JAMMIN' ALL WEEKEND LONG

With brass bands and turtle races, pageants and crafts, big-name musicians and the best-ever fireworks, Riverfest '94 promises to have festival-goers "Jammin' on the River" this weekend.

Riverfest, the annual two-day celebration of Cape Girardeau's downtown heritage, begins Friday afternoon. Activities are also scheduled all day Saturday.

Peggy Barringer, Riverfest president, said: "As amazing as it seems, everything is falling into place. I never cease to be amazed at the fact that things come together. We have so many committee members. Everybody does their job and everything falls into place. It's going to happen.

"Our entertainment this year is really exciting," Barringer said.

On Friday, the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band will perform. "They're always great," Barringer said. Yesterday, a group that imitates the Beatles, will also perform Friday at 8:30 p.m.

On Saturday, the Miss Riverfest and Little Miss Riverfest pageants are planned. "Then we've got some really big-time entertainment: The Ozark Mountain Daredevils and Martina McBride."

The skies above Riverfest will light up at approximately 9 p.m., just prior to McBride's performance, for the annual fireworks spectacular. Sponsor for the fireworks display is Lady Luck.

Barringer said besides the main-stage entertainment she's most excited about changes planned for the courthouse park.

"In the past we have had just working crafters up there," she said. "This year we'll have a few working crafters in costume. They will be interspersed with American Mountain Men re-enactors like we had last year and a Civil War encampment."

On Saturday at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. a costumed brass band will perform in the gazebo. The group is made up of local professional musicians who have researched historical band music from the Civil War period.

"Up on the courthouse park will be a living history lesson," Barringer said. "I'm really excited about that."

Corporate sponsorship has paved the way for one of the most ambitious Riverfest lineups in the 16-year history of the event. Corporate sponsors include Capital Bank, St. Francis Medical Center, Southwestern Bell Telephone and Fox 23 KBSI. Two new sponsors, Boyd Gaming and Lady Luck, have helped boost the Riverfest budget, which, at $96,900, is an all-time high. Last year's budget was $81,000.

"What has been a real shot in the arm this year is the help by Boyd Gaming and Lady Luck," said Barringer. "Boyd Gaming is the big sponsor for Martina McBride, who costs $8,000 alone," she said. "The Saturday night entertainment package costs $10,000."

Another staple of Riverfest is the annual 5-K and 1-mile runs Friday. The 12th annual run gets under way at 7:30 p.m. Start and finish point for is Boatmen's Bank parking lot at Broadway and Main.

There will be a 1-mile fitness walk and run and a quarter-mile road run. Approximately 400 entrants, from youths to seniors, crossed the finish line in 1993.

"The Riverfest Run and Midnight Bicycle Ramble attract people from here as well as out of town," said Barringer. "The Midnight Ramble was very popular last year and is expected to be a big hit this year."

The ramble will begin at 12:30 a.m. Saturday at the Show Me Center.

Special performances by a brass band recreating the nostalgia of turn-of-the-century concerts; numerous children's activities, including turtle races and a best-dressed turtle contest; a large sampling of foods and beverages; and carnival rides also will be part of the Riverfest '94 weekend.