A ghost of a chance for Friday the 13th fun, and more ahead

Triskaidekaphobia, or fear of the number 13, has been around for centuries, said Christy Mershon, interim director of the Economic and Business Engagement Center at Southeast Missouri State University.

Friday is an unlucky day, too.

So why not have a ghost tour or two on Friday the 13th?

Mershon has been leading these ghost tours, or haunted walking tours, in Cape Girardeau for more than a decade, she said.

"When people think of Cape Girardeau, they think 'old town,'" Mershon said -- perfect for the spooky fun of leading a group through eerie spaces under the moon.

That, and the history at the heart of every community, is what keeps Mershon leading these tours.

Mershon said the tours were born out of a convergence of two seemingly unrelated phenomena: an aging out of core volunteers who were undertaking Cape Girardeau's historic preservation efforts, and shows such as "Ghost Hunters" that helped spur haunted tours of major cities, such as Boston and New Orleans.

"They're haunted history tours," Mershon said of the televised programs. "I saw that I could get more people to come to spaces if it was about a haunted tour."

That, and it's a sneaky history lesson, she added, laughing.

Mershon is also interim director of the university's Continuing Education program and involved with Cape Girardeau's Glenn House historic site, and continually seeks ways to engage people.

It's part of the university's core mission of bringing the region's history into the present day in a meaningful way, she noted.

Haunted tours are a great way to draw people in who might not otherwise visit a space.

"I'm not a historian," Mershon said, although she does have a minor in historic preservation, but she loves emails she'll get sometimes after a tour when a participant finds something she got wrong.

"It's great," she said. "Now these people have a care for a building, a family, history that they didn't know about before."

Mershon said she's seeing more people interested in holding weddings at historic sites, too.

There are more ways to interact with historic sites than being led by a docent knowledgeable in architecture styles and furniture trends throughout different historic periods, Mershon said.

And ghost stories are appealing. "It goes back to the bardic tradition, storytelling around a fire," Mershon said. "I think we tend to lose that in adulthood."

Mershon said the tours generally last around two hours, and originally, she'd planned to speak for the entire time. But, she discovered, people on the tour often want to share their own bits of family history.

"It's like a little confessional," Mershon said, with people queueing up to tell stories, some funny, some outrageous, all folkloric.

Mershon said she's fascinated by some of the common threads she sees in these stories, both that she hears from people and that she picks up in her research.

Bad luck, the number 13, and Fridays are just a few of the recurring themes, she said.

Biblically, the 13th apostle was Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus to the Romans, she said.

Going back even further, the Code of Hammurabi, a list of laws dating back to about 1700 B.C., skipped the 13th law, going from 12 to 14 -- just as many high-rise buildings do when numbering floors.

Borrowing from that long history for a ghost tour of downtown Cape Girardeau felt like a natural step, Mershon said.

Also, she said, "Seriously, it's just fun."

Friday's tour will meet at Boardman Pavilion, in the parking lot in front of Art Van Furniture, at 7:30 p.m., Mershon said.

To register, call (583) 986-6979 or visit engage.semo.edu for online registration.

Only one session is scheduled, but a second could be added for overflow if needed, Mershon said.

Ready to roll

Chaffee Drive-In is open for the season as of Monday, March 2, according to the company's Facebook page.

They'll be open until late September.

Find them at 200 S. Main St. in Chaffee, Missouri.

World Day of Prayer celebration

Today is World Day of Prayer, a worldwide ecumentical celebration of Christian women, coming together to observe a common day of prayer and action.

One celebration will be observed today at 12:30 p.m. at New McKendree United Methodist Church, 225 S. High St. in Jackson.

First Friday

Tonight is also the First Friday celebration in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Several galleries, shops and restaurants will hold special events tonight, including "Interpretations: Dad and Daughter" at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, 16 N. Spanish St. in Cape Girardeau. Artists Dave Walker and Hannah Smith's show will demonstrate how a father and daughter, different generations, different media, can interpret each other's art. That show opens at 5 p.m. tonight.

Also at the Arts Council, two artists' work will be shown together in "Two Artists / Two Paths Exibition" in the micro galleries -- and two receptions will be held. Tonight, from 5 to 9 p.m., will be Ruth Andre's reception, and from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Caroline Thompson will be honored.

Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served at both receptions.

Morels 101

The Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center will hold a free, all-ages, no registration required presentation on morel mushrooms and other beginner-friendly fungi. The program is from 6:30 to 7:30 tonight at the Nature Center, 2289 County Park Drive in Cape Girardeau. In-depth information on where to find the mushrooms, how to safely identify them, and more will be covered. Morel season is just weeks away, and this is a great opportunity to learn a new skill about a delicious treat.

More info: www.mdc.mo.gov/southeastevents, (573) 290-5218

Cousin Carl gives a thumbs-up from his tractor before the start of the tractor parade at the Cousin Carl Farm Show on March 10, 2018, at Arena Park in Cape Girardeau. This year's show is set Saturday. See Page 3A for information.Southeast Missourian file

Cousin Carl Farm Show this weekend

Radio personality Cousin Carl may have retired, but his namesake farm show is on for this weekend -- today from 10 to 6, Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Arena Park. Free admission. Ag vendors, a farm toy show, a parade, food, and two tractor pulls are all on offer.

I talked with David Powers, president of the Egypt Mills Antique Tractor Club and owner of Powers Electric, about the tractor pulls.

At 9 a.m. Saturday, the lawn and garden tractor pull will see participants from four states, including Indiana, Powers said.

Then, at 1 p.m. Saturday, the antique tractor pull for tractors 1959 and older will take place.

Of the farm show, Powers said, "I like that we can see our local businesses, and we're not seeing the big box stores necessarily. We have a lot of farm-owned businesses."

This is the tractor club's 40th anniversary, Powers said, and they have a few events lined up for this year, including a celebration in June and another in August.

"We've been really growing the last five years or so," Powers said.