The St. Louis Weekend Events Guide for Thursday, April 28th through Sunday, May 1st, 2016.

Downtown

Next Women of Country Tour: CMT presents Jennifer Nettles with Brandy Clark, Lindsay Ell, and Tara Thompson. This tour is part of CMT’s Next Women of Country campaign, launched in 2013 as a way to give more attention and airplay to emerging female country artists across all screens. Many great female singers will be perform in other cities along this tour, including: Jana Kramer, Danielle Bradbery, Cam, RaeLynn, Lauren Alaina, and many more. Tickets start at $26.95.

Date: Thursday, April 28
Time: 7:30pm
Place: Peabody Opera House – 1400 Market

Cardinals vs Nationals: The Cardinals play at home this weekend against the Washington Nationals on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. At Friday’s game, the first 30,000 fans will receive an adult zip-up hoodie, on Saturday it will be a Trevor Rosenthal Bobblehead, and Sunday is kids day with kids receiving a Randal Grichuk kids bat. In addition to giveaways at the game, Ballpark Village will be hosting live music after each game on the FOX Midwest Sports Live Stage; Friday: Bitter Pill, Saturday: Hollywood 5, and Sunday: That 80s Band.

Date: April 29-May 1
Time: Fri: 7:15pm, Sat: 1:15pm, Sun: 1:15pm
Place: Busch Stadium

16th Annual Congressional Art Competition: Each Spring, high school students living in the 1st Congressional District of Missouri are invited to participate in this nationwide art contest to highlight the talents of local artists. The reception will be held on Friday, April 29th from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm at the Webster University Gateway Campus in the Historic Arcade Building Downtown St. Louis.

Date: Friday, April 29
Time: 5-7pm
Place: Webster University – 812 Olive St

National Blues Museum: The National Blues Museum presents Eric McSpadden & Larry Griffin on Saturday, April 30 from 11am to 1pm. Free with admission, or $5 for performance only. At 2pm, a public discussion with sons of music industry legends will be held. Inspired by the 1969 Muddy Waters album “Fathers and Sons, Eric Luther Ingram, son of R&B singer Luther Ingram; Alonzo Townsend, son of blues singer Henry Townsend, and Lou Thimes Jr. (The Real J.R.), son of legendary DJ Lou ‘Fatha’ Thimes will talk about how they continue to bear the torch that their fathers passed down to them. The program will be moderated by noted radio personality and Webster University professor Bernie Hayes. A question and answer session will immediately follow the discussion. The discussion is free and open to the public.

Date: Saturday, April 30
Time: 11am and 2pm
Place: 615 Washington Ave

Relay For Life St. Louis: The American Cancer Society Relay For Life movement is the world’s largest and most impactful fundraising event to end cancer. This organized community fundraising walk includes teams of people camping out around a track and taking turns walking around the track. The event will include food trucks, games and activities to provide entertainment and build camaraderie, including Human Foosball! This year’s theme is: Paint Your World Purple. Relay starts at 4 pm with our Luminaria Ceremony starting around 8:30pm.

Date: Saturday, April 30
Time: 4pm
Place: Soldiers Memorial – 1315 Chestnut

Central

Greater St. Louis Book Fair: One of the nation’s oldest, largest and most popular charity book sales.THis book fair sells hundreds of rare and collectible books, movies, music, comics and ephemera. Our inventory includes first editions, limited editions, out of print editions, signed copies and other treasures. Fair proceeds benefit local non-profit education and literacy programs.

Date: April 28-May 1
Time: Thurs: 4-9pm, Fri: 10am-8pm, Sat: 10am-8pm, Sun: 11am-6pm
Place: West County Center, Des Peres

Vintage Market Days: St Louis Vintage Market Days is an upscale vintage-inspired outdoor market featuring original art, antiques, clothing, jewelry, handmade treasures, home décor, outdoor furnishings, consumable yummies, seasonal plantings and a little more. St Louis Vintage Market Days events are so much more than a flea market.

