BROCHURE PLUGS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

Visitors to Southeast Missouri have a new road map to its attractions thanks to a new full-color brochure being distributed throughout the region.

Among the photos on the cover is one of the St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railway engine chugging through fall foliage. Also pictured are a Native American in traditional clothing, a water park in Farmington, a musician and an actress in the Shakespeare Festival at St. Francois County's Mineral Area College.

Inside are more photos from Trail of Tears State Park, hot air balloons and re-enactors at Ste. Genevieve and some of the region's flowers in bloom.

One side of the brochure provides a map of the Southeast Missouri counties of Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Perry, Ste. Genevieve, Madison, St. Francois and Iron while pointing out sites of interest along with a schedule of festivals and events.

The flip side describes what a visitor might encounter in a visit to each county. In Cape Girardeau County, Cape Girardeau's downtown, Rose Garden and hiking/biking trail are spotlighted, along with Trail of Tears State Park, Old McKendree Chapel, the Bollinger Mill State Historic Site and other attractions. The Massey Log House in Marble Hill and the Duck Creek Wildlife Area are among the sites pointed out in Bollinger County.

The brochure will be available at rest stops along highways and is being sent to the cities and counties, chambers of commerce and convention and visitors bureaus throughout the region. It was created at the behest of the region's Council of Governments and took a year to complete.

About 50,000 have been printed. The brochure was paid for with the help of a tourism grant from the state and was produced by Ron Steele and Stan Balsman of the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning & Economic Development Commission in Perryville, Mo.

"We've got a lot of information we collected over the years," said Chauncy Buchheit, the commission's deputy director. "We are a depository of information."

Among the events listed are the Harvest Festival in Marble Hill and the Octoberfest at Black Forest Villages, both in October, the SEMO District Fair and the rich array of festivals in Ste. Genevieve.

The commission also has produced brochures on the region's historic treasures, on the Civil War and is working on one titled "Tombstone Tours" providing an overview of the region's cemeteries.