Music festival will consider a name change

~ Cape Girardeau is no longer known as the City of Roses.

Half a year before the next City of Roses Music Festival, organizers are already thinking of ways to increase the event's appeal.

One possibility may be to do away with the name City of Roses altogether.

Don Ganim, one of the festival organizers and owner of Jeremiah's, said the idea has been kicked around. Now it will be up to the people.

"If they vote to change the name, we'll change the name," said Ganim.

Within a few days the City of Roses Web site, www.cityofrosesmusicfestival.com, should have a place for people to suggest and vote on new names for the festival.

The reason for contemplating the name change is simple -- Cape Girardeau is no longer known as the City of Roses. Two years ago the city government, Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitors Bureau decided to dump the "City of Roses" name, said CVB director Chuck Martin.

Instead they chose a slogan that plays on Cape Girardeau's geographic position.

"We've really tried to position the city as a Mississippi River town," said Martin. As a result, the former "City of Roses" is now the place "Where the River Turns a Thousand Tales."

The switch was easy for the city but may be hard to swallow for some involved with the 9-year-old City of Roses festival. Ganim said some organizers weren't sold on the idea of a name change, but they did agree to leave it up to the people.

"Everybody's open to it. Some of them just kind of think that we should keep it the same. Everybody else is like 'Well, whatever,'" said Ganim.

A name change might not be the only difference in the festival come September. Several ideas for changes have been discussed, among them folding the festival into Old Town Cape, Ganim said.

Old Town Cape director Tim Arbeiter confirmed a proposal has been pitched to the board of directors, but the review is still in its early stages.

If Old Town Cape doesn't step in, the festival might be in jeopardy, Ganim said. Without the funds, organizers may not be able to bring the festival back this year.

But right now organizers are staying positive, going ahead as planned and even getting an early start. Some other ideas for changes include adding an indoor stage, bringing in a touring tribute band to headline or even changing the festival's entire format, said Ganim.

Making the festival a Christian event or even just having one stage devoted to Christian acts has been proposed, Ganim said. That idea would change the festival completely, said Ganim. He for one would no longer want to be involved -- even though he'd have no real beef with the change.

msanders@semissourian.com

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