Hazelwood's biggest free community celebration of the year returns to Howdershell Park this Saturday, September 12, with a lineup that stretches from a 2 p.m. horseshoe tournament to a 9 p.m. closeout from a St. Louis tribute band. Hazelwood Day runs from 3 to 9 p.m. and folds in live music, a car show, a petting zoo, pony rides, and food trucks, all free to attend.
According to a City of Hazelwood post announcing the schedule, the day kicks off early with horseshoes at 2 p.m., followed by a car show from 3 to 6 p.m. and a bingo session from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Kids' attractions including a petting zoo, pony rides, balloon sculptures, face painting, inflatables, and a display of big trucks run throughout the afternoon. Food trucks will be parked on site from 3 to 9 p.m., covering the entire span of the festival.
Live music carries the event from mid-afternoon into the evening. The Diamond Empire Band, a St. Louis-based outfit that supplies customizable multi-genre lineups for weddings, corporate events, and community festivals across the Midwest, per The Knot, plays from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Headliner Superjam closes out the night from 6 to 9 p.m. with a set built around 1970s and 1980s arena-rock staples from bands like Boston, Journey, Styx, and REO Speedwagon. The group, formed in South St. Louis in 2010, has previously been named Best Tribute Band in Riverfront Times' “Best of St. Louis” awards, according to the Ste. Genevieve Chamber of Commerce.
From Harvestfest to a City Services Showcase
The festival has deep roots in Hazelwood's fall traditions. Hazelwood Day evolved out of the city's long-running autumn festival, previously known as Harvestfest, keeping staples like the horseshoe tournament while adding newer draws such as food trucks and displays of city service vehicles, per a post cited by Fun 4 STL Kids. The Facebook event copy sums up the day's dual purpose plainly: it's billed as a delightful day of fun highlighting the city's services.
That civic framing has carried extra weight in recent years. In September 2024, Hazelwood used that year's Hazelwood Day to launch a yearlong celebration of its 75th anniversary, with Mayor Matt Robinson opening the festival by reading the city's original founding legislation, according to the City of Hazelwood's Facebook page. The city was originally incorporated as a village on September 7, 1949, after local farmers organized in 1944 to resist annexation by neighboring Florissant, and it later adopted a home-rule charter in October 1969, according to the Greater North County Chamber of Commerce.
A 13.6-Acre Park Built for Crowds
Howdershell Park, the festival's longtime host site at 6810 Howdershell Road, spans 13.6 acres and includes a 12-obstacle Ninja Warrior-style course installed over artificial safety turf in 2017, along with sports fields, tennis courts, and a walking track, per Fun 4 STL Kids. That course replaced former racquetball courts as part of broader park upgrades. The park is one of 16 community parks the Hazelwood Parks and Recreation Division manages across 159 total acres, alongside two recreation centers, an 18-hole disc golf course, a skate park, and the White Birch Bay Aquatic Center, according to the City of Hazelwood.
Hazelwood itself is home to 25,485 residents spread across 16.04 square miles in northern St. Louis County, sitting directly north of St. Louis-Lambert International Airport, per 2020 U.S. Census Bureau data. The city is a second-ring suburb bordered by major transit corridors including I-270 and I-170, giving Saturday's festival a built-in draw from surrounding communities as well.
Festival Arrives Amid Local Economic Strain
Hazelwood Day's celebratory tone lands against a tougher economic backdrop for some residents. In July, snack manufacturer Nature's Bakery filed a WARN notice with Missouri authorities announcing the permanent closure of its Hazelwood plant, with phased layoffs of 345 workers beginning this month, according to the Missouri Office of Workforce Development. Parent company Mars Snacking is shifting that production to newer facilities in Utah and Nevada.
The festival also follows a tense moment for the city's school district earlier this year. In March, an aerosol chemical irritant incident at Hazelwood West High School affected roughly 40 students and led to a teenager being taken into custody by local police, with emergency personnel evaluating affected students on site, as Hoodline previously reported. Against that backdrop, Saturday's mix of live music, food trucks, and free kids' activities offers Hazelwood families a low-cost, low-stakes way to gather as a community heading into fall.
