This post is written by guest blogger, Stacy Dohogne-Lane, Director of Public Relations at the Cape Girardeau Convention & Visitors Bureau.

After several failed attempts at teaching myself to crochet using books checked out from the library and Youtube videos, I decided that in-person instruction would be my best bet at learning to crochet - my failed resolution from 2013 that I was determined to make happen in 2014. Better late than never, right?

A new yarn shop opened downtown on Independence and I heard from someone that they had crochet classes. A Facebook message and an e-mail later, and I was acquainted with Dawn, the owner of Yearning 4 Yarn at 208 Independence, next door to Dynamite Coffee. Dawn said that she would be happy to teach my sister and I how to crochet, and that we could come in on two Tuesday evenings of our choice for Crochet 101.

My sister Alli and I arrived for a first class and immediately loved Dawn's cozy shop; you can't help by sink your fingers into all of the beautiful yarn in such pretty colors. Dawn had project boxes with a crochet stitch booklet and practice yarn ready for us, and we got right down to business learning how to hold the hook and the yarn. An hour later and we were both single crocheting along and chatting with Dawn, who has schnauzers named after Harry Potter characters (Alli and I are huge Harry Potter fans...and we both have schnauzers. Match made in heaven?) When we'd do something that was obviously wrong (I think I invented a stitch?) Dawn would nicely say "you got really creative here" and was very encouraging. By the end of the first lesson, Alli and I could each get a foundation chain going and knew how to single and double crochet. Not too shabby for an hour and a half!

In the weeks between our first and second lesson, Allison and I practiced until we were comfortable with single and double crochet. When we arrived for our second crochet class, Dawn helped guide us in the right direction for our first projects and showed us how to read a crochet pattern. Dawn told us to stop in anytime if we got stuck with a project and I eyed that pretty yarn with new designs swirling in my head.

A few weeks later, Allison and I dropped by wearing our brand new, crocheted-by-us scarves. Learning how to crochet with Dawn and my sister was so much fun, and I can't wait to pick out the yarn for my next project at Yearning 4 Yarn. Dawn also teaches knitting and spinning classes!

This post is written by guest blogger Steven Amrhein, Intern at Old Town Cape.

As some of you may know, I recently got engaged! One of the perks of getting engaged is the photographs that you get to take with your significant other to announce the engagement. Instead of going back home to O'Fallon for the photographs, we decided to take advantage of the gorgeous scenery in Cape Girardeau. Now, according to my fiancé, these have to be "lively, fun, loving...they have to be perfect!" It's what everyone sees when you send out the announcements and apparently if they are bad, then no one will show up to the wedding...or so she says. I did some digging around and came across someone that I believe is perfect for capturing and sharing the special moment in our lives.

Stacey Thompson, a fashion and portrait photographer, that lives in downtown Cape has some of the best work that I have ever seen. She strives to create a sense of timelessness in her images by avoiding trends and incorporating vintage and retro themes. We were pleased to find out that she has been in this area for her entire life and enjoys living downtown because she has the opportunity to scout out quiet corners that most people wouldn't consider shooting in - she wouldn't disclose where though! Stacey enjoys the sense of community in downtown Cape and explained that "people are a close-knit bunch; they value their neighborhood and strive to make it the best it can be."

If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing her work, you are truly missing out. She has promised to turn my fiancé and myself into models...after all, she is used to working with them! Models are referred to her through agencies who are in need of current portfolio photos. Occasionally Stacey can even request a model that is a good fit for an upcoming photo concept that she is working on. Several models have came from out of town with the furthest coming from a five hour drive away. Every time someone new comes to the area, they comment to Stacey how picturesque downtown Cape is, especially the Riverfront area. She enjoys working with clients who are expressive and at ease in front of the camera, but also finds joy in working with those who aren't used to having their picture taken.

