It's a banner year for Cape Girardeau's downtown, whose merchants have installed 75 banners identifying the area as a "Historic Riverfront District."

The banners feature drawings of the Common Pleas Courthouse, a riverboat and the words "Historic Riverfront District."

The banners have been installed in the city's riverfront area and along Broadway.

Charles Hutson said the banners help provide an identity for the area, but Cape Girardeau's downtown hasn't been designated by a government as a historic district.

He said merchants wanted to identify the area for visitors. The downtown borders the Mississippi River and includes some of the city's historic structures.

"It just kind of explains the area," Hutson said.

The downtown merchants in association with the city's Historic Preservation Commission are seeking to have the area included on the National Register of Historic Business Districts.

But Hutson said the banners aren't connected to that effort and don't denote any official district.