Christine Peoples and Matt Coats

[00:01] MATT COATS: Hi, my name is Matt Coats I'm 45 years old. Today's date is May 4, 2022, here at the Springfield Greene County Library in the Ozarks, Missouri. My interview partner today is Christine Peeples, and we are coworkers.

[00:18] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Hi, I'm Christine Peeples, and today's date is Wednesday, May 4, 2022. I'm at the Greene County Library in the Ozarks in Missouri, and my interview partner is my coworker, Mister Matt Coats

[00:37] MATT COATS: Well, Miss Peeples I have a question I want to start off with right off the bat. Tell me your history with Springfield, Missouri, and the community.

[00:49] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Oh, gosh. It goes back.

[00:51] MATT COATS: How did you get involved?

[00:53] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: How did I get involved? Community. I love community. I'm an outreach minister, and things started rolling for me with kids. I've always been impressed with family because I came up with just family and kids and community and how I felt, you know, about being a kid and how I felt loved and supported. I wanted to pass that on. So my whole life has kind of been wrapped around my community, making sure that kids are safe. You know, anything I was doing, whether it was walking in the mornings, I'd see kids, and I would always say, safety first. And I just enjoy just the whole idea of having a beloved community. Community. So that's what started me off. And as far as where I am now, it's because of that feeling of safety at home and being through my neighborhood and then being an outreach minister and just always feeling comfortable.

[02:03] MATT COATS: Did you grow up in this community in Springfield, Missouri? I mean, do you, have you grown up? Is that why you have so much passion that I see each and every day that you have for the community? Are you raised and grown up in this area?

[02:18] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Well, I can say that because I actually came to the Ozarks right out of high school. I was 16, and I've been here ever since, and now it's my home. I remember at first it was such a cultural shock to me, coming from Kansas City and, you know, being able to.

[02:38] MATT COATS: So that's where you were. You started, you said 16 is when you came here to the spring area. So Kansas City is where you resided until you were 16?

[02:46] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Yes.

[02:46] MATT COATS: Okay.

[02:46] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Yes.

[02:47] MATT COATS: What part of Kansas City?

[02:49] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: I was. Gosh, I can't remember. I can't remember that. I'll have to come.

[02:56] MATT COATS: What school did you go to there in Kansas City?

[02:58] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Oak Grove Academy. I went to a private school. Yes. My mom was very sheltering. In fact, the reason why I came to Springfield is because she said, the devil's not gonna get my baby. So, you know, some guy was looking at me down the street. But at any rate, yeah, it was a culture shock when I came here, and I actually came here with our assistant pastor of our church because they moved here to start a church. So my mom just, you know, she really sent me down here, and I was screaming and cooking. I'm not gonna lie. She was like, you be ready when I get home from work. And I stayed in my pajamas because I was like, I am not going. But, yeah. So I was here, and things were so slow. Oh, my gosh.

[03:52] MATT COATS: Compared to Kansas City.

[03:53] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Yes. Okay. I mean, I had to wait in line, and people talked about, you know, their farming life, all of this. I didn't see any black people. I was like, where are the black people? And I remember just, like, putting my groceries, like, I guess I was at Aldi's putting my groceries away, going, okay, okay. I just can't stand this anymore. I lost about 20 pounds because of that. So, yeah, good.

[04:21] MATT COATS: So you've been here since you were 16 years old, and you've been involved with the community from basically the time you showed up here in somehow or some way. Tell me how you got familiar with the parks in Timmins. Now, it's called Timmins hall and the community, the zone one community, as we call it here. How did you become aware of it? How did you hear about it? How did you get involved with it? That's multiple questions. So, Miss Peeples how did you get acquainted or involved with the community? And we call that zone one here in Springfield, that Silver Springs park and Timmins hall. And now, you know, I've been fortunate enough to work with you for the last. Are we going on three years together? We've been co workers.

[05:13] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Yes.

[05:13] MATT COATS: Time flies when you're having fun. But how did you get involved? How did you get acquainted? Or, I don't want to say. How did you learn of it? That's the word I want to say. How did you learn of Timmons hall and the history and Silver Springs park and the history that we have here in the african american culture? I mean, how did you get involved?

