Cape Girardeau will celebrate its connection to the Mississippi River when the 20th annual Riverfest opens downtown this afternoon.
This year's Riverfest will run from 3 p.m. today until midnight and Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight.
Because of the activities downtown, Cape Girardeau police have closed a number of streets to vehicle traffic. Parts of Water, Main, Spanish, Themis, Independence and Broadway streets are closed until 10 a.m. Sunday.
Water and Spanish streets from Independence to Broadway and Main from Merriwether to Broadway are closed. Themis and Independence are closed from Water to Spanish. Broadway is closed from Water to Main.
While the streets are closed, no motorized vehicles, bicycles, skateboards, roller skates or roller blades will be allowed on the Riverfest grounds. No coolers or animals except for guide dogs will be allowed at the festival.
In addition to the street closings, the Main Street parking lot across from Hutson's Furniture has been closed and reserved for Riverfest activities since 5 p.m. Thursday. It will remain closed until the end of the festival.
Police reminded motorists that any vehicle parked in those areas will be towed at the owner's expense.
An additional section of Broadway from Lorimier to Main and of Main Street from Broadway to Park Drive will be closed tonight from 7 to about 8:30 for the annual Riverfest Run. Parking will be prohibited on Main Street from Broadway to Park Drive beginning at noon today and continuing until the completion of the run.
Until the end of Riverfest, parking also will be prohibited on the south side of Broadway from Main to Spanish and on the east side of South Spanish from Independence to the first driveway of the parking lot.
No parking will be allowed on any of the closed streets except for handicapped parking on Independence from Spanish to Main. Additional handicapped parking will be available at the Common Pleas Courthouse parking lot on North Lorimier.
For those wishing to attend Riverfest but unwilling to look for a parking place near downtown, a shuttle service will be available. The free shuttle will run from the parking lots of West Park Mall and the Show-Me Center.
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