May starts off big with the Cherokee Street Cinco de Mayo Festival and the People’s Joy Parade. There’s also plenty going on throughout the rest of the month. Don’t forget to check our calendar regularly, sign up for our mailing list, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all the latest events.

Cherokee Street Cinco de Mayo

Saturday, May 5th, is the annual Cinco de Mayo Festival on Cherokee Street from Nebraska to Jefferson. Enjoy food and drink, live music on three stages, dance, children’s activities, Lucha Libre Wrestling, and more. The People’s Joy Parade, featuring homemade costumes and floats, begins at 1:11pm at Cherokee and Minnesota and winds its way through the neighborhood to Cherokee and Texas.

Neighborhood Meetings

Gravois Park and Dutchtown West both hold their regular meetings on Tuesday, May 8th. Gravois Park meets at 6pm at 3353 California (just north of Cherokee in the old Jefferson Bank building). Dutchtown West meets at 7pm at the banquet hall at Grbic Restaurant.

The Cherokee Street Business Association meets Thursday, May 17th, 5:30pm at Nebula. Business owners, property owners, and residents are all encouraged to attend.

Mount Pleasant has their quarterly meeting this month. They will meet on Wednesday, May 30th at 7pm at the Gretchen Inn at the Feasting Fox.

Thomas Dunn Learning Center

Come to Thomas Dunn Learning Center on Thursday morning, May 3rd for What’s Brewing? Arts and Culture in Dutchtown Neighborhood Revitalization, a conversation exploring arts and culture in community development. The event is free but registration is required.

On Thursday, May 10th, Thomas Dunn will host a reception and exhibition for Artists First STL, an open studio that fosters independence through self-expression for artists of all abilities.

Also, now is the time to sign up for free summer day camps for youths at Thomas Dunn. Camps include ceramics, cooking, leadership, and coding. The City of St. Louis also offers additional free camps at Thomas Dunn and other locations in the neighborhood and across the city.

As always, Thomas Dunn Learning Center offers open art and computer labs, HiSET GED classes, parenting education, and other services. Check out their calendar for dates and times.

Dutchtown South Community Corporation

DSCC begins their series of landlord workshops on Wednesday, May 9th, 6pm at Thomas Dunn Learning Center. This first meeting focuses on basic financial management. Meetings in June and July will cover fair housing issues, tenants’ rights, and energy efficient and eco-friendly rehab construction.

So Fresh, So Clean, So Creative, DSCC’s initiative to address waste issues in the neighborhood, will be hosting a cleanup on Sunday, May 27th, starting at 11am at Love Bank Park at Cherokee and Nebraska. (Other cleanups around the neighborhood can be found on our site at dutchtownstl.org/cleanup.)

The Community Empowerment Committee meets on Wednesday, May 30th, 6pm at Thomas Dunn Learning Center. Dinner and childcare are provided.

Elsewhere in Dutchtown

Habitat for Humanity St. Louis opens their new headquarters and ReStore on Tuesday, May 1st at Grand and Chippewa in the former National building. The ReStore is open to the public and features nearly 20,000 square feet of new or reusable construction and remodeling materials.

The Gravois-Jefferson Historic Neighborhoods Plan will be considered for adoption by the St. Louis Planning Commission on May 2nd. Find out more about the plan and how to submit feedback at this link.

Flow Yoga and Art at 3137 Meramec is hosting their first Yoga and Salad Session on Wednesday, May 2nd at 6:30pm. Start with an hour long yoga class for all levels, then enjoy vegan salads and other healthy refreshments.

The Downtown Dutchtown Marketplace continues every Saturday, from 9am to 3pm. The Marketplace starts at the Feasting Fox and continues down Meramec. Find antiques, art, collectibles, a farmers market, and more.

The Dutchtown Community Improvement District hold their regular committee and board meetings throughout the month. Committees include Beautification and Maintenance, Marketing and Development, and Safety and Security. Meet with the committee that suits your interests or attend a board meeting to see how it all comes together.

The Feasting Fox celebrates Gin Week May 7th through May 12th with tastings and discussions with distillers. The South City Sipsters will meet during Gin Week on Thursday, May 10th, and will get to sample and learn about gin in addition to the usual beer and wine. The Feasting Fox will also be offering a special Mother’s Day Brunch including an all-you-can-eat buffet (reservations are required).

The Cherokee Street Community Market at Love Bank Park begins Wednesday, May 9th at 4:30pm and will pop up once a month through October. The market features fresh produce, hot food, art, and entertainment.

