Temporary sidewalk closures for next week

The city of Columbia Public Works Department announces two temporary sidewalk closures in the downtown area for Monday, March 19:

*The sidewalk at 29 North Tenth St.near Stuart Insurance Company will be closed on Monday morning, weather permitting. The sidewalk will be closed on Walnut, between Ninth and Tenth Streets, as well as a portion of Tenth Streetfrom the intersection south 150 feet. Closure is expected to last four hours. Bee Seen Signs will be removing a sign from the building.

*The sidewalk at 625 Cherry St. near CenturyLink will be closed on Monday morning, weather permitting. Contractors will be moving drywall in the building, which requires them to close a portion of sidewalk along Cherry St., from Sixth to Seventh Streets. Closure is expected to last four hours.

Pedestrians are asked to use an alternate route during the construction work.

Contact: Public Works Department (573) 874-7250 or Community Development Department (573) 874-7239

Second phase of parking meters pilot project begins on Ninth Street

The City of Columbia has begun testing the second type of parking meter payment systems on Ninth Street. City crews installed 40 single-space meters from IPS Group Inc. this week on Ninth Street from Locust Street to University Avenue. Patrons parking along this two-block span will pay at the meter adjacent to their parking space. These meters are similar to what are on-street currently, with the main difference being the addition of payment by credit cards and cell phone.

During the testing of the IPS single-space meters, patrons will not be able to use bank debit cards or the city's EZ Park cards. Debit cards cannot be used on these meters because there is no key pad to enter a pin number. The EZ Park cards are incompatible with the IPS machines, but can still be used at the multi-space machines. Visa, Mastercard and Discover cards can be used.

The two multi-space systems are still being tested on Ninth Street, between Broadway and Locust Streets, which will run through mid-May. These tests will allow city staff and the Parking Task Force to measure the benefit of paying by credit card and cell phone, as well as the willingness of patrons to go to a multi-space system verses single-space meters.

Parking is enforced in the downtown area Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is free on Sundays. Results from the pilot project will be studied by the Task Force and City Council this summer. For more information about downtown parking, go online to www.GoColumbiaMo.com (search: GoParking) or call the Public Works Department at (573) 874-7250.

Ninth Street Parking Meter Test

The city will begin installing single meters configured to take credit/debit cards and smart phone payments on south Ninth Street between Locust and University. (They could not be configured to take EZ Park Cards.)

This is part of a larger test of different types of parking meters that the city began about a month ago. If you've got any input for the city, feel free to email us at info@discoverthedistrict.com and we'll pass it along to the city's Parking Task Force.

University Concert Series

Located in 409 Jesse Hall on the University of Missouri Campus. All shows begin at 7 p.m. and are performed in Jesse Auditorium. Tickets are on sale at the Missouri Theater Box Office.   March 15: "The Pink Floyd Experience"-an unforgettable reinterpretation of the classic includes some of Pink Floyd's greatest hits along with an amazing light show. March 17: "Cirque Dreams Pop Goes Rock"-a "shake and awe" musical of unexpected sights and re-imagined sounds. March 18: "Cirque Dreams Pop Goes Rock" March 20: "Soweto Gospel Choir"-heralded as the most exciting group to emerge in World Music in recent years, two-time Grammy Award winners make their way to Jesse March 21: "Soweto Gospel Choir" (school show 10 a.m.) March 22: "Golden Dragon Acrobats"-this show combines the art of Chinese acrobatics, traditional dance and spectacular costumes concertseries.org/

Stephens Costume Museum

 

Located on the mezzanine floor of Lela Raney Wood Hall on 6 N. College Ave.

Two public exhibits are held per year and both are free to the public. The current exhibit is "Parallel Views: Juxtapositions of art, fashion, time and place." The Gallery hours are noon-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 5:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday.

stephens.edu/campuslife/researchlibrary

State Historical Society of Missouri

Located on the east side, ground floor of Elmer Ellis Library on the University of Missouri Campus.

March 12: "A Rough Business: Fighting the Civil War in Missouri" will take place at Drury University in Springfield from 5-7 p.m. There will be two presentations: "Why the Civil War was Different in Missouri" by Dr. William Garrett Piston and "Picturing the Battlefield: Artists' Visions of the Battle of Wilson's Creek" by Dr. Joan Stack.

March 29-30: "Missouri Conference on History" will take place in the Courtyard by Marriott and begin at 8 a.m. The 54th Annual Conference is cosponsored by the SHSM and MU Department of History.

shs.umsystem.edu/

Celebrate the Art of Food

Come hungry and grab a fork! Enjoy an evening that pays homage to our region's farmers and local chefs.

The 1st Annual Art of Food Event benefits the new North Village Arts District Farmers and Artisans Market! A new downtown market that is held every Sunday in the Historic Wabash Station on 10th Street.

You are invited to an Evening of Local Food and Libations. For this one evening we’re hosting a cocktail-style night of mingling, enjoying local food and drink with friends.

Guests will sample an astounding variety of local flavors, all prepared using fresh farm ingredients as well as enjoy excellent wines and beers, and meet the chefs and farmers behind the food.

This year's jaw-dropping line-up include local chefs from Broadway Brewery, Les Bourgeois, Red and Moe's, Sycamore, The Wine Cellar & Bistro and more.

Tickets are $30 per ticket or $50 for a pair, includes hors d'oeuvres and beverages from NH Scheppers and Les Bourgeois

Limited number of tickets available for purchase at PS: Gallery and Root Cellar. For more details, go to http://www.facebook.com/events/195439133888268/.