Several publications, including two international magazines, have featured her work. She even has pictures on PhotoVogue, a portfolio section of the VogueIT website. Solis Magazine also decided to do a print feature on her work after she submitted samples to them. She admitted that she is a little worried though because Solis only allowed her to write 2,000 words to explain her work and she fears that she may have turned it into a rant about Doctor Who, Jim Butcher and Legos. While she is receiving international exposure, some of her favorite pieces still come from downtown scenes, one of which was taken in conjunction with Annie Laurie's Antiques. "I frequently shop at Annie Laurie's Antiques because she has such a great selection of vintage clothing and home decorations. A year or two ago, Laurie began a blog featuring models in clothing from her shop. We got in touch and I've had the opportunity to work with her on some incredible vintage fashion projects," Stacey explained. She also began collaborating with Deb for some work through Pastimes Antiques when she was approached to shoot the 2014 Fashion Faces calendar to benefit the Safe House for Women. They both share a love of vintage themes, and Stacey has since photographed several of her concepts with clothing from the store.

One of the best things about reaching out to Stacey for our engagement photos is that she knows how to work with you. I'm looking forward to our session in late May that we strategically chose in order to have warmer weather and blossomed trees - they'll make for a beautiful background. Before we even had a chance to discuss location, she informed us that she had the perfect place in mind. Check back in early June for a sneak peek at the pictures.

This post was contributed to by Steven Amrhein, Intern at Old Town Cape.

Visitors to downtown Cape Girardeau will be in for a treat when they tour the Glenn House this summer that is currently undergoing a renovation process. The Glenn House, established in 1883, sees over 2,000 guests annually, with 75% of those coming from out of town. This past week we were invited to look behind the scenes on what work is being done to the house in order to sustain it for public tours and events in the future. Tom Grantham, president of The Historical Associate of Greater Cape Girardeau, was kind enough to walk us through the process and give us a tour of the house to make it realistic.

The Historical Association of Greater Cape Girardeau kicked off a Capital Campaign in 2013 with a list of repairs that were needed in order to keep the 130 year old house in good condition for the next 130 years. The campaign was designed as a way to raise money over the next 3 to 4 years while fixing things along the way including the front porch that was redone in early 2013 and projects that still need to be completed in the future - wash house walls, second floor porch, exterior paint and tuck-pointing, etc.

So, back in November, Tom and his wife, Donna, began the next project as part of the campaign which involved renovating three of the upstairs bedrooms and the hallway. The work got off to somewhat of a rocky start, though, as they began the three month search (that they only thought would take a couple of weeks!) for wallpaper to match the authentic Victorian colors and patterns that were present in the bedrooms. They began by looking through hundreds of books at local vendors, but had no luck. Then, the search moved online and they brought in Mary Ann Kellerman of the Kellerman Foundation for Historic Preservation with hopes that she would have some expertise to share and insight on where they could find the wallpaper. By working together, the three of them finally came across an online retailer, Bradbury & Bradbury Wallpaper, that sells patterns from the 1800s.

Once the wallpaper hunt was over, they began the physical labor. On January 10, Teen Challenge assisted in moving the furniture out of the bedrooms to the first floor. It then took a week just to strip the wallpaper and they found some interesting messages on the walls behind the old wallpaper when doing so (pictures below)! A few days later, the plaster process began and lasted approximately two weeks before volunteers began priming and painting. Once the wallpaper arrived, they began applying it but it took a week to completely only one room - talk about intricate work! Tom is still awaiting the arrival of wallpaper for the third bedroom, but in the meantime Teen Challenge has begun moving furniture back upstairs into the two completed bedrooms and hallway.

When asked about the amount of help from the community in this process, Tom explained that "Some volunteers have a background in history, but most simply have a passion for sharing heritage and the integrity of the house. We are extremely thankful for their work and are always looking for more people to get involved."

While leaving the elegant house, we noticed names engraved in bricks that lined the arbor pathway back to the carriage house. We inquired about this with Tom and he explained that the bricks are just one of the unprecedented ways for people to support the Glenn House. However, they can also give through estate planning, an annual membership, hosting private events, and taking group tours. If you are interested in helping, visit their website or send an email to info@glennhouse.org. We strongly encourage you to take a tour of the renovated hours - you're sure to be in awe, we certainly were!