By Paul Ovaitt 

Interviewer: So, when were you born?

Interviewee: A long time ago…hey, is the cash bar open?

er: I thought I was asking the questions, but yes, it is. Can we get you something while you tell us your life story?

ee: Sure. Well…here I am sitting at Harmonie Verein in Augusta, it’s the second Tuesday of the month, the time is 6:30 pm, and I’m being asked a lot of nosey questions.

er: We mean no harm; we are genuinely interested in the life story of long-time residents of southwestern St. Charles County. And we welcome whatever bits and pieces of local history you might reveal.

ee: Thanks for the beer. Hey, am I being videoed?

er: Yes, but rest assured our recordings are only used on the museum’s YouTube channel and for non-profit presentations for educational purposes. You might enjoy checking out the Augusta Museum’s website: https://www.augustamomuseum.com/

ee: Hey, does this live interview have anything to do with those Tell It Like It Was written stories from phone interviews? You know…the ones that that Paul Ovaitt guy writes?

er: Like brother and sister… As a matter of fact, many of those stories are posted on the museum’s website: https://www.augustamomuseum.com/tell-it-like-it-was-stories

ee: Yeah, I like those stories. Sometimes they’re even funny. I never knew that Ovaitt guy had a sense of humor.

er: …that’s nice. But the live interviews will be conducted and videoed by Angela Stephens, a recent addition to the board members of Friends of Historic Augusta. 

Gentle readers of Boone Country Connection, you are cordially invited to attend the live, public, Tell It Like It Was interviews, which will resume on the 2^nd Tuesday of each month in 2023. There is no admission fee, but donations are always welcome. The cash bar will be open too. 

Our first interview will take place January 10, 6:30 pm at Harmonie Verein, 5333 Hackmann Road, in Augusta. Our special guest will be Alan Frazier, airplane pilot, and long-time owner of the White House Tavern building. Besides answering our interview questions, he will share his knowledge of the history of that building. On Tuesday,  February 14, we interview Norbie Struckhoff, with a focus on the history of the American Legion Post 262. On Tuesday, March 14, we interview Bob Brail, historian and editor of the Boone Duden Historical Society newsletter. Bob will share his knowledge of the TNT area, and the loss of Hamburg, Howell and Toonerville, MO. http://thetntstory.org/.

Click here to view the flyer for this event.


Alan Frazier, January's 
guest speaker.