ON THE MIGHTY MISSISSIP’ SAFE BASE journeys to Hannibal

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June 19, 2013 - 12:00 AM

It’s been just two weeks since SAFE BASE’s summer program kicked off. The youths have slept in a zoo, come face-to-face with wild animals — and now, they have had the opportunity to experience Mark Twain’s old stomping grounds firsthand.
The students and staff, 88 in total, walked up over the levy in Hannibal, Mo., on June 12 and caught their first glimpse of the Mississippi River. That’s when their jaws dropped.
“It seemed a little bit like a unifying moment, when we saw the river for the first time,” SAFE BASE Director Angela Henry said. “It was one of those checkpoint moments, where it was all worth it.”
The bus ride had taken the group six hours, and Henry said the southern heat was starting to get to the kids. But, as the sun began to drop and the students had their tents set up, they got into their rhythm. Henry said the students are already becoming a “well-oiled machine” when setting up camp.
“It worked slick, I was impressed,” she said. Henry sat in the Lincoln Elementary gymnasium on Monday afternoon, registering students for the final leg of their summer program — a week-long camping trip to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

HENRY SAID the students had a unique opportunity to experience Hannibal from the eyes of Twain, or Samuel Clemens, as was his actual name. The group had tour guides take them through Mt. Olivet Cemetery, where Clemens’ family and Injun Joe were buried. The cemetery is not normally open to the public.
“Some of the kids were a little bit apprehensive,” Henry said of the tension in the cemetery. The tour guides handed out dowsing rods to “detect spirits,” as well as learn about the history of the people buried there.
“But, but by the end of everything, they were running around excited like everybody else,” Henry said.
After camping Wednesday evening, the students cooked dinner (sloppy joes); they woke up the next morning ready for a riverboat tour of the mighty Mississippi. Recent rains had resulted in high waters, but Henry said the tour was “no problem.”
After running up and down the river, the students had a chance to take photos with the captain and see his cabin — it induced awe from the kids as well, Henry said.
They finished up the trip by touring several different museums, including Twain’s boyhood home. They returned to Iola at 7 p.m. that evening.

“IT WAS very reassuring that we’ll be able to pull off Colorado,” Henry said. Music played in the background as the students filed in with their parents, checking duffels and figuring out logistics. Sleeping bags, tents and camping equipment were scattered across the gym floor.
“We are just tying up the loose ends,” Henry said of the impending trip. The group leaves for Denver at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Due to recent wildfires, the group will not be visiting Royal Gorge — it suffered extensive damage. However, she said there are several options her staff is looking into.
There are 99 students and staff signed up for the week-long endeavor. Henry said she hopes to see friends, family and community at 8:30 p.m. at Lincoln Elementary to see the students off for the final leg of their summer adventures.

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