SCENIC DRIVE ROLLS AGAIN NEXT WEEKEND

Area residents are invited to explore the remote nooks and crannies of the great Mississippi River Valley during the second annual Mississippi River Valley Scenic Drive April 25 and 26.

More than a dozen villages and towns are cooperating to showcase the region's beauty and heritage during the two-day, 131-mile self-conducted tour coordinated by the Center for Regional History at Southeast Missouri State University.

Towns along the drive include Cape Girardeau, Pocahontas, Altenburg, Wittenberg, Frohna, Biehle, Patton, Sedgewickville, Marble Hill, Burfordville and Jackson. Side trips also may be taken to Pinecrest Azalea Farm, the Black Forest German villages and Rocky Holler, USA.

In connection with the drive and to encourage the appreciation of the spring beauty of Southeast Missouri, a photography contest is being held. Prizes will be awarded for the best color prints or slides taken by amateur and professional photographers on the days of the drive.

Special features along the route are a Civil War encampment re-enacted by members of the Missouri 7th Cavalry reenactors. Demonstrations of camp life, drill and battle will be performed, and visitors will be taken to the camp in covered wagons.

Participants can sample a variety of foods along the way, including cornbread and beans, chicken and dumplings, baked goods, sandwiches and homemade pies and cakes.

Another stop will be the Pinecrest Azalea Farm, which comprises 49 acres of rolling hills with more than 3,000 multi-colored azaleas, dogwoods and flowering bulbs, and a heavy canopy of tall pine trees.

Historic homes and sites along the route will be open and available for touring. These include the Glenn House in Cape Girardeau, the Oliver House in Jackson, the Massey Log House in Marble Hill, Concordia Log College and Seminary in Altenburg, the Saxon Lutheran Memorial in Frohna, Buchheit's General Store in Biehle, Old McKendree Chapel near Jackson and the Bollinger Mill in Burfordville.

At the Glenn House, admission is $1 for adults and 50 cents for children 6-12. The first 100 children through the door will receive a free Bald Cypress sapling.

Drive participants also may considering stopping at Trail of Tears State Park, north of Cape Girardeau, which commemorates the tragic relocation of the Cherokee in 1838 and 1839. The park features a new visitor interpretation center, which illustrates the plant and animal life of the park, as well as the history of the relocation.

The Black Forest will be the site of crafts, foods, demonstrations and entertainment. The forest is an 1,100-acre tract of hardwood forest and is home to two recreated, 1870s-era villages.

Available for short rides through the Missouri countryside will be the St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad, a steam train based in Jackson. While in Jackson, participants also may enjoy a display of antique fire trucks.

In Marble Hill, participants may view an antique car show featuring several classic cars and an antique paddy wagon, one of only four in the United States. While in Marble Hill, visitors also may enjoy a quilt show or visit the Wisecarver's Store and Tom Runnel's Cat Ranch.

Visitors to Sedgewickville may browse through the city's museum, churches and Dollie Mill. In honor of the town's 125 years of continued postal service, a special commemorative stamp cancellation will be available.

At the end of Route A, just east of Altenburg is the virtual ghost town of Wittenberg. Once a thriving river town of more than 1,000 with a brewery that sent beer to St. Louis, today's population is four. South of town, visitors may see the longest pipeline bridge in the world and Tower Rock, one of the most significant geographic points in the Mississippi River.

Participants in the scenic drive also may consider stopping at Rocky Holler USA, a 30-acre ranch north of Jackson. Rocky Holler will feature a weekend of live country music, wagon rides, fishing, horseback riding, crafts, demonstrations and a petting zoo.

For more information, call the Center for Regional History at Southeast Missouri State University at (314) 651-2555.