River Rats for the Arts (Boonville, Missouri)

Turner Hall River Rats for the Arts is a not-for-profit cultural arts organization founded in 2003. The Rats are a group of art loving folks with a mission to share that love. Their home is Turner Hall, 518 Vine Street, Boonville, Missouri.

Turner Hall was built in 1847 as a Baptist Church. It became Turner Hall in 1895 when the local German Turn and Gesang Verein society bought the Church and was noted as having one of the best dance floors in town as well as a stage for the performance of various theatricals. The German Society used the hall for theatrics, singing, gymnastics, dancing and Skat, a popular card game at the time.

The River Rats are committed to reclaiming Turner Hall as the cultural arts center for the local community of today. We want Turner Hall to be a place where folks gather to share and experience Boonville's own brand of cultural arts-art activities that reflect the make-up of our community both past and present. For example, since its inception the Rats have hosted activities such as two sessions of ballroom dance lessons-swing and fox trot, a sketch book journaling workshop, jazz nights with the Tuesday Night Jazz Band, the telling of local ghost stories and Love Notes-an annual musical revue of love songs in honor of Valentine's Day. Projects in the works are an outdoor independent film festival, an original theatrical piece based on local journals, latin dance lessons, an old-timey photography workshop, blue grass jam sessions, folk concerts, more jazz nights, more ghost stories and other adventures.

Membership is open to everyone. We want to celebrate local art and culture. If you have a passion for a visual or creative art form and would like to share it with the community, come talk to us. We would love to help you do just that. If you are interested in supporting this work, come join us. We meet the second Thursday of every month at Turner Hall at 7 PM. (660-882-3300). If you are interested in getting on the mailing list so we can keep you apprised of our adventures, email Lesley Oswald