CITY WILL LIGHT UP FOR HOLIDAYS

Holiday decorating efforts in Cape Girardeau will be rewarded this year through a new Holiday of Lights project.

An outdoor light decoration contest and a driving tour are planned during December.

The Holiday of Lights committee is meeting Monday to finalize details.

"The contest will be something similar to the Yard of the Month program sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce," said Kristi Howard, a member of the Holiday of Lights committee.

Plans for the event are tentative, Howard said.

"A group of us with the Convention Visitors Bureau are always trying to come up with events to get people to Cape Girardeau," Howard said.

"Last year, the chamber had call after call from people asking where they could drive to see Christmas lights. They had so many calls we decided there was definitely an interest."

The arts council already sponsors a holiday light display at Cape Girardeau County Park.

"We came up with the Holiday of Lights tour to tie in with the park."

The new Holiday of Lights program is sponsored by the newly formed Holiday of Lights committee, the Chamber of Commerce beautification committee and the Southeast Missouri Council on the Arts.

Beginning Nov. 1, entry forms will be available for people who would like their homes to be considered for the outside-light-decoration awards.

Three winners will be chosen from each of the seven sectors of the city. Whole neighborhoods putting on extraordinary displays will also be recognized.

Entry forms must be turned in no later than Dec. 6.

On Dec. 9, members of the chamber's beautification committee will judge all the homes entered and notify winners.

On Dec. 12, the Holiday of Lights committee will have a tour map available to the public that will highlight a driving route. This route will include as many of the winning homes as feasible.

The finale of the tour will be a drive through the Cape County Park to view that display.

"We will go over all the winning homes and neighborhoods and plot out a map for the driving tour.

"Of course some winning homes may not be feasible to be included on the driving tour. If a house is on a dead-end street, it wouldn't work. We have to keep traffic moving."

If someone wants to enter the contest but would prefer not to be on the driving tour, the application has a place to indicate that wish.

All homes and businesses on the tour will be asked to have their outdoor Christmas lights burning from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 12-14 and 19-21.

People may pick up a map and take their own tour, or ride a special tour shuttle bus.

Four shuttle buses will be available each night of the tour. Two buses will depart from Plaza Galleria and two buses will depart from West Park Mall. Buses will depart at 7 p.m. and return at approximately 8:30 p.m.

Tickets for shuttle buses may be purchased in advance or just prior to departure time.

Tickets for the Dec. 12-14 tours will be available beginning Dec. 8. Tickets for the Dec. 19-21 tours will be available beginning Dec. 15. The cost is $1 per person. Howard said the charge is to recoup the cost of the buses.

For more information, call the chamber office at 335-3312.