FREE RIVERFEST ATTRACTION TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

As city officials, exhibiters and others eyed the downtown area Thursday in advance of the weekend Riverfest festivities, a promotional exhibit sponsored by 1-800-COLLECT and Fox captured their attention.

A tractor-trailer housing a three-dimensional theater, nine pay phones and two virtual-reality simulators was parked and set up on the Boatmen's Bank downtown parking lot. The promotional rig's stop in Cape Girardeau is one of 34 stops it will make this year.

KBSI, the Cape Girardeau Fox affiliate, arranged the exhibit.

Participants can watch a seven-minute, sports-action film with 3-D glasses, ride in the cockpit of a biplane-plane while seated in the virtual-reality simulator or call anyone in the United State by using the 1-800-COLLECT service from MCI. All of the experiences are free to the public as part of a promotion from 1-800-COLLECT and Fox.

"This is just a promotion that's almost too good to be true," said George Maichel, the tour coordinator.

Maichel said even though people are using a collect call service for their telephone calls, they won't be charged and neither will the party they are calling.

"It's all free," he said. "We just want people to get familiar with the service."

The exhibit will be open today from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 8.