Welcome to the holiday season! Everyone’s busy this time of year, but hopefully you can find some time to share with your neighbors. There’s plenty of holiday fun to be had in Dutchtown!

Especially during the holiday shopping season, make sure to support your local small businesses! The variety of unique shops throughout the Dutchtown area are sure to offer great gift ideas.

And on Tuesday, December 3rd, support your neighborhood non-profits for Giving Tuesday! We recently published the Dutchtown Guide to Giving, featuring some of the great organizations in our neighborhood. It’s a great resource for your Giving Tuesday or end-of-year donations.

Check out the DutchtownSTL calendar and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up with neighborhood news and events.

Downtown Dutchtown Holiday Shop Hop

The annual Holiday Shop Hop in Downtown Dutchtown is on Saturday, December 14th. Over a dozen businesses on and off Meramec Street offer sales and special deals! Visit six or more shops and have your entry form stamped for a chance at a cash prize.

In addition to great deals for shoppers, kids can get their photo taken with Santa Claus for just $1 at Twice Blessed Resale Shop from 11am to 2pm.

DT2 Holiday Party

Downtown Dutchtown hosts their annual Holiday Party on Wednesday, December 18th at the Liermann Loft above Urban Eats Café. It’s always a fantastic party!

Bring a dish for potluck dinner if you can. DT2 will supply the beer, wine, and entertainment. Salt of the Earth will provide live music through the evening. Fish Eye Fun’s photo booth is always a great time. And we’ll be visited by Santa, Snowy Chloe the Christmas Chihuahua, Spicy Elves, and Holiday Hunks.

You’ll also have an opportunity to make a donation to the annual Empty Bowls campaign by Urban Eats. In exchange for your donation to benefit St. Anthony’s Food Pantry, you’ll receive a handcrafted ceramic bowl. Later in the month you’ll be able to bring your bowl to Urban Eats for a free filling of soup.

And last but not least, the Holiday Party is a great time to make your annual contribution and renew your membership with DT2. Volunteers will be on hand to help register or renew your membership. You can also go ahead and make your donation now.

Please RSVP on the Facebook event page by December 13th.

Neighborhood and CID Meetings

While most neighborhood organizations are forgoing their monthly meetings in December, local community improvement districts still provide neighbors opportunities to get involved.

The Dutchtown CID holds their monthly Board of Directors meeting on an adjusted schedule. The meeting is Monday, December 23rd, 5:30pm at the Neighborhood Innovation Center.

The CID’s committees hold their quarterly meetings in December as well. The Maintenance and Beautification Committee meets Thursday, December 5th, 5:30pm at Tony Duncan’s studio at 4527 Virginia. The Marketing and Development Committee meets Thursday, December 12th, 6pm at Patrick McKeane’s Pub (attached to Original Crusoe’s). And finally, the Safety and Security Committee meets on Thursday, December 19th, 5:30pm upstairs at Crusoe’s.

The Dutchtown CID just released their 2019 annual report. Read about what’s been accomplished and what’s to come, then come to a meeting to get involved!

The Cherokee Street CID also hosts their monthly public meeting in December, on Thursday the 19th. The meeting is at 5:30pm at Artist Art. Property owners, business owners, residents, or anyone with an interest in Cherokee Street is encouraged to attend.

Thomas Dunn Learning Center

The South Side Youth Council meets every Monday at 4pm at Thomas Dunn Learning Center. The South Side Youth Council aims to contribute to the South Side community by creating and organizing youth led programs and events.

Thomas Dunn’s Art Lab has new hours and new projects! The studio is open on Monday and Wednesday evenings, 6pm to 8pm. Monday nights, learn card making and papercrafting using the Art Lab’s extensive supply of repurposed and upcycled materials. On Wednesday nights, the focus is on drawing and painting.

Sip ‘n Sketch is on Wednesday, December 11th. All skill levels are welcome to this life drawing class. Learn the basics, experiment with multiple media, and take a turn modeling. Feel free to bring an adult beverage and a snack to share.

Tablet trouble? Laptop lagging? Phone on the fritz? Come to the Tech Support Café at Thomas Dunn on Thursday, December 19th for free technical assistance and peer mentorship. Volunteer IT professionals are available to help in a welcoming, accessible workshop atmosphere.

More Dutchtown Events

The Cherokee Street Theater Company presents a live theatrical parody of Gremlins just in time for the holidays! Tickets are available for eleven performances over seven dates between December 4th and 14th. The shows are at Treffpunkt.

The annual Cherokee Print Bazaar is Saturday, December 7th from 10am to 6pm all along Cherokee Street. Over a hundred local artists at dozens of shops and spaces will have one-of-a-kind prints for sale. Find great, unique gifts while supporting local artists and shops.

