About Creve Coeur Days

Every year for the past four decades, people have come out in throngs to enjoy the fun of Creve Coeur Days, one of the largest community festivals in the county. What makes Creve Coeur Days unique is that the huge celebration is not a function of the City of Creve Coeur as are most other community festivals, but is planned and manned by a dedicated group of volunteers, members of Creve Coeur Days, Inc., a non-profit organization whose membership is open to anyone who wishes to participate.

A second factor is that the event is a fund-raising event with proceeds distributed annually to area charitable and philanthropic organizations. "More than $180,000 has been donated through the years," said the chairperson of the Distribution Committee.

Among the worthy causes that have received financial support from Creve Coeur Days are the Creve Coeur Police and the Creve Coeur Fire Protection District, the D.A.R.E program, Ronald McDonald House, Shriners Hospital, Variety the Children's Charity, Mathews-Dickey Boys Club, Grace Hill Settlement House, the Salvation Army, YMCA Camp Lakewood, James S. McDonald USO, and many others.

The Creve Coeur Days activity began in 1967 as a celebration to commemorate the completion of the I-270 and Olive Boulevard overpass. "We held a parade that year," said Harold Dielmann, mayor of Creve Coeur at the time, "and it was so successful we decided to repeat it the following year." Dielmann just completed another term as mayor last year.

For a number of years, the festival was held on an empty lot between Weber Cheverolet and First Bank where a shopping area now is located. After the lot was sold the festival moved to a number of locations including what was then Venture (and now Kohl’s) and then to the shopping area on the property where City Place now stands. Eventually the festival moved to land owned by Monsanto across Olive from its west campus where it stayed for a number of years.

When that ground was taken for other purposes, Monsanto invited Creve Coeur Days to use their parking lot to stage the carnival where it was held for a number of years until moving to Barnes Jewish West County Hospital.

Creve Coeur Days will be held on the campus of DeSmet Jesuit High School where everyone had such a great time last year. We thank DeSmet for being our host once again.