By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage police have done all the planning they can to get ready for Marian Days, Chief Greg Dagnan said Friday.
He said officers went through a five-page checklist of chores that must be done in advance of the annual event, which brings tens of thousands of Vietnamese Catholics to Carthage in early August.
The 32nd annual celebration officially begins on Aug. 6, but some celebrants will arrive early, especially those who want to stake out prime camping spots on and around the campus of the Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix at Fairview and Grand Avenues in Carthage.
Residents around the CMC campus have been canvassed to determine if they will allow campers in their yards and law-enforcement officers who will supplement Carthage police as security have been scheduled, Dagnan said.
“About the only thing that hasn’t happened yet is that the council still has to pass a resolution that will allow them to break some ordinances,” he said.
The Carthage City Council on Tuesday will consider a resolution allowing use of loudspeakers after midnight Friday and Saturday, a parade on Saturday, Aug. 8, and for fireworks after the parade.
Marian Days is one of the largest Catholic gatherings in the United States. The festival normally draws between 50,000 and 70,000 people who gather for worship and to reunite with friends and family.
Dagnan said CMC officials believe the economic downturn might shrink the crowds this year, but he said numbers could actually grow if families make the celebration their annual vacation.
“If you talk to places like Branson ... their activity is up, because people are making shorter trips,” he said. “That could happen with Marian Days, but when you have 60,000 people, 3,000 more or so aren’t that noticeable.”
The department already has assigned local law enforcement officers who will work security at the festival.
“Friday and Saturday nights when the crowds are the largest, we’ll have 30 to 35 officers,” he said. “There’s a lot of other events where you could have 60,000 people, there’s no way 30 cops could handle it. It says a lot about the festival itself.”
Officers from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department and the Joplin, Webb City, Carterville, Carl Junction and JasCo Metro police departments will provide round-the-clock security. The additional officers are hired so Carthage can continue its normal police presence in other parts of the city. That expense and others are borne by the city and CMC, with the congregation paying 75 percent of the costs.
Some Marian Days celebrants have formed long-time friendships with Carthage residents, after camping in their yards year after year. Marian Days also is popular among residents who like to see the sights of the festival and eat in the many food tents that are set up by Catholic churches and organizations to raise money. Dagnan said he always is amazed by the reaction of Carthage residents to the festival, especially those who live close to the campus.
“We block off an entire neighborhood and inconvenience a lot of people. There’s traffic, roadblocks and noise and we have very few complaints from the public,” he said. “A few do get upset, but the majority look forward to it.”
