Community Calendar

Enjoy the serenity of a winter night with the Missouri Department of Conservation during a Winter Candlelit Walk on December 26.

Cottonwood Trail will be lit by luminaries, offering a new perspective of the forest. After your stroll, enjoy a warm fire and some hot chocolate or cider. Due to gravel and the uneven nature of the trail, strollers and wheelchairs are not recommended.

The Winter Candlelit Walk will take place Friday, December 26, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Nature Center.

*This program is weather dependent and in the event of inclement weather or icy trail conditions, the trail walk will be cancelled.

Need help recovering from recent storms, flooding or tornadoes in Missouri? Come to this free presentation to learn about disaster assistance resources that may be available to you.

This event is presented by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience and is intended for businesses, renters, homeowners, and nonprofits.

No registration required. Ages 18+.

The Kellerman Foundation will host “Inventing Immigration Crisis in 19th Century Missouri” on January 4.

This second program in the U.S. Semiquincentennial series will feature historian Dr. Luke Ritter in an exploration of how 19th century Missourians “invented” an immigration crisis long before modern debates over the border. Drawing on newspapers, political rhetoric, and community reports, Dr. Ritter will examine how anxieties around immigrant communities were shaped, amplified, and used to advance cultural and political agendas.

The Kellerman Foundation proudly welcomes Dr. Luke Ritter, Ph.D. as part of our ongoing Speaker Series in preparation for America’s 250th celebration of freedom. His presentation, Inventing Immigration Crisis in 19th-Century Missouri, continues our commitment to meaningful historical reflection ahead of the nation’s 2026 Semiquincentennial.

Dr. Luke Ritter is Assistant Professor of American History at St. Louis Community College – Forest Park. He is the author of Inventing America’s First Immigration Crisis: Political Nativism in the Antebellum West (Fordham, 2021) and the editor of American Conspiracism: An Interdisciplinary Exploration (Routledge, 2024).

This program is made possible through The Kellerman Foundation’s grant award from the Missouri Humanities Council, titled From Colonies to Cape Girardeau: 250 Years of Independence, a contribution to Celebration 250 Missouri.

“Inventing Immigration Crisis” will take place on Sunday, January 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Kellerman-Lorimer Hall in Cape Girardeau.

Riverside Regional Library will host a New Year Vision Board event on January 5. Ring in the New Year by making a collage of what you want your 2026 to look like!

For ages 18+ at the Main Branch, Jackson.

A New Year – a new day and time!! Come to learn, play, or teach others at the Main Branch, Jackson. Adults are welcome but this club is primarily for youth ages 6-17. The chess club meets weekly on Thursdays at 3:30 p.m.

Riverside Regional Library in Jackson will host a Book Swap on January 8 from 4-5 p.m. Discover your next favorite read! Bring a book from home and trade it in for something new.

For ages 18+ at the Main Branch, Jackson.

The Missouri Department of Conservation will host a  Maple Syrup Discovery Station on January 10.

As part of the MDC Historic & Primitive Skills series, community members will see some of the equipment involved in making maple syrup and learn about the process—from selecting the correct tree to tapping, storing sap, and cooking it down to syrup. Staff will be present to answer questions from 1-3 p.m.

The Maple Syrup Discovery Station will take place on Saturday, January 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Nature Center.

The Crisp Museum will host a Basket Making Class on January 13.

The one-day class will be led by Laura Klaus, who has over 30 years’ experience as a weaver. Attendees will make a large woven reed basket with handles. There is a fee to attend. Please register by January 9.

The basket making class will take place on Tuesday, January 13, from 8:30 - 3:30 p.m. at the Crisp Museum on Southeast’s River Campus. 

KRCU is partnering with the Cape Girardeau Public Library and the American Red Cross for a blood drive on January 13.

Every two seconds, someone needs a blood transfusion. You can do your part for our community by giving blood at our American Red Cross Blood Drive. If you are healthy and eligible to donate, please join us and give the gift of life.

The blood drive will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, January 13, at the Cape Girardeau Public Library.

To sign up, visit Schedule a Blood, Platelet or Plasma Donation | American Red Cross or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

A New Year – a new day and time!! Come to learn, play, or teach others at the Main Branch, Jackson. Adults are welcome but this club is primarily for youth ages 6-17. The chess club meets weekly on Thursdays at 3:30 p.m.