Welcome to the twenties! They are back in full swing, and I bet your resolutions are, too. I am sure you have heard the bleak statistics: according to a study by the University of Scranton, just eight percent of people achieve their New Year’s goals. And you can be one of them. Cape Girardeau is an exceptionally supportive community. If your goal is to get healthier or live a more active lifestyle, try to check out any of the trails and parks around Cape Girardeau. Plus, there are a lot of

Benjamin Franklin said, “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.” Can you believe the new year is around the corner? If there was ever a year for reflection and looking ahead, this is the year to say you have "2020 vision." Whether you are making resolutions, reminiscing on your 2019 achievements or just celebrating another revolution around the sun, I want to wish you and yours a happy New Year. That said, there are a lot of family

The holidays will hit their peak this week and families throughout the world will celebrate the joys of giving and receiving gifts. Before new toys overwhelm their toybox, it’s also a good time for children to move on from toys that no longer hold their interest. Parents can encourage this by placing a Santa sack under your Christmas tree. On Christmas eve, children are tasked with finding old toys that are still in good condition and putting in the sack for Santa to take. Sometimes he even

My word! It looks like a certain someone has left candy canes all over Shawnee Park! While no one knows the true origins of the holiday candy, its appearance in stores and on Christmas trees has been a long-standing December tradition. Can you help locate the red-and white striped candy? Bundle up the kiddos and bring them to Friday evening., December 20 from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm to track down the candies. There will be cookies and hot chocolate for all in the search party during the Flashlight

Christmas lights have always been a go-to item! Families once decorated their real Christmas trees with candles. While festive, the flickering flames were a terrible fire hazard. Edward Hibbered Johnson, a man who helped sell Edison’s inventions, was the first to decorate a tree with light bulbs. Electricity wasn’t available in 1884 when he came up with the bright idea, so a generator was required, and a string of bulbs was $12 or about $350 by today’s standards. By 1930, colored bulbs were far

I hope you’re ready to ring in the holidays this week. Two special guests will be available for meet and greets and photos during Cape Girardeau’s Downtown Open House. Can you guess who they are? One is a season favorite who is known for rewarding well-behaved children. The other is green from head to toe and charged with stealing Christmas! Meet Santa, chat with the Grinch, catch a horse-drawn carriage ride in downtown Cape Girardeau on Friday, December 6 from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, December

First off, I would like to wish you and your Family a Happy Thanksgiving! If you’re like me, you are looking forward to a meal of roasted turkey, creamy gravy, flavorful stuffing and pumpkin pie. Of course, we wouldn’t have Thanksgiving if it wasn’t for Sarah Josepha Hale. Famous for her nursery rhyme, “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” she is one of the people responsible for making Thanksgiving a national holiday. Hale spent 17 years advocating for a nationwide holiday through letters and articles

Did you don a mask last month in honor of the spooky season? Well, a hundred or so years ago you would have been a few weeks early. Researchers report that Cape Girardeau is one of several towns that used to hold extravagant Thanksgiving Masking, which included elaborate masquerade balls. And, on Thanksgiving Day, children would run around dressed as beggars, going from door to door, pleading for garments along with masks imitating animals. Parrot masks were a favorite. With no masquerade balls

Let’s take a moment to appreciate s’mores. This simple treat combines all the textures of a great dessert: warm, gooey marshmallow; a graham cracker’s satisfying crunch; and the sweetness of a thick chocolate chunk. Did you know the first s’more recipe dates to the 1920s, where it was called a “Graham Cracker Sandwich?” It wasn’t until 1927 that a Girl Scout handbook referred to the campfire delight as “Some More” – a snack meant to feed 16 hungry scouts! To get your own authentic s’more, attend

Need some competition in your weekend? How do 32 Volleyball matches sound? The Missouri State Volleyball Tournament kicks off November 8 at 9 a.m. inside the Show Me Center where student athletes will go head to head, determined to be the next champion team. I’m not kidding, folks. These are the best of the best. You’ll see high reflexes in a display of explosive strength and endurances. Who will take home the glory? Attend both Friday and Saturday to find out. Once the volleyball excitement has