I was in the car business.And then I come out of Washu and one of my friends, Dads, I can't believe you're selling cars and you have a business degree from Washu. I'm like, I didn't say anything, but I'm thinking, buddy, I make more money than most of my classmates and I have a new car to drive every day.But anyway, I digress. So I worked at a tour company because One of the women had a Saturn. And so I worked at this tour company. And then 18 months later, nine, 11 happened.And I always swore I would never own my own business. I was just lamenting to Mark and Ernie before we started that my mom passed away. I've got this Main street business in Vandalia, Missouri.I need to keep going. And I said I would never, ever own my own business. And now I have two. And now that mom's passed away, I have three. So I started Are we there Yet?From scratch, on a cell phone and laptop and an all in one printer, fax. And I plan tours, I sell tours, and we operate the tours. So that way I can choose to go where I want to go.Because when I work for somebody else, I had to go where they wanted to go. And the niches I'm on tour because I saw that happening at that tour company that people call to see who was going.And I tell people, I'm like, when you go with me, I own the company. I don't have to call the office of the hotel.

Arnold00:33:25

I am the office.

Dea00:33:25

Correct. And if the hall. I'll never forget Natchez, Mississippi, at the OLA years ago, he called the office, and I answered the phone.I was standing in the lobby. It was the office. So anyway, yeah, it was. It's. That's what we do.And then in 2008, I had a momentary lapse of reason and bought a receptive tour company. So I have tour guides. I'm looking for tour guides. If you're a retired teacher or you love history or you're working one of the museums.I need local tour guides for Discover St. Louis. So it's the oldest continually operated tour company in St. Louis. It started in 75. I'm the third woman owner, which I'm very proud of.Bernice Barnaby. Kelly Mazzavallo. And the Kelly called me and said, I think you need to buy this.And when I met her for the first time at Cafe Manhattan, Declan, my husband flown in. And I said, look, I'm just gonna go meet Kelly. I'm not gonna buy this business. And I walked in, and she goes, you're from Vandelli, Missouri.

Mark00:34:10

Whoa.

Dea00:34:11

I'm like, yeah. She goes, I'm from Winfield.

Mark00:34:13

Okay.

Arnold00:34:14

You recognize my Vandalia accent.

Dea00:34:17

You did your research. So anyway, after two and a half hours, she sold it to me on a handshake and financed it for me. So.So we did the tours for like, when American Cruise Lines comes in and they have. They want to do Tours of the city and go to the museum and all that. We do things like that. We do family reunions, we do corporate.And I do a lot of private tours. Like I take you in my car because a lot of people have experienced that in Europe finally. And they look for it like we're under get your guide.But you can just call our office.But if you have family come in and you need to get rid of them for a little bit, if all the in laws are there, I'll take them out for three hours and she'll.

Arnold00:34:50

Take them to the Antarctica, which is your next tour.

Dea00:34:53

Antarctica is in December. Yeah. My husband and I are getting our seventh continent. We're very excited.So we're gonna do it on the Scenic Eclipse, which is Australian owned cruise company. We use them for all our river cruises. They're the newest ships on the river and they own their own ships.But they have a Polar 6 rated hull, which I will only go to Antarctica. I will not go on a Caribbean ship. So Hurtigruten out of Norway was the only other passenger cruise company that has a Polar 6 hull.Because of course, the Norwegians have been sailing for years. And so when Scenic came out with this, because Hurtigruten, in my opinion, camping on a Hurdigrude ship.But Scenic Eclipse has got seven luxury restaurants.It has all this because you're gonna be on the boat once you leave Ushuaia at the tip of South America, you're on the ship except for when you get off on the zodiac sign to go see the penguins and they provide your boots and they provide your parkas so you don't have to pack that. So I'm looking forward to it. So even if no one else signs up, we are going.

Arnold00:35:42

Wow.

Dea00:35:43

Okay. But if you'd like to go, I'd love to put you on the tour.

Mark00:35:46

Oh, yeah, Those river cruises are interesting. I just started looking into those a.

Dea00:35:50

Little bit and they're not all created the same. So call me.

Mark00:35:52

Is that right?

Dea00:35:53

Yes. They're not all. But you don't know. You don't know what you don't know.

Mark00:35:56

They can be pricey because there's only.

Dea00:35:57

150 people on the ship. You go on a big ocean ship, you're with a town the size of Herman or Vandalia.

