‘When Pigs Fly’ theme of Aug. 17 cruise-in

The final cruise-in of 2013 sponsored by the Downtown Bolivar Association begins at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, and includes entertainment and food in addition to having cars on display. Food available for a donation includes pulled pork sandwiches with “A slice of the pie” for dessert. Entertainment is classic rock and roll by “Spare Change.”

Country Days Car Show Sept. 7
The cruise-in season will conclude with the annual Country Days Car Show Saturday Sept. 7. Complete with trophies, the car show is in conjunction with the Country Days festival in downtown Bolivar. Registration is from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with awards presented at 3:30. Entry fee is $20. The registration form includes a listing of the 19 classes.
Downtown Bolivar Association is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a five-member board of directors and is an aspiring community with the Missouri Main Street program.
For more information, contact Susan Sparks at (417) 770-1989.

Car Cruise-In July 16

The next Downtown Bolivar Association Car Cruise-In is at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, July 16, on the Bolivar square.
The theme is "Roadkill Night," with Roadkill Nachos and Dirt Cake on the menu.
Thanks to everyone who attended June's show. More than 50 cars were present.

Pre-registration form now available

With a little more than two months until the Polk County Picnic Car Show in Bolivar Sept. 10, 2011, the pre-registration form is now available by clicking here.

Car show class descriptions

Plans are under way for the 2011 Polk County Picnic Car Show Saturday, Sept. 11, 2011, in Bolivar, Mo. New this year is advanced registration. Forms will be available soon.

Here is a list of class descriptions to help you decide which class — or classes — you want to enter. That's right, more than one entry will be allowed this year. More details on that to come soon, too.

For now, here's the class descriptions:

1. Original Restored up to 1948 — All makes, restored to stone stock (no modifications).
2. Original Restored 1948 to present — All makes, restored to stone stock (no modifications).
3. Street Rod up to 1948 — All makes, modifications, color, tires, wheels, engine, etc.
4. Street Machine 1949 to present — All makes, modified car not muscle car , aftermarket wheels, tires, headers, narrow rears, tub, etc.
5. Classic Tri-Five 1955, 1956, 1957 — All makes, stock, modified, two door, four door, wagon, etc.
6. T-Bucket — Mainly fender less, hoodless Ford T’s, any car with two-seat roadster body, no dune buggies. Must resemble T-Bucket style.
7. Convertibles — All makes, cloth tops.
8. Custom, all up to present — Body modified, paint, chopped tops, frenched lights, etc.
9. Special Interest, Orphans and Foreign — All makes, Isetta, Austin, Kaiser, Studebakers, etc.
10. Original Trucks up to 1960 — All makes, restored to original.
11. Original Trucks 1960 to present — All makes, no modifications.
12. Custom Truck up to 1960 — All makes, modified, wheels, tires, paint, etc.
13. Custom Truck 1960 to present — All makes, modified, wheels, tires, paint, etc.
14. Under Construction — Vehicle clearly seen as being worked on, not complete, not straight out of the field.
15. Rat Rod
16. Muscle Cars Factory Original 1964-1974 — All makes, generally factory named cars, (SS, RS, Z28, Boss, Roadrunner, Duster, etc) factory rally, magnum wheels, no headers, no modifications.
17. Muscle Cars Modified 1964-1974 — All makes, with performance modifications.
18. Muscle Cars — 1975-present
19. Dune Buggy — Fiberglass or rail buggies.
20. Young Guns — All makes, all classes. Owner must be under 25 years old with proof of ownership.
21. Survivor up to 1970 — All makes, all models, must be all original, non restored. May have small paint touch up but no total repaint. Can have new tires or brakes as long as OEM.

2011 car cruise-in schedule

Downtown Bolivar Association is kicking off a series of five monthly car cruise-ins in downtown Bolivar Saturday, April 16.
The cruise-ins are at 5:30 p.m. the third Saturday of each month from April through August on the west and south sides of the Bolivar square. Future events are May 21, June 18, July 16 and Aug. 20.
Bring your antique, classic or decked-out vehicle and park it for others to see. Then visit with other car enthusiasts.
“We want everyone to come out and just have a good time — not just car enthusiasts,” said Susan Sparks, DBA president. “The Local Folks will provide musical entertainment, and we'll have food concessions available. Bring your lawn chair and plan to stay for a couple of hours.”
For more information, contact Sparks at 770-1989.
Car show
Also mark your calendar for the Polk County Picnic Car Show — complete with trophies — sponsored by the DBA Saturday, Sept. 10.
About DBA
Downtown Bolivar Association is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a five-member board of directors.
Membership in DBA is open to anyone with an interest in downtown Bolivar preservation and revitalization, and there is no membership fee. The association meets at 6 p.m. the first Monday of each month at the Polk County Genealogical Society Library on the southeast corner of the Bolivar square.

