If you cook it, they will come: Cuisine tourism

About 50 people gathered Monday afternoon, Nov. 10, at the Martin Community Center in Marshall to sample wine from Baltimore Bend Vineyard and food provided by Great Events Catering. Of course, eating and drinking was not their only purpose.

People came from Howard, Lafayette, Cooper, Boone and Saline Counties to discuss the Old Trails Regional Tourism Partnership, which is a cooperation among Old Trails Scenic Byways and Regional Cuisines and other groups to further heritage tourism in the mid-Missouri area.

Dr. Elizabeth Barham of University of Missouri, who is the founder of the Missouri Regional Cuisines Project, hosted the meeting. Guest speakers included Bob Bonney, president of the Missouri Restaurant Association; Danene Beedle from The Missouri Wine and Grape Board; and Michael Duncan of Missouri's Civil War Heritage Foundation.

There was a spirit of camaraderie among the guests, noted by Rep. Joe Aull (D-Marshall).

"Times are pretty tough," he said, and when that happens, "communities tend to fight. It's so nice to see everybody working together. I applaud so many different groups coming together."

Using the Mississippi River Hills Association as a model, the partnership hopes to make the Old Trails region into a tourist destination highlighting the Santa Fe Trail, Missouri's involvement in the Civil War and the state's regional foods and wines, among other things. The project will combine and extend two existing National Byway roads, Sho-Me Santa Fe Trails and Old Trails Road, to create a path for tourists to follow through Missouri.

This idea is not a new one, however. John Hinz of Waverly reminded the group that Missouri native Harry Truman worked on the Old Trails project in Kansas City in the 1920s.

"He (Truman) was the one who suggested to the government that highways be laid out on old trails," Hinz said.

In the latter part of the meeting, the assembly broke into four smaller groups to brainstorm. After all the ideas were presented, Barham exclaimed, "This is so great! Can you imagine if you do all these things?"

Contact Sydney Stonner at marshallbusiness@socket.net