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 $170,000 has been donated through the years," said Marilyn Farber, 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, present mayor of Creve Coeur, "and it was so successful we decided to repeat it the following year." Dielmann was the city's mayor at the time, and once again holds that position.

The celebration grew in scope as carnival activities were added. "For a number of years we held the festival on an empty lot between Weber Chevrolet and First Bank, where a shopping area is now located," Dielmann said. After the lot was sold, the festival moved to a number of different locations. Some earlier locations included the parking lot of the old Venture Store (now Kohls) prior to Venture's grand opening.

The festival also was held where City Place is now located, back when it was a smaller retail strip center. Eventually the festival moved to land owned by Monsanto across Olive from its west campus where it remained for a number of years until that land was acquired.

Monsanto graciously offered to host the carnival midway on their parking lot where it remained through 2008. Last year, the Midway moved to the Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital on grounds just south of the hospital office buildings on Mason Rd.

The carnival midway is where most of the Creve Coeur Days activities happen. Here are the carnival rides to delight kids of all ages, and for those who like to snack, there are many food booths offering a wide variety of items from hotdogs to shishkabobs. Free hourly entertainment takes place at the bandstand.

On Sunday, our annual Creve Coeur Days Parade steps off, delighting the crowds lining the parade route.