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Hazelwood’s Sept. 13th Harvestfest Offers Fun-Filled Day for Whole Family
The City of Hazelwood’s Harvestfest promises to be a fun-filled day of activities for all ages. This fall festival will be held at Howdershell Park, 6810 Howdershell Road, on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission is free and open to the public. Parking will be available at Howdershell Park, as well as at White Birch Park, 1186 Teson Road, with shuttle buses running back and forth on a regular basis. The 2014 event will feature many of the traditional activities from past years, as well as some new activities to add some variety to the day.
New Activities Added
Game-Time Mobile Entertainment
Video gamers will be able to sharpen their skills inside the Game-Time Mobile Entertainment System, parked at Harvestfest from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This state-of-the-art mobile unit allows up to 28 gamers to play at once. Everyone who wants to participate must sign a release waiver first, and anyone ages 16 and under must have a parent sign the form and have their parents remain at the park .
The vehicle’s plush limousine interior features hi-performance sound, mood lighting and climate control. Four 55-inch HD screens will be on the inside and another three 55-inch HD screens will be on the outside. A total of 7 Wii, 7 XBOX 360 and 2 Playstation 3 consoles will be hooked up to them with the use of wireless game controllers. The library of games to choose from includes 66 XBOX, 44 Wii and 12 Playstation 3, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, Halo 4, NCAA Football 13, MLB 2K 13, NBA 2K 14, and Mario Kart 8. A game coach will be on-site to help participants navigate games that are unfamiliar to them.
Miss Hazelwood’s Dance Party
Kids of all ages are invited to join Miss Hazelwood 2013 Paige Frye as she hosts a dance party to celebrate the successful completion of her reign as queen and to introduce the new Miss Hazelwood to everyone. This activity is scheduled from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Paige will be bringing her own DJ to play popular dance music, and organizing fun games for all the kids.
Back for Another Year
There are a few traditional activities that have been featured year after year at Harvestfest because of their popularity with fairgoers. The ones being brought back for this year’s event include the following children’s activities.
Petting Zoo 10 – Noon
Gypsy Rose III Landship 10 – 6 p.m.
Pony Rides 1 – 5 p.m.
The Bubble Bus 1 – 5 p.m.
For adults, the horseshoe tournament and Bingo return. The bingo is hosted by the Hazelnuts.
Horseshoe Tournaments 10:30 & 1:30
Bingo (hosted by Hazelnuts) Noon & 2
For the Love of Sports
For young athletes in the family, this year’s Harvestfest features a Home Run Derby starting at 11 a.m., and an NFL Punt, Pass & Kick competition from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Both events are open to boys and girls in the following age groups: Home Run Derby (ages 7-12); and NFL Punt, Pass & Kick (ages 7-17). After launching two successful NFL Flag Football seasons, the City of Hazelwood is using the Punt, Pass & Kick event to interest kids, ages 7-15, to sign-up for Season III which starts on September 20th. For more information, contact Jake Junghanel at (314) 731-0980.
The Bubble Bus is returning to the 2014 Hazelwood Harvestfest for the second year.
Miss Hazelwood Coronation
Young women between the ages of 15 and 18 who are Hazelwood residents will be competing for a chance to be crowned the new Miss Hazelwood 2014. The outgoing Miss Hazelwood Paige Frye will be hosting this event, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at the St. Louis County bandwagon in Howdershell Park. A special master of ceremonies will be asking each of the candidates questions during the final qualifying round, and doing brief interviews with Mayor Robinson and Paige Frye. The competition is based on the following factors: poise; personality; communication skills; willingness to represent Hazelwood; school activities; and community volunteerism. A $500 scholarship and other prizes will be awarded to the new queen.
Live Entertainment – “That ‘80’s Band”
Fairgoers will enjoy the ultimate ‘80’s experience when “That ‘80s Band” begins to rock the house at 2 p.m. with high-energy music that brings back the memories of a fun decade noted for Rubik’s Cubes, Pac-Man, the Moonwalk, fingerless gloves, parachute pants, and jackets with lots of zippers. The band will play four solid hours of everyone’s favorite 80s tunes ranging from Joan Jett and The Blackhearts’ “I Love Rock ‘n Roll” to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” and the B-52s’ “Love Shack” to Taylor Dayne’s “Prove Your Love.” Comprised of Valerie Girl (lead vocals/guitar), Mick Fly (bass/vocals), Jon Dohnson (keyboards/vocals), Izzy Furreel (lead guitar/vocals), and Rod Springfield (drums), this team of polished musicians takes you on a journey back in time without the use of a Flux Capacitor and plutonium.
All Day Activities
Used Book Sale – The Community Enrichment Commission will host its annual Used Book Sale under a big tent. Fairgoers can browse through hundreds of donated books in good condition and purchase them at a bargain price. All proceeds will be used to support the Commission’s Reading is Elementary Program as well as the arts in Hazelwood.
Arts & Crafts Show/Information Booths – Crafters who purchase booth space for $30 can showcase their home-made creations at an Arts & Crafts Show on the north side of the park. Non-profit groups will be running carnival games and selling food items as fund-raising projects for their cause at the event. There will also be information booths set up for organizations and businesses to get to talk to festival-goers and hand out literature and information.
Police Explorers’ Post #9217 Food Drive – The Hazelwood Police Explorers’ booth will be a collection point for a Food Drive to help local families in need. Fairgoers are encouraged to bring their donations of non-perishable food items to the tent for this worthy cause.
Children’s Activity Area – This section of the park will feature large inflatables for kids of all sizes to play on. A Children’s Crafts Area will be set up inside the tennis courts where kids can decorate their own Can Koozies or personalized foam license plates.
City Services Tent – Come and see what the city offers. The Hazelwood Parks and Recreation staff plans to give away money banks for kids, grocery totes, pedometers and chocolate-covered peanuts to those who stop by the tent.
Community Services Opportunity – The Hazelwood Harvestfest is an excellent opportunity for area high school students to earn some of the Community Service time required for graduation. Interested students should contact their high school community service coordinator or the Hazelwood Parks and Recreation Office at (314) 731-0980.