[05:34] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Well, Timmons hall, before it was Timmins hall, was Timmins Temple and Church of God in Christ. And I actually am from the church of God in Christ. My mom and I, our ministry, when I was younger, our church and all of that was church of God in Christ when I was young. And so I was familiar with Timmins Temple because I actually was one of those kids that stood in line to sing at Timmins Temple.

[06:03] MATT COATS: And I'm sorry to interrupt. So you went to the Timmins Temple church when its original location?

[06:11] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: I went as a singer, I went as choir. A choir member. But we always knew about Timmins Temple because they always had something happening that the young people wanted to be a part of. And they just stayed really on top of helping the young people and anything that they wanted to do. And so it was just a place to be. It was amazing. It was an outreach church, so all of the activity that was around it, as soon as someone said, hey, you know, there's a guest that's coming to Timmins Temple. And there was like, oh, we're going. You know, I still remember right now, Charlie, he's passed on, but he wore a huge fur coat. And I remember him walking down the middle of the street going to Timmins, because he's always. Well, he was always dressed to the nines. Right. And so that's how I knew that the history of Timmons, the music and all of that, and different people that used to play in the band. Richard Baker, he was a musician. Gosh, it was so many. But it was all, again, geared around choirs and music. And so I was fortunate to be a part of that when I was younger.

[07:24] MATT COATS: An estimate time of years. What years was that? Like in 19. What year did you.

[07:29] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: That was right on the cusp of.

[07:32] MATT COATS: I guess, gosh, decade. Give me a decade, man.

[07:36] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: I'm so bad with that because, well, at that time, I was. I can give you that. I was, like, 18 at that time. I was like 18. So it was just a couple years when I had come to Springfield. So I was at 18, and that's how I knew about Timmins. I actually went to deliverance Temple when I came to Springfield.

[07:59] MATT COATS: And that's a different facility or a different church.

[08:01] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: It's a different church, Pastor Knox. But the idea that that was something I was familiar with, because when I was young, I went to a church of God in Christ, so that's how I knew about it.

[08:11] MATT COATS: You've been acquainted with Timmins Temple at that time? At a young age, yes. And I guess the listeners probably don't know, but, you know, what year was Timmons Temple built?

[08:21] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: 1930.

[08:22] MATT COATS: 219 32. And what year did we move it down into Silver Springs Park?

[08:26] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: 2015.

[08:27] MATT COATS: So we moved the whole building over there, which, as I told you yesterday in our conversation, and I can't imagine you were 18 when you first started attending it. Back in 2015, when the building was moved. And I was told there was only two pieces of equipment that can move that church without destroying or the original foundation of the building, which is all rock, all original. I was there that day. I can't remember the exact date, but 2015. And I remember sitting there. I was a park ranger at the time, and I directed traffic or I closed the road off to have this piece of equipment move it down there and set inside Silver Springs park. And why I bring that up is because I think of it. You are 18, and I told you yesterday, I said, never had an idea or clue that back in 2015, it would be a full circle that that church being moved, I would be a part of down the road. I thought once that was moved, I would never be involved with it again. And here we are, you know, six years later. Is that right? Seven years. Can't do my math. Seven years later, and I'm still involved with it.

[09:39] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Yeah, we opened in 2019.

[09:41] MATT COATS: 2019 is when the facility became open. And during that time, from 2015 to 2019 is when. And help me, correct me, I know that they were. The department was working on and fundraising was being. Donors were involved just to get the building moved. So friends of Timmins Temple started up. Gosh, probably. I don't know the years. And I don't want to miss for years, probably 2013, time frame that they started raising money and donor and getting donors to get the money to move the building, which was. It was lots and lots of money to get that building moved. And so then we fast forward to 2015, when the funding was collected, or the donut, that they had enough funds to move the building. And then from 2015 to 2019, it was a lot of volunteers, interns that worked on the building, correct?

[10:39] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Yes, yes.

[10:40] MATT COATS: To get it, where to get the occupancy certification to open it up.

[10:44] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Yeah. Cause there was a lot of moving. I remember the fence being around the church, and I was coming. I actually would have my mom to make sandwiches for the crew and stuff.

