The final weekend of March brought together Dutchtown businesses, organizations, neighbors, and shoppers from across St. Louis for an exceptional display of the strong community here in our neighborhood. Music, food, and fun brought people from all walks of life into the streets of Dutchtown.
Downtown Dutchtown Spring Sidewalk Sale
We started on Friday and Saturday with the Downtown Dutchtown Spring Sidewalk Sale, featuring over two dozen shops, restaurants, vendors, and organizations along three blocks of Meramec Street. Repeat shoppers and new customers flocked to find unbelievable deals and unique flavors.
The weekend sale was organized by the owners of Kwamboka, Logan’s Kids Resale, and other Dutchtown business owners who began to organize via the Dutchtown Business District Facebook group. Working together, our neighborhood entrepreneurs kept the registers ringing as they showed off our eclectic Downtown Dutchtown shops.
Meanwhile, the food vendors at the Urban Eats Neighborhood Food Hall served up delicious dishes that can only be found in Dutchtown. Black Coffee and Perfectly Pastry helped us wake up for a big day of shopping. Juanita’s Creole Soul Café satisfied stomachs until selling out. And Tacos la Jefa brought foodies from around the region to enjoy their unique birria tacos, quesadillas, and nachos.
Neighborhood organizations were on hand touting the growing momentum in Dutchtown and recruiting neighbors to get involved. DT2 • Downtown Dutchtown, Cure Violence, Thomas Dunn Learning Center, and Dutchtown South Community Corporation all helped to spread the word about neighborhood programs and resources.
On Saturday, Cross Grand brought the Easter Bunny to Downtown Dutchtown for photos with kids and adults alike as shoppers and neighbors continued to stroll Meramec. The warmer weather brought even more shoppers to the district on the second day of the event, including many new visitors to the neighborhood.
Marquette Park Cleanup
Earlier on Saturday, several neighbors gathered at Marquette Park for some spring cleaning. Volunteers donned gloves and grabbed their grabbers to tackle some of the trash that accumulated over the long winter. With spring springing, the park got a much needed cleanup before the busy season begins.
Marquette Community Day Kickball Tournament
The Marquette Community Day Kickball Tournament was scheduled for Sunday, March 28th. But with sustained high winds and stronger gusts, the weather was a little too tough for the friendly games.
So the games were postponed until April 11th. But the day was still sunny, and with a DJ on hand and bratwursts and chicken wings ready to cook, neighbors still decided to make the most of the day.
A couple of impromptu, unsanctioned games took place between teams who arrived early. The players will have a competitive advantage when the official tournament happens now that they’re familiar with the quirks of the fields at Marquette.
Meanwhile, the hero of the blustery day was a visitor who brought several kites to the park and shared them with the kids (and adults) still in attendance. Pilots took to the open hill next to the Field House and their kites effortlessly took off and glided across the sky.
Music and barbecue smoke filled the park as a few dozen neighbors continued to brave the chilly winds. Kids played together, adults danced together, and even the teenagers appeared to enjoy themselves.
Later in the afternoon, a couple of high-level amateur teams took to the Marquette Park soccer field for a match. Fans gathered around the fringes of the park to take in the game, a regular occurrence on weekend afternoons in Marquette. Allies of Marquette Park have long pushed for improvements to the heavily used pitch, and hopefully some significant investment is on the horizon.
So, that’s what happened in Dutchtown this past weekend. We hope you were there! But if you missed it, you can always make the most of a weekend on the South Side by visiting our unique shops, patronizing our restaurants, or relaxing in our park. Keep an eye on the Dutchtown events calendar for more special events, or just come visit anytime!
By the way, there’s a bunch more photos on the DutchtownSTL Flickr page. See more photos from the sidewalk sale, Sunday in Marquette Park, or just browse around.
