It's officially summer, which means it's Mississippi Riverboat Season! Talk about Americana at its finest - beautiful, majestic riverboats docking in our picturesque downtown with calliope music drifting through the breeze. We've welcomed these vessels to our downtown for decades now and, for some, heading to the water to take in the excitement has become a tradition.

For the majority of recent history, two riverboats, the American Queen and the Queen of the Mississippi, have made downtown a stop along their journey. New for 2015, we now have an additional boat to welcome as American Eagle has joined in the route for the first time.

According to American Cruise Lines, 'The brand new American Eagle has design elements reminiscent of an earlier time on the river coupled with a surprising assortment of modern luxuries. Spacious staterooms, fine furnishings, and private balconies are among the welcoming features which make the American Eagle comparable to your favorite world class hotels. Much like its sister ship, the Queen of the Mississippi, this new boat will raise the standard for river cruising in the United States.'

'Queen of the Mississippi delivers an experience unlike any other riverboat. Launched in 2012 and modeled after traditional Victorian-style riverboats of the late 1800s, she was the first paddlewheeler built for the Mississippi River in nearly 20 years. Queen of the Mississippi offers passengers modern amenities and comforts including large staterooms with private balconies, hotel-style bathrooms, complimentary room service, WiFi, and more,' highlights American Cruise Lines.

'Transporting guests back in time in the most elegant fashion, the experience aboard Queen of the Mississippi is a seamless blend of old and new. Beneath her historic décor, gleaming woodwork and brass fixtures is a framework of modern cruise ship technology that provides passengers with the most comfortable and upscale vacation imaginable on the Mississippi River.'


The American Queen Steamboat Company is incredibly proud of its star ship, the American Queen. Being the largest steamboat ever built, they've packed quite an experience inside this floating fortress. 'Although filled with today’s modern amenities, her rooms and accommodations display all the opulence of the American Victorian era. Glistening woodwork, fresh flowers and antiques adorn her interior spaces. While on board, you can select a volume from the vast collection in the Mark Twain Gallery, the boat’s library. Or enjoy a sing-along in the Main Deck Lounge, and then tap your toes to a lavish show in the two-deck-tall Grand Saloon, the most elegant showplace on the river.'

Check out the following schedule and see when you can be a part of the excitement.

July 2nd	American Queen	8am-5pm	Cancelled due to high water
July 6th	American Queen	8am-5pm	Cancelled due to high water
July 15th	Queen of the Mississippi	9:15am-noon	Cancelled due to high water
July 17th	American Queen	10am-5pm	Cancelled due to high water
July 19th	Queen of the Mississippi	9:15am-noon	Cancelled due to high water
July 30th	Queen of the Mississippi	9:15am-noon
July 31	American Queen	Noon-5pm
Aug 18th	American  Eagle	9am-noon
Sept 14th	Queen of the Mississippi	9:15am-noon
Sept 23rd	Queen of the Mississippi	2:15pm
Oct 14th	American Queen	8am-1pm

Please note this schedule is tentative and determined by the weather, river levels and currents. We will try to keep you updated as information changes and becomes available. 

Stacy Dohogne-Lane, Public Relations Director for the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, has worked closely with the riverboat companies for several years. When the opportunity presented itself last year for her to board one of these beautiful boats, she couldn't pass it up. "I love looking out at our bend of the Mississippi River, and watching the river change throughout the year as it rises and falls," Stacy commented. "It isn't everyday you get to see Cape Girardeau from the river and not the other way around! The American Queen was in town at the end of July last year and I had some business to attend to with the folks on board, so I jumped at the chance to snap a few pictures of our river city from a different perspective."

These riverboats are a part of the eclectic canvas that makes up our downtown culture and just one of the many reasons we're one of the greatest downtowns in the nation. Check out Stacy's photos below, we know you'll enjoy them, and plan to head downtown throughout the summer to catch one of the dockings. See you soon!

This post was written by guest blogger, Alyssa Basler, Intern at Old Town Cape.

Southeast Missouri State University will celebrate its second annual community River Campus Summer Arts Festival this Saturday, June 20. “Seussical” the musical will be capping the day with a performance at 7:30pm. Last year’s festival had a record attendance with more than 1,200. This year’s event will feature live music, dance, visual art displays, theatrical performances, an art walk, magic, hands-on family-friendly art expression activities, museum exhibitions, and Plein Art Painting. The festival is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free and open to all ages.

The music line-up has grown extensively since last year. The entertainment will run continually throughout the day featuring the Suzuki players, magician Rob Huff, Mr. Saxophone, Steve Schaffner, Jazz Trio 440’s, the Jerry Ford Combo and Barefoot on Sunday. Children’s activities will be available all day as well, including face painting and hands on activities in the kids’ art tent. The Avenue of Art competition will be back again with a new special category for creating Dr. Seuss art. Additionally, artists of all ages can participate in creating chalk art, with Craig Thomas composing a piece for the festival. Art booths will include demonstrations and art for sale. Ceramics students will demonstrate their craft, and printmaking students will offer a workshop. Students from the Southeast Department of Art and multiple professional artists will have art booths available. In the southwest parking lot, the Southeast Explorer mobile museum will showcase a United States history exhibit and the River City Rodders will display antique and hot rod cars. Bart Williams of the Southeast Department of Theatre and Dance, will present a stage combat exhibition of Quarterstaff fighting outdoors in the Seminary Quad. The River City Players will perform “Sleuth” by Anthony Shaffer.  There will be numerous dance and theater performances, demonstrations, and workshops throughout the day. See SEMO's website for more information.