[10:57] MATT COATS: Oh, really?

[10:57] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: I had no idea about that. But they did a lot of work, and it's like, about 90% of the money that was raised was donated. I mean, people spend their time, carpenters, electricians, all of that. And that was really due to lori tack. And let's see, it was Paula Ringer. They really. They pulled out all the stops, their friends, any association that they knew, and it was amazing because standing in there as they were, everybody was working to put restrooms in there that are wheelchair accessible and the lighting, and it was just very powerful. That's why it spoke loud to me about community and that really what that was my main thing. I mean, that's. That's my big idea, is to create that beloved community. And I was seeing that right before my eyes, and I was like, I knew some way, somehow I was going to be a part of it, but I didn't know in what way, because I was just so moved because everybody had come together and they were just working magic, you know? And it was a huge project. I mean, because when working in that four years, just to get it up to par so that the park board could get it, you know, and the facility could be open, it was a lot. And I know that there was times when they didn't think it was going to happen. And I remember Paula Ringer just, you know, she was just so anxious. And I know that these folks use some of their own funds, and they used, you know. Cause they really had the passion to make it happen. They saw the beauty of the church. To us, as an african american community, it meant the world. Because I feel like when a facility is open for the public and it is an african american church, it's really a testament to the community that sees that we have a need to have something that's sacred from the african american community because of all the stuff that's happened in the past. And I don't think that anyone could really imagine what it would look like now or even if it could be done. But it's beautiful. It's a beautiful testimony to our community and how we come together and we did something so significant. And that little church, I mean, it became, you know, I call it, it's small but mighty.

[13:28] MATT COATS: I agree. I totally agree.

[13:30] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: I think it's amazing. So that's really what really drew me in. I had no idea that I would be a part of the history of it as it is now.

[13:40] MATT COATS: Yeah, well, you know, I was saying, as I just mentioned, you know, seven years ago, we were moving this building, and I didn't know that I would be involved, like I said. But both of us evolved, you know, to this. We had no idea. I'm sure at 18 that you didn't think in your career that you would be running this facility and maintaining this facility, you know, so it's just amazing, a little building, how it can bring a community, and I say little, but powerful, as you say, how it can bring a community together.

[14:15] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Yes.

[14:17] MATT COATS: It is really neat to see that. And you. I've got to be so fortunate enough to work with you in the last three years. I've learned so much from you. By the way, Noah you're so awesome, Matt. No, just to see what I've learned. I've learned a lot. But what I is how a community can come together. I am not from a background of a yemenite. I am a rule. I lived in the country growing up. I didn't live in the city, but to see a community come together, and you showed me that and how you can do that. And so I will tell you this. You have taught me a lot more than I have taught to you, how that can come together like that as a community. And the community is very lucky to have you to keep them and bring them together. And I've said this to you before, and we have an open relationship, so I can say this kind of stuff. When we first started working together and I started getting emails at two or three in the morning, I'm like, oh, my gosh, who is this lady? She is. Does she sleep? And these emails are about what ideas that you come up with and programs to offer to the community for education for the kids. And I'm like, my phone is always beside my head and, you know, I kind of, it'll ding or I put it on quiet or vibrate. And I'm like, before I even look at it, at two or three in the morning, I was like, it's Miss Peeples She's come up with another idea. And so when I say that, not only is the parks department, the city of Springfield, very lucky to have you, but the community, because that is your passion. And I always think it's so good when you get somebody in the right position, you let them take it because they, they are passionate about it. And that's what you, you don't. And there's that saying you heard. You never work a day in your life if you love what you're doing. And that is you. So I always say, and I say this sarcastically, I said, you make me shake and bake because you don't let me get the grass grow. You keep me on my toes, which. That's what I need. So it's something that I've really got to see you grow to in the last three years, getting to work with you. Before I ask another question, or I guess I will ask the next question, you've brought this community together and you brought some amazing speakers here. You know, I'm going to throw out a couple that come to mind, two of them that come to mind. And I'll say the third one is, I'm talking about speakers that you brought to the Timmins hall to speak is Doctor LaGueric King, which was the one that really opened my eyes. We talked about this yesterday, and then you bring in Akbar Cook from New Jersey, and they're amazing speakers. But do you know who the one that I love the most that you brought to Timmins?

