ABOUT US
Old Town Cape, Inc is a not for profit organization that works towards revitalizing downtown Cape Girardeau. We are a nationally accredited Main Street Program under The National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The Old Town Cape district includes 131 blocks with more than 300 businesses and organizations. We work in many different capacities to make Downtown Cape Girardeau a better place to live, work, and play.
Click on the links below for more information on Old Town Cape. (Tip: The links expand and contract.)
Old Town Cape imagines a thriving, diverse downtown that is cultured, historic and the pulse of our community.
Old Town Cape is a community driven, nonprofit organization that utilizes the Four-Point Main Street Approach to preserve, promote, revitalize, and enrich the historic, cultural, and economic landscapes of downtown Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
The Main Street Program is a proven approach to downtown revitalization that was developed by The National Trust for Historic Preservation. Receiving accreditation from the National Trust is a strenuous process that requires meeting several criteria. To read more about the accreditation process please click here.
As an accredited Main Street Program, we follow a proven approach to downtown revitalization know as The Main Street Four Point Approach. The four points are Promotion, Design, Economic Restructuring and Organization.
Each state has an accreditation center that provides resources to accredited Main Street Programs. Please visit Missouri's Main Street Connection for information on our state program.
The Promotion Committee works to create a positive image of downtown Cape Girardeau and promotes it as a destination. This is done through communications, events and activities. They draw visitors to the downtown area and work to make cash registers ring. Projects that fall under the Promotions Committee include: Downtown Historic Home & Garden Tour, Tunes at Twilight, River Tales Classic Car Show, Parade of Lights, Downtown Christmas Open House, What's Up Downtown Weekly Update and Social Media & Website Management. This committee meets quarterly on the second Wednesday of the months of January, April, July and October at 2pm.
Committee Chair
Jessica Sexton
Committee Roster
Debbie Devers, Roseanna Whitlow-Greenwood, Lisa Bertrand, Kyleigh Baliva, Jamie Barnwell, Kevin Schaper, Darlene Spell, Stacy Dohogne-Lane, Kristen Ray, Seth Hudson, Christa Zickfield, Marla Mills
The Design Committee promotes and develops the uniqueness and history of downtown Cape Girardeau. This is done through visual elements such as buildings, streetscape, public art and window displays. They also work to create a warm, inviting, clean and safe environment for downtown shoppers, workers, residents and visitors. This committee meets quarterly on the last Wednesday of the months of January, April, July and October at 11:30am.
Committee Chair
Cindy Buchheit
Committee Roster
Pam Davidson, Kent Blunt, Brock Davis, Don Greenwood, Anna Kangas, Dr. Steven Hoffman, Alyssa Lage, Tom Neumeyer, Justine Schwartz, Nick Burger, Julia Thompson, Kevin Taylor, Marla Mills
The Economic Restructuring Committee strengthens existing business and draws or recruits new business to downtown Cape Girardeau. They work to build a successful, supportive business environment that is repsonsive to the needs of today's consumers. These volunteers recognize that a prosperous, diverse and active business community is crucial to the long-term sustainability of revitalization efforts. This committee meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 3:30pm.
Committee Chair
Tim Arbeiter
Committee Roster
Dawn Dauer, Laurie Everett, Luke Hilgenbrinck, Molly Hood, Bo Kleman, David Shell, Michael Jones, Jeff Martin, Trae Bertrand, Chris Foeste, Kevin Taylor, Kevin Greaser, Marla Mills
The Organization Committee builds partnerships among downtown Cape Girardeau business owners and the community, which help make an organization successful. This committee advocates for stakeholders by raising funds, providing communication, creating awareness of the Old Town Cape mission and encouraging participation in its work. Efforts of this committee reinforce the belief that a vibrant downtown is reflective of a strong community. This committee meets on the second Thursday of each month at 11:30am.
Committee Chair
Matt McDonald
Committee Roster
Lee Schlitt, Teresa Maurer, Jerra Hutson, Tom Higgins, Tina McRaven, Cory Daniel, Bill Dunn, Kody Thompson, Kevin Taylor, Christa Zickfield, Marla Mills