Robinson’s Ramblings

The entire planet is coming to your backyard this month. If you believe the hype, our highways will be jammed, restaurants overflowing. Latecomers to Columbia’s total eclipse will find no room in the inn. Better stock up on snacks. Sun…

Missourians can’t help it. They keep tearing Lawrence down. Apologies to the good people of Lawrence, Kansas — both of them — but there’s bad blood between them and us. You know most of the story: The Civil War really began along the border…

Queenie was pissed. She’d just overheard that the American Dog Museum is leaving Missouri, moving from St. Louis back to Manhattan. It was a blow to Queenie’s psyche. That’s what I believe she thinks. But who knows? We’d just given her a…

Columbia loves a winner. Our pride soars when we watch our hometown heroes. NASCAR backflippers. Hollywood Hamms. Gridiron greats. This town has cranked out bold thinkers and bestsellers, cool actors, business titans, and science…

She’s an absolute knockout, the goddess perched atop the Missouri State Capitol dome. She’s been there for a hundred years. Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, has watched over us through droughts and pestilence, fires and floods. But…

photo courtesy of Andree Martis Think “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” But this story is real. “We were planning our first real vacation in several years,” Gina Overshiner recounts. Her family considered a cruise or Disney World. Her…

Next time you sit down with the kids to watch Disney’s “Pinocchio,” listen to the cricket. He was born in your backyard. When that loveable bug sings, “When You Wish Upon a Star,” the voice of Jiminy Cricket is that of a Missourian named…

Mark Twain would love Jimmy Carter, I suspect. Not long ago, under a canopy of stars in downtown Columbia, Carter left the safety of the stage and snaked through the crowd, dancing and clapping and shouting a gospel riff so infectious that…

Remember when Columbia’s trails were exclusively for exercise? Not any more. Today’s trails are hi-speed conduits to commerce and social networking. The routes remain the same — albeit a few more than a decade ago — and the surroundings are…

The late, great Sutton's. L.G. PATTERSON You gotta be kidding! You might get away with boldly declaring your favorite pizza parlor or Tex-Mex Margaritaville. But barbecue is religion. And when people try to crown the king of…

You know what they say about opinions. Imagine riding herd with 280 businesses who publish their opinions every week. These publishers — and their editors, reporters and photographers — form the Missouri Press Association. For nearly 150…

Fair winds ushered Cheryl and me into Cruz Bay, our favorite port. We stepped off our sloop onto St. John, the diamond in the American cluster of jewels called the Virgin Islands. It was our last port of call before we returned to Columbia,…

“I met an old buddy of yours,” I told my Uncle Dan. He received the news as I expected he would, since he lies 6 feet beneath the granite marker that bears the name Daniel W. Drake. There was a smile in the air over this corner of Looney…

Summer break is ticking away. Your big plans got compromised: work deadlines, honey-do projects, ball games. You’re mired in commitments you made six months ago. And back-to-school bells are ringing. If your getaway got away without you,…

It was lonely on the road. I missed Columbia. When I get home, I promised, I’ll treat myself to a platter of fried oysters at Murry’s, or a gyro at G&D, maybe some chili cheese fries at Mugs Up. I’ll hit a hometown brewery, a…

You’ve been the target of a rumor. At some point in your life, you’ve had to dispel a falsehood. Wanton romance … crooked business … nasty habits. It’s happened to us all. And one thing you know for sure: If you let a rumor fester, it…

Did you ever have to say "no"? Persistent children … unwanted advances … unsolicited sales calls. Just like you, our lawmakers must say "no" all the time. Look no further than our local champion of the budget. Kudos to Sen. Kurt…