Community Calendar

Special Olympics Missouri will host a Polar Bear Strut 5k Glow Run and 1-Mile Walk on December 12.

This “unbearable” event is an opportunity to support local Special Olympics athletes by strutting your stuff in the early winter chill. Attendees will enjoy the Holiday of Lights display, visit with Santa, meet Shiver the Bear, and more. All proceeds benefit Special Olympics.

The Polar Bear Strut will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, December 12, at Cape County Park South.

Sign up at plungemo.org
5k entry fee includes long-sleeve t-shirt
Before Nov. 21 - $30
Nov. 21-Dec. 11 - $35
Day of Event - $40

(1) Polar Strut 5K & Fun Run for Southeast Area Special Olympics | Facebook

The Grinch is coming to Cape Girardeau! Join the big green mean one at FRESH Healthy Cafe (1707 N. Kingshighway St, Suite 109) on Saturday, Dec. 13 from 11am-2pm. Enjoy photo opps, arts and crafts, and hot cocoa for a festive day of fun for all ages. And don't forget: all month long, kids dine free at FRESH with the purchase of an entree!

The Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve will host its third annual Holiday House Tour on Saturday, December 13, from 3-6 p.m.

Ticket holders will tour seven unique homes decorated for the holiday season. Guests will begin their self-guided tour at the Foundation-maintained Guibourd-Vallé House at 1 North Fourth Street. Admission to tour the house and view the unique Norman Truss construction in the attic is included with ticket purchase.

Shortly before the tour, Foundation members gather at the house to create decorations out of pine, boxwood cuttings, magnolia and other natural materials. From there, guests will make their way to the other stops–five private residences and one bed and breakfast–all festively decorated for the season.

This event is not recommended for small children.

Cape Girardeau is an official venue for the Tesla 2025 Worldwide Christmas Light Show.

Join us on Saturday, December 13, from 4-6 p.m. for our Worldwide Tesla Light Show event, where we will be gathering together as a global community to put on a spectacular Christmas-themed Tesla Light Show. A custom light show will be provided to Tesla owners.

The family-friendly event is FREE and will take place at Vasterling Suites on the corner of Broadway and N. Fountain in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Check out a video of Tesla's 2024 Christmas Light Show here.

Join us for a discussion of “The Twelve Topsy-Turvy Very Messy Days of Christmas” by James Patterson and Tad Safran.

The group meets at the Main Branch in Jackson.

For ages 18+.

Perry County Heritage Tourism will once again hold its annual Christmas Country Church Tour.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, this free, self-guided tour allows you to create your own unique trip among 40 rural churches scattered about the countryside of Perry, Cape, Bollinger, and Ste. Genevieve counties. All churches - from one-room buildings to brick-and-mortar masterpieces - will be decorated for the holiday season.

The 2025 Christmas Country Church Tour will take place Thursday and Friday, December 18 and 19 from 1 - 8 p.m. both days. 

For more information, visit the Christmas Country Church Tour Facebook page.

Participating Churches:

Bollinger County
Crossroads United Methodist Church (Sedgewickville) - BCR 200, off Highway KK, Perryville, Mo.
Sargent’s Chapel Lutheran Church - 16067 BCR 256, Sedgewickville, Mo.
Whitewater Presbyterian Church - 34672 BCR 234, Sedgewickville, Mo.

Cape Girardeau County
Trinity Lutheran Church (Egypt Mills) - 5665 County Road 635, Cape Girardeau, Mo.
New Salem United Methodist Church - 650 State Highway AA, Daisy, Mo.
Trinity Lutheran Church - 3700 County Road 415, Friedheim, Mo.
Old McKendree Chapel - 4080 Bainbridge Rd., Jackson, Mo.
Immanuel Evangelical Church - 304 County Road 516, New Wells, Mo.
Caney Fork Baptist Church - 3580 County Road 472, Oak Ridge, Mo.
First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge - 4154 State Highway E, Oak Ridge, Mo.
Apple Creek Presbyterian Church - County Road 530 & 543, Pocahontas, Mo.
St. John’s Lutheran Church - 158 Little St., Pocahontas, Mo.
Zion Lutheran Church - 264 Main St., Pocahontas, Mo.
Trinity Lutheran Church - 175 Shawneetown Rd., Shawneetown, Mo.

