Longtime Radio Personality Marv Luten interviews guests, shares community updates, National and Local sports and more.
The Marv in the Morning Podcast is a production of O’Quinn Media. For information on being a guest or sponsor, email marvinthemorning53@gmail.com or tracy@oquinnmarketing.com.
— Automated Transcript —
Welcome to The Marv In The Morning podcast. Now, here’s Marv. Welcome to another episode of the Marv In The Morning podcast on the Fort Not Lost In The Woods podcast site. Brought to you by Bales Construction, the Bank of Crocker, Paul’s Furniture, Shelter Insurance Agent Dave Hallett of Richland, St. Robert Auto Supply, Seger Toyota, the Pulaski County Health Center, STR Glass of St. Robert, VFW Post 3168 of Laclede, and TK’s Pizza. Winter finally arrived and boy did she come in with a vengeance. We all knew those days around Christmas when temps were in the seventies, we were going to get paid back. And last week we did. An arctic blast of air coupled with some golf moisture, and a Southwest wind flow, dumped a major snowfall on the Ozarks and beyond. Estimates were some two hundred million plus in America would be affected by the snow, ice, bone-chilling cold, and dangerous wind chills. The weather forecasters have made mistakes before and many were wishing this was one of those, but for the most part, it wasn’t. I thought back around the Christmas holiday, maybe there is something to this global warming. This past week, I’m back to where I was before. Global warming my butt. As I sat down to outline this podcast over the weekend where I was buried in my recliner while we were buried in snow, I was not sure we were going to have a podcast this week. As I laid the ink to this, I wasn’t sure it would happen, but thanks to a good neighbor with a skid steer and the county who graded our road, here I am. We ended up with about six inches in my neck of the woods, maybe a bit more. One nice thing about last Saturday’s snow with the wind was not too bad. Well, that changed on Sunday. Sun tried to break through in the afternoon and it actually made it out in some locations. We have not had a snowfall like this in a while. And if we did, we did not have those bone-chilling cold temperatures. At least that’s my recollection and I’ve slept a few times since our last snowfall. The problem with the sun coming out means clearing skies and that’s when temperatures well below zero for Monday morning. It was the coldest morning I’ve experienced at the farm since I’ve been there since ’91 and maybe the coldest ever. Our thermometer registered twenty below zero on the river. I was up at 3:00 that morning in my vehicles seeing if anything was going to run. Luckily they did and Monday despite the frigid start turned out to be okay. While I started this week’s podcast on Sunday while I was watching some football, I could say with confidence, schools will be closed this week. For the most part, because there’s little melting in sight and with the Ozark terrain, school buses are not going to venture up and down the hills. Virtual learning has made it a lot easier for superintendents to call off classes and still get their days in they need for the year without tacking on extra days at the end of the school year because I assume many of the area schools will be out for a while. To make things more difficult at the farm, one of our cows decided to drop a calf about three or four days prior to the start of the frigid weather and snow, but thanks to the good Lord, her mama and some diligence from my wife, the calf survived and my wife quickly named it Hardy. And for good reason. President Trump was at it again this time in Switzerland at a global summit with many members of NATO on hand and of course Greenland was the main subject. He did back down on using the military to acquire the island which there are already a lot of US forces in Greenland. The Prez said they came away with an agreement about using Greenland, took the military force and the purchase of the island off the table especially after Denmark, Greenland and NATO said it was not for sale. Trump used to be in real estate in his private life and apparently there’s some of that still in his blood. Then he said our allies in Afghanistan were pretty much standing in the background while the US was engaged with the Taliban, which pissed off many of our allies who lost many of their military personnel in that war. He then backed down on some of those comments. But the damage had already been done. Our President is no diplomat and his lack of respect for our allies is a bit concerning. Then there’s the ongoing unrest in Minnesota where Ice agents shot and killed a protester who was armed with a nine-millimeter gun, but did not brandish the weapon before he was tackled by about six agents who took the gun then stepped back and fired ten rounds at him in a matter of seconds and the outrage erupted again and continues. The Governor and Mayor of Minneapolis are Democrats. The administration is Republican and the press conferences on the shooting took on very different views of what actually happened. The political affiliation should not matter at the least. An American citizen was shot and killed by federal agents and did not have to happen. When six agents had him in their grasp, a little pepper spray