Also on the 7th, on the other end of Cherokee, is the 36th annual Cherokee Antique Row Cookie Spree. In addition to baked goods and other holiday treats, there will be a petting zoo, photo booth, carolers, and more.

Dutchtown South Community Corporation‘s Community Empowerment Committee meets on Wednesday, December 18th. Help direct and implement DSCC‘s programs in the neighborhood. The meeting is at 6pm at Thomas Dunn Learning Center. Dinner and child care are provided.

The Gravois Park Neighborhood Association continues their annual holiday caroling tradition on Sunday, December 22nd. Gather at the Gravois Park pavilion at 1pm to sing or to listen.

Stay tuned to the DutchtownSTL calendar and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram so we can let you know about all the holiday action in Dutchtown! Happy holidays!

Top photo by Tom Lampe.

Giving Tuesday is December 3rd, and there’s a number of great organizations in the Dutchtown area worthy of your donation! If Tuesday’s not the day for you, they’ll also gladly accept donations any other day of the week. Consider these organizations for your end-of-year or anytime giving.

Here’s a rundown of some of the outstanding non-profits in Dutchtown. If we missed someone, let us know!

Thomas Dunn Learning Center

Thomas Dunn Learning Center provides quality, life-long learning opportunities to residents of Dutchtown and the surrounding city. Their free or low-cost programs center around education, civics, enrichment, and culture.

In 2019, Thomas Dunn opened The Place, a youth drop-in facility in the Marquette Recreation Center. The South Side Youth Council is another youth-oriented program sponsored by Thomas Dunn.

Thomas Dunn has an open art studio, computer lab, and library for use by members of the community. They also offer space to numerous community organizations and events.

Donate to Thomas Dunn Learning Center here.

Dutchtown South Community Corporation

Through community empowerment, housing stabilization, and real estate development, Dutchtown South Community Corporation strives to advance neighborhood vitality. DSCC serves Dutchtown, Gravois Park, Marine Villa, and Mount Pleasant.

Recent work at DSCC has lead to the finalization and implementation of the Gravois-Jefferson Historic Neighborhoods Plan. The comprehensive neighborhood plan was driven by community input. DSCC hosted the Gravois-Jefferson Leadership Academy sessions throughout 2019, teaching residents about community empowerment and engagement as well as planning and development.

Donate to Dutchtown South here.

DT2 • Downtown Dutchtown

DT2 is a community development organization on a mission to build and promote a thriving Dutchtown community and economy. Currently, DT2 is focused on attracting and retaining a diverse population of people and businesses in Dutchtown.

In recent years, DT2 has worked to establish the Dutchtown Community Improvement District. They hosted the Go Dutch! real estate mixer in 2019 to attract new residents and help real estate professionals sell their clients on Dutchtown. DT2 and their offshoot Allies of Marquette Park showed movie nights in Marquette Park this summer, and held a successful fundraiser to bring improvements to the Marquette Park Pool.

Donate to DT2 here.

Intersect Arts Center

Intersect Arts Center in Gravois Park engages with residents of all ages and backgrounds to connect community and art. They provide arts education for youth and adults and exhibition and studio spaces for working artists.

Intersect offers after-school programming, including art workshops for children and teens. They also offer classes in dance, ceramics, sculpture, and much more. Their gallery hosts rotating exhibitions throughout the year.

Donate to Intersect Arts Center here.

Perennial

Perennial teaches skills to build a culture of creativity and sustainability. They offer a broad variety of DIY and crafting classes throughout the year—check out their schedule. Perennial also has a retail shop to purchase materials for upcycling.

Besides hosting classes and diverting tons of materials from landfills, Perennial also provides free programming to women in transition including former prisoners, survivors of domestic violence, and homeless women.

Donate to Perennial here.

More Organizations

Flood Plain, an artist-run art space in Gravois Park. Donate here.

Franciscan Connection, offering emergency assistance to neighbors in need. Donate here.

Habitat for Humanity St. Louis, building homes, communities, and hope. Donate here.

Leverage Dance Theater, producing contemporary dance to engage new audiences. Donate here.

Neighborhood Innovation Center, fostering innovation in place-based neighborhood business. Donate here.

Pianos for People, providing free pianos and lessons. Donate here.

St. Anthony’s Food Pantry, providing food and clothing for neighbors in 63111, 63116, and 63118. Call (314) 352-1460 for information on donations.

South Broadway Art Project, where pottery, clay, sewing, and fashion design meets community. Donate here.

Tenth Life Cat Rescue, providing veterinary care, fostering, and placement for cats. Donate here.

To the best of our knowledge, the groups listed above are registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations. Donations may be tax deductible—consult a tax professional.

