Jamesport resident featured in Missouri Life

Hot off the press is the August issue of Missouri Life which this time features the Amish in the state. The cover has the title "Amish Country," with a picture of Amish men on a hay wagon [from another area]. The Amish article includes an in-depth interview with Jamesport’s Jim Smith.

Jim, tour coordinator for Step Back in Time Tours, was contacted by the editor for an interview and tour. In the spring of this year, he was fortunate enough to take the assistant editor and a cameraman out on tour for a chance to show them Jamesport’s Amish community.

Because Jim was born and raised in Jamesport, and went to school with some of our local Amish before 1965 (when the Amish were allowed to have their own schools), he can share his firsthand knowledge. His tours are also humorous due to his quick wit and humorous stories, keeping the tour very entertaining.

Jim worked with the late Rosemary Simmons when tourist numbers were the greatest back in the 1980s and 1990s, and though his health interfered for a while, he’s now back in full force.

If Jamesport’s residents have already noticed an increase in tour buses and vans in the community, chances are, you can thank Jim. Jim has worked very hard all winter in getting the word out about the unique community of Jamesport, which is home to the largest Old Order Amish settlement west of the Mississippi. His work has been rewarded by an increase of reservations and visitors to our area. Missouri residents as well as those from all 50 states including Hawaii and Alaska have contacted him. Reservations have already been made for Canada buses on their way to Branson. To say his 2010 and 2011 calendars are filling up fast is an understatement.

Though the article has only been out for a couple of weeks, Jim has already booked reservations because of the publicity. Jamesport and Amish businesses should see a growing increase in tourism in the coming months, and a suggestion for those businesses to have adequate help available during those busy times, should be considered. Gallatin and other area businesses may also see an increase of tourism to the area because of the publicity.

When the editor asked Jim his ideas on what made his business a success, Jim chuckled and with a gleam in his eyes said, "When I was in the army, I traveled all over the world and was the tourist. I really appreciated the people taking the time to explain and share with me their culture and to answer some of my ‘dumb’ questions. I really enjoy meeting people from all over, and now it is my turn to have a chance to share my experiences and knowledge of Jamesport and our Amish with those who come here. Now, it’s my turn to answer the ‘dumb’ questions.

"To be successful, you really have to enjoy what you’re doing, the people can sense that right away. I think my job is to educate, enlighten, explain, and entertain them in the process.

"It’s really kind of funny to me that when I went to school, I was always getting into trouble for talking in class. Now, I get paid to talk! Mrs. Trimble would be shocked!"

Missouri Life is published in Boonville, and features places to go in the state for the tourism business. One can get the magazine by subscription or at one of the larger bookstores. You can go to: missourilife.com for more information.

To learn more about Step Back in Time Tours, email at [email protected], or call 660-684-6174. His website is www.stepbackintimetours.net.