Classic wheels rolling into downtown
TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM
Carter Allen, 3, tosses a table tennis ball toward weighted cups at the Pizza Ranch game booth earlier this year at the Kids Block Party on the square. It took a few tries, but Carter finally sunk the requisite two shots and was rewarded with a coupon for a free kids’ buffet.
Seeking to follow up on the success of its well-attended Kids Block Party last month on the courthouse square, the Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce has announced plans for the second of three downtown festivals this summer — a “show-and-shine” cruise night featuring vintage and customized automobiles and motorcycles.
Set for Thursday, June 16, the cruise will begin at 4 p.m. at the Nodaway County Senior Center on East First Street with a chili-dog and nachos supper lasting until 5:30, at which time drivers will roll out of the parking lot in parade formation and motor to each of the city’s nursing homes and care facilities.
Show-and-shine participants will then park their classic wheels downtown where the vehicles will remain on display from around 6:30 p.m. until 8 o’clock. Live music will be provided during the event by “Daybreak,” an oldies rock ’n’ roll band from Omaha, Nebraska.
The 300 block of Market Street on the east side of the square will be blocked to traffic from 5:30 p.m. until the event closes.
Chamber Executive Director Jordyn Swalley said Wednesday that any organization interested in setting up a cotton candy, roasted peanuts, or popcorn stand, or similar concession contributing to the “feel of a classic evening on the square,” can make arrangements by calling the chamber office at 660-582-8643.
Both the Kids Block Party and the show-and-shine represent a change in philosophy by the chamber with regard to what was originally a three-installment summer concert series called “Downtown Sounds.”
The series never really took off, and for the past couple of years Swalley has been experimenting with new types of events designed to draw larger crowds to the central business district.
This year’s festival programming will conclude in August with a community pep rally for the Maryville High School and Northwest Missouri State University athletics teams.
Established three years ago, the rally has already become a local tradition attracting more than a thousand fans who line Main Street in order to cheer on the Bearcat and Spoofhound squads.
Of course the big event scheduled for downtown this summer is the Nodaway County Fair, set to take place Thursday, July 14, through Saturday, July 16.
Youth livestock exhibitions at the Community Building adjoining Northwest Missouri Regional Airport west of town begin Tuesday, July 12, and continue through the traditional Thursday evening sale.
The theme for this year’s fair is “Blast from the Past,” and Saturday night’s live entertainment will include a return performance by The Pastmasters, a classic rock band from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Other highlights embrace the Little Mr. and Miss Nodaway County Pageant on Thursday and the Country Showdown talent contest on Friday.
