Celebrating survival

~ Caruthersville's annual barbecue cook-off takes on a special meaning after April's tornado.

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- The lettering on the T-shirts summed up the sentiment: "We survived."

More than 3,000 people turned out Friday night for the "Meat on the Mississippi" festival, the first time the people of Caruthersville came together as a community since an April 2 tornado ravaged more than half the town.

"We suffered a lot," said 16-year-old Kelsie Edwards, whose home was wiped out in the tornado, that destroyed about 60 percent of the city. "It feels so good to get our here and come together. We're just trying to forget for a while, you know?"

People strolled up and down Front Street along the Mississippi River, laughing, dancing and talking to the sound of live music and with the smell of barbecue wafting in the air.

This is the 23rd year for the annual barbecue cook-off and festival, but this one took on special meaning to the town of 6,700.

"We didn't let the tornado stop us," said Caruthersville police chief Chris Riggs. "We really need this -- to get out, relax and have a good time."

Across town, much of the town is still in rebuild mode. More than 50 displaced families still live in FEMA houses, debris from shattered structures still remain and limbs still litter several front yards.

"A lot of people worried that we wouldn't even be able to have it this year," said Christina Weber, coordinator at the chamber of commerce. "They said it couldn't be done. But we did it."

Thoughts of the tornado were dismissed Friday, with people instead wanting to drink beer, enjoy the scenic river view and work to win the barbecue cook-off. The winners were to be announced today after an early morning judging.

"We just want to get together and be together," said Amanda Irvin, an employee of First State Bank. "We want to see that everybody's OK and sort of rally around each other. We want to lift our spirits up. We've lost quite a bit, but we're lucky. We didn't lose any lives."

Caruthersville Mayor Diane Sayre drove around the event in a golf cart, greeting residents and enjoying the night.

"Tonight's a good example of the spirit of our town," she said. "... It was a tragedy, but we're getting back to normal. We're a strong community, and we want to move on with our lives. That's what tonight's about."

Sayre said recovery is moving "very slow, but steady." Housing is a big issue, getting the homes rebuilt and the displaced families back into homes.

Festival-goers traveled from across Southeast Missouri and even from Tennessee. George Younger came up from Dyersburg, Tenn. He said he couldn't help but admire how far the town had come.

"They have such a great attitude," he said. "A lot of people would just want to quit, but not here. They've made a new start. The tornado may have come through and done damage, but it seems like there's a different sort of wind blowing through the town. A wind of change."

Firefighter Jerry Hudgens said Friday was a stark contrast from the day of April 2. He remembers the Caruthersville Fire Department working nonstop for two days, going door to door as part of a search-and-rescue mission and removing debris from the roads.

"We went about two days strong before slowing down any," he said near the barbecue stand "Firehouse Smokers." "We can't really forget -- if you go through town, you'll see we're not going to forget real soon. But this is a good time for everybody to come down and enjoy themselves. We deserve it."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137