PRESS RELEASE
February 17, 2010
Truman Return To Sedalia & The 1940s Live Again!
The Pettis County Historical Society and the Sedalia 150 Committee announce the next event on the Sedalia Sesquicentennial Calendar - Sedalia in the 40s. This event will take place on Sunday, March 7th, from 10 AM to 4 PM at the Fox Theater in downtown Sedalia. Some of the highlights of this event include a 1940s Car Show (weather permitting), a 1940s fashion show by Carolyn Miller of Nostalgia Vintage Apparel and displays of pictures and information about Sedalia in the 40s. Special guest Harry S. Truman will also put in a rare appearance at the Fox Theater for the event. Raymond Starzmann, a Truman impersonator from Kansas City, will be on hand most of the day to visit with the public. At 1 PM, Starzmann will deliver Truman’s 1940 campaign announcement speech on the steps of the Pettis County Courthouse (weather permitting - if the weather is not favorable, we will hold the speech inside the Fox Theater). At 1:30, Carolyn Miller will be on hand to talk about her clothing display, which will be up for viewing all day. That evening at 6:30 PM at the old Smith-Cotton auditorium, there will be a free showing of Scudda-Hoo, Scudda-Hay, which premiered in Sedalia in 1948. What a great way to remember the 40s, and a great way to teach the younger generations what that decade was like! To help promote the event, several downtown businesses will be participating in a window decorating contest with a 1940s theme. We invite all of you to visit the downtown and see these windows during and after the event. The whole event will be free to the public. The Historical Society will sell refreshments at the Fox Theater and will hold a raffle for items donated by Union Savings Bank, Classic Jewelry, the Katy Depot Store, author Ken Bird, and Chelsea’s Antiques. Sedalia 150 will be selling Sesquicentennial souvenirs, and pre-sales of the Sesquicentennial DVD will be available. The public is invited to dress the part, as well, in their 1940s fashion or WWII uniforms.
As you probably know, the first half of the 1940s centered on World War II. During that time, here on the homefront, the public held many scrap, supply, and war bond drives to aid in the war effort. To add a modern flair to this tradition, the Historical Society is teaming with the Family Readiness Group of the 203rd Engineering Battalion, Missouri National Guard, to bring you the Buy the Box campaign. The Family Readiness Group is a not-for-profit group that helps support the spouses and families of those Missouri National Guard troops who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Charlie Thomas with KDRO has collected items for this group over the past couple of years to be sent to our boys. The problem this group now faces is the funds to ship these collected items overseas. The United State Postal Service offers a flat rate shipping box to ship items to military personnel overseas. These boxes cost $12.95 each, and are just a little bigger than a shoebox. Some of the families have a hard enough time making ends meet with today’s economy, let alone sending care packages at $12.95 postage each. To aid in this, we are asking the public to Buy the Box - in other words, donate $12.95 to help send a care package overseas. We will be collecting money for this campaign at Sedalia in the 40s on March 7th. You can also mail your donation to the Pettis County Museum care of "Buy the Box". Please make checks payable to “203rd FRG”.
If you have any questions about this event, you can contact Charles Wise, President of the Pettis County Historical Society, at (660) 221-6133.