Cobden hosts Mexican cultural festival

COBDEN, IL (KRCU) - The smell of pozole, tamales and mole filled the air in downtown Cobden while Mexican musicians performed traditional music called pirecuas on stage.

The Purepecha Cultural Festival celebrates the culture and heritage of the Purepecha indigenous people that live in Michoacan, Mexico. Many Purepecha have settled in Cobden over the last thirty years.

Josue Corral is the guitarist and singer for Pinde Kuechua, a traditional band from Michoacan who made a trip to the United States to play at Cobden.

"We’re very happy to be here," Corral says in Spanish. "Especially because the music we play is not commercial. It’s music that has been with us for many generation. Traditional music. It’s a genre from our culture, and we take great pleasure in sharing it in other places."

Gang violence has erupted in and around Michoacan. Organizer Pedro Tomas says the festival is way for Purepecha to connect to traditions at a time when travel Mexico is virtually cut off.

"People stopped travelling," Tomas says. "Nobody is going back. It’s almost like, we want to go, but we don’t know. We don’t know. We’re here. We have videos. We have articles all that, but we don’t know because we haven’t been there. And what they are saying, don’t put yourself at risk until things go back to normal … when is that going to be? We don’t know."

Vendors from St. Louis and Breese, Illinois sold food and artisanry. Purepecha from St. Louis, Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana all attended the festival.

It is the second year Cobden has hosted a Purepecha festival.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

Read More

Nice and cool at Cape Splash; not so much at Farmers Market

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - Temperatures peaked in the upper 90’s Thursday and the heat index value soared to 105. That left a lot of people looking for a way to beat the heat.

A popular place to stay cool is Cape Splash. Tyler Propst is a concession manager there. He says weekdays have been much busier at the water park since temperatures spiked into the upper 90's, and people stay right up until 7:00 when the park closes.

"The only thing we've really done differently now is set up soaker hoses on the concrete to the cool people's feet off so people aren't getting blisters and stuff while walking down from the slide or the lazy river to the splash pad and stuff," Propst said.

Wendy Rieger has become a regular at Cape Splash. She has taken her two sons, Jackson and Griffin, to the water each day this week.

"It seems like it would be too hot to come, but it's actually pretty nice," Rieger said. "When you get out here and the wind is blowing and you can get in the shade and get in the water, it's actually quite nice."

Seven-year old Jackson Rieger doesn't seem to be bothered by the heat. He and his five-year old brother Griffin has been keeping cool and enjoying the summer.

"If we don't go to the water park, we usually go somewhere inside. Like maybe we stay at home. Or sometimes we might go to Le Bounce," Jackson said.

"Sometimes since it's the summer, we get to play Wii more at our house, too," according to Griffin.

It's less cool at Cape Girardeau's Farmers Market at Town Plaza on Independence Street. Vendors can bring their own shade in the form of canopies, but the parking lot still absorbs the sun's blistering heat.

But all-in-all, the heat done didn't scare shoppers away from the weekly market, according to Jeanne Brumleve from Cobden. She keeps busy selling her peaches, tomatoes, green beans, cantaloupes, and other fruits and vegetables. Brumleve says that the key to beating the heat is planning ahead.

"A lot of it is you pick early in the morning. As early as you can just so you can get out of the brunt of the summer noon-time heat. And try to stay hydrated, yourself and the vegetables and fruits," she said.

During hot times, Brumeleve says that customers tend to come earlier so they can get their chores done and head back home.

Today isn't going to bring any change. The scorching heat will continue as high temperatures reach 97 degrees and the heat index blasts off to 107.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

Read More