Arts and music cap rodeo week

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Looking for something to do as rodeo week winds down? From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, the Sikeston Depot Museum will host the Cowboy Up! Arts Festival.

The festival, at the Depot and in Legion Square Park in downtown Sikeston, includes arts, crafts and live music, said Mike Marsh, director of the Depot Museum.

Marsh said the event was started because the Sikeston Cultural Development Corporation, the owners of the Depot Museum, "wanted to do something to draw attention to downtown and the arts."

The first scheduled event is the farmers market from 9 a.m. to noon. Marsh said the market's 18 vendors have "every vegetable you can imagine," along with baked goods, homemade tamales, honey and fruits.

Several country music acts will perform, beginning at 10 a.m. Brian Fisk, a native of Sikeston, will perform first. Fisk will sing mostly original compositions, according to Marsh. Fisk will perform again at noon.

Anna Catherine DeHart and the Dirt Road Express band will perform at 11:15 a.m. According to Marsh, Dirt Road Express plays modern country music, like Jason Aldean and Martina McBride songs. DeHart will also perform at 12:45 p.m.

Ronda Taylor will perform at 1:45 p.m. Taylor performs covers of Top 40 country music, similar to Dirt Road Express' theme, Marsh said. To round out the musical performances, Steve Clinton will sing country as well as Christian-themed songs at 2:30 p.m.

The Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo parade arrives downtown at about 10:45 a.m. Organizers reversed the parade route this year.

"We want people to come downtown and enjoy downtown," said Cal Crader, the general chairman of the rodeo, about the route reversal.

Starting at about 11:15 a.m., the "Meet the Rodeo Clowns" event will take place at Legion Square Park. The clowns, along with the rodeo queens, will sign autographs and interact with the children, who can also enjoy a petting zoo and pony rides.

The results of a children's art contest will be displayed in various shops downtown.

"The winner has their art put on a T-shirt and sold as next year's youth shirt," Marsh said. In addition the winner is recognized and receives free tickets for every night of next year's rodeo.

Two additional art exhibits are planned inside the Depot. Malcolm McCrae, the featured artist of the festival, will have his "Urban Fusion" artwork on display, as well as a live display of his airbrush art. Spencer Nast will display some of his blown glass art as well.

The SEMO Quilters Guild president will also be present for a live quilting demonstration, in addition to the Southeast Missouri State University's Explorer Mobile Museum's display for the festival. The other members of the Quilter's Guild will have a show at the Clinton Building from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Richard Justice's re-enactment group will perform a Wild West Shootout at 1:30 p.m. The shootout will simulate a bank robbery downtown, said Marsh.

For more information, contact the Sikeston Depot Museum at 573-481-9967.