RIVERFEST '96: ANNUAL DOWNTOWN GALA BEGINS TODAY

Riverfest organizers were ecstatic to learn Thursday that a view of the Mississippi River will be available during the festival this weekend.

The floodgate at Broadway and Water streets was opened Thursday at 3 p.m., 24 hours before Riverfest 1996 begins.

Riverfest opens at 3 p.m. today and runs through Saturday night. It offers arts and crafts, food concessions, carnival rides, a Family Fun Village, entertainment and a fireworks display.

"It's wonderful," said Laurel Adkisson, chairperson of the Riverfest Committee. "That will certainly bring more people."

Officials of the Main Street Levee District decided to open the gate because the river is steadily falling and should continue to do so. It dropped to 38 feet on the Cape Girardeau gauge Thursday and is expected to be at 36 feet by Saturday.

But the news isn't all good.

The water hasn't fallen enough to open the gate at Themis and Water streets and isn't expected to by Saturday. And the Mississippi Queen's Saturday morning appearance has been canceled; the paddle-wheeler still can't make it under the bridge due to the high water.

But overall the news is good. Until recently, it looked like both gates would remain closed as they were for Riverfest last year.

"It would have been a let down, not being able to walk by and see the river," Adkisson said. "This is certainly much, much better."

While wet weather has kept Riverfest organizers worried, it shouldn't be a determining factor this weekend. Today should be partly sunny, with highs in the middle 80s to near 90, the National Weather Service said. Saturday promises to be clear to partly cloudy with the lows ranging from 65 to 70 and highs 85 to 90.

"People have been cooped up in their houses and will be ready to get out," Adkisson said. "We really are kicking off summer this year."

More people isn't just good for the planners; Riverfest affects the downtown businesses, too. For many of them, it's the biggest weekend of the year.

Several of the establishments on Water and Main streets said they have ordered double, some triple, their normal volume of weekly supplies to meet the demands of the thousands of Riverfest-goers.

Tim Philipps, a manager at Jeremiah's, said he hopes for a "super-duper" large crowd. He has ordered much more food and alcohol than he does on a normal week.

"We've had kind of a wild week of stocking up and getting ready," Philipps said, while hurrying to get back to the delivery trucks waiting outside.

Managers at Broussard's are expecting so many people that they've ordered triple the amount of some of their supplies.

"Our crab legs and crawfish tails are really popular," said Wayne Cook, a Broussard's manager. "We've ordered many more of them than we normally do."

For those coming late this afternoon, there is the Living History War Encampment and Miss and Mrs. Riverfest pageants at 5 p.m., and the Kohlfeld Riverfest Run at 7:30 p.m.

Rock bands Turner Up and Papa Aborigine will perform tonight. Turner Up takes the main stage at 8 p.m. Papa Aborigine will close the Riverfest, playing from 9:45 to 11:30.

Riverfest will culminate Saturday with fireworks at 9 p.m. and a performance by country music band Lonestar immediately following.

CLOSED STREETS AND RESTRICTED PARKING

These streets are closed today through 10 a.m. Sunday:

* Water Street from Independence to Broadway

* Main Street from Merriwether to Broadway

* Spanish Street from Independence to Broadway

* Themis Street from Water to Spanish

* Independence Street from Water to Main

* Broadway from Water to Main

* Route 177 will be re-routed onto Lorimier Street

* Main Street parking lot

* Broadway from Lorimier to Main and Main from Broadway to Park Drive periodically today from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for the Riverfest run

Parking is prohibited at these locations:

* East side of Lorimier from Themis to Broadway

* South side of Themis in front of 301 and 303 Themis

* South side of Broadway from Main to Spanish

* West side of South Spanish from Independence to the first driveway of the parking lot