Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Events Tourism Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee discusses Route 66 Railroad Days, a Fourth of July parade and November 5K; awards $15,000 grant for interactive sign reported
Summary
The Pacific Tourism Committee opened planning for a revived Route 66 Railroad Days event, directed Alderman Kelly to confirm police availability for a proposed Fourth of July parade date, and tabled a proposed downtown November 5K pending MoDOT routing permission; the committee also reported receiving a $15,000 sponsorship for an interactive sign.
The Pacific Tourism Committee discussed plans for a revived Route 66 Railroad Days (planned as a 2026 project), options for a Fourth of July parade, and a proposed November 5K, and heard that the tourism office received a $15,000 sponsorship to fund an interactive sign.
On Route 66 Railroad Days, committee members described the idea as largely a 2026 project to “bring back what railroad days used to be in Pacific,” including carnival rides, vendors and family activities. Discussion was preliminary; no vote was taken.
For a Fourth of July parade, the committee debated dates and logistics and asked Police Department availability before finalizing a date. Committee discussion identified two candidate dates: Sunday, June 29 (the day after a car show) and Sunday, July 6 (the Sunday following July 4). A committee member asked, “Kelly, could you ask the police department which day would work best for them for a fourth of July parade?” Alderman Kelly was assigned to contact the police department (Major and Hal were named as officers referenced for staffing decisions) so staff could confirm whether police staff would be available for either date.
Members discussed parade logistics including barriers, use of the school parking lot for staging, participant check-in procedures, cleanup, a suggested cap of about 50 entries to keep the parade length manageable, and the potential to use the parade to announce car-show awards to encourage overnight stays.
On the 5K, the committee favored holding the race in November but tabled detailed route approval because the downtown route would require permission from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to cross First Street. The committee voted to table the item pending confirmation from MoDOT and possible alternative routes; a motion to table passed by voice vote with no nays recorded.
In the tourism director report, Tourism Director O'Malley said the office received a $15,000 sponsorship to pay for an “active, interactive sign.” Installation and delivery will cost $4,200 charged to the Centennial Fund, and concrete work estimated at $640 (Robert Brueggemann cited as the concrete contractor). The committee was told the office aims to order the sign this month and have it in place before June for reimbursement.
Ending: Committee members directed follow-up tasks: Kelly to check police availability for parade dates; staff to investigate MoDOT requirements for downtown 5K routing; and tourism staff to proceed with ordering the interactive sign and manage Centennial Fund expenditures and reimbursement.
