WIND BLOWS DOWN ENTRANCE TO THE ROYAL N'ORLEANS

John Wyman will be rebuilding the Broadway entrance to The Royal N'Orleans restaurant a little sooner than expected.

"Actually about a week sooner," said John Wyman, restaurant owner.

Already damaged by a large chunk of ice just before Christmas, the entire structure, added on in 1991, was sent to the ground by high winds about mid-day Friday.

The National Weather Service measured gusts in the area as high as 55 mph.

"We planned to tear the old entrance down next week," said Wyman. "The wind saved us the trouble."

The rubble was cleared up before dark Friday.

The old structure will replaced by something similar, "except better," said Wyman.

John and Jerrianne Wyman, of Merriwether Investments Inc., purchased the Royal N'Orleans in 1995.

The couple also operate Molly's Restaurant and Europa's, both on Spanish Street downtown.

The historic opera house which houses the The Royal N'Orleans was constructed in 1868 by the German Turner Society and was the social center of Cape Girardeau for a number of years. It was the scene of parties, dances, weddings, minstrels, operas, wrestling and boxing matches.