Tour of Missouri organizers looking for volunteers, vendors

With less than a month to go before the Tour of Missouri makes a stop in Cape Girardeau, local organizers are stepping up efforts to recruit volunteers and offering booth space to potential vendors and others with a message to share.

A news conference at 10 a.m. today will give local media and cycling fans a chance to meet Brad Huff of Team Jelly Belly. Chris Aronhalt, managing partner of Medalist Sports of Atlanta, will also be on hand at the event, which will be held in the city parking lot at Independence and Main streets. In case of rain, the event will be held at Dockside, 4 N. Spanish St.

The Tour of Missouri, a seven-stage bicycle race that will feature 15 teams and 120 riders, will begin Sept. 7 in St. Louis. On Sept. 8, Cape Girardeau will host the finish of the second stage, with the finish line near the intersection of Independence and Main streets.

To help coordinate the event, organizers are hoping for up to 350 volunteers to come forward. So far, about 75 have signed up, but recruiting was slowed by a dispute over whether state tax money would be used to sponsor the race, said Troy Vaughn, director of student recreation at Southeast Missouri State University and volunteer coordinator for the local organizers.

Volunteers are needed for a variety of jobs such as race marshals and medical control assistants, Vaughn said. Race marshals will be posted along the route in Cape Girardeau County to assist law enforcement in keeping the roads used by the cyclists open, Vaughn said. Medical control assistants don't need medical knowledge, he said, because their job will be to escort riders to a post-race testing center.

Race marshal "is in fact one of the neatest positions," Vaughn said. Marshals will be in a prime location to see the riders go by. Once the racers are past, marshals are free to join the festival that will take place near the finish line.

At the finish line, there will be a media tent, awards stage and health fair sponsored by Southeast Missouri Hospital and Saint Francis Medical Center. Booster clubs and civic organizations are welcome, as well as anyone with crafts, food or other materials to offer the expected crowd of thousands, may rent space for the afternoon, said Tracey Glenn, vice president for organization and leadership with the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce and chairwoman of the local organizing committee.

A 10-foot-by-10-foot space will cost $100. The organizers will provide a tent along with the space for a total of $150. Booths will open at 12:30 p.m. and close at 5 p.m.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

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To be a volunteer:

Volunteers are encouraged to sign up at www.tourofmissouri.com. Local organizers are also placing volunteer enrollment forms at the following locations:

* Arena Building, Arena Park.

* Osage Community Centre, 1625 N. Kingshighway

* Student Recreation Center North, New Madrid Street next to the Show Me Center.

* Cycle Werx, 1407 N. Kingshighway.

* Cape Bicycle, 2410 William St.

To be a vendor:

Vendors who wish to reserve booth space during the Tour of Missouri street festival should contact Janice Voss, executive assistant with Cape Area Magnet at 334-5000 or jvoss@capeareamagnet.com.

Pertinent Address:

43 S. Main St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.