In 1945 while Americans celebrated victory in Europe and Japan, back home, the newly formed Rural Electric Administration had put the brakes on its goal of providing electricity to every farmer in Missouri. Rationing and shortages of materials had held the focus of the nation for four long years. Now the REA was poised to begin an electrical revolution on the farm. Towns and cities had access to electricity but the farming communities had such sparse populations that they did not produce as much revenue per mile of line, therefore they went mostly unserved. Around 10% of the farms in the area had electricity. Twelve men from the Bolivar area were faced with a daunting task. They had to build the Southwest Electric Cooperative from the ground up by becoming its charter members. Talking up the benefits to thrifty farmers who had just survived the Great Depression, they were able to convince them to pay a $5 membership fee and the new members also encouraged their neighbors to sign up as well. Three members per mile were required if the REA was going to fund fully. The project that WWII had halted the progress of. But with the end of the war, came a demand for change. At one time, four thousand customers were on the waiting list to get electrical lines leading to their farms. more

It was only fitting that a team representing football would win a golf tournament honoring a football coach. With the low overall score of 53, that's exactly what the foursome of Robert Clardy, Logan Claborn, Neil Routh and Mason Dunn - representing Southwest Baptist University Football - accomplished at the annual Doug Potts BEAF Classic for Kids on July 15 at Silo Ridge Country Club in Bolivar. more

MidMo Bank this week announced Gabe Magnuson as its new Community President for its Bolivar location. more

On Monday, July 8, Polk County Central Dispatch welcomed a large crowd to witness the milestone that has been a vision of many for two decades. more

The Bolivar Rotary Club’s 44th annual Celebration of Freedom brought friends and family to the SBU campus, Thursday, July 4 to enjoy food, fun and entertainment, with the evening topped off with an outstanding fireworks display. The evening had been threatened by the forecast of storms, but other than a few sprinkles it was the perfect evening to come together and honor our veterans with a special ceremony. more

This Fourth of July holiday season, fireworks are permitted within Bolivar city limits from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. each day from Tuesday, July 2, through Saturday, July 6. more

During the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 26, Polk county had a storm roll through leaving some with trees and limbs down, outdoor furniture rearranged, some hail, and various amounts of rain. Mt. Olive Church, 4 l/2 miles north of Bolivar on Hwy D, sustained a sizable amount of damage to their buildings. The front wall had bricks blown off and the structure bowed inward, the cross was blown from the steeple and three heating and cooling units were crushed. In the fellowship hall, part of the roof was blown off causing the upper ceiling to collapse and causing water damage to the hall. more

Bolivar Rotary Club is hosting the 44th annual Celebration of Freedom on Thursday, July 4, on the Southwest Baptist University campus. The community event begins at 5:30 p.m. and continues through fireworks at dusk. more

SBU tennis interim head coach John Bryant was inducted into the MIAA Hall of Fame Monday, June 3.. He joined seven others inducted into the Hall of Fame class of 2024 at the Kansas City Music Hall. Bryant becomes the second Bearcat to enter the MIAA Hall of Fame, the first being one of Bryant's athletes, Michael Obertop, SBU class of 1994. more

Polk County Fair Association board members recently gathered to accept a $2,000 grant from the MFA Charitable Foundation. From left are Bill Bob Kallenbach, Bolivar Farmers Exchange general manager Jody Boles, 4-H enthusiasts Evan and Avery Jones, Valerie Noblitt, Curtis Dahlberg, and Michael Jones. The grant will be used to build permanent pens in the hog barn. more

Know anyone who loves vehicles of all kinds? Dreams of driving a police car, fire truck or dump truck someday? Just likes to learn about cool stuff? If so, the City of Bolivar has the perfect event for you! more

The third annual Missouri Beef Days is officially finished, but organizers say the work continues and dates are set for 2025. “Coming off such a fun, successful Missouri Beef Days this year, we’re excited to announce plans for next year,” says Missouri Beef Days Executive Coordinator Katie Roweton. “The final activities of this year’s event really set the stage next year for an even bigger and better Beef Days.” Roweton says the fourth annual Missouri Beef Days will be held May 3-10, 2025. more