By Derek Spellman

dspellman@joplinglobe.com

NEOSHO, Mo. — The date is set and the headliner is booked for the grand reopening of the Neosho Civic Center.

The center closed last year for a $3 million renovation and expansion. City officials last week announced that a grand reopening concert has been set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, featuring a performance by Josh Gracin, a fourth-place finalist on the second season of “American Idol.”

Desiree Bridges, Neosho’s communications manager, said Friday that work on the center is more than 90 percent complete. The center now includes a revamped lobby, a commercial kitchen, new restrooms and a support stage area at the rear of the building.

The renovated center is to be a cornerstone of the city’s redevelopment plans for the downtown district, Bridges said. It will be a venue not just for concerts but also for community festivals, group meetings, weddings, reunions and more.

Neosho was designated one of the state’s first Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri, or DREAM, communities. That program aims to streamline access to state assistance in revitalizing downtowns.

“I think it will be a huge anchor (for the downtown),” Bridges said of the expanded Civic Center.

In April 2005, Neosho voters approved a quarter-cent sales tax to pay for capital projects and maintenance on the Civic Center and the Neosho/Newton County Senior Center. One-sixteenth of a cent was designated for the senior center, with the remainder set aside for the Civic Center.

Work on the senior center was completed earlier this year, and the city staged a grand reopening on Aug. 14.

Tickets

Tickets are on sale for the Josh Gracin concert and may be purchased through the city of Neosho’s Web site at www.neoshomo.org. The city also will have a community open house at the Civic Center on Saturday, Sept. 13. The open house will feature guided tours and a dedication ceremony.