Music, Food, Art Part Of Festive Fall Colors Weekend

Historic attractions and businesses in downtown Ste. Genevieve will be celebrating the turn to cooler weather this weekend with a Fall Colors event featuring activities, music, food and more.

The event includes participation from the National Park Service, which is in the process of establishing a national historical park in Ste. Genevieve, as well as French Colonial America and the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve.

The day begins with an untimed 5-kilometer fun run that begins and ends at the Ste. Genevieve Welcome Center, 66 S. Main Street.

Live music will be played throughout the day, beginning with Ste. Genevieve’s German Band from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the back yard of the Jean-Baptiste Valle House, 99 S. Main St. The house is serving as the headquarters for the Sainte Genevieve National Historical Park and features a renowned garden.

The Jean-Baptiste Valle House also will be open on Saturday for visitors to view artwork on display in the building, including sketches by Roscoe Misselhorn and paintings by members of the 1930s Ste. Genevieve Art Colony. The exhibit also will feature works by M. Charles Rhinehart, an internationally acclaimed artist from Ste. Genevieve who passed away on September 24 at the age of 89. The Rhinehart pieces have not been displayed in public for several years and will be on display as part of a cooperative relationship between the National Park Service and the city of Ste. Genevieve.

The bands 90 Proof and Academy Hill will perform in Lions Park beginning around 1 p.m.

Burgers and chips will be available at Lions Park from noon to 5 p.m.

Other food items – including Dutch oven cobblers and shaved ice – will be offered in a closed-off portion of Market Street at the Welcome Center.

The Ste. Genevieve Museum Learning Center also will have an information table to promote its opening later this month.

French Colonial America will host a camping display presented by the Friends of Hawn Association, which provides support for activities and facilities at Hawn State Park in Ste. Genevieve County.

At the Foundation for Restoration’s Guibourd-Valle House (1 N. Fourth St.), spinning and knitting demonstrations will be offered throughout the day. Beginning at 3 p.m., Spirits in the Garden will tell their stories about life in colonial Ste. Genevieve, serving as a preview for the Deja vu Spirit Reunion later in October.

Throughout downtown, visitors will find scarecrows decorated in a Healthcare Heroes theme for the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Scarecrow Spectacular. Visitors will be able to vote on their favorite displays and enter a drawing to win Fleur de Lis bucks, which are accepted by several merchants throughout Ste. Genevieve. Ballots will be available and accepted at the Welcome Center until 7 p.m. Saturday night.

The Welcome Center will be open during the evening to showcase the recently relocated Ste. Genevieve 1830s diorama and to lead into an evening shopping event benefiting Project Graduation.

Several stores will be open until 8 p.m. Saturday evening with some of the proceeds of their sales helping to provide post-graduation activities for local high school students.

For more information about the event, see www.visitstegen.com or call 573-883-7097.