Opening day planned at the Red House

Three new exhibits at the Red House Interpretive Center provided by local supporters are ready for visitors to view on opening day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and continuing every Saturday through Dec. 2.

The Cape Girardeau center, dedicated to the history and impact that followed Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery expedition, focuses on providing historical information for all family members to enjoy.

In addition to the new exhibits, a newly formed club called "The Red House Kid's Club" will start up in April, focusing especially on children learning about the history of our area.

A new marker placed by the John Guild Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, honoring George Drouillard, can be seen outside the Red House. Drouillard was chief hunter and interpreter on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He was also the nephew of Louis Lorimier, owner of the original Red House.

A small cannon replica donated by Everett and Toby Rhine of the Bear Track Trading Post in Anna, Ill., called a bow gun, is also new to the Red House. This gun is similar to the one Lewis and Clark had mounted on the bow of the keelboat they left at Fort Mandan in North Dakota.

Visitors can now hear the words Meriwether Lewis wrote in his Nov. 23, 1803, journal entry, describing Cape Girardeau, the Lorimier family and the residents living in the area at that time. The new audio exhibit was recorded by Larry Havelock Jackson.

Among many attractions at the center are presentations on the Cape Girardeau bicentennial, the Lorimier family, the trading post, a video on the Red House construction and interpretive panels about Lewis and Clark and their visit.

Docents and guides will don their costumes, providing living history amid a historical representation of Old Glory in Murtaugh Park across the street. This flag collection, provided by the Sons of the American Revolution, begins with the 1777 design representing the 13 colonies, to the last change in design in 1960 after Hawaii was admitted as the 50th state.

Among the many upcoming events, visitors can look forward to quilting, fiddle and dulcimer music, artisan demonstrations, gardening and quill pen making.

Parterships with the Rose Hill Garden Club, Cape Girardeau Genealogy Society, the Cape Girardeau Public Library, Cape Central Fiddlers, local artists and craftsmen, the Sewing Basket and River Heritage Quilt Guild have helped to make the events possible.

For more information, visit the Red House Interpretive Center, 128 S. Main St., Cape Girardeau.