Annual event is Saturday, Sept. 10

New Attractions at 2016 Harvestfest Include Mechanical Rides

The City of Hazelwood will be offering small mechanical rides for the first time at this year’s Hazelwood Harvestfest on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Howdershell Park, 6810 Howdershell Rd. These rides will be running all day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., adding more fun and entertainment to the line-up of activities planned for people of all ages to enjoy.

New Attractions

   The new attractions for the 2016 event include Mind Winder Swings and Tubs of Fun, which mechanically spin around. Parents can ride with their kids or the kids can ride alone. There will also be peddle-driven John Deere tractors for them to ride on. In addition, inflatable bounce houses with slides will be set up for small children and toddlers. At 1 p.m, the Parks and Recreation staff will introduce fair goers to the fun of rolling around in Knockerballs.

“We’re excited about having mechanical rides at Harvestfest this year. Although on a smaller scale, they are similar to the swing sing and other spinning rides found at Six Flags,” said Hazelwood Parks and Recreation Division Superintendent Doug Littlefield. “Every year, we try to offer something different to give parents incentive to bring their kids back for a whole new experience.”

The purpose of this annual city-wide event is to bring the community together and to make residents proud of their hometown. It’s also a great opportunity for Hazelwood to showcase all the first-class amenities it has to offer to people outside the area. Admission is free and open to the public.

Parking will be available at Howdershell Park, as well as at White Birch Park located at 1186 Teson Rd. Shuttle buses will be running back and forth on a regular basis throughout the day.

 Adult Activities

Although there will be plenty of things to do for young families with small children, the event schedule includes a lot of fun activities for adults as well. Here’s a list of a few of them:

Miss Hazelwood Coronation  10:30 a.m.

Horseshoe Tournaments        10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m.

Free Bingo                              12 p.m.,2 p.m. (Hosted by Hazelnuts)

Fords Unlimited                     9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Display of vintage Ford Mustangs)

Other adult activities include browsing through hundreds of books and finding bargains at the used book sale, sponsored by the Community Enrichment Commission. One of the information booths to check will be the “Anti-Bullying” booth manned by 2015 Miss Hazelwood Alexia Rainey. She will be giving out “Stop the Bullying” wristbands. T.E.A.M. Food Pantry also will be collecting non-perishable food items and accepting cash donations for needy families at another booth. For the more active crowd, an Ironman Obstacle Course will be set up as well as the Heavy Haulin’ Giant Slide.

Dr. Zhivegas on Stage

Dr. Zhivegas, which recently celebrated 20 years as St. Louis’ top cover band at The Pageant, will be rocking the park with its lively uptown funk music from 2 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Dr. Zhivegas considers itself a “hard dance band,” focusing on the musical styles of Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Pitbull, Maroon 5 and Flo Rida and then mashing them up with ‘80s classics from bands like Queen and David Bowie. The band performs about 250 shows a year with the following musicians: Frankie Muriel (lead vocals); Paul Chickey (drums); Cubby Smith (bass); JP Pennington (guitar); and Taynka (back-up vocals).

Pokémon Go Gem Challenge

For those who can’t get enough of Pokémon Go, Harvestfest organizers have added a Gem Challenge to the line-up of event activities. There is no cost to play and anyone can participate. Three rounds of play will be held during these time periods: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.; and 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. The top three scorers of the winning team in each round will receive a prize. Also, whoever scores the “Best Pokémon” during all three rounds will be awarded a prize. A lure will be available in the park for the day.

Information/Craft/Food Booths

Crafters who purchase booth space for $35 can showcase their home-made creations. Non-profit groups will be running carnival games and selling food items as fund-raising projects at the event. Organizations and businesses will be handing out literature at information booths set up in the park as well. Those who wish to reserve a booth at this year’s Harvestfest should contact Pam Reynolds at (314) 513-5072. Booth space is limited.

City Services Tent

The Hazelwood Parks and Recreation Division staff plans to give away these items to people who stop by the tent: hand sanitizer bottles; 6-sided crayon wheels; rockets and springy things; small tape measures; salad shakers; and amp chargers for cell phones. In addition, members of Hazelwood’s Green Committee will be on hand to collect recycling pledge cards from residents for the third, and final, prize drawing on September 21.

Community Service 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 call the Parks and Recreation Office at (314) 731-0980.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us