Get ready for the 7^th annual Grove Fest-Saturday, October 6, 2012!

Grove Fest is an independent, eclectic gathering in St. Louis’ Grove district.  This year’s festival will be bigger and better than before with more partners and big name entertainment slotted for the event.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of this year’s Grove Fest please download the sponsorship packet here.

Stay tuned for the latest information regarding live music, vendors and other wild happenings going on at Grove Fest 2012!

Check out the video of last year’s event below:

On Saturday, May 12th, the Missouri Professional Cycling Series brought their top cyclists to the Tour de Grove portion of the weekend long event.  A large turn out of professional cyclists from around the world brought a great crowd to the Grove entertainment/business district.  All the top National Racing Calendar (NRC) teams were represented with 150 riders in the men’s race and over 50 racers in the women’s field.  Check out some photos of the days events below.

Go to the Tour de Grove official website for more information on the race.

Image courtesy of Brian Phillips

Image courtesy of Brian Phillips

Image courtesy of Brian Phillips

Image courtesy of MOPRO Cycling Series

Image courtesy of Brian Phillips

Image courtesy of Brian Phillips

Image courtesy of MOPRO Cycling Series

Image courtesy of MOPRO Cycling Series

Saturday, May 12th, 2012 the Missouri Professional (MO PRO) Cycling Series will race though one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in St. Louis-The Grove. Tour De Grove is the centerpiece of MO PRO.  The professional bicycling race will feature the fastest male and female cyclists from the United States competing to win a overall purse of $30,000. It is the highest paying, single day race in Missouri.  The race is part of the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar (NRC), USA Crits Series, and US Handcycling Series.

In addition to the bike races, there will be a 5k run, family events, kid races, recreational rides by Trailnet, and “ArtCrank” a national cycling poster art show. There will be outdoor activities all day Saturday and into the evening.  The 5k run starts Saturday at 9:00am with an overall cash prize of $1700 and age group prizes. ArtCrank will begin Thursday and will be hosted by local Grove restaurant/bar Atomic Cowboy. The event will feature the talents of amazing local artists.  The posters are priced reasonably so everyone can take home at least one.

The kids can get in on the fun as well!  Children, ages 3 to 12, will be able to race or ride across the exact same finish line as the pros.   Participants should arrive and register one hour prior to the start of the kids race.  The kids race starts Saturday, May 12th at 2:30pm.  Registration will close 15 minutes prior to the race.  Racers will line up according to their age groups. The Big Wheel racers (ages 3 to 4) will ride the shortest distance and the start line will move back for each successive category.  The top 3 finishers in each category will receive custom MO PRO Build-a-Bears from St. Louis’ own Build-a-Bear Workshop. We’ll be putting 3 bears on the line- 3 per race for all 5 races.  The top three finishers in each race will receive a Build-a-Bear along with other great prize packages from the St. Louis Science Center and the City Museum.

Come out and join us at the Third Annual Tour de Grove!

Amy Bielicke joined the WUMCRC team in October 2011.  Bielicke provides day to day office bookkeeping and manages WUMC’s financial records and books.  WUMC Executive Director Brian Phillips said, “Amy has been an excellent addition to the WUMC staff team. Her skills as a Certified Public Accountant have been invaluable. She’s a true team player, willing to assist other staff members with various projects. We are so lucky to have her on staff.”

When asked what the advantages are of working in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood, “I love working in this neighborhood because I enjoy exploring new areas of the city.  I also have family history here because many of my relatives come from the city of St. Louis.”

One the side, Bielicke is a certified yoga instructor at Urban Breath Yoga located in the Grove entertainment/business district.   She has taught fitness for years and is passionate about healthy living.  Bielicke says, “Movement is therapeutic and it opens new pathways to process creativity.” People of all fitness levels are welcome to join in her Yoga Dance Trance class this Friday, April 27^th, from 8-10pm at Urban Breath Yoga. This type of yoga is designed to help you relax and inspire creativity.  The class consists of one hour yoga session, then free dance movement for one hour.  Limited spots available.

Amy Bielicke, Financial Analyst at WUMCRC

The first sculpture in the Grove is now installed!  The art piece is located on the corner of Manchester and Arco, next to the new SOHO Restaurant and Lounge.  Artist, Andrew Woodard is working on the final touches including a plaque that will describe the sculpture’s  historical significance to Manchester Road.

Also, read here about Woodard’s “light green” component to the sculpture.

Artist Andrew Woodard assisting in lifting the heavy sculpture off the truck

With help from Woodard, WUMCRC staff, and local business owners the sculpture gets set into place

Woodard standing next to the new sculpture after installation

The sculpture lights up at night with the help from solar energy gathered during the day.

