Public Safety Director's Spotlight - Neighborhood Activities

There are many exciting events scheduled for the last days of August and the Labor Day weekend, let's get right to them. Listed below are just a few of the events that are coming up in St. Louis. I encourage you to take advantage of all that our great City neighborhoods have to offer. Also, if you haven't visited the City's new website stlouis-mo.gov ( http://stlouis-mo.gov/ ), I encourage you to do so. On our home page you will find a link to the Calendar of Events. Please feel free to see what activities are coming up and to submit an event that your organization will be holding. The listing is free. See you in the neighborhood!

 

Artopia

2011 is the fourth consecutive year for this evening event dedicated to the local thriving art scene. However, what's new this year is Artopia has a new home at 2720 Cherokee Street in the Gravois Park neighborhood and the up-and-coming art district of Cherokee Street. Guests will experience art in the form of live art, performances, a fashion show, music and more. Artopia will run from 7 – 10 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit www.riverfronttimes.com/artopia/ .

 

Breakfast for Bikers

Do you enjoy riding your bicycle to work Downtown? If so, then you need to know about Trailnet's Breakfast for Bikers series that will run through October. On the last Friday of every month, break for coffee with fellow bikers at the Downtown Bicycle Station, 1011 Locust Street, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. On the last Wednesday of every month, the event takes place in the Central West End neighborhood at Health Literary Missouri, 325 N. Euclid Avenue. Follow Trailnet on Facebook or Twitter for weather cancellations. Make plans for either Friday, Aug. 26 or Wednesday, Aug. 31

 

St. Louis Bluesweek

Our hometown's annual celebration of St. Louis Blues Artists will kick off with the St. Louis Bluesweek Festival on Friday, Aug. 26 and Saturday, Aug. 27. The Festival, featuring outdoor concerts, will take place on Washington Avenue at 6^th Street in Downtown St. Louis. Hours: 6 – 11 p.m. on Friday and 2 – 11 p.m. on Saturday. The 10-day Blues music festival will also include panel discussions, workshops, two nights of the "Soulard Blues Cruise" and more. For a complete schedule of St. Louis Bluesweek events, visit http://www.stlbluesweek.com/ .

 

Movie Nights

Do you love watching movies outdoors under the stars? The 17^th Ward is sponsoring "Up: BotanicalHeights Summer Movie Night" on Friday, Aug. 26 starting at 8 p.m., at Blaine and Thurman. Invite your neighbors, bring lawn chairs and enjoy a great movie.

 

"Meet Me in St. Louis: Central West End Summer Movie Night" is scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1 at the Boyle-Laclede Community Garden.

 

Twilight Under the Train Shed, featuring the movie "ET," will be on Friday, Sept. 2 at Union Station starting at 8:30 p.m.

 

Race for a Child

Gene Slay's Boys' Club of St. Louis in the historic Soulard neighborhood will be holding its annual Race for a Child 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, August 27. The 5K Run/Walk will step off at 9 a.m. from the Club at 2524 S. 11^th Street (corner of 11^th and Sidney). The Kid's ½ mile race will begin at 10 a.m. Race Day entry fee is $25. All proceeds will benefit children. For all the details, call Larry Liszewski at (314) 302-9470.

 

Festival of Nations

Tower Grove Park at Grand and Arsenal is the place to be for our region's premier multicultural celebration, the Festival of Nations on Saturday, Aug. 27 and Sunday, Aug. 28. The Festival will feature more than 40 ethnic food booths, non-stop dance and music, arts and crafts, and an international bazaar with unique gifts from around the world. Admission is free. Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit http://www.festivalofnationsstl.org/ .

 

LouFest

Are you going to join with the thousands of music fans from the across the country who will descend on St. Louis for the 2^nd Annual LouFest Music Festival in Forest Park, Central Field on Saturday, Aug. 27 and Sunday, Aug. 28? The all-ages event will feature 18 national and local bands on two stages, great food, cool retail, and a greening effort that includes recycling, composting, free valet bike parking, and a refillable water station. Activities also include the Kids Village, filled with music, magic, kid-friendly food, a rock climbing wall and more. For ticket information, visit http://www.loufest.com/ .

 

BentonPark West Neighborhood Yard Sale

The 2011 Benton Park West Neighborhood Association Yard Sale is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 27 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Five Star Senior Center, 2832 Arsenal. You'll find great deals on household appliances, books, Christmas/holiday merchandise, clothes, computer items, electronics, furniture, TVs, and much more. All proceeds will support the many activities for residents such as: National Night Out activities, Community Building activities, monthly newsletters, BPW community gardens, etc. For more information, contact (314) 771-0803. 

 

Gateway Arch Riverfront Corvette Show

The 2^nd Annual Gateway Arch Riverfront Corvette Show is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 27 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Laclede's Landing, 707 N. 1^st Street. Admission is free. Food, soft drinks, vendors and entertainment will be present. The Show is hosted by the STL Night Riders Corvette Club (St. Louis), Kustom Corvette Club (St. Louis), Strictly Vettes of Memphis, TN, and Capital City Corvette Club of Little Rock, AR. For more information, visit http://www.stlnightriders.com/ .

 

Mega-Adoption Event

Stray Rescue's 2011 Liberation Revolution Festival will be Saturday, Aug. 27 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2320 Pine Street. This mega-adoption event will unite people with their perfect companion animal available for adoption at Stray Rescue's Pine Street Shelter. The festival-like atmosphere will include live music, great food, drinks, and much more. Come to adopt and stay for the party. For more details, visit http://www.strayrescue.org/ .

