An opportunity for northwest Missouri residents to travel to the capitol and meet legislators is coming up next month.

Lily White is the Maryville Chamber of Commerce Director and the Nodaway County Coordinator with Great Northwest Day at the Capitol.

White said this is the 16th year of Great Northwest Day, which is a 19-county cooperative and grassroots effort.

“We get together, every single February, and go down to Jeff City,” White said. “It’s a way for us to communicate, both with our legislators, but also with legislators from other, more urbanized areas, to tell them what’s really going on in rural Missouri and give them a person to think about when they’re voting.”

White said several hundred people typically go on the trip each year to visit with legislators and highlight priorities and what is going on in their communities.

White said, for those who have never gone to the capitol or haven’t been back since high school, she encourages them to consider attending Great Northwest Day.

“On those trips, you’re not yet realizing how much the government affects your everyday life and you’re also not realizing that these elected officials… they’re also just people,” White said. “People going (to Jefferson City) sometimes have this exaggerated picture of them in their minds but they’re really easygoing and it’s very easy to sit down and have a coffee with them and talk. For me, going down and seeing Jeff City is a reminder that every single person in our state can affect the government and can affect what’s happening there on a daily basis.”

Wednesday, Jan. 23, is the last day for early registration for Great Northwest Day. The trip takes place February 5 – 6.

You can find more information and your county coordinator at greatnorthwestday.com.