Alvarado once popular place in Cape

The Alvarado was located at Broadway and North Kingshighway.Bobbie and Velma Roloff enjoyed their first meal there after their wedding in 1954. "It was a nice place to go and the food was great," said Velma Roloff.

Phyllis Heise was there for her sister's wedding reception. It was, back then, quite the place for festivities.

The Alvarado, once described as a "west end landmark," had a long and distinguished history.

The Alvarado's towers and unique Spanish architecture made it one of Cape Girardeau's most popular cafes.

Its location at the city's western edge of Broadway and U.S. 61, now Kingshighway, led many patrons to refer to the Alvarado as the "restaurant out in the country."

The Alvarado stood for more than 40 years before it was torn down in 1971, first as a service station and restaurant and later as a motorcycle shop. That's what Bob Bennett recalls.

"It was known as 'Suzuki City.' You could rent a Suzuki motorcycle there," Bennett said. Bennett and others were reminded of that part of Cape Girardeau's past recently when they noticed a photograph of the Alvarado on the Faces & Places page of the Southeast Missourian.

The Alvarado boasted different looks in different eras.

It opened in 1926 as a service station and restaurant, complete with its distinctive decorative towers. Owner of the original building was the Kelso Oil Co.

During the mid-to-late 1950s, the building was remodeled for a more modern appearance, and a new brick front was added. The towers were removed in the late 1960s, giving the structure a rectangular-shaped look, minus the service station.

Bob Hemperly of Cape Girardeau ran the Alvarado one summer. "My father operated a bus line at the Alvarado," said Hemperly. "He leased the building, and one summer, he turned the Alvarado over to me. It was an interesting summer."

"I remember the Alvarado," said Frank Horton, of Sarasota, Fla. "My father was involved in its early operation." Horton, who operated Horton Sales Co. in Cape Girardeau before retiring to Florida, explained that his father, Earl Horton, and a friend, Edwin S. Smith, were chemists at Herculaneum when they decided to go into business, which became the Alvarado. Smith eventually became general manager of Kelso Oil. Horton interests acquired Kelso Oil in the 1950s.

Farmers markets

In Southeast Missouri, fruit and veggie lovers can find fresh produce markets at Cape Girardeau, Sikeston, Poplar Bluff, Marble Hill and Kennett. Community markets can also be found at Anna and Carbondale in Illinois and at Paducah, Ky.

Eighteen to 20 growers are members of the Cape Girardeau Farmers' Market, held from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursdays May through October, at the Plaza Galleria parking lot, 2001 Independence St.

The local market, which opened last week, is designed for vendors who produce fruits, vegetables, plants and flowers. Vendors who sell jelly, jams and baked goods at the Cape Girardeau market must have produced the principal ingredient included in the product.

There will be a variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables and baked goods, said Marilyn Peters, president of the market.

Windstorms, tornadoes

This spring has been a stormy one. It brings to mind two of Cape Girardeau's biggest natural disasters that occurred almost a century apart -- the tornado of Nov. 27, 1850, and the tornado that ripped through the city on May 21, 1949.

But in between have been some terrific windstorms. One of the windstorms, described as a storm reaching "cyclonic proportions" hit the south section of town Nov. 3, 1936, damaging about 150 buildings and uprooting more than 200 trees.

The damage was shown in a photograph on last week's Faces & Places page.

The picture was of damages to the Gross & Ruh's Market at Good Hope and Frederick. Part of the building's roof was shown suspended on telephone and electric cables over the sidewalk.

Gross & Ruh's Market, owned by Frank C. Ruh and G.H. Gross, kept neighborhood residents supplied with bread, milk and meat for more than 30 years.

Calling neighborhoods!

Take a break from mowing the lawn, planting flowers or fixing that sagging gutter and let us know why your neighborhood is a special place. Sharing thoughts about your neighbors and your block -- or blocks -- could land you a spot on the Faces & Places page of the Southeast Missourian. We're looking for neighborhoods to feature. Yours could be one. Just contact B. Ray Owen, community news editor, 335-6611, ext. 133, or e-mail rowen@semissourian.

B. Ray Owen is the Southeast Missourian's community news editor. Contact him at P.O. Box 699; Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702, by phone at (573) 335-6611, ext. 133, or by e-mail at rowen@semissourian.com.