- -30- then and now (8/22/18)2
- Meet Mable at Mable's Cafe in Chaffee (8/20/18)
- Willow Grove Rockets Skate Club (8/15/18)
- Central Municipal Pool built in 1979 (8/13/18)
- Hecht's Store founder returns to Main street (8/8/18)
- Land acquired to build SEMO Port (8/6/18)
- St. Vincent's Seminary ends after 136 years (8/1/18)1
June 20, 1982 Southeast Missourian
Had Mark Twain happened down the muddy Mississippi Saturday, he would have surely wondered what had become of his "monstrous big river" that he described in "Life on the Mississippi" as not only the longest (4,300 miles) but the "crookedest river in the world." All the commotion on the Cape Girardeau riverfront, Twain would have learned, was Riverfest '82, and like the river it was a "monstrous big" celebration. Shown above is a part of the crowd gathered inside the floodwall before the start of the regatta. Activities along the city's waterfront included various arts and crafts displays, music of just about every style, a water ski show and plenty of cotton candy, popcorn and fish dinners. Crowd estimates Saturday ranged from 15,000 to 25,000. Also included in activities were tours of historic old St. Vincent's Church and the Glenn House. The fourth annual event, sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, culminated Saturday night with a concert by the Municipal Band and a massive fireworks display. (Fred Lynch photos)
An entry in the Riverfest Regatta by the Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau took the honors for the "best decorated." Among the members were Dorothy Gilbert, standing, club president; Polly Parsakian and Connie Seabaugh.
[The Riverfest event began in 1979 and continued through 1999. In later years, the event was improved with corporate sponsors. The last year was a struggle due to a lack of funding. Organizers put the cost of producing each Riverfest at $75,000-$80,000. The 1999 event was scaled back because of lack of money and difficulty recruiting volunteers, and the 2000 Riverfest was canceled. (July 5, 2001 Southeast Missourian)]
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