Mark00:36:02

That's a good point.

Dea00:36:03

Plus the crew and.

Mark00:36:03

That's a good point.

Dea00:36:04

On a cruise ship, it costs like a dollar a day to feed people.

Mark00:36:07

Yeah.

Dea00:36:07

Because of the economies of scale.

Arnold00:36:09

And they compare these cruise ships now to the Titanic The Titanic was like a speedboat.

Mark00:36:14

Yeah.

Dea00:36:14

And I think it's cool if you want to do that. But we focus on the river because it's a great way. Like Portugal and Spain. We're doing that again in 26. But we do Portugal and it's.And we use scenic and emerald because they hire Portuguese crew. And we get to dock on the side that is the old historic side. Like for instance. Instance, when we're in Porto, we get to dock in Porto.Everybody else is over on the Gaia side, which is kind of like going to Bagnol Dam. It's got all the trams over and all this. A tour operator and a travel agent.

Mark00:36:41

I would have never known. I would have never thought of that. That's a great. That's a great.

Dea00:36:44

Ask questions. Yeah.

Arnold00:36:45

She knows that about Portugal and Spain. Just think of what she knows about Herman.

Mark00:36:49

Oh, man, I can't imagine.

Arnold00:36:51

It's just the backyard.

Mark00:36:52

I know. Are you. Yeah.

Arnold00:36:54

So you're going to be at the Versed House in Herman on July 27th from 11:00 to 2:00pm yes. And that's the book kickoff. Right?

Dea00:37:04

That's my Herman book launch. I had my St. Louis book launch at Oliva the night it stormed. I had Nancy LaRusso made it, God bless her and the staff from Ready Press.So we ate wine and cheese, and Mark and Carlene are like, you can do another one later. Yeah, but this is the Herman book launch.

Arnold00:37:18

Could you do this? Could you put this. The official book launch. Just put it in like a big rubber band and just shoot it out into the street.

Dea00:37:24

I don't know how the COVID would. Wouldn't like that. I think of books as people sometimes.

Arnold00:37:29

Now, if you can't make that. Folks, August 14th at 7:30pm the Washington Public Library in Washington, Missouri. Or if you're from South City, it's the Washington Public Library.Sorry, folks. I actually was born in South City, so don't worry about it. September 1st at the Deerberg's Heritage Farm in Herbin. That's Labor Day. Labor Day.Or Labor Day weekend.

Dea00:37:52

Well, they're having a festival. The Heritage Festival is that whole weekend.

Arnold00:37:54

Okay.

Dea00:37:55

So they're having me on Monday. But check, check. Because things are still fluid with the schedule.

Arnold00:38:00

So where can people get the schedule? Dia.

Dea00:38:03

On my Facebook page, if you look for Dia Hoover, I put it there publicly. You can also find it on Reedy Press's website. Or just call my office, 314-884-reach. And they'll. Maggie will know.

Arnold00:38:13

Okay.

Mark00:38:13

And that's DIA D E A D.

Dea00:38:15

E A right like idea without the I. There you go.

Mark00:38:18

And hoover. H O O. H O O V.

Dea00:38:21

E R. That's how I say it. H double O V. Do you say?

Mark00:38:23

Oh, you showed there.

Dea00:38:27

My mom always did that.

Mark00:38:29

That's where it came from. I know. My parents did the same thing. Double O.

Dea00:38:32

So if you do facebook.com STL tour girl it'll pop up too.

Arnold00:38:36

We'll post that on there one more time.

Mark00:38:38

What was that?

Dea00:38:38

STL Tour Girl. So go facebook.com STLTourGirl STLTravel we'll post.

Arnold00:38:44

That on the podcast.

Dea00:38:45

I'm gonna have to become the tour lady though during this so long.

Arnold00:38:49

Tour girl's fine. It's not tour babe.

Dea00:38:53

It is not. No, it is not. I would have been in so much trouble with my mom if I did that. Oh my God. Doesn't matter how old you are.

Arnold00:39:02

Okay, tour senior, my last question for you.

Mark00:39:06

There's more? You have more?

Arnold00:39:07

My last question.

Mark00:39:08

Thank goodness. Wait, hold on.

Arnold00:39:10

Let's hear it. And hopefully it wasn't. We didn't talk about it already.

Mark00:39:14

I'm just kidding.

Arnold00:39:15

This guy ever showed up. What was the biggest surprise in the book?

