CITY CELEBRATES SESQUICENTENNIAL

For a full week in August 1956, Cape Girardeau residents celebrated the city's 150th birthday.

The sesquicentennial celebration commemorated the founding of the town by French-Canadian adventurer Louis Lorimier in 1806.

The town grew out of a trading post started in 1792 by the city's namesake, Jean Girardot.

The celebration, which ran from Aug. 19-25, kicked off with an all-faith religious service at Houck Stadium.

A combined choir featuring members from various congregations performed and several area pastors gave sermons.

One of the most eventful days came Monday, Aug. 20, when the sesquicentennial parade was held. The parade started in the Good Hope neighborhood and ended downtown.

Thousands of spectators attended.

The parade featured 17 marching bands and 34 floats.

Among them was the Missouri Pacific railroad's Baby Eagle, a half-size model of the railroad's Pacific Eagle locomotive. The mini-train consisted of a gasoline-powered locomotive and a 24-seat parlor car. It was a combined 65-feet long.

That night Gail Finch was crowned queen of the sesquicentennial. Marie Bowman, queen of the 1906 centennial, was on hand.

Following her coronation, the pageant "The Legend of Cape Girardeau" was performed for the first time. The pageant depicted the first 150 years of the city's history. The cast included more than 500 people and a number of animals.

The pageant was performed throughout the week with thousands attending each night.

City traffic was expected to be so heavy that police officers from nearby towns and National Guard troops were called in ahead of time to supplement Cape Girardeau Police Department personnel.

A carnival ran during the week in Capaha Park featuring five rides, 12 shows and more than 45 concession stands.

The U.S. Naval Air Reserve in St. Louis set up a display in the carnival area, including large models of the aircraft carrier USS Essex and a fighter aircraft and the continuous showing of films on naval aviation.

On Farmers Day, Wednesday, Aug. 22, a contest was held for the largest family. The winning family earned $10 with each member getting a free ticket to "The Legend of Cape Girardeau."

A variety of old and new farm equipment was on display at Capaha Park that day.

On Thursday, Aug. 23, the Youth Day parade was held. The parade featuring floats from numerous Boy and Girl Scout troops, 4-H groups and the Black Knights, the national champion Drum and Bugle Corps from Belleville, Ill.

The Elks Lodge Auxiliary and several Broadway merchants sponsored a street dance at the Kroger supermarket parking lot on Broadway that night.

Friday, Aug. 24, was Neighbor Day. Mayors and other dignitaries from more than 20 surrounding communities in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois attended a reception at the Marquette Hotel.

Cape Girardeau Mayor Walter H. Ford later guided the visitors on a tour of the city.

The sesquicentennial concluded Saturday, Aug. 25.

A time capsule containing memorabilia from 1956 was buried that afternoon near the Common Pleas Courthouse. The capsule was to remain sealed until the city's bicentennial in 2006.

However, it was opened 14 years early when the city decided to celebrate its 200th birthday in 1992, choosing to commemorate the year of the founding of the first white settlement here instead of the

(year the town was incorporated.)