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Community Corner

'Ballwin Days' Just Days Away

The 34th year of the festival starts at 5 p.m. on Friday at Vlasis Park. "The more people we can get at the event, the more fun," Ballwin Days co-chairman Jim Lieber said.

The 34th annual Ballwin Days Festival is just around the corner, with this year’s events geared for all ages and with more free activities than in past years.

The festival begins at 5 p.m. Friday and is open through 7 p.m. Sunday. Among the events planned are concerts from well-established acts including The Real Macaws from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Friday, and Well Hungarians from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Jim Lieber, who has served on the Ballwin Days Committee for the last 20 years, said a sense of service to the city motivates him to continue volunteering.

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“Our committee’s big focus is to give back to the community,” Lieber said. 

This year, Lieber took over as co-chairman for Pat McDermott, who was required to resign due to his appointment as alderman. Lieber said he's excited for all the live entertainment—especially for the blues bands, which include Jeremiah with the Sliders and The Rockin' Jake Band, both of whom are scheduled to perform on Sunday afternoon.

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“I’ve gone to hear all of these bands. They’re incredible,” Lieber said.

The other co-chairman for the committee, Darryl Holman, also is a first-timer in the position. Holman first got involved in Ballwin Days following a disappointing experience with the 5-mile race in 2002 that was canceled because of poor turnout. Determined to revive publicity for Ballwin's special events, Holman now heads the annual race, and was approached this year to take the position of Ballwin Days co-chairman.

Holman, a Ballwin resident for 16 years, said although the festival is “a good family event,” it is also geared toward helping Ballwin businesses in a tough economy.

Still, it's always rewarding to see the fun that families with younger kids typically leave with, Lieber said.

“When you see the big look on the kids’ faces when they’re sitting with Cinderella—that’s gotta be priceless.”

Weekend Highlights:

Friday, June 3 (opens 5 p.m., closes 10:30 p.m.)
5 p.m. until 7 p.m.: Tekno Bubbles
6 p.m. until 10 p.m.: Real Macaws perform
10 p.m.: Fireworks Extravaganza

Saturday, June 4 (opens 10:30 a.m., closes 10:30 p.m.)
7:30 a.m.: 30th Annual Ballwin Days Run at Vlasis Park
10 a.m.: West County Senior Center Bingo in the dining tent
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Kids Korner (from Raintree Learning Community and American Family Insurance)
Noon to 7 p.m.: Entertainment: Polka connection
7 p.m. to 10 p.m.: Entertainment: Well Hungarians
10 p.m.: Fireworks extravaganza

Sunday, June 5 (opens 11 a.m., closes 7 p.m.)
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Kids Korner
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Ballwin Days Art Garden (brought by Renewal by Andersen)
1 p.m.: Entertainment: The Rockin Jake Band with special guest Rich McDonough and Alvin Jett
4 p.m.: Jeremiah Johnson with the Sliders

Additional information on Ballwin Days is available at the official City of Ballwin website.

Editor's Note: This article was last updated at 2:05 p.m. A previous version misstated the name of Ballwin Days Committee Co-Chair Jim Lieber. We regret this error.

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