Better luck next time

Well, it's been an emotional evening, and I'd be lying if I said I'm not disappointed that Ferguson wasn't chosen for an All-America City Award. I was able to see many of the winning presentations and some were truly excellent. Others...what can I say? I thought ours was better. But then, it's not my opinion that matters.

For those back at home in Ferguson who've supported our team and cheered us on, THANK YOU SO MUCH! And to the 22 people who worked very, very hard to prepare for the competition and who put their heart and soul into this, I am incredibly proud of each and every one of you!

Some of you I knew well before this trip; others not so much. It has been such a joy getting to learn more about you and to see everyone on Team Ferguson rise to this incredible challenge! All I can say is that I'm prouder than ever to say that Ferguson, Missouri, is my hometown and that all of you amazing people are my neighbors and friends! Thank you for putting your faith in me and for giving me this opportunity!

Maybe we'll try again next year...

More presentations...now the wait

You probably can't tell from the photo above, but that very tall man on the far left is none other than James Worthy, the NBA Hall of Famer and seven-time All-Star from the Los Angeles Lakers. Worthy grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina, and today he joined his hometown delegation for an exceptional presentation covering three innovative local projects.

I only saw the tail end of the presentation, but from what I've heard, Worthy's presence was just the icing on the cake. Gastonia had a compelling story to tell and they told it very well.

Another highlight from this morning's final seven presentations was Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, whose local show choir wowed the crowd with its "gleeful" beat-boxing and a capella singing. Their cute kids in shrimp costumes didn't hurt either, nor did the man wearing a shark for a hat! Great job, Mount Pleasant!

The very last presentation was from Middleton, Wisconsin, and though it wasn't as flashy as some of the others, I was impressed by the city's progressive "green" initiatives, including curbside composting and a commitment to use wind and solar power for at least 25% of the community's electricity needs. Wow!

As for Team Ferguson, I hate to say it, but at this point we're just biding our time. Two of our delegates, Bev Walker and Nancy Whitener, attended today's Civic Innovation Forum and have promised to share what they learned. But the rest of us are just anxiously waiting for 7pm!

That's when ten cities will be named All-America City winners, and we sure hope we're one of them! I personally watched 16 of the 25 presentations and have gotten feedback from other team members on the ones I missed, and I truly believe we have an excellent chance.

One delegate from Bentonville, Arkansas, was so impressed with our presentation that he told us he's ready to move to Ferguson!! Another man said his whole delegation was "buzzing" about Team Ferguson...so who knows. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up, including my own, but I can honestly say we've given our best effort and I think we performed very well.

So keep rooting for us, and don't forget to watch the awards LIVE - tonight at 7pm! GO TEAM FERGUSON!

And by the way, thank you Lenexa, Kansas, for letting us use one of your drums!!

Team Ferguson ROCKED!

In case you missed our big presentation this afternoon, you should know...Team Ferguson did an AWESOME job! After weeks of practicing and perfecting our script, I'm so proud to say that every member of our delegation gave it 110% percent today.

We really did our very best to tell Ferguson's incredible story of revitalization and progress. And I'm pretty sure the judges got the message: we LOVE living in a diverse community where the volunteer spirit is amazingly strong!

Ferguson Police Officer Dee Fuller entertained everyone with her ad-libbed speech on the Plaza Heights crime initiative. Councilman Dwayne James covered Live Well Ferguson and also spoke about our community gardens, along with Craig Kidd, Larry Robinett and our youngest team member, Eriq Byrne. Mayor Brian Fletcher addressed the history of Ferguson and the challenge of dealing with white flight.

Mary Haux shared her positive experience with the local public schools, while her kids - Calvin, Junie & Ruthie - showed off our Ferguson photo montage. Chuck Henson talked about PROUD and also added some wonderful music to our presentation. Steve Marsden and John Knowles bragged about our fabulous Challenger Learning Center. And of course, Ben Vogelsang and Don Chisholm played the lead roles in our skit and really knocked it out of the park!

A huge thank you to Bev Walker and Kelly Mitchell for coordinating our booth at the All-America City Civic Action Fair! Kudos also to our supporting delegates: Nancy Whitener, Brittany Prather, Lynda Jetton and Andre Fuller!