and six against one should have been enough. This is not the movies as we’ve seen before where there’s ice agents, there’s trouble. And until the local law enforcement in the city and the Feds start working together to quell the uprising, it’s just going to keep getting worse as we go along. Enough of that. As we get to the meat of this episode. This week on the podcast we’re going to talk about things coming up in warmer times. As we visit with Beth Wiles, director of the Pulaski County Tourism Office in St. Robert. There’s a lot of talk about this being the 100th anniversary of the Mother Road Route 66. We’ll be back with Beth in a moment. Are you tired of all the games the other furniture stores play? At Paul’s Furniture, we’ve got the biggest name brands at the guaranteed lowest prices. You come in, you’re going to see that price on it. The next time you come in it’s going to be the exact same price because we always have the best deals, the best prices, and the biggest name brands with free delivery. We’re going to do whatever it takes to earn your business at Paul’s Furniture. That’s what’s made us the number one furniture store in Pulaski and Phelps County for the last 30 years. All right if you’re tired of the games that others play, come see us at Paul’s Furniture. When you’ve been in business since 1939 and when you do the math, that’s 85 years, you’re doing something right. Bales Construction in Waynesville has been doing things right for a long time and that continues today. Bales Construction has rapidly grown from being Pulaski and neighboring counties’ top residential builder to one of Missouri’s largest commercial general contractors. Today they specialize in construction of educational and healthcare facilities, but their excellence in building does not stop there, completing an extensive number of projects such as banking, retail, industrial, civil, multi-family, food service, hospitality, transportation, and municipal projects. Their offices in Waynesville and Springfield, Missouri allows Bales Construction to cover a large portion of Central and Southwest Missouri. Explore their website and see what Bales can build for you. Some things never go out of style, like good pizza and a place that feels like home. For over forty-five years, TK’s Pizza has been serving the Pulaski County community with fresh dough, classic recipes, and plenty of heart from pizza and calzones to toasted subs, fresh salads, pasta, and more. It’s the flavor generations keep coming back for. Call 573-336-FAST. Order online at 336fast.com or just come see us at 743 Missouri Avenue in St. Robert, the same little spot we’ve been throwing dough for decades. TK’s Pizza, taste the TK’s tradition. On the podcast today, we have again another returning guest, Beth Wiles, who is the director of the Pulaski County Tourism Bureau at least for a little while. I hear there’s news about maybe um retirement. Yes, I am sliding into the next chapter in mid-June. So, I’ve had a little over twenty-three years with the bureau and uh you know, it’s time for some fresh ideas, new vision and uh so I’m excited for the future. Well, this is going to be a busy year for Yes. the Tourism Bureau simply because and one of the things we’re going to talk about plus all the other stuff that’s coming up is the fact that this is the 100th anniversary of Route 66 and there’s going to be a lot of things happening along the Mother Road, not only here in Pulaski County but throughout the country. Oh, yes. All eight states are excited and ready. There’s a lot been a lot of folks planning for twelve, thirteen years on the Centennial. And uh you know, we’ve seen tremendous growth on Route 66, probably over the last fifteen years, and uh it’s just escalated the last couple and uh we’re excited. I notice not only here in Waynesville but other places, they’re taking some of these old broken-down shabby-looking buildings and kind of refurbishing them to make it look nice along the Mother Road. Yes. Um there’s actually quite a few grants that were available, um both at the national level and state levels. And um so a lot of people have taken advantage of that opportunity and uh have gotten some funding to help them. So, without those grants, some of those buildings may still be looking a little shabby. Yeah, absolutely. You know, some of the character of Route 66, you know is the long ago era and you know, seeing some of the abandoned properties, but it’s also the new and fresh exciting sites, uh the quirky sites. So, uh you know, there’s a lot to experience on the route. Well, I noticed in Waynesville, I mean, we’ve got a big Route 66 sign sitting on the County Courthouse lawn. Yes. We’ve got a beautiful mural that’s painted on Dollar General portraying Route 66. Yes. And as you go down the road. I haven’t really traveled Route 66 much out of Pulaski County to tell you the truth. This is your year. This is the year. You’re right. It’s time to go. I know we have some events that are coming up. Yeah, we do and you know, I want to backtrack to the murals of Waynesville. There’s actually five between Waynesville and up into Buckhorn that were all painted by a famous artist, Ray Harvey. And he has uh created murals all up and down in eight states. Uh it’s fantastic. We have a listing of all those