Recently, the City of Osawatomie announced they were seeking applications to fill seven vacancies on the City’s newly reorganized Tourism Committee. Fourteen applications were received. The committee has been dormant for several years. Tourism is part of a plan by city officials to draw people to the City. City Manager, Mike Scanlon, says the committee will concentrate on four signature events that would bring the most people to Osawatomie. These are the John Brown Jamboree, Lights on the Lake, The Freedom Festival and the Border War Barbeque. Scanlon also says other events will be considered, some based on the development of the Rail Trail’s Eastern Hub in Osawatomie. Significant resources have been used to develop the area and he says a long distance race company plans to hold an event on the trail this Spring and are planning others.
It all ties into other other big plans to revitalize the Downtown area. The Oz Commons Project has already begun and promises to bring a new spark to the Downtown area. That, along with improvements to the streets with a project called “Paving the Way”, Osawatomie hopes to become a “Destination City” for tourists.
