Late Summer and Fall Festivals Around Missouri and Illinois

It’s been a long, hot, and very dry summer in St. Louis. Of course, every summer is long, hot, and dry here. But now at least we know in our hearts, if not by our body temperatures, that fall is just a few short weeks away. The first sign of hope for some harried parents is the start of “back to school” specials at a lot of the retail stores around town. The stores try to help the parents by starting the sales earlier and earlier each year, and now the Missouri government is trying to help boost sales by declaring a sales tax free weekend, whereby consumers can save about 6 or so percent on back to school purchases. A few scroogy local municipalities decided not to go along this year, so you still had to pay local tax in some communities.

So, what do you do with those extra hard-earned dollars that you saved by not paying the tax? With gas prices at an all time high, I think a lot more people will be staying closer to home this fall. That said, if the weather gives us a break, more people should be attending the fall festivals and outdoor events this autumn. Most everyone who hasn’t spent the summer hiding out in a cave has heard of the major events like Strassenfest, Live on the Levee, and The Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Just like the big summertime festival; Fair St. Louis, some of these have had their share of problems this year. Live on the Levee features lots of music, food, and fun down on the riverfront and runs for a couple more weeks in August. This year the historic Eads Bridge across the Mississippi River was closed down and turned into the “Eats Bridge.” This kind of event has worked on bridges in other cities and is generally a good idea, but this year they didn’t foresee closures of lanes on the main Poplar Street Bridge. They also started the festival on Friday, which made the commute home a nightmare for a lot of people. Better luck next year.

There’s not much to say about the Strassenfest except be sure to go if you like polka, beer or bratwurst or have a pair of lederhosen hanging in your closet.