Tuesday, May 14 at noon
Center for Missouri Studies, 605 Elm Street, Columbia, MO

John Robinson, a former Missouri director of tourism, puts a different spin on the traditional road trip. Over 13 years, he drove every mile of every road on the Missouri state highway map. With an irreverent sense of humor—Robinson compares his unconventional journey to mowing a 68,000-square-mile lawn—he and his car (his only constant companion on this odyssey) discover the real America beyond the interstate. Real people. Obscure places. Forgotten facts. He's spent his whole life studying Missouri customs, culture, and history, weaving them into stories that probably won't show up in a high school history test. Robinson has authored several books on his Missouri travels, which are available in the Richard Bookstore.

History on Elm offers free programs at noon on the second Tuesday of each month, September through June, at the State Historical Society of Missouri.