RIVER CITY JOURNAL: IT'S TAKEN AWHILE, BUT HARD WORK IS PAYING OFF

* This just proves that good things happen if you never give up, no matter how much guff you get.

Three things happened this week that made me think there is hope for Cape Girardeau:

1. The River Campus Board of Managers started to think like tourism marketing pros.

2. A woman from Burfordville pointed out the obvious: Concrete floodwalls don't help tourism.

3. And city contractors have been plowing up streets left and right, proving one more time that a lot of dirt can be slung around in no time at all.

So what do these things have in common?

Well, there's the tourism angle. It would take an awfully hard-nosed visitor from Albuquerque to forget his impression of visiting the City of Roses for the first time and being greeted with this ubiquitous road sign: "Welcome to Cape Girardeau. Street closed."

And who hasn't tried to make the best of our concrete floodwall? I must admit, however, that even my relatives don't fall for the story I like to repeat. I tell anyone from out of town who will listen that the floodwall is part of the old walled fortification erected around Fort Las Cruces by the Spanish to keep out the marauding French and German settlers. Sometimes I add the fact that there was more than one fort way back then, but not many folks around here could speak Spanish, so they just called them A, B, C and D.

I think a little history flavor goes a long way in helping the first-time visitor savor Cape Girardeau.

There's no way, in my estimation, you can do too much to make Cape Girardeau the hot spot of American tourism.

Goodness knows I've tried to do my part.

So what I saw happening this week has left me in high spirits.

With a River Campus advisory group thinking outside the box, there is no end to the good ideas that can capitalize on the only downtown view of the of the mighty Mississippi. And look at all those ideas for sprucing up the riverfront. Best of all, look what you can do with heavy equipment.

By now, I'm pretty sure you know what I'm leading up to.

Am I right?

See, I've been promoting downtown improvements for a long time. But, as many of you have so conscientiously pointed out to me, I haven't got a whole lot accomplished.

Now you see why.

I don't have a board of managers coming up with fresh ideas by the gallon. I don't have very many folks from as far away as Burfordville volunteering to provide creative assistance. And I certainly don't have any bulldozers.

No, I've had to carry the load all by myself.

Of course, many of you have been loyal supporters. And I'm really grateful for that. You have no idea how you've lifted my spirits with even the briefest mention of my pride and joy.

You know.

The world-famous championship downtown golf course and riverview restaurant/fishing pier.

So let's stop fooling around.

I don't see why golf can't be a part of the River Campus. It's a performing art if ever there was one.

And don't you think people would come from everywhere -- as far away as Malta Bend -- if they knew about the River Campus Performing Arts Center Museum Library Dance Hall Golf Course Culinary Institute?

Of course they would.

But watch out. Cape Girardeau has competition in the works. And it's right in our own back yard.

Folks down at Kennett have put together a committee and everything to boost their town's image to tourists. Their slogan is simple and catchy: "We're not Cape Girardeau."

I don't know exactly what that means, but I don't think it's high praise for the City of Roses, if you get my drift.

Listen. If Kennett can pull tourists off the interstate, anybody can.

And I like their "We've just begun to fight" attitude. They've got spunk. And ambition. And a committee, for Pete's sake.

Makes you wonder how interested they might be in a first-rate downtown golf course.

~R. Joe Sullivan is the editor of the Southeast Missourian.