Public Safety Director's Spotlight - Emergency Preparedness

Invite your family and friends to join you this Saturday from 6 – 9 p.m. in Lafayette Park, Mississippi and Lafayette, by the gazebo for a free concert by "Rich McDonough and the Rough Grooves."  Pack a picnic basket, bring lawn chairs or a blanket and enjoy a fun evening under starlit skies.

Aug. 24 -- Bicrobrews Microbrewery Bicycle Tour, departs from Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, 11 a.m.

Trek Bicycle Store of St. Louis is sponsoring the Bicrobrews Microbrewery Bicycle Tour that will be held this Saturday.  Registration will begin at 10:30 a.m. at Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, located at 3229 Washington Avenue, and the group ride will depart at 11 a.m.  Several urban microbreweries will be featured on this 15-mile tour.  Learn what it takes to craft a great brew as you tour the many stops and sample their products.  Cost is $5 for adults; not recommended for children.  You must be 21 years old to drink.  To learn more, visit the Trailnet.org web site.

Aug. 25 -- Better Family Life's PeaceFest 2013, Forest Park, 10 a.m.

Better Family Life will hold PeaceFest 2013 this Sunday at Central Field in Forest Park from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.  Activities will include a car show, corkball tournament, children's play zone, softball challenge and more.  Participants also will enjoy performances by national and local recording artists.  Bring your children, blankets, lawn chairs, snacks and spend the day with family and neighbors.  For more information, call (314) 381-8200.

Aug. 25 – Croatian Day – Homecoming Picnic, St. Joseph Croatian Church, 11 a.m.

St. Joseph Croatian Church will hold its annual Homecoming Picnic this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the air-conditioned church hall located at 2112 S. 12^th Street in the Soulard neighborhood.  Admission is free. Invite your family and friends to join you for a fun afternoon enjoying dance music by the St. Louis Croatian Junior Tamburitzans and more!  For more details, call (314) 221-3156.

Now through Aug. 24 – Missouri Fashion Week, Moto Museum, 6 p.m.

From the late 19^th century to the end of World War II, the St. Louis Garment District was second only to New York as an American center for fashion design and manufacturing.  Events such as Missouri Fashion Week are creating a buzz once again about the raw talent of designers emerging from our state's colleges and universities.  This year's Missouri Fashion Week has transformed the Moto Museum, located at 3441 Olive in Grand Center, into a fashion hub teeming with designers, models, vendors and much more.  Missouri Fashion Week is in full swing now through Saturday, Aug, 24.  There's still time to purchase tickets for an energetic night offering guests the opportunity to shop, enjoy red carpet runway shows, mingle, network and more.  For the complete schedule and ticket information, visit the missourifashionweek.com web site.

Now through Aug. 25 – Downtown Restaurant Week 2013, various locations & times

Downtown Restaurant Week is underway now through Aug. 25.  In its 9^th year, the event has grown to include 27 restaurants, offering a special 3-course dinner menu for $25 per person, plus tip, plus tax.  This is a great opportunity to rediscover a long-time favorite restaurant or experience one of St. Louis' hot new eateries.  Also, when paying your check, you may donate an "Extra Helping" of $5 to benefit Operation Food Search.  For more details and a complete list of participating restaurants, visit the downtownrestaurantweek.net/2013/ web site.

Aug. 28 – Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Association Quarterly Meeting, The Gretchen Inn at the Feasting Fox, 7 p.m.

The Quarterly Meeting of the Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Association will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. at The Gretchen Inn at the Feasting Fox on Meramec at Grand.  Kaleta Crisp will speak about Medicaid expansion, and Donna Lilley will talk about the rehabilitation of the Charless Home Property at I-55 and Broadway.  Invite your neighbors to join you for this informative meeting.

Save the Date

Aug. 30 – 2013 Food Policy Brown Bag Lunch, Gateway Greening, Noon

Aug. 30 – Tour de Lafayette, Lafayette Square neighborhood, 3 p.m.

Aug. 31 & Sept. 1 – Big Muddy Blues Festival, Laclede's Landing, 1 p.m.

Aug. 31 – Sept. 2 – Greek Festival, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 11 a.m.

Aug. 31 – Tour de Francis Park, St. Louis Hills Neighborhood, 10 a.m.

Aug. 31 – Third Annual Sidewalk Chalk Festival, The Delmar Loop, 9 a.m.

Aug. 31 – Fourth Annual Corvette, Cars, Bikes & Trucks Show, Upper Muny Parking Lot in Forest Park, 10 a.m.

Sept. 1 – Giro Della Montagna, Shaw VPA CEC, 9 a.m.

Septl 2 – Labor Day Parade, 15^th & Olive, 9 a.m.

Sept. 2 – Benton Park Classic, Benton Park neighborhood, 10 a.m.

Promoting Your Neighborhood Activities

Is there a neighborhood event on the schedule that you would like noted in the Spotlight? If so, you may email the information about it to me at deekenc@stlouis-mo.gov or to Cathy Smentkowski at smentkowskic@stlouis-mo.gov for consideration. You may also post it on the City's Calendar of Events on the City's web site:  http://stlouis-mo.gov.  The link to submit an event is on the home page. The listing is free. I encourage you to take advantage of this free way to promote your event.

Lifesaver Awards

In closing, I want to pass along to you some information from the American Red Cross.  Each year, the Red Cross honors community members who acted heroically to help someone in critical need.  They are currently accepting nominations for the 2014 American Red Cross Lifesaver Awards.  For more information about nominating someone, visit the redcross.org web site.

Charlene Deeken
Director of Public Safety
City of St. Louis