A pair of entries from Old Town Cape took top honors in their respective categories last week at Missouri Main Street Connection's annual Evening of Excellence awards ceremony.

Mary Jane bourbon + smokehouse was recognized in the category of "Best Facade Rehabilitation Under $10,000" and Old Town Cape itself received the "Creative New Event Award, Accredited/Associate Tier" for its Monster Mash Car Bash.

The awards ceremony took place Thursday night in a "virtual" format on Missouri Main Street Connection's Facebook platform due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ceremony honored communities, individuals, business and organizations from across the state that have completed exemplary rehabilitation work. Competitive nominations were submitted for projects, activities, and individuals in 15 categories that covered various aspects of design, economic vitality, organization, promotion and other efforts related to downtown revitalization.

Mary Jane bourbon + smokehouse

The Erlbacher Buildings in the 1100 block of Broadway were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 in recognition of their architectural significance. Constructed in 1957-1958, the nearly twin buildings are an example of the "streamline modern" style of architecture and, because of preservation efforts by past and present owners, the buildings have been well preserved and appear today much as they did in the 1950s.

Carisa Stark rehabilitated the structure at 1107 Broadway in 2019, opening Mary Jane bourbon + smokehouse there in June last year. The rehabilitation included minimal impact to the building itself, while creating maximum impact to the aesthetic of the downtown area.

The Monster Mash Car Bash, a blend of a car show and traditional "trunk-or-treat" event hosted by Old Town Cape, was held Oct. 27 in downtown Cape Girardeau.Submitted

Monster Mash Car Bash

Old Town Cape created the Monster Mash Car Bash as a family Halloween event in downtown Cape Girardeau and was a blend of a car show and traditional "trunk-or-treat" event.

The two-hour event, held on a Sunday afternoon on a modest budget, relied on connections with a local car club to draw automobile participants. It not only drew classic cars, but also attracted more than 1,000 people to the downtown area.

The event accomplished all of its objectives, including drawing foot traffic to downtown Cape Girardeau, increasing awareness of Old Town Cape, and offering a family-friendly Halloween event in the downtown area.

Jackson issues business license renewal reminder

If you own or operate a business in Jackson and haven't renewed your 2020-2021 business license, you're about a month late.

According to a news release issued last week by Jackson City Clerk/Treasurer Liza Walker, the filing deadline for the current license year that began July 1 was June 30.

"If you conduct any business within the city limits of Jackson, you are required to get a business or contractor license unless specifically exempted by state statute," the release stated.

State exemptions, according to Missouri statutes, include ministers, duly accredited Christian Science practitioners, teachers, college professors, priests, lawyers, certified public accountants, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists, physicians, surgeons and chiropodists.

In addition, the professions of insurance agent/broker, veterinarian, architect, professional engineer, land surveyor, auctioneer, and real estate broker or salesperson only require a license if a business office is maintained within Jackson's city limits.

Renewal notices and application forms have been mailed to all businesses and contractors currently licensed with the City of Jackson. Any business owner or contractor who did not receive a renewal application can download the form through the city's website, www.jacksonmo.org.

More information is availably by contacting Walker at (573) 243-3568 or emailing license@jacksonmo.org

Advisory complicates air travel from Cape to Chicago

Passengers flying out of Cape Girardeau to Chicago aboard United Express are advised the City of Chicago has added Missouri to the list of states in its emergency travel order, requiring Missourians traveling to Chicago to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival. The order went into effect Friday.

However, the order does not apply to travelers with connecting flights out of Chicago's O'Hare Airport to other locations. It also does not affect people traveling directly to a suburban municipality or other destination outside the Chicago city limits, according to information provided by the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

More information about the travel advisory may be found online at www.chicago.gov/coronavirus or by emailing airport@cityofcape.org.

For other questions related to flights to and from Cape Girardeau, contact United Airlines at (800) 864-8331 or visit www.united.com.

Chamber Notes

There's still time to register for this week's First Friday Coffee hosted by the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce. Doors open at 7 a.m. Friday at the Century Casino Event Center with the program starting at about 7:40 a.m.

This will be the first "in-person" gathering of Cape chamber members since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and a number of safety precautions will be observed.

Registration through the chamber's website, www.capechamber.com, will be limited to 100 and will close at 2 p.m. Thursday. All attendees will be required to wear masks and seating will be limited to three, socially-distanced people per table. Food will be served in a "grab-n-go" style and beverages will be dispensed by chamber ambassadors who will be masked and gloved. Hand sanitizer will be "abundantly available" for attendee use.

Sponsor announcements and the program can also be viewed live on the chamber's Facebook site.

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The Cape Girardeau chamber will host a “virtual” ribbon-cutting at 2 p.m. Friday to mark the opening of Element 74 - A Red Letter Company’s new content lab on Rust Avenue in Cape Girardeau. The event may be viewed on the chamber’s Facebook site.

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A ribbon-cutting scheduled for Friday afternoon at An Elegant Touch Travel, 309 N. Frederick St., has been canceled and will be rescheduled, according to the Cape Girardeau chamber.

Commercial building permits

The Cape Girardeau Inspection Services office issued a building permit for the installation of "customer access gates" and power poles at Walmart, 3439 William St. The project has a construction cost of $15,000, according to the permit.

Business license applications

Shah Reeza of Cape Girardeau has filed a business license application with the City of Cape Girardeau to operate Hemp Guru at 725 Broadway, a retail business selling cannabidiol (CBD) products. Hemp Guru will open next Monday, according to the license application.

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