ARTWORK WILL STRETCH BETWEEN FLOOD GATES ON RIVER SIDE; GIANT MURAL WILL GRACE FLOOD WALL

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- A 320-foot-long, 14-foot-tall mural, stretching between Mississippi River floodgates located at Broadway and Themis streets, is the latest project planned by the River Heritage Mural Association.

The mural, which will be on the river side of the flood wall, will cost $16,390.

The association has a goal of doing 10 murals in 10 years.

"We have already completed two murals, including the Jim Parker mural in downtown Cape Girardeau," said Tim Blattner, a spokesman for the mural association. "We have two projects scheduled this year, including the flood wall project."

Blattner and artist Jake Wells appeared before the Cape Girardeau Convention & Visitors Bureau Advisory Board Wednesday. The meeting was held at Mr. B's Waffle & Deli.

The mural was one of two new topics discussed at the meeting.

Robert Hendrix, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, cited the need for new video tapes for tourism, convention, and industrial purposes. It was also announced at the meeting that the advisory board will hold a retreat April 10 at the Show Me Center, starting at 7:30 a.m.

"We've been planning the river wall mural for 18 months," said Blattner. "The mural will consist of a four-color design and include a variety of Cape Girardeau landmarks, including the Common Pleas Courthouse, Academic Hall, St. Vincent's Church and others."

He explained that a former Cape Girardeau artist did the design.

"Fred Lincoln attended Southeast Missouri State University here and later attended an Art Institute in Memphis, where he now lives," said Blattner.

"We're seeking funding for the project," he said. "We're hoping the Convention & Visitors Bureau can help. We'll also be requesting financing from the Downtown Merchants Association, Riverfest, and others."

Blattner said Vision 2000 was paying the cost of hiring the artist.

The mural association is hoping to start the project May 1 and have it completed in time for the annual downtown Riverfest celebration this summer.

The board tabled the request until next week. A special board meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at a site yet to be announced.

The advisory voted to seek bids on new video tapes.

"The tapes we have now are outdated," said Lyn Muzzy, bureau director. "We used a lot of slides in our present tapes and the market is changing. We need videos for conventions and tourism."

Hendrix reiterated Muzzy's remarks.

"We have three tapes now tourism, conventions and industry," said Hendrix. "We'd like to add one on the port authority and the airport. We felt that by putting five or six tapes in one package, we could get a good prices."

Hendrix reported to the advisory board that the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has voted to support the Missouri riverboat gambling bill, with the stipulation that the county-option clause be retained.

In other action at the meeting Wednesday, Muzzy reported on his recent trip to Ontario for the Canada Heartland Conference.

"There were 75 motorcoach operators present for the conference," said Muzzy. "They're interested in the Heartland area."

Convention and tourism representatives from Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky and Missouri attended the conference.

"We had 11 representatives from Missouri," he said. "The Missouri group had 60 appointments and will share the information with our networking programs."

Muzzy cited statistics that revealed that 71 percent of Canadians who travel by auto or group tours pass through one of the six states represented at the conference.

"We feel that all motorcoach tours are really picking up in this area," said Muzzy. "From January through May, we have 26 tours booked, and that's double the amount of tours booked during the same time a year ago. Many of these tours are for overnight."

Muzzy also reported on an advertisement in the 1991 Spring Travel Planner, which appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last week. "We have already had almost 200 inquiries from the ad," he said. "That's a fabulous response in a short while."

He added that numerous inquiries had been received in response to ads in Midwest Motorist, Midwest Living, Missouri Vacation Planner, and the Iron Mountain Railroad publication.