History and Memories by Fred Lynch

Construction of the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge continues on May 9, 2003. The new bridge was opened Dec. 13, 2003. (Fred Lynch)

Corps of Discovery reenactors aboard a replica keelboat arrived at Fort Defiance State Park at Cairo, Ill. Saturday, Nov. 15, 2003, just ahead of reenactors aboard a pirogue, at right. Both tied up at the end of the Ohio River near the confluence with the Mississippi River after a five-hour trip from Fort Massac State Park at Metropolis, Ill. (Fred Lynch)

Southeast Missourian/ Fred Lynch With LSU's Stromile Swift on his back, and just five seconds left to play, Southeast Missouri's Roderick Johnson eyed the basket seconds before putting up his team's final shot, a 3-pointer, on March 16, 2000 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The shot, from the top of the key, fell just short and would have tied the game.

This was a common but occasional sight when driving on Independence Street in Cape Girardeau. One day, on Oct. 19, 1977, I saw this scene approaching and pulled my car over to the curb to record the moment for posterity. (Fred Lynch photo) The Missouri Pacific train was traveling east a block from Sprigg Street. Some 3.3 miles of track, a portion of which ran down the middle of Independence, crossed the city. The tracks were removed in 1986 after the line had been abandoned.

Dr. Shawn Parker closed the corneal flap after using the excimer laser to reshape the internal cornea on Keith Flynt's right eye. With the cornea's natural bonding qualities, healing is rapid and stitches are not required. Feb. 13, 2003. (Fred Lynch)

The Missouri Flag on the original Missouri Wall of Fame floodwall mural is reflected in raindrops on a car window in downtown Cape Girardeau. (Fred Lynch)

Southeast Missourian/Fred Lynch The towboat Creole Pride moved up the fog-shrouded Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau past the replica of the Nina, one of Columbus' three ships, on Oct. 5, 1999. The sailing museum was docked at Riverfront Park.

Virginia Bollinger, left, of Jackson, Mo. asks Jackson Police Officer Rick Whitaker about her personal belongings in her car which crashed through the front window and into Jones Drug Store in Jackson, Mo. on Tuesday, February 3, 1998. Her husband, Paul Bollinger, normally waits outside the drug store while his wife goes inside to do business, but this time he came in with her, although in their car. While parking the car, his foot slipped off the brake and onto the gas pedal. No one was injured. (AP Photo, Southeast Missourian, Fred Lynch)

Bees at work in a hive owned by Grant Gillard of Jackson, July 13, 2002. (Fred Lynch)

Hundreds of people watched the demolition of the old Mississippi River bridge from the Cape Girardeau Riverfront Park, just before 7 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, 2004. The demolition blast--its numerous explosive charges sounding like a cannon and shooting up black clouds of smoke--dropped the 671-foot-long span nearest the Missouri shore into the river as planned. But the blast also set up a chain reaction that damaged the other remaining spans of the bridge. The blast caused the other 671-foot section of the main span to jackknife into the river, tearing out part of a concrete pier and sending one end of the remaining 314-foot span crashing into the water. (Fred Lynch photo)

Snow can be different things to different people. Billy Romack and his son, Harley, 5, walked down Snake Hill on West Cape Rock Drive ahead of Jason Krueger on Jan. 16, 2003 for some neighborhood sightseeing. They passed three vehicles which had tried to climb the banked, icy road and slid off to the side. Further up the road, three other vehicles were stopped in their tracks. (Fred Lynch)

Southeast Missouri State catcher Brian Lees reacts to the umpire's call after tagging out Belmont baserunner Chas Hadden to end the top of the fifth inning Saturday, May 21, 2016 at Capaha Field. (Fred Lynch)

Bob Camp Jr., left, puts a lunch order "on the hook" for conductor Steve Augustine aboard a Union Pacific freight train traveling through Scott City, Missouri. Camp operates The Beanery that serves 30 trains a day on the run. Feb. 16, 1993. (Fred Lynch)

Published Sept. 14, 1988. President Ronald Reagan arrived in Cape Girardeau this morning aboard Air Force One, the presidential jet. Coming off the plane with the president at Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport were Congressman Bill Emerson of Cape Girardeau, front right; Sen. John Danforth, rear left; and Sen. Christopher bond, rear right. (Fred Lynch ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

The Broadway streetscape is illuminated with new LED lights in this drone view Friday, June 22, 2018 in Cape Girardeau. (Fred Lynch)

Published June 27, 1993. Elephants with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus walk up Broadway in downtown Cape Girardeau Friday morning on their way to the Show Me Center. The circus had arrived by train for their performances this weekend. (Fred Lynch ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

Published May 2, 1983. Lee Burlbaugh and Gus Felty trolled along Water Street this morning armed with a gig just in case they spotted a fish. Burlbaugh said he had already gigged a 10-pound carp which was swimming in his back yard. "It's in my freezer now," he said. "We'll have it for supper." The river stage at Cape Girardeau was 40 feet. (Fred Lynch ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

The solar eclipse is seen in totality with Venus to the right Monday, Aug. 21, 2017 in this view from Houck Field in Cape Girardeau. (Fred Lynch)

A camel greets children aboard a school bus in February, 1976 at the 5-H Ranch north of Cape Girardeau. (Fred Lynch ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

