This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, June 3, 2013 - When St. Louis celebrates its 250th birthday next year, the milestone will feature dashes of history, a reenactment of the city’s founding and a sculpture of a heart that will literally be set on fire. Oh, and cake. Lots and lots of cake.
Those were a few takeaways Monday at the kick-off event for stl250, the nonprofit group organizing events and activities for St. Louis’ 250th birthday. Pierre Laclede officially selected St. Louis' site on February 14, 1764.
The celebration is set to begin on Dec. 31, 2013 and end exactly one year later.
“I want people to end this celebration year with a heightened sense of optimism, civic pride and a desire to say 'I’m from St. Louis and I want to stay in St. Louis,' ” said Erin Budde, the executive director for stl250.
Budde was among several officials who revealed details of next year’s festivities to hundreds of dignitaries at Ameren’s headquarters in St. Louis.
Some of the events include:
- An outdoor festival on Valentine’s Day at Forest Park, appropriately titled “Burnin’ Love." That event will feature a concert, hot chocolate, heated culinary lounges and a sculpture of a burning heart that will be set on fire in Forest Park’s Grand Basin Lake.
- A re-enactment of the city’s founding on Laclede’s Landing, followed by a big birthday cake at City Hall.
- A region-wide “Cakewalk.” Budde told the crowd that ornamental birthday cakes would be placed at 250 locations around the area. St. Louis residents can learn about the locales using their smart phones.
- Extensive use of social media, as well as a website to provide historical information about the evolution of St. Louis.
Budde also said organizations and groups will be encouraged to register their own events, which would then be publicized on stl250’s website.
“The reality is we have all these wonderful things that really speak to the ideas of our neighborhoods and speak to the identity,” Budde said. “Those are the [events] that we want to make sure don’t get lost. Because those are the ones that are going to infuse our whole effort with a lot of ownership and tie in together in a way that we don’t normally see in St. Louis.”
The 250th birthday will be co-hosted by St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley. Ameren President and CEO Tom Voss and his wife Carol Voss will serve as co-chairs for stl250.
Dooley noted in his brief remarks that even though St. Louis and St. Louis County are different entities, they are still intimately connected.
“Somebody will say ‘Charlie, why are you here? You’re from St. Louis County.’ Well, it does say St. Louis, doesn’t it?” he asked. “At one time, we were all together. And we’re still together, quite frankly. We live in a great opportunity area that you all should be very proud of.”
