Hazelwood Harvestfest is “Going Green” on September 11

Looking to have some good “green” fun this weekend? Then you might want to head to Hazelwood Harvestfest! Here’s what the city of Hazelwood’s Tim Davidson has to say about this year’s festival:

“Going Green!” is the theme of this year’s Hazelwood Harvestfest, scheduled for Sat., Sept. 11, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. After the parade, a full day of fun activities is planned for people of all ages at Howdershell Park, located at 6800 Howdershell Road.  Admission is free.

“We selected ‘Going Green!’ this year as our Harvestfest theme as a way to encourage residents to join together in doing their part to save our planet,” said Mayor Matthew Robinson. ”All of us make choices everyday that can either hurt or help the environment — in the cars we drive, the products we buy, as well as the way we use and dispose of them.  If all of us do our part to reduce, reuse and recycle, we can make a difference in helping to improve the quality of life for future generations.”

Some of the ways Harvestfest organizers are promoting the “Going Green!” theme include having all the staff wear recycled t-shirts for the event. They will also be giving away recycled bracelets to the first 300 kids who enter the park, and teaching youngsters how to make craft items using recyclable items. In addition, recyclable utensils, dinnerware and cups will be used by all the food vendors.  Separate containers labeled food, recyclable and compost will be placed throughout the park for everyone to use.

Shoeman Water Projects

A new addition to this year’s 22nd annual Harvestfest will be the participation of Reverend George “The Shoeman” Hutchings who is known for turning people’s donated shoes into clean drinking water.  Hutchings will be in the parade and have a booth alongside other information/game booths at the park event.

The Shoeman picks up used and new shoes year round from businesses, churches, schools and shoe drives.  Once collected, he gives them a second life by selling them to exporters.  The money generated from these sales transactions is used to purchase well drilling rigs, water purification systems and other supplies to help bring clean, fresh water to those in need.

Having collected over 700,000 pairs of shoes in the last two years, the Shoeman Water Projects, a non-profit 501(3)(c) organization, has sent four water drilling rigs to Kenya.  Hutchings is also making preparations to send a water filtration system to the people of Haiti. Even before the devastating earthquake, at least 40% of Haiti’s population didn’t have access to clean drinking water.  Contaminated ground water is the leading cause of infant mortality, and deadly hepatitis, cholera and dysentery take the lives of many adults.

Residents interested in donating their new or used shoes, or making a cash contribution to support The Shoeman’s Water Projects can drop them off at his booth throughout the day.

Parade

This year’s festival will begin with the traditional Harvestfest Parade, scheduled to begin at Hazelwood City Hall, 415 Elm Grove Lane, at 9 a.m.  The best viewing areas for the parade can be found along Town and County, Holiday, Imperial and Village Square Drives.

Music will be performed by the John Ford Highland Pipe Band and the Hazelwood West High School Marching Wildcats. After the parade ends, the John Ford Highland Pipe Band will roam around Howdershell Park giving mini-concerts for the festival attendees.

Miss Hazelwood Coronation

At 10:30 a.m., the reigning 2009 Miss Hazelwood Rachel Robin will host the 2010 coronation ceremony which will climax with the crowning of the new Miss Hazelwood. To qualify as a participant, contestants must be young women between the ages of 15 and 19, as well as residents of Hazelwood.  A $500 scholarship and other prizes will be awarded to the new queen.

Children’s Activities

The Children’s Activity Area will feature an inflatable Chaos Obstacle Course and a Giant Dual Slide for youngsters to climb on between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. In the Arts and Crafts Area, kids can play in the Bounce House or make picture frames using recyclable items from the St. Louis Teachers’ Van.

For the early birds, a Petting Zoo will be available for the children’s entertainment between 10 a.m. and Noon. Magician Eldon Roark will take the stage at 11:30 a.m. and dazzle the audience with his amazing illusions.  Free pony rides will be offered to kids from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Home Run Derby

This new Harvestfest activity is open to boys and girls between the ages of seven and 12.  Two competitions will be held from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m.  Participants can bring their own baseball bat to use, but they must be willing to allow others to use it as well.

Each player will be allowed seven swings to hit home runs.  A whiffle ball pitching machine is going to be used for maintaining the consistency of each throw.  One winner will be selected from each age level for both competitions. The winners will be given an opportunity to choose their own prizes consisting of items donated by The Fieldhouse Training Center and Fischer’s of Florissant Sporting Goods.  Those chosen as winners in the first competition will be ineligible to participate in the second one.

Horseshoe Tournaments

Two tournaments will be held at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the horseshoe pits at Howdershell Park. The format will involve random draw partnering. Registration for both events will begin a half-hour early. Admission is free and open to people of all ages. Trophies will be awarded to the top finishers.

Bingo Sessions

The Hazelnuts will be sponsoring two Bingo sessions at 12 Noon and 2 p.m. at the new park gazebo.  Anyone can play.  Gift cards, small household items and snacks will be given away as prizes.

Music Entertainment

St. Louis’ premier variety dance band, Spectrum, will kick things into overdrive with its explosive musical performance, starting at 2 p.m. In addition to being selected by local event and wedding planning professionals as the “Best Dance Band in Missouri” by a national magazine two years in a row, Spectrum recently acquired the accolades of receiving the 2010 Bride’s Choice Award.  The band’s repetoire includes everything from pop to swing, Motown to R&B, and Big Band to Classic 50s/60s rock music. It’s one of the most requested and entertaining professional bands in St. Louis for private parties.

All Day Activities

Some of the all day activities include a Used Book Sale, sponsored by the Hazelwood Community Enrichment Commission. This event allows people to browse through hundreds of donated books and purchase them at bargain prices.  All proceeds generated from this event are used to purchase newspaper and magazine subscriptions for Hazelwood’s two recreation centers, to support the Commission’s “Reading Is Elementary” program and to provide resources for the Garden Club.

An Arts & Crafts Show will be ongoing on the north side of the park.  Also, an area will be set up for local companies to distribute informational literature about their products and/or services, as well as for charity groups and non-profit organizations to raise money with game or food booths.

This year’s Hazelwood Harvestfest will be a collection sight for retired American flags.  Residents with faded or tattered flags can turn them in at the VFW information table or at the City Services tent anytime during the day. The collected flags will be given to the VFW for a proper disposal ceremony. Call the Parks and Recreation Office for more details.

Community Service Opportunity

The Hazelwood Harvestfest is an excellent opportunity for area high school students to earn some of the Community Service time required for graduation.  Interested students should contact their high school community service coordinator or the Hazelwood Parks and Recreation Office at 314.731.0980.

Hazelwood Harvestfest, scheduled for 9am-6pm on Saturday, September 11, will take place at Howdershell Park, 6800 Howdershell Road, 63042.

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