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Perfect Weather, Usual Big Crowd At Florissant Old Town Fall Festival
Story and Photos By Erica R. Van Buren
The 80-degree temperature was just what the doctor ordered to kick off this year’s Fall Festival in Old Town Florissant on Sunday, Oct. 11. Crowds of community residents as well as non-residents came out with their families—including their four-legged family members—to enjoy the festivities. The fun started at 11 a.m., allowing enough time for the sun to come out and brighten up as well as warm up the day, a welcome change to the low temperatures over the last few days.
Maps were made available for those first timers unaware of what to expect from this annual event. For those looking for a gift for that special someone, the Craft Fair in the 800 block of rue St. Francois offered over 60 crafters displaying their wares. The Flea Market at 525 rue St. Francois had plenty for treasure seekers to choose.
The Hazelwood Early Childhood Center sponsored Children’s Art Activities at the City Hall. The activities were hands-on and included face painting under the tent on the Hall Lawn, 955 rue St. Francois. The Sprig & Twig Garden Club hosted a flower show and offered plants for sale out front of the dining center in the 600 block of rue St. Francois.
Baronwood Kennels sponsored Fido Follies in the Government Center parking lot in the 1000 block of rue St. Francois. The contests included canines from surrounding communities. Prizes were awarded to the dogs with the Best Fall Festival costume, Best Kisser, Smallest, Largest, and Hairiest Dog and, of course, Most Unusual Dog Trick.
Dooley’s Florist sponsored the Pumpkin Decorating for the younger members of the family. This was one of many opportunities that allowed the kids to show off their creativity. The Chalk Wall was available for all who wanted to creatively leave their mark to be seen by everyone who passed by. Gardeners-Girardier House sponsored the Children’s Art Projects at 601 St. Charles Street. Pony Rides were also available, sponsored by Florissant Glass for the duration of the festival.
As far as the food offerings go, there were many options, including Abby’s Best Chicken Teriyaki Kabob, Good Looking Kettle Corn, Totally Toasted, Atonement Men’s Club and Cub Scout Pack 882. Each food vendor offered a variety of menu options from wraps, nachos, and turkey legs to BBQ chicken kabobs to fried Oreos. The festival had a little of something for everyone.
The Old St. Ferdinand Shrine offered tours of the shrine as well as re-enactors and a choice of refreshments.
The Old St. Ferdinand Shrine, at the foot of Rue St. Francois in Old Town Florissant, is preserved and maintained by the non-profit organization, Friends of Old St. Ferdinand. The original Convent was built in 1819, whereas the church was constructed in 1821 for St. Rose Philippine Duchesne. She not only lived there but taught there as well. This is the site of many special events throughout the year. The Shrine is open for tours each Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m., from April to December. Special tours can be arranged for groups of 2 to 250 all year long.
For book lovers, librarians, teachers and others who enjoy digging through shelves of biographies, autobiographies, classical literature and, of course, science fiction novels, the Giant Book Fair was a place that offered tons and tons of options to choose from at a great deal (steal). Buyers could stuff as many books as possible into one grocery store size shopping bag and get the lot for just $4.
The festival also offered a Veteran’s Booth for people to stop by and chat with local neighborhood veterans and learn about what they are doing in our community.
The Illinois-Missouri Tractor & Engine Club displayed farm tractors, engines, and machinery from the early 1950s. Demonstrations of corn grinding, water pumping and other farm tasks were made available to those interested.
Live musical entertainment was also part of the festivities. Musical offerings included The Retro Band, Men of Harmony, the Buckhannon Brothers, North County Big Band and the Bucket List. South Side Johnny’s Rock ‘N Roll show performed two concerts. These were actually the culmination of the “Music Under the Stars” series, although it was a daylight event in Old Town instead of nighttime in St. Ferdinand Park.
Overall the Florissant Old Town Fall Festival offered the perfect combination of fun, food, games and excitement for the entire family. The city put its best foot forward and provided a warm welcome to people from all over the St. Louis community. Even the weather cooperated!
