Gallery shuttle

Shuttle service to Cape Girardeau's art galleries was provided for the first time at this month's First Friday event, and it appeared to be popular.

Nearly 100 gallery visitors took advantage of the service. The shuttle was provided by the ARound Town Group of nine galleries.

For those who provide their own transportation to all of these galleries, getting from here to there can be a real challenge.

While several of the galleries are bunched together downtown, some of them are at the River Campus, along Broadway and as far west as beyond Kingshighway on West Drive.

As a result, visitors to galleries downtown rarely made it to the Edward Bernard Gallery on West Drive, and vice versa.

Now a shuttle bus seating 20 with room for 10 more standing makes a circuit from one side of town to the other about every 30 minutes.

Those who used the free service said they liked the convenience and not having to worry about parking.

Organizers of the First Friday shuttle are to be commended for getting this organized.

It will be interesting to see how the shuttle is used during future First Friday gallery events.