Plans for the Callaway 200 Bicentennial Bash continue to evolve - but the show's still on for now.
Members of the Callaway 200 group met virtually Thursday night to update each other on the plans.
One anticipated event, a showing of "King's Row" at the Brick District Playhouse planned for Friday before the festival on Aug. 28, has been canceled. The film, which debuted in 1942 and stars Ronald Reagan, is based on a book of the same name set in a thinly disguised version of Fulton.
"The playhouse was interested in hosting 'King's Row' for us but not putting on even a Friday night event, so the 'King's Row' activity is not going to happen; there won't be a playhouse event Friday night," Committee Co-Chair Susan Krumm said. "The movie is not going to happen."
Filling the void caused by the cancellation of that event and the "Sweet Soulful Sunday" celebration planned for Aug. 30, the Bicentennial Bash will now include three events carried over from the canceled Fulton Street Fair.
The Street Fair was due to take place this weekend, but it was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, a couple Street Fair committee members will be helping put on a car cruise, parade and cornhole tournament during the Bicentennial Bash, Krumm said.
The car cruise, featuring the Callaway Cruisers and possibly an additional club from Columbia, will take place 6-8 p.m. Aug. 28 in downtown Fulton on Court Street.
"That would be the only activity on Friday evening," Krumm said. "The street is going to have to be closed anyway."
The committee was initially reluctant to close off part of downtown on a Friday evening but recently learned the giant stage being built for headliner band Shenandoah will need to be set up Aug. 28 to be ready in time for the planned Aug. 29 show. That means parts of Court Street will need to be closed beginning either the evening of Aug. 27 or the morning of Aug. 28.
"People can still access restaurants from the back streets on both sides, but since Court will be closed, this will give an activity to hopefully bring people downtown," Krumm said.
The annual Fulton Street Fair Parade has also migrated to the Bicentennial Bash and will take place at 4 p.m. Aug. 29 in downtown Fulton. A cornhole tournament will take place the same day.
The committee is still figuring out social distancing details, Krumm said. Members will re-evaluate whether the event can be held safely in the weeks before it takes place.
"We can encourage masks, social distancing and space between people," she added. "We're already requiring people to bring their own chairs."
In the meantime, fundraising continues. The committee plans to sell Callaway 200 merchandise Saturday mornings from a booth at the Fulton Farmers Market and during the upcoming July 4 parade. They're also raffling off a customized gun. Tickets are on sale at Crane's Country Store in Williamsburg; Jones Farm, Home and Auto in Millersburg; and Rooster Creek in Holts Summit.
To stay up to date on the latest plans, visit callaway200.com and facebook.com/Callaway200.