(KFVS) - Lt. Governor Peter Kinder hosted a reception on Wednesday for Southeast Missouri student artists, their families and art teachers during the Missouri Citizens for the Arts Day.

The student artwork was submitted as part of the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri's Children's Arts Festival with first, second and third place winners named in each grade, third through eighth. Five pieces in each grade also received honorable mention.

A total of 14 pieces of children’s artwork were selected from hundreds of entries representing 23 Southeast Missouri schools. Those selected pieces were framed and presented to Missouri legislators to display in their offices as a reminder of the importance of state funding for the arts.

“The arts enrich the lives of all Missourians,” Kinder said. “I congratulate this year’s winners for their commitment to the arts, and I look forward to seeing examples of the artists’ work in the Capitol.”

POPLAR BLUFF, MO (KFVS) - The Mark Twain National Forest is looking for volunteers to continue documenting the historic Trail of Tears on their Poplar Bluff Ranger District March 26-31, including weekends.

Applications to volunteer are due by Monday, February 13. To apply, you can click here to visit the website, click on "Current projects" and then click on "Mark Twain NF" MO-4059.

The Forest Service says the week-long project is the second phase of a Passport in Time project, a USDA Forest Service volunteer archeology and historic preservation program.

Their goal is to preserve the nation’s past with volunteer help. Volunteers work with professional Forest Service archaeologists on diverse activities such as surveys and excavation, rock art restoration, historic structure restoration, analysis of artifacts, and more.

POPLAR BLUFF, MO (KFVS) - The Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon cutting for the Smithsonian Museum exhibit on Main Street.

The ribbon cutting will be Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 4 p.m. at the Wheatley School and Museum on 921 Garfield Street.

Organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services, the exhibit explores "The Way We Worked" in Butler County from the time of the early settlers to the present.

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