STRICTLY BUSINESS: FRESH VEGETABLES COMING TO DOWNTOWN CAPE GIRARDEAU

A new business venture will start in downtown Cape Girardeau Sunday.

The Downtown Merchants Association Scholarship Garden will be in operation from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Pavilion, located in the parking lot in front of Hutson's Furniture Store.

"The tomatoes are ready," said William "Bill" Dunn, who will head up the new garden market, which will include cucumbers, six different kinds of peppers -- chili, hot, bell, banana, cayenne and jalapeno -- and six varieties of tomatoes.

Sponsored in part by Rhea Optical Co., 1105 Broadway, the new operation is actually a farmers' market on a small scale, says Dunn. "The vegetables are grown locally in my father's garden."

All proceeds will go the eventual endowment of a Downtown Merchants Association Scholarship, to be awarded to a student at Southeast Missouri State University.

Dunn, who lives in the downtown area, is a big booster of downtown Cape Girardeau and education. He is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University with a bachelor of arts in English. He also obtained a master's degree in English from Southeast in 1992.

Dunn, who worked with the World Wrestling Federation nine years as a merchandiser and television ring announcer, traveling throughout the Western Hemisphere, is now sales manager with Rhea Optical.

Dunn is active in his community. He is president of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, a board member for the Downtown Merchants Association, organizational committee member of Old Town Cape, and media director of River City Players Community Theatre.

The new downtown market is not the only one offered in Cape Girardeau. A similar, but much larger, market is offered by the Cape Farmers Market Association in the Plaza Galleria parking lot off Independence from 3-7 p.m. each Thursday during the produce season. This market has 22 members who have spots where they sell fruits and vegetables every week.

And traffic this year at the market has been steady, especially the past two weeks.

"We're really into a busy produce season right now, so we've got a lot of stuff coming in," said Marilyn Peters, president of the group. During the past couple of weeks, sweet corn and tomatoes have come in. Coming up soon will be watermelons and cantaloupes.

Lot of people downtown for July 4 fireworks

The count of people in downtown Cape Girardeau the evening of July 4 varied.

Some people said 5,000. Others said 10,000.

Most likely, it was between these two figures.

People lined up along the Mississippi River from north of Honker's Landing to south of the river bridge.

As many as 3,000 spectators were inside the river wall between Broadway and Themis streets. Another 2,000 to 3,000 people found seating on the Common Pleas Courthouse lawn and steps.

"This was fabulous," said Terri Clark-Bauer, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, which coordinated the river fireworks.

The fireworks were the first in two years in the downtown area. Until 1999, fireworks over the river were the highlight of the annual Riverfest celebration in downtown Cape Girardeau.

It has been suggested that a few other events be added to next year's Fourth of July scheduled in the downtown area to attract people to the riverfront area during the afternoon.

Old Town Cape, the organization which directs the Main Street Program in Cape Girardeau, has agreed to look into some additional events.

A look at Paducah After Dinner' program

In Paducah, Ky., people many people head downtown on Saturday nights.

It's all part of the successful "After Dinner" promotion, designed to encourage Paducah and nearby residents to enjoy -- and rediscover -- their downtown area.

Here's what's happening Saturday evenings in downtown Paducah:

* More than 50 businesses, including restaurants, clothing stores, antique and gift shops, art galleries, candy and coffee shops, jewelry stores, bakeries, pubs and others, are open with extended evening hours, from 7-10 p.m.

* Broadway is blocked off from the Ohio River wall to Fifth Street.

* A trolley runs constantly to transport people (free) from their parking spots to the downtown area.

* Music is everywhere. Gospel groups, country pop, blues, rock 'n' roll and folk bands can be found on different corners..

"As many as seven different bands have played during a Saturday night," said Mary Hammond of the Paducah-McCracken County Convention Visitors Bureau. "We'll usually have a least three to five bands every Saturday night."

In addition, some restaurants and pubs feature their own special music.

Entertainment groups from throughout the area provide "street corner" entertainment for the weekly programs, said Tom Erwin, a Paducah businessman who was instrumental in establishing the special events about three years ago.

The musicians are not paid, "but they get a lot of exposure, resulting in a number of bookings for their groups," Erwin said.

Last weekend, a talent scout from Nashville in his "stretch" pickup was in town.

To go along with the bands, clowns roam the streets, and recently a gymnastics team put on a demonstration. Last weekend, as many as 55 vintage Chevrolets cars on a "Four-Cylinder" tour appeared in the downtown area.

The After Dinner program is a huge success story. After Dinner, Saturday Nights in Downtown Paducah programs are held each weekend from early May through September.

The weekly celebrations blend the beauty of the old river town, with fine dining, entertainment, floodwall and window murals, antique automobiles, horse-drawn carriages and shopping, said Erwin.

The event started as an experiment during spring of 1997 and has emerged as an attraction that draws thousands of people to the downtown area each Saturday night.

Just recently, Friday night was added to the weekend schedule and are a completely separate program, said Erwin, a businessman who owns Annie Horsedrawn Carriage Co., which participates in the weekend activities.

"People love it," said Hammond. "It provides a family atmosphere and an ambiance to downtown Paducah."

With the movement of businesses from the downtown area to the mall and shopping areas along the interstates, people had forgotten about the downtown area. "It's really heartwarming to see people milling around downtown on a Friday or Saturday night," said Hammond.

The Paducah program has been a good one and has met a couple of primary objectives:

* People are working together. A group of businesses with not too much in common other than their downtown sites are working together aggressively to pursue other downtown promotions.

* Visitors are discovering what downtown merchants have to offer. A number of downtown merchants have reported increases in sales.

Like Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Ill., and other cities, downtown Paducah, was devastated by moves of some big retailers to shopping malls several years ago.

More than a dozen antique-collectible shops are situated in the immediate downtown Paducah area, including a half-dozen antique malls. Restaurants, book stores, a bakery, lounges and pubs are plentiful throughout the area. A number of trendy shops are also situated in the area, along with overnight lodgings, including bed-and-breakfasts and motels.

And, like Cape Girardeau, the downtown Paducah area is situated along the banks of a major river, the Ohio.

Other major attractions in the downtown Paducah include the Quilt Museum, Yeiser Art Center, the Downtown Market Museum and new downtown murals on the river wall.

Some of the restaurants offer outdoor courts for dining.

The cost of the program?

Last year, the summer-long program was conducted for about $200.

Next week: "A look at Saturday Night Downtown Cape Girardeau." Some happenings, and suggestions.

Ray Owen is a staff writer of the Southeast Missourian.