‘An attraction for many’ - Schep’s Backwoods Bar near Russellville founded in 1983 as a venue for softball games

Schep’s Backwoods Bar opened for business near Russellville in the fall of 1983 and for many years hosted competitive league softball games. The bar side of the business became a destination for customers traveling for miles around to listen to popular area bands like Mystery Express. The business closed several years ago and now serves as a private residence. Courtesy of Greg Scheperle

After Greg Scheperle graduated from Russellville High School in 1976, he entered the hardworking trade of bricklayer. In his off time, he played on local competitive softball leagues for recreation, but soon realized that the closest field for hosting games not belonging to a school system was several miles away in Apache Flats.
 
He then resolved to build a ballfield along with a bar near Russellville. This venture soon developed into a destination that was regularly packed not only with those participating in softball games, but people from surrounding communities coming to watch popular area bands perform.
 
“My cousin, John Crum, became a partner in the business with me for the first few years,” Scheperle explained. “The ballfield and bar area were built on six acres that had been a part of the farm owned by my parents, Oliver and Audrey Scheperle,” he added.
 
Construction on the location began in early 1983 with another cousin, Elwyn Scheperle, completing the excavation for the ballfield and the foundation of the bar. As Greg Scheperle recalled, the bar was going to be just big enough to accompany the ballfield, but as he continued to lay it out on paper, plans continued to expand.
 
“Beer and ball seemed to go together quite well back then, and the building ended up being about 3,000 square feet,” he recalled. “The bar didn’t have any air conditioning, but I did have an old woodburning stove in it for a while. I would open the bar in the fall and then close the following summer to work my bricklaying job.”
 
While on a trip to the Stover area to purchase tables and chairs for the new bar, Scheperle unexpectedly stumbled upon the inspiration for the name of their new business.
 
“There was a place we saw called Backwoods Barbecue,” he recalled. “That got me thinking that Schep’s Backwoods (Schep’s as a shortened version of Scheperle) would be a good name for the business.”
 
They opened for business along State Highway C at their location approximately a mile east of Russellville on a Tuesday night in October 1983. In celebration of this inaugural event, Scheperle hired a popular local band called the “Moonshiners.”
 
“It was a great turnout and I had five beer taps on the walk-in cooler in addition to serving bottles and cans,” he recalled. “Back at that time, we served several of the popular beers brands like Stag.” He continued, “We also had Mystery Express and Hot City, both very popular bands, play there regularly. Some nights we would have double shows where both the bands would play in the same night.”
 
During one of these double performances, Scheperle recalls they collected around 58 cases of returnable bottles, which did not include the draft beer and cans that had been sold. But in addition to the entertainment booked, the focus of Schep’s Backwoods remained that of a softball venue.
 
Ball leagues continued to enjoy using the field while other groups, such as the local fire department, sponsored games as fundraisers. Other times, when the ballfield wasn’t being used for games, they managed to draw large crowds by hosting other interesting activities.
 
“One time we did backseat driving, where the driver is blindfolded and a person sitting behind them tells them how to move forward in the vehicle,” Scheperle explained. “They would have to navigate around obstacles, and judges assessed penalty points if they went out of bounds. Whoever ended up with the fastest combined time was declared the winner.”
 
When his cousin decided to leave the partnership, Scheperle continued managing the bar and ballfield, closing only during the summer months. During the early 1990s, State Route C was moved to the south of the ballfield, but it did not significantly diminish his business since it was now more clearly visible from the highway.
 
It was also in the early 1990s that Scheperle had lights installed around the ballfield, affording him opportunities to expand upon the hours of use.
 
“We held all-night softball games and tournaments that lasted for 24 hours—and those were some long days,” he said. “My aunt worked with the Special Olympics and sponsored tournaments there to raise money for the organization, too.”
 
Dart, pitch, and pool tournaments were also held at Schep’s Backwoods for entertainment. Additionally, Scheperle explained, local racoon hunters for many years donated meat to be barbecued and shared with customers during an event called the “Coon Hunters’ Ball.”
 
Scheperle left the bar side of the business in the mid-1990s, but three other individuals went on to operate it throughout the next several years. He did, however, continue to manage the ballfield for a while, but games stopped being played there around 2004,
 
“I remodeled the bar and I lived there with my family for about ten years,” he said. “I later moved onto my parents’ farm and sold the Schep’s Backwoods a few years ago and a new family now uses it as their home.”
 
As motorists travel along State Highway C before entering Russellville from the east, they can see the remnants of the ballfield, a site once bustling with activity and serving as a significant attraction for many years. This former business, though only a minor slice of local history, remains a frequent topic in discussions between many area residents.
 
“A lot of people met their spouses at Schep’s and if I had to guess, probably ninety percent of them are still together,” Greg Scheperle said. “It became a popular spot because of the ball games, bands, and other entertainment, and provided something for people in the area to do after a hard day’s work.
 
“A lot of younger folks,” he added, “might never know that it existed, but it’s a part of our past and provided some enjoyment for many people from all over Mid-Missouri for several years.”
            
Jeremy P. Ämick is the author of the historical compilation “Moments on the Moreau.” 

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Elwyn Scheperle is pictured in early spring of 1983 dozing the ground that became part of the ballfield for Schep’s Backwoods Bar. In the background is part of the building that is now Covered Bridge Market. Courtesy of Greg Scheperle