On Saturday, Nov. 14, Depot Street in Old Town St. Peters fills with vendor tables one more time, from 3 to 7 p.m. The Twilight Market sets up right next to Whistle Stop 301 at 301 Main St. It has artists, makers, musicians, food and drinks, and it's free. The market has run on the second Saturday of every month since April. The November date is the last one of the season.
After that Saturday, St. Peters' public events move out of Main Street and the lakeside pavilions and into buildings the city runs. From mid-November to Christmas, they happen at City Hall on St. Peters Centre Boulevard, at the Justice Center on Grand Teton Drive, and at the Rec-Plex. Knowing which building hosts what makes the next two months a lot easier to plan.
The Outdoor Season Ends in Two Steps
The first step is this Saturday, Oct. 31. That's the final morning of the St. Charles Lions Farmers Market at the Sunset Pavilion in 370 Lakeside Park, open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The city posted that schedule back in March, so the market's own channels are the best place to confirm it before you head out.
The second step is the Nov. 14 Twilight Market, and the business behind it explains why the market sits where it does. Whistle Stop 301 is a collective boutique. It sells work from local makers and artists alongside national gift brands, in a building that owner Katie Reuther says was built in 1870 as the first pharmacy west of the Mississippi River. The shop opened in October 2020. On the Whistle Stop 301 About page, Reuther describes how the markets started:
"The City of St. Peters has partnered with me to bring my vision, Twilight Markets on Main, to fruition."
Her page lists live music, food, drinks, yoga and dozens of local vendors at each market. The city's event listing confirms the partnership and the April-through-November schedule. When the vendor tables come down on Nov. 14, Old Town has no more scheduled public events on the city calendar for the rest of the year. Every city event after that is indoors or at a city building.
City Hall Is Already Warming Up Before the Markets End
The move indoors actually starts three days before the last market. On Wednesday, Nov. 11, the Veterans Day Ceremony runs from 10 a.m. to noon at the Cultural Arts Centre inside City Hall. The St. Peters Veterans Memorial Commission hosts it, admission is free, and refreshments follow.
That puts City Hall, at 1 St. Peters Centre Blvd., at the center of the season. It hosts the Veterans Day ceremony in November and then two events back to back in December. Here's how the city-run calendar lays out after Old Town wraps up:
- Nov. 11, 10 a.m. to noon: Veterans Day Ceremony, Cultural Arts Centre at City Hall, free.
- Nov. 14, 3 to 7 p.m.: Final Twilight Market, Depot Street at 301 Main St., free.
- Nov. 24, 7 to 9 p.m.: Thanksgiving DJ Skate, Rec-Plex North Ice Rink.
- Dec. 3 through Dec. 5: Three civic events on three straight days, covered below.
- Dec. 12, 9 to 11 a.m.: Breakfast with Santa, Rec-Plex Food Court, registration required.
- Dec. 18, 7 to 9 p.m.: Holiday DJ Skate, Rec-Plex.
Three Days in a Row in Early December
The busiest stretch of the holiday calendar starts on a Thursday and runs through Saturday, and two of the three events share an address.
- Thursday, Dec. 3, 5 to 8 p.m., Police Tree Trimming at the St. Peters Justice Center, 1020 Grand Teton Drive. The St. Peters Police Department provides materials for making ornaments, along with cocoa and cookies, and no reservation is needed.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Tree Lighting Ceremony at City Hall, 1 St. Peters Centre Blvd. The city lists holiday lights, performances by local groups, photos with Santa and the lighting of the community tree. It's all free. The city's Tree Lighting Ceremony page will have the full list of activities.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 2 to 4 p.m., Holiday Concert with the St. Charles County Symphony Orchestra at the Cultural Arts Centre, One St. Peters Centre Blvd. Tickets are listed at $10.
The Tree Lighting and the symphony concert happen in the same building less than 24 hours apart. If you have family visiting that weekend, you can take them to both without driving anywhere new. The Tree Lighting also includes Santa photos at no charge. That matters a week later, when the other Santa event in town costs money and needs registration.
The Rec-Plex Covers Weeknights and Takes the One Reservation
The Rec-Plex is the city's other indoor anchor this season. Its schedule starts with a closure. The indoor leisure pool closes for repairs from Oct. 29 through Nov. 6. The city's calendar entry for the closure runs until noon on Nov. 7, so check before planning a swim that Saturday morning. The same pool reopened on Sept. 14 after replacement work that added a new vortex splash feature, as Mid Rivers Newsmagazine reported. That makes this second closure come about seven weeks after the first one ended.
The skating rinks have two themed nights. The Thanksgiving DJ Skate on Tuesday, Nov. 24, runs from 7 to 9 p.m. at the North Ice Rink. Rec-Plex members skate free. Everyone else pays general admission, and skate rental is $3.50. The Holiday DJ Skate on Friday, Dec. 18, has the same hours and the same pricing.
Breakfast with Santa Fills Up on a Schedule
Breakfast with Santa is the one holiday event in St. Peters that needs advance registration. It's on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 9 to 11 a.m., in what the Rec-Plex calls its "brand new" Food Court. It's for children ages 2 to 8. The listing includes a continental breakfast with pastries, yogurt, fruit and granola, plus donut decorating, a hot chocolate toppings bar, crafts and a photo with Santa for every child.
| Ticket | Rec-Plex member | General public |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, ages 9 and up | $9 | $11 |
| Child, ages 8 and under | $14 | $16 |
Registration opens for members on Monday, Nov. 9, at 6 a.m. Everyone else, residents and non-residents alike, can register starting Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6 a.m. Registration closes Dec. 5, the day of the symphony concert and a week before the breakfast. Put the Nov. 9 or Nov. 12 date on your calendar now, because it falls weeks before the event itself.
Mid Rivers Mall Drive Stays a Work Zone Through the Shopping Season
While events move indoors, one of the city's busiest retail roads stays under construction. The city is adding a northbound right-turn lane on Mid Rivers Mall Drive by Home Depot, between Highway N/Central School Road and North St. Peters Parkway. When the city announced the project in August, it planned an Aug. 24 start, work through mid-October, daytime lane closures and changing access to nearby businesses.
That mid-October finish has since moved. Mid Rivers Newsmagazine reported that the Board of Aldermen approved a revised timeline on Aug. 13, with completion set for Jan. 4, 2027. The work includes moving Ameren Missouri and Cuivre River Electric Cooperative facilities, and coordinating with the utilities and the contractor pushed the schedule back. The project was first approved in 2021 with a $206,236 budget. Its budget is now $266,606.
Traffic at that end of the road has grown in the meantime. Since the turn lane was first approved, the south stretch of Mid Rivers Mall Drive has added apartments, a 7 Brew, a Pizza Ranch and the Hi-Pointe Drive-In, the same report notes. The 7 Brew at 355 Mid Rivers Mall Drive recently opened and is expected to add 80 jobs, according to a Mid Rivers Newsmagazine business brief. If your holiday shopping takes you to the south end of the corridor, expect a work zone with daytime lane closures until after New Year's.
If hosting family for the Tree Lighting has you wondering how your St. Peters home would hold up in the spring market, The Winckowski Group can give you a straightforward number before the holidays get busy. Request your free home valuation, and we'll follow up quickly.
