Viva Cuba wants to make 2011 a boom year.
1. With recent wind and snow storms, you may not think Viva Cuba has been active with beautification. But plans are underway for new and continuing projects in 2011. While it is important to maintain current beautification projects, 2011 will bring many new projects as well. Here’s an overview of 2011 projects.
2. Our new t-shirt with scenes of the vintage highway patrol car mural on Route 66 at the Phillips 66 station has sold out of some sizes, so we are going to reprint more in a different color, which we are still debating.
We will be printing another edition of the current Viva Cuba t-shirt.
3. In March, Viva Cuba members are invited to participate in a Missouri Main Street Conference in Saint Genevieve to share our experience with our mural project. We are preparing a presentation for that and are glad that we can share news of Cuba, Missouri with others.
4. We are recruiting a Viva Cuba team to take part in the Route 66 Race to the Rocker on March 26, and we encourage others to take part.
5. We are planning for the Next Trash Bash in the spring. Last year, many groups and individuals of all ages came out to help, and much was accomplished. We will also be maintaining the Viva Cuba Garden and our state Adopt-A-Highway project on Hwy. 19.
6. In April, we go with the 4th graders for a narrated school bus tour of the murals.
7. In May, we will plant the black planters in town.
UPDATE ON THE ROUTE 66 MURAL CITY DATE
8. A BIG EVENT: On Saturday, May 14, The Route 66 Mural City Party kicks off with dinner, dancing, and a drawing for a $10,000 prize. Viva Cuba is sponsoring this community event to raise money to fund projects in 2011, which includes mural maintenance, and, who knows, maybe even a new mural. Committees have formed to make this event a good time for the community with dinner and dancing on the agenda. We will get some extra help from supporters outside Viva Cuba to make this event successful. With only 300 tickets sold, a 1-in-300 chance to win makes some pretty good odds for someone to have a prosperous 2011. Mark this date and get a group together: family, friends, old classmates, etc.
The fun loving Holland brothers will once again MC the May 7 event. This photo is from 2010.
UPDATED CHAIR-I-TABLE AUCTION DATE
9. This year’s Chair-i-table auction will be combined with the May 14 Route 66 Mural City Party. A silent auction will take place during the event. Artists are designing and painting their one-of-a-kind chairs now.
10. Viva Cuba will take part in the Civil War Reenactment events in Leasburg, Missouri planned for October. It is the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, and we want to participate in local activities. We will coordinate with the event planners to see how we can take part.
11. We continue our Adopt-A-Street program in 2011. This program lets individuals, businesses, and organizations adopt streets within Cuba for trash pickup. Viva Cuba has adopted north Smith Street.
12. The 3rd weekend of October is the annual Cuba Fest. On Saturday, Viva Cuba will bring the Tour St. Louis trolley to town for narrated tours of the murals along Route 66 and a Sunday Cemetery Tour with locals dressing up as historical characters to tell their stories. Saturday at Cuba Fest, Viva Cuba sponsors its annual Chili Cook-off in a quest for some award-winning chili, so we will be picking a theme and rounding up some chili chefs.
13. In December, we hope to have the Yuletide House Tour, so we will be asking homeowners to participate in the tour and organize signage, tickets, directions, and promotion. We will decorate the Viva Cuba Garden with lights, wreaths, and ribbons for Christmas.
14. Viva Cuba members will conduct narrated “big bus” tours of the murals when asked. The fees for these tours are used for mural maintenance.
15. We will continue the Cuba Missouri Murals blog and Facebook and Twitter pages. The un-expected always occurs. Book mark our blog or subscribe to an RSS feed to deliver new blogs to your mailbox and stay up-to-date with the history, preservation, attractions, and events around town. We are always on the lookout for that odd piece of history, an old photograph, or information to share with readers. Share blog posts with others to let them know what a unique town that we have where “the walls talk and history meets art.” We want to continue to promote the murals, Route 66, other local attractions, restaurants, and lodging in Cuba with articles, ads, and spreading the word of Cuba however we can.
Viva Cuba has a many plans for the new year, and, at times, we hope you can be a part of them in 2011.
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