Mayor proclaims Constitution Week; city reviews Old Mary River Run car show logistics

The Ottawa City Commission issued a proclamation recognizing Constitution Week (Sept. 17–23) and accepted it with remarks from a Daughters of the American Revolution representative.

During the meeting Chief Wayne Gardner briefed commissioners on public‑safety and logistics plans for the Old Mary River Run car show, which the city identifies as its largest community event. Gardner said Forest Park will be closed for the duration and that staff begin on‑site operations early Saturday; parking and trailer drop‑off locations are available near I‑35, K‑68 and Orliss Cox Ball Fields, and organizers expect a steady flow of vehicles along K‑68 as cars enter town. He said the city typically fields about 50–60 law‑enforcement officers from municipal and outside agencies (including the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office), deploys bike patrols downtown, positions medical teams and dedicates two dispatchers to the event on a separate radio channel.

Gardner said the city requests voluntary compliance with restrictions, will relocate towed vehicles to the Kansas State Bank North parking lot at no charge to owners, and relies on volunteers and student groups to clean downtown after the cruise night; those volunteers typically complete cleanup and city traffic signals are returned to normal between about 10 and 11 p.m. Gardner also noted pre‑registration numbers in August exceeded several hundred and could approach roughly 1,000 participants.

The commission praised staff coordination and thanked volunteers and partner agencies. The meeting also included routine city announcements and a preview of upcoming meeting items.

Next steps: staff will continue event staging and public messaging ahead of the weekend event.