Cape Girardeau committee formed to start planning for Tour of Missouri

Planning for Cape Girardeau's participation in the Tour of Missouri moved ahead this week when the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce began setting up the structure that will lead fundraising and volunteer efforts.

At the chamber's board meeting Tuesday, a local organizing committee, as yet unnamed, was formed, said John Mehner, president and chief executive officer of the chamber. The two people named to the committee are Sarah Vickery, director of sales marketing for the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Tracey Glenn, vice president for organization and leadership development at the chamber, Mehner said.

More people will be added to the committee, probably after a March 3 meeting with Medalist Sports, the race's contract organizer, Mehner said. An estimated $50,000 to $75,000 must be raised and 100 or more volunteers must be enrolled to make the Sept. 8 event a success.

The meeting, which will be in Jefferson City and include all cities participating in the race, will give Cape Girardeau leaders a clearer picture of what is expected, Mehner said. "It will be nuts and bolts and things to have ready," he said.

Cape Girardeau native Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, who has championed the race as a tool for bringing tourist dollars to Missouri, will speak to business leaders about the race Friday at the monthly First Friday Coffee sponsored by the chamber. The program will begin at 7:40 a.m. at the Show Me Center. Kinder's appearance, Mehner said, will be to provide congratulations to the city for winning a spot on this year's race and information about the economics of the first two years of the tour.

"I think there will be excitement on his part that it is coming here," Mehner said. "He has heard from people before and said that he wished it would be here."

The tour is entering its third year. The race, which will be held from Sept. 7 to 13, features circuit races, time trials and road races. Cape Girardeau will be at the receiving end of the first road course, which will run from Ste. Genevieve on a route that has not been determined.

Last year, the race drew more than 400,000 spectators and generated an estimated $29.8 million in economic activity. The race was shown on some cable TV systems and as a webcast. Viewers from an estimated 139 countries saw at least part of the race. Surveys taken of out-of-state visitors indicated they were more affluent and spent more on travel than the typical tourist visiting Missouri.

Mehner said the chamber and the Convention and Visitors Bureau have already received correspondence from area businesses and individuals about helping with fundraising or becoming volunteers.

The tour moves each year, but some cities have hosted events for more than one race. Mehner said it is too early to do anything but get ready for this year's event. "What we have to focus on, unless somebody tells me differently, is how to take care of this event this year," he said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

Tour of Missouri contacts:

Sarah Vickery -- svickery@visitcape.com

Tracey Glenn -- tglenn@capechamber.com