Mardi Gras in Cape Girardeau? Part 3 in a series about Mardi Gras (This is not meant to be an exhaustive treatise). Mardi Gras, French for "Fat Tuesday" for all practical purposes was incorporated into the early Catholic church, during the middle ages, as  a celebration to begin the period of lent leading up to the Easter Celebration. On March 3, 1699 the first American Mardi Gras was celebrated near modern-day New Orleans. The tradition is still carried on in New Orleans with many other krewes represented on floats in a myriad of parades. For many in the region surrounding Cape Girardeau, Soulard is the place to be for Mardi Gras. Boasting one of the largest Mardi Gras's in the country it has parties, balls and a parade. The city mayor hosts a ball in city hall, complete with music, food and costumes. Lest you think this is all frivolity, a study was done by the Regional Chamber and Growth Association with the chief economist estimating the economic impact of Soulard's Mardi Gras at over $20,000,000.00! I say, bring it on! Could Cape have a similar experience and impact? Most likely not, since we don't have the metro St. Louis population from which to draw. But, in this tri-state region, there is a large population base from which to build a significant festival. Mardi Gras in Cape, wihtin a few short years, could potentially be one of the most significant events of the year. Just imagine parties, balls and various events at venues all over the area prior to Mardi Gras. And a large parade made up of many area orgranizations and private groups just before the final event on Fat Tuesday. A number of you have shared with us your interest and excitement in this subject. Obviously, a project of this magnitude would take numerous committed individuals and/or groups to make it happen. Let us hear from you. Do you agree or disagree? If you agree, would you be willing to participate in the planning and organizing of a Cape Girardeau Mardi Gras? What do you think? Would you like to share your thoughts on the subject. Feel free to send them to us via email mail@iLuvLocalplaces.com,. on our website guestbook or Facebook fanpage where we have started a discussion for Mardi Gras. We will have further commentary on this in the future. The History Channel has a series of videos about Mardi Gras's history. Click Here and whatch/listen. The commecial content is all "The History Channel" and we make no money from this link, just good informaiton. laissez les bon temps rouler! & Luv Local,   (let the good times roll) Janet Wade

        

Dear Friend of Local Places,

The  Mardi Gras Carnival Season of fun and frivolity has officially come to a close!  We spent the past few weeks delving into Mardi Gras and the possibility of having a Mardi Gras Style festival in Cape Girardeau.

Most of the comments we heard, centered around the need for a thing like this to be family friendly, including activities for the young, as well as the young at heart. I agree completely with the family aspect and envision a parade on a Saturday morning starting off a day full of family / kid style activities and events. The parade would include entries ranging from people on foot to all out floats. Civic organizations, neighborhood blocks and families could participate.

Music and entertainment at Mardi Gras style parties all over the area. Young and old alike having a great time. People from all over the tri-state region coming to the area, spending the night in hotels, eating at our local restaurants and shopping in our stores. Tourism galore!

There have been a few comments regarding the "conservative" nature of this area and the "religious" association Mardi Gras has to Lent, posing the possibility for some resistance to a city wide event called Mardi Gras. I do believe that we can be sensitive to the beliefs of certain members of our community and present this festival in a non offensive way. Many commentors have offered ideas and assistance for helping make Mardi Gras a reality in this French Heritage ciy, called Cape Girardeau! To this I say, Lessiez Bon Temps Roulez!

We would still like to have more thoughts, comments and even offers of assistance, before taking this further toward some type of action. Please take advantage of our contact page and email us, or post a comment on our guest page. For those of you on Facebook, join in the discussion already under way Click Here!

A little feed back from Janet's Valentine Day article on dining "local". A few of you told us you used her list to make plans, one even being a group of 8! Thank you for taking these suggestions to heart, supporting our local restaurants. Please share with the locally owned places you patronize, how iLuvLocalplaces is helping you focus on them! We too love to hear these stories and you can use the links above to share them with us as well.

Your Friends at iLuvLocalplaces.com

Janet Wade

        

