A Rockin’ Howlin’ Good Time in Sedalia
You need to be there!
By Mandy Langston Manley #122921
What's special this year is that you'll also have the privilege to ride in a part of Missouri with a cozy hometown feel, rich history and some of the friendliest folks you'll meet. You'll be riding through the scenes of the bank robberies of Jesse James, the powerful speeches and marked humility of Harry Truman and inspiring perseverance of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The Rally will be held on the grounds of the historic Missouri State Fair, which has been dazzling crowds almost every August since 1901 (they took a few years off during WWII).
It's also true that the BMW MOA headquarters is only 175 miles from Sedalia, and this lends a feeling of pride. The staff and volunteers are thrilled to showcase the Show Me state to you and thousands of your closest friends. Best of all, you're coming at a fabulous time to experience Missouri. Historical reenactments and interpretations abound, as we're looking back through 150 years since the American Civil War ripped through our country. Sedalia bears part of this history, as you'll read in the next few months.
Once the terminus of the Missouri Pacific Railway, Sedalia reported about 20,000 souls in the 2000 census. Today, many of those old train lines have been converted into Katy Trail State Park as part of the "Rails to Trails" program. Sedalia boasts a stop along this 237.7-mile trail, just before the western trailhead at Clinton, MO.
The trail that once saw thousands of head of longhorn cattle bound for Chicago is now a picturesque train-wide path that cuts through the middle of Missouri. If you're a runner, walker or want to rent a bicycle, a few hours on the Katy Trail would be a great way to get some exercise. Best of all, the trail aligns with the southern boundary of the Rally site (Missouri State Fairgrounds). If you need to rent a bicycle, visit Pro-Velo cycle shop at 310 South Ohio Avenue.
The weather might be warm, but your legs will thank you for the good stretch! If you get hungry along the way, there is a Katy Trail Cafe 1.5 miles from the Rally site at 108 W 16th Street. They claim to have the only homemade gravy in town!
Also nearby the Rally is the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art at 3201 West 16th Street on the State Fair Community College Campus. They have a fine collection of ceramics, sculpture, print and paintings. The Daum Museum is open Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. The museum features the work of Dale Chihuly, Helen Frankenthaler and Andy Warhol.
While you're in town unwinding and enjoying the day, stop by the Sedalia Public Library at 311 West 3rd Street. It received the first Carnegie Grant in Missouri, a $50,000 grant in 1899. The building was completed in 1901 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A few blocks east, you'll find the Sedalia Convention & Visitor's Bureau at 600 East 3rd Street. The building was once the Katy Depot (from the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad) and features gorgeous architecture as well as a treasure of historical items in the basement.
By this time, you must be famished! The locals will probably tell you to visit Kehde's Barbecue at 1915 S Limit Ave. Aren't you lucky? It's next to the Rally site! Kehde's (pronounced just like the Katy Trail) comes highly recommended; people can't get enough of the pork, chicken and delicious sauce. Their food is served from an old rail car, and the ambiance will thrill you almost as much as the food. Don't feel ashamed if you keep coming back day after day; you're not alone!
If you're a two-wheeled food tourist and like to try strange and exotic specialties when you ride, check out the Wheel Inn. This place deserves its own Food Network special! Just a short distance south of Kehde's BBQ and to the east of the Rally, stop in the Wheel Inn for their specialty-the Gooberburger! This peanut butter-covered hamburger has garnered much attention over the past few decades. "It's a creamy burger that perfectly combines savory and sweet," said Carolyn from the Convention & Visitor's Bureau. If nothing else, it's worth the experience!
Sedalia has been featured in several films, including ABC's 1983 film The Day After, in which it was obliterated when the Minuteman II Missile silos were attacked. At the time of the film's release, 150 nuclear weapon-tipped missiles stood in underground silos in the Sedalia area, ready to be launched. As a result of the film, local interest piqued; the missiles were all eventually dismantled as part of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Sedalia was also featured in the CBS series Rawhide, which ran from 1959-66, and the 1977 films Scott Joplin and Heroes.
Scott Joplin, ragtime's most prolific composer and stylist, lived in Sedalia between 1893 and 1904. He moved on to St. Louis, but the town still celebrates his legacy. Sedalia hosts the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival every year, which will run from 6-9 June, 2012. Folks will parade in costume, dance and listen to ragtime. You might even catch a reverberating rift of "The Entertainer" or "Maple Leaf Rag" as you walk through town.
Come to the Rally in Sedalia, use it as a home base to explore the area and leave charmed, educated and with a little ragtime in your soul. You can sign up to follow the Sedalia Convention & Visitor's Bureau on Facebook, as well as peruse their monthly newsletters to help prepare you for the trip. Mark your calendars, make your plans, and start daydreaming of Sedalia this July. I'll bet you a Gooberburger that you'll be glad you came!
Resources:
www.bikekatytrail.com
www.daummuseum.org
www.pro-velo.com (Katy Trail Bike Rental)
http://www.scottjoplin.org/biography.htm
