Event to commemorate floodwall mural's 10th anniversary

It's been 10 years since the Mississippi River Tales mural was completed. During that time, its popularity has seemed to grow.

The floodwall mural has become part of Cape Girardeau's identity and went a long way toward gaining the public's approval of the floodwall. A commemoration of the mural's 10th anniversary is set for July 30.

The mural has become a community and tourist favorite, said Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Chuck Martin. Its series of artistic depictions provide a timeline of Cape Girardeau's past. It also helps keep the community connected to the river.

Local historians say the floodwall once was a point of contention in Cape Girardeau, Martin said.

"... When the floodwall went up, that disconnected the community from the river," he said, "but it has been reconnected by the mural."

The Mississippi River Tales mural on Cape Girardeau's floodwall is marking its 10th anniversary this year with a ceremony on July 30. (Southeast Missourian file)

While the wall is "functional and absolutely necessary" to prevent downtown from flooding each time river levels rise, Martin said it also turned out to be the perfect canvas for the mural.

Many partners came together more than a decade ago to make it happen -- from artists to sponsors and even former U.S. representative Jo Ann Emerson. She helped secure some of the funding for the mural, which depicts her husband, Bill, the congressional representative for the Southeast Missouri area for years until his death.

Without these supporters, the mural "never would've made it from drawing board to reality," Martin said.

To thank each of these key players, Martin said the Convention and Visitors Bureau and Old Town Cape is inviting all of them to 10-year commemoration ceremony July 30 in the parking lot at the corner of Water and Themis streets. The event is open to the public and all the mural's supporters.

Attending the event will be Tom Melvin, the Chicago muralist and lead artist; Tim Blattner, the River Heritage Mural Association president who first championed the project years ago; and as many of the original sponsors as the organizers can track down, Martin said.

The event also will mark the unveiling of the mural's new interpretation boards. A $2,500 Missouri Humanities Council grant was awarded to the Convention and Visitors Bureau and Old Town Cape for the redesigning and reprinting of the boards that tell viewers more about each of the images painted on the wall in front of them. Twenty-six boards will be printed.

While the mural has held up well over the past 10 years, Martin said, the boards "definitely needed to be replaced."

"The graphic designer did a fantastic job of creating a visually appealing product," he said. "There's more text on these boards than the old ones, so they give people a really thorough idea of what they're looking at."

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Water Street and Themis Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.