TORCH-RUNNERS SET FOR BIG EVENT

Countdown to the arrival of the Olympic flame has people in Cape Girardeau scurrying to get everything in place, especially the 32 torch-runners who have just learned of their routes.

Kevin Leathers was chosen the first torchbearer to carry the flame from a Union Pacific cauldron car. He will carry a torch from Themis Street up the Common Pleas Courthouse steps.

At first Leathers feared tripping on the stairs or dropping the torch. But he's practiced once.

"On a lark, I ran up them for a change of pace," Leathers said. "But I never thought I'd need to practice. The excitement overshadows any worry."

Even though there is still plenty to do before the torch arrives, community organizers aren't worried. Some of their last-minute activities include hanging banners around town today, closing downtown streets, marking runners' locations and escorting them to their locations.

The torch arrives Monday at 1:06 p.m. at the foot of Themis Street. It travels to Cape Girardeau via a specially-built Union Pacific rail car before being carried by 32 local runners.

The official relay route has been known for many months, but runners just learned about their individual stretches Tuesday and Wednesday. Some are still waiting for uniforms.

Banners announcing the torch arrival should be hung around the city today, said Nancy Jernigan, executive director of the United Way. The banners arrived Wednesday, later than originally expected.

About 10,000 people are expected to attend the torch festivities and line the route through Cape Girardeau County into Perry County. Activities begin here at 11 p.m. and end around 2 p.m.

Families can picnic at Common Pleas Courthouse Park and enjoy games, music and crafts exhibits during the day. About 1,000 tree seedlings donated by Westvaco will be available free.

The torch leaves downtown Cape Girardeau at 1:23 p.m. after a short welcoming ceremony. It will travel up Broadway to Kingshighway and into Jackson along Highway 61. Past Jackson the torch will be carried by bicycle into Perry County.

Kacie Crites, 12, of Jackson will pass the torch flame to a cyclist who will carry it into Perry County. The flame should arrive in Perryville at 4:54 p.m.

In Cape Girardeau, the actual route will be temporarily closed as the torch passes, so motorists can expect delays, said police Capt. Steve Strong.

The torch won't be traveling alone; at least 19 cars ride along with it, he said.

To clear the way for the 1996 Olympic torch and its entourage, the Cape Girardeau Police Department will close portions of downtown streets. They include Water Street from Independence to Broadway; Spanish Street, north of the Save-A-Lot store, to Broadway; and Themis from Spanish to Water.

The streets will be closed from 2 a.m. until 2 p.m. Monday. Any vehicles remaining on the streets after 2 a.m. Monday will be towed at the owners' expense.

As the torch-runners carry the flame from downtown Cape Girardeau to Jackson, they will be escorted by other local runners. Many of them were selected by Coca-Cola, an Olympics sponsor.

Local escort runners include high-school students. The nine high-school runners from the area are Emily Hall, Casey Cook, Jason Azuma and Erinn Schermann, all of Cape Girardeau; Nathan Norman of Jackson; Scott Lohmann of Perryville; Jason Mott of Chaffee; and Casey Faro of Herrin, Ill. Each student will run five kilometers with the torch.

Other escort runners include John Townsend, Pat Atchley and Kent Crider. They will each run five kilometers but will not touch the torch, said Mark Wilson of Central States Coca-Cola Bottling in Jackson.

Who will bear the torch?

Thirty-two local runners will carry the Olympic flame through Southeast Missouri in the following order Monday:

Cape Girardeau

Kevin Leathers

Ike Hammonds

Price Kellar

Jeff Krantz

Kathie Brennan

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