YOU CAN HELP WITH CAPE GIRARDEAU'S TIME CAPSULE

The YELL Foundation is encouraging area residents to include a piece of their own personal history in the upcoming Millennium time capsule project.

Individuals, families or businesses are encouraged to submit photographs to the Southeast Missourian that will be included in a special Millennium section. There is no charge to participate.

YELL promotes literacy grants to schools and programs throughout the region. It also funds the highly successful Newspaper in Education program. YELL has been sponsored by the Southeast Missourian and the Area Wide United Way since 1991. Last year, a new non-for-profit foundation with a community board organized to direct YELL literacy efforts year round.

The major fund raiser is YELL Day sponsored each September. Street hawkers sell 10,000 special newspapers filled with unique sections and prizes.

This year's YELL Day theme will be the Millennium, including the photograph-filled section, which will be sold on street corners Sept. 14. It will also be included in a time capsule that will be buried during a ceremony at the SEMO District Fair that same evening.

Photographs can be dropped off at the main Southeast Missourian office, 301 Broadway, during normal business hours or mailed to: Millennium Time Capsule, c/o Southeast Missourian, Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO, 63701.

Black and white or color photographs will be accepted Monday through Aug. 22.

If mailed, photographs should also include the sender's address and phone number. All submissions will be returned.

What kinds of photographs can be sent in? Anything from school pictures to family portraits, from informal moments of everyday life to historic family photographs.

Identifying information should accompany the photograph such as names of individuals and some description of the activity.

This photograph-filled section will be one of three included in the annual YELL Day promotion. Other sections will feature short essays by area third graders on their prediction of life in the 21st century and other Millennium activities and trivia.

The time capsule will be buried at Arena Park as part of the SEMO District Fair festivities. It will be entombed near the Arena Building's cornerstone until it is opened sometime in the next century.

Fairgoers will be encouraged to sign a scroll at the fair on Sunday, Sept. 12, and Monday, Sept. 13 to be included in the time capsule. A brief ceremony will be conducted on the evening of Sept. 14 as the time capsule is buried.