Ballwin Days Offers Great Musical Lineup, Carnival Rides and Tribute To Veterans Today Through Sunday

With a top-notch array of musical performers, a tribute to veterans, and an emphasis on food and drink options a cut above most fairs, this weekend’s celebration promises to be an experience to remember.

Local country-rock group the Well Hungarians kicks it off from 7 to 11 p.m. tonight, with Night Moves, a Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band tribute group, playing 7-11 p.m. Saturday. Banjos and Brass, a Dixieland band, performs from 1:30-4 p.m. Saturday.

Sunday afternoon offers a blues theme with Loran Cavano and the High Road Kicking Things from 1-2:15 p.m., the Melissa Neels Band from 2:45-4:15 p.m. and Jeremiah Johnson and the Sliders wrapping it up from 4:45-6:30 p.m.

“There isn’t another festival putting together a music lineup like we’ve got this year,” Ballwin Days co-chairman Jim Lieber said. “Not any of them. This is a pretty strong lineup for just walking in and this being a free gig all weekend.”

The music will stop from 9:15 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. each night for a fireworks extravaganza. After the fireworks, the band will play again, with ride tickets and food and beverages also available for purchase, all continuing until 11 p.m. The festival will stay open until 11:30 p.m., an hour later than last year. In addition to providing more fun and great music, it will also ease the major traffic jam that typically follows the end of any fireworks display.

“This will kind of alleviate and maybe stop that mass exodus,” Holman said. “It’ll make it easier for everybody to get out too.”

As impressive as the musical lineup is, the co-chairs are just as enthused about the opportunity to pay tribute to our veterans. There will be a color guard presentation featuring the major branches of the Armed Services plus the at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

“That’s going to be pretty neat,” Holman said. “We’re going to have them walk up both sides of the road and meet in the middle. Then we have a soloist singing the national anthem. So we’re pretty excited about that.”

Support organizations The Mission Continues, Wounded Warrior Projects, , the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and Operation Homefront will all have a presence at Ballwin Days.

Ballwin Days will have something for everyone, including a wide assortment of carnival rides for children and adults, including a giant Ferris wheel with an impressive LED light display, an art festival with a sand sculpture competition, a five-kilometer race for runners Sunday morning, three categories of bicycle races Sunday afternoon and a weekend-long tennis tournament.

The beer and wine garden will again have an eclectic assortment of beers and wine. Several area restaurants will be on hand serving specialties ranging from Candicci’s Italian food and Cajun gumbo and jambalaya from Avens Place Inc. to chicken kabobs, egg rolls, crab Rangoon and gyros from the Aure Foundation.

“It’s always been important for it to be a well-rounded family event,” Holman said. “So there was always a push to have a lot of different things to do. … With that many things to offer, you can draw a wider demographic of people.”

Ballwin Days is held today through Sunday at . Hours are 5-11:30 p.m. today, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, and admission is free. Tickets for rides are $1 each, $20 for 22 tickets and $25 for 30 tickets. Most rides require two to three tickets.

The 5-mile race for runners and walkers starts at 7:30 a.m. Sunday
– see the Ballwin Days run site for more information. See the Ballwin Days bike site to register for the bike race.

There is no public parking in Vlasis Park during Ballwin Days, except for vehicles with disabled plates or placards. Shuttle bus service will be available at  and Olde Towne Plaza. The shuttle schedule is 4:30 p.m. to midnight Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sunday.