murals here in our local area on Pulaski County USA.com. So. Really? Yeah. Yeah. So he’s been a busy man. Yes, very, very busy. And uh so we’re excited to see more of his new art going up uh later this year and um we’ll just stay tuned. So the eight states, of course uh it starts Yes. in basically Chicago. Yes. Yes, starting points in Chicago, runs down into Missouri, about thirteen miles of Kansas, Oklahoma, and on west and it ends in California at Santa Monica. Do you know anything about what’s happening out west? Um not a tremendous amount mainly because I just stay so busy right here in Pulaski County in the immediate area. And we do have several events um coming up here in Pulaski County. We have got uh June 27th and 28th is the Cave State Cruiser event down in the Waynesville Park. And they are adding uh additional um activities to their uh 38th year of holding that event. Um so they’re have contracted to have monster truck come down into the park. And so you definitely want to put that event on your calendar. It’s uh a great time, uh great family event. Ton of cars and bikes and so definitely plan for that one. Are they going to show off the monster truck or is this just going to be a a sight to behold because first off to take a look at these things, you wonder how the hell they ever get up into these things. Exactly, exactly. Well, Mac Myers had uh stopped by last week and uh just shared the news with me and um he said, you know, they’ve still working out all the details and plans, but uh he said, we do have a monster truck coming so I’m like, that’s fantastic. What else? So the uh Route 66 yard sale. That’s been going on I think six or seven years now. And that it started out as a 100-mile yard sale from Pulaski down to Webster County. And that is the first Friday and Saturday of August of each year and it has grown and grown and grown. And uh there’s no cost for people to um hold their yard sales during that event. There is some marketing that goes in uh by each county or city. And uh helps push that event, but we have seen uh travelers from all around the US coming to find their great treasures on the Route 66 yard sale. And travelers are going to be coming down uh Route 66. They’ll be coming from the west to the east and the east to the west and what I know you’ve probably been in contact or have been contacted by some of these groups. Oh yeah, um we have uh had quite a few groups and international travel planners of that have put together itineraries um specific to Route 66. You know, a lot of your group tours, um you know, they’re going to major destinations normally. You know, say, you know, the Bransons, the Oklahomas. So we get a lot of pass-through. And um now they’re starting to actually plan itineraries for Route 66. And with the City of St. Robert Route 66 Neon Park, uh we’re actually able to capture that business and keep them overnight here in Pulaski County. So it’s been very, very successful. All because of somebody’s ingenuity to say, hey, let’s let’s get a bunch of old neon signs, put it back uh put it back to life again and shine them on the Mother Road. Yeah. And you know, I passed by the park last Monday evening, um you know, and here it is middle of January and there was like eight cars sitting out there at dusk when the lights come on. I’m like, here it is January and they’re parked out there. I had the cutest couple come in the visitor center Monday and I had a chance to work with them. And uh they had been in a conference in St. Louis. They were actually from Iowa. Uh they had seen one of our ads promoting uh Meet in Pulaski County with the Freedom Rock um picture. And they had been involved in their Freedom Rock up in Iowa, in their county in Iowa. So they were like, we’re going to make a trip down uh a couple hours and go see their Freedom Rock. And they spent the night and discovered the Route 66 uh um Neon Park and they found Uranus and you know, they just had a fantastic time. And they’re planning to come back this summer and do some floating. Well, that’s great. So, you never know what’s going to catch someone’s attention and intrigue them to travel. We have some groups uh that are also uh planning to come down? Yeah, um we actually had booked um several groups uh for 2026 that are uh specific to uh I guess larger groups you can say, The Great Race. Um this is stopping in Waynesville for lunch, June 21st. And what they do is they have um uh race um through different areas of the United States. And this year, of course, they chose Route 66. They’re starting in um I believe Springfield, Illinois area and uh will head our way. And then they go on out towards California. And so we’re excited to have them. Um they’re going to be about 130 um vintage vehicles um anywhere from the early um or the late 1900s up to 1970 compete. It is not a speed race. Um you know, it’s a timed race is what it is. And then we I would imagine with those vehicles just getting to your destination uh would be a a challenge. I wonder how much I wonder how many tools they keep in these vehicles just so the in case something happens along the Mother Road, they can repair them. It It does happen and that’s something we’ve uh visited with um with the planners. You know, they have what they call sag units that follow and are able to help