[17:18] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: No, who?

[17:18] MATT COATS: Mister Bob Kendrick.

[17:21] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Mister Bob Kendrick is the executive director.

[17:23] MATT COATS: Of the negro baseball. Use them. And I am a baseball fanatic. You walk into my house, I chase my kids with baseball all the time. We're on the road all the time, and I live my life through them. So they don't have a choice for kids.

[17:40] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Right?

[17:41] MATT COATS: But I love baseball. And when you got Bob Kendrick to come down to Timmons hall, that to me was like a little kid in the candy store just to see him walk around. And he is an amazing speaker. And he is. I hate this. He's a legend in Kansas City. I mean, he is a Kansas city royals. And Bob Kendrick. It's just unbelievable. But no, that's one of the things I wanted to tell you is just not only what you do, the community, but so proud and I guess is the word or so happy. The people that you brought in to this, those three people that I just mentioned, would never have been in the Springfield community if it wasn't for you. So that is. Thank you for doing that. And one thing we talked about yesterday when Doctor King came here, Doctor Laguerreot King. It was in February. I do remember that. And something that I've learned is eye opening. We talked about this, and he brought, I guess the word I want to say is analogy. But he brought up about how african american history was taught, or how it's being taught and how we need to change that. Because, you know, everybody has their own perspective. And it really didn't click to me until he said Covid-19 he goes, people are going to teach Covid-19 differently, the history, because some people made millions off Covid-19 some people lost their loved ones. So everybody's got a different history point on this and how they're going to teach it because it affected Peeples lives differently around this, around the world. But that made me think, yeah, african american history, there's so many different perspectives on that and how it can be taught and what we needed to change that.

[19:31] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Because there's more than one story, there's only one narrative that's being taught, and it's not true when it comes to different people, parts of the world that they live in. Just the very essence of what's the economic driver a lot of things, the laws at that time, the period. And so it's important to understand that even in pockets, there's different histories. Just a prime example of that is my mom is graduating from nursing school, and I was interviewing a man that was the same age as my mom, and he was on the backside of a farm. His dad was a sharecropper, and he's barefoot and he's hungry. And that blew my mind because I was like, what? Because people think, you know, stuff like this happened in the past. It was the same time. My mom's in Kansas City graduating from nursing school, and he had vowed that he was not going to be hungry again, and he was going to build him a house. He's here in Spring, Springfield. I went to his house, and I thought I was going through the national park because he had all this land that I passed through, and this house is huge. And he was true to his word, but those two narratives were totally different. And I was like, wow. It's just the perspective of who you are, what, you know, where you go. It's important. Just like, you know, this is like story corps. It's going all around the world, and stories are different. But the thing about it is, is that we need to find value in every story and to respect the process. You know, I know that there's a lot of things that's happened there. They're just. They're bad. It's bad stuff that you just really don't want to talk about. But I think about the ingenuity. I think about the ingenuity of folks and the creativity, even when you're in, like, times of segregation and no public accommodations, you know, how we talk about the story of Alberta's hotel here in Springfield and the legacy of her and how, you know, she opened up, you know, something for our community on Route 66 that would have never taken place. Hotel. The hotel that she started, you know, and all of these, you know, because back then, in that time, you're thinking, how did she get $10,000 to get this hotel, go to an auction and get this? But she had ingenuity. She had a mind of business, and she saved her money. And it was more dynamics to her. It was more than that one narrative. So I think that because the hall lends itself to being one of those history pieces where, again, the time of no public accommodations and segregation, that this was an african american church, which every african american church during that time was a beacon, like the first green book. Right? And so when you came there you could get refuge. You could find a job. You could. And all by the support of the church. And so I talk about that history and what this building means to African Americans in general, because this is a light of refuge that, you know, it just. It wouldn't be in existence, you know, if people hadn't come together. And that church is small, and there's a lot of small churches back in that time, in that period. And so we're just so fortunate to be able to tell those stories out of Timmons hall and then gather the community around the story. And then one thing that is so amazing is we have history keepers still alive, you know, from 70 to 96 years old. And, I mean, Miss Alma comes to mind. I mean, she still drives. Her mind is sharpen. You know, she knows everybody. And being able to work with her, Miss Normer Duncan, Miss Betty Ransom. I mean, it's amazing. So it's like, we've created this community with inside this church, which it was so like that back in the day. And our community on the outside of the church is just waiting to come in. What's going to happen next? You know, so this building has really turned things around, and it's gathering people together. And if it had not been for those folks that saw that building and said, hey, you know what? We have to save this. Because the building was sold. The church sold the building, and there was going to be a developer there with apartments, and they got that building and they got it together. Parks was able to take it over then. I'm blessed to be the first coordinator of this building. Like, get out. But you know what? There's always been a passion in me about outreach, and I was always. The churches I was in, I would always say, hey, we gotta be out there where the people are. We have to, you know, not selling chicken dinners, not trying to get people to come into your service, into your church, but being where the people are, just being able to fellowship. And so I've been tooting that same horn, you know, all this time, and then I felt like God's like, okay, I'm gonna give you a church, you know, out in the park, which Silver Springs park is legendary. You know, it's historical. I mean, it's the only park in Springfield that was designated for the african american community back, you know, in the time of segregation. And so I've got this amazing church sitting on this history, and we're able to develop programs that are place based programming, you know, that we'll be able to. We're still. We all are connected to that history. So we'll be able to have programs in that park forever and talk about those that walk those very pieces of land. And even going back to Fairbanks, Jonathan Fairbanks was amazing. He was the fourth school superintendent and of Springfield Public schools because, you know, after the war, there was private schools. And so the land that the Silver Springs park is on, it was owned by him. And he was a friend of the african american community. And I'm just like. I'm just thrilled because I love the whole idea of history because my mom brought me up with maps and history, and I knew who I was and my identity was strong. So it's so connected to the church, because the church was, gosh, it was at our core. And that's what we learned. How to unite as a community and treat your family, how to work outside of the church, you know, to find. Just to find the. I think the camaraderie that we needed because of what we were taught inside those four walls. So we had our etiquette. We had respect for people, you know, was mister and misses. And it's just. It's amazing. And you're right. It's come full circle and well, and.

