Gower experiences surge in visitors
Jul. 16—The small town of Gower, Missouri, has seen a big boom in visitors recently thanks to two events.
This May, the incorrupt body of a dead nun, Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, was displayed at the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles monastery and drew crowds from across the country seeking to view the well-preserved body. Gower officials saw as many as 15,000 visitors to the monastery, a huge influx for a town of about 1,500 people.
"It was interesting," Gower Mayor Ken Pike said. "We had license plates from all over the country coming through here. So, it's been exciting and we have had quite a bit more traffic on U.S. 169 than we're used to, but it's been fun."
Sister Wilhelmina brought lots of people to Gower, but that wouldn't be the only event to draw crowds to the small town this summer.
From July 7 through 9, Gower Days was held in the city's park. The annual celebration of the town, which featured live music, vendors and a car show, drew a larger attendance than ever before.
Chip Holman, the president of the Gower Area Chamber of Commerce, said the visitors have been good for the town.
"Our Gower Days committee, the car show committee, the Lions Club, the Lodge, the folks who came out middle of last week to clean the park, 22 people from the community that came to help us," Holman said. "That's why Gower's great, is the people. It can't be any simpler than that and it's not any more complicated than that. It's the people."
