Missouri River Won't Stop Riverfest in St. Charles

St. Charles city leaders have made contingency plans for in case the Missouri River floods Frontier Park.

The river has been at 24 or 25 feet--right around flood stage--for several weeks, which prompted city officials to make some back up plans for the annual Fourth of July festival. But as of Friday, the river was expected to drop from 24.2 feet to below 23 feet by June 29. Water gets into Frontier Park when the river hits about 31.5 feet.

However, another 1 to 1 1/2 feet of rain is expected to fall over the next five days which may impact river levels, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

The forecast for Missouri River levels is only set for a few days in advance, which make it hard to know whether the festivities will have to be relocated from the park to nearby Riverside Drive.

“We’re hoping and praying there won’t be any change,” said Michael Spurgeon, city administrator. “If we do, we’ll adjust accordingly. We want to keep things as consistent as possible as where we originally have the event. It’s become a tradition, it’s important for people to know we’re open for business.”

City leaders will have to make a final decision about where Riverfest will be held by June 29. 

The Riverfest events are currently just scheduled for July 4, but Archway Amusement is expected to operate a carnival in the park on July 1, 2 and 3. 

However, if Frontier Park is flooded or the water table is so high that the ground is saturated, the carnival may be relocated to Riverside Drive, south of the intersection with First Capitol.

The carnival operators have to ensure their rides are secure, Spurgeon said.

“If there are issues with the ground we have to consider safety first," he said. “We’re looking at projections as it relates to how high the water table is.”

On July 4, if the park is flooded or too soggy, the vendor booths would be set up in parking lots along Riverside Drive, he said. The park itself may or may not be closed to people who want to bring chairs and blankets to watch the fireworks.

“We’ve talked about it both ways,” said Spurgeon. “In fact, we’ve talked about if the water is in the park, it’ll be roped off or closed off. If there’s no water in the park and we can’t set it up … we may allow people to sit and enjoy the .”

City officials have stressed repeatedly that all of the shops and businesses along Main Street are not underwater and are open for business. The street was crowded on Friday afternoon with shoppers who milled in and out of shops, stopping to pose in front of the Daniel Boone sculpture. 

About 50 floats or entries are expected in the Fourth of July parade, said Adam McCarthy, who is organizing the parade with the St. Charles Jaycees. He said the parade will come down Main Street and end at Boone's Lick, instead of in front of the . 

"Things are looking great, we're not going to be affected by the flood whatsoever," he said. "We're looking forward to it."