Town Hall will discuss future of downtown Raytown

The Raytown Main Street Association will host a town hall meeting, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. at Raytown High School.

Gayla Roten, President of the Missouri Main Street Connection will be on hand to facilitate the forum.

“We want complete community input,” Roten said. “We want to see what the community feels are the assets and challenges in Raytown. Then we will learn how Raytown can move into the future.”

The goal of the meeting is to hear from Raytown residents about what they want to see happen downtown. The Main Street Association uses a four-point approach when it comes to developing their [program]: Design, Organization, Promotion, and Economic Restructuring.

The first two phases of the Main Street Association are already underway.

The Raytown Park Plaza is currently undergoing a facelift. The new facades are almost complete and soon we will see more landscaping and detail work.

In addition to the Plaza, the plans to demolish the old First Baptist Church and the addition of the Pocket Park all add to the overall design plan of downtown.

Scott Walz, president of the Raytown Main Street Association, together with many downtown business owners have already joined together to provide input and support about the direction that downtown Raytown is taking. Together with the input they receive from Raytown residents, they are working towards developing goals and opportunities to meet the needs of the community.

“Right now we are just trying to get by laws in place. Right now is more administrative than anything,” Walz said. “We are moving forward. It is all very exciting.”

According to the Missouri Main Street Connection’s website, “Everyone with a stake in the commercial district and its future should be involved. Merchants, property owners, the chamber of commerce, industries, local government and private citizens all benefit from a healthy local economy and from a historic city core that reflects the community's heritage and ideals. A solid partnership is crucial to the Main Street program's success.”

Because of this, the Main Street Association relies heavily on the involvement of area business owners, community leaders, and local residents. The town hall meeting provides those concerned about the future of downtown Raytown an open forum to exchange ideas, concerns and expectations that they are feeling about the Raytown Main Street.

The Raytown Main Street Association cordially invites you to a “Town Hall Meeting” on Monday, February 4, 2008 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. The meeting will take place in the Raytown High School Auxiliary Gym located at 6019 Blue Ridge Blvd. The Missouri Main Street Connection will conduct the meeting and is designed to gather community input before a comprehensive plan is generated for Downtown Revitalization. Involvement of individuals, families, businesses, schools, local government, and many other elements of the community are essential to the success of a Main Street program. The Town Hall Meeting will give all of these community elements an opportunity to ask questions and discuss the needs of the historic commercial district. Above all, it gives everyone a chance to express his or her vision for what Downtown should look like in the future.

www.momainstreet.org and www.raytownmainstreet.org

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…in Raytown

This week may be Thanksgiving, but for many thoughts are already on Christmas.

With Christmas music in the stores and on the radio, decorations up throughout the town and a cold front moving in, it is truly beginning to feel a lot like Christmas around Raytown.

This holiday season there is a lot to see and do around our town.

The Historic Rice-Tremonti Home Holiday Open House

“The house has to be different each year, and this year it is distinctly different,” said Mary Lineback, who is responsible for overseeing the decorations and who handmade more than 600 ornaments for this years open house.

A Peppermint Christmas is the theme and that means lots of red and white. From hand painted bird cages, red birds, and snow men to handmade gingham ornaments and felt mittens this years red and white theme is truly something to see.

This years peppermint theme was planned while the home was being decorated last year.

“I began working on this year’s decorations in January,” said Lineback.

This year, there will be seven large trees, five small trees, and several arrangements throughout the home. Vintage toys, dolls, and trains will complete the look.

The home will open up to the public, Fri., Nov.r 30. Tours will be held from noon to 6p.m. on Fri. with a twilight tour and complementary cookie and punch reception from 6p.m. to 9p.m.

The tours will continue Dec. 1 and 2, Dec. 8 and 9, and Dec. 15 and 16 from 12 to 6p.m.

Santa Claus will be on hand from 2 to 4p.m. on Dec. 1 and 2.

“Our Santa is wonderful,” said Lineback. “The children can visit with Santa as long as they like. There is no rush. Parents are welcome to bring their own cameras and take as many photos as they like.”

Each child will receive a special gift and a candy cane in honor of this year’s peppermint theme.

There Country Store, located in the kitchen, will have many jams, jellies, candies, breads, and gift items for purchase.

The Rice-Tremonti home is located at 8801 E. 66^th Street in Raytown. There is a suggested donation of $3.00 for the Holiday Open House.

The 4^th Annual Christmas Homes Tour

The Rice-Tremonti Home is not the only historic home that is opening their doors for the holidays.

This year, marks the fourth year that the Raytown Historical Society has organized their Christmas Homes Tour.

The tour will be held Sat., Dec. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person and are available through the Raytown Historical Society.

For an additional $5, visitors can have brunch the museum before their tour, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sat., Dec. 8.

For more information on the Christmas Homes Tour or to purchase tickets call 353-5033 or stop by the Raytown Historical Society Museum at 9705 E. 63^rd Street, Raytown.

A Victorian Christmas

Cave Spring Association is hosting a Victorian Christmas, at the Yellow Rock Barn, Thurs., Dec. 13 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Celebrate the holiday season the old-fashioned way.

The event will include wine, hors d’oeuvres, music and a silent auction. Guests will be able to waltz the night away with dancers in Victorian costume.

The evening will be semi-formal and Victorian costume is encouraged but not required.

Tickets are $25 per person and are available by calling 816-358-CAVE. All proceeds will go to benefit Cave Spring Historic Site and Nature Center.

This year, for an extra $15, guests can enjoy a pre-party wine tasting and silent auction preview.

Holiday Lighting Ceremony

Residents and business owners alike will be on hand Dec. 5 to help light the mayor’s Christmas tree.

The Mayor Bower will flip the switch and light the tree at 6:30 p.m. at the pocket park located on the corner of 63^rd Street and Raytown Road.

Come ring in the holidays with carols sung by members of the River Christian Fellowship and a reception hosted by UMB Bank.

Raytown Post Open House and Cookie Contest

Don’t forget to stop by the Raytown Post’s office at 9504 E. 63^rd Street on Dec. 13.

Come help us celebrate the holidays during our Open House.

Come meet our new editor, Dennis Rich and owner, John Ivey and join us for our ribbon-cutting at 5:30 p.m.

There will be coffee provided by City Grounds along with lots of goodies for all to enjoy.

Also, this year we are introducing the first ever – Raytown Post Christmas Cookie Contest.

We will be judging recipes and awarding prizes to the top three cookie recipes as selected by our panel of judges.

Email, drop-off or mail in your best recipe along with a completed entry form (available in the Post, online at raytown-post.com and in our office) by Dec. 7.

Winners will be announced in the Dec. 19 issue of the Raytown Post.

Thank you to our contest sponsors: Coddington’s Thriftway, Kamp’s Flowers, and The Herb Lady.

[cutlines: Marilyn Couch and Clara Greaves are two of the volunteers donating their time to decorate the historic, Rice-Tremonti Home. The house will take three days and approximately 200 volunteer hours to decorate.

Valerie Bloomfield adds a poinsettia to one of the trees in the upstairs bedroom.]