Perryville takes no position on pinup contest

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Perryville Board of Aldermen has washed its hands of a proposed "pin-up girl contest" planned as part of the last downtown cruise-in of the year.

If the event ends badly, the fallout will land squarely on the shoulders of the city's Downtown Revitalization Committee, which organizes the monthly event for car enthusiasts, Alderman Larry Riney said during the board's regular meeting Tuesday night.

"I don't think this is in our ballpark. The wrath of the positive or negative will be strictly ... on the Downtown Revitalization Committee," Riney said.

The committee had sought to add a retail-by-drink picnic license to its existing festival license, which the board unanimously denied, citing concerns the timing of the event would strain police department staffing.

The final cruise-in of 2014 is set for Oct. 4, just a week after Rocktoberfest, a battle-of-the-bands-type event, city administrator Brent Buerck said.

City attorney Mary Boner said the board was under no legal obligation to weigh in on the pinup contest and had no authority to stop the organizers -- who already have a festival license for the cruise-ins -- from holding the contest.

"To me, it's more of a moral question," she said.

Buerck acknowledged the city does not approve or veto individual activities conducted as part of other festivals, such as Mayfest, but because the pinup contest was potentially controversial, he wanted the board to be aware of it.

Although the board ultimately declined to take any official position on the contest, it prompted a lively discussion.

Alderman Doug Martin said he would have appreciated hearing from organizers before the contest was promoted through fliers and social media.

"The only thing that aggravates me is ... I wish they would ask for permission rather than ask for forgiveness," he said.

Buerck said organizers may not have thought of consulting the board before he mentioned it.

The contest rules advise participants to "be classy" and dress like a pinup model from the 1940s, '50s or '60s.

"Your wardrobe does NOT need to be authentic vintage but it DOES need to be family friendly," the rules state. " ... We will disqualify any contestants that are dressed in more than a 'PG' style outfit."

Some aldermen questioned how -- and whether -- that dress code would be enforced.

"Nobody's going to tell a woman she's too scantily dressed," Martin said.

Alderman Tom Guth noted the committee will have to answer to the public if the contest becomes inappropriate or offensive.

"It's going to come back to hurt them, so it'd be in their best interest that it doesn't get out of hand," he said.

If the contest creates problems, the board could deny the committee a festival license for cruise-ins next year, Alderman Prince Hudson said.

"The other part could be taken away from them if it blows up on them," he said.

Buerck said up to this point, the cruise-ins -- held from 5 to 11 p.m. the first Saturday of each month from April through October -- have been popular.

"By all accounts, those have been a resounding success," he said.

Scott Sattler, executive director of the Perry County Economic Development Authority, said cruise-in organizers just wanted to enhance the event on its last night of the year.

"The committee for the cruise-in has asked to make this last one a big hurrah," he told the board.

epriddy@semissourian.com

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Downtown Perryville, MO