them out, but we also will be notifying our local garage um service um outlets to let them know they’re in the area because they may be getting some calls. I did notice uh down at um the Route 66 um mechanic shop but right across the Roubidoux bridge. Um there’s a Studebaker sitting down there. I think it’s a Studebaker. Uh but I was wondering if that might have been one of the cars that maybe crapped out on the road. Maybe maybe they’re uh they’re getting the garage to fix it for them. They might be. You never know what Chad’s working on down there. You bet, you don’t. So other other things that are coming up? Yeah, um we have a gentleman Joe Barr, um he’s been planning oh gosh about three years now his bicycle route um across Route 66. So we’re expecting him in mid-June. He was thinking around the 12th to the 15th that he’ll be through our area. And then we did book um Big BAM. That’s the bicycle across Missouri event. Um Pulaski County and Waynesville have hosted them um two other times. And so they will be here on Labor Day next or this year, September 7th. And they actually are riding from Joplin to the east. And so uh once they leave Lebanon, um on the 7th, they’ll arrive in the City of Waynesville Park and overnight and they will be looking for shuttles and taxis and uh Ubers to get around town to do some various activities. Um and they’ll be eating out and some camping, some will be staying at the hotels. So we’re excited to have them back. So, this is a lot of money for Pulaski County as far as the tourism goes. Yes. Yes. You know, a lot of times, you know, if you’re not in the industry or in the hospitality industry, you just think a vacation is a fun time away from here. You know, because we want to escape from our work and and fam, you know, troubles and that type of thing. You know, but it is a huge economic boom for a community. No matter how small they are. And here in Pulaski County in um FY 2024, over $100 million was spent in our communities by tourists. We have over 3,000 people employed here in our communities in the hospitality industry. That’s that’s a lot of folks for our communities. And uh you know, this is all information gathered by the State of Missouri. Um it’s important to know these figures and how that impacts us. Of course, it does and of course I the money like you said because we don’t have anything else, we don’t have any industry here. I mean, if every heaven forbid, if anything happens to Fort Leonard Wood, you know, and you never know what’s going on with this administration that we’ve got going right now. Uh we won’t that’s for another podcast. Um but, you know, we’re we’re a sinking ship. That’s why it’s it’s vital actually for communities to diverse in their offerings. And tourism is probably the biggest growth opportunity that we have for Pulaski County. And all of these elements are important. Um you know, so I’m been excited to be a part of that for many years now. And unfortunately, you won’t be after this year, but like you said, it’s time to uh move on and find another chapter in your life. Um we wish you well. Don’t go away. We’re going to come back with Beth and talk a little bit more about uh some of the other stuff that’s still coming up here in Pulaski County this year. Don’t go away. At Shelter Insurance, we believe insurance should adjust to fit your needs. That’s why we work with you to design an auto, home and life insurance plan that’s particular to you. Insurance that fits just right. And Shelter is known for our award-winning customer service, satisfied customers and a plan for you. Ready to check us out? Shelter Insurance. We are your shield. We are your shelter. For a free insurance review, for auto, home, life, farm, or business insurance, see me, Dave Hallett, your Shelter Insurance agent in Richland. In these days of texting and emails, words, phrases, and names are shortened to letters. It doesn’t change anything, it just makes things easier. That’s the case of STR Glass, a St. Robert establishment since the 60s. Still the same great service when it comes to auto glass, windows, shower doors, and anything to do with glass. And when it comes to fixing chips in your windshield to prevent cracking, there’s none better. They’re still in the same location on VFW Memorial Drive and still have the same phone number 336-4122. They’ve just shortened their name from St. Robert Glass to STR Glass. But we’ll never shorten their services to you, the customer. Hey, let’s meet at the V. VFW Post 3168 in Laclede. They have some big events coming up. A Valentine’s Day dinner is something you won’t want to miss. Dinner for two for just $65, which of course will include their great steaks. Get a 20-ounce rib eye cooked the way you want it. And that 20-ouncer is plenty for two. It also includes two baked potatoes or choice of fries, two orders of Brussels sprouts, two rolls, and a choice of either red velvet cake or German chocolate cake. All for a price you’ll find hard to beat anywhere in or out of town. That’s Saturday, February 14th, Valentine’s Day. A day that special person in your life will remember. Then, February 15th, join the VFW post for a 1:00 p.m. chili cook-off. Bring your best recipe. Get in on the fun and you might take home a prize. Check their Facebook page for more info. Don’t miss