WaterFest creates a splash in downtown Cape Girardeau

Brooke Holford

Saturday, October 24, 2020

The Kellerman Foundation for Historic Preservation held WaterFest on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in the parking lot at the corner of Themis and Water St. in downtown Cape Girardeau. Volunteer for the Kellerman Foundation MJ DeGraff said more than 250 people attended the all-day event, which included a variety of exhibits on the importance of water in recreation, art, plant and animal life, and the daily life of human beings. Local fishermen, kayakers, potters, painters and others in water-related fields, including the Department of Agriculture and Clay Club at Southeast Missouri State University, created educational displays for the event. WaterFest kicks-off the arrival of the Smithsonian Institution's traveling Water/Ways exhibit, which will be hosted by the Kellerman Foundation at Heritage Hall, located at 102 N. Main St. in Cape Girardeau, until mid-January.

Seraphina McAteer, a member of Clay Club at Southeast Missouri State University, demonstrates how to make pottery at WaterFest, held in the parking lot on the corner of Themis and Water St. in downtown Cape Girardeau on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Brooke Holford)
Sam Jarrell (left) and Joe Thompson watch the pottery demonstration at WaterFest, held in the parking lot at the corner of Themis and Water St. in downtown Cape Girardeau on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Brooke Holford)
Charles Hutson Horticulture Greenhouse Manager Melissa LaPlant (left) speaks with Tom Neumeyer at WaterFest, held by the Kellerman Foundation for Historic Preservation on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Brooke Holford)
Dave Hardesty (left) shares photos and stories from his experiences on kayaking trips throughout the years at WaterFest, hosted by the Kellerman Foundation for Historic Preservation on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, (Brooke Holford)

David Herzog with the Missouri Department of Conservation stands on their display — a large boat referred to as a 'research vessel' — during WaterFest on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. Along with the research vessel, Herzog brought two different types of fishing nets and multiple charts explaining local fish migration to display at WaterFest, held by the Kellerman Foundation for Historic Preservation in the parking lot at the corner of Themis and Water streets. (Brooke Holford)
Rachael Williamson, an employee from the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, arranges animal skins for display during WaterFest, hosted by the Kellerman Foundation for Historic Preservation on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Brooke Holford)
Author Randy Barnhouse signs copies of his book: 'Dear Samuel Clemens: Message In a Bottle' for fans at WaterFest, held in the parking lot at the corner of Themis and Water St. in downtown Cape Girardeau on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Brooke Holford)
Joe Thompson, a collector of out-of-service firetrucks, and his dog, Gadget, brought the newest addition to his collection — a firetruck from West Plains, Missouri — to display at WaterFest on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. Thompson checks in on Gadget, who spent most of WaterFest inside the firetruck after becoming too cold and shivering outside, periodically throughout the event, held by the Kellerman Foundation for Historic Preservation in the parking lot at the corner of Themis and Water St. in downtown Cape Girardeau. (Brooke Holford)