Webb City offers a variety of entertaining events to witness as well as places to visit through a wide range of outdoor activities in natural and beautiful settings.  King Jack Park is the city’s premier park.  It is the home of the Southwest Missouri Electric Railroad Association’s trolley, and Farmers Market, acclaimed the Farmers Market of the Year in 2003 and 2008, by the Missouri Department of Agriculture.  Fields for youth soccer, baseball and softball games, playgrounds, lighted tennis courts, expansive picnic areas and a walking trail that connects to the Frisco Greenway Trails are also contained in King Jack Park. A little jewel of the park, the Mining Days Community Building and Amphitheatre, is across Sucker Flats Lake from the Chamber office. Both the Community Building and Amphitheatre are available to the public and ideal for large gatherings. Look to your left as you enter the park from Main Street and you’ll see the trolley’s depot, also known as the Webb City Area Chamber’s office. Look for our sign on the red roof.

Five other city parks are equipped with playground equipment and some sport volleyball and basketball courts and picnic areas with barbecue grills. The Webb City High School pool and tennis courts are open to the public during the summer months.  More serious athletes can train at Millennium Tennis & Fitness Club, a world-class tennis and fitness center.  Webb City boasts a miniature golf course, a lighted nine-hole executive golf course and a roller skating rink. Additional activities for the youth of our city are cheerleading, basketball, a dance studio and Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

It is music, music, music in the autumn each year when the Cardinal Pride high school band hosts their Webbstock band festival late in September. On January 2, 2006 the band participated in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade and will return to participate in that event again on January 1, 2010. When the Webb City Singers of the high school host their Southwest Showcase of Show Choirs the first Saturday in November, it’s Broadway in Webb City.  Both are statewide competitions and are open to the public. It’s thrilling to be in the stands at Cardinal Stadium on game nights when the large, enthusiastic crowds give testimony to the community’s pride in the Fighting Cardinals who always field winning teams, many state champions.

Art is an everyday experience in Webb City. Murals by local artists are located at the high school, in Mid-Missouri Bank, and at the intersection of Main and Daugherty streets. The Praying Hands and Kneeling Miner sculptures dominate King Jack Park.

From April through October it’s Rockin’ and Rollin’1950’s style each second Saturday night when the Route 66 Cruise night takes place on North Main and Daugherty Streets. It’s a hoppin’ good time with disc jockeys spinning those discs and rainbow-hued classic cars of all makes and models lining the streets as enthusiastic crowds get their kicks on Route 66.

The Lion’s Club second annual Springtime on Broadway festival takes place April 23rd and 24th when Downtown fills up with vendors, games, live music and carnival.

Arts in the Park is a new event in the fall featuring music, dance, visual arts and kids activities and has two primary purposes – to bring the arts to Webb City and to serve as a signature event for a new organization – The Friends of the Webb City Parks.

The Webb City Public Library has served the educational and recreational needs of the residents of Webb City from it's location on the corner of Liberty and First since 1914. Thanks to a renovation and expansion of the facilities in 2004, we now also offer state of the art computer labs, an expanded children's library, and full handicap accessibility.  The library sponsors awide range of programming for all ages and has public space available for your organization's meetings. The library is also home to the Webb City Area Genealogical Society. They make their collection available to the public during regular operating hours.  For more information visit us at www.webbcitylibrary.com.

The city pays homage to its war heroes in three locations. In Mt. Hope Cemetery is found an outdoor chapel and Veteran’s Memorial inscribed with the names of the 77 Missouri Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. In Memorial Park stands a new World War II Memorialbearing the names of those Webb City service men and women who lost their lives in our wars. And finally, just west of the Praying Hands a WW II howitzer stands in silent vigil over the memories of those who have served their country.

The Heritage Youth Development Center, in partnership with the Joplin Family Y, will open January 2010.  The overall goal is to improve graduation rates and the number of children going to college, while seeing crime rates drop.  The curriculum-based program will reach as many people as possible, including low-income and single parent households.   It will have six classrooms, outdoor play areas, a media center and a multi-purpose room.  The center will offer before and after school programs for children in sixth grade and younger, as well as child care and additional youth programming during school breaks.

