Community digest 4/3/03

'Jonah' the Veggie Tales movie at Grace Bible

At 7 p.m. Friday, in cooperation with Big Idea Productions and Christian Video Licensing International (CVLI), Grace Bible Evangelical Free Church is presenting "Jonah" the Veggie Tales movie. This is a family movie for both kids and adults. Admission is free. The church can comfortably seat about 150 adults or children. The front doors to the sanctuary will open at 6:45 p.m.

Grace Bible EFC is located at 5303 Old Cape Road East, at the crossroads of Interstate 55 and Kingshighway just up the hill from Garden Hill Nursery.

Health, safety day at Jackson Fire Department

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Health and Safety Day will be held at Jackson Fire Department, 525 S. Hope. Children ages 1 to 6 will be tested for lead by the Cape County Health Department. There will be tours of the fire department and equipment will be on display.

Saturday is Smoke Detector Awareness day

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department claims Saturday as Smoke Detector Awareness Day to raise awareness for the need to have working smoke detectors in homes. Cape Girardeau VFW Post 3838 has donated 118 smoke detectors to the Cape Girardeau Fire Department for distribution. "We are very appreciative of the generous donation by the VFW and plan to visit several homes to distribute and install these smoke detectors," said fire inspector Sam Welker.

Members of the fire department will also check batteries in existing smoke detectors and replace them if needed. Welker said, "It's important to have a smoke detector in every bedroom along with at least one on each level of a home." For more information about this event, contact fire chief Mark Hasheider at 334-3211.

Spring Fling luncheon for garden clubs council

The Council of Garden Clubs will hold its "Spring Fling" luncheon from 12 to 2 p.m. Saturday at Centenary Methodist FLC.

After lunch, master judges of Cape Garden Clubs will design flower arrangements that can be used in the home. Lovely baskets filled by members of the garden clubs will be door prizes.

Members of the garden clubs are invited to come and bring their guests. Gardeners in the community are also welcome to attend. For more information and to make reservations call Barbara Blanchard at 334-5659.

Curves for Women holds monthlong food drive

Two pickup-truckloads of food were hauled away from Curves for Women in Jackson Monday as the business completed a monthlong food drive.

"The food was taken to the Jackson Ministerial Alliance food bank," said Rita Philip, owner of Curves for Women.

The food drive is an annual event held by the business.

Upcoming events for Parents Without Partners

From 7 to 9 p.m. Friday Parents Without Partners will hold its orientation and general meeting at Riverside Regional Library in Jackson. There will be a program on "What do you like or dislike about being single?" The event is open to the public.

From 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday Parents Without Partners will attend the Beginning Experience dance at St. Vincent de Paul school gym. The event is open to the public. Call 334-0797 for more information.

State tourism division OKs welcome center

Southeast Missouri State University recently received approval from the Missouri Division of Tourism Commission for affiliation status under which the university would operate a Missouri welcome center at the River Campus.

Southeast is working in cooperation with the city of Cape Girardeau, the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitors Bureau in the development of the center.

The 5,000-square-foot Welcome Center will be on the western edge of the River Campus property off of the Fountain Street extension that will connect Highway 74 and Morgan Oak Street.

Kenneth W. Dobbins, president of Southeast Missouri State University, says the affiliated welcome center will provide internship opportunities for students interested in pursuing careers in marketing, hospitality and related fields. The center will be staffed by the CVB.

More than 25 years have passed since the state opened a new Missouri Welcome Center. Currently, there are only such facilities in Hannibal, St. Louis, New Madrid, Rockport, Kansas City and Joplin.

Bicentennial meeting at Visitors Bureau

The Cape Girardeau Lewis & Clark Bicentennial meeting will be held at 7 p.m Monday at the Convention and Visitors Bureau, 100 Broadway, Cape Girardeau.

The public is invited to learn about and participate in the planning for the 200th Anniversary of the Lewis & Clark Expedition in Cape Girardeau. The weekend event planned for Nov. 21 to 23 will be the first large event in the state of Missouri. Re-enactment plans are currently being developed and your help is needed. The Red House Interpretive Center is under construction and exhibits are being created. Volunteers to do Red House tours are needed.

For more information, visit the CVB Web site at capegirardeaucvb.org or call 335-1631 or (800) 777-0068.

Jackson library holds story time for youngsters

Preschool story time is held Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. at the Jackson Public Library, 100 N. Missouri St. in Jackson. Call 243-5150 for more information.

JIDC meeting scheduled today at chamber

At 7 a.m. today the Jackson Industrial Development Company (JIDC) meets at the Chamber Conference Room. Business After Hours will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday at U.S. Bank.

AARP to meet Monday at Grace United Methodist

The Cape Girardeau County Chapter of AARP No. 4041 will meet at 1:30 p.m. Monday at Grace United Methodist Church, located at Broadway and Caruthers. The program's content will be "The Gold of Cape Girardeau," by prosecuting attorney Morley Swingle. There will be a drawing for a door prize and refreshments.

Emerson's mobile office hits the road April 10

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's mobile office, which serves as a comprehensive constituent resource regarding the federal government, will forward visitors' concerns about particular issues or votes concerning the 108th Congress and initiate individual cases that people have with various federal agencies when it arrives at the following locations:

12:30 to 1:30 p.m. April 10 at the Marble Hill library.

2 to 3 p.m. April 10 at the Jackson Chamber of Commerce.

NASA Educator Resource Center blasts off Monday

The NASA Educator Resource Center will hold a celebration of spring from Monday to Friday, April 7 to 11, at its 222 N. Pacific office. The NASA ERC is closed Sunday, open from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The center offers NASA educational materials and programs including posters, pictures and videos available to the public. It also offers a variety of instructional and interactive teacher and student programs and activities, both at the ERC and on-site in schools. Materials available at the ERC help K-12 educators promote excitement through learning.

NASA ERC operates under the auspices of the Linda M. Godwin Center for Science and Mathematics Education.

For information on group tours, call 290-5255.

Greek Week plans community service day

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday a car wash will be held at Rhodes 101 stations on Sprigg and William Streets; a food drive collection will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Food Giant and members of the Greek Community at Southeast Missouri State University will volunteer at a dance from 1 to 3 p.m. and bingo from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Fountainbleau Nursing Home. For more information contact Kurt Bliggenstorfer at 651-5008 or by e-mail: kbliggenstorfer@semo. edu.

Legislators Forum planned for Friday

The Student Association of Missouri and Student Government at Southeast Missouri State University are sponsoring a Southeast Missouri Legislators Forum from noon to 1:15 p.m. Friday at the University Center Program Lounge on campus.

-- From staff reports