[26:53] MATT COATS: I'm glad you brought up the history of Silver Springs park and doctor Fairbanks. Is that right? Just the history that then you add in the Timmins, which originally started as Timmins Temple, but we changed it to Timmons hall, but to move it into Silver Springs park, it's just like, it fits. It's just a match with the history. So, you know, you hit a lot of good points about the building and what it does for the community in the history. Tell me, Miss Peeples in the short time that you've been here, the three years which is flown by, tell me, what is the thing that you are. I guess the word. I want to say the proudest of that you. That you. Since you've been here with the parks front and what you've done with Timmins hall, what is the. Is there a highlight that comes to mind right off the bat that you are so proud to be a part of or have done in the last three years of. Of Tim and soul?

[27:55] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Proud to be a part of the team? I mean, I think that our executive director had. He's just done a great job. I feel like I didn't miss a beat. It's like when I stepped into becoming an employee of the park board, I felt like I was home. I mean, I never felt anything but welcomed and really spoiled. I have to say that. And the atmosphere is what has allowed me to thrive and the way that leadership is. And it's not like, it's not a micromanaged type of thing. It's a, hey, if you need us, we're there. And it's always a hand up. And then it's like, nobody takes responsibility by themselves. It's like, no, we're a team. So if something happened, is it wrong? It's all of our faults. We own it together. And that's what my mom taught us. It's like it was a democracy at our house. It's like after my mom and dad were divorced, my mom just knew that she had to make a better life for us. So she would sit us around and every move she made, she'd bring it to the table and tell us, say, when she wanted to go back to nursing school, she goes, things will be tight, but we have to come together and we have to be a team. And then she'll say, if everybody agrees, we'll do it. If we have one. No, I won't do it. So, it resonated with me.