We love it here. We think you will too.

Faith and Fellowship

Sunday morning in Webb City finds much of its population in their place of worship. We are an ecumenical city, with 18 denominations represented, an active Ministerial Alliance and a strong appreciation of the need for a belief system as well as an appreciation for the important role faith plays in daily living. The Praying Hands memorial, standing atop a hill in King Jack Park, illustrates the city’s sense of brotherhood, as the original painting by Albrecht Durer was a tribute to the miner’s hands of his brother.    

The annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast is hosted by the Chamber and Ministerial Alliance. The Alliance hosts a prayer vigil around the Praying Hands throughout the day. The Ministerial Alliance coordinates a community Easter Sunrise Services, and an annual Community Thanksgiving service and Christmas baskets for the needy.

Chamber members include Emmanuel Baptist, 673-2645; Central United Methodist, 673-4238; Christ’s Church of Oronogo, 673-3945; Sacred Heart Catholic, 673-4249.


The following denominations are included:
. Assembly of God
. Baptist
. Bible
. Catholic
. Christian
. Christadelphian
. Church of God
. Full Gospel
. Independent Christian
. Methodist
. Nazarene
. Pentecostal
. Presbyterian
. Community of Christ

HISTORY

Our roots are literally in the ground. John Webb, for whom the city is named, plowed up a large chunk of lead ore one day in 1875 and from there sprang one of the richest lead and zinc mining areas in the world, and this city. A bit of the history of the town can be read on its street signs and buildings, Aylor, Ball, Chinn, Daugherty and Webb. The city was established in the year 1876, the year of the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Having birthed as a boom town much needed to be done in a hurry to provide services to the miners and their families. The mine owners were up to the task and a business district, hotels and banks, homes and even a hospital were built. Soon transportation became an issue; then entered A. H. Rogers’ mule drawn streetcar, soon to grow into an interstate electric streetcar enterprise. Legend has it that when Webb City’s mayor was approached for right-of-way for the electric system, he was concerned that Webb City residents would use it to go to Joplin to do their shopping so he required the headquarters of the new system to be located in Webb City. The deal was struck and Webb City became the hub of the streetcar line, with offices, power house and car barns located on Madison Street between Broadway and Daugherty streets. The company built a clubhouse for their employees’ use.  This part of town soon became a second business district with cafes, grocery stores, and some light industry. Many young men, as they left for war and whose names would appear on the tablets in Memorial Park, said goodbye to their loved ones at the Frisco Station at Daugherty and Madison.

But the grass is sometimes greener and richer lodes of lead were found in Oklahoma, and eventually the mining ceased; then mass production of automobiles and buses brought an end to the streetcar era. At that time an active Chamber of Commerce and concerned businessmen used their combined acumen to bring in new business and industry and for a time the city thrived. However, changing times and business practices brought near ruin to most central business districts and Webb City was no exception, although the newer business district on South Madison Avenue continued to grow. Recent years have seen an explosion of new businesses there, with new restaurants, retail establishments and offices.   

However, it could be said that our past is also our future.  The first floor of the power house and the clubhouse are still in use today, the power house being occupied by a skating rink and the clubhouse, still known as the Clubhouse, is the headquarters of the Webb City Historical Society. The fully restored streetcar rumbles around tracks in King Jack Park on holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and reunions, giving gleeful pleasure to its riders. Its depot, once on the electric railway line, houses the Webb City Area Chamber of Commerce. King Jack Park itself was once the site of Sucker Flats mine, a large surface mine now full of water. The chat piles all around the area, having blighted the landscape for over 100 years, are being used to fill up the mines and reclaim the land for development. Route 66 is enjoying fame all over the world and the resulting tourism brings international visitors right through Downtown. Movies are being shown in Route 66 Theatre and discussions are underway for live theatre. Also, Downtown is getting “dolled up” with new sidewalks and historic streetlights and developers are making use of empty second and third stories of buildings for apartments.


                         We love it here. We think you will too.

