Fundraiser kicks off SportsPlex grand opening

The soon-to-be-open SportsPlex has been touted as a tourism magnet, a facility that can be used to host tournaments and draw in visitors from out of town to help strengthen Cape Girardeau's status as a regional hub and reinforce the demand for hotel and restaurant services, and thus tax support for such tourism projects in the future.

City and VisitCape staffers have already had success in drawing some tournaments to the facility. But what's not talked about as much is that it encourages positive values. It's a facility that allows for activity, meaning it encourages people, particularly our children and youth, to move and exercise. It gives them a facility to test their physical limits against others and compete. And because many of these tournaments involve children, the facility also encourages family togetherness. Many good times will take place at the SportsPlex, not including the after-game ice cream celebrations, pizza parties and hotel pool parties. So the facility will encourage healthy and family values. And that's a good thing.

On Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m., the Cape Girardeau SportsPlex will offer a special "Ties and Tennies" fundraiser event, described as a "red carpet event" that will feature tunes, DJ/music, interactive sports games, exhibitions, giveaways and more, while raising funds for youth sports and recreation scholarships, according to the entry that can be found at www.semoevents.com. Dress for the guys is a shirt and tie with shorts and tennies; for the gals, comfortable dress tops with shorts or leggings and tennies. It should be a fun time to celebrate the opening of the next major facility in Cape. Admission is $25 a ticket, unless you RSVP'd before Friday. For more information, call (573) 339-6340.