The shovels went into the ground at Town Square on Veterans Day 2024. Alderman Sue Allen of Ward 4 told the crowd she hoped they would "be back here for a ribbon cutting" by the next Veterans Day, "if not before then." Army veteran John Stupp Jr. talked about his family's military service, which goes back to his great-great-grandfather in World War I. West Newsmagazine covered the groundbreaking and described what was coming as "a quiet, respectful place where people can sit and think."
The ribbon cutting is happening one Veterans Day later than that first hope. The city set the grand opening of the Military and First Responders Tribute for Wednesday, November 11, 2026, from 11 a.m. to noon at Town Square, 13360 Clayton Road. The timing changes more than one morning. Town Square now has a place for reflection at its center, and the city's holiday calendar this year starts and ends there. The Thanksgiving race at Longview Farm Park falls in between, on a parking lot the city spent the summer rebuilding.
A stone, a walk and a wall of crests
The design is simple. According to West Newsmagazine's account, it is a "reflective walk around a solitary stone," engraved with four words: duty, sacrifice, courage and valor. An American flag hangs on the stone. A wall embossed with military and first-responder crests runs alongside and doubles as seating. A plaque carries the dedication:
"Dedicated to those who served and continue to serve our country. Veterans, active military and first responders – from a grateful community."
The financing is the unusual part. The project's $300,000 budget came entirely from private donations by residents, area businesses and nonprofits. One of the named contributors is the Stupp Bros. Bridge and Iron Co. Foundation Trust, the charitable arm of Stupp's company. City budget records show the money moving through the books. At the Board of Aldermen's November 25, 2024 budget hearing, aldermen were told that the city's Public Art Fund held donations for the tribute. The attached summary projected a $168,100 balance at the end of 2024, with no new revenue, expenses or transfers projected for 2025.
The mayor at the time formed a task force to carry the project, with Allen as its leader. The other members were Michelle Francisco, Meg Johnson, Skip Mange, George Roman and Larry Toomey.
How the timeline moved a year
The schedule slipped in plain view. On March 24, 2025, the Board voted unanimously to direct the city administrator to enter a construction agreement with Musick Construction. West Newsmagazine reported that the resolution was a commitment to see the project through. It was written as a precursor for the board seated after the April 8 municipal election, which would need to pass an ordinance for the contract. At that point Allen said she hoped the contract itself would be finalized by Veterans Day 2025.
By the spring of 2025, the hope for November 2025 had shifted from a finished memorial to a finalized contract. Holding the opening on Veterans Day 2026 keeps the original intent: the tribute is dedicated on the same date it broke ground, two years apart. In that same report, Allen described its purpose as "a place where someone who wants to honor our military and/or our first responders can walk over off the beaten path and be thankful."
"Off the beaten path" fits Town Square. City commission minutes from this year describe a park more than a plaza. They mention a pond, which one commissioner asked to have restocked with fish, a log cabin due for repairs, irrigation at the lawn, a trail near Principia property, and a tunnel the engineering firm HR Green is writing bid specifications to repair.
Thanksgiving at Longview, on a new lot
The season leaves Town Square for one morning. Town & Country's Turkey Trot is set for Thanksgiving Day, November 26, at Longview Farm Park, 13525 Clayton Road. The 3-mile course starts at 9 a.m., and the children's half-mile follows at 10 a.m. West Newsmagazine lists registration at $25 for adults and $10 for children 13 and under. The early discount for signing up before October 31 has expired.
Runners will arrive at a different Longview from last year's. The Board approved an agreement with Ideal Landscape Construction for the Longview Farm Park parking lot at its June 8 meeting, and work started June 22. In August the Parks & Trails Commission expected the entrance ramp to be done that month, stormwater best-management-practice work in September and resurfacing in October. Members also called it a well-managed project with timely work from the contractor. At the September 28 Board meeting, Alderman David Murphy reported the lot "largely finished," with bioswale plantings and sidewalk handrails still to go.
Last year's race worked around Longview's limits. At the November 10, 2025 Board meeting, Murphy said shuttles would run to and from First Church of Christ Scientist from 8 to 11 a.m. He also said the bridge at Longview had been temporarily repaired so it could be used for the Trot. The city's Turkey Trot page carries this year's race-day details.
Winterfest returns to Town Square in a shorter form
The season closes where it opened. Winterfest is Saturday, December 5, from 1 to 5:30 p.m. at Town Square, according to the city calendar. West Newsmagazine's preview lists booths from area businesses and crafters, food and drinks, fire pits and s'mores, Santa photos, and Santa's Workshop for children's holiday crafts. The tree lighting comes at 5:15 p.m., in the last minutes of the day. The Parks & Trails Commission's August minutes add one more booking: the Parkway West choir confirmed it will take part.
The shape of the day is different from 2025, which was the city's 75th-anniversary year. The November 10, 2025 Board minutes describe last year's program in detail.
| Winterfest 2025 | Winterfest 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, December 6 | Saturday, December 5 |
| Hours | 1 to 7 p.m. | 1 to 5:30 p.m. |
| Tree lighting | 5:30 p.m., with a time capsule installation | 5:15 p.m., per West Newsmagazine |
| After the lighting | Winterfest After Dark, 5:30 to 7 p.m., with fire pits, the River Blenders Chorus and lights donated by Bloom Lawn and Lights | The event ends at 5:30 p.m., 15 minutes after the lighting |
| Santa | Arrived by fire truck at 2 p.m.; Santa's Workshop | Santa photos and Santa's Workshop crafts |
| Music | Live music and dance performances | Parkway West choir |
Last year the evening was split into two parts, and the second began after the lights came on. This year there is one program, and it wraps up 15 minutes after the tree is lit. For anyone with young children, the 5:15 lighting comes well before dinner. Anyone who came for the fire pits after dark in 2025 will find them in the afternoon program this time.
This year's crowd will also find a new feature on the lawn. Winterfest 2025 installed a time capsule. Winterfest 2026 will be the first held next to the finished tribute, three and a half weeks after its dedication.
The season in order
Fire & Ice opened the fall at Longview on October 3, with the city's second annual drone show, which began at 8 p.m. What remains on the city's calendar:
- Wednesday, November 11, 11 a.m. to noon. Military and First Responders Tribute grand opening, Town Square, 13360 Clayton Road.
- Thursday, November 26, 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Turkey Trot, 3 miles and the children's half-mile, Longview Farm Park, 13525 Clayton Road.
- Saturday, December 5, 1 to 5:30 p.m. Winterfest, with the tree lighting at 5:15 p.m., Town Square.
On a weekday morning between those dates, the tribute is there to visit without a crowd. Allen described it as a walk off the beaten path to a stone with four words on it.
Aimee Simpson was raised in Ladue and has spent three decades following how the Central Corridor's civic places shape everyday life in its communities. If you would like a private conversation about Town and Country, including the parts of the city that only show up on its own calendar, Aimee Simpson welcomes the call. Work With Aimee.
