Star Communities: Chillicothe, Missouri

Star Communities are those communities that have shined above the rest. They may have overcome immense tragedy, or they have simply excelled beyond expectations for a town of their size. These are example communities that are role models for those who strive to be better. The community of Chillicothe, Missouri, is the latest to receive this designation.

What’s the greatest thing since sliced bread? A community that is daring enough to lean on the advent of the commercial bread slicer to bring in tourism dollars. Chillicothe Missouri was the home of the first bakery that employed such a contraption. Though the bakery is no more, residents have bought in on that community marketing focal point fully and it has helped interest in the town along the way.

Chillicothe (@CityChillicothe), a town of 9,500 along U.S. Route 36 in northwestern Missouri, is the former home of the Chillicothe Baking Company. Though the business closed its doors decades ago, the community hasn’t let go of the significance of that aspect in its history. In fact, they have latched on to it. So much so that in 2003 the community adopted “Home of Sliced Bread” as its official slogan. The Missouri legislature has even adopted July 7th as Missouri Sliced Bread Day.

Being Bold in Your Brand

In 2003, the town adopted “Home of Sliced Bread” as its official slogan. Since then, they’ve rebranded events and activities to the extent that their annual community celebration is called “Sliced Bread Day“. The Chillicothe Convention & Visitors Bureau has even created the website, “thehomeofslicedbread.com“. The website further establishes this brand and markets community events linked to the town’s sliced bread fame. The town was also mentioned in “Sliced Bread and the Second World War“, an episode of The History Guy. It has even garnered national attention, including an appearance as a clue on the TV show “Jeopardy!”

But it is not just some tagline of the city’s brand. The brand is represented throughout many aspects of this community. Along Highway 65, just a stone’s throw from City Hall, is a mural that serves as a billboard for those traveling through Chillicothe. It reminds everyone that they are the Home of Sliced Bread.

But it doesn’t stop there. The former Chillicothe Baking Company building, where the first bread slicer was employed, has been purchased and rehabilitated in the name of sliced bread. Now called the Home of Sliced Bread Welcome Center, the historic structure now houses the Chillicothe Convention & Visitors Bureau. But it also has a museum about the history of Chillicothe and sliced bread, including an antique bread-slicing machine. As an additional twist, the building also houses an escape room that can be reserved for those who want a little adventure while in town.

Making a Day of It

Not enough sliced bread for you? How about making a day about it? Yes, there is a Chillicothe Sliced Bread Day each year!

The weekend festivities start each year at Silver Moon Plaza, where Main Street Chillicothe puts on a concert for those in attendance. Tieing into the theme, there’s a bread-baking contest and a Sliced Bread Pageant. With an eye toward the inventive side, the community has an annual innovation fair to coax others with bright ideas. There are also historic exhibits available for viewing at the Grand River Museum.

Other events that weekend include a 5k walk/run, a farmers market, inflatables, live music, and a variety of other activities.

An Artistic Downtown

As much as Chillicothe has invested in their brand, it is the arts in the community that really stand out. This northwestern Missouri town is more of an arts hub than many know. During my summer road trip, I came to town to expand upon a story about Chillicothe’s brand. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the art that flows through the community’s downtown.

Everywhere I turned, I saw a mural on the side of a downtown building. They are all over the place. It wasn’t until I retreated to my home office that I found out that there were a total of 24 of these beautiful masterpieces throughout downtown Chillicothe. Here are just a few of them:

The Kelly Poling Arts District

One interesting aspect is that all 24 of the murals in town were painted by a local artist, Kelly Poling. But downtown Chillicothe was not his only canvas. Kelly completed 61 murals in 20 years. But he of course made his biggest impact on this Missouri town. So much so that the Kelly Poling Arts District was created. On the district’s webpage, a portion of the dedication reads:

“Kelly believed in the vision for the beautification and revitalization of downtowns across the United States and carried that out in what became his life’s work. This led him to live his life contributing his time, ideas and talents to numerous boards, committees and to any person who wanted to talk through an idea. As you drive through Chillicothe, you can see his expertise and intention throughout.“

Amongst its efforts, the District hosts a number of art-related events throughout the year. It is run by a non-profit organization that supports the further development of arts in Kelly Poling’s name.

One of the centerpieces of the District is the Cultural Corner Art Guild & Gallery. Created in the spring in 2014 to nurture and promote the growth of art throughout northern Missouri, it provides classroom, gallery and event space for those who want to expand their artistic horizons.

Silver Moon Plaza

At the center of the downtown area full of murals is Silver Moon Plaza. Much like many other downtowns, Chillicothe lost a building in its square, leaving an open lot void that sticks out like a sore thumb. This area became a focal point during the development of a downtown strategic plan funded by the DREAM Initiative.

The Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri (DREAM) Initiative was a program that provided technical and financial assistance for communities to develop a Downtown Strategic Plan. During the 10 years of its existence, the program assisted 39 communities in reimagining their downtown areas.

Through Chillicothe’s Downtown Strategic Plan a design to fill the void with a plaza was created by the consultant developing the plan. The community got behind the idea and the Silver Moon Plaza was constructed. Since then, the plaza has hosted a number of activities including the opening concert location each year for Sliced Bread Day and the Sliced Jam Bluegrass Festival. In 2020, the plaza won a Great Places Award from the Missouri Chapter of the American Planning Association.

More than Bread and Art

Although Chillicothe has established itself around bread and art, there’s plenty more to do in town than activities related to Bread and Art. “Fall Wine & Beer Walk”, “Fall BOOFest”, “Memory Tree Dedication & Lighting”, “Christmas Cocoa Crawl” and the “Chillicothe Sweets Stroll”. These events and more are put on each year by Main Street Chillicothe, an organization that has witnessed a reduction in the overall vacancy rate in the community’s downtown with the increase in activity.

Outside of the events, the community has a farmer’s market that has been in operation for over 25 years. Then there’s also the Chillicothe Mudcats of the MINK summer collegiate baseball league where you have the chance to see possible future MLB players. It’s the same league as the Clarinda A’s a team that once had a future Hall of Fame shortstop by the name of Ozzie Smith.

Narrative

Initially, I was drawn to Chillicothe by the community’s desire to brand itself based on an invention devised to slice bread. But once in town, I was entranced by the community’s commitment to the arts and their revitalized downtown.

They are a glowing example of what a community can do in executing a brand. From logos, to murals, and names of events, the brand is clearly evident everywhere. It sticks to you like jelly and sets the community apart from all the other towns in the Midwest. Chillicothe is a case study in brand implementation.

But there is much more to Chillicothe than sliced bread. The 24 murals that grace the walls of the community are nestled in along many well-kept downtown structures. Community leaders have worked hard over the decades to maintain and improve that historic downtown. But the nuturing of an arts-based culture is clearly evident throughout the town as well.

Any way you slice it, Chillicothe is doing things right, that’s why they are a Star Community.

Star Communities

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