Walking Tour, Bicycle Racks High On Agenda For Downtown Ste. Genevieve

Downtown Ste. Genevieve president Jenn Merrell believes the organization is just coming into its own as it marks its 10th anniversary.

“I think that there’s an opportunity for us to expand our reach in the community,” she said.

“We have a great following for our events,” board member Nichole French, owner of Sweet Things Sweet Shop, added.

The organization was founded in 2009 as the Ste. Genevieve Downtown Renewal Project. The name officially changed to Downtown Ste. Genevieve in 2018. Its original mission was “to bring about a more vibrant historic, business, civic, and tourist culture within the community.”

The group continues to sponsor various downtown activities, although it is cutting its ties to one of them.

The organization has agreed to turn over the Fourth Friday Art Walk to the new Gallery Association of Ste. Genevieve.

“The gallery association reached out to us and said they had an interest in picking up that event because it is an event that focuses on the gallery owners,” Merrell said. …

Merrell said the group is “still committed” to its other activities, including the Chocolate Walk [the first Saturday in February], the Cookie Crumb Trail [the second Saturday in November], Moonlight Madness [the second Wednesday in July] and Small Business Saturday [the Saturday following Thanksgiving].

New activities also are being planned.

“We are in works with a couple of other organizations to see what we can do to partner up,” Merrell said.

That includes working with the Foundation For Restoration of Ste. Genevieve on a downtown walking tour following the annual Garden Walk, the Saturday following Mother’s Day.

“Because of our Main Street affiliation, we will be promoting that event across the state of Missouri in one of their tri-fold pamphlets during [national historic] preservation month,” Merrell said.

Merrell said Downtown Ste. Genevieve also will approach the city of Ste. Genevieve’s Board of Aldermen for permission to place several bicycle racks downtown “to make the downtown a little bit more accessible for families that want to cycle in and spend some time walking around town.”

Funding has been obtained for nine bike racks, which will hold 18 bikes total.

Lawrence Myers, owner of European Entitlements, the organization’s design chair, designed the racks.

See complete story in the February 20 edition of the Herald.