The Dutchtown Community Improvement District has released their annual report for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 2019, their second full year in operation. After focusing on planning in their first year, the CID took that momentum and started making things happen.

In spite of a limited budget (about $82,000 for the year) and an all volunteer staff, the Dutchtown CID was able to make great strides in 2019. Download the report here, or read on for some highlights.

Safety and Security

In October 2018, after discussions with multiple firms, the Dutchtown CID contracted with Campbell Security and Service Group to provide secondary patrols through the CID footprint. Two uniformed officers patrol the footprint during weekly shifts to provide enhanced police coverage and visibility.

The CID hosted a Safety Meet and Greet at Crusoe’s in January with Campbell Security and Neighborhood Liaison Officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Maintenance and Beautification

In the spring of 2019, the CID worked with Ald. Shane Cohn and the City of St. Louis to install or replace trash cans through the district. The CID has contracted with Metro Sweeping to ensure the cans are maintained and emptied regularly.

The CID has also contracted with St. Patrick’s Center to provide additional maintenance services. Workers from St. Patrick’s clean up trash and assist with plantings in the district.

Marketing and Development

The CID’s Marketing Committee developed informational door hangers for residents of the CID. The CID also participated in or supported events throughout the neighborhood, such as the Go Dutch! real estate mixer and the First District Police Luncheon.

In conjunction with both the Beautification and Marketing committees, the CID organized a very successful neighborhood cleanup, Clean Dutch, on Earth Day weekend in April. Dozens of neighbors tackled trash on their blocks, and volunteers filled an entire construction dumpster with bulk trash picked up from alleys.

Finally, the CID formed an agreement with DutchtownSTL.org to provide ongoing promotional services via this website and social media.

Looking Forward

The Dutchtown CID continues to progress into the current fiscal year. The CID recently issued a request for proposals for capital improvements in the district. Campbell Security is still patrolling the district, and maintenance contracts have been effective.

The CID has operated transparently and in a community-oriented fashion, with a board made up of business and property owners in the district along side residents volunteering their time and efforts. Board meetings are held monthly and are open to the public, and committee meetings are held quarterly with anyone being able to join a committee.

This month, the Dutchtown CID Board of Directors will meet on Monday, December 23rd, 5:30pm at the Neighborhood Innovation Center. All neighbors are welcome. Also in December, the CID’s committees will meet:

• Maintenance and Beautification: Thursday, December 5th, 5:30pm at 4527 Virginia
• Marketing and Development: Thursday, December 12th, 6pm at Patrick McKeane’s Pub at the Original Crusoe’s
• Safety and Security: Thursday, December 19th, 5:30pm at Original Crusoe’s

Join us at the board meeting to keep up with what’s going on, or join a committee to get involved! With your help, the district will continue to improve and make Dutchtown a better place to live and work.

Download the complete report here, including a map of the district, 2019 income and expenses, and the budget adopted for 2020.

The Dutchtown Community Improvement District is interested in hearing your great ideas for bettering the district! With the issuance of this Request for Proposals, the Dutchtown CID is offering residents, business owners, and anyone with interest in improving quality of life in Dutchtown an opportunity to help prioritize capital improvement in the years ahead.

What’s a capital improvement?

Any investment in the physical infrastructure of the district would qualify as a capital improvement. The major investment made to-date by the Dutchtown CID has been the installation of new trash bins. Other area CIDs have invested in public right-of-way items like wayfinding or placemaking signage, benches, new street lighting, sidewalk or median planters, public art, street light banners, and specialty crosswalk striping.

Submit Your Proposal

Submit photos or draft drawings of your proposed improvement, along with a project budget (including estimated maintenance costs), letters of support, and prospective sources of supplemental funding. Find additional information here.

All responses will be discussed at the January meeting of the Dutchtown CID Board of Directors, to be held on January 23rd, 5:30pm at the Neighborhood Innovation Center.

Email your response to rfp@dtcid.org by December 31, 2019.

There’s a chill in the air, but things are heating up in Dutchtown with so much to do in November! Stay in the know by checking the DutchtownSTL calendar and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more Dutchtown news.

Neighborhood Meetings

The Gravois Park Neighborhood Association meets on Tuesday, November 12th. Their meetings are at 6pm in the Rita Ford Community Center, 3353 California just north of Cherokee.

Dutchtown West meets on Wednesday, November 13th. The meeting is at 7pm in the banquet hall at Grbic Restaurant.

The St. Cecilia Historic District Neighborhood Association meets on Tuesday, November 19th, 6:30pm at St. Cecilia School. Enter the school from Alaska between the church and school buildings.

Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Association hosts their annual holiday party on Wednesday, November 20th, 7pm at the Gretchen Inn. Join them for food and fun including bingo and raffles.

