When Mom passed away back in 2004, I became the "Keeper of the Family Photos." Big Sis handed over a big Tupperware container of pics, some in frames, some not. I spent a lot of time working my way through that tub, supplemented now and again by strays Big Sis would find around her house, which was my parents' home since they married in 1956...

Many of my older readers will recall the name Frieda V. Rieck. She was associated for many, many years with Cape Girardeau's musical life. A skilled violinist, she taught vocal music, string instruments and orchestras here at all levels — elementary, high school and college — for almost 40 years. Rieck is credited with organizing the Cape Girardeau Symphony. She taught at Southeast Missouri State College and retired in 1962 as head of the Music Department...

As a kid, my siblings and I loved the demolition derbies staged at Arena Park. Dad would take us; Mom got a quiet evening away from four noisy kids. I wonder if the people who attended the auto polo demonstrations in Capaha Park during the 1922 fair enjoyed the shows, which, I imagine, bore some resemblance to the demo derbies we cheered on...

In the fall of 1947, the remains of America’s heroes who lost their lives in World War II and were buried overseas began coming home. Just as had been done after the War to End All Wars, families were given the choice of having their loved ones remain buried where they had fallen or disinterred from foreign soil and re-interred in the United States...

The Cape LaCroix Cross, October 1947. (G.D. Fronabarger ~ Southeast Missourian archive) I'm sure when the Cape LaCroix Cross was unveiled Oct. 12, 1947, members of the Associated Committees of Historic Cape Girardeau — the organization sponsoring the event -- and the crowd of people who attended the dedication believed the memorial would remain at that location for generations to come...

Last week's blog detailed improvements made to the Capaha Park — then Fairground Park — lagoon in 1932. This blog continues with articles dealing with the 1962 draining, dredging and further drama. Unlike the project 30 years prior, the 1962 work wasn't plagued by recurrences of water lilies. Rather, some of the improvements made to the banks and drainage proved faulty and had to be repaired...

It seems to me that for most of this past summer, the Capaha Park lagoon looked like a deep, dusty pit. I won't go through the recent history of the lake's renovation, but I will say, I hope the project reaches a happy conclusion soon, with all the improvements promised us...

This is believed to be a view of the gravel road between Cape Girardeau and Jackson, probably taken in the 1920s or earlier. (Southeast Missourian archive)...

Lee L. Albert posts for the last time the Mississippi River stage outside the floodwall. The scene was in 1965. Mr. Albert died Sept. 26, 1972. (Southeast Missourian archive)...

Most Sundays, my siblings and I get together for a meal. It's a tradition that started when our parents were alive, and we've continued it. We take time out to discuss the happenings of the previous week, review the schedule for the coming week, and generally solve all of the world's problems...

Back in early August, I used an item in the Out of the Past column about a squirrel monkey that had escaped from its owner in Capaha Park in 1972. A day or two later, I received a phone call from a woman who said she remembered the incident well, as she was a youngster at the time and resided in the area. She requested a copy of the 1972 article...

David Andrew Glenn stands between attorney I.R. Kelso and Allan H. Hinchey on Aug. 26, 1913, at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new Saint Francis Hospital on Good Hope Street. (Southeast Missourian archive)...

The Missouri Humanities Council's 275-square-foot U.S. Grant Bicentennial Exhibit, "Ulysses Grant's Missouri" — paired with Grant memorabilia owned by Cape Girardeau businessman Earl Norman — opened last week at the former Chrisman Art Gallery, 32 N. Main St., in downtown Cape Girardeau. The exhibit is available for public viewing from noon to 5 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. It will run through September...

In August 1922, the decennial of the Missouri Farm Bureau was celebrated in Cape Girardeau with a large parade and picnic at Fairground Park. Nationally-known agriculture experts came here to address the big crowd. According to an article in the Southeast Missourian at the time, the National Farm Bureau didn't permit the commercialization of any of its meetings. ...

Edward F. Regenhardt built the combination fire/police headquarters for Cape Girardeau in 1909 at the northeast corner of Independence and Frederick streets. Today, it houses the recently renovated River Heritage Museum...

The totality of the eclipse as seen in Perryville, Missouri, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. (Andrew Whitaker ~ Southeast Missourian archive)...

I wonder frequently about the way once-prominent surnames have faded from Cape Girardeau. If we still had telephone directories, names like Lorimier, Cousin, Houck, Sturdivant, Carmack and Whitelaw would probably not be represented in the white pages, except as streets and avenues...

Who can resist a story about triplet calves born on a farm near Oak Ridge? Their cuteness is almost overwhelming. I certainly couldn't skip past this article without reading it. And the tale is even more enticing because I'm privileged to be friends with several relatives of the subject of the article: Willard Goodson...

Last week's blog brought you the story of an old timers' baseball game played in 1972 and featuring numerous former Capahas players. Some of those who played got their baseball starts in the 1930s and '40s. While the blog didn't mention it, another article published in 1972 to spark interest in the reunion game, a cerebral palsy benefit, talked extensively about the impressive season the Capahas had in 1947...

Lewis "Lou" Weiss and Roy Smith, Capaha baseball legends, went head-to-head on the Capaha Park diamond in July 1972, pitching for teams in a charity old-timers' game. Weiss and Smith played together for several years, but they were opponents in the contest 50 years ago. No doubt, plenty of stories were swapped by the players in the dugouts and on the field...