They'll need some help to make it happen, but the Callaway Tourism Board wants to make it easier for visitors to find their way around town.
At a meeting Friday in the Kingdom of Callaway Chamber of Commerce, the board discussed allocating $1,000 of its budget to buying plaques or signs that would designate or guide tourists to a number of shops, stops and historical sights around Callaway County.
Board member Cathy McGeorge said she felt there was a need for more signage but "no one was stepping up to fund it," so if the group could contribute a portion of the cost and get other stakeholders to pick up a share, the project could get done.
"If it materializes great, and if not we could spend the money on other things," McGeorge said. "In other towns you drive around town and you want some plaques that tell you what to do or where to go, we don't really have that."
McGeorge said she envisioned signs around town designating "key sites" to make it easier for tourists and visitors to identify significant sites such as the Callaway County Courthouse.
Chamber Executive Director Claudia Starr, who was present at the meeting, identified a number of other agencies that might be interested in chipping in on the signage project, including the chamber, the Brick District Association, the city of Fulton and the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society. She said Crane's Store owner David Crane had approached Fulton officials about erecting signs in the downtown area similar to a mall directory, showing where number of county businesses and points of interest could be located for pedestrians and visitors.
In other business, the board approved an itemized budget for 2014 advertising and projects.
The $28,000 budget includes billboards on U.S. 54 and Interstate 70, as well as looking into producing a tourism DVD.