The all-day event will close with a performance of “Seussical” the musical at 7:30 p.m. in the Wendy Kurka Rust Flexible Theatre. “Seussical” is a musical comedy based on numerous Dr. Seuss books. The musical is written by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens.  It is a comedy that will be enjoyed by the entire family. Tickets may be purchased by contacting the River Campus Box Office, located in the Cultural Arts Center, 518 S. Fountain St., weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,  calling (573) 651-2265 or by visiting www.RiverCampusEvents.com. Additional performances will include June 18-19, 25- 27 at 7:30 p.m., 2 p.m. matinees on June 21, 27 and 28, and a special 10 a.m. performance on June 26.  Get tickets now, seats are filling up quickly!

We, at Old Town Cape, are happy to get the opportunity to work with Southeast Missouri State University campuses on events such as this one. It is partnerships like these that help further opportunities for the University and Downtown and offer a variety of activities for the community to take part in.

This post was written by guest blogger, Alyssa Basler, intern at Old Town Cape.

Lots of times when people think of 'Old Town Cape' they think of our Executive Director, Marla, and Kevin and Christa, the 'staff'. Little do many people realize though, that we have an arsenal of committees and volunteers who guide our actions, back our opinions and oversee what goes on in and around our 131-block district. At the helm of our organization is Donna Denson - the President of our Board of Directors who oversees one of the greatest downtowns in the nation (what a title!).

Originally from Festus, Mo, Donna came to Cape to attend Southeast Missouri State University. After graduating with a degree in mass communications, she worked in sales at Southwestern Bell (now AT&T) and was then recruited by the Southeast Missourian. A career with this company that began in 1991, she was ecstatic to have the opportunity to work for the local paper. Little did she know that 24 years later she would still be making a difference in and around the community while serving as the Advertising Director for this cornerstone operation.

When figuring out where and what community organizations to be involved in, downtown and Old Town Cape was an obvious choice. In her early days at the Missourian, she worked with several downtown businesses on their marketing (Tipoff magazine, for example), so it was a natural fit to attend the Downtown Merchants Association (DMA) meeting and become involved. 'I still remember our barbecue on the riverfront when the merchants association & Old Town Cape became one,' Donna reminisced. The years have gone by quickly and my has there been a lot of change in our area.

To someone so vested in our area, her response to 'What is your favorite part of downtown?' didn't come as a surprise. 'I don’t know if I can pick a favorite,' she exclaimed! 'I love the riverfront, our shops & restaurants - all that Old Town Cape has to offer.' One specific spot she treasures as a quiet place to sit and decompress is the top of the courthouse steps. The beautiful view of the river and our charming Main Street area, it's just what she needs to rejuvenate and refocus. (We couldn't agree more!)

Downtown isn't perfect; there will always be room for improvement. And if Donna could change just one thing about downtown, it would be to change the opinions of the few cynics who only focus on a couple of empty buildings, some litter or other issue in downtown and don’t see and appreciate the improvements that have been made, over time, in Old Town Cape. 'You can’t truly appreciate how far we’ve come if you haven’t contributed in some way,' she commented. 'Each of us can make a difference. So if you aren’t already, get involved and help us build the future Old Town Cape!'

Donna is proud of the impact Old Town Cape is making in our district and throughout the community.

This organization has created a unified vision for our downtown and works hard every day to make sure Downtown Cape Girardeau is an inviting area for people to live, work and play. While our work is never done, we can all take pride in being designated a Great American Main Street Community. ' How awesome is that!'

Enough business, let's get to know Donna personally. Guys beware, the following sounds like something straight out of a chick-flick. Donna met her husband Phil during college when he moved into the apartment next to her. She literally married the boy next door! Boy moves in next door, notices the pretty neighbor, rustles up enough courage to ask her out and the rest is history. See, we told you it was just like the movies! 'Phil is the love of my life,' she gushed, 'and my best friend.' They have 3 grown daughters and 4 grandchildren who, of course, 'are the cutest, smartest and most-talented kids on the planet!' ;) We're pretty sure every grandma is allowed to make that judgement!

Something about Donna that you may not know is she is one of 8 children in her family. Wow! 'We were poor, it was loud, it was cramped, but it was great!'

Old Town Cape is incredibly fortunate to have Donna on our leadership team, as an involved downtown business woman and a friend. We are confident that downtown is headed in the right direction because of the guidance and support she offers. Organizations say this all the time, but at Old Town Cape we truly believe we have the best support system around!

Summing up her downtown sentiments, 'A thriving and vibrant downtown is healthy for our entire community. The downtown is the heart of Cape and a timeless treasure for us to enjoy – come be a part of it!'

This post was co-written by Donna Denson, Old Town Cape Board of Directors President, and Christa Zickfield, Old Town Cape Project Manager.