There's now a one-stop shop for everything Callaway 200-related.
Callaway County Director of Tourism Renee Graham said callaway200.com went live shortly before the new year and is now ready for visitors.
"I think we got it up on Dec. 30," she said during a Friday Callaway 200 committee meeting.
This year, Callaway County is celebrating its 200th birthday with a series of events centered around the county's history and culture. Festivities kicked off in mid-November with a jazzy gala and will continue with a celebration May 30-31 and a closing event in November.
The new site is chock-full of information about both the county and upcoming celebrations. The "History" section contains information about Callaway County as a whole and the individual communities - large and small - found within.
"Volunteers at the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society wrote profiles of each town and village in Callaway County," Graham said. "That was a great project to work on."
The profiles link to the historical society website, which has more detailed information for those who want to dive deeper into history.
The "About" section offers links to a number of public resources, such as local school districts and towns' homepages, a list of sponsors and a summary of Callaway 200.
"Our Stories" lists points of interest around the county. "Events" contains a calendar of upcoming activities - both those organized by the Callaway 200 committee and other events planned by communities within the county.
"We still have lots of content to add," Graham said. "If anyone has suggestions for the website or wants to provide information, they can email [email protected]."
There's also the all-important "Get Involved" button, which tells folks how to volunteer.
"We certainly could use volunteers throughout the year," Graham said. "Anyone who has an interest, we can find something that's a good fit - whether that's working an event, handing out fliers or data entry."
Committee members said plans are coming together for the big May 30-31 celebration in downtown Fulton.
"This is all very tentative," Graham warned. "We have a lot of moving parts to pull together."
May 30, a Saturday, will start with a 10K race at 9 a.m. The Fulton Farmers Market will be open, too. As the day goes on, wandering musicians will provide street music all over downtown. Brick District businesses will host hands-on activities and demonstrations.
Committee co-chair Susan Krumm said she likes the event's focus on getting people into downtown businesses.
"We wanted it to have a different feel than the Fulton Street Fair," Graham said.
For the history-inclined, two walking tours are in the works. In the afternoon, the Brick District Playhouse will show the classic film "Kings Row," set in a flimsily fictionalized version of Fulton. Performances by two bands, including Shenandoah, will cap off the evening.
Local churches will head events Sunday.
"This is our vision, but we'll have a plan A, a plan B and a plan C," Graham said. "We're trying to grid things out and have a full day of activities."
Details on the November closing event and various other smaller events - including, potentially, a bike tour - are still in the works.
"I think we're off to a pretty good start, but we need to keep an eye out for events where we can do something to keep Callaway 200 in front of people," Krumm said.
To contact the Callaway 200 committee, email [email protected] or call Graham at 573-642-7692.