RIVERFEST CELEBRATION BEGINS TONIGHT; FESTIVAL BEGAN AS DOWNTOWN FISH FRY

Riverfest, Cape Girardeau's celebration of its downtown heritage, has come a long way since it started in 1979 as a fish fry on the riverfront.

Riverfest '92 kicks off this afternoon at 3 p.m.

The "Spirit of Riverfest" riverboat arrived Thursday night at the Cape Girardeau riverfront. Cruises are being held today through Sunday.

Greg Talbut, president of the Riverfest Association, said Thursday that this year's event planning has been smooth.

In fact, planning for Riverfest '93 began June 2, Talbut said. "By June 2, we felt comfortable enough for this year to begin thinking about next year."

Highlighting this year's festival, in addition to the riverboat's return, is Dixianna, a country band, performing on the mainstage tonight at 9:30. Yesterday As The Beatles performs on the mainstage Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

Riverboat tickets are available on the riverfront. Tickets can also be purchased at the Show Me Center until 3 p.m. today.

The original Riverfest was organize to raise enough money to print 50,000 copies of the "Discover the Cape" brochure. The Tourism Council of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce was the driving force. The first Riverfest chairman was Tim Blattner.

Blattner has remained involved with the festival through its 14 years. Thursday, he was downtown preparing for the docking of the riverboat.

In 1979, the one-day celebration attracted between 22,000 and 24,000 people to an area of Water Street between Broadway and Themis. The event included performances by a number of local musicians and a fish fry and barbecue. Cooks were chamber members.

"The idea was that the Delta Queen would be in town and if we had a fish fry the same day maybe we could get enough people downtown for a party," Blattner said Thursday. "We had some arts and crafts to make it more interesting. We were very pleased, and it was a success. We made enough money for the project." Riverfest was born.

Blattner continued as chairman the second year. In 1980, Riverfest was expanded to a day and a half, with activities beginning Friday afternoon. An estimated 25,000 people attended.

1981: Pete Poe and Mary Foote were chairmen; 28,000 people attended.

1982: Pete Poe and Judy Buerkle were chairmen; attendance rose to 35,000.

1983: Brent Spaeth, Pete Poe and Dan Farrow served as chairmen, 40,000 people attended and 150 runners participated in the first Riverfest Run.

1984: Brent Spaeth was chairman, assisted by Pete Poe and Dick Robinson; attendance was 40,000.

1985: Beverly Estes, Danny Essner and Troy Strom served as chairmen; attendance was estimated at 50,000.

1986: Danny Essner, Dianne Howard and Sara Sommers served as chairmen; attendance was estimated at 45,000.

1987: Don Strohmeyer served as chairman; attendance was 42,000 to 45,000.

In September 1987, the Cape Girardeau Riverfest Association was formed, breaking the annual celebration's official tie with the Chamber of Commerce.

1988: Robert Hoppmann was chairman; attendnace was estimated at 55,000 to 60,000. The first Riverfest Queen Contest was held.

1989: Robert Hoppmann served as chairman; attendance was estimated at 65,000.

1990: Johnny Ray Conklin was chairman; attendance was estimated at 60,000.

1991: Johnny Ray Conklin served as chairman; attendance was estimated at 60,000. The Spirit of Riverfest riverboat docked for the first time.

"The important thing to remember is that coming to Riverfest has always been free," Blattner said. "We always wanted something for whole the family, and we've tried to add something different every year.

"It's been all volunteers. Nobody ever got paid. We started with about 20 committee members and now we have 60," Blattner said. "That attests to the fact that we must be having fun."