Company donates 9K Chiefs hats to Branson-area students

A donation of hats celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl win last year were delivered to Branson-area students ahead of the team's latest victory.

Buffalo, New York-based New Era Cap Co. on Feb. 8 presented the donation of the Chiefs Super Bowl LVII hats, according to a news release. Yesterday, the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Branson/Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhancement District and city of Branson delivered the 9Fifty Low Profile hats to area kids last week.

"It was quite a surprise when New Era Cap Co. via the Kansas City Chiefs reached out to us to donate the one-of-a-kind hats," the tourism district’s Executive Director Kirk Elmquist said in the release. "Our kids and educators enthusiastically embraced being recognized as part of the Chiefs Kingdom."

The approximate value of the donation was not disclosed in the release. Youth hats celebrating the Chiefs' Super Bowl LVIII win are selling on New Era Cap Co.'s website for around $32 apiece.

"The Branson/Lakes area is the official vacation destination of the Kansas City Chiefs, so out of market we have quite a lot of marketing driving visitation to the Branson/Lakes area including a huge presence at Arrowhead Stadium and a multitude of marketing programs including Chiefs media, outreach to the Chiefs fan base, as well as several components in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. It's an exciting partnership," said Dennis Woods, the tourism district’s board chair, in the release.

Woods noted in the release that taxpayer money was not used in the gifting of the New Era hats and that the donation "was not part of the Chiefs partnership agreement."

The partnership agreement signed last summer between Branson and the Chiefs is valued at $6.25 million, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.