Downtown makes plans for holidays

For the seventh year in a row, the downtown merchants of Cape Girardeau are joining together to display their wares and offering a $2,000 shopping spree as an incentive to come take a look.

From 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, many downtown stores will stay open beyond their normal closing times. The Downtown Christmas Open House will also offer free carriage rides, Christmas carolers and children's activities, including a chance to have pictures taken with Santa Claus.

The event has become a night for shopping to complement the annual Parade of Lights, said Marla Mills, executive director of Old Town Cape, which is coordinating the open house. The parade is scheduled to begin at about 5 p.m. Sunday.

"The parade is about getting people to see what is downtown," she said. "This is to get people into the stores downtown. It is a fun event because we have a lot of free stuff."

Along with the festive mood the event seeks to inspire, 16 downtown merchants are participating in the shopping spree giveaway. Shoppers will receive an entry form that must be stamped in at least 10 of the participating stores or restaurants to be eligible for the prize, which comes as "downtown dollars" that are redeemable only at the participating merchants.

The slumping national economy is hitting some merchants harder than others, and the open house is a good way for local merchants to showcase what they are offering and encourage people to support the community, Mills said.

"Some seem a little more discouraged than others," Mills said. "But overall, they are holding off their judgment. A lot of them are saying business is down a little this year."

The activities aimed at children, including pictures with Santa Claus, will be at 113 N. Main St., the location vacated when The Woman's Store closed earlier this year.

"It is not baby-sitting," Mills said. "It is an opportunity for parents to have an activity for the kids, for Dads to take the kids to play and activities while Moms shop."

Shoppers who participate in the open house will be able to get their final stamps to complete their entries on Saturday, Mills said. The winner will be announced Dec. 9.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

Hutson's Christmas window

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