Newspaper prepares to celebrate 100th

There will be magic, music and a town crier. A Mark Twain impersonator, a parade and mule carriage rides. Food, drinks and something to do for the entire family.

And, organizers say, lots of fun.

After a year of celebrating its centennial, the Southeast Missourian's final event promises to be a festival of fun -- offering a glimpse of a bygone era that existed when the newspaper was launched 101 years ago.

The festivities are scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at the newspaper's 301 Broadway building and in the nearby gazebo area of the Common Pleas Courthouse. Tours of the printing press will also be available at the 500 William St. building.

Shuttles will provide transportation to and from designated parking areas and Saturday's special events.

"We want to say thank you to those who have been readers and supporters of the Southeast Missourian," said Jon Rust, co-president and publisher. "We wanted to hold an event that everybody could come to. It promises to be a lot of fun."

Rust said the event lives up to the heritage of the Southeast Missourian, which also held a party for its 50th anniversary. That celebration included a parade and circus animals coming down Broadway.

"So we wanted to have an event like that," Rust said. "This is a family event, in part because we see the newspaper as something for the whole family to read and discuss."

Terri Foley, coordinator of the event, said people won't want to miss it.

"It's going to be huge," she said. "It's going to be a day of family fun."

People will be dressed in historical outfits from the early 1900s, and a town crier will be barking out news of the day. There will be turn-of-the-century music, including bluegrass, big band and Dixieland. A Mark Twain impersonator, John Beahan III, will regale visitors with stories about how life was along the Mississippi, including the rich history of the newspaper.

There will be activities for the youngsters, too, including a ring toss, magic tricks using newspapers and a bouncing ride like the ones provided by Space Walk.

Shuttles will bring people from the Show Me Center to the festival area, where certain streets will be closed. Shuttles will also provide transportation to the William Street printing facility for tours of the press.

The opening ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Oct. 1 with a procession coming down Broadway to the gazebo. The Rust family -- including Gary and Wendy Rust, Jon and Victoria Rust and Rex and Sherry Rust -- will ride on a mule carriage. The procession will also include the Jerry Ford Band, Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson, Jackson Mayor Paul Sander and others.

Remarks at the gazebo by Gary, Jon and Rex Rust will kick off the festivities.

Following the opening ceremony, the festivities will begin along Broadway in front of the newspaper, in the gazebo area and in the parking lot behind the newspaper.

The musical guests are many and include the Jerry Ford Brass Band. Ford and his various bands have been playing throughout the Midwest since 1957. Ford even attended the newspaper's 50th anniversary. At the centennial, the band will be playing patriotic music, Dixieland and Sousa-type marches. The Don Ezell Family Band will play old-style bluegrass from the early 1900s. Dennis Stroughmatt and Creole Stomp is a national touring Creole, Cajun and Zydeco band. Stroughmatt, originally from Illinois, attended Southeast Missouri State University.

The Alex Riffle Band features the 13-year-old prodigy bluegrass banjo player from Poplar Bluff, Mo. Riffle has played in Branson and has released his first CD. The Southeast Missouri State University Faculty Brass Quintet, the university Chamber Winds and the Studio Jazz Ensemble will also play.

Entertainment will include the Mark Twain impersonator, magic by Bill Coomer, and the town crier. There will also be a costume contest and an antique car show.

Exhibits include the Parade Magazine Photograph exhibit, the printing press tour and the mule drawn carriage rides. Hot dogs, soda, sweet rolls, ice cream and popcorn will be offered, many of them at 1900 prices.

River Radio will broadcast live.

All in all, Foley said, there should be plenty to interest everyone.

"It's a community party," she said. "Everybody's invited."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137