Heard on the Street

OUT TO THE BALLGAME

Springfield Business Journal is sponsoring its first Businessperson's Day at the Ballpark May 30 at Price Cutter Park in Ozark.

This event is centered around the Ozark Mountain Ducks game that evening, but it also will give SBJ's clients, readers and friends a chance to network and to visit vendor booths and displays that will be on deck at the park. Tickets and vendor spaces still are available.

For more information, call Special Products and Events Coordinator Debra Fickbohm at 417-831-3238, or e-mail her at dfickbohm@sbj.net.

ON TOUR

Shutterbugs, grab your cameras! Entry forms for the Rediscover your Missouri Photography Contest, presented by the Missouri Division of Tourism, now are available at the Springfield Convention & Visitor Bureau's Tourist Information Center at 3315 E. Battlefield Road.

Photos can be entered in six categories: fairs; festivals and events; family fun; recreation and adventure; scenic Missouri; urban excitement; and cultural attractions and historic sites. First-, second- and third-place prizes will be awarded in each category, with a $1,000 prize for one grand champion photo. The entry deadline is 5 p.m. Aug. 2 at the Division of Tourism.

WHICH WAY TO THE AIRPORT?

A new publication is now available to help Missourians find their way to smaller public airports in the state.

"The Missouri Airport Directory and Travel Guide," produced by the Missouri Department of Transportation, is a 264-page guide that serves as a flight-planning tool and provides detailed information about the 127 public-use airports in Missouri. New to the publication this year is a section that highlights local restaurants and attractions near each airport. Funding for the directory comes from the aviation fuel tax, according to MoDOT.

Copies of the directory are available at most local airports in the state, and it also can be viewed online at www.modot.state.mo.us/ airport/directory.

NO FIRE FUNDS

Telemarketers who claim to be soliciting funds for the Springfield Fire Department are being dishonest, as the Springfield Fire Department is a totally tax-based entity that doesn't authorize any party to raise funds on its behalf, according to an announcement from the department.

Springfield Firefighters Local 152 and state firefighter organizations also indicate that they are not working on fund-raising projects at this time.

Area residents should be wary of calls from anyone who claims to be a representative of an organization that represents firefighters, and they should contact the local fire agency before giving any money.

ON-SITE INFO

The Boys & Girls Club of Springfield recently unveiled its new Web site at www.bgclubspringfield.org, designed to help visitors stay abreast of what's going on with the organization. The site features program information for each club location, as well as a calendar of events and special activities. Sign-up rosters, schedules and cancellations also are accessible via the site. The site is updated often, and it provides volunteers with a fast and convenient way to get involved with the club.