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Scott Joplin Ragtime Foundation asks Sedalia for $2,000 budget increase as festival attendance and economic impact rise
Summary
Presenters for the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Foundation told the Sedalia City Council the festival drew visitors from across the U.S. and abroad, produced roughly $358,848 in direct economic impact last year and requested a $2,000 increase in city support during the upcoming budget process.
John Simmons, a presenter for the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Foundation, asked the Sedalia City Council to increase the city’s annual festival support by $2,000 during the upcoming budget process.
The request came during a presentation to the council’s Finance, Administration and Vice Chair Thomas Oldham. Simmons and Festival Director Shelly Rounds outlined the festival’s operations, attendance and economic impact, and described plans for the foundation’s 2025 program.
“This year we have 33 performers scheduled and committed to come,” Rounds said, describing a program of concerts, symposiums, daytime activities and new outreach such as trolley tours and a silent-movie accompaniment. Rounds said the 2024 festival ran four days, included 52 musicians, two open-air venues and six ticketed concerts at a variety of locations including the KD Depot and Liberty Center.
Nut graf: The Scott Joplin festival is a long-running event the presenters said draws visitors to Sedalia and supports downtown businesses; organizers want slightly more city funding to underwrite free venues, performer fees and infrastructure that they say expand attendance and local economic activity.
Rounds and Simmons told the council the festival attracted visitors from about 40 states and several foreign countries in 2024 and produced an estimated direct economic impact of $358,848 for a four-day event. The foundation reported selling 1,243 concert tickets (a 31% increase over the prior year), estimated daytime tourism expenditures of $27,310 and event revenue of $68,738.
Simmons said the festival has received $10,000 in city support in recent years and is asking the council to increase that appropriation by $2,000 for the coming budget cycle. He also described other revenue sources: private sponsorships and in-kind contributions from local businesses, support from service clubs such as Rotary and grant funding pursued through the Missouri Arts Council. On the council dais, a council member corrected or expanded figures given during the presentation about state arts grants; the presenters said they were pursuing larger grants but did not present a finalized award amount.
Organizers described several program changes intended to boost attendance: moving the parade from Wednesday evening to Saturday morning; continuing a popular trolley tour program; broadening the musical lineup to include performers with established followings; and expanding social media and targeted advertising. The foundation said it places one performer each year as an artist in residence for local schools; the 2025 artist in residence is Adam Swanson, who will perform at schools, nursing homes and a Thursday silent-movie concert at the KD Depot.
Rounds said volunteers and a defined board leadership structure run major festival functions year-round. She listed several board roles including symposium director and youth program director that the foundation uses to manage logistics and community outreach.
Ending: The council did not take formal action on the funding request during the meeting; Simmons asked the council to consider the $2,000 increase as it finalizes the municipal budget. The foundation and city staff will continue to coordinate event logistics and city services, including public-works support for stages and cleanup, as the festival’s 2025 plans proceed.
