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!

The blog committee wants to share with you the stories of the volunteers that work behind the scenes of Old Town Cape. This series will allow you to get to know our volunteers, find out how they became involved, learn what their interests are, and discover their goals for both downtown and themselves.

Don Greenwood, a local artist, currently serves on the Board of Directors and Design Committee for Old Town Cape. He is a native of New Orleans, LA but currently resides in downtown Cape with his wife, Roseanna. Greenwood became involved with the organization many years ago and was even the President of the Downtown Merchants Association at one point before Old Town Cape was formed. He has always had a passion for downtown and, therefore, has been involved with organizations that relate to promoting and enhancing the area ever since.

As a committee member, he provides information on the history of downtown, an artist's perspective, and knowledge about the murals - all of which are important to Old Town Cape. One of his goals for downtown Cape is to further promote the arts that are present. Thanks to his first cousin, he is very passionate about art and wants the community to know that there is a variety of talent locally.

Outside of his volunteer work for Old Town Cape, Greenwood is a man of man talents, including illustration, engraving, and performing as a musician. He has illustrated books such as, The Saving of Dogtown by James W. Riley Jr., The Loch Ness Adventure by Walter and Mary Hearnes, and Gordonville Grove by Jerry Ford. He has also created designs for national and international greeting card companies including, Hallmark Cards, American Greetings, Buzza Cardosa, and Charmcraft. Throughout his career he has created art for Walt Disney, Hughes Tool, President Reagan, Versace Fashion Design, Wedgewood China, Crane Paper, Crown Foil, and Murata Kimpaku. When he's not working in the art field, you can find him kayaking on one of the many nearby rivers or lakes with a group of his closest friends.

Don credits his success and knowledge to his wife and family. Coming from a large family, he quickly learned how to communicate well and get along with most everyone. He has no words of advice to share, but instead believes that everyone learns something important from those that they surround themselves with.

You can check out some of his work by visiting the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri galleries, or by taking a stroll past one of the directional kiosks downtown. Like many, I bet you didn't know that the little people and animals on these maps are courtesy of Mr. Greenwood!

This post is written by guest blogger, Janey Radford, Old Town Cape Development & Resources Coordinator.

Until last year, I considered myself a big supporter of Old Town Cape. I mean, after all, I went to their events. I followed them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. I shared their posts, and whenever I ran into staff, I always told them what a good job they were doing. Sound familiar?

Last January, I accepted the position as Development and Resources Coordinator for OTC. In a Main Street world, the two biggest resources are funding and volunteers. Managing these resources take up the better part of most days for me.

While receiving my OTC "education," a new image of "supporting" Old Town Cape began to emerge. I learned how an office staff of two with a couple of student workers managed to pull off so many events successfully every year. They have A LOT of volunteers! From the Board of Directors, the 4 point committees, and event subcommittees, there are over 100 volunteers that carry out the work of downtown revitalization. Almost 60 of those volunteers are involved year round. THAT is how we get things done!

I am not a stranger to the not for profit world, and am used to maximizing resources, leveraging, and always trying to get the most bang for our buck. Even so, I was impressed with what Old Town Cape has accomplished with its limited resources. Many individuals, organizations and businesses invest already, but with almost 4,500 residents and over 300 businesses in downtown alone, there is potential for so much more.

Dedication, hard work, and A LOT of volunteers can only take us so far. Funding is necessary for any not for profit organization. Oh. You didn't know we were a non profit? Those aforementioned resources? VITAL. Making the magic that is downtown takes dollars. And the magic is important. "Downtown is the most visible indicator of community pride" - Missouri Main Street.

Knowing what you know now, do you consider yourself a supporter of Old Town Cape? Want to know what to do about it? Click. Invest. Today. Or call me - it's my job :).

This post is written by guest blogger, Kynli Smith, Intern at Old Town Cape.

The blog committee wants to share with you the stories of the volunteers that work behind the scenes at Old Town Cape. This series will allow you to get to know our volunteers, find out how they became involved, learn what their interests are, and discover their goals for both downtown and themselves.

Cory Daniel, Commercial Relationship Manager for Montgomery Bank in Cape Girardeau, is currently serving as president of the Board of Directors for Old Town Cape. He is a native of Jackson, Missouri and currently resides there with his wife, Kristen. Daniel became involved with Old Town Cape a few years ago when he was approached by volunteers to serve on the Board.

"Old Town Cape is a great organization, and I am glad I was asked to be a part of it," said Daniel.

His current role as Board President is to run the meetings, oversee operations and give feedback. A goal of his for downtown Cape are to continue to max the potential of downtown with more businesses, projects and revitalization.

"We have a lot of momentum with the revitalization of downtown happening right now. There is excitement and pride in the businesses and projects happening down here."

When Daniel isn't working at Montgomery Bank of helping Old Town Cape with projects, he spends a lot of his free time outdoors. He is very active in sports and hunting including turkey, deer and duck. The biggest influence in Daniel's life has been his grandparents. They taught him many life lessons that he still uses today.

"They were both just rock solid people. They taught me so much about hard work, honesty and faith."

Some of Daniel's tips for success for people is to remember the Golden Rule: treat people the way you want to be treated. He also encourages people to set goals for themselves that they can strive towards.

"If you are hard working and honest with people, you are going to be successful in whatever you set out to accomplish in life."