Cape Parks and Rec celebrates fall with festival Sunday

Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation is hosting a family friendly outdoor fall festival from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Shawnee Park Center -- rain or shine.

Shawnee Park Center facility manager and recreations specialist Tessa Bollinger confirmed Friday there are no alternative plans for the event, if it does rain Sunday.

"It rained the year before, just a little bit at the beginning and then it stopped," she said. "But since it's a three-hour timeframe, it's kind of a come-and-go thing. People will come when it's not raining."

Bollinger has been involved with the event since her employment began with the city roughly five years ago, she said, and Shawnee Park Center has remained the event's venue during that time.

Last year, Bollinger said, the event was held on a "super cold" evening, but there were still more than 100 people in attendance.

"We actually changed the timeframe this year," she said. "Maybe we can get some more younger kids out early. It used to be on a Friday night. We're hoping more families can come because of it."

Bollinger said a large portion of the event will be held in the daylight, so if somebody wants to have a hayride -- if they're scared of the dark -- they still can.

"Not that it gets very dark here," Bollinger said. "We light it up, anyway."

Bollinger said food -- hot-dog roasting, make-your-own s'mores, and hot chocolate -- will be available.

And a new addition this year, Bollinger said, is a "fun little game" called Needle in a Haystack.

"Kids will try to find prizes in there," she said. "And we'll have snacks as prizes for that, as well."

Each activity cost $1, according to Bollinger.

"You can just come up, buy as many tickets as you want," she said. "If you want three s'mores and no hot chocolate and no hot dogs, then that's up to you. One ticket will get you whatever you want."

More details can be found on the event's Facebook page.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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