👋 Good Morning, West County!

In today’s ⚡️West County Pulse newsletter:

• 🎡 Manchester's Homecoming Festival

• 🌮 Taco Bell Bomb Scare

• 📸 A Photo Collage of Chesterfield Mall's End

Let’s jump into today’s newsletter!

— Jared Michel

Top Stories

🎡 Manchester's Homecoming Festival Returns This Weekend

Manchester's Homecoming Festival is set for September 6-8 this weekend at Schroeder Park. This year's festival has a Down on the Farm theme offering a variety of activities including a parade, petting zoo, and dog swim. Visitors can enjoy rides, games, and live music on the main stage. The West Newsmagazine wrote up a full summary here.

🌮 Eureka Taco Bell Faces Bomb Scare

Eureka police responded to a concerning call at the local Taco Bell on August 1st. A male caller had phoned in a bomb threat, leading to an immediate evacuation of the premises. Law enforcement conducted a thorough search lasting about an hour. No explosive devices were found, allowing the restaurant to reopen. Authorities are still investigating and seeking information about the incident.

💼 County Exec's Hospital Ties Under Scrutiny

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page's connection to SLU Hospital is under investigation. Reports suggest Page may have received reimbursement for services last year, despite claims of volunteering. This has prompted some Councilmembers to call for an ethics committee investigation to ensure transparency.

🎨 Kids' Fall Programs at County Library

The St. Louis County Library's Explore! series is set to return this fall. The program offers a variety of activities for children, including Baby Sign Language, Drawing Digitally, and Mexican Folk Dancing. These engaging sessions aim to help kids discover new interests and develop skills in a fun, educational environment.

Business

📸 STL Mag Documents Chesterfield Mall's End

STL Magazine has published a collection of 39 photographs documenting the closed Chesterfield Mall. Photographer Jason Gray visited the site on August 22, capturing images of vacant storefronts and empty corridors. The photo series provides a visual record of the mall's final state before its scheduled demolition in October, marking the end of its 48-year history.

🎨 Queeny Art Fair Showcases Local Talent

The 48th Queeny Art Fair brought a splash of creativity to West County this past weekend. Held at the Greensfelder Recreation Complex in Queeny Park, the event showcased a variety of local artists and their works. Visitors enjoyed browsing paintings, sculptures, and other art forms while listening to live music and sampling local food and wine.

🔨 Six Flags Continues to Prep Grounds for Fright Fest

Six Flags St. Louis is in the early stages of its annual Fright Fest setup. September marks the beginning of the park's Halloween makeover, with crews working on placing large props and creating unsettling environments. The clown zone is getting a fresh coat of paint as part of the ongoing preparations.

Alongside these visual updates, a new chaperone policy for guests 15 and under has been introduced, balancing the promise of scares with enhanced security measures.

🏢 Bayer Sells Part of Creve Coeur Campus

Bayer is making changes to its Creve Coeur presence. The company is selling 92 of its 152 acres on the east campus, including research facilities and undeveloped land. While the crop science headquarters will stay, some operations will move to Chesterfield. City officials are now considering various options for the land's future use. Read the West Newsmagazine’s full reporting here.

City Highlights

Ballwin

🍺 Ballwin's Craft Beer Fest Set for Sept 7 (Saturday)

Ballwin is gearing up for a flavorful event. The Craft Beer Festival will take place this Saturday at Vlasis Park and will offer residents a chance to sample various brews from 3pm to 6pm. Learn more / purchase tickets here.

🚚 Big Wheels Rollin’ into Ballwin Target

Ballwin Target's parking lot is transforming for a day of family fun this weekend. On Saturday (Sept 7), from 10am to noon, children can explore a variety of large vehicles, including trucks and a helicopter. This free event will offer kids a hands-on experience with impressive machines.

Creve Coeur

🗓️ Creve Coeur's Early Morning Town Hall

Mayor Robert Hoffman is hosting a community meeting tomorrow (September 5th) at the Creve Coeur Government Center. Starting at 7:30am, this informal gathering will allow residents to discuss local issues directly with the mayor. There's no set agenda, so attendees can bring up any topics of concern.

🎃 Eureka Ends Annual Scarecrow Festival

Eureka's Scarecrow Festival has come to an end after a decade-long run. City officials cite logistical challenges and lack of community support as reasons for discontinuing the event. Despite this change, Eureka residents can look forward to other fall activities, including the traditional Eureka Days and a new Old Town Oktoberfest celebration.

Manchester

🎉 Manchester Parade Route Changes

Manchester's homecoming parade is set for Saturday (September 7th) at 10am. This year's event features a slightly different route. More details about the parade and a larger map of the parade route are available here.

🚧 City to Replace 480 Concrete Slabs

Manchester residents can expect smoother roads soon. The city's annual concrete slab replacement project is scheduled to begin later this month, focusing on 480 defective slabs across 10 residential streets. The work, covering 13,910 square yards, aims to improve road conditions by December.

Valley Park

🗑️ Valley Park's Annual Big Cleanup Is Back

The city of Valley Park has scheduled its yearly big trash pickup event for the 2nd week of October. This service will be offered at no additional charge, except for specific items like TVs, computer monitors, tires, and refrigerators.

Upcoming Events

Visit our full community calendar here for a comprehensive list of events.

📆 Next 7 Days

THANKS!

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