Webb City Clubs & Organizations

Alpha Delta Kappa Teachers Sorority – Kathy Casella – 781-1080

Amaranth – Praying Hands Court #15 – Opal Anderson – 673-1435

American Legion Post 322 – 673-1474

Boy Scouts -  Pack 29 – Charlie Tyndall – 673-5736                                            Troop 25 – Terry Nations – 673-2281

Cruise Night – Bradbury Bishop Deli – 673-4047

City Parks – Reservations, contact Helen Woodworth – 673-1949

Eastern Star – Janis Jackson – 673-3000

Elks Club – 673-3671

Friends of the Library – Lisa Sweet – 673-3790

Friends of the Webb City Farmers’ Market – 673-5866

Girl Scouts – Troops for girls aged 5 through 17 – 623-8277

The Grubby Gardeners – Nancy Carlson – 673-5811

Historical Society – Ann Watrous – 629-8782

League of Women Voters – Frances Nichols – 673-4121

Mining Days Committee – Mendy Preston – 673-2979

MO Governor’s Mounted Guard – Kelly Hastings – 417-525-4562

Rotary – Bob Collier – 673-7078

SWMO Electric Railroad Association - Jerry Fisher- 850-1721

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7630 – 673-3181

Webb City Area Chamber of Commerce – 673-1154

Webb City Lions – Eric Wright – 673-4144

Webb City Youth Baseball – Shawna Friend – 673-4618 or 439-4461

Webb City Youth Basketball - Scott Hallacy - 438-2588

Webb City Youth Cheerleading –Stacy Lortz –673-4367 or s.lortz@mchsi.com

Webb City Youth Flag Football - Mike Miller - 673-3998

Webb City Youth Football –Brad Carey –417-525-4856 or bassranger99@yahoo.com

   www.webbcityyouthfootball.com

Webb City Youth Soccer - Christy Philpot - 673-7437

   www.webbcitysoccerclub.com

Webb City Youth Softball –Shane Newby - 499-3862

Webb City Youth T-Ball - 439-6686

Webb City Youth Wrestling – Jennifer Weaver – 673-8791

Welcome Club – Monica Vaughn – 673-0220

Rental spaces for special occasions

The Clubhouse, located at 115 North Madison, is owned by the Webb City Historical Society.  Two rooms on the first floor, one large room on the second floor and a commercial kitchen are available for rent.  Each first floor room is large enough to seat up to 35 people.  The rental rate is $40 for one first floor room, $70 for two first floor rooms and $150 for the first and second floor rooms.  Rentals are per day from 9 a.m. to midnight.  The newly renovated building was originally built as the Clubhouse for the employees of the Southwest Missouri Electric Railroad.  This is the perfect place for small gatherings and larger receptions in an historic setting.  For reservation information, contact Eileen Nichols at 673-5866.

The Mining Days Community Building located in King Jack Park is ideal for larger gatherings with seating for over 100 diners.  The newly constructed facility boasts a commercial kitchen, a meeting area of 2,400 square feet, and expansive views of the park.  For reservation and fee information, contact 673-6297. 

The Amphitheater is located adjacent to the Mining Days Community Building and features a covered raised stage.  Seating for 350 can be expanded to 650 by using the lawns.  For reservation and fee information, contact 673-6297. 

Webb City Senior Center, 210 Pennsylvania, can seat up to 125 persons in its newly remodeled dining room.  For rental costs and more information, contact 673-1876. 

Granny Shaffer’s Restaurant, 2728 North Rangeline, has three rooms available for private use.  The Route 66 room seats up to 20 people.  Granny’s Parlor seats up to 45.  The Trolley Room seats up to 125.  There is no room rental charge for the rooms if meals are ordered through the restaurant.  For information, contact Mike Wiggins at 659-9393. 

The Continental Banquet Center is located just east of Granny Shaffer’s and can seat 175 diners.  The space is suitable for receptions of up to 225.  The center has a dance floor available and is licensed to serve liquor.  An outdoor wedding setting is also available.  There is no charge to use of the facility if catering is ordered through Continental Catering.   For information, contact Mike Wiggins at 659-9393. 

Chatters Restaurant has a private meeting room for up to 25 people.  For information contact 673-7639.