With the first big Callaway 200 event tonight, the committee is buzzing with excitement about celebrating the county's bicentennial.
And there are more ways than ever for members of the public to join in on the fun.
Diane Ludwig, of the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society, is calling all aspiring artists to join a fiber art wall-hanging competition. The parameters are simple: The art may be of any shape but must be between 1-by-1 feet and 3-by-3 feet; it must be themed around Callaway County in some way; and it must be made of some type of fiber. They may be completed by an individual or a group.
"You can make it however your heart desires as long as it has some kind of hanging mechanism and it's made of fiber," Ludwig said. "We're saying leather counts as fiber. If you want to go pick up twigs from all over the county and weave them together, that counts as fiber."
Finished pieces may be submitted at the Callaway County Historical Society from April 1-May 1. Entering costs $20, and artists may submit up to three pieces.
All the entries will be displayed at the big May celebration event, where judges and the public will choose the top 20 creations.
"Those 20 will be shown at the Rooster Creek Quilt Show and tour around the county," Ludwig said.
Fourth-grade students at several schools around the county will be participating in a tri-county history project. Details on that are still being finalized; Missouri first lady Teresa Parson is involved with that project.
Members of the Callaway 200 Committee are also planning to join in events around the community, starting with Field of Joy (they'll be decorating a tree, to light up with the rest Dec. 2) and the Christmas parades in Auxvasse, Holts Summit, Fulton and New Bloomfield. Committee members have prepared panels memorializing Callaway County's history and are happy to bring them to any community events. Contact [email protected] to request a visit.
"We want to encourage people to do both big things and small things centering around Callaway 200," Ludwig said.
There are plenty of "big things" on the horizon, though. The Callaway 200 2019-20 budget and other materials hint at plans for the May celebration, the November closing event and more in between. The May 29-30 event will feature two bands (Shenandoah and one to be determined), a 5K run, parade and scavenger hunt.
During the November 25, 2020, closing ceremony, participants will plant a time capsule and dedicate some type of monument to the occasion. It may also feature a torch relay run across the county, a la Olympics - potentially starting at Cote Sans Dessein, the site of Callaway County's first non-indigenous settlement.
Committee member Bruce Hackmann noted there are still a couple dozen tickets available for the kickoff gala, happening at 5 p.m. tonight at the Meadow Lake Country Club. Call 573-642-3055 to snag a last-minute seat.