Mark00:39:20

Oh, good question. That is Arnold is. He's.

Arnold00:39:24

Because you're so knowledgeable about all these things.

Mark00:39:26

Tough host, didn't he?

Arnold00:39:27

Why? What? Just. I didn't know that.

Mark00:39:30

Is there anything you can't.

Arnold00:39:31

It can't be the 12 cast.

Dea00:39:32

There is a lot. I don't know. Like tons. Like the more you know, the less you know.

Arnold00:39:36

That's true.

Dea00:39:37

I. Let me think about that a moment. Arnold. I was not prepared for that. What was the thing I really did? I'll say the 12 apostles. That was an.I spent probably a day researching that because it was so fascinating to me that they were missing. Because I watch shows like the Blacklist and how they have these secret options. You gotta have a pass. And they're selling all this stuff.That's all I can imagine. It's got to be there. And the herm. The German heritage and why everybody wants to go to Germany. It's the fatherland.But the cuckoo clocks and the carvings and the history and that. It's so beautiful. Right. Because they could just made a plain old wine cask to practical. But they carved on it.

Arnold00:40:16

There was a lot of pride back then. You had a lot of time and they were artisans and they still are. Yeah. So if we're going to do it, we're going to do it this way.

Dea00:40:23

Yeah. When we went to Germany. I said I'd never have a cuckoo clock. Guess what? We have one.Because we met the guy who made them and he told us the whole story.

Arnold00:40:30

And they're very unique.

Dea00:40:31

They are. They are unique. Yeah, it's. Everyone is different. So it's. Yeah, it's a different thing. Yeah.The cast would be the thing that was something I totally did not know about. And then to find out it was on YouTube and people been interviewed about it. As a tour guide, you feel like you should know it all and you just don't.You just don't. When I don't, I say I don't know, but I go research it. So that was exciting and I think it really speaks to the German culture.

Arnold00:40:55

I appreciate what you just said because you don't make it up. You don't make some story up to make it like you do know it all. You don't know. You say, I don't know, let's find out.

Mark00:41:03

Yeah.

Arnold00:41:03

And that's the way you should do that. Because some people will just, oh, yeah, it's a blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Yeah. I'm just going off the top of my shoe right now and if I'm.

Dea00:41:12

Wrong, I want you to tell me so I'm not wrong the next time. Or I just. But sometimes you say things. I'll never forget one of my most awful moments as a tour guide.I have the CEO of the River Barge with me on the bus. I'm giving the tour of the city of St. Louis. I'm looking at the Eads Bridge. I'm looking at the Robert E Lee when it was still docked down there.

Mark00:41:26

I miss it.

Dea00:41:27

And I said, and this is the Robert Eads ship. You can go eat dinner on it. Blah, blah, blah. We get off and Eddie's. So who's Robert Eads? I'm like, it's James Eads.You just told 50 people that this is the Robert Eads ship. I was like, oh, my gosh. So anyway, you know, it happened.

Arnold00:41:43

It does.

Mark00:41:43

We used to eat on that. I used to go to the island.

Dea00:41:45

Wasn't it lovely? We used to have lunch there all the time. Yeah, I go down and do the tours. I go get the water meeting.

Mark00:41:50

They moved it to Kimswick, and that's a Delta Queen. I thought they moved Robert E Lee there.

Arnold00:41:56

Yeah, I think the Robert E Lee.

Dea00:41:57

Maybe they did.

Arnold00:41:57

And then it sunk.

Mark00:41:58

And then it sunk.

Dea00:41:59

There you go. There you go. That's it.

Arnold00:42:00

And then somebody moved it to salvage it.

Mark00:42:03

You know what I yes, correct. And you know what else I miss is the floating McDonald's. It was there for years.

Arnold00:42:10

And the minesweepers. When the water's low, you can see the minesweeper.

Mark00:42:13

Oh, is that right?

Arnold00:42:14

Yeah. It got lost. Its dock got. And swept away and sunk.

Mark00:42:19

He's starting the Arnold tour guide.

Dea00:42:24

It's on the f. Come. It's not every day.

Arnold00:42:27

Let's talk after the show.

Mark00:42:29

I had no idea.

Dea00:42:31

Mark, I think you should consider it, too.

Mark00:42:32

Okay, great.

Dea00:42:33

You're good on a bike.

Mark00:42:34

I'll drive. I'll drive the tour bus.