Car show in Bolivar Sept. 11

The 2010 Polk County Picnic Car Show is Saturday, Sept. 11, in downtown Bolivar. The Downtown Bolivar Association is organizing the car show in conjunction with the 10th annual Polk County Picnic.

Registration is from 9 a.m. to noon, with awards presented at 3 p.m. Dash plaques will be given to the first 100 entries, as well as door prizes and goody bags.

Entry fee is $15 in one of 19 classes: Antiques up to ’48, stock/restored ’63-’90, muscle car (factory), G.M. ’59-’90, Ford ’58-’90, Mopar ’58-’90, all makes ’56, 56 and ’57, street rods up to ’48, T-buckets, convertibles, custom/lead sleds, special interest, mini-truck, low rider, stock truck, custom truck, under construction, rat rod and motorcycles.

The show will be in the parking lot north of the Bolivar Post Office between Main Avenue and Springfield Avenue. Entrance will be allowed only on Main Avenue to avoid traffic backups on Springfield Avenue.

Proof of insurance will be required at registration.

For more information, call David Gray at (417) 839-1932 or Susan Sparks at (417) 770-1989 or send e-mail to downtownbolivar@gmail.com.

In addition to the Sept. 11 car show, an online People's Choice Car Contest begins Sept. 10 at www.BolivarMoNews.com, the Web site of the Bolivar Herald-Free Press.

Polk County Picnic

The car show is being held in conjunction with the 10th annual Polk County Picnic, a downtown festival sponsored by the Bolivar Community Betterment Association. The event will begin with a breakfast for alumni of Polk County’s rural schools in the community rooms at Citizens Memorial Hospital. The rest of the day’s events will be on the square and will include the annual Bolivar Area Chamber of Commerce auction, free rides for the kids and live performances throughout the day.

Victorian Christmas Dec. 5

Make plans now to celebrate Christmas in Bolivar during the Victorian Christmas event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, sponsored by the Downtown Bolivar Association.

Carolers will put shoppers in the holiday spirit with performances throughout the day. Carriage rides will be given by Shires for Hire for a small fee, and all other events are free.

First-, second- and third-place prizes will be given for entries in a gingerbread house decorating contest. Gingerbread houses must be dropped off in the basement of the Polk County Courthouse between 10 and 11 a.m. Dec. 5. Judging starts at 11. The houses will be on display throughout the day and must be picked up between 3 and 4 p.m.

A Victorian costume contest is at 1 p.m. in the courthouse. Prizes will be given to the winners.
Santa Claus will be at the courthouse from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., and the Grinch also will make an appearance.

Store windows will feature live mannequins, and a prize will be given to the business with the best window display.

Featured artists

Here's pictures of the featured artists who demonstrated their talents in different businesses on the square.

It's a success!

Turnout was good for the first Art in the Alley Saturday, May 9, in downtown Bolivar. From kids' activities to the loft walk, everyone who came had a good time. We're already thinking about changes we want to make next year to make the event even better. Were you there and have an idea for making it better? Send an e-mail to us at downtownbolivar@gmail.com.

And in case you missed it, here's some photos from the event.

Big thank you to our sponsors!

We want to give a BIG thank you to these businesses for their monetary and in-kind donations to make the first Art in the Alley event possible: Citizens Memorial Healthcare, Bolivar Herald-Free Press, KYOO Radio, The Country Hearth and Tea Garden Café, Village Boutique/Munchkin Outfi tters, Roy Blunt YMCA of Bolivar, Polk County Genealogical Society, Family Institute of the Ozarks, Roweton’s Home Center, Douglas, Haun & Heidemann, Horton’s, We Frame It & More and Studio 106.

Special art exhibit

Creative Images Portrait Gallery, a sponsor of Art in the Alley, will be open Saturday at 207 E. Jackson St. and host paintings from two local artists: Elaine Ballard, featuring nature scenes, and Jenni Bayless, a Bolivar High School graduate and former art teacher. Several of her featured pieces were created while her son, Granton, underwent treatment for SCID, a rare genetic disorder in which the immune system fails to develop.

Gearing up for Art in the Alley, rain or shine

Some banners are up on the Bolivar square in preparation for Saturday's Art in the Alley event. As of now, it looks like the rain is going to miss us on Saturday. But if it doesn't, still come on down because we have a rain plan. Artwork will be set up inside Center Stage Dance Academy, 218 E. Jackson St.

Artwork registration still open

So we set April 10 as the deadline for artwork registration. Well, we've extended it. So feel free to submit your artwork for display that day. Just remember it needs to be family friendly art. See previous post about artwork registration to download a copy of the registration form. Cut off the portion with your registration information and keep the middle part. Those are the tags for you to place on your artwork.

Have fun choosing your artwork to display!