Valentine's Day 2010 So Mardi Gras and Valentines Day share the weekend. Could make for some interesting ideas for how to celebrate one or the other event. For now, we would like to focus on ideas for celebrating Valentine's Day! Love is in the air.  What's a "local" to do?  You well know, if you do nothing romantic for Valentine's Day, nothing romantic will happen.  So, you could take your sweetheart to one of the many nationally advertised restaurants in our area and expect approximately 1 to 2 hour waits at most of the big places all weekend.  They do love it when Valentines Day falls on a weekend. Or you might surprise your sweetheart with something different and take your special someone to a place you've never been before.  Maybe it will be one of our great many local places that we have in the area. When I thought about writing this article, I ask a few people I knew about their best dining experiences. Now granted, I tend to run in a circle that frequents local businesses, but I also asked strangers for their opinions.  I have to admit that I never heard one story about a "chain place". Not that they don't serve great food, but I was looking for dining experiences. I did hear from a total stranger. She wanted to surprise her husband and made reservations at Rose Bed Inn for her husband's birthday.  She said that the meal was the meal of a lifetime.  Chef James took the time to find out what her husband liked and prepared "trout, her husband's favorite and the best he'd ever had".   Another person I spoke to said he couldn't believe the caliber of gourmet chefs we have in our area and it all seems to be a secret.  You would never guess what wonderful dining experiences we have within driving distance.  Many of our Local Restaurants can rival dining in cities like Chicago and New Orleans at a much more affordable price.  So this Valentine's Day make it special, call a "Local Place" and make a reservation for the meal of a lifetime.  You won't just score big with your sweetheart, you will score big with your community. Here are a few top picks to get you started.  Before anyone calls me, Celebrations and Ray's of Kelso in Kelso isn't on here because they are already full for Saturday and Sunday night.  I have included phone numbers and suggest you make reservations. Bella Italia (It doesn't get more romantic than Italian) 20 N Spanish St, Cape Girardeau, MO (573) 332-7800 Carnations and Roses will be available Fri, Sat and Sun. And they will be serving Steak and Lobster on Sunday. ______________________________________________________________________ Broussard's Cajun Cusine (You can cover 2 bases here, Mardi Gras and Valentines Day) 120 N Main St, Cape Girardeau, MO  573-334-7235 _________________________________________________________________________ Cain   (French does rival Italian for most romantic food) 31 N Main, Cape Girardeau, MO  (573) 339-8709 Cain will be open Sunday to from 5pm until 10 pm and offering a special Valentine's Menu. ______________________________________________________________________ Mollie's Café & Bar 11 S Spanish St, Cape Girardeau, MO  (573) 339-1661 Mollie's will be offering a special menu for sweethearts on Saturday and Sunday.  Usually closed on Sunday, they will be open this Sunday 5pm to 9pm. ______________________________________________________________________ Ray's at The Plaza Conference Cape Girardeau, MO  (573) 264-1115 Ray's Plaza Conference Center will be featuring a Sweetheart Dinner and Dance.  Dinner will feature Chateaubriand, Prime Rib, Chicken Cordon Bleu and Shrimp Scampi. Live Entertainment starts at 8:00 with the Classic Sounds of AKA Chimes of Freedom. ______________________________________________________________________ River Ridge Winery County Road 321, Commerce, Missouri 63742 February 13th and 14th, 7:30 pm - Five Course Valentines Dinner paired with wine.  Tickets sold in advance. 573-264-3712 ______________________________________________________________________ Aartful Rose, by Rose Bed Inn 611 S. Sprigg St, Cape Girardeau, MO  (573)332-7673 Romance, good food, dancing, and fun. Come dine with your sweetheart at a romantic table for 2 or bring a big party for your own large table. Then dance to the tunes of DJ "Jerry Lomax". reservations required. ______________________________________________________________________ Saffron's Pan Asian Bistro 1610 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, MO  (573) 651-1398 Saffron's will be offering a 5 course carry out meal for you romantics that want to stay in.  They will also be offering specials for those of you that would enjoy dining out. ______________________________________________________________________ Von Jakob's Winery 1309 Sadler,  Pomona IL 62975 Valentine's Dinner & Dance on Saturday, February 13, 2010.  Dine in elegance with a five course meal (with entree of your choice) prepared by Von Jakob's chef & owner, Dr. Paul Jacobs.  Dinner from 6-7 and is followed by live entertainment provided by "Four on the Floor" from 7-10 pm. ______________________________________________________________________ Cup-n-Cork    46 North Main St, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 (573) 651-5282 This one is for those of you who want a quiet simple Valentine's Day.  First a movie, then stop by Cup n Cork to enjoy coffee and linger over dessert.  Pretty romantic! Check out Bella's, Broussard's and Ray's pages for more information and a link to their website, by clicking on their names above. For a list of other "Locally Owned" restaurants visit our dining directory! Be our Valentine and share this with your friends! Janet Wade Your Friends at iLuvLocalplaces.com

        

An excellent opportunity to enjoy Cape Girardeau's diverse art scene happens the first Friday of every month. Many of Cape Girardeau's art galleries are located in the historic Old Town Cape riverfront district. Visitors can easily stroll through downtown and visit most of these wonderful galleries. Be sure to include a tour through

Aartful Rose, Art Gallery of Crisp Museum, Arts Council of Southeast Missouri and Visual Arts Co-op, Black Door Gallery, Edward Bernard Gallery, Gallery 1-2-5, Garden Gallery, S. Gregg Gallery, and The Artist Studio are all open from 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. on the First Friday of every month. For more information about First Friday with the Arts, call 573-334-9233 or visit www.capearts.org

In addition to the regular studios and displays shown below, it has been brought to our attention there is a pottery art show at Buckner Brewing by Joiner and Themm, from 6pm to 10pm this Friday evening.