a special February at VFW Post 3168, Exit 150 off I-44 on the South Outer Road, where they are smoke-free in the canteen and main dining room, but they do offer a smokers’ room. See you at the V. We’re back with Beth Wiles, director of the Pulaski County Tourism Bureau. And of course, um it’s another year and that means we’re going to have all kinds of and let’s talk about some summer events because I think right now everybody is bound and determined, uh at least looking towards spring. Oh my gosh, I know I am. I am not a winner person. So I am so ready for uh sun and warmth. You know, but our great outdoors, you know, that is a huge aspect of Pulaski County and also something we’re very well known for. We have some fantastic outfitters offering a great experience out along the river ways or camping or some of them have cabins and little tiny homes that you can escape to, you know, for the week or the weekend. And we have something that’s kind of unique and that is a trout stream that runs smack dab through the middle of downtown Waynesville. I know there is another one out in a little town called Basalt, Colorado, which is right outside of Aspen. I know because I have been there. And I was living here in Pulaski County when we went out. I’m going, wow, you people have a trout stream running through your town too. So do we, I mean it’s and I’ve talked to the conservation agents and they say it’s quite unusual but um we do generate money from the trout tags they sell and it gets stocked and that I mean the fishing opportunities around here are just unreal if you’re a fisherman. It is. And you know, it’s not crowded. It’s relaxing. It’s beautiful, you know, one of the most beautiful spots in the county is right down there, you know, at the Roubidoux Spring. You know, and right there is the National Park Service Cherokee encampment, the Trail of Tears Memorial. And that is a big draw for our area as well. The spring itself um brings in cave divers from around the world to experience the uniqueness of the Roubidoux Cave. So, you know, something we drive by every day, we don’t necessarily realize the importance and significance to to tourism. I’ve had some friends of mine who came down from St. Louis and they went diving uh down to that cave. This was years ago and they said there crawdads down there are big as lobsters. Woo! Yeah. Bring ’em out. Don’t leave ’em there. Let’s have dinner. Springtime, you have Memorial Day coming up and every year out in Buckhorn. Yes. We have the Freedom of the Road rally. Yes. Yes, Mid-America Freedom Rally. And uh they’re already been working on their plans for that event this year. In fact, they just sent over their information to the bureau. So we’re excited to have them back on board and be helping them with some marketing uh on that event. It’s very unique. The property out there is gorgeous. You know, the Shrine Club has done such a marvelous job in developing that. And they host a lot of different event planners out there throughout the year. So just, you know, keep uh in touch with the Shrine Club and our uh calendar and so you know what’s going on out there. A lot of stuff on Facebook, folks. Oh yeah. And also this is the uh 250th birthday of the United States of America. July 4th coming up. Yes. I would imagine that uh there’s going to be some extra fireworks being shot off. I bet so. Do we have any Are there any plans of uh some 4th of July events? So I know that uh Fort Leonard Wood is still working on their event. And then uh Richland also puts on fireworks. They generally hold theirs the week after. Um so you can spread that out over a week celebration. And then in September there’s Patriot Day that they hold. And uh there’s a sapper competition and things like that. So just keep keep your eyes peeled on Pulaski County USA.com calendar. Um as those uh events develop and those planners start getting more and more information out there. And one of the businesses that supplies a lot of the fireworks and all the explosions for our neck of the woods is in Pulaski County. Over in Rich, I think it’s Pulaski County. It might be a little across the line. Yeah, but it’s uh Premier Pyrotechnics, Matt Sutcliffe. We had Matt on the show last year. And I’m going to try and get him back this year. It just um I’ve known Matt for a long time. The stuff that they put together and where they have to go, my goodness, it is unbelievable. And how he got started with this was was really neat. So. Yeah. Yeah. He is phenomenal. And his dad, um and mom, owned Gasconade Hills Resort for many, many, many years. And just good family. Really good family. Yeah. And you could see from my house, you could hear the explosions because I live upriver from Gasconade Hills. Now, mind you, it’s about six hours to get down there. But with the explosions they put on at Gasconade Hills, um you could still hear the noise upriver. And if you if you got in a good place on top of the hill, might be able to see some of the fireworks that went on. As we go through, uh the summer, we’ve got um Labor Day, of course, uh coming up. Anything special for Labor Day that you know of at this point in time? Yeah, you know, the uh Big BAM will be coming through. Um Crocker Railroad Days always has a great festival that keeps continuing to grow over there. Um