Downtown Bolivar loft walk

As part of the Art in the Alley celebration in downtown Bolivar Saturday, May 9, five loft apartments will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for tours.
“We want to feature the unique character of downtown lofts in our community,” said Justin Ballard, owner of four of the apartments on the tour and coordinator of the loft walk. “I have had a lot of people asking me when they will get to see the apartments. This is an opportunity to see a variety of downtown lofts including the recently renovated ones.”
Tickets cost $5 per person and are available at the Tea Garden, Roweton’s Home Center and Village Boutique on the square, as well as the Bolivar Herald-Free Press office on South Springfield Avenue. Tickets also can be purchased the day of the event. Proceeds benefit the Downtown Bolivar Association, sponsor of Art in the Alley and the Bolivar Loft Walk.
During the loft walk, ticket holders will present their ticket at any one of the loft locations in exchange for an armband that will allow entry to all lofts.
The lofts included in the walk are at 114 S. Springfield and 120 S. Springfield Ave., owned by Justin and Ashley Ballard; and 104 W. Jackson St., owned by Randy and Renee Bowman.
“Many people don't even know there are loft apartments in Bolivar,” Ballard said. “Second-floor apartments are not reserved for large cities. It's a trend that the DBA hopes will keep growing in our community.”
For more information about the loft walk, contact Ballard at creativeportraits@windstream.net or 327-2687.

Booth space available

Booth space is available for the first Art in the Alley festival from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 9, in downtown Bolivar sponsored by the Downtown Bolivar Association.
Artwork will be displayed in the alleys on the west and east sides of the Bolivar square.
Businesses and organizations from throughout Polk County — not just downtown Bolivar — are encouraged to set up booths in the parking lots behind the two alleys, with an emphasis on kids’ activities behind the west alley and more sophisticated activities behind the east alley.
Set up begins at 7 a.m. Saturday, May 9. Cost is $25 for a 10x10 booth and $30 for a 10x10 booth with electricity, though the number of booths with electricity are extremely limited. Deadline is Friday, May 1. Booth space is free with a sponsorship or if the booth will have a free “make-and-take” craft for children. Arts and crafts items sold at the event must be homemade.
To reserve a booth, contact Susan Sparks at (417) 770-1989.
The DBA is producing the event that coincides with the semi-annual Bolivar Kiwanis Club Pancake Breakfast and a loft walk that will feature loft apartments in downtown Bolivar.

Register artwork by Friday, April 10

Local artists are being asked to provide up to three pieces of artwork to put on display in an alley on the Bolivar square. Registration forms are available at the Bolivar Herald-Free Press, 335 S. Springfield Ave.; KYOO Radio, 205 N. Pike Ave.; or the Polk County Genealogical Society Library, southeast corner of the Bolivar square. It also is available for download at downtownbolivar.blogspot.com.
Children’s artwork (ages 18 and younger) will be displayed in the alley on the west side of the square, while artwork for adults will be in the east alley. The Polk County Artists' Association will have a display in the basement of the Polk County Courthouse, and artists will be demonstrating their work in select stores on the square.
Guidelines
1. Artwork will be displayed outside in an alley. Children’s artwork (up to age 18) will be in
the alley on the west side of the square (next to Country Hearth), and adult artwork will be displayed in the alley on the east side of the square (next to the CMH Administrative Center). The Downtown Bolivar Association is not responsible for damage to the artwork by theft , wind,
rain or other natural elements and will make an eff ort to have someone watching the artwork at
all times.
2. You will be responsible for checking in and hanging your artwork between 7:30 and 8:45 a.m. Saturday, May 9. Artwork should be matted or mounted and ready to hang with a wire or hook on the back and tag from at right attached to the lower righthand corner of the artwork.
3. Artwork will be released at 3 p.m. Please pick up your artwork at that time. Artwork that is not
picked up by 4 p.m. will be disposed of by the DBA.
4. Any artistic media is welcome as long as it is your original piece of art and is family friendly.
5. Limit of 3 pieces per person.
6. For more information, call (417) 770-1989 or send e-mail to downtownbolivar@gmail.com.
7. Booth space is available for an extra fee.
8. In the event of rain, arrangements will be made for indoor display of artwork.
9. Artists may off er artwork for sale.
Click here to download the registration form.

Welcome!

Welcome to the new Internet presence of the Downtown Bolivar Association, a grassroots effort to maintain the economic viability of the downtown area in Bolivar, Mo. The association is in the process of filing for articles of incorporation and 501(c)3 status. In the meantime, we are planning a new event in Bolivar — Art in the Alley — for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 9. More details will be made available in future posts.

The association also sponsored the Victorian Christmas event on the Bolivar square in December 2008 and will be sponsoring monthly car cruise-ins on the third Saturday of each month from May through October.

Look for more details about, well, everything coming soon. In the meantime, if you want more information, please send an e-mail to downtownbolivar@gmail.com.