For the first time, the river and recognizable musicians will play roles when the City of Roses Music Festival is presented downtown next month.

The revamped festival also has been expanded from two to three days and has been moved up on the calendar by two weeks in hope of catching warmer temperatures.

The headliners Sept. 28-30 will include singer Eddie Money ("Two Tickets to Paradise," "Take Me Home Tonight"), former WAR harmonica player Lee Oskar, and four members of former big-time groups who call themselves the Classic Rock All Stars. In addition to the headliners, 50 other bands and solo acts will perform at downtown stages, clubs and restaurants during the three days.

Booking name performers is in part a response to requests from past festival-goers and in part an attempt to boost attendance. The lineup should have special appeal to baby boomers.

"Having headliners was obviously a good way to try to grow the festival," says Brad Graham, one of the organizers.

Last year, attendance averaged 3,000 a night. This year, organizers are hoping for 4,000.

The new third day of the festival will offer gospel and contemporary Christian music.

Also for the first time, music will be presented at Riverfront Park inside the Mississippi River floodwall. A stage either will be set up near the edge of the river or the musicians may play on a barge, Graham said.

Another stage will be located near Grace Cafe at the corner of Themis and Spanish streets. The location of a third stage for under-21 audiences has not been settled.

Art fair Sept. 29

Also new to the festival this year is Old Town ArtsCape, a fine-art fair to be held during the day Sept. 29 on the parking lot across from Bella Italia restaurant on North Spanish Street. Painters and potters will exhibit their work, and classical musicians will perform. Bella Italia will offer food. Artist spaces are still available through the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, which can be contacted at 334-9233.

Oskar, who helped compose the WAR hits "Low Rider," "Slippin' Into Darkness" and "Cisco Kid," has his own line of harmonicas. Six autographed harmonicas will be auctioned off during the week of the festival. Two are autographed by Oskar, two by Oskar and famed harp player Charlie Musselwhite, and two by Oskar and Blues Brother Dan Aykroyd.

Boost for scholarships

Proceeds will go to the three scholarship funds established by the festival in 2000 in the names of Homer Gilbert, William Shivelbine Sr. and Eddie Keys Sr.

The Classic Rock All Stars include former Sugarloaf ("Green-eyed Lady") lead singer/keyboardist Jerry Corbetta, former Blues Image ( "Ride Captain Ride") and Iron Butterfly ( "In a Gadda Da Vida") guitarist Mike Pinera, former Rare Earth ( "Get Ready," "I'm Losing You") drummer Peter Rivera, and Dennis Noda, lead singer/bassist for Cannibal & the Headhunters ("Land of a Thousand Dances").

People who want to volunteer to work at the festival and musicians who want to perform are invited to a meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 30 at the Port Cape Girardeau Restaurant on Water Street.

Event sponsors

Major sponsors of this year's festival include the Downtown Merchants Association, the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Pyramid Group, the Zimmer Radio Group, KBSI Fox 23, the Southeast Missourian and River Eagle Distributing.

Dennis "Doc" Cain, owner of Port Cape Girardeau Restaurant, said he is especially excited about moving the festival to the riverfront.

"One of our greatest assets is that Mississippi River," he said. "Any time we can bring people together at the river it has to be good for the area. It's not only good for business, it's good for our image."

Downtown nightclubs and restaurants that will present music are Port Cape Girardeau, Jeremiah's, Broussard's, Rude Dog, Breakaways, Willy Jak's, Mudsucker's, Mollie's, the Bel Air Grill, Grace Cafe, Ragsdale's, the Copa, and In the Wine Cellar.

Ticket sales will begin Sept. 1. Admission is $10 on Sept. 28 and 29, and $5 on Sept. 30.