The Callaway 200 Committee has - tentatively - settled on a location for its rescheduled "Bicentennial Bash" concert celebrating Callaway County's 200th birthday.
"After a lot of good discussion it was our recommendation to this committee that we go with the Callaway Electric Cooperative site, which offers the space, the access and the utilities, and can really handle the size of the crowd much more effectively than the (Veterans Park) site could," committee member Bruce Hackmann said.
Country music band Shenandoah will perform Aug. 28 in Fulton. The Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society will host its annual antique tractor drive the same day.
Callaway 200 and Callaway Electric Cooperative haven't yet finalized an agreement for using the company's grounds as the concert venue. C200 co-chair John Bell said CEC wants the committee to up its level of liability coverage from the current $2 million to $5 million.
"We don't have a firm quotation for the insurance coverage yet," he said.
Co-chair Susan Krumm said CEC has signalled willingness to "work with" the committee if the cost of insurance is too high. However, even after paying out for another year of insurance at the current level and PO box rental through August, the committee still has $35,144.13 in the bank.
"We're in good financial shape - I think it's acceptable in my view," committee member Renee Stack Graham said.
She added the Callaway Electric site will give them access to the three-phase power needed to run the band's equipment.
Planning for the event is ongoing. Committee members mentioned a need to hire food trucks, decide on whether to offer a shuttle service to and from the concert's location, find volunteers to staff a merchandise table and coordinate with Serenity Valley Winery about offering special-edition wine.
But with a decision on the location made and a contract likely coming soon, the committee can finally move ahead on marketing.
"Social media will be a big part of our efforts," said Graham, who's also the Callaway County tourism director. "We'll probably keep the advertising regional, probably in central Missouri. It is our bicentennial, so I think inviting our county and our neighbors to come and celebrate is the right target market for that."
This event was originally scheduled to take place in May 2020 - the year Callaway County actually turned 200 - but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced committee members to reschedule.
"We're getting closer to the end of the road for the Callaway 200 committee," Bell said.