09/01/2026
🎉 A SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR DIRECTOR OF TOURISM, KELLY O’MALLEY, AND THE CITY OF PACIFIC! 🎉
We want to take a moment to recognize a very special honor!
At a recent Pacific Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon, our Director of Tourism, Kelly O’Malley, was presented with a Resolution from the Missouri House of Representatives recognizing her work, leadership, and dedication to the Route 66 Centennial and America’s 250th anniversary celebrations here in Pacific.
Kelly was nominated for this recognition by the Pacific Area Chamber of Commerce, and Representative Brad Banderman of District 119 presented her with the Resolution in front of fellow community members, businesses, and local leaders.
But the recognition didn’t stop there!
🏆 The CITY OF PACIFIC also received a Resolution from the Missouri House of Representatives recognizing the City’s dedication to preserving and celebrating Route 66 and the tremendous effort that has gone into making this historic year memorable for our community and visitors!
There has been SO MUCH happening in Pacific this year, and Kelly’s leadership and dedication have helped bring many of these events, programs, and projects together, including:
🛣️ Route 66 BBQ Battle & Bluegrass Festival
🇺🇸 America’s 250th Fourth of July Parade
🎬 Cars 3 Movie Night at Liberty Field
🚗 Numerous car cruises and special visits and events at the Red Cedar Inn
🧵 The current Route 66 Traveling Quilt Exhibit
🛣️ The special Route 66 traveling exhibit coming September 16 & 17
🎉 Co-hosting the upcoming Route 66 Harvest Festival
❤️ And so much more!
Kelly also leads Pacific’s Route 66 Centennial Committee, whose members have worked incredibly hard on projects throughout the community, including the Hometown Hero veteran banners, Route 66 Quilt Trail, Route 66 shields and stencils you see throughout Pacific, the giant interactive Route 66 shield, the free travel guide, special events, and many other projects celebrating this once-in-a-lifetime year.
And her work goes far beyond special events. Her dedication to the Red Cedar Inn Museum & Visitor Center and to preserving and sharing Pacific’s history is a huge part of what she does. Whether she is welcoming a visitor from across the country, sharing a piece of local history, bringing a new exhibit to Red Cedar, working with volunteers, or finding another way to tell Pacific’s story, she is always looking for opportunities to showcase our community.
What the public sees at an event or at Red Cedar is only a small part of what goes into making all of this happen. There are countless hours and many things happening behind the scenes that most people may never see. Kelly gives her all to what she does, and one thing is always clear—she truly loves Pacific. She loves sharing our community, our history, our businesses, our people, and everything that makes Pacific special with everyone she meets.
And as Kelly said when accepting this recognition, NONE of this happens because of just one person.
It takes an entire community. ❤️
Our volunteers, City staff, public works, parks and police department, Red Cedar employees, sponsors, businesses, committee members, organizations, residents, and community partners have stepped up again and again to help bring these ideas to life. Every person who has volunteered, sponsored an event, served on a committee, donated something, attended an event, shared a post, or simply supported these efforts has played a part in making this year special.
Congratulations, Kelly, and congratulations to the City of Pacific on this well-deserved recognition!
And the best part?
WE AREN’T DONE YET!
We still have several months left in this historic year, and there is SO MUCH MORE coming to Pacific as we continue celebrating 100 years of Route 66 and America’s 250th anniversary.
It has already been a year to remember, and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings!
