STRICTLY BUSINESS; MOTOCROSS OR GOLF, ATTORNEY LOVES THE GAME

It's been a while since Mark Johnson spent his weekends traveling to faraway places to participate in professional American Motorcycle Association (AMA) motocross races.

Today, he's still traveling a few miles to participate in sporting events, but this time around, it's on the links.

"It's a long way between motocross and golf," said Johnson recently.

But Johnson, a Cairo, Ill., attorney who also practices in Missouri at Cape Girardeau, is just as avid today about his golf game as he was in high school and college with his motocross sport.

"I love the golf game," said Johnson recently, "and I loved riding motorcycles at a younger age."

Johnson's name has been a familiar one on Southern Illinois links this summer.

He has won three events on the Southern Illinois Golf Association trail, including the annual SIGA Championship.

Earlier this month, he had rounds of 68 and 72 to win the two-day, Green Hills Amateur, with a 140, two strokes over his leading competitors.

Earlier, he had captured the Jackson Invitational tournament, and the SIGA Championship and is the SIGA point leader for the year.

This is the 75th year for the SIGA, said Johnson, who got a late start in his golfing life. "I started playing when I was 26," he said.

Johnson is looking forward to a date in September at Williamsburg, Va., for the annual "Men's State Team Championships," featuring three-man golf teams from every state.

He was selected as one of the three golfers from Illinois.

"It's a 54-hole, stroke-play event, sponsored by the U.S. Golf Association," said Johnson. "This is something I'm really looking forward to."

Before Johnson became an attorney, he was a professional motocross racing participant.

As a previous sports writer, I heard of his exploits on motocross tracks throughout the United States -- Illinois, Florida, Missouri, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee.

Johnson, who lived in McClure, Ill., as a youngster, started riding motocross motorcycles when he was 10 and was on the youth racing tour when he was 12.

He turned pro while at Shawnee High School, obtaining American Motorcycle Association pro license as a senior, making his first pro start at Ennis, Texas.

"I broke a few bones during my racing days," said Johnson.

Johnson was ranked 11th in the nation in the 125/250 class of motocross before retiring from the racing sport at age 21.

Johnson graduated from law school at age 24 and took up golf a couple years later.

"Getting a late start in golf, I had to work hard at the game to catch up," said Johnson. "I play a lot of golf. It's fun and hope I can continue to play well the rest of the summer."

Old Town Cape

John Bry, Main Street manager for the city of Columbus, Ind., will be in Cape Girardeau later this month.

Bry, a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, has studied surveys of the three main areas of Old Town Cape. Two surveys were conducted by Southeast Missouri State University and University of Illinois.

Old Town Cape is the name selected for a local Main Street program that covers a wide area of downtown Cape Girardeau. Old Town Cape has applied for membership in the National Main Street Network and the Missouri Main Street program. The group has also applied for not-for-profit designation.

The suggested program for Cape Girardeau encompasses an area from Water Street in the downtown area, along Broadway to Pacific Street and to Morgan Oak, which leads to the Mississippi River bridge.

The "square" includes the primary downtown business area, the Haarig area, upper Broadway and old St. Vincent's Seminary, the proposed river campus of Southeast Missouri State University.

Cape Girardeau is ripe to become a Main Street development, says Bry, who lived here while attending the university, graduating with a historic-preservation degree four years ago.

"You have the downtown section near the river, the Haarig area and the upper Broadway area," Bry said of Cape Girardeau. All three of the areas and the university should be included in a Main Street district under one director, he said.

Bry is enthusiastic about his work. We first met Bry during a visit to Columbus in March, sponsored by Southeast Missouri State University.

Since then, Bry has visited here a number of times, walking the three main areas concerned. He will be here Aug. 23, for a 4 p.m. meeting with Old Town Cape Inc. Steering Committee, at Dempster Hall, where he will discuss the physical needs and the potential of the three main commercial areas of Old Town Cape.

A lot has happened with Main Street Columbus, a city about the same population of Cape Girardeau.

Revitalization projects there range from the $1 million renovation of a vacant downtown theater that is under way to a lighted brick alley leading to parking areas for people shopping downtown.

Many buildings with businesses on the street level have renovated upstairs space into apartments.

The March visit to Columbus provided an opportunity for a 19-member Cape Girardeau's delegation to see Main Street in action.