a lot of the uh planners tend to um start putting more information out along about June for those fall events. Um another one that’s really cool and unique to our area is out at Ruby’s Landing and the Haunted River Floats. And they have a haunted house, river floats, different activities that they conduct out at the campground. And that is actually, you know, almost two months, you know, September through October, Friday and Saturday nights. And we have tourists travel from states away to experience the Haunted River Floats. So that’s pretty cool. Then of course in October you have uh Dixon Cow Days, which is a huge event over uh in the Dixon area. And that’s been going on for years and years. Oh, years and years. And you know, they went uh to three days last year and so we’re excited to see their growth in their community event. And then pretty soon we’re going to be back to fall and winter. Oh my gosh. Yeah. And it’ll and it’ll be gone so fast. Yeah. So fast. And we won’t know where 2026 went. No. Now, as long as we can get by for the next month, uh I think a lot of us will be happy especially after the the squall we had that came through here. Oh yeah. Uh earlier this month. And mind you, um Mother Nature and I have said this when we had those 70-degree days at Christmas. We’re going to pay for this and sure enough. Beth, thank you so much for your time. It’s always a pleasure. Thank you. You bet. Beth Wiles, Pulaski County Tourism Director, our guest on our podcast today. We’ll be right back. It’s good vibes and great rates at Seger Toyota in St. Robert. You’re going to love this. 13 new Toyotas at 4.99% financing and three at 3.99%. That includes 26 Camry with a vibe all their own and standard with all-wheel drive and hybrid and good for 50 plus miles per gallon. Let’s get lower. Seven new Seger Toyotas at 2.99% and here it is. Yes, four at 0% financing. Seger Toyota St. Robert, good vibes, great rates. Next to Walmart and at Seger Toyota.net. Must qualify with approved credit. Terms and specific models apply. Expires 2226. Winter weather driving can take a toll on your vehicle and your wallet. Take the necessary steps to make it as pain-free as possible with a trip to your Napa Auto Parts store, St. Robert Auto Supply, just off Missouri Avenue. Your Napa Auto Parts Center has everything you’ll need from their line of Napa Legend batteries to the best there is in windshield wipers from Bosch, Trico, and the Napa brand of quality wipers. You’ll find about every brand of anti-freeze on the market and of course, jumper cables which should be in every vehicle in the winter months. But the best thing I’ve found at St. Robert Auto Supply is the knowledge the staff at St. Robert Auto Supply has to help their customers with any problem that comes your way. Need a part they don’t have? They’ll have it the next day making downtime minimal. That’s why I recommend St. Robert Auto Supply to anyone who asks. Besides the great Napa brand of auto parts, is the customer service you get in a time when customer service is a thing of the past. Not at your Napa Auto Parts store, St. Robert Auto Supply, just off Missouri Avenue and you’ll get the good stuff seven days a week. Time for some sports. The crazy and competitive NFL playoffs held their NFC and AFC Championship games last Sunday, setting the stage for Super Bowl 60 and both games went down to the wire. The AFC was first and what a change in that game thanks to the weather in Denver. The Broncos hosted New England where New England comes from Boston, the field was covered in white, something we experienced last weekend, but in Denver it was sunny and looked good at the start of the game. Until the second half when Mother Nature took over and reminded us watching, don’t bet on football games because it will stick you in your rear. While betting on sports is causing a concern of players and coaches making money throwing games, if you bet against Mother Nature, you’re a sure loser. The Patriots are going back to the Super Bowl under coach Mike Vrabel, the only person in NFL history who won a Super Bowl as a player and now is the head coach of that same team going to the Super Bowl and could win it again. I’m happy for Vrabel, but sad for Denver because with all respect to their backup quarterback, the weather in Denver turned sour and Denver should not hang their heads. But their running game and turnovers cost them missed opportunities and a young New England team is headed back to the dance. And football supremacy in New England is back and fans in Boston are rejoicing. Is there any major city in the US with as many sports teams as Boston that can brag about consistency? The Celtics, the Bruins, the Red Sox and the Patriots. Look at the national championships they’ve won and it’s no wonder anyone outside of Boston hates it when New England wins anything. The Patriots will face Seattle, who edged the Rams in the NFC Championship game where weather was no problem. The Rams problem was Seattle and quarterback Sam Darnold and the Rams defense because every time they got close, the Seahawks came back. There are probably two, a quarterback and a head coach, who did not want to see this match-up. The last time Seattle was in the Super Bowl, they met the Patriots and Tom Brady. The Seahawks gave up the