Crowds Brave the Heat to Support Riverfront Market in Cape Girardeau

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) — Despite warm summer temperatures, the Cape Girardeau community showed up in full force Saturday morning to support local vendors at the city’s Riverfront Market.

“It is a very warm one here today,” said Liz Haynes, executive director of Old Town Cape. “But we have had an amazing turnout. We’ve already had some of our vendors that have sold out. So it’s really, really exciting to see the community coming out and supporting the livelihood of these vendors.”

Several tents lined up downtown Cape Girardeau as shoppers looked through local produce, handmade goods and unique items, many cooling off with lemonade, water, or taking in some shady spots.

“We have plenty of things to keep people cool,” Haynes said. “We’ve got the lemonade booth, lots of drinks throughout, and people are pulling their chairs into the shade. We’ve got the live music going and tons and tons of booths.”

Saturday’s event also featured the “Wine Your Way” festival, where wineries from across Missouri offered tastings and bottles for sale.

“We’re really excited about that,” Haynes said. “It adds something special to an already great experience.”

For shopper Alex Million, the refreshments and experience made braving the heat worthwhile.

“The lemonade and the wine, I’m not going to lie,” Million said. “There’s some good donuts, some good people, good music.”

Million, like many others, was impressed by the turnout.

“There’s still a lot of people here considering how hot it is,” he said. “They support their community, and they care. They show up for each other.”

Haynes praised the vendors for their preparation and resilience under the summer sun.

“They’re amazingly resilient,” she said. “They’re bringing their waters and staying prepared, and they’ve been really excited to see the community coming out today. I know there’s been a lot of good sales, a lot of positive sales.”

The Riverfront Market continues throughout the summer on Saturday mornings in downtown Cape Girardeau.