1994

The Ha-Ha-Ka Sa-Pa Indian Dance Team performs at the Jackson City Park during the Jackson Jaycees' Fourth of July Celebration; the dancers are members of Boy Scout Troop 11 and Explorer Post of Jackson; other activities of the celebration include a fun run/walk, volleyball tournament, car show, craft fair and magic shows.

KELSO, Mo. -- Dozens of parishioners of the St. Augustine Catholic Church in Kelso gather for a special service, dedicating a peace pole on the church grounds; Monsignor John Westhues officiates at the ceremony, saying, "In dedicating this pole today, we are reminding ourselves and others that we want to do our best for a peaceful, loving community."

1969

Members of the American Legion again hold their annual Fourth of July picnic at Arena Park; concession stands sell out of soft drinks and beer before the fireworks display ends the festivities.

Bids will be received within 60 days for construction of a colonial style building for the Cape Federal Savings and Loan Association on the site of the former Coca-Cola Bottling building, now being razed on West Broadway; designed by a Cape Girardeau architect, the building will cover a ground area 95 by 63 feet, have a full basement and two upper floors; it will set back 50 feet from the Broadway property line.

1944

Factories, stores and offices generally are closed in keeping with the Independence Day celebration; the main holiday attraction is the annual July 4 picnic at Fairground Park, sponsored by the American Legion; picnic activities include two baseball games, a concert by the Municipal Band, speeches, a concert and variety program by the Coast Guard Band of the Ninth Naval District, and a dance on the tennis courts.

Virtually no firecrackers are heard during Cape Girardeau's third war Fourth of July; merchants had no firecrackers or other explosive "gimcracks" to sell, which makes for a relatively noiseless and safe holiday.

1919

Cape Girardeau's new municipal swimming pool is opened with hurrays and shouts of joy; Mayor H.H. Haas makes a speech telling of the generosity of the Civic Improvement Association and the Home Guard, ending with "Let's give three cheers for the ladies"; the trees fairly shake with the noise; Haas officially opens the pool by diving in at 3:30 p.m., but a crowd of kids unofficially kicked things off by piling in two hours earlier.

The Fourth of July passes safely and sanely in Cape Girardeau, with very little doing except the opening of the swimming pool and the big crowds listening to the returns of the prize fight in front of The Missourian building on Broadway; Jack Dempsey, in three bloody rounds at Toledo, Ohio, attains the world's premier fistic honors by defeating Jess Willard.

-- Sharon K. Sanders