Due to changes in business hours, we recommend that you phone ahead to verify information.

Aartful Rose Gallery
631 S. Sprigg Street
Parking in rear
Open Mon-Sun by appointment
573-332-7673
New exhibits monthly
www.rosebedinn.com

Art Gallery of Crisp Museum
River Campus
518 S. Fountain
Mon - Fri 9 - 5, Sat - Sun 1 - 4
573-651-2143
Features work by faculty, students, regionaland national visiting artist.
www.semo.edu/art

Arts Council of Southeast Missouri and
Visual Arts Co-op
32 N. Main
Tues - Sat 10 - 4
New Exhibits monthly
Gift Shop features handmade crafts
573-334-9233
www.capearts.org

Black Door Gallery
124 S. Spanish
Fine art and commissions by Craig Thomas and other artisit open by appointment
573-225-7734
www.blackdoorgallery.com

Mark Farmer Studios
1704 Big Bend Road
Historic landmark ink line drawings. Detailed, realistic originals, prints and notecards . Call for appointment.
573-335-4397
www.MarkFarmerStudios.com

Edward Bernard Gallery
107 West Drive, Ste.D
Tues-Fri 12 - 5, Sat 12 - 4 p.m.
or by appointment
573-332-7733
art glass & paintings
www.edwardbernardgallery.com

Gallery 1.2.5
125 N. Main Street
Tue-Sat 10 - 5
Original artwork/accessories
573-335-2699

Garden Gallery
835 Broadway, Suite 100
parking in rear lot
Wed-Fri 12 - 5, Sat 12 - 4
handcrafted gifts by artisans
573-332-7123

S. Gregg Gallery
112 N. Main
Tue - Fri 10-5, Sat 10-4pm
Original Fine Arts, Fine Custom Picture Framing and Fine Art Poster Reproduction. In business since 1976.
573-334-6744

The Artist Studio
38A North Main
Saturdays 10 - 4
or by appointment
Original artwork by Judy Barks-Westrich workshops in painting, weaving, basketry, and papermaking
573-651-4464

        

Mardi Gras in Cape Girardeau?

Part 2:
We found a series of videos on the History Channel about this subject, so to save you reading time and me writing time, Click Here to watch and listen. The commercial content is all "The History Channel" and we make no money from this link, just good information.

Part 1:
No one reading this needs to be told what Mardi Gras is about, at least on the surface. Costumes, parades, music, beads and fun! Of course, New Orleans may have the largest one in the United States and Mobile probably has the longest running Mardi Gras season, but St Louis has the second largest Mardi Gras festival in the country.

Many people from around the region travel to St Louis, most spending at least one night, many two and spend a lot of money having a great time in the Soulard district and surrounding area.

I suspect there are many of those revelers, if given the choice, would come to Cape and put us on the Mardi Gras map.

Yes, I understand there are things many people would not like, such as trash, trouble makers and congestion. The question is do the positives outweigh the negatives. Numerous smaller communities around the country and even outside New Orleans, have family oriented celebrations that are well attended with minimal problems.

There would be a lot of work in coordinating all the venues, getting approval for a parade and downtown block party and more than a few volunteers, but I think it would be doable!

What do you think? Would you like to share your thoughts on the subject. Feel free to send them to us via email mail at iLuvLocalplaces dot com, on our website guestbook or Facebook fanpage where we have started a discussion for Mardi Gras.

Check back as each week for the next few we will be reviewing the history and meaning of Mardi Gras and why it would be good for the Cape area. We will also share the thoughts of others, sent to us, with their permission. You can sign up for our weekly newsletter below and have the information emailed to you, too!

laissez les bon temps rouler! & Luv Local,
  (let the good times roll)

Wes & Janet Wade

Mardi Gras at The Venue!

        

New Year's Eve is a night for celebrating the close of one year and the dawn of another. Additionally this year we are closing a decade and beginning a new 10 year segment of our lives. Janet and I spent the evening going to many of the venues hosting events this year and took pictures and video to create a New Year's Eve in Cape album to showcase what happens on one of the biggest party nights of the year.