Every single person played a vital role on Team Ferguson. And though I realize I'm terribly biased, I truly believe our delegation deserves to be named a 2010 All-America City! Please tune in at 7pm tomorrow night to root for us!! And thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone back in Ferguson and St. Louis for supporting our team! We're here to win for YOU!

Checking out the competition

Well, the official presentations began this morning at 8am, and Ferguson clearly has some tough competition. Of the eight communities that I watched, several gave a very impressive performance and had quite a compelling story to tell.

Lynwood, California, knocked everyone's socks off with its lively skit about ridding the streets of prostitutes! Rancho Cordova, California, built its presentation around the theme of "we make the magic happen" - complete with a big-top tent and three narrators dressed as magicians. Acworth, Georgia, nearly had the audience in tears with its moving musical number and success stories involving special needs kids. And North Miami, Florida, proved that you don't have to bring a huge delegation to make a big impact. Their team of four read from personal narratives, and I think really made a strong impression on the judges.

So does Ferguson have a chance? Absolutely. Judges want to hear about the challenges your community has overcome, and I have to say, I think Team Ferguson's presentation does a great job of illustrating where the city has been and where it's going. We have a strong dramatic story line and some nice visuals, but we also have quality content - and that's what's most important.

If you want to see our presentation LIVE today at 4:20pm, you can do it here. And once the archives are posted, be sure to check out Lynwood's skit as well. It definitely set the bar very high! Go Team Ferguson!!

And so it begins...

As captain of Team Ferguson, I arrived in Kansas City yesterday, ahead of the group, and now I'm enjoying a view of the downtown skyline from 27 floors up. The hotel is already buzzing with delegates from other cities, most of whom, like us in Ferguson, seem to be feeling a mix of excitement, bewilderment and just plain fatigue.

I attended an event briefing this morning at 7am, in which we were able to ask questions and learn more about the overall awards process. Afterward, as I was waiting for an elevator, another team captain echoed exactly what I was thinking: "I sure hope this is worth it."

She told me that her team had been practicing for six weeks, and that between raising money for the trip and handling all the other details required for this competition, everyone is a bit antsy. I totally understand.

What we're all vying for is the oldest and most prestigious civic award in the country. And no doubt about it...preparing for the trip and the competition has been quite a test.

Beyond just creating a presentation that illustrates our community's challenges and successes, the 22 members of Team Ferguson have had to learn their lines, brush up on their acting skills, raise thousands of dollars and dedicate countless hours to this endeavor. One member, Bev Walker, even had to make a Ferguson quilt square!

So we've definitely been busy, just like every other team here in Kansas City. And although the All-America City reps keep telling us to "just relax and have fun," we are all anxious. Because every single one of us wants to win!

I expect the rest of my team to get here around 2pm, then we're off to orientation at 3:30pm and our first (and only) official practice at 6pm. Our presentation, which you can watch live online, is tomorrow at 4:20pm. And the awards ceremony - what we're all really waiting for - is Friday from 7-9pm. It will also be streamed live online.

I hope all of you back in Ferguson will watch and cheer us on! We're well prepared and ready to go, but we'd sure appreciate your good, positive vibes to help us do our best! Go Team Ferguson!

Kansas City here we come!

The All-America City Awards officially kick off tomorrow in Kansas City, and Team Ferguson is ready! Check back here over the next couple days as I blog from the event. You'll also be able to watch all of the city presentations LIVE on this web stream: http://www.livestream.com/freespeechtv. Ours is Thursday, June 17, at 4:20pm.

Hope you're rooting for us! Go Team Ferguson!

Raffle Winners Announced!

Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket in the Ferguson Food & Fun Raffle! We didn't quite meet our goal of 1,000 tickets, but we did raise about $4,400 for our trip to Kansas City, and I'm pretty sure we made 21 lucky raffle winners very happy today!

Another big thank you to all of the businesses and organizations that made our raffle possible, including the Ferguson Parks Department, Ferguson Fire Department and Ferguson Farmers Market. Wow, did we have some great prizes!

