16 things to know about Monday's presidential visit

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new information and edited to clarify the class schedule at Southeast Missouri State University.

16 things to know about today's presidential visit

Here are some facts, notes and some speculation about President Trump's visit to Cape Girardeau on Monday. He is scheduled to speak at 9 p.m. at the Show Me Center, 1333 N. Sprigg St. The doors will open at 6 p.m.

Show Me Center

The Show Me Center capacity is dependent on floor configuration, but can seat 7,600 and another 633 in the lobby, according to the Show Me Center's website.

Tickets

The Trump campaign issues more tickets than capacity, so the seating will be first come, first served. When President Trump was scheduled to visit in September, roughly 40,000 tickets were issued, according to U.S. Rep. Jason Smith. This means attendees will need to arrive very early to assure a seat at the rally. Attendees cannot save seats once they enter the venue. It's been reported that at previous stops, some die-hards have waited some 12 hours and even 24 hours in line. Organizers estimated 10,000 people attended the campaign stop in Columbia, Missouri, according to local media reports. The crowd size at Springfield, Missouri, was disputed. Trump estimated 44,000, but some locals suggested that number was overstated. KFVS12 reported 4,000 people filled a hangar at the rally in Murphysboro, Illinois, on Oct. 21. Ten thousand were expected, and 8,500 people went through metal detectors, according to KFVS12.

Parking

The Show Me Center parking lot can handle 1,500 cars, and however many spots that remain open by the Secret Service will be in high demand and won't last long. After telling a reporter Friday that no parking spots would be available at the Show Me Center, the Cape Girardeau Police Department put out a statement Saturday saying Show Me Center parking would be available. Six overflow sites have been set up to provide shuttles to and from the Show Me Center (see related story): The Osage Centre, West Park Mall (behind the building), Cape Girardeau SportsPlex, Christ Church of the Heartland on Bertling Street, Sears Grand and the Arena Building at Arena Park. Here's the catch: The shuttles won't run until 4 p.m., just two hours before the doors open at the Show Me Center. So it's possible even the earliest shuttles won't transport attendees in time to be among the first 7,600 in line.

Items to leave at home

No weapons or ammunition of any type will be allowed. Aerosols, animals (except service animals), balloons, bicycles, coolers, drones, glass, thermal containers, laser pointers, mace/pepper spray, packages, selfie sticks, signs bigger than 20 feet by 3 feet, supports for signs/placards and toy guns are all banned. Attendees also cannot bring tripods, monopods or GoPro cameras. Southeast Missouri State University's list of items not allowed is slightly more expansive than the list the Cape Girardeau Police Department put out. The university's list also includes iPads, hover boards, fireworks, crock pots, posters, signs and sticks. University officials have said the Secret Service prohibits umbrellas inside the Show Me Center. People may bring umbrellas with them while waiting outside, but they will have to give them up upon entering the Show Me Center.

Concessions

Some concessions will be available for sale upon entering the Show Me Center.

Police presence

Cape Girardeau police chief Wes Blair has said the police department will be "beyond stretched" for a presidential appearance. Officers will be involved in the motorcade security and security at the Show Me Center. Law enforcement officers will be called in from nearly a dozen other agencies to help with security. The Cape Girardeau Police Department has about 80 officers.

Street closures

New Madrid Street, from Sprigg Street to Henderson Avenue, will be closed Monday, Cape Girardeau police said. No through traffic or parking will be allowed. The road to the airport will also be closed off from visitors at some point Monday, an airport official said.

Identification

ID is not required for entry, according to information put out by Southeast Missouri State University. However, attendees will have to go through metal detectors to enter the Show Me Center.

Weather

As of Saturday evening, the National Weather Service forecast called for severe storms Monday night. A couple of different models predict "a very dynamic system moving through the area in the evening, which may result in a bunch of showers and very strong winds ... some trees are likely to be uprooted given the saturated soil over the area." (See updated weather story in Monday's Southeast Missourian)

Air Force One

The president's plane will fly into the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport on Monday. It is one of three airports in the 8th Congressional District that can handle the aircraft. Perryville and Waynesville are the others. Airport officials say the road to the airport will be barricaded off for visitors. He would not elaborate on any other plans at the airport.

Hotel rooms

As of Friday afternoon, all hotel rooms at the Drury Plaza had been booked for Monday night. Brenda Newbern, director of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, said several other hotels still had rooms available.

President's schedule

Trump's stop in Cape Girardeau will be his third Monday. He has a stop scheduled at 3 p.m. in Cleveland and another at 6:30 p.m. in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Cape Girardeau will be his final stop before Tuesday's midterm election. He has made recent Missouri stops in Columbia and Springfield, to promote Josh Hawley in his Senate bid against Claire McCaskill. Missouri's Senate race is one of the hottest races in the country. McCaskill, the incumbent, is said to be vulnerable in Missouri, which has turned more red since her last election six years ago. The president will have made seven stops Saturday and Sunday.

Pence possible

There is a chance Vice President Mike Pence will attend the Cape Girardeau rally as well. Local sources would not publicly confirm speculation of his appearance. Pence is officially scheduled for a campaign stop in Rapid City, South Dakota, which would end around 3:30 p.m. Central time. No other plans or stops for Pence after the South Dakota stop have been made public.

Canceled classes

Southeast Missouri State University is canceling afternoon classes to accommodate the president's visit, except classes at the Cape College Center. The university's offices will remain open.

Scheduling conflicts

After the September campaign stop in Cape Girardeau was canceled becaue of a major hurricane, Cape Girardeau was in line for other visits, but the Show Me Center was booked. A gun show prevented Trump's stop on the date Springfield ultimately hosted the president. The Missouri high school state volleyball tournament this past weekend also caused scheduling problems. Eighth District Rep. Smith has lobbied for a visit since the president took office.

Media attention

Trump's campaign stops always draw national and local media. Cape Girardeau will draw additional huge conservative media personalities. Trump's campaign announced that Sean Hannity, Cape Girardeau native and national radio host Rush Limbaugh, along with patriotic singer Lee Greenwood will attend the rally as well.

-- Compiled by Bob Miller