SGF Weekend: Long walks | War relics | Tick checks

Text from our SGF Weekend email newsletter, written by Managing Editor Rance Burger

My wife and I are big fans of public art displays, to the point we usually plan time to see art installations whenever and wherever we go on vacation. It’s great to know we don’t have to do any traveling to see some new outdoor sculptures right here in Springfield. There’s a special event today kicking off the “season” for Sculpture Walk Springfield, but as Jeff Kessinger reports, the art is really for everyone to enjoy every day in the months to come.

Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield offers recreation and learning opportunities at different paces. You can take a long, slow walk through the history of a Civil War battle site, or you can get your blood pumping with some brisk hikes through the National Park. Having lived here for years, I thought I knew Wilson’s Creek, but Sony Hocklander proved me wrong with this comprehensive guide to the battlefield, park and museum exhibits. Best of all, admission is free.

If you head into the woods, be wary of the start of the Missouri tick season. Alpha gal syndrome is a tick-borne illness rising to prominence to the point the Springfield-Greene County Health Department is educating health care providers about the signs, symptoms and treatments of this difficult-to-diagnose disease. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to go the rest of my life without eating steaks and pork chops, so I’ll be stocking up on repellents and checking myself closely after every hike.

The Missouri State baseball Bears are at home this weekend taking on Valparaiso, with games today at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. at Hammons Field. This should be an excellent opportunity for “Every Day Trey” Ziegenbein to take the mound. Lyndal Scranton caught up with the Bears righty who is planning to go pro in construction management rather than baseball at the end of the 2023 season.

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