Winners were drawn at the farmers market this morning by our young volunteer, Ian, who did a great job. I also think Bud Seiter must have had a hand in that bucket... Our very first draw was for a cocktail hour, and wouldn't you know, Bud's daughter Laura nabbed the prize! :)

Here's our complete list of winners and prizes, in the order they were drawn. Thanks again, everyone!

A wine tasting for six at Cork Wine Bar
Laura Wineinger

Lunch for 4 at Marley’s Bar & Grill
David Usher

3 family admissions to the Metamo4ic Math Center
John Knowles, Christine BredenKoetter, Jessica Byrne

A family birthday party at the Metamo4ic Math Center
Mike Salant

A mini shopping spree at the Ferguson Farmers Market
Cathy Frankum

Dinner for 4 at Marley’s Bar & Grill
Brian Fletcher

Dinner for 4 and a bottle of wine at Vincenzo’s
Gerry Noll

An ice cream social for 8 at the Whistle Stop
Jeanne Hewlett

Sunday brunch for 4 at the Thyme Table Cafe
Chris Bates

A 3-month individual membership to Emerson Family YMCA
Pat Disano

A romantic dinner for 2 at Hendel's in Old Town Florissant
Marni Sorrick

A public space mission for 2 at the Challenger Learning Center
Cathy Frankum

A public space mission for 4 at the Challenger Learning Center
Jill Schmidt

A custom tour & fresh-picked tasting for 10 at the oldest
organic farm in Missouri, courtesy of EarthDance
Wesley Bell

A “yappy hour” doggie party at the Ferguson Dog Park
Lynde Byrne

A day of pampering (massage, facial, manicure & pedicure)
at Ferguson Style & Spa
Fischer & Byrne

A fire truck ride in the Ferguson 4th of July Parade
Wesley Bell

A private party for 10 at Hill Brewing Company
Harry Nieman

A private pool party for 75 at the Splash at Wabash
Lynde Byrne

PLEASE NOTE: If you are a winner and have not received your prize yet, it will be delivered or mailed to you during the week of June 21. Thank you!

LAST CALL on raffle tickets!!

If you want a chance in Ferguson's Food & Fun Raffle, you've only got a few hours left! The drawing is Saturday, 11:30am, at the farmers market! Get your ticket tonight at the Citywalk Concert Series or look for our Team Ferguson booth at the market tomorrow!

Remember, 20+ prizes...including a $200 gift certificate to Hill Brewing! Only 1,000 tickets available @ $10 each. Thank you!

Lights, Camera, Ferguson!

Lots of people know that Team Ferguson is preparing a presentation for the All-America City Awards, but what they may not realize is that we're actually performing a 10-minute play! For weeks now, we've been developing and fine-tuning a script, trying to find the best way to tell Ferguson's story. And last night, I'm proud to say, it really came together!

Our "actors" have found their groove, speaking with heart and conviction. And our overall production, which includes props, music and a photo display, will hopefully wow the All-America City judges with its fun, lively depiction of a very special Saturday at the Ferguson Farmers Market.

We've only got two more practice runs before the big day, so please keep rooting for us! And don't worry...we're filming our presentation in Kansas City so everyone in Ferguson will be able to see it!

Thank You, Four Seasons!

Every little bit helps as we raise money for our trip to Kansas City. That's why a big THANK YOU is in order for Mike & Joan Grady at Four Seasons Signs! Mike & Joan just donated all of the foam board we'll need for our presentation!

Buy your raffle tickets soon!

Another Saturday selling raffle tickets at the farmers market, another $630 raised for our trip to Kansas City! Thank you to everyone who came out to support Team Ferguson!

Our delegates will be practicing their presentation several times this week. The awards are just 10 days away! In the mean time, you've only got until Saturday to buy a ticket in the Ferguson Food & Fun Raffle!

Lots of tickets are floating around the community right now, leaving only about 300 of our total 1,000 left in play. If you want one, we'll be at the Citywalk concert on Friday night (7pm at 501 S. Florissant) and at the farmers market one last time on Saturday. But get to the market early! The official drawing starts there at 11:30am!

You can also pick up tickets at city hall, Corner Coffee, Marley's and Ferguson Style & Spa. A complete list of raffle prizes is here. Thank you!