Helping you get through the week with our weekend events guide for St. Louis from Thursday, October 9th through Sunday, October 12th, 2014.

Highlighted Event

Soulard Oktoberfest: In it’s 11th year, if you’re going to celebrate Oktoberfest in St. Louis, this is the festival to attend. The festival has grown so big, it needs 3 parking lots and the Market. The festival will include carnival rides, authentic German music featuring The Dorfrockers, the Chardon Polka Band, and the Deutschmeister Brass Band, more than 20 different beers including Urban Chestnut, Schlafly, Weihenstephan, Spaten, and Budweiser, delicious Oktoberfest foods, and awesome traditional attire. GA tickets are $5. VIP-$45-$75.

Date: October 10-12
Time: Fri: 4pm-12am, Sat: 11am-12am, Sun: 11am-7pm
Place: Soulard Market and 7th St
Soulard Oktoberfest

Thursday:

Fashion Week: St. Louis has been hosting Fashion Week since 2006. It is the largest fashion festival in the Midwest, with more than 10,000 attendees ever year. It raises over $10,000 for local charities and has showcased major designers including: Rebecca Taylor, Tess Giberson, Rachel Pally, Black Halo and Eva Franco, and St. Louis native Kimora Lee Simmons. Fashion Week kicks off this Thursday with a Fashion Chat and Presentation at Nieman Marcus with accessories designer Lisa Freede, Creative Director Audrey McLoghlin with Frank & Eileen, and fashion designer Jonathan Simkhai. Complimentary bites will be available from The Hive Gourmet Popcorn and Zettie’s Confections alongside Skinnygirl Prosecco and Pinnacle Vodka cocktails. Entertainment by DJ Needles. GA tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Check the schedule for all events throughout the week.

Date: Oct 9-18
Time: 5:30-7:30
Place: Plaza Frontenac – 1701 S Lindbergh
Fashion Week STL

Hunger Closer To Home: Join the Friends of the Foodbank at the Biergarten at Anheuser-Busch for an engaging and informative discussion on the recent Hunger in the America 2014 study. Registered friends will receive two free drink tickets and food will be available for purchase. For a $5 donation to the St. Louis Area Foodbank, you can mingle with some of our city’s finest folks and hear personal stories from food pantry volunteers on the front lines of local hunger.

Date: October 9
Time: 6-8pm
Place: Anheuser-Busch Biergarten – 1200 Lynch

St. Louis Blues Home Opener: It’s Face Off week. With the Cardinals beating the Dodgers and making it into the NLCS, St. Louis sports fans are even more excited about the Blues Home Opener. The first game vs the New York Rangers is going to be a rowdy one for sure. The players autographed some commemorative Opening Night pucks, which will be available for $30 outside Section 199 beginning at 5pm on Thursday, while supplies last. Doors open at 5pm with live music. Game starts at 7pm. Go Blues!

Date: October 9
Time: 7pm
Place: Scottrade Center
St. Louis Blues

2nd Thursday at Foundry: This unique, family-friendly community arts series will take place from 5:30pm until 8:00 pm. Eat from a variety of family-oriented food vendors in the Foundry Art Centre Parking Lot. A Full Cart Bar will be available inside the Grand Hall. Draw with Janice, paint with Linda, create pottery with Tim, make jewelry with Neal, sculpt with Holly, spin painting with Black Canvas Studios, dance with Missouri Ballet Theatre, while listening to live music from J.D. Hughes. Admission is free, with nominal fees for the food trucks and the full cart bar.

Date: October 9
Time: 5:30-8pm
Place: Foundry Art Centre – 520 N Main Center, St. Charles

Friday & Saturday

O’Fallon Fall Fest: Enjoy delicious festival foods and dance in the street of O’Fallon, MO this Friday as Trixie delight plays favorites from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Wake up early on Saturdday and join the Fall Fest 5K (new this year: 10K), divisions for all ages. Dress as a scarecrow and win prizes. Join other festival goers shopping the variety of booths from jewelry to holiday decorations while enjoying music and entertainment including chainsaw artists and an all female stunt show. there will be plenty of fun activities for the kids as well. This is a free, family friendly event.

Date: Oct 10 & 11
Time: Fri: 7-10pm, Sat: Run: 7am, Fest: 10am-5pm
Place: Civic Park Drive – O’Fallon, MO
Fall Fest Street Dance

Zombie Chase Trail Run: It’s the dawn of the running dead at the Zombie Chase Trail Run in Castlewood State Park. See if you have the guts to race through zombie-infested trails. All runners will be given a lifeline (otherwise known as a flag football flag) at the start. You must then reach a series of checkpoints without getting eaten (getting your flag snatched by a zombie). Should a zombie take a bite, a time penalty will be assessed. Each participant will be given a map with checkpoint locations, but any route may be taken to the checkpoints before returning to the finish. Registration closes Wed, Oct 8.

