St. James invites you to Discover the Ozarks Best when you visit this small community located in the Missouri foothills of the Ozark region.
"Participating as a Host City in the 2008 Tour of Missouri provided St. James an opportunity to demonstrate to the world that our community is truly "The Ozarks' Best."
Being recognized with the 2008 Tour of Missouri Spirit Award was reward enough, however being selected to host a stage start for the 2009 Tour of Missouri compounds the pride of accomplishment within our community. We are thrilled to once again welcome the World to our doorstep." Mayor Dennis I. WilsonFounded in 1869 , the town bears the name of one of the community’s leading benefactors – Lucy Wortham James. The town and the lives of it’s citizens are framed by an extraordinary location offering all the beauty of rural America with urban areas easily accessible.
St. James is surrounded by national and state forests and conservation areas that offer exceptional biking and hiking and is home to sparkling rivers that offer anglers with many choices including outstanding trout streams. For many, the area’s rivers and streams offer floating and wildlife watching opportunities and there are an assortment of campgrounds, cabins and canoe and raft businesses in the area.
St. James is home to five area wineries with one of these – the St. James Winery – operating as the largest wine producer in the Midwest. The land in and around St. James is dotted with vineyards and harvest brings visitors from all around to sample the locally-grown grapes and award-winning wines. The community has a quaint downtown that is bordered by Historic Route 66 and is home to several unique gift and antique stores. In addition, the community has over five miles of bike paths in the city limits including a section of trail that winds through a beautiful old-growth pine forest.
St. James Schedule of events:
Sept. 10, 2009:
St. James will have a street market from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. coinciding with the annual Grape and Fall Festival Sept. 10-12. Other events Sept. 10 include: a wine garden, a spaghetti supper, family activities at the fair grounds and a Kid Zone with inflatable games and play area.
St. James will also feature live video feed of the race route at the wine tent, pre-race entertainment at the stage start including bands, choirs and flag team, a children’s bike ‘ride the route’ after the start and weekly coordinated family bike rides leading up to race day.
St. James is also featuring a fundraiser event for Tour of Missouri and St. James community betterment projects, which uses bicycles. The bikes, decorated by local artists, will be displayed downtown and at the Tourist Information Center in the weeks before the race. The bikes will be auctioned off to the highest bidder during the pre-start of the Tour of Missouri and at the spaghetti dinner at the Grape and Fall Festival on Sept. 10.
Sept. 11, 2009:
St. James will feature an antique tractor pull coinciding with the Grape and Fall Festival.
Sept. 12, 2009
St. James will feature a parade, an evening demolition derby, Renaissance re-enactments including a village, a pet show, horseshoes and grape stomp for the Grape and Fall Festival.
