By Tia Lyons
Staff Writer
EL DORADO — After a three-year hiatus, the official St. Louis neighborhood Family Fun Day is back — and this time, it will segue into a relatively new event geared toward an older crowd, the recently-dubbed Blowout Show-out.
The fun day is set for 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday in the area of Ouachita and Lester. The Blowout, which will feature comedy acts and live musical performances from local talent, will follow at 8 p.m.
The events hosted by separate groups.
Both are free and open to the public. Those who plan to attend the events are asked to bring lawn chairs.
Janis Van Hook, president of the St. Louis Restoration Committee, said organizers decided to revive the family-oriented fun day after suspending it in 2013 due to violations of a strict, no-tolerance policy of drugs, alcohol and violence.
Van Hook said the offenses were committed mostly by attendees who did not live in the neighborhood.
Though the nefarious activity occurred outside the barricaded Family Fun Day perimeter and after the event had officially ended for the day, Van Hook said the incidents sent “a bad vibe” throughout the neighborhood and did not represent St. Louis or the purpose of the block party: to celebrate community spirit and pride.
Per usual, the fun day will include free food, cold water and plenty of children’s activities, she said.
“We’ll have the water slide, and we have some other games and activities planned this year for kids who don’t want to go on the water slide,” Van Hook said, adding there will also be a DJ with a musical playlist designed to appeal to all ages.
She advised children who plan to play on the water slide to bring their own towels with which to dry off. Towels will not be provided by fun day organizers.
Van Hook said she has heard from several people who have said they are glad the St. Louis fun day is returning.
“So many people enjoy fun day activities. I talked to some ladies from my church who said they’re happy it’s back and they plan on coming,” she said.
While the event is oriented toward children and families, Van Hook said the fun day also serves as an opportunity for past and present St. Louis residents to get together and reminisce about their days growing up in a neighborhood that was once home to a thriving cluster of black-owned businesses and entertainment spots that hosted such musical legends as BB King, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald and the Ike and Tina Turner Review.
The neighborhood recently lost its own legend in Pete Sims Jr., the owner of Sims Mortuary, Inc., a St. Louis linchpin that has held down the corner of Liberty Street and Grant Avenue for 65 years.
Sims passed away on April 12 following a brief illness. He was 91.
Van Hook said smaller, satellite events have been hosted in the neighborhood since the official block party has been on hold, and the St. Louis Restoration Committee decided to bring back the core event this year.
She stressed that the no-toelrance policy will be in effect on Saturday.
“We don’t want any disruptions. The (El Dorado Police Department) will be on patrol in the general area,” she said. “We felt like it’s our responsibility, those of us who live in the neighborhood, to make sure everyone follows the rules: no alcohol, drugs or profanity inside the barricade areas or the surrounding areas.”
“Hopefully, we’ll have good weather, and we hope the kids will enjoy themselves and that everybody will come out and take part in the activities,” Van Hook said.
In the event of inclement weather, the fun day will be postponed until July 9.
For more information or to make donations, particularly water, call Van Hook at 870-314-3481.
Blowout
Piggy-backing off the Family Fun Day will be the Blowout Show-out, a comedy and rap showcase that will take place on the city’s Showtime stage on the southern end of Ouachita Avenue.
Former St. Louis resident Mark Ross launched the event last year, saying that he decided to couple the 2016 event the fun day and give it a new name.
Ross said he wanted to offer an organized activity for adults to attend once the fun day was over, and the children are home for the night.
“We did something for the kids (in 2015), and after that, the grown folks were standing all around not really doing anything,” he said. “We’re doing something for the kids all day, and this is our way of saying that the night belongs to us.”
Ross said the entertainment line-up includes comedians and rap artists from El Dorado, Smackover and Houston.
“I really didn’t want to try and get any big names. I wanted to let some of these local guys display their talent,” he said.
Ross, who performs stand-up comedy shows himself, said some of the local acts include Jerrica Gentle, DaQuante Daniels, Tony Andrews, Darren Miller, Young Bran, Zay-D, Prince Dre, Arkansas D-Low and others.
Van Hook said that while the Blowout is separate from the fun day, she is glad that adults will have another entertainment option in St. Louis for the day.
She said fun day organizers revised the format of the event, ending it earlier to allow parents time to take their children home and return for the nighttime show.
“I just want everybody to come out and have a good time and show that we can come together and enjoy ourselves,” Ross said.
For more information about the Blowout, call Ross at 870-444-4199.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or by email at tlyons@ eldoradonews.com.