The University of Central Missouri is a 30 minute drive from downtown Sedalia, which has so much history and life. 

  “It may be ingrained in me from growing up there, but I do find downtown to have a sort of relaxing, soothing atmosphere,” senior Drew Apsher, sports management major, said. 

“I enjoy looking at much of the older architecture and buildings as well. Growing up, my house was very close to a Katy Trail path, so I’d often ride my bike into town and cruise through and around downtown.” 

  Even during a storm, when gray cast over everything, the history of the buildings and friendly smiles of residents are present in Sedalia. As visitors bike or stroll through downtown, the eccentric blue turns pale from the sun on the ticket booth attached to the old Fox theatre, and as they keep going, they can see the faded memory of ragtime musician Scott Joplin through the mist as he is commemorated in a mural. 

  “The murals are very pretty and speak a lot about what our town stands for,”  senior Bailey Harding, criminal justice major, said. 

  Continuing down the street, the screeching and blaring of the train drowns out the enthusiastic banter between old friends at Fitters bar, while the fire from the Dough-Boy statue shines through the dark from across the street.

  “I enjoy that there are many small, local businesses thriving in our small town in such a small radius,” Harding said. “I enjoy that it is somewhat a place of ‘gathering’ at times, such as the parades [and] music gatherings.” 

  In Sedalia, residents and visitors aren’t thinking about what happens in the future, but gathering with friends and enjoying the town. 

   “I honestly enjoy the overall feel of downtown Sedalia,” graduate student Emma Honn said. “It has a very small town feel, even though it’s in a bigger town.” 

  Moving through town, behind the 100-year-old buildings, as chipping brick crunching under feet turns into dust, the mouth of the alleyway reveals the neon sign of Coaches bar sticking out in the gray mist of the oncoming storm. 

  Traveling on the path, the new Fox theatre has its outside lights flashing as some of the Fitters staff and friends start on their normal after-work activities and fun. The joy on their faces is visible as their smiles grow. 

  “Downtown Sedalia has been updated fairly recently, and it is so beautiful,” said Honn. “Everything about it, the courthouse, Fitters, the theatre, the shops, just make it a really fun place to spend an afternoon.”