Lydia Huffman watches the Southeast Sundancers perform at a tailgate Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016 before the football game with Eastern Illinois at Houck Stadium. (Fred Lynch)

Members of The Jungle get fired up as the football game begins with Sikeston Friday, Sept. 9, 2016 at Cape Girardeau Central High School. (Fred Lynch)

Published 25 May 1986, pg. 1 Missouri and Illinois were linked on the Mississippi River bridge Sunday as a part of "Hands Across America" activities. Here, Illinois Sen. Paul Simon, right, joins hands with Missouri State Rep. Mary Kasten at the Missouri-Illinois line on the bridge. Standing next to Mrs. Kasten is her husband, Dr. Melvin Kasten. (Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

Southeast Missouri State's Alexis Brawner competes in the floor exercise during the Midwest Independent Conference Championships on Saturday, March 19, 2016 at Houck Field House. (Fred Lynch)

Gabe Ruehling of Perryville, Missouri urges 38-year-old Tex over the barrier in a jumping-mule contest at the Cousin Carl Farm Show on Saturday, March 12, 2016 at Arena Park. (Fred Lynch)

Jackson fans cheer after Jake Byrd defeated Ste. Genevieve's Wade Dickens in the 126-pound championship match of the SEMO Conference Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016 at Cape Central High School. (Fred Lynch)

With classes canceled for the rest of the week due to icy conditions at Southeast Missouri State University, some students still ventured outdoors Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014 to face the elements. One student had a minor mishap on her way to the car. (Fred Lynch)

Feb. 27, 1979 Southeast Missourian The driver of a Greyhound bus and his five passengers, who rode out Sunday's blizzard in the bus after it stalled at Highway 61 and Route W, are loaded into a National Guard Jeep for a return to the bus after spending Monday night at the Salvation Army office in the 200 block of Broadway. (Fred Lynch photo)

Published July 14, 1993 Atop his former general store in Commerce, Mo., David Canady looked out over what is Washington Street when the Mississippi River is much lower. Floodwaters surrounded the town's post office, at left. Postal Operations were moved to the Commerce Baptist Church at the edge of twon on Route E. Flooding had affected about half of the homes in Commerce. (Missourian photo by Fred Lynch)

Southeast Missouri State's Nino Johnson dunks while hanging on the rim, for which he was called for a technical foul, in the closing seconds of double overtime against Murray State on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at the Show Me Center. (Fred Lynch)

Members of The Turner Brigade fire a cannon in the reenactment of the Battle of Cape Girardeau during Fort D Days on Saturday, May 25, 2013 in Cape Girardeau. (Fred Lynch)

Southeast Missouri State wide receiver Paul McRoberts scores a touchdown against Southern Illinois to tie the score 19-19 as teammate Spencer Davis jumps in jubilation during the third quarter Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. (Fred Lynch)

Southeast Missourian photographer Fred Lynch poses for a photo after covering the College Classic rivalry football game with Southeast Missouri State and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale on Sept. 21, 2013, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. It was the first-ever football game held at Busch. SIU won 36-19. (Keith Hente)

Freestyle motocross rider Ray Bennett performs Monday, Sept. 9, 2013 at the SEMO District Fair. (Fred Lynch)

The American Queen takes on supplies while docked at the foot of Broadway Tuesday, July 2, 2013 in Cape Girardeau. The riverboat which is enroute to St. Louis from New Orleans is following the path of the Great Steamboat Race of 1870 between the Natchez and the Robert E. Lee. (Fred Lynch)

Kent Pietsch lands his Jelly Belly Interstate Cadet on a moving RV at the Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival, June 29, 2013. (Fred Lynch)

Main Street is jammed with people and racing cars at the finish line of the Hemming Motor News 2013 Great Race Tuesday, June 25, 2013 in Cape Girardeau. (Fred Lynch)

Dr. Dan Cotner plays his trombone in a Dixieland group with John Beaudean during the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band concert on Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at the Capaha Park bandshell. (Fred Lynch)

Cliff Overbeck takes pictures of the floodwaters over Highway 74 just east of Dutchtown on Wednesday, June 5, 2013. Highway 25 is also closed to the south of Dutchtown as well as Route A to the west. (Fred Lynch)

An old trolley rail awaits removal from the intersection of Broadway and Lorimier Street by a Fronabarger Concreters crew Friday, May 4, 2012. The crew is working west on the Broadway corridor project. (Fred Lynch)

Comedian Bob Hope drove a golf ball toward the northwest from the roof of the Show Me Center Friday prior to his concert that evening. Observing his style were David Ross, left, center director; Jim Doyle, events coordinator, and Cord Dombrowski, a member of the board of regents. (Fred Lynch, Southeast Missourian) Aug. 30, 1987.

Lauren Keith gets some help with her ice-trapped car on Broadway from Jim Burns and Brian Alworth on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009 in Cape Girardeau. (Fred Lynch)

The moon rose Monday night, April 2, 2007, as seen through the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge. (Fred Lynch)

Chicago artist Thomas Melvin took a break from painting another mural on the Mississippi River floodwall in downtown Cape Girardeau as a train passed behind him on Nov. 10, 2004. (Fred Lynch)

The Avocado family stood ready in Tom Harte's kitchen to savor their favorite Cinco de Mayo treat: guacamole. It's one way that more avocados are consumed on May 5 than any other day. April 6, 2002. (Fred Lynch)