Funding bridge lights- Wednesday the prints will come

There's no question that the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge will be impressive.

At nearly 4,000 feet long and 100 feet wide with towers that rise 300 feet above the water, the bridge will generate at least as much excitement as its predecessor did in 1928.

So, as Jim Riley puts it, it would be a shame to have such a magnificent structure that becomes virtually invisible when the sun goes down.

That's why Riley, president of Red Letter Communications, has come up with a way to help pay the city's portion of aesthetic lighting that will make the bridge as splendid at night as it is in the daytime.

Riley has commissioned an oil on canvas painting of the new bridge by artist Eric Bryant as well as limited-edition prints of the painting. The painting will be unveiled and the 375 prints will go on sale Wednesday at a 10 a.m. news conference at Indigo Restaurant downtown.

The original painting will also be for sale through a bidding process later. The artist, a 1989 graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design, will be on hand to sign prints.

Riley estimates that, at $200 apiece, there will be $50,000 in net proceeds from the sale.

The city will get about $300,000 in federal transportation enhancement funds to pay the bulk of the lighting project, but that leaves more than $100,000 that the city has to raise.

This money from the prints will go a good way toward meeting that goal.

The lighting project includes 108 400-watt bulbs that would shine up and illuminate the cables. It would also feature 40 1,000-watt bulbs to illuminate the towers.

"To have this standing out there like a ghost on a dark night would be a waste," said John Layton, a local lawyer who is one of many working to raise funds for the project. (John was also kind enough to explain the specifics of the project to me.)

"Having it lit will make it a landmark," Layton said. "When it's lit, it will be an awesome sight."

Riley points out the lighting is more than a feel-good project.

"The new bridge is a significant enhancement to our position at the center of a regional transportation system," Riley said. "While it's not the Eiffel Tower or the Gateway Arch, it can yield the same results those structures gave Paris and St. Louis -- our new bridge will work to symbolize not only our great city, but our city's great spirit."

New gift store

Annie-Em's, a new antique and gift shop, is opening Friday at 38 N. Main, next to Needful Things Antiques.

The owners are Karen Stephens and her mother, Marie Cooper, who both live in Advance, Mo.

Stephens said the store will have antique glassware, including Depression glass, elegant glassware and vintage china. There will also be antique furniture, mostly oak and mahogany.

Truly a unique store, Annie-Em's will also have body products, candles, home sprays and lamp oil, Stephens said. They will also specialize in home-made fudge, cream puffs and other pastries.

Stephens is a former elementary principal in Bell City, who recently retired after 18 years in public education.

"My mother and I have collected and bought antiques for ourselves for the past 20 years," she said. "We both love it, and this is a business venture we're really looking forward to."

Blast from the past

Roger Lang is turning the clock back at Lang's Jewelry in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Starting in February, Lang took out the drop ceiling, florescent lighting and paneling to begin the process of restoring the building to what it looked like back in 1905, when his grandfather went in the business there as an apprentice jeweler.

Working from a picture that was taken almost 100 years ago, Lang has restored the tin ceiling. His wife, Judith Anne, has hand painted the borders and incandescent lighting has been put in along with two old-fashioned ceiling fans.

He's also about to put in the 6-foot-tall Regulator clock, which is sort of like a grandfather clock. This one was built in 1903. He has a new 8-foot-tall hall mirror that matches wall cases that were built before 1905.

"I think it's going to look pretty neat once we get it all cleaned up," Lang said.

Lang said he got the idea from his wife, who had been involved with Old Town Cape, where historic preservation is stressed.

"I'd love to see some more downtown merchants do it," Lang said. "I think it would really help all of us in the long run. You go to Hannibal or places like that and they've restored their buildings. It makes for a tourist attraction, and let's face it, there's money in tourism."

Scott Moyers is the business editor for the Southeast Missourian. Send your comments, business news, information or questions to Biz Buzz, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699, e-mail to smoyers@semissourian.com or call 335-6611, extension 137.