Dea00:42:37

No, you don't have to do that. You just give the directions and the history. Oh, and now with Google Maps, that makes that a whole lot.In the old days, I get out the Oneenbergs and I'd draw my route the night before, I'd go drive it, and then I would Write it in 24 point font so I could look down so nobody could see me. And I would check off as we made each turn. I gave it to the driver and the driver. I can't read it.

Arnold00:42:58

We had to do that. It's take this exit after going so many miles. You watched your odometer. Okay, Dia, thanks for coming on the show.

Dea00:43:05

Thanks for having me. I always have a good time.

Arnold00:43:06

You will hang on because you will fit in very well with what we're going to do next. You want me to do some mental floss before you do your days of.

Mark00:43:14

The day, Mark, a little mental floss would be great.

Dea00:43:16

I love mental floss.

Arnold00:43:18

Mental floss. Morton's toe is when your second toe is longer than your big toe.It's widespread in art, with the Statue of Liberty being one of the most famous examples. So the question is, do you have a Morton's toe?

Mark00:43:33

Yes.

Arnold00:43:33

I do, too.

Mark00:43:34

Do you? Yes, that's my.

Arnold00:43:36

And apparently it's a genetic kind of thing. It will tell you what portion of the world that your heritage is from.

Mark00:43:43

No.

Arnold00:43:44

Yes.

Mark00:43:45

There.

Arnold00:43:45

It's because there's a certain genetic group that. That's part of the deal.

Mark00:43:48

That has a bigger toe than.

Arnold00:43:50

I don't have one on Mars. We've never been to Mars, although there's a group of people that want to go there. No resource can be wasted, not even bodily fluids.Urine will be recycled into drinking water and feces into fertilizer.And did you know that the football on top of the Vince Lombardi trophy, which is given to the winner of the super bowl, is the same size as a regulation football?

Mark00:44:17

Did not know that.

Dea00:44:18

If you go to Green Bay with me. You know that?

Arnold00:44:19

Yes.

Dea00:44:20

We do a tour of the stadium. It's awesome. Yeah. Even if you don't care about football. It's just that.

Arnold00:44:25

And lego. We all know Legos are big. You know, the Lego Movie, the Lego cartoons.

Mark00:44:30

Right.

Arnold00:44:30

LEGO is actually an abbreviation of the Danish phrase leg got. Which means.

Mark00:44:38

Sorry.

Arnold00:44:38

No, that's fine. Which means Play well. The company was originally called now if. If I the Danish people out there, forgive me belong Massenary.Which doesn't quite roll off the tongue as easily. Play well Legos.

Dea00:44:55

And I have been to Belund. My husband is a big LEGO guy and we did that before we went out on the hurricane. It's cool. Lego House. Look up Lego House in Belund.

Mark00:45:03

Never knew.

Arnold00:45:05

Close our mental floss with this. One of our presidents who also became. After he was out of office, he became a representative for a state. John Quincy Adams was an avid skinny dipper.His regular exercise regimen included dips in the Potomac River.

Dea00:45:25

That's chilly. That's like a polar skinny dip. Wow. Okay.

Mark00:45:30

I had no idea. I did never. I. Learning things all the time.

Arnold00:45:33

He was also, I think, an attorney for the Amistad case, if I'm not mistaken.

Mark00:45:38

All right. Okay, okay.

Arnold00:45:41

What days of the day do you have, Mark?

Mark00:45:43

Not a whole lot, but I have the. It's celebrate. Celebration of the Horse Day. Not the Mule Day, but the Horse Day. National. Be a dork Day.

Arnold00:45:54

Some people. That's every day.

Mark00:45:55

I know, right?

Dea00:45:56

Maybe us, I think all three of us. I hate to tell you.

Mark00:46:00

I know. Let's see. National Gummy Worm Day. But now you can get them as with. Laced with things. Right?

Arnold00:46:09

Oh, I'm sure you.

Dea00:46:10

I did not know about that, Mark.

Mark00:46:12

No, I've hardly heard about it. National I Love My Horses Day. That kind of goes with it. National Pet Safety Day. National Respect Canada Day.You should talk to the administration about that one.

Arnold00:46:27

Especially recently.

Mark00:46:28

I know it. Let's see. I don't. We don't have. Let me see if I have any more here. We're not. We don't have as many as we usually do for some reason.