The Downtown Dutchtown Business Association‘s monthly DT2 After Hours will be hosted by Queen’s Nail Salon at 3315 Meramec. Come by to meet the new neighbors, enjoy some refreshments, and get a quick mani/pedi.

The first annual Cherokee Caravan Antiques and Art Bazaar is on Memorial Day along Cherokee Antique Row. The Bazaar will feature local and out-of-town antique vendors and makers as well as food trucks and live entertainment.

As always, make sure to check our calendar regularly, sign up for our mailing list, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you have an event in Dutchtown, Gravois Park, Mount Pleasant, Marine Villa, or Cherokee Street that you’d like us to share, please contact us or email info@dtstl.org.

Top photo courtesy of Paul Sableman.

Saturday, April 28th, is going to be an exciting day in Dutchtown! Two great new events are are kicking off right here in our neighborhood.

Strange Folk Festival Potion Party

Strange Folk Festival, St. Louis’s largest and longest-running indie craft show, is expanding in 2018 with new events. The fist such event is the Strange Folk Potion Party at the Marquette Park Field House. Potion Party is a self-care market and hands-on event featuring ten pop-up shops from local makers of self-care products.

In addition to locally made soaps, bath, body, and skin care products, there will be tarot readings and a live art project. Blissoma Holistic Skincare will be offering hands-on instruction and materials to make your own healthy, natural skin treatments, while supplies last (reserve your spot here).

Potion Party starts at noon and goes until 6pm. The Marquette Park Field House is on the west side of the park, near Gasconade and Virginia.

Downtown Dutchtown Marketplace

The first Downtown Dutchtown Marketplace is also on Saturday, April 28th, and will be open every Saturday through fall. The Marketplace is a neighborhood bazaar featuring antiques, art, crafts, a farmers market, and more.

The Marketplace starts at the Feasting Fox and runs down Meramec to Compton and is open from 9am to 3pm. For information on becoming a vendor or volunteer visit the Dutchtown Marketplace website.

Voting is underway for Go! Magazine’s 2018 Go! List and plenty of spots in the greater Dutchtown neighborhood are nominated. We don’t want to tell you how to vote, but we’ve got some suggestions below.

Music and Clubs

• Best Concert Venue: Off Broadway
• Best Dive Bar: The B-Side
• Best Neighborhood for Nightlife: Cherokee Street
• Best Place to Hear Country Music: Off Broadway
• Best Place to Hear Rock Music: Off Broadway

Food and Drink

• Best Desserts: Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
• Best Food Truck: Frankly Sausages
• Best French Fries: Frankly Sausages
• Best Fried Chicken: Original Crusoe’s or Byrd and Barrel
• Best Mexican Restaurant: Chimichanga’s
• Best Restaurant Wine Selection: Yaqui’s
• Best Retail Craft Beer Selection: Saint Louis Hop Shop
• Best Coffee Roaster: Sump
• Best Coffee Shop: The Mud House or Sump
• Best Lenten Fish Fry: St. Cecilia
• Best Vietnamese Restaurant: Banh Mi So 1

Around Town

• Best Boutique: Urban Matter or STL Style
• Best Festival or Fair: Cherokee Street Cinco de Mayo
• Best Haunted Halloween Attraction: Lemp Mansion
• Best Hidden Gem: Cherokee Street Antique Row
• Best Historic Site: Chatillon-DeMenil House
• Best Neighborhood for Shopping: Cherokee Street
• Best Place for a Selfie: Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
• Best Place to Experience Flora and Fauna: Flowers and Weeds
• Best Stadium/Arena Concessions: Byrd and Barrel at Scottrade Center

Voting is open until 11:59pm on Sunday, April 8th, so go vote now!

We’ve already got a pretty packed calendar for April, and we’re always adding more! Check the calendar often, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest. You can also sign up for our mailing list and get an occasional (about once a month) update on neighborhood events.

Neighborhood Meetings

Tuesday, April 10th, both Gravois Park and Dutchtown West have their monthly meetings. Gravois Park meets at 6pm at 3353 California, just north of Cherokee, in the old Jefferson Bank building. Dutchtown West meets at 7pm at the banquet hall at Grbic. Both organizations hold their meetings at the same time and place on the second Tuesday of every month.

Marine Villa has their monthly meeting on April 23rd at 7pm at Sister Cities Cajun. They meet on the fourth Monday of the month. Martine Villa will also have a walk, talk, and cleanup on Wednesday, April 4th, beginning at 6:30pm at the firehouse on South Broadway.

The Dutchtown Community Improvement District has committee meetings throughout the month and a Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, April 26th. Learn more about the committees from our earlier post and get in where you fit in.