Perry County
Immanuel Lutheran Church - 8234 Main St., Altenburg, Mo.
Lutheran Heritage Center & Log Cabin College - 75 Church St., Altenburg, Mo.
Trinity Lutheran Church - 57 Church St., Altenburg, Mo.
Brazeau Presbyterian Church - 106 Church Ln., Brazeau, Mo.
Concordia Lutheran Church - 10172 Highway C, Frohna, Mo.
Saxon Lutheran Memorial - 296 Saxon Memorial Dr., Frohna, Mo.
Bethlehem Baptist Church (Crosstown) - 160 PCR 350, Perryville, Mo.
Christ the Savior Catholic Church (Brewer) - 55 Shady Ln., Perryville, Mo.
First Presbyterian Church - 6 E. Ste. Marie St., Perryville, Mo.
Hill of Peace Friedenberg Church - 510 PCR 304, Perryville, Mo.
Lithium Baptist Church - 130 Blue Springs Ln., Perryville, Mo.
National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal - 1805 W. St. Joseph St., Perryville, Mo.
Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church (Sereno) - 172 PCR 920, Perryville, Mo.
Pleasant Grove Baptist Church (Crosstown) - 2888 PCR 314, Perryville, Mo.
St. James Catholic Church (Crosstown) - 21694 Highway C, Perryville, Mo.
St. Joseph Catholic Church (Apple Creek) - 138 St. Joseph St., Perryville, Mo.
St. Joseph Catholic Church (Highland) - 2640 Highway K, Perryville, Mo.
St. Marcus Catholic Church (Biehle) - 10198 Highway B, Perryville, Mo.
St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church (Silver Lake) - 10138 Highway T, Perryville, Mo.
Salem Lutheran Church (Farrar) - 287 PCR 328, Perryville, Mo.
Zion Lutheran Church - 6483 S. Highway 61, Perryville, Mo.
Zion Lutheran Church (Crosstown) - 21202 Highway C, Perryville, Mo.
Grace Lutheran Church - 53 Grace Ln., Uniontown, Mo.

Ste. Genevieve County
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church - 481 Immaculate Conception Dr., St. Mary’s, Mo.
Holy Cross Lutheran Church Ste. Genevieve - 200 Market St., Ste. Genevieve, Mo.

There will also be a church in KasKaskia, Illinois. The Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is located at 207 First St.

Celebrate the season with Cape Ballroom at our Winter Wonderland dance on Friday, December 19, from 7:00-9:00pm. Doors open at 6:45pm. The evening begins with a 30-minute lesson on Rumba, followed by dancing to winter-themed songs from a variety of genres. Line dances included.

Admission: $5.00 per person, at the door, cash only. No large bills over $20, please.

No smoking. No alcohol. You may bring your own snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.

Cape Ballroom Friday Night Dances are held at the American Legion Hall, 2731 Thomas Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701.

Questions? Facebook message, text/call 480-857-7286, or email dan@capeballroom.com.

www.capeballroom.com

The Big Muddy Brass Quintet will present a Christmas Brass & Organ Concert on December 20.

The concert will feature traditional holiday favorites for brass and organ, including "O Come All Ye Faithful," "Lo How a Rose," "O Holy Night," "The First Nowell," and more.

The free concert will take place on Saturday, December 20, at 7:00 p.m. at Old St. Vincent’s Church in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Join us for a discussion of “The Twelve Topsy-Turvy Very Messy Days of Christmas” by James Patterson and Tad Safran.

Program for ages 18+.

To receive a Zoom invitation, contact Eunice at 573-243-8141 or eschlichting@rrlmo.org

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.