This year the number of places holding celebrations, the number of people attending those celebrations and the level of energy apparent would make you believe we were living in the greatest of times. I was truly amazed by how many people were out, from all age groups and how everyone appeared to be having a great time.



Here is a "brief" recap of a few of the "!!" places we visited.



Ray's Plaza Conference Center with The Jerry Ford Orchestra and Bruce Zimmerman Band an amazing dinner buffet. Wanted to stay and eat but had to go,






Broussard's Cajun Cuisine kept the crowd entertained with a sound system playing 80's music.

Rude Dog Pub was packed to the walls with a lot of dancing to Tungsten Groove.





Port Cape had the Mike Renick Band with special guest, violinist Liesl. Great music, packed house and fun galore. Had a moment to capture some of Cape's greatest artist while at the Port.






At The Venue one of Cape's newest conference center, John D Hale band turned out a good crowd







We rang in the New Year with some good friends at Rhymer's on the Plaza, where the dance floor was rocking and all were having a good time.




We completed our night as the designated driver (Yes we were the sober ones!) for a few friends and fell in bed at 3:00am.

For many more pictures and several videos we took during the night visit our New Year's Eve 2010 album by Clicking Here

Again, every where we went there were crowds of people, from all ages having a wonderful time! Here's wishing we all have a great 2010!!!

Happy New Year!

Wes & Janet Wade

        

The economy would have to be the Number One issue of 2009 and many suspect it will be in the coming year as well. With the 2010 New Year now upon us and resolutions being considered, we would encourage you to make supporting local one of your top priorities! Since so much of what we do is from habit or routine, why not consider changing your shopping habits by choosing a local option. Many of you have told us how you shop exclusively with local places, many more have told us you support the idea and frequently shop local. While we have been encouraged by the feedback. please consider how you can do even more. In these difficult times community is more important than ever.

We have written several articles regarding your economic impact in choosing to spend those hard earned dollars with locally owned places.You will find the local retail, hardware/lumber companies, garden nurseries, restaurants and even grocery stores, have most of the same products and many times the price is at or below the national chains. For those times where the price is higher, remember the prior articles about how much of your money stays in the community, enhancing the quality of life for us all. As an example, simply look at the sponsors listed for your favorite local sports team, community events or projects and notice the majority of them are locally owned businesses.

Speaking from experience, the more you shop local the more you want to shop local. While getting to know the employees and owners of small business, you find out you are helping your neighbor when you shop. The relationships become a meaningful part of your trips to the store. That small town feel is still possible, no matter how large the city, when you spend your time and money in the small businesses of our community.

As a reminder, this is not an indictment of national businesses or chains, there are many wonderful options available. We are simply focusing on choices to improve our local communities. And as the 3/50 project (3/50 Project) has found, more of your dollar stays in your community when spent with a locally owned, independent business.

So, think of three locally owned establishments you would hate to do without and make it your goal to support them even more in 2010!

Wishing you the best in 2010!

Have Fun & Luv Local,

Janet Wade

        

We are publishing a weekly newsletter to give an overview of the weekend to come and highlight some of the fun things to do.

If you would like to receive this newsletter and stay in the know, please go to our website and sign up by entering your email address. Keep an eye on your junk box in case it is filtered into it and make sure you mark it as safe for the future.

Here is a link to the most recent newsletter: Click Here

Here is a link to the website iLuvLocalplaces
We have simplified the navigation links on the website too. Check it out, we think you will like it even more!

Luv Local & Have Fun,

The Management

        

iLuvLocalplaces is joining together with these great organizers to support Toys for Tots at Rude Dog Pub.

This Thursday YOU have an opportunity to truly make a difference in the life of someone less fortunate. Many families with children, especially with the current economic climate, will find Christmas season a challenge to enjoy. Buying the basics may be a struggle, and that toy not considered a necessity, may be impossible.

For the donation of only one unwrapped toy or $10 cash, you can enjoy fresh grilled food and live music by two of the area's favorite bands. The joy you receive for giving to others in need, is just a fantastic bonus!

If you do not have time to stay or prefer not to enjoy the evening festivities, you can stop by and leave a donation or toy and be on your way. You still get that feeling of satisfaction and peace from doing good to your neighbor!


Come on out and have a Great Time! 


Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Rude Dog Pug, 123 N. Main Street, Cape Girardeau, MO  Map  Web Page

Food: Fresh Grilled from 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Music: Mike Renick Band and The Intention Band    8:00pm to 1:00am

        

By:  Eric E. Dahl

I’m one of those people that is always in search of the next cool guitar so I frequent all of the Las Vegas pawn shops, music stores, Craig’s List and of course EBay.  I’m also an avid reader of several musician magazines including Vintage Guitar Magazine, Premier Guitar and Guitar Player, which help keep me current on vintage and new guitar gear. 

