EXCELSIOR SPRINGS – The landscape of a shallow oxbow lake about 8 miles south of Excelsior Springs has inspired the work of area artists and photographers in recent years. “They may have been unaware of its significance in the earliest days of Clay County. Hoping to rectify that, the Excelsior Springs Museum & Archives will introduce the present to the past with its Cooley Lake Art Show, as Missouri and Clay County celebrate their bicentennial year,” museum information states. Artists and photographers first participated June 27 at Cooley Lake for a group outdoor painting session. Next, on Aug. 13, an opening night party will take place at the museum, where Cooley Lake-inspired work will be displayed through Aug. 21. Why Cooley Lake? The significance of this early landmark has faded into history, museum information states. The earliest settlers knew the lake as the site of Clay County’s first wedding, last bear killing and the only...