Date: October 11
Time: 9am
Place: Castlewood State Park – 1401 Kiefer Creek Rd

Grilling Fools Backyard BBQ Bash: St. Louis’ Premiere Amateur BBQ Competition. For the 5th year, the Grillin’ Fools will host their Backyard BBQ Bash for charity, with this year’s benefactor being the Maryville Volunteer Fire Department. This year the entire park will be powered by solar energy, courtesy of Day & Night Solar. The event is family-friendly and will include giveaways, raffles, tours of the firehouse and equipment, food, a bounce house, helicopter landing plus a tour, a DJ and live music from Sweet Bottom and Sweet Water from 2-11pm. This a truly amateur competition; no custom trailered rigs, everyone must use a mass-manufactured grill or drum smoker. Categories are ribs, chicken, and beef. Entry fee is $110, event is free to the public.

Date: October 11
Time: 7am – 6pm
Place: Maryville Fireman’s Park – Rt 159 and Union
5th Annual BBQ Bash

Oktoberfest Dinner at the Dam: Enjoy a Dam good Dinner to make your Oktoberfest extra special this year 6 course authentic German dinner, each paired with a different beer from Urban Chestnut, and a free stein with two free fills of Urban Chestnut at the Amsterdam Tavern. Come by early for pretzels and beer at 5:30pm. Dinner and pairing starts at 6pm. Advanced reservations are required. Dinner is $75 and includes a German beer stein with two refills of any Urban Chestnut beer during this weekend. Here’s the menu.

Date: October 11
Time: 5:30pm
Place: The Dam – 3173 Morganford
The Dam

24th Annual Train Show: The annual event, hosted this year by Mississippi Valley N Scalers, the oldest exclusive N-Scale model railroad club in Missouri, features a gymnasium full of operating layouts in various scales, including one built entirely from Legos. Check out the coolest model trains, N Scaler’s award winning N-Trak modular layout, miniature carnival complete with spinning rides and lighted concessions stands, and the latest in digital train control and sound technology. There will be trains for sale, railroad artifacts and memorabilia, award-winning layouts, and much more. Great door prizes will be given away. Parking is free, adult tickets are $7. Children and students with ID are free.

Date: October 11 & 12
Time: Sat: 10am-5pm, Sun: 11am-4pm
Place: Kirkwood Community Center – 111 S Geyer Rd
24th annual train show

The Taste of Brazil Dinner: Celebrate with St. Louis Brazilian community with a dinner hosted by Viva Brasil St. Louis. The dinner will take place at St. Vincent de Paul Chapel. Dinner includes salad, homemade Brazilian Chicken Stroganoff rose, and dessert. There will be a vigil mass in Portuguese at 6pm with the dinner afterwards from 7:30-9pm. Reservations are required. Tickets on sale until Oct 9. Cost is $12 for adults, $6 for children.

Date: October 11
Time: 7:30-9pm
Place: St. Vincent de Paul Chapel – 20 Archbishop May Dr
Viva Brasil STL

Sunday

Philly 5K: The second annual Philly 5K will be held on Sunday at 11:40am. The race begins and ends at historic Berra Park on the Hill. The last leg of the race will be the Columbus Day parade route. Be prepared to be cheered on by residents of the Hill. This year a $1,000 donation will be made in Matt Frisella’s name to the AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention). The remaining proceeds will go directly to The Philly Fund, which gives need-based scholarships to St. Louis area families with children who have ADHD and other learning disabilities. All pre-registered participants will receive a custom designed commemorative t-shirt, lunch, and beer (in a collectors cup) redeemable at the Columbus Day Festival. Registration fee before Oct 10 is $25, $30 day of. There will be cash prizes for the top 3 male and female runners, in addition to medals to the top three finishers in age divisions: under 20, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70+.

Date: October 12
Time: 11:40am
Place: Berra Park – The Hill

Columbus Day Parade and Festa: The Italian American Heritage Corporation and the Italia America Bocce Club are hosting a Columbus Day Dinner & Dance on Saturday evening catered by Gian-Tony’s Restaurant featuring live entertainment and music by Fulvio Ranni and Salvatore Evola. The parade will kick off the Sunday festivities at 12pm. It will begin at Shaw School on the corner of Macklind and Columbia. Join in the famous Meatball Eating Contest sponsored by Joe Boccardi’s, listen to live music and entertainment by That’s Amore DJ, enjoy games and prizes, plenty of activities for the kids, see Miss Italian St. Louis, and eat delicious Italian food from local restaurants including LoRusso’s, Bartolino’s, Gelato di Riso, Joey B’s, Charlie Gitto’s, and more.

Date: October 12
Time: 12-6pm
Place: Berra Park on The Hill

The Funk: A Sour Beer Tasting Event hosted by Craft Beer Cellar in Clayton. Try samples from a variety of breweries including: Boulevard, Santa Fe, Jolly Pumpkin, Alpha, New Belgium, and more. This is an open-house style event that includes sampling several of our favorite sour beer breweries. Get the VIP experience for $40: private tastings by the breweries, special pours, sneak attacks, and more.

Date: October 12
Time: 12-3pm
Place: Craft Beer Cellar – 8113 Maryland Ave
Craft Beer Cellar Clayton

Mills Properties