About Jasper County, MO

I received this neighborhood letter from the Briarbrook Community Improvement District (BCID). It's full of great information about the latest happenings at the Briarbrook Clubhouse and the Golf Course Tournament Schedule for 2012!

Dear Briarbrook Friends,

Amazing is the word many of you have said when discussing 2011 here at Briarbrook. Just one year ago, the Briarbrook Community Improvement District (BCID) took possession of the facility and now we have a restaurant & bar, remodeled swimming pool, remodeled clubhouse, and a wonderful golf course. 2012 is going to be very exciting for the community. Café on the Green is very excited to be the restaurant of the BCID and for the upcoming golf season. Their staff has enjoyed getting to know all of you. The workout room is now under construction and should be completed soon.

We are also replacing the cart path on #4 immediately and more replacement is coming this spring! Work on #4 cart path will begin on Monday January 30th. This will be a major aesthetic transformation for the hole. I am excited to see the finished result once we can complete the finish work with sod. Unfortunately, the hole must be closed during construction of the new path. Please be patient with the construction crew as it could take up to two weeks to complete if the weather cooperates. By skipping the hole, everyone can just take a par on the hole and move on to #5 or just come back around and play #1 again after hole 18. Remember all private cart trail fees go directly into the cart path replacement fund and come spring time, with the remaining balance from 2011 and 2012 renewals, we will be able to get a good amount of paths replaced.

I am beyond words for describing the changes that have occurred and am very excited about the future of our community facility. I think everyone is proud of Briarbrook and excited to spread the word to our friends. This is a great family facility and an incredible value.

Good News!!! The 2012 rates will remain the same as 2011. The annual memberships will still be available for a discount if paid up front. Monthly payments are an option but ACH (automatic payment) through a checking or savings account will be required. Both locker rooms now have very nice showers for your use. The locker rooms are complete and lockers are now available for rent. There are several lockers that have been in use but we don’t have record of who is using them, nor do we have an extra key. Please inform us if you have a locker and whether you want to keep it for this year. We need to know this by 3/1/12 or we will be forced to replace the locks and remove the contents in the lockers. The locker fees will help fund towels and shampoo/soap. The towels will be for locker room use only and not for golf course use.

Briarbrook has also added more events for 2012. Some events require shotgun start and some just call for you to sign up and play anytime during that day with whomever you want and the results will post the next day. Below is a list of tournaments Briarbrook will be hosting. These events are open to the public but members will receive a discount.

• March 17, 2012 Modified Stableford: This is a points-based format similar to the former PGA International tour event. This will have a minimal entry fee and as long as you play with someone else that is signed up for the event, you can play anytime throughout the day with any group you want. This way, the course doesn’t get shut down for a shotgun start but still offers an event for all to participate.
• April 7, 2012 Green & Grow 9:00 Shotgun Two-Person Scramble
• April 14 & 15, 2012 Hall of Fame Tee Times Briarbrook & Twin Hills
• April 28 & 29, 2012 City Qualifying Tee Times
• May 5, 2012 City Championship-BB Tee Times
• May 15, 2012 Ladies Nutcracker 9:00 Shotgun 2-Lady Member Guest
• May 17, 2012 Senior Scramble 8:30 Shotgun Two-Person Scramble
• May 28, 2012 Memorial Day Couples Scramble 8:00 Shotgun 4-person teams. Pro Shop will pair teams.
• June 8 thru 10, 2012 Briarbrook Invitational Tee-Times 54-Hole Stroke Play
• July 4, 2012 Scramble 8:00 Shotgun 4-person Scramble. Pro Shop will pair teams.
• July 21 & 22, 2012 Beauty & Beast 7:30/1:00 Shotgun 4-person teams
• August 4 & 5, 2012 Horton Smith / Ky Laffoon Qual. Tee Times.
• August 11 & 12, 2012 Donneybrook (Member-Guest) 9:00 Shotgun 2-person Scramble
• August 18 & 19, 2012 Horton Smith / Ky Laffoon Matches. Tee Times.
• September 3, 2012 Labor Day Couples Scramble 8:00 Shotgun 2-person Team. Make Your Own Pairing with Another Couple.
• September 15 & 16, 2011 Club Championship. Tee Times.
• October 13, 2012 Falling Leaves (27-Holes) 9:00 Shotgun 3-person Teams

I hope these new and different formats will entice more golfers to participate. The formats are designed to get to know more of our Briarbrook family with some geared toward building relationships with people you haven’t played with before while others are designed to play with your best friends. We have had a warmer-than-normal winter but I know we are all ready for the spring and summer temperatures. I am so thrilled and proud of the progress the facility has made in such a short amount of time. Thank you for your continued support and look forward to seeing you soon.
Jacob Hosp

I too am impressed with all the new updates at the club house. Several times a month my husband and I frequent The Cafe on the Green for their wonderful chicken nachos and some great conversation. Don't forget that the Restaurant & Bar is open to the public and runs amazing specials. Come and see for yourself on Saturday February 11th for their Pre-Valentines Day Party Starting at 6:30. The will have an amazing buffet, great drink specials and the The Geritol Five will be playing from 7:30 - 10:30.

If this sounds like a great place to live, it's because it is. I've been a resident of Carl Junction for over 11 years and have truly enjoyed all Carl Junction has to offer. See what Carl Junction Homes are available and become a part of this great community.

Audrey Preston

The AmeriCorps volunteers have set a deadline of Jan 31, 2012 to apply for demolition assistance. Skilled volunteers have been assisting homeowners with demolition of tornado damaged structures, removal of concrete and tree stumps free of charge.
Homeowners who have not already signed up for assistance will need to sign up by calling 417-625-3558 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. before the Jan 31st deadline.
The deadline is only for sign up. Work will be completed in the future.