[29:33] MATT COATS: I think you hit that. I couldn't have said it better myself. As a parks department, we are a team. We always. There's a lot that we have to work together, and it's nothing to pick up the phone and make a phone call and somebody, one of your, as I call them, they're co workers, but they're teammates, you know? So you pick out the phone and you make a call. And I've always said this. I've been fortunate enough and blessed to be with this parks department 21 years, I don't know the answer. Most of the time, I don't. But I know who to call. It's not what you know, it's who you know. So when I, you know, when I was, you know, starting, I got to learn a lot of this department as a park ranger, because you had to have the whole department, you had to know everybody. And I've park ranger for twelve years, and. And I would always tell people, hey, call me anytime. Probably a 50 50 chance that I would know the answer. But I will 100% guarantee you, I know who to call to get the answer. And so you put that right. The parks department is nothing but a great team to work with. And so that's very well put. The way that you put that in the proud moments you have. And something that I want to say that I am proud is the parks department is ahead of the curve, as I call this. Diversity, equity and inclusion is huge. And we. This. This Timmons hall facility got us in. Got us in there, and we were ahead of that. We were. We were years ahead with this. And I'm proud of the city of Springfield, too. There's so much support and bringing it together. And they saw that there needed to be resources to get that going, and they've done that. They went out and reached out. We've got the American Heritage trail, the African American Heritage trail. And so just to be proud of the city and our parks department investing into that, and they've went full pedal to the metal. They haven't, like, eased into it. There's like, no, this is what we're gonna do. And, you know, we're straight into it. And I'm so proud of that for the city of Springfield. And.

[31:38] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Yeah, and I have to give a shout out to Cora's team because, you know, she does our live streaming every year since I have done our rethinking black history month, and it's been awesome. So you can find it on city view. And we're rocking, we're rolling. And that's because we're a team, and we make sure that everything is excellent. I can't do less than excellent. I just can't. Because, people, our community deserves the best.

[32:09] MATT COATS: No, and you do that. You do that. But I've said your highest. What's been your biggest challenge coming over the parks department?

[32:19] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: My biggest challenge? Money. I always say, you know what? I'm gonna do it whether I get the money or not. So I just, you know, it's just. That's faith. It's faith. And then, too, we get folks that say, hey, let me know what you need. It's like everybody. Akbar Cook was that way. All of the. Of folks that came to be speakers, they wanted to work with us. And we just. We were blessed to get that CFO grant. Oh, my gosh. And that has opened up so many doors.

[32:52] MATT COATS: Community foundation of the Ozarks. Right?

[32:54] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Yes. Community foundations of the Ozarks. And, I mean, tell you what, that's opened up a lot of doors for our programming and for how we can make it excellent. And so I think that just for the whole, you know, the whole bottle of wax, it's just been a big party for me because I just don't feel like I'm missing anything. I could die happy. I really could. This experience is just amazing. And it's like. It's something that just fit like a glove. And I just think that the parks department is small, but it's mighty yeah.

[33:32] MATT COATS: There you go.

[33:33] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: So it's like Tim and Paul. That's right. That's right. That's why we're a match.

[33:38] MATT COATS: Tell me, what do you see? Your vision. I know you have visions.

[33:43] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Yeah. 02:00 in the morning.

[33:44] MATT COATS: You know you got visions because you.

[33:48] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Tell me about them. Yes.

[33:49] MATT COATS: What do you see? The visions of Timmins hall in ten to 20 years. Where do you want to see that?

[33:54] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Oh, my gosh. I want to see it sitting where it is nice and cozy for people to come in and reflect and for that piano music to be playing. And it takes people back to when they first walked in and had that first experience in that building so they can tell their kids about it. I see the rest of the park, you know, just a history project so that folks can walk through and reflect on the history. There's an after school program that's happening. There's in a building that's in that park that is a building that it's multipurposed. And they're learning to be self sufficient in that building. They're learning skill sets. And I see it moving towards the same ambition that Alberta Ellis had for the whole community to be safe and healthy and financially stable, because she put a lot of effort into creating jobs for folks in that hotel. She had her own business. She just covered the whole gamut. So I see that playing out, and I see tourism coming through there, through the programming that we do and the annual events that we have. I see us part partnering with Park Day, with Juneteenth, and I see a tour bus, and I see that it's going from us to Kansas City to St. Louis regionally, where we're actually being a part of that tourism that they have there. Like you mentioned, Bob Kendrick, they have every year, Juneteenth, the whole city is celebrating Juneteenth. But I see us connecting with the tourism so that we can have vendors coming both ways, and we can really enjoy what we've worked for. Because I feel like the next generation. That's why we're working this hard, so the next generation can feel that love and become the beloved community.