The Cherokee Street Business Association meets on Thursday, April 19th, 5:30pm at Nebula. Business and property owners as well as residents are all encouraged to attend.

Thomas Dunn Learning Center

As always, there’s lots going on at the Thomas Dunn Learning Center at Marquette Park. In addition to the usual open art and computer labs, HiSET study sessions, Southside Youth Council meetings, and parenting education, there’s many other events and programs, a few of which we’ll highlight below. Visit the TDLC calendar for a complete listing of their events.

With April 15th rapidly approaching, Thomas Dunn wants to help you with your taxes! Get free assistance preparing your taxes between 1pm–7pm the first two Wednesdays of April (appointment required). Then check out Money Mondays all month long to learn how to make the most of your refund, develop budgeting skills, and improve your credit score.

On Tuesday, April 10th, 3pm–6pm, Thomas Dunn will host an information session for Metro Reimagined, the new draft transit service plan from Metro. Come by to learn more about the plan, talk with planners, and provide your feedback. If you’re unable to attend, you can complete Metro’s survey or visit their page for a list of other information sessions outside of the neighborhood.

Every Tuesday evening at 7pm you can join the Laughter Club for an hour of laughter to relieve stress and increase positive vibes. If you come early you can get creative in the art lab or enjoy a meal from the TDLC kitchen.

Sip ‘n Sketch is a monthly life drawing session for artists of all skill levels. Participants draw each other using a variety of materials. Materials are provided, but you can bring your own as well. And BYOB! Sip ‘n Sketch is at 7pm on the second Wednesday of every month.

Dutchtown South Community Corporation

Dutchtown South will unveil their new Serenity and Meditation Station on Saturday, April 7th at noon. The station is located near the community garden at Virginia and Liberty and will feature upcycled pieces created by artist Shea Brown in conjunction with DSCC’s So Fresh, So Clean, So Creative project.

Also organized as a part of So Fresh, So Clean, So Creative is a Marine Villa cleanup on Sunday, April 29th, 11am, beginning at Perennial on South Broadway. For a list of other cleanups planned around the neighborhood you can always visit DutchtownSTL.org/cleanup.

The DSCC Community Empowerment Committee meets on Wednesday, April 25th, 6pm at Thomas Dunn Learning Center. The CEC implements DSCC’s programs and develops program ideas of their own. Dinner and child care are provided at the meeting.

Elsewhere in the Neighborhood

The Feasting Fox will host two of their popular five-course dinners with beer and wine pairings, on Friday, April 6th and Friday, April 27th, both beginning at 7pm. Reservations are required.

Also at the Feasting Fox, the South City Sipsters meet on Wednesday, April 18th, at 6pm. They’ll be sampling Chardonnays and beers from Destihl while enjoying the Feasting Fox’s new pub menu and music by the Torture Chamber Orchestra later in the evening.

Urban Eats Café is always combining great food with local art. This month, they’ll have their popular Art Brunch on Sunday, April 29th, featuring artists Thomas Park and Jenni Joerger. Reservations are encouraged. On Saturday, April 14th, 6pm, Urban Eats will host Art, Appetizers, and Cocktails, featuring the art of Pamela Schaffner.

Urban Eats will also be welcoming (and staying open extra late for) the South City contingent of the St. Louis Board Game Meetup Group. on Friday, April 13th and Friday, April 27th, from 6pm to 11pm. Learn new games or play your old favorites.

Strange Folk Festival‘s first Potion Party pop-up will be at the Marquette Park Field House on Saturday, April 28th, from noon to 6pm. Shop for self-care products from an array of local vendors and participate in hands-on workshops. It’s a great opportunity to get some Mother’s Day shopping done, and to check out the newly renovated Field House.

We’re always adding events to our calendar and sharing on our Facebook and Twitter feeds. If you have an event or anything else Dutchtown related you’d like to share please contact us or email info@dtstl.org.

Top photo credit to Paul Sableman.

Dutchtown South Community Corporation‘s So Fresh, So Clean, So Creative South Side program is ramping back up for summer 2018!

Right now they’re looking for both Junior and Senior Community Champions interested in developing leadership and community organizing skills. Champions will canvass and recruit neighbors for cleanups and trainings and help conduct the neighborhood cleanups and events.

Community Champions must be residents of Dutchtown, Gravois Park, Mount Pleasant, or Marine Villa. A commitment of about ten hours per month is required from May to October. Champions will receive an $80–$100 monthly stipend.

Complete a youth application or an adult application, or if you have additional questions contact Amber at DSCC at amber@dutchtownsouth.org or (314) 352-4865.