VOLUNTEERS HELP MAKE 1993 RIVERFEST A REALITY

Cape Girardeau's downtown streets will be teeming with people this weekend. In its 15th year, Riverfest has grown from a riverfront picnic to a quality family festival recognized throughout the state.

Central to Riverfest's success has been the dedication of hundreds of volunteers. These people work behind the scenes, year round, for no pay and little recognition. They do it for fun and the satisfaction of community service. We recognize these volunteers for their hard work, so the rest of us can enjoy the festivities.

Riverfest is planned and executed by an 11-member board and 24 committees. This year's volunteers are led by co-chairmen Peggy Barringer and Evelyn LeGrand. Barringer is one of the few volunteers who has worked on all 15 Riverfests.

She explains that Riverfest began as a fundraiser for the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce. Food and drink were sold to help finance a tourism brochure. Over the years, the festival grew from financing tourism efforts to becoming one of the largest single tourist attractions. The family theme has been present since the beginning the first Riverfest featured children's games and turtle races.

Today, Riverfest requires year-round planning and thousands of volunteer hours. Nearly a year of planning made way for physical labor last Sunday as volunteer crews began erecting fences. But the real endurance test comes this weekend when volunteers will work into the early morning hours both days.

Without volunteers, Riverfest wouldn't be financially possible. A recent audit showed that last year's income was just $15 over expenses. In other words, the festival is not a big money maker. Two years ago, Riverfest went into the red to the tune of $2,000.

It's not just Riverfest volunteers that lend to its success. Numerous businesses and organizations also provide unpaid workers for such work as manning some of the beverage and food stands. In all, the festival involves nearly 200 volunteers.

Since there's no entrance gate, it's hard to gauge actual attendance. But Riverfest officials expect weekend crowds to top 40,000. Past surveys indicate that while the majority of Riverfest patrons are from Cape Girardeau County, thousands more travel from all over Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee. Cape Girardeau's festival has gained a Midwest reputation.

Today at 3 p.m., Riverfest officially begins and organizers will be keeping their fingers crossed about the weather. Planning and preparations will be replaced by coordination and crowd control. And right in the middle of all the activity will be more than a hundred dedicated volunteers. It's thanks to them that we can enjoy the 1993 edition of Riverfest.