Fred Lynch retired in 2018 after capturing images for the Southeast Missourian since 1975, in that time moving from black-and-white to color, from film to digital and to video. The blog title is a nod to an earlier era of news photography and the 4x5 Speed Graphic: It's more important to be there for the shot than to worry about technical details.

Christmas parade on Broadway 1955

Posted Thursday, December 24, 2009, at 1:12 AM

Nov. 21, 1955 Southeast Missourian

Crowds of people line Broadway during a Christmas parade as a float entitled "Nutcracker Suite" travels east down Broadway past the Southeast Missourian building at Lorimier Street in Cape Girardeau, in this picture taken by Garland D. Fronabarger. The float won first place and was prepared by the Mark Twain-Hesperian Societies of State College.

The old post office is visible in the background with the flag pole on the roof. The flag pole was removed in 1958 and replaced with one on the ground.

The Hotel Idan-Ha is across Fountain Street from the post office. In the foreground is a small school bus marked Kelso Consolidated School District No. 7.

Granite cobblestones are visible on Broadway hill. They were removed in 1956. The remains of street car rails can be seen in the middle of the hill.

Does anyone know what became of those cobblestones?

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Fred,

I happened to be looking over pictures I took of the 1966 SEMO Homecoming Parade taken in roughly the same block of Broadway, but looking toward the Marquette Hotel.

You can see them at

http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/cape-loves-to-throw-a-parade/

One thing that's missing from my photos is the 13-story KFVS TV building. It wasn't built until about two years later.

The Marquette Hotel must have been used for student housing, because the pictures show students hanging out the windows.

As far as your cobblestone question, I wonder if they might have been used on the riverfront. At one time it was paved with cobblestones.

-- Posted by ksteinhoff on Sat, Dec 26, 2009, at 11:38 PM
I was in the 8th grade at CHS Jr. High when this picture was taken.

-- Posted by pcorbin on Sun, Dec 8, 2013, at 12:22 PM
Always loved those star decorations for Christmas! I remember standing outside the Missourian office for every parade. Good times! 🤩

-- Posted by Mary White on Thu, Dec 15, 2022, at 7:47 AM

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