The Dutchtown Community Improvement District‘s monthly board meeting is Thursday, November 21st. This meeting will be at 5:30pm at the new Neighborhood Innovation Center at Meramec and Compton.

The Cherokee Street Community Improvement District holds their monthly public meeting on Thursday, November 21st. They meet at 5:30pm at Artist Art.

Gravois Jefferson Leadership Academy

Dutchtown South Community Corporation is hosting a series of workshops on planning and zoning issues to help residents grow skills to implement the Gravois Jefferson Historic Neighborhoods Plan. In the six workshops, planners and community development professionals will share knowledge and expertise on planning topics with residents in the neighborhoods in the Gravois Jefferson Historic Neighborhoods Plan area.

DSCC seeks to cultivate a new crop of leaders and help strengthen current leaders, who can then be better equipped to serve on development review committees or citizen plan monitoring committees.

Residents of northeast Dutchtown, Gravois Park, and Benton Park West are all encouraged to attend. RSVP on the Facebook event page. Light refreshments will be provided and childcare is available.

Intersect Arts Center

Free Teen Studio Workshops continue at Intersect Arts Center. Starting in November is a six-week course in ceramics with artist Emma Vidal. Students will gain a strong foundation in practical skills, technical knowledge, and contemporary ceramic practices. No experience is required and the workshops, every Friday from 4:30pm to 6pm, are free. Register at Intersect’s website.

Weihnachtspyramide, Intersect’s fall arts festival, is Saturday, November 16th from 11am to 3pm. The festival features a petting zoo, craft projects, live music, and free food and drink in addition to a variety of art for sale from multiple vendors. Visit the Facebook event page for a list of vendors.

The gallery at Intersect is seeking submissions for their January exhibits Digraph // Reservoir through November 10th. Visit the gallery page for more information.

Thomas Dunn Learning Center

Thomas Dunn Learning Center‘s Art Lab is open Monday through Thursday from 3pm to 6pm. Work on your own piece or participate in the focus of the day. Art supplies are available along with tons of items to reuse and repurpose.

The South Side Youth Council meets every Monday at 4pm at Thomas Dunn. The South Side Youth Council aims to contribute to the South Side community by creating and organizing youth led programs and events.

Join the Young Professionals Board of Thomas Dunn Learning Center at the next Sip ‘n Sketch is Wednesday, November 13th at 6pm. Adults of all skill levels are invited to participate in this life drawing class exploring a variety of materials and techniques. Bring a snack and a beverage.

FreeSource‘s Tech Support Cafe returns to Thomas Dunn on Thursday, November 21st from 6pm to 8pm. Participants can receive free technical assistance and peer mentorship from volunteer IT professionals in a welcoming, friendly, accessible workshop atmosphere.

Thomas Dunn hosts their annual Winter Artist’s Market on Saturday, November 30th from noon to 4pm. Find beautifully hand crafted gifts while enjoying complimentary cookies and cocoa. Interested vendors can register here.

More Dutchtown Events

Join Tenth Life Cat Rescue for an open-level yoga class with cats on Wednesday, November 6th at 6pm. You only need a mat and a love of cats to participate in this friendly, non-judgmental environment. Tickets for this fundraiser are available for $15 at Eventbrite. Visit the Facebook event page for more information.

Earthbound Beer and Green Earth Art Company team up for a Maker’s Market on Sunday, November 10th from noon to 4pm. Grab a beer and peruse the wares of over a dozen local artists and makers. Visit the Facebook event page for a list of vendors and more info.

Dutchtown South’s Community Empowerment Committee meets on Wednesday, November 20th, 6pm at Thomas Dunn Learning Center. The CEC implements the programs of DSCC and addresses issues in the neighborhood through their own program ideas. Dinner and childcare are provided.

Neighbors are invited to the new Neighborhood Innovation Center on Friday, November 22nd at 1:30pm for a presentation to Missouri Main Street Connection. DT2 has been chosen as a finalist for Main Street’s new UrbanMain initiative. This is a unique opportunity to bring in professional resources to help Dutchtown plan for a vibrant commercial future and further DT2’s mission to promote a thriving community and shared prosperity by facilitating economic development and fostering opportunity in the Dutchtown neighborhood. Read more here.

Celebrate five years of Earthbound Beer on Friday, November 22nd beginning at 4pm. Enjoy lots of special beers plus food from Gooseberries and Byrd & Barrel, music, and more. Visit the Facebook event page for more information.

Head to Cherokee Street on Black Friday (November 29th) for the Black Owned Black Friday pop-up market. Eight locations will host over twenty makers, artists, and creatives. Visit the Facebook event page for a list of locations and vendors.

The Dutchtown calendar has lots more for you to do in November. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for even more Dutchtown news, and sign up for our mailing list for occasional updates.