This all began back on September 10th when I was contacted by a pawn shop that I had bought several other guitars from in the past, about a Lucille they had for sale and wondered if I would be interested.  Being a huge fan of BB King of course I was.  On the phone they told me it was an 80th Birthday Lucille model which I had never heard of!  So I started doing research with anyone and everyone I knew that could help me out.  I found out from Gibson, that 80 of them were created for BB King’s 80th Birthday in 2006 and that they sold new for almost $10,000.  Each one was issued with a letter from BB King also and only 44 were sold in the US.  As you can imagine I was pretty hyped up.  When I got to the pawnshop I was disappointed to find that the guitar had been gigged hard, was covered in filth, had pick scratches and even some small dents from being played.  The shop would not budge on the price.  It did not have certificates and the case wasn’t the original.  I flipped the guitar over and looked at the headstock expecting to see the standard serial numbers.  To my surprise “Prototype 1” was stamped just below where the headstock should be.  I figured this was a fake or a really cool piece that had once been approved by BB King then given away to a fellow musician, friend of the family or relative. 

Of course I bought it and took it home and cleaned on it for a few hours trying to buff off the grime and scratches, oiled the fret board and put on new strings.  That is when my research really began.  I couldn’t find anything about the 80th model in my Gibson or Gruhn reference books, just a few stray articles on the web.  I contacted Walter Carter, the author of numerous guitar reference books and part of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville; he had no idea and had never seen a stamp like that on back of a guitar.  Then I contacted my Guitar Center friends here in Las Vegas and in LA, still no idea.  Even sent pictures to Wally Marx, writer for Vintage guitar and Premier Guitar, and he had no idea.  So I went back to Gibson customer service and played e-mail tag with Bob Burns for two months trying to find out if this was a prototype, if so did BB play and approve it, who built it, and how much it was worth?  I was pretty much at my wits end and was ready to give up the quest.  One day I was doing a guitar search on the web for a different guitar and found a contact with Blue Book Publications.  It ends up he’s the owner of the company, Zachary Fjestad, super nice guy and flipped him pictures of my 80th Lucille.  He sent me more information than anybody else did all the way from Minneapolis, Minnesota their corporate headquarters!  I kept bugging Gibson every week too and my contact told me that he had a guy there at the custom shop that knew something about my guitar and he was going to call me. 

Finally on November 9th I get a call from Pat Foley, he is the Gibson Artist Relations Director out of Nashville.  I assumed he was calling me up to give me some juicy details on the guitar and did he ever.  First off he asked me if I still had the guitar here in the United States, which kind of seemed odd to me since where else would I keep it?  Then I started asking him a series of questions as well.  It ends up the guitar was stolen from BB King, the beginning of summer 2009.  The guitar had been presented to BB in 2005 by Gibson for his 80th birthday present in Los Angeles.  Also this was Mr. King’s main gigging guitar for the last four years and he was so upset when it was stolen that he asked the Gibson Custom shop to make him as close a replica as possible.

Mr. King’s people and Gibson were very pleased that I did not try and sell this to a collector in Japan and that I was more than willing to return it to Mr. King the rightful owner.  In appreciation BB and his Assistant, Lavern Toney worked with Gibson to have a guitar present for our meeting on November 30th at 3pm yesterday.  Mr. King exceeded my expectations with his friendly greeting.  He kept thanking me and shaking my hand and was so happy to get his Birthday present back that was stolen from him.  I got the experience of a lifetime to meet Mr. King in person and talk to him for 45 minutes.  Plus he signed the Lucille to me, gave me some BB guitar picks to use and signed my BB King Treasures book.  He wants of a copy of our picture together to put up at his office.  I’m just happy that I was able to return a prized guitar to one of my guitar idols and inspirations so he can continue to give joy to so many other blues fans around the world!

















Eric Dahl is a former resident of Cape Girardeau, MO now living in Las Vegas and working as a Regional Promotion Supervisor and Creative Services Director for CW Las Vegas & My LVTV. Eric is also a founder of the of the popular Cape area band Van Gogh's Ear,  a guitar maestro and owner of a BB King autographed Lucille. I wonder if he will actually play this newly acquired Lucille and if the BB KIng magic will touch his fingers!

iLuvLocalplaces would like to Congratulate Eric Dahl for having such an amazing experience and thank him for doing the honorable thing by returning Mr. King's guitar. You are a great inspiration and we are thankful to have you as a friend.

As always, Luv Local and Have Fun!