If there's one thing that can make a small town's downtown come alive, it's people. People walking, shopping, having fun.

The more programs and events we have to bring people to downtown Cape Girardeau, the better. Tunes at Twilight -- which starts back up at 6:30 p.m. today -- is one program that does just that.

Jimmy Davis starts the second series of outdoor concerts at the Common Pleas Courthouse gazebo. The first Tunes at Twilight series ended June 18. Organizers always plan a small break between the two six-concert sets in an attempt to let the heat of Southeast Missouri summer pass.

While that idea didn't really work this year -- the weather will likely be the same stifling conditions it's been all month -- the shows must go on. The second series concerts start earlier, at 6:30 p.m. to accommodate the shrinking daylight.

The concerts end at 7:30 p.m., leaving plenty of time for listeners to pack up and make their way down the courthouse steps to the restaurants and river front and breathe life into Cape Girardeau.

We could learn from Madison, Ind., where I attended a wedding recently. The parallels to Cape Girardeau were astounding: Madison overlooks a river (the Ohio); it has a state park near the city limits; it's only a few hours from a few large cities.

Madison also had dozens of people walking around the town, entering quirky art shops, eating at local restaurants. Driving through Madison's downtown, we thought it at least rivaled Cape Girardeau's population. We felt welcomed and excited to see what these people were seeing.

I looked it up. Madison has a population of about 12,000. But they apparently frequent the downtown area, making it appear vibrant and interesting -- and we should, too.

Let's get the word out. Come downtown tonight. Bring some friends.