How a petition brought the President to Poplar Bluff

The Poplar Bluff Museum has tales of us, our family, and our history. I want to tell you some of those tales found within the museum walls.

The 2004 presidential campaign was in full swing. President George Bush was running for reelection against John Kerry. Poplar Bluff businessmen Hardy Billington and David Hahn decided to try to get President Bush to visit our town. They began a petition drive to urge him to come. They placed petitions in 35 businesses and manned a booth at the Butler County Fair. This grassroots petition was submitted to the White House with 10,000 signatures. Pretty amazing since the population of Poplar Bluff was only 16,000. To everyone’s surprise, the White House responded with a “Yes.”

On September 6, 2004, President Bush and his entourage arrived in two Blackhawk helicopters. He landed in the very small Clinton Park. The park was jammed with 25,000 people. Local law enforcement was out in force supporting the Secret Service. The Secret Service was staging out of the Butler County Fire Department with backup armored limousines. EMS and hospital staff were on site to support the crowd. It was a hot, humid, windy and rainy that day but that didn’t dampen the spirit of the crowd.

The president’s opening remarks were, “I get a lot of invitations. I’ve never gotten one with 10,000 signatures on it.” He spoke on the issues of health care, the Middle East, local farmers, his opponent, the tax code and support to the troops. President Bush spoke for 45 minutes, interrupted many times with cheering and ovations. His departure marked the end of a historical event in Southeast Missouri history. This was the first time a sitting president had visited this area. President Bush won his reelection in November.

President Bush’s visit is proudly displayed in a giant photo mural in the Butler County Historical Society room in the Poplar Bluff Museum. The Museum is handicap accessible and open every Sunday free of charge from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 1010 Main Street, Poplar Bluff (formerly the Old Mark Twain School). Tell them Mike sent you!

Mike Shane is a veteran, Poplar Bluff resident and board member for the Poplar Bluff Museum.