JACKSON GOOD OL' DAYS EVENT ADDS LIFE TO REGION'S PAST

JACKSON -- After a few hours of pacing, it was time for Jeff Moore to find a seat and sit.

The manager of Ross Furniture traded hats -- or at least donned a turn-of-the century derby -- for the day to become chairman of Good Ol' Days in Jackson. It was Saturday, and he was worried about the group of fake bank robbers due at 1 p.m. who hadn't shown by 2:30.

And having the most popular event in a program canceled is something to worry about.

But, lucky for Moore, everything else went smoothly and nobody seemed to mind that Capital Bank didn't get robbed by desperadoes this year. The sun shone, the vendors turned out in droves and the band played on. Moore estimated the turnout at about the same as last year's -- 4,000 people throughout the day.

They came in spite of several other Saturday events, including Southeast Missouri State University's homecoming festivities and Harvest Days at Pioneer Orchards.

The Good Ol' Days offered old-fashioned entertainment, with pony rides, bean-bag tosses, a lasso game, wool-spinning demonstrations and rail splitting. There was enough chili and sarsaparillas for everybody, and several people arrived wearing clothing from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The annual celebration, in its third year, is important to the Jackson merchants who sponsor it.

"We would have to spend a lot of advertising dollars individually to get this many people in front of our stores," Moore said. "They don't always walk out with something in their hands, but they may come back next week."

Good exposure with consumers is important to Jackson's uptown merchants, who have to compete with Cape Girardeau, a retail giant. Even with the competition, the Jackson uptown area doesn't have much storefront space available, and the businesses there are healthy.

Moore said people in Jackson appreciate the values they find in their hometown. Steve Blackman, who manages Rozier's Department Store, said there are other reasons Jacksonians shop at home.

"The uptown merchants are an important part of Jackson," he said. "I think every town needs a business district."

Some visitors to the celebration stopped and shopped, but most of their attention was turned toward enjoying the simple pleasures of the past, something people don't do enough, according to Walter Diebold of Cape Girardeau.

Diebold spent Saturday on a motorcycle-engine driven wagon playing "Please Release Me" on a Casio synthesizer -- a mix between old and new.

"We need more of the good old days," he said. "People are getting too far away from them."