Mayor Landwehr's Blog

Muenchberg Message: a Bond Set in Stone

The significance of the 220 pound Memory Stone transported by our German visitors might have been obscured a little by Oktoberfest fun and other events last weekend. Here's the message on the stone's plaque. It's thoughtful, timeless and deeply appreciated. 

Thanks again to Thomas Schnurrer, Herbert Schaller, Artur Materny and Marco Herrmann for the visit. 

 

Muenchberg Visitors

Gert and son, Peter, are touring the USA following Peter's high school graduation. They bring greetings from our Partner City, Muenchberg, Germany. This is an interview after a nice dinner hosted by Larry and Cathy Kolb.

Arthur Frommer Highlights Hometown in NY Radio & Blog

Arthur Frommer was clearly delighted to receive such a warm welcome last week from his home town. He reciprocated by spending the first ten minutes of his radio program to tell the world what a nice town we have. Check out the podcast: Podcast about Jefferson City. And his Blog Piece is nice too. Thanks, Arthur! Hope to see you again soon.

Arthur Frommer Travels Back to Home Town

Arthur Frommer, famous for his travel series beginning with Europe on $5 a Day, is a native son. After graduating from Yale Law School he served in U.S. Army Intelligence in Europe during the Korean War. That inspired him to write about traveling on a tight budget. On Thursday his wife Roberta will surprise him with a trip back to Jefferson City for his birthday. His recent project, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Online, has been acquired by Newsweek and Arthur is still the editor. He has a nice blog too. The CVB helped welcome him back home.

Councilman Visits USS Jefferson City; Boat Name Will Stay

Fourth Ward City Councilman Eric Struemph and family visited the USS Jefferson City recently. Pics are posted on the sub's official web page. 

We checked,and the cost of repainting the sub and all its accessories to read "USS City of Jefferson" would be more than the cost of a dozen cruise missiles. So maybe both the sub AND THE SIGN being donated by the East Side Business Association can just say "Jefferson City" in spite of the angst recently reported at a City Council meeting.

City Among Best Wine Venues In U.S.

U.S. News and World Report in their Money Section had a recent article revealing that Jefferson City is one of the top ten places for wine lovers to retire. The author says we have a "low key lifestyle" and we are "not that glitzy yet." (Could someone tell me when we're close to being glitzy?)

Fechtel and Scheppers need to hop on this. I think Cole County is absolutely one of the nation's ten best places for BEER LOVERS to retire. Wine venues are a dime a dozen. With Bernie and Joe and Prison Brews, we could really get on the map. Randy Allen and Missy Bonnot and all those economic development gurus at the Chamber need to work this hard.

Katy Trail Visitors are Reminders of the Untapped Resource

Thousands of biking enthusiasts come along the Katy Trail, look at the nation's most beautiful state Capitol Building from a half mile away, and . . . keep peddling because there is no safe access across the bridge. Compare this situation with other venues like Hermann that enjoy considerable tourist traffic on account of the new bridge that has a wide protected bike/pedestrian lane. It's integral to their promotional efforts.

David DeSimone and Nick George are cycling from Florida to Oregon. Friends called ahead and asked for lodging and we were glad to provide a hot shower and BBQ. Their effort is named Biking For Balance. We had a chance to visit after dinner when they arrived earlier this week. They're both engineering doctoral students. 

 

What's "wrong with this picture" is that we had to pick them up across the river and haul them into Jefferson City.Their visit reminded us of the need to complete the access now being designed. It's more than just a fun amenity. It's tourism dollars and image -- a long term investment that will pay for itself many times over. Thanks to the Missouri State Parks Foundation, our own Parks Department, MODOT  and others, we are very close. 

Missouri River Float Was a Challenge

The weather report said the sun was going to come out by noon, but it stayed overcast and the wind was coming from downriver. So the trip from Cedar Creek to Mokane was longer and colder than expected. I promised Brent Vanconia, Ed Clausen, Bill Lockwood and Andy Neidert that we'd wait until June for the next excursion. The movie clip shows us coming through Jefferson City.

Tours of Old Penitentiary Coming Soon

The last prisoner left the Missouri State Penitentiary in 2004.  The site contains numerous buildings and views -- a treasure trove of state and local history. Since then, due to many circumstances too complicated to summarize, the area "behind the walls" site has been viewed by only special groups.

That may change. Our Convention and Visitors' Bureau has received approval from the Missouri State Penitentiary Redevelopment Commission to arrange for regular tours for visitors and residents.

In a Channel 3 JCTV interview, Steve Picker and Sarah Stroesser describe the tours that could begin in May.  

"We're going to be in the Hudson"

Check out this animation of Flight 1549 with real audio, courtesy of local pilot and friend Bob Morgan.