By Brad Ziegler
People take summer getaways for a variety of reasons. They may be looking for a change of scenery, a change of perspective or a change of pace. Tired of their current routine, they may be looking for something new and different or, alternatively, for something familiar, to reconnect to an earlier time in their life. All of the above can be found just an hour southeast of the metropolitan area, in Clinton, Missouri.
Founded in 1836 and incorporated in 1878, Clinton is the county seat of Henry County and is home to nearly 10,000 residents. The focal point of the city is the historic downtown square, which they tout as being the largest in the state of Missouri. The square is anchored by the Henry County Courthouse, which was built in 1893, and which is surrounded by 85 other historic buildings on or near the square.
Visitors are drawn to Clinton for a variety of reasons, but a recurring theme is the small town charm that resonates from its restaurants, businesses and historic sites. The residential area surrounding downtown showcases a number of historic homes, many of which are fully restored and evocative of the history of the town.
Visitors seeking outdoor activities can often be found boating or fishing on nearby Truman Reservoir, which is located on the south side of Clinton and which covers more than 200,000 acres at flood stage. They can also be found biking or hiking on the Katy Trail, whose western terminus is on the northeast side of town. Hunting in the public and private woods in and around Henry County, which are home of a variety of wildlife, is also very popular.
History buffs have several sites to explore in Clinton, in addition to the courthouse, including five building sites that are included on the National Historic Sites registry. The Henry County Museum contains thousands of county artifacts from the early 1800’s displayed in a recreated early 1900’s village that features a doctor’s office, drug store, bank, and general store. The museum is housed in the historic Anheuser Busch building, built in 1886, and is open 10:00am – 4:00pm Monday through Saturday.
Admission is usually $8 but will be free during the upcoming Olde Glory Days festival.
A fully restored 1930’s vintage DX service station and the attached Time Flies Malt Shop is located a couple of blocks off the square. The privately owned station is primarily used for special events but will be open to the public during the upcoming festival on July 4 and 5 from 2:00 – 6:00pm.
The Downtown DeSoto Antique Automobile Museum and Dealership is also near the square. The fully restored building houses dozens of antique cars that are of a variety of manufacturers and eras. The privately owned space is generally not open to the public but will also be open for free admission on July 5.
Antique collectors have several options to choose from while visiting Clinton, including the Mistercola Antique Shop and the Wagon Wheel Antique Mall, both near the downtown square, and Nook and Cranny Antiques, located just east of town on Highway 7.
The downtown square offers several shopping alternatives to visitors, including Crave Boutique, a women’s clothing boutique offering the latest trends in apparel, shoes, and accessories, Gathering House, a home décor store, Glasscock Jewelry Corner, a full line jewelry store, Silhouettes, a women’s apparel store, and Cummings Men’s Wear, a full service men’s apparel store. Clinton Candle Co carries a wide variety of smells, as well as bath and body products and seasonal décor. The White Flower Quilt Shop is located on the square in a historic building from the late 1800’s, whose high ceilings are perfect for displaying beautiful quilts made by the owners and their friends.
Clinton restaurants and cafes provide visitors with a variety of dining options. Mallards Roadhouse is located on Highway 7 as visitors enter town and features a large and varied menu with steak, chicken, fish and barbeque entrees as well as hamburgers, sandwiches and salads, all served in their large, lodge-inspired restaurant. Local resident Ben Johnson, who returned to his home town to raise his family after living in Overland Park earlier in his career, describes Mallards as his family’s “go to place where everyone can find something that they like.”
Just north of downtown, Pizza Glen has been serving pizza and sandwiches for nearly 50 years, and their side salads are famously piled high with grated cheese. Started by Glen Elrod in 1976, Pizza Glen is now owned by his son Randall, who has kept his dad’s name and traditions alive with their popular menu. Make sure that you bring cash, however, as Pizza Glen doesn’t take credit cards.
The downtown square offers other dining options including Square 109 Restaurant, a popular spot among local diners for breakfast or lunch. Friendly service and a variety of traditional dining options, together with an early opening time of 5:00am, make this a great spot to begin your tour of the square.
The Ben Franklin Bistro also provides local hospitality at their location across from the courthouse in the former Ben Franklin Five and Dime store. Another popular spot for breakfast and lunch, the Bistro offers a wide variety of salads and sandwich offerings with themed names, including the Paul Revere, a grilled chicken sandwich with cheese and peppers on Naan bread, the Amelia Earhart, a grilled vegetarian combination of spinach, peppers and black olives, and the Rocky Balboa, a Philly cheesesteak sandwich on a hoagie bun.
Begin or end your day at the Malted Cow Ice Cream Shop, also on the square, which is open from 10:00am until 9:00pm and offers a large selection of ice cream, milkshakes, sundaes, sodas and smoothies, along with specialty coffee drinks and boba teas. You can get a little of everything that you may be seeking, at Primitive Old Crow Boutique and Mercantile, a one-stop destination on Highway 7 for brick oven pizza, gourmet treats, artisan coffee, home décor and ice cream! Their nearby winery offers tastings and bottles of local wine!
Clinton will be putting their attractions on display at their annual Olde Glory Days festival, which runs from Thursday, July 3 through Sunday, July 6. The festival has been going strong for more than 30 years and draws a large number of performers, artists, competitors, vendors, and exhibitors from around the area. Jimmy Barnes is a lifelong resident of Clinton and explained that “Olde Glory Days is a fun weekend of activities where almost everyone in town, and lots of people from the surrounding area, come out for an old fashioned Fourth of July celebration. There is definitely something for everyone!”
The weekend will feature activities for festival goers of all ages. Most of the activities take place on or near the downtown square, with a carnival from Thursday through Saturday, a quilt show on Friday and Saturday, a horseshoe and cornhole tournament and a motorcycle show on Saturday. The local fire department is putting on a Pancake Breakfast on Saturday morning and the local police department officers association will have a Beer Garden going on throughout the festival.
The Heartland Community Theater is presenting a production of “Truman: The Citizen’s President” on Saturday at 2 pm, and a variety of live music will be performed on the square each day. The 28th Annual Ike Parker Memorial Fine Arts Show will be held in the historic DeLozier Building, built in 1887, on Friday and Saturday.
An untimed 5K run/walk will be held on Saturday at 8am near the historic depot which now houses the local Chamber of Commerce.
Kayak races for kids will be held in the pool at Artesian Park on Friday and there will be other kids activities going on all weekend at the Toddler Tent on the square, along with pony rides nearby.
The highlights of the festival are the Olde Glory Days parade on Saturday morning at 10am and the annual fireworks show, held at the county fairgrounds on Sunday at 9:30pm. You can learn more about the festival’s offerings and schedule on their Facebook page.
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