A fresh batch of petunias and decorative grass has been installed in the Chouteau planters.  These modern planters were fabricated and installed by Confluence Design last year and funded by WUMC.  Each planter was fitted with the street name intersection to which the planter faces: Taylor, Newstead, Tower Grove, and Boyle Avenue.

Local Forest Park Southeast (FPSE) resident Alan Rowlson will continue maintaining the planters.  Rowlson is among the numerous FPSE residents that have found a new sense of pride in their neighborhood and are doing all they can to help beautify their community.

On June 2, from 12pm-6pm, both the Grove and Cherokee street will be uniting to bring you IndiHop! Independent businesses in both neighborhoods will offer different tastings of local craft brew, while encouraging attendees to travel up and down respective streets.  Shuttle services will be provided to and from both neighborhoods. The shuttle stops will run from 11:30am- 7:30pm and feature live art, bands or other entertainment.

“Every year for Grove Fest we try to find a date that doesn’t have a lot of other activities happening and no matter what there seems to be a dozen or so other festivals or events that pop around town on the same day.  IndiHop sets the example that neighborhoods can work together and succeed together.”- Brooks Goedeker, Community Development Manager from WUMCRC.

With ticket purchase, you will also receive an IndiHop glass beer mug, 50 beer tastings, shuttle service, and a print booklet.  Booklet will include: map of Cherokee/Grove, businesses and beers, bike routes, passport, and information on the beers.  Tickets are on sale now.  $10 in advance/$15 day of event.  Go to Brown Paper Tickets to purchase yours today!

The first sculpture being installed on Manchester is almost complete!  WUMCRC stopped by the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University to check on its progress and chat with the artist Andrew Woodard.  Soon, Woodard will add what he calls the “light green” component consisting of small solar panels located  on top of the sculpture.  The red “Manchester” letters will light up at night adding some vibrant color to the street.  Stay tuned for images of the final piece.

A Central West End resident of 21 years, Maggy Malcolm has not only experienced a great amount of change in her neighborhood, she has helped facilitate it with her memberships on various neighborhood associations and boards.

Maggy has accumulated a wealth of knowledge after selling real estate since 1981, and she has been able to put that knowledge to use for her community. After getting involved with volunteer work 18 years ago, she was nominated by Alderman Joe Roddy to be a commissioner for the Central West End South Business District.  This group is tasked with allocating funds on security and other important items.

Maggy considers an inviting and safe atmosphere to be crucial to the growth of the Central West End and points to landscaping efforts and the elimination of graffiti as examples of how that has been fostered. “We’ve come a long way in the last 20 years.  It is amazing what’s [been] done,” Maggy said.

The busy Maggy is also a member of the Neighborhood Security Initiative (NSI), which combines tax revenue from the five taxing districts in the CWE and efficiently administers it for security purposes. When asked why her work with the NSI was important, Maggy replied: “I’m a home owner. I want my property values to continue to go up. I want my friends to come down and socialize here. I want them in the Central West End and in the city. The only way to do that is to get rid of the fear of crime. Now, what we have is a perception. Not an accurate one.”

During her two terms as a board member of the Central West End Association, Maggy formed a marketing committee to promote the good work being done in the neighborhood. “I was asked repeatedly ‘Where’s the Central West End?’, while they were standing in the middle of it. So, I realized we had an issue. And I also wanted to get more people down here,” she said. After implementing a five year marketing plan recommended by Werremeyer design agency, the CWE brand has never been stronger. Maggy is particularly proud of the effort to install wayfinders and signage, which identify the neighborhood. Her efforts to market the neighborhood come from her strong love of the area.

“The Central West End is the best place to live. Bar none. It is intellectual, very diverse, and has many cultures, many languages, and many professions.  And you can’t find that in very many places in St. Louis.”
Thanks to people like Maggy Malcolm, who passionately promote their neighborhood, the Central West End will continue to be an easier place to find and to find your way around.

Maggy Malcolm standing by one of the wayfinding signs in the CWE

]]> http://wumcrc.com/cwe-resident-spotlight-maggy-malcolm/feed/ 0 http://wumcrc.com/the-grove-caught-on-film/ http://wumcrc.com/the-grove-caught-on-film/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:55:32 +0000 Admin http://wumcrc.com/?p=6287

WUMCRC asked amateur videographer, David Moore Jr to create a short video of a typical night in the Grove.  The video is part of a collection of marketing pieces that will be used to showcase the Grove to potential commercial tenants.  This past Friday, David Moore and Park Central Development intern, Anne McCullough took in a night in the Grove and this is what they came away with.

Check out Moore’s other video he created for STL Improv Anywhere during Open Streets 2011 in the Grove.