Good morning Mouseketeers!

We’re just in from a wonderful weekend in Kansas City, where we played at the historic Folly Theater, KC’s oldest, in a benefit for the Bright Futures Fund, an education organization.There, the most often asked question from out-of-towners was “How can we get this group to come to our town?”

Actually, it’s easy, thanks to the Missouri Touring Performers Roster, a Missouri Arts Council program, which provides funding assistance for booking touring performers like us. It’s available to any not-for-profit organization in the state, college or university.

You see, we don’t all live near each other, and travel is expensive. The touring program funds, however, can offset those expenses and others, making us affordable to smaller venues. It’s designed to make performance art more available statewide.

Here’s how it works. Say your local arts council-civic center-theater- or other non-profit decides to book us for a concert. They contact us to see when we’re available, then immediately file a brief application, available on-line, with the MAC touring program, and the program will pay up to 60 percent of our fee. Nice of them, yes?

But say you’re fans, but you’re not in Missouri. Guess what, a similar program exists that covers all of Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, and covers 40 percent of the fee. Those funds come from the Mid-America Arts Alliance.

There’s no catch, but there is a caution. Both funds are a limited, set amount, and it’s first come, first served. So the earlier the application, the more likely it’ll be funded. So if you like our music and want your neighbors to see our smiling faces, get with your local organizations and let them know. We’d love to come see you in your home town.