TALK OF SECOND STRIP BAR COMING TO CAPE UNFOUNDED

Talk of a second strip bar coming to Cape Girardeau has proven to be rumor.

The same day that it became known that Regina's House of Dolls, a Paducah, Ky., bar that features nude dancers, was seeking a liquor license to operate in Cape Girardeau, the name of another strip bar from Paducah surfaced.

But a man who identified himself as an assistant manager of the Show Palace, a private strip bar in downtown Paducah, said there are no plans to expand into Cape Girardeau. "Regina's is going there, but we're not," said the man, who identified himself only as Bo.

Attempts to contact Walter D. Howell, owner of the Show Palace, were unsuccessful. Howell was the manager of the Hush Puppy Too, a strip bar in East Cape Girardeau.

The Hush Puppy Too was closed a few days after a fatal July 29 shooting in the club's parking lot. Howell was the manager at the Hush Puppy Too for two months before the shooting occurred.

Regina's House of Dolls, which is attempting to move into 805 Enterprise Street has two strip bars in Paducah.

Although the issue is not scheduled to officially go on the city council agenda until Jan. 17, local residents voiced opposition to Regina's attempt to operate a strip bar in Cape Girardeau at the Jan. 3 city council meeting. A petition by citizens opposed to a strip bar is being circulated and is expected to be presented at the Jan. 17 city council meeting.

The first rumors about the Show Palace showing interest in Cape Girardeau had the private club attempting to move into the building at the corner of Themis and Spanish, across from Griffins.

The Show Palace in Paducah does not require a liquor license because it only sells non-alcoholic beverages. Thus the bar is not regulated by Kentucky's liquor control laws. Patrons are allowed to bring their own liquor containers into the club.

Wayne Griffin, owner of Griffins Cafe and Spirits, said he heard that the building across the street was going to be turned into an apartment. "That's what I heard, but there have been several rumors going around about what is actually going to be there," Griffin said.

Andy Juden, who owns the building at the corner of Themis and Spanish, said he is in the process of negotiating with someone from Cape Girardeau to sell the building.

Juden said he was told by the prospective buyers that the building would be divided into a curio shop and restaurant. "That's what I've been told, but after the building is sold the new owners can do what they want with it," Juden said. "If I were leasing the property to someone, that would be different. Then I would have a say in what it was used for."

Kent Zickfield, president of the Downtown Merchants Association, said if rumors about the Show Palace were found to be true, he was prepared to call an emergency meeting to discuss plans to wage opposition. "We would let a business like that know that it is not going to be welcome in downtown Cape Girardeau," he said.