biggest lead in Super Bowl history at the time, allowed the Patriots to come back in the game and with Seattle deep in New England territory with little time left on the clock, head coach Pete Carroll took the blame for this call on a pass play with the best running back in the game at the time, Marshawn Lynch. The pass intercepted quarterback Russell Wilson at the goal line and New England won it. There will be a lot of clips of that play that Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll may not want to view again and again. Not sure who wins this game, but after all he’s been through, Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold is due. So my money is on Seattle. Kansas City Chiefs are moving from a disappointing season with the departure of Matt Nagy, their offensive coordinator and bringing back Eric Bieniemy to that same position. One he held with the Chiefs during many of their successful Super Bowl seasons. At least that’s the current thought. They also hired Chad O’Shea as their wide receiver coach. O’Shea was most recently with Cleveland but won several Super Bowls as the wide receivers coach for the New England Patriots. O’Shea got his start, ironically, as an assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs. Over the years he’s also spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, the Patriots, the Dolphins, the Cleveland Browns and gets high praise from former Pats receivers including Rob Gronkowski and his former bosses. St. Louis Cardinals are bringing back a legend, but not in the way that many thought it might happen. The team announced that they have hired Yadier Molina as a special assistant to President of Baseball Operations, John Mozeliak. Not sure what his job will be, but just having Yadier’s knowledge around the younger players will be a plus and especially the catchers. When Molina was a player, he called the game behind the plate. He knew the hitters, what pitches they did well with, what pitches they did not. And the Red Bird pitchers prospered with Molina behind the plate. Some local sports, Top seed Dixon won the annual Iberia tournament which was completed just prior to last week’s crappy winter weather. The Bulldogs swept through the tournament with wins over Crocker, Tuscumbia, and a 78-49 thumping of Iberia in the title game. It was the second tournament the Bulldogs have won this season, repeating as the Frisco League tournament champs back in early December before taking the Iberia tournament last week. Districts start at the end of February and we’ll have the assignments coming up next week or the following week. Back after this. Since 1911, the Bank of Crocker has served the greater Pulaski County area. This year marks their 115th year. How do you last that long? Well, by giving their customers cutting-edge banking services with a hometown flair. You can do your banking from anywhere in the world with their convenient online banking. At the big banks, you’re just another number. At the Bank of Crocker, they know your name, maybe some of your family and might even know the name of the dog sitting next to you in the drive-in facility. It’s called the personal touch, which is why they’re celebrating their 115th year as your hometown bank. And there’s four locations for your convenience in Crocker, Richland, Waynesville, and St. Robert. The Bank of Crocker, remember, FDIC and Equal Housing Lender. As women, we are often the caregivers to others, but tend to neglect care for ourselves. Mark this year, your year for good health with the Show Me Healthy Women program at the Pulaski County Health Center in Waynesville. If you are between the ages of 21 and 64 years old, have no insurance with a fixed household income, you can qualify. There’s no time like the present to take care of you. For more information or to make an appointment, call 573-774-3820 or stop by the Pulaski County Health Center at 104 Ashley May Lane in Waynesville. Thanks for joining me for this week’s episode, believe it or not, number 86, brought to you by Bales Construction, the Bank of Crocker, Paul’s Furniture, Shelter Insurance Agent Dave Hallett of Richland, St. Robert Auto Supply, Seger Toyota, the Pulaski County Health Center, STR Glass of St. Robert, VFW Post 3168 of Laclede, and TK’s Pizza. Thanks to those sponsors and thanks to my producer, Tracy, for putting this all together. And thanks to you for letting me be a part of your lives for at least a short period of time. If you’re enjoying the Marv In The Morning podcast, we invite you to leave a review on whatever app you’re listening on. We would also love for you to share the episode with family and friends on your social media accounts. Be sure to follow our podcast on Facebook on the Marv In The Morning podcast page. You’re also invited to join us on Facebook on the Fort Not Lost In The Woods podcast group. This podcast is a production of O’Quinn Media. Join me next time when we talk a little music about a band that’s no longer around, thanks to apparently budget cuts at the federal level. Try to figure that one out and we’ll see you next week. Weather permitting. Later.{“promptTokenCount”:72486,”candidatesTokenCount”:8563,”totalTokenCount”:81049,”promptTokensDetails”:[{“modality”:”TEXT”,”tokenCount”:21},{“modality”:”AUDIO”,”tokenCount”:72465}]}