CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - Old Town Cape, Inc. held its annual dinner on Thursday, March 26, at the Buckner-Ragsdale Event Center.
Nine awards were presented, recognizing the outstanding community members who made a significant impact on the Old Town Cape district in 2025.
“Our annual dinner is an opportunity to publicly honor and celebrate individuals and groups that have gone above and beyond to ensure that our downtown community continues to thrive. The awardees this year embody our vision for a downtown that is thriving, diverse, cultured, historic and the pulse of the community,” said executive director, Liz Haynes.
Below is a list of this year’s winners:
- Volunteer of the Year Award: This year’s winner is the Cape County Rotary Club, for their dedication in serving on committees, showing up early in the morning to help set up the market, assisting with litter cleanup, supporting event operations and more.
- Business Excellence Award: This year’s winner is Annie-Em’s At Home, which has been a valued part of our downtown community for 25 years. This business draws visitors from near and far, offering home décor, fragrances, gourmet foods and unique gifts. She previously served on the Old Town Cape Board of Directors and continues to stay actively involved.
- Adaptive Reuse Awards: This year’s first winner, the Broadway Theatre, demonstrated the best in preservation practice through a project that turned a large, vacant property into an active, vibrant contributor to Cape Girardeau’s downtown scene. Originally built in 1921 as a Vaudeville and movie house, the property became neglected and eventually sat vacant for more than two decades. The property has been brought back to life as a mixed-use development, with thriving retail and residential uses. This year’s second winner, the Esquire Theater, demonstrated adaptive reuse through similar means as the Broadway Theatre. Originally built in 1947 as an Art Deco movie house, it was the last of the big movie houses downtown to close, sitting vacant for decades. However, the marquee has since been restored, and the building houses several loft offices and retail spaces, providing a bright and welcoming presence.
- Excellence in Revitalization through Placemaking Award: This year’s winner is Steve Watkins, for creating a sign for the Broadway Theatre, a new construction modeled after the historic blade sign that once adorned the building. He also designed a second replica historic sign, this one for the Esquire Theater across the street.
- Excellence in Preservation: This year’s winner is Mary Ann and Bert Kellerman for the City Hall Building, for building preservation, adaptive use, out-of-the-box thinking and cultural heritage preservation. Constructed in 1937 and designed by renowned architect William B. Ittner as an elementary school, the building also served as Cape Girardeau’s City Hall from 1978 to 2022. Instead of becoming another neglected and vacant building, these recipients stepped up not only to save this important historic building, but to transform it into a cultural center with museum exhibits, preservation-themed events, concerts and more.
- Special Recognition Award: This year’s winner is Bailee O’Neal, for their work as an active member of our Promotions Committee and creative expertise. They design graphics for Old Town Cape merchandise, regularly volunteer at events, develop digital campaigns, assist with a wide range of behind-the-scenes efforts and more.
- Outstanding Mission Support Award: This year’s winner is Randi Dirnberger, for her involvement in the downtown community for more than a decade, serving as both a volunteer and committee member. She has contributed six years of service on the Old Town Cape Board of Directors. Alongside her husband, she owns three downtown businesses and is also a former downtown resident.
- Charles L. Hutson Visionary Award: This year’s winner is Danny Essner, for being a visionary leader and a person of action. He stepped forward to restore deteriorating downtown murals--raising the necessary funds, identifying the right artist and managing the project from start to finish. He also secured funding and coordinated contractors to provide the proper lighting to showcase Cape’s murals.
According to the organization, the district saw 22 new businesses, 89 new jobs and more than $71,000 awarded in grants to Old Town Cape in 2025.
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