2020's first First Friday coming up next week

The Children's Art Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary Friday, Feb. 7, at First Friday, Southeast Missouri Arts Council director Sara Steffens said.

"Originally, it was just us partnering with public schools in Cape Girardeau, and it grew throughout our region," Steffens said.

Arts education is important: it has been proven to improve test scores and keep students in school longer, Steffens said, and arts experience can help in career advancement later on.

The festival is a juried show, she said, and some of the works are chosen to hang in the Cape Girardeau City Council office for a year.

Some pieces go on to Jefferson City to hang in the Capitol, she added.

"It's one of my most favorite events," Steffens said of the festival. "Probably 1,200 people are through the door on Friday. The gallery walls look like wallpaper."

This event is a lot of fun, Steffens said. "It's a great way to showcase local art teachers and what students are doing in the classroom," Steffens said.

Also underway that night is the cookie spree -- a fun tie-in for Valentine's Day, Steffens said, with participating businesses and galleries offering cookies for visitors.

Participants can pick up a stamp card at the Arts Council, Steffens said, and with 7 stamps, the card can be redeemed for a free small coffee or a 40% discount on any purchase through mid-February at Catapult Creative House, 612 Broadway in Cape Girardeau.

Participating businesses, galleries and museums include Annie Laurie's, Atelier, eDen Salon and Spa, Ebb & Flow Fermentations, The Glenn House, The Indie House, The Library, Minglewood Brewery, The Room Hair Design, Sugar Chic, Yoga East, Catapult Creative House, Discovery Playhouse, Gallery at eDen, Gallery of Inspiration, Jeannie Eddleman Studio, Painted Wren Gallery, River Campus Art Gallery, Crisp Museum.

The Arts Council Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 10 to 2 Saturday, at 16B N. Spanish St. in Cape Girardeau, with extended hours for First Friday.

Sensory Saturday at the Nature Center

Discover more about Missouri's winter wildlife and how they survive winter temperatures through several sensory-friendly, child-directed activities. Participants are encouraged to come and go as they please. The program is geared toward families and children with special needs, including sensory processing needs, but all are welcome. The event will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Conservation Nature Center, 2289 County Park Drive in Cape Girardeau. No registration is required for this all-ages, free event.

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

Ritter performs on Nashville TV show

Cape Girardeau native Jessie Ritter recently appeared on a Nashville, Tennessee, television show, "Song Suffragettes," and performend a new song called "Momma's Man," she recently shared with the Southeast Missourian.

Ritter said the show is a weekly showcase of female country songwriters, held at the Listening Room Cafe in Nashville.

"We're making a point that people want to hear women in country music, even though they are highly underrepresented on country radio airwaves," Ritter said.

"Momma's Man," written with Mark Addison Chandler and Davis Corley, deals with the humility it must take to be the second person someone loves, for whatever reason that may be. "We penned this for anyone who has a stepparent in their lives and the stepparents who so graciously love our families," Ritter said.

Video: youtu.be/0_8o5uDenPc