CLASS OF 2000 LOOKS AHEAD -- AND BACK

A drive-in movie theater.

Such a theater is among the hopes expressed by members of the high school Class of 2000 when asked what they would like to see in Cape Girardeau 20 years from now. Central High School students recently participated in a series of group meetings held by Vision 2020, a community improvement organization established in 1987. Other suggestions the group came up with included improved parks, more hiking and biking trails and better streets.

What is striking about the expressed wish of these youngsters for a drive-in theater is that none of them has ever experienced this particular piece of vanishing Americana. Unique to this country, as far as we know, the drive-in movie theater occupies a special place in the hearts of millions of Americans between the ages of, say, 35 and 90. Few and far between nowadays, the drive-ins that were so much a part of America's landscape during the 1940s, '50s and '60s found it hard to compete with air-conditioned, 14-cine multiplexes with their state-of-the-art sound systems. That today's 16-year-olds want to see them return is an interesting commentary on shifting fashions.

Students followed the same format for their meetings as those held by adult groups operating under Vision 2020. They are conducting fact-finding meetings with lots of different community groups. Other suggestions included a boardwalk along the Mississippi River to encourage exercise for local residents and to stimulate tourism. They also suggest further development of the city's past designation as the City of Roses and fully using various buildings throughout the community. The youngsters thought that large chessboards would be a good addition to city parks.

It is heartening to see these youngsters expressing such constructive suggestions for our community's improvement. Here's hoping that the next 20 years can see many of them implemented, with these energetic young people making an important contribution.