CAN THE CITY CASH IN ON CULTURE?

The Cape Girardeau Convention & Visitors Bureau promotes the city's history, its architecture, its many murals and its connection to Rush Limbaugh III in its many brochures intended for tourists. But the city has been slower than some others -- Paducah, Ky., for example -- to invest in the arts as a means of priming its economic pump.

The impact of having more culture to promote is most obvious on tourism.

"Regional cultural tourism is the up and coming thing," says City Councilman Tom Neumeyer. "Some areas have already found it. We're jumping on before it passes us by."

The CVB recently got behind the idea of creating a river interpretive center, an idea originally proposed by Dr. Frank Nickell, director of the Center for Regional History at Southeast Missouri State University.

Paducah will open its Ohio River interpretive center in August.

Earlier in the spring, the city's Historic Preservation Commission hired a consultant to develop a historic preservation plan for the city that would include establishment of historic districts. That plan will be important to boosting cultural tourism, Neumeyer says.

In April, the Regional Growth and Commerce Association sponsored a conference aimed at showing communities how to promote themselves to cultural heritage tourists. Eighty-five people from more than 20 communities in Southeast Missouri attended.

Cultural heritage tourism and "eco-tourism" are the two fastest-growing segments of the tourism business, says Greg Williams, executive director of the RCGA.

The Missouri Division of Tourism and the Missouri Arts Council has hired a consultant to put together a statewide cultural heritage plan. That plan is due out this month.

Neumeyer, who with his wife Teresa owns a bed and breakfast, says cultural heritage tourists are different from the city's usual visitors. "Traditionally we have attracted a lot of travelers here who spend a few dollars and are gone," he said.

"Tourists who come for the city's culture will be investing more dollars in staying here."

Though not at the top of the list, culture is important when trying to attract industry to a city the size of Cape Girardeau, says Chamber of Commerce President John Mehner.

"It's definitely on the list -- especially for Fortune 500 companies."

He says Cape Girardeau's cultural opportunities compare favorably with other cities its size. "The problem is we're not always competing against cities our size."

Many managers and professionals who are considering a move to the area -- as Procter & Gamble employees are now because of the company's planned expansion -- are accustomed to having lots of cultural choices, Mehner says.

He is particularly excited about the potential of the University Museum once it's located on the seminary grounds. "We need an enhanced museum of some kind that shows the history of our area -- one that's in a setting where people like to go and linger.

"It's nice to be able to park reasonably close and have an outside ambiance. This would provide all of that. There are great things they can do with this," Mehner said.

Neumeyer expects the River Campus to spawn further cultural activity downtown. "The seminary is going to be a tremendous anchor," he said. "It will serve as a mecca for people who enjoy culture in this region."