Good Bye 2011!! The Year of the Joplin Tornado!

2011 December Blogging Challenge. Day 31, Blog 24

2011 is winding down and in a few hours it will be 2012! This past year has been a rough year here in Joplin, Missouri.

The days preceeding May 22, the day the EF5 tornado totally destroyed about 33% of the town, is hard to remember. When ask about events before the tornado we all have to stop and really concentrate to come up with anything.

One of the 2 major hospitals (7 stories) is gone. Our high school is gone. One brand new middle school is in the process of being torn down. 3 grade schools are gone. One Catholic grade school is gone along with one Catholic church. 10 or 12 total churches were destroyed. A large super center Walmart was destroyed along with Home Depot, 2 Walgreens, Academy Sports, Wendys, 3 or 4 pizza places, Sonic Drive In, many convenience stores and the list goes on and on.

The final count of loss of life stands at 161. This figure alone is totally amazing. It is really hard to believe that more lives were not lost when viewing the devastation.

As relief workers poured into town they were all amazed first by the total devastation and second by the fact that in a two day time period all streets were cleared of trees and drivable. The interstates into town were filled with caravans of pick up trucks and heavy equipment all headed to Joplin. One of the Fema workers wanted to know if everyone in town owned a chain saw!

Walgreens was totaled, torn down, debri removed and rebuilt in about 6 weeks. Walmart said they would be open for black Friday but were ahead of schedule with an opening by November 1.

The Joplin School superintendent stated the day after the storm that school would start on time. This was at a time when no one knew where they could even locate a facility for the high school, middle school or the grade schools. It was a giant goal that was met to the wonder of all.

The count for the number of homes destroyed was around 7000 plus 1000 apartments for a total of 8000 'doors'. For us in real estate it was totally unbelievable!! By the end of the first week every available rental that was still standing was rented.

By the end of the second week every vacant house that was on the market and still standing was sold. Of course the first thing we had to do was take inventory of what listings were still standing and which ones were gone. MLS was not very dependable for a while.

Today, seven months after the tornado our city manager announced that building permits have been issued for 50% of the destroyed homes and businesses. A number of new homes have been built. Extreme Home Makeover came to town and built 7 homes in 7 days. That show will air January 13, 2012.

Habitat for Humanity has built 10 homes in about 2 weeks and plan on doing more. They have teamed up with Habitat from Tulsa.

The outpouring of help and support at times have been overwhelming but so very much appreciated. Our realtor community checked to make sure everyone was okay. A number of realtors lost their homes and one young man was killed protecting his wife.

Hundreds of cars were lost. The insurance would not pay off on those that were missing. People were looking everywhere just to locate their damaged cars. It was truly a nightmare with things happening that you could not even imagine!!!

We are slowly but surely getting back to business but I doubt we will ever be able to say we are back to 'normal'. One of the overworked phrases for this year nation wide is the 'new normal' but in our case that is what it will be for years to come.

Our hopes for 2012 is for peace, happiness, health and a calmer year. We have had our dose of a wild year and one is enough!!

Happy New Year to all the 'Rainers'!!!

2011 December Blogging Challenge. Day 30, Blog 23

What Is Your New YEAR'S Good Luck Food??

What is the traditional 'Good Luck' food in your area? Here in the Missouri Ozark's it is blackeyed peas! I will spend Saturday cooking 4 pounds for friends and family.

You begin with dry peas, soak them, find a giant stock pot and begin adding all the good stuff!! You know--like ham, hot sausage, bacon, onion, celery, tomatoes with green chilies, garlic, hot peppers. Simmer for several hours and serve with hot cornbread!

Of course the blackeyed peas are also served up with a good dose of football bowl games. After all it is New Year's Eve and New Year's Day!

If you eat your bowl of peas it guarantees a prosperous and happy new year!! So what else would a good real estate agent do?? After all you can't risk having a bad year!!

After being hit with an EF5 tornado on May 22nd 2011 my town has displayed to hard work and community spirit that makes us all proud to call Joplin home.

I'll admit in the days following the tornado that destroyed nearly a third of the city including our business district and displaced over 9,000 people I, like most residents, was scared. How would people ever be able to go on with their lives after seeing loved ones ripped from their arms? I wondered what was going to happen to us and how we would ever be able to recover. If we were to recover, how long was it going to be before things felt "normal" again? It all seemed so unfair and like an impossible journey that lied ahead.

However, it became clear during that first week that we were not going to wait and see. Neighbors helped neighbors dig out and find places to stay. My Keller Williams office along with many, many other offices and agencies opened resourse centers for victims to get basic supplies, clothes and food. Help poured in from neighboring communities and from around the world. People were no longer concerned about their daily lives and desires, they were concerned about those around them.

The fear turned to hope and within weeks we began to see areas that looked like war zones start to be cleared. Home sales soared and new construction began in the summer following the storm. Extreme Home Makeover built 7 homes in 7 days for families that lost everything including loved ones to the storm. Our city park was blessed with a new playground and our schools that were destroyed pulled off what seemed to be an impossible task of relocating to temporary facilities and opened on time for the new school year.

Just over 6 months later many of our largest businesses have rebuilt from scratch and are now up and serving the community again. 85% of our destroyed businesses are rebuilding or are committed to rebuilding. New homes are sprouting up in the midsection of our town that had it's homes completely removed with little more that the foundation remaining.

Everyone gets a little sentimental at this time of year as we reflect on our lives. All I know is that my community has proved to me and the world that anything is possible through dedication and hard work. I am inspired by or residents everyday and am more thankful than ever for the many blessings in my life.