Dea00:46:37

Well, yesterday was Bastille Day.

Mark00:46:39

Yes. Bastille Day was fun.

Dea00:46:41

It's when I founded my company.

Mark00:46:42

Oh, did you?

Dea00:46:43

Yes, in 2005.

Mark00:46:44

I'll be darn. Oh, is that right? On National Bastille Day.

Dea00:46:47

On accident. But it helps me remember it when I'm doing all my paperwork.

Mark00:46:51

It was National Bastille Day.

Arnold00:46:52

Yeah.

Dea00:46:52

Freedom Day. Freedom.

Mark00:46:53

Oh, wow. Whoa. Hold it. My computer's doing Funny things. It's got a mind of its own. I think I might be done.

Arnold00:47:03

Okay.

Mark00:47:04

Because it's just. This is. My computer's not cooperating.

Arnold00:47:07

Someone said 30 years ago, and my mind went to the 1970s, but they meant 1995, and now I need to lie down.

Dea00:47:18

It's 2025. What happened?

Arnold00:47:22

A million seconds ago, this was, you know, you got to get the date right. But the folks I'm reading this from, this was probably when I downloaded this was probably about three weeks ago. And it's July 15th.

Mark00:47:33

Okay.

Arnold00:47:34

A million seconds ago was May 23rd. A billion seconds ago was 1993. A trillion seconds ago was 30,000 BC.

Mark00:47:46

Oh.

Arnold00:47:47

The US national debt is now rising by $1 trillion every 180 days.

Mark00:47:53

That's for National Horse Day. Wow.

Arnold00:47:59

If you've ever seen the visual of what a million dollars looks like in hundred dollar bills, you could put it in a paper bag.

Mark00:48:06

What?

Arnold00:48:07

Yes. And when you see what a billion dollars looks like on a. On a pallet, it will surprise you.But when you see what a trillion dollars looks like on pallet pallets, it would fill a couple football fields.

Mark00:48:24

No.

Arnold00:48:25

Yes. So think about the national debt, folks.

Dea00:48:28

And when you're in Manhattan, they have it clicking up.

Mark00:48:31

Do they?

Dea00:48:32

Yeah. When you walk up.

Mark00:48:34

That's incredible. Staggering, isn't it? It's encouraging.

Arnold00:48:37

All right, so here's another one. There's more Bush beer. I mentioned this to you, Mark, was created despite Major League Baseball. STL.Cardinals owner August Bush Jr. Was told by MLB he couldn't name their ballpark of Budweiser Stadium. So he got approval to name it after his family. And then he ordered his brewers to create a new beer, Bush beer.

Mark00:48:58

Now the teams are taking the field.

Arnold00:49:00

And the umpire yells, play ball.

Dea00:49:03

And see, that's a fact you could use when you're giving a tour.

Arnold00:49:06

That's correct. And here's our last lesson for the day, Mark.

Mark00:49:09

Oh.

Arnold00:49:10

In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.

Mark00:49:16

Oh.

Dea00:49:18

My used car manager used to say, experience is what you need right after you get it.

Arnold00:49:24

That's exactly right. Thanks for coming in, Dia. It's always great to have you on the show.

Dea00:49:28

Thank you. I had a good time.

Mark00:49:30

Yeah.

Dea00:49:30

I appreciate it.

Mark00:49:31

It's always a good time. Come back next week.

Dea00:49:33

Okay.

Mark00:49:34

Write it down.

Dea00:49:35

Don't ask. Mark, I'll be back. I got plenty of things to talk to you about.

Arnold00:49:38

I get a call right before the show. Am I ready to come in?

Mark00:49:41

I know. Bring donuts.

Dea00:49:42

Okay, you just let me in the back door.

Arnold00:49:44

Donuts in a couple of calls. And that's all for this hour, folks. Thanks for listening.If you've enjoyed this episode, you can listen to additional shows@stlintune.com consider leaving a review on our website, Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, or your preferred podcast platform. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and continue to grow.Want to thank Bob Bertha Self for our theme music, our sponsor for the show Better Rate Mortgage, our guest Dia Hoover, and our co host Mark Langston. And thank you folks for being a part of our community of curious minds.St. Louis in tune is a production of Motif Media Group and the US Radio Network. Remember to keep seeking, keep learning, walk worthy and let your light shine. For St. Luis in tune, I'm Arnold Stricker.

Dea00:50:40

Sam.