Bloomfield to host Copfest Saturday

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Anyone passing through Bloomfield this weekend would be wise to obey the speed limits and laws carefully.

American Copfest 2009, hosted by the Bloomfield Explorers Post No. 4835, will be running all day Saturday in the Bloomfield City Park, bringing law enforcement agencies from a wide area into Bloomfield.

Bloomfield police chief Jason Curtman, who has worked to organize the event for months, said he is hoping to have many police departments represented.

The activities will kick off at 9 a.m. and are expected to last through 4 p.m.

Among the scheduled events are the Stars & Stripes Police Car Show, a dunking booth, a doughnut-eating contest, pie throwing, a shooting gallery, an Elvis tribute show and a parade.

For the doughnut-eating contest, doughnuts will be tied to a string and the child who eats the most the fastest without the doughnut hitting the ground will win.

The Double Trouble Elvis Show with Michael Anthony Smith and Darrell Ray is scheduled for 10 a.m.

At 1 p.m., a ceremony will dedicate a monument being placed on behalf of former Bloomfield marshal George Greer. In April 1904, Greer was killed by a drunken man named Jim Jones while Greer was trying to arrest him.

A moment will also be taken to recognize the surviving family members of Greer, who have been invited to attend Saturday's event, as well as all other attending officers and departments.

The event is sponsored by the Bloomfield Explorers Post No. 4835, the Bloomfield Police Department and the Bloomfield Lion's Club. Associate sponsors are COPS (Citizens Obediently Praying for Safety) and the Modern Woodmen of America Youth Club 7649-1T. All proceeds up to $500 will be matched by the MWA, all of which will go to the Explorers Club.

The program is being funded entirely through donations and money raised. No tax dollars are being used in the project.

For more information on American Copfest 2009, visit http://americancopfest.weebly.com or contact Curtman at 573-568-3576.

Pertinent address:

Bloomfield, Mo.