Last Friday, the Dutchtown Movie Night series got off to a unique start in the parking lot of Habitat for Humanity. Dozens of Dutchtown neighbors gathered for the ’90s summer classic Independence Day.
While last year’s summer series was entirely in Marquette Park, doing a drive-in movie in June allowed for better social distancing while the city still has limitations on outdoor events.
Dutchtown Movie Night will return to Marquette Park outside the Field House on Saturday, June 25th. More details on the movie night will be released next week. Watch this spot.
Marquette Park Planning Project
If you were at the drive-in movie, you may have seen the engagement display from PGAV Planners. PGAV will be working with Dutchtown South Community Corporation this summer on a planning document to guide the future of investment in Marquette Park.