 

Fun Run/Walk

The Little Sisters of the Poor is hosting its 2^nd Annual 5K Run/Walk at Carondelet Park in the Holly Hills neighborhood on Saturday, Aug. 27. Registration at the park will begin at 7 a.m., with the races starting at 8:30 a.m. from the Boathouse Pavilion. The cost is $20. All proceeds will benefit the elderly who reside at the Little Sisters of the Poor – St. Louis Residence in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Questions? Call (314) 421-6022.

 

Concerts in Parks

If you enjoy concerts in the park, then please make a note of these: on Saturday, Aug. 27 The Jim Stevens Group will be performing at Lafayette Park, Mississippi & Lafayette, from 6 – 9 p.m. Bring your picnic goodies, relax and enjoy the music. Then on Sunday, Aug. 28, Tony Simmons will be performing at Ivory Perry Park, Cabanne & Belt in the Visitation neighborhood, beginning at 6 p.m. Invite your family and friends to join you for this fun evening.

 

The Twilight Tuesday Concert Series will resume at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park on Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 6:30 p.m. with a performance by Jamaican Sun Splash.

 

Gateway Cup Races

 The popular Gateway Cup Races are back this Labor Day Weekend. On Friday, Sept. 2 the races will begin at 3 p.m. in the Lafayette Square neighborhood. On Saturday, Sept. 3 the action moves to Francis Park in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood, beginning at 10 a.m.. Next up on Sunday, Sept. 4 is The Hill neighborhood with the first race starting at 12:15 p.m. Then on Monday, Sept. 5 the bike races will begin at 10 a.m. in the Benton Park neighborhood. For all the particulars, visit http://www.gatewaycup.com/ .

 

Labor Day Weekend Festivals

No matter what your interests are, you are sure to find at least one Festival in St. Louis to stop by this coming Labor Day Weekend. First up, the two-day Big Muddy Blues Festival on Saturday, Sept. 3 and Sunday, Sept. 4 at Laclede's Landing in Downtown St. Louis. The Festival will feature 30 bands and three stages. Concert-goers will have to buy tickets to gain access to the main stage at 700 N. 1^st Street. Local acts on the nearby satellite stages will be able to be seen for free. Get more information at http://www.lacledeslanding.com/ .

 

The Veterans Festival in Forest Park, the Greek Festival at St. Nicholas' Greek Orthodox Church just east of Forest Park at Kingshighway & Forest Park Parkway, and the Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden at 4344 Shaw will all run from Saturday, Sept. 3 through Monday, Sept. 5.

 

The Veterans Festival will start with a parade at 9 a.m. on Saturday, followed by the Opening Ceremony at 10 a.m. Activities include an Arts & Craft Show, entertainment, amusement rides, and more. Please see the website at http://www.vfstl.com/ for more details.

 

Opaaaa! The Greek Festival will run from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday. Enjoy delicious Greek food, entertainment and much more. To learn more, visit http://www.sngoc.org/.

 

The Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the oldest and largest festivals of its kinds in the United States. Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday. Enjoy many family-oriented activities such as craft, cooking and martial arts demonstrations, storytelling, dancing, origami and more. For the full schedule and ticket prices, visit http://www.mobot.org/ . .

 

The Labor Day Parade, sponsored by the St. Louis Labor Council, AFL-CIO, will be held in Downtown St. Louis on Monday, Sept. 5 beginning at 8:30 a.m. Bring your family, friends and neighbors and show your support. The 2011 Parade Theme is: "We Are One!" More than 1,000 local union members are expected to walk through Downtown St. Louis in the parade, which will begin at 13^th and Olive, proceed east on Olive to Tucker (12^th), south on Tucker to City Hall (Market Street), and then west on Market to 15^th.

 

Nominations are Open for the Grow St. Louis Contest

What would your favorite St. Louis non-profit do with up to $15,000? Monsanto is pledging to help St. Louis grow by awarding $15,000, $10,000, and $5,000 awards to local projects. Visit http://www.stlgrown.com/ anytime between now and Sept. 15 and submit in 300 words or less how your non-profit and project will help (or is helping) grow St. Louis. The public will then be able to vote on the projects between Sept. 26 and Oct. 16. Winners of each prize will be announced on Oct. 24. Start thinking about a worthy project today and help that organization grow.

 

Save the Date

Sept. 8 – Architecture Tour by Bicycle, Southwest Garden Neighborhood

Sept. 8 – Firefighters Candlelight Vigil, Downtown

Sept. 8 – Parties on the Plaza, Old Post Office Plaza

Sept. 10 – Ladies of Charity Walk, Carondelet Park

Sept. 10 – 6^th Annual Carondelet Car Show

Sept. 10 – The Great Fire Engine Parade & Rally, Downtown

Sept. 10 – 11 – Hyde Park Festival and House Tour

Sept. 10 – America SCORES Guinness World Record Attempt, SLU Campus

Sept. 10 – Fabulous Flamingo Festival, Downtown

Sept. 11 – 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance (various locations)

 

NIXLE

The Department of Public Safety's City Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) provides free emergency alert service through Nixle (http://www.Nixle.com/ ). When you register for the service, you will receive our informative and timely text messages on your cell phone and/or as emails on your computer. Visit the Nixle website and sign up for the free service today. If you have any comments about the service, please let me know.

 

Will you be having an event in your neighborhood that we can support? If so, you may email the information about it to me at brysonc@stlouiscity.com or to Cathy Smentkowski at smentkowskic@stlouiscity.com  for consideration of noting it in the Spotlight or you may post it on the City's Calendar of Events.

 

And remember, if you see something in the neighborhood that just doesn't look right, REPORT IT!

 

Charles Bryson

Director of Public Safety

City of St. Louis