WaterFest on Saturday celebrates Water/Ways Smithsonian exhibit

Cape Girardeau's history and the Mississippi River are inextricably linked, and an outdoor festival Saturday will celebrate both that and an exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution now on display at Heritage Hall, 102 N. Main St. in Cape Girardeau.

WaterFest will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot at the corner of Themis and Water streets in downtown Cape Girardeau.

It's going to be a great event, said Mary Ann Kellerman of the Kellerman Foundation, which owns and operates Heritage Hall.

As for the Smithsonian exhibit, Kellerman said getting it to Cape Girardeau was a process.

The Museum on Main Street program through the Smithsonian Institution has opportunities for museums to display exhibits tying into a region's rich culture, Kellerman said, and when Water/Ways came up, "I thought that seemed like the perfect thing."

Heritage Hall is one block from the Mississippi River waterfront, and Kellerman said that without the river, Cape Girardeau wouldn't have been founded here.

So, she said, she wrote a grant application and it was accepted.

Then came COVID-19.

That put a damper on the opening reception plans, Kellerman said. Normally, a big party with wine and refreshments would have been held, but that isn't recommended now, she said. So, WaterFest will be held outdoors, and participants include all manner of people whose work is made possible or influenced by the river.

Putting together the exhibit itself presented another challenge. It's big, for one thing, filling nearly all of the space in Heritage Hall. She and husband Bert Kellerman had to remove part of the front entrance to bring in the exhibit pieces, and they had to rent a 10-by-40-feet storage unit to hold the items displaced by the exhibit. This summer, the building's exterior was renovated and concrete flower planters were added.

But it's definitely worth it, she said.

In the conference room adjoining Heritage Hall's main gallery, a rotating display will be up, so visitors may dive deeper into local history. Information on Missouri Dry Dock and the Erlbacher family's association with the Mississippi River is on display now, and future exhibits will be announced on the Kellerman Foundation website.

Kellerman said she hopes people will come to the exhibit, as the nature of the exhibit itself lends to social distancing, and extra cleaning and sanitation efforts are being maintained. Appointments are also available by calling (573) 334-0097.

As for WaterFest, masks are required, and the event is free to attend and open to the public. There is no rain date, Kellerman said, but she hopes people will come to Heritage Hall for the exhibit before it departs in mid-January.

Many participants are lined up, including Dave Hardesty and Danny Rees, who kayaked the Mississippi River; Cape Girardeau resident Sam Jarrell, who is a dedicated and expert fisherman; Rob Lorenz from Riverside Pottery at 121 S. Main St. in Cape Girardeau; Benjamin Heu and his ceramic arts students from Southeast Missouri State University; the Cape Girardeau water treatment plant and wastewater treatment plant; artists Craig Thomas and Thomas Shaner; the Charles Hutson Greenhouse on Southeast's campus; author Randy Barnhouse; Reeves Reptile Rescue; Mac's Mission dog rescue; La Croix Church; the Environmental Science club at Southeast; the Missouri Department of Conservation; Dr. Brandy Hepler from Southeast; the Front Porch Players; Billy Joe Thompson and one of his fire trucks; and Captain Catfish.

Additionally, a photography contest for adult participants is still accepting entries to be displayed as part of the exhibit, Kellerman said. More information is at www.kellermanfoundation.org/photo-contest.

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