JACKSON GEARS UP FOR HOMECOMERS

JACKSON -- The 84th annual edition of Jackson Homecomers opens Tuesday for five entertainment- and activity-filled days in uptown Jackson. The event is sponsored by the Jackson AltenthalJoerns American Legion Post 158.

Homecomers will begin at 7 p.m., when Mayor Carlton Meyer officially opens the festivities that run through Saturday night.

There is no admission charge.

This year's lineup of entertainment is highlighted by an appearance Saturday night by John Walter Morrison and Austin Renegade. They returned to the United States recently from a tour of Desert Storm military facilities.

When the Persian Gulf War broke out in January, the band was in Athens, Greece, in the middle of a tour of Tel Aviv, Turkey, Spain, Sinai, Egypt and Italy. The Department of Defense asked Morrison and the band if they would return to the Middle East to tour military facilities there.

The Austin Renegade show will begin at 9 p.m. Saturday on the Homecomers stage on the south side of the courthouse on South High Street.

There will be plenty of other nightly entertainment during this year's shortened version of Homecomers.

On Tuesday, "One Night Stand" will perform on stage after a concert by the Jackson Municipal Band, and the first of the nightly talent show contests will begin at about 7:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, "Strayte Creek" from Marble Hill will provide the evening's entertainment.

Thursday night, "One Night Stand" returns for an encore performance, and on Friday night "Memory Lane" from Jackson will be on stage.

The Jackson Homecomers queen contest begins at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday followed by on-stage entertainment.

This year 16 candidates are competing for the Homecomers queen crown, said Emogene Schnurbusch and Betty Hoffmeister, co-chairpersons of the queen contest.

The theme of this year's queen contest is "Queen of Hearts."

This year's queen will receive $100; the first runner-up will receive $75 and the second runner-up $25. Gift certificates from individuals and merchants also will be presented.

Master of ceremonies for the queen contest is Kirk Williams.

Saturday's talent show begins at 4:30 p.m., with the finals to be held later in the evening. There will be representatives from the Memphis Mid-South Fair in the audience Saturday night. The winners of the talent show will be invited to compete in the Mid-South Fair Talent Show in Memphis in September.

All game stands, concessions and the United Exposition Shows carnival rides will open at 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

All carnival rides are $1, and coupon books containing six rides may be purchased in advance from legion members for $4.50, a savings of $1.50 over the regular price. Tuesday and Thursday will be bracelet night at the carnival.

There will be attendance prizes awarded each evening. Registration will be at the courthouse gazebo.

The drawing for three grand prizes will be held Saturday night. This year's prizes include a $500 gift certificate from Schaper's IGA, a Berkline Wall-A-Way Recliner chair from Cracraft-Miller Furniture Co., and 250 gallons of gasoline from Jackson Oil Co.

Homecomers was shortened by one day after some uptown businesses complained of sales losses during the six days when the streets are barricaded to vehicle traffic.

Jackson Homecomers originated in 1908, when city officials decided to commemorate the dedication of the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse that was completed that year. The first Homecomers lasted three days and was sponsored by the Jackson Businessmen's Association.

Homecomers has been held each year since except during both world wars. The American Legion took over sponsorship of the event in 1947, and moved it to late August to avoid a conflict with the Southeast Missouri District Fair in Cape Girardeau.

Bill Poe and Tom Sperling, co-chairmen of Homecomers, said after all bills and expenses are paid, money the American Legion makes from Homecomers is used to carry out charity events the legion sponsors during the year, plus several scholarship awards.

The legion uses money from Homecomers to make contributions to child welfare, assistance to stranded families who come through Jackson, rural school projects, Boys Town, a Christmas party for the children of Jackson, and the Christmas and Thanksgiving baskets for families whose needs have not been met by other organizations.