Shuttle buses will ease traffic congestion

Shuttle buses should ease traffic congestion for visitors to the Southeast Missourian's daylong block party today, event organizers say.

The city will close several blocks of Broadway, Lorimier and Themis streets to traffic from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. to make room for the newspaper's centennial celebration.

Broadway will be blocked off from Fountain Street to Spanish Street. Lorimier Street will be closed off from Independence Street to Bellevue Street. Traffic also will be barred in the 300 block of Themis Street.

"There will be detour signs and barricades posted," said Terri Foley, who helped organize the celebration.

With limited downtown parking, centennial organizers encourage those attending the event to park their cars at the Show Me Center or city hall, where they can board shuttle buses.

Three shuttle buses will travel to and from the Show Me Center lot. A fourth bus will pick up and drop off visitors at the city hall lot, Foley said.

The buses will begin picking up passengers at 9:30 a.m. The shuttle buses will run continuously until 5 p.m.

The buses will make stops at the intersections of Themis and Fountain streets and Main and Independence streets, and at the Missourian's printing plant at 500 William St. Visitors can tour the printing plant.

Cape Girardeau's Main Street lot, across from Hutson's Furniture store, will be closed to public parking Saturday because it will be used as a staging area for the Tour de Cape bicycle race.

The Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau parking lot at the corner of Main Street and Broadway will be open for parking, Foley said.

Old Town Cape businesses will join in the centennial celebration.

Security Bank & Trust, next door to the newspaper, will display historic photos from Parade magazine covering 75 years. The exhibit will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the bank lobby.

Many downtown businesses will celebrate the newspaper's centennial in their window displays. Local museums also will join in the celebration.

The Red House Interpretive Center at 128 S. Main St. will be open for tours. Redmond O'Colonies, who is from California and the current American champion crier, will show off his town crier skills.

The Sons of the American Revolution will display the country's 27 flags. Members of the group, dressed in Revolutionary War-era clothes, will answer questions about the flags.

Mike Seabaugh, who is part Cherokee, will tell American Indian stories.

The shuttle buses will stop in the downtown area, making it convenient for people to visit the Red House, said Jane Randol Jackson, chairwoman of the Red House Interpretive Center board.

There is an admission charge to tour the Red House, a replica of Cape Girardeau founder Louis Lorimier's home and trading post. The cost will be $3 for adults and $1 for students of any age.

Cape River Heritage Museum at 538 Independence St. will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors can view an exhibit on the history of the Southeast Missourian.

The museum also will offer games and face painting. A Missouri mule will be stationed outside the museum for children to pet.

Buckner Brewing Co. at 132 N. Main St. will hold an Oktoberfest from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring a special German menu and a wide selection of beers.

The restaurant and bar will also play host to an Old Town Cape Roaring '20s party tonight. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the party starts at 8 p.m. with music provided by the Jerry Ford band.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123