Plans for Pauls Valley’s long-anticipated 150th birthday bash later this month are moving into high gear now that the event’s funding is finalized.

With four of five members present for a meeting this week, the Pauls Valley City Council approved part of a request from the Sesquicentennial Planning Committee (SPC) for local tourism tax funds to help pay for the event set for Sept. 28-30.

“Now the celebration has been funded we can start finalizing a lot of the events we’ve been planning for several months,” SPC Chairman Jeff Shultz said.

A committee meeting is now planned for 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4 at the Pauls Valley Chamber of Commerce office to begin finalizing the attractions and events to take place that weekend, he said.

“We will probably be meeting two or three more times before the Sesquicentennial weekend just to get everything done. While we already know where most of the events will take place, we still have to finalize some of the locations and times for the events and attractions.”

One part of the celebration’s original plans likely won’t make the cut after the council decided not to approve the funds for a fireworks show.

Council members clearly had some concerns with tourism funds being used to pay for fireworks. Similar concerns were earlier expressed about funding a commemorative coin program.

“I make a motion we approve everything except the fireworks,” council member Keith Brinley said during the meeting. His motion was unanimously approved.

The action meant the $10,000 cost of the fireworks was cut out of the funding request.

In the end the SPC was granted $14,000 that comes from the local tourism tax monies collected by motels and hotels in Pauls Valley. It will be combined with more than $12,000 raised privately for the event through sponsorships.

“The committee is disappointed the funding for the fireworks wasn’t approved. We felt this was definitely an occasion for a grand fireworks display because there won’t be another 150th birthday for Pauls Valley again. Plus, being this is Oklahoma’s Centennial year, it just seemed fitting,” Shultz said.

“However, we understand the council’s concerns about the fireworks funding and we still can have a great celebration without them.”

Just added to the list of events is a Sesquicentennial Pioneer Parade.

Larry Yeargan and Jerry Norton are spearheading this project, which will feature a pioneer themed parade with riding clubs, the authentic stagecoach and some other special parade entries.

“We would like to have a longhorn cattle drive in the parade, something like Fort Worth does at Stockyard City only on a smaller basis,” Shultz said.

“Also we want to invite all kids to decorate their bikes and ride them in the parade that day.”

More details on the parade will be in next week’s Daily Democrat, he said.

Attractions will be located at the Pauls Valley Airport, Wacker Park and historic downtown Pauls Valley. A complete and final schedule of events will be published in the Sept. 16 Pauls Valley Daily Democrat.

Other events or attractions include:

• The Pauls Valley Police Department’s annual Classic Car Show will be held this year in conjunction with the Sesquicentennial celebration. This car show features some of the best antique cars and custom hot rods in the region.

The show will be located at the corner of Ash and Paul, at the future location of the Pauls Valley Police Department. The car show will start at 7 a.m.

• The Pauls Valley Roundup Club will produce a Ranch Rodeo on Saturday night, Sept. 29, at the Pauls Valley Roundup Club Arena in Wacker Park. The Ranch Rodeo will be free to the public and will include a Mutton Busting and Calf Scramble for the kids.

• The N34, the FAA’s last DC-3, built in Oklahoma in 1945, will fly into the Pauls Valley Airport and tours of the official state centennial plane will be given throughout the day, Sept. 29, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• The Pauls Valley Masonic Lodge and the Pauls Valley Historical Society will conduct a special time capsule ceremony at the Santa Fe Depot Museum and Plaza to commemorate Pauls Valley’s Sesquicentennial at 3 p.m.