The silence was deafening.
In the last three years, organizers of the Tour of Missouri have called a press conference in late January or early February to announce the host cities for the stages of the race. This year’s version is scheduled for Aug. 31 to Sept. 6.
So far, no word. That’s not good.
The holdup is funding. In its first three years, the state has kicked in about $1.5 million a year from the tourism budget, essentially serving as title sponsor. Gov. Jay Nixon threatened to withhold funding last year until the public outcry was loud and definitely pro-race. With more than $500 million in cuts from this year’s state budget, the race has received no guarantee of funding for 2010.
So friends of the race are taking their case to the people. They’ve launched a facebookcampaign, which had garnered 4,500 friends by late Thursday. It’s nice to see all the stories of how much folks enjoy the race, but that’s not really the point. They’ll be asking all the facebook friends to lean on their legislators to restore at least part of that funding to serve as seed money for corporate support.
They’re also asking for donations.
“There is still debate at the state level for support of this event,” Mike Weiss, president of the Missouri Bicycle Racing Association, said in a statement. “We need continued state, and even general public support outside the realms of traditional corporate support, to continue this race. It’s essential for not only the event’s success but viability.”
Here’s a link to 10 Ways You Can Help the Tour of Missouri.
And here are ways to plead your case to the people who matter most.
Governor Jay Nixon: 573-751-3222, http://governor.mo.gov
