The theme of the Fall Festival Parade this year is a nod to the Tour of Missouri bike race, and will be titled: Pedal to the Medal. 

The Grape and Fall Festival parade will be held Sept.12, 2009, only two days after the national bike race, Tour of Missouri makes one of its starts in St. James. The grand marshal of the 2009 parade will be Mary Lou Corn, a well-known Missouri watercolor artist, whose organization and ideas have served St. James for many years. This year she led her group of professional artists to form a gallery of art for the Sip and Savor event.  It was her idea to decorate bicycles for the Tour of Missouri race, which are right now being constructed by crafters and artists from around the area.  Mary Lou Corn is a National Watercolor Society Signature Artist which one of the highest rankings that a professional artist can achieve in the US.  She is also a member of the Missouri and Kansas Watercolor Societies, and exhibits paintings in juried shows every year.

We are asking school age citizens to ride in the parade, on their own bikes, in a variety of styles and themes. They may ride as cyclists only, or can use creative additions.  There will be prizes for those who decorate their bikes or wear costumes. The bicyclists will lead the parade and need to be at the upper drive (furthest north) at the Soldiers Home by 10 a.m. Plan to ride your bikes on the sidewalks to the entry—no cars will be allowed in.

Applications for floats in the parade can be picked up at the Chamber of Commerce office at Old City Hall, 111 S. Jefferson Street.  Applications guarantee that your float will be considered for an award and that it will be known to the judges and mentioned in our news coverage of the parade.  We are also asking the big trucks to add a pedaling theme or bicycle to add to the general joy of the parade.  Horses will stay horses, and we hope that our riders come decked as usual for our annual parade.  The St. James High School band will lead the parade, and plans are underway to invite other high school bands to march and be in competition for awards for best band.

After three years of stellar organization and hard work Robert Tessaro has handed over the Chairmanship of the parade to Johanna MacPherson, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce. 

Volunteers are needed to help with traffic control and lining up floats and cyclists at the Soldiers Home on the morning of Sept. 12.  Please contact Johanna at  johannamacpherson@gmail.com or at 573-263-3650 or at the Chamber Office: 573-265-6649.