Date: Friday, April 29
Time: 12-6, 9-6, 10am-4pm
Place: Chesterfield Amphitheater – 16365 Lydia Hill Lane

Chesterfield Earth Day Festival: One of the region’s largest Earth Day events. Offers a convenient recycling drive-thru, eco-friendly and up-cycled products, information exhibits, plus cultural entertainment. The Opening Ceremony will commence at 10am, followed by the PerennialSTL-Insect Hotel Demo from 10:30-11:10 am, Conservation Awards at 12:00pm, and Kunama Mtendaji, African storyteller & drum dancer from 12:30-1:30 pm. New this year, Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge will have a Mobile Visitor Center.

Date: April 30
Time: 10am-3pm
Place: Chesterfield Mall-291 Chesterfield Center

Independent Book Store Day: 400 bookstores, 16 exclusive books and art pieces, 1 day. Left Bank Books, The Bookhouse Inc, The Novel Neighbor, and Main Street Books will be participating in the festivities. In addition to the special limited edition merchandise, there will be special events like photobooths, raffles, storytime, appearances by costumed characters, and more.

Date: April 30
Time: 10am-8pm
Place: Left Bank Books, The Book House, The Novel Neighbor, Main Street Books

Bubble Run St. Louis: Participants run, walk, dance and play across 3 miles of absolute fun! Waves start every 3-5 minutes. Then, at each kilometer, participants will run through the Foam Bogs where there is enough colored foam to cover you from head to toe! Wear white so the foam stands out. Each of the four Foam Bogs along the course are represented by different colored foam. Registration is $50.

Date: Saturday, April 30
Time: 8am
Place: Gateway Motorsports Park – 700 Raceway Blvd

11th Annual Spring For Strays: Kick off the season with an afternoon of fun, food and drink specials, silent and live auctions and a Drag Queen show to kick the afternoon into high gear. And, of course, you can meet your future furry family member. Join us for some Spring fun, all while supporting the animals of Stray Rescue. Live auction events include: a yacht trip with Randy Grim, 1 week at Barefoot Bungalow Beach House Fort Morgan, Al, a Cardinals package, and more. Admission is a $10 donation.

Date: Sunday, May 1
Time: 1-5pm
Place: Moonrise Hotel – 6177 Delmar

St. Charles

R. Kelly: The Buffet Tour: Three-time Grammy Award winner, 6 American Music Awards, 6 Billboard Awards, 8 Soul Train Awards, and multi-platinum selling singer, songwriter and producer R. Kelly will be stopping in St. Louis on his 40-city tour, promoting his latest album, The Buffet. He’ll be accompanied by a live band and backup dancers while performing songs his fans have never seen live! Tickets are $68-$108.

Date: Friday, April 29
Time: 8pm
Place: St. Charles Family Arena

5K: A Run Uniting Super Heroes: This superhero-themed, super fun, family friendly race recognizes the everyday superheroes all around us. When you register for the RUSH Superhero 5K, you can be a hero, too. Proceeds from the race go to help women in our area with overwhelmingly difficult situations in their lives. After the race, enjoy a post race party with bounce house for ages 12 and under (weather permitting), DJ with family friendly music, face painting, and other family activities. Be sure to wear your favorite superhero costume and get ready to have a great time!

Date: Saturday, April 30
Time: 5K: 9am
Place: Frontier Park – 650 S Riverside Dr

Mile Marker 68.3 Bier Fest: Mile Marker 68.3 Bier Fest is a fundraising event to benefit Missouri River Relief. The Bier Fest will be held on the banks of the Missouri River in Washington, Mo. Ticket sales include a free beer tasting from 40 Missouri Brewers & Distilleries, live music and a commemorative glass. Food by Blue Duck, Joe’s Deli and John G’s Taproom. $25 in advance, $30 at the gate. VIP Tickets $35/$40

Date: Saturday, April 30
Time: 1-5pm
Place: Washington Riverfront – 18 E Front St, Washington, MO

Mills Properties