Tunes start at twilight

Warmer weather and longer days mean several things, but chief among them is the start of Tunes at Twilight, the weekly outdoor concert series at the Gazebo beside the Common Pleas Courthouse in Cape Girardeau.

The concerts are free and feature a different artist every Friday for six weeks. Then the series takes a break for the hot weather in July and starts again Aug. 15.

"It started basically as something to bring people downtown," said Marla Mills, the executive director for Old Towne Cape. The not-for-profit organizes the events to draw people in from the west part of town and show them, "there's a lot going on down here," she said.

When the concerts started seven years ago, about 20 people would come, said Larry Underberg, who jumped on the wagon years ago and now recruits talent for the concerts. "Now we've had crowds that push 160," he said.

Dennis Stroughmatt and the Creole Stomp will start the season. Stroughmatt has played the Tunes series in previous years. He's a historian who happens to be a mean Cajun fiddler with ties to Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois and a love for Louisiana. Stroughmatt has performed with several bands, but Creole Stomp is the current full band.

"It's really high energy. It's a nice way to begin the season," Underberg said.

"Creole Stomp is just exactly the kind of music you would hear if you were down in New Orleans," he said. "You know, that Cajun-style music."

The concerts start at 7 p.m. and last an hour. People bring blankets, snacks and chairs to sit on the lawn.

"It's very casual," Mills said. "It's a very social environment. A lot of people use it as an opportunity to see friends and get together."

The series pulls in different original artists like Vinnie James, Arthur Godfrey and The Wrights. Artists cover standard americana, blues, country and rock acoustic.

They are bands, Underberg said, "that are likely to appeal to a broad audience."

In case of rain, the performances will be at the Rose Theater on the Southeast campus.

Dennis Stroughmatt and Creole Stomp

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Dennis Stroghmatt

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