[36:12] MATT COATS: And that's amazing, the vision that you have. And one thing I, you know, there's so many things you did that I want to give credit for, and one of the biggest ones, I haven't even brought up the Millie project and bringing Kendra in here.

[36:26] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Oh, my gosh, they are.

[36:29] MATT COATS: Ooh, give a plug for Kendra. Yes. She has done the work, the amazing production she has done for the Millie project to come out here from. She doesn't live here in this area anymore. And to travel the length of distance she does. And, you know, you gave a Missouri Parks and recreation tour to a lot of park professionals and the interest that you got when Kendra came and talked and talked about the Millie project. I just want to give a plug for her because she is amazing. The production she did, I got to watch it in Timmins hall. Not only did I get to watch, I got to watch it in Timmons.

[37:01] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Hall, which is awesome.

[37:03] MATT COATS: Talk about history.

[37:04] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: I know she covered it all, but anyway, I just.

[37:08] MATT COATS: The Millie project was amazing. And there's so many things and I know I'm missing other ones.

[37:12] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Yeah, but the Nelson Athens Museum of Art, Black History, the black archives of mid America. Oh, my gosh. Doctor Carmelita Williams. Amazing. She's partnered with us since day one. We're working. I'm going to do some presentations down there, too. Because of the CFo grant that we got from the community foundation of the Ozarks. We just. It's just beautiful. I can't think of everybody, but they know who they are.

[37:46] MATT COATS: So many people to thank you, to give thanks to.

[37:49] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: They just all do.

[37:49] MATT COATS: And it's like with your, you know, I was thinking the Millie projects, like, we haven't even talked about the Millie project. It's been huge and so.

[37:56] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: But they are on film now.

[37:57] MATT COATS: Yeah.

[37:58] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: They started out a production and they're on film and they're winning all kinds of awards. They were just in Kansas City and the Kansas City film festival there and they did the showing there and amazing. It's just amazing. It's just going forth and that came from Springfield. Came out of Springfield.

[38:18] MATT COATS: Yeah, it's Springfield that was based out of, you know, Kendra was here. Yeah. So.

[38:22] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Yeah.

[38:23] MATT COATS: But thank you. I want to say thank you for allowing me to get to work with you. It has been. It is truly an honor to work with you each and every day. And what you teach me. I want to give thanks out to our director, Bob Balot, who believed in me to get to work with you. So there's so many things out there, the people. And like you said, I forget. It's kind of like, you know, when you have a professional athlete, they're trying to get all their sponsors in there to thank them. There's so many. But I just want to say thank you for allowing me and working with me and supporting me.

[38:52] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Mister Coats it is my pleasure. And let me tell you, I have to say this before we're done with this, your wife oh, my gosh. I'm so grateful for her because I know that if it was not for her, you wouldn't be the man that you are today.

[39:12] MATT COATS: Well, I don't want to give her too big.

[39:13] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Oh, no. Because that's something that I can always tell when a man is married because they'll pick up after themselves, but she'll get out of that. I really give credit to her because, you know, you're not only a husband, but you're a father, and you're a person that believes in other people. And so I really appreciate that, and I feel like I couldn't have a better person to work with.

[39:41] MATT COATS: Well, thank you. I've always said this. When I said in the beginning of this, I said, hey, if you enjoy and passionate about what you do, you never work it down in your life. And that's the perfect example. You look in Webster dictionary. That's what I just said, that you're going to be the first person you're so passionate. And one thing I have lots and lots of weaknesses, but one thing I always feel that I'm good at or positive at is putting people where they need to be, where they're passionate and love what they're doing, and then get them in them roles. And then I sit back and just enjoy the show. And that's what I'm getting to do.

[40:13] CHRISTINE PEEPLES: Give me high five. Parks rocks.

[40:17] MATT COATS: It.