Floodfest celebrates town's grit

Southeast Missourian

COMMERCE, Mo. -- After devastating battles with the Mississippi River in 1993 and 1995, people who still lived in Commerce became resigned to hearing the name of their town and the word "flood" in the same sentence.

"That's why we named it Floodfest," Theresa Wright said of the festival that now celebrates the support the town received during the floods and the growth -- albeit small -- that has occurred since then.

The fifth annual Floodfest will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Commerce. An estimated 1,500 people will attend the festival offering carnival rides, food, music and contests. It will begin at 7 p.m. Friday with music by Salsa Descarga, performing on Washington Street.

Events will resume at 10 a.m. Saturday in the city park on Tywappity Street with music by Classy Chassy Country. A Karoake contest is scheduled at 11 a.m. Other Saturday events will include a cake walk and an outhouse race. A mule jumping contest will begin at 5 p.m. at a temporary arena on the riverfront.

Jurrock's Park will bring wild animals. The country band Desert Winds will play from sundown until 11 p.m. Saturday. Classy Chassy Country will perform again at 11 a.m. Sunday. Tim Simmons also will play music. The Floodfest pageant will begin at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, with titles going to girls ages 1-15 and boys ages 1-6 in five different competitions.

The team roping contest will be at 1 p.m. Sunday at the arena.

Commerce had a population of more than 200 before the floods. Now it's closer to 100.

"They have never changed the sign," said Wright, secretary of the Commerce Community Tourism Organization. She is one of some 45 landowners who accepted State Emergency Management Agency buyouts in 1996. Eighteen inches of Mississippi River water stood in her house four blocks from the riverbank. She and her husband and their two young children lived in a camping trailer for awhile. Eventually they moved out of town.

Because of the buyout, the lots available are limited, Wright said. But since the floods, two gift shops and two motel cottages have opened.

Commerce received $2.4 million in federal and state money in the buyout.

To reach Commerce, take Highway N south in Scott City, Mo., and Highway E east into Commerce.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, ext. 182