September 19, 2018

Back to Back Saturday Events at Gateway Arch National Park

This week and next week, Gateway Arch National Park has four great unique events and activities coming up! On Saturday from 2 – 5 p.m., the public is invited to view and commemorate a public art installation near the new entrance to the Gateway Arch in Luther Ely Smith Square. On Saturday next week, the National Park Service will host The Great MonArch Migration Event and The Great Mississippi River Cleanup.

“Riverbend” is a public art installation that opens this Saturday, September 22, from 2 - 5 p.m. at the Gateway Arch – outside the new entrance in Luther Ely Smith Square on the new park space over I-44. “Riverbend” is a silver 105 foot-long interpretation of the Missouri River by artist Margaret Keller. The material references the stainless-steel Gateway Arch. The opening event includes a hands-on activity, The Sappington Creek Bluegrass Band, and free refreshments. This public art installation was commissioned by Critical Mass for the Visual Arts as their 2018 Public Works Project. Learn more at www.margaretkellerstudio.com and RSVP for the event on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/events/1254445831358983/

Next Saturday, September 29, visitors to the Arch will find a variety of fun and educational activities. At 9 a.m. the popular Yoga under the Arch returns for 2018. Yoga Buzz guides this free class, where you and can bend and stretch directly beneath the soaring and curving Gateway Arch. Learn more at: www.yogabuzz.org/events/yoga-under-the-arch2/

At the same time as yoga (you can join after), from 9 a.m. to noon, The Great Mississippi River Cleanup will be led by National Park Service rangers. The community is invited to help beautify the St. Louis riverfront by joining in a riverbank litter pickup. Meet at the bottom of the Grand Staircase. Bags and gloves will be provided. Registration is required at form.jotform.com/82283693734163. Participants will receive a free T-shirt, breakfast bagels and coffee.

After the clean-up, there’s still time to check out The Great MonArch Migration Event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. pollinator experts from across the region, including the Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis Zoo and the Missouri Department of Conservation, will lead monarch-themed activities, such as offering pollinator crafts and games, making milkweed seed balls and insect hotels, and sharing monarch butterfly gardening tips. The event takes place in front of the new entrance to the Gateway Arch and inside the Arch Visitor Center on the mezzanine. Free refreshments, native plants, and seed packets are available while supplies last. More info: www.archpark.org/events/great-monarch-migration-event-and-the-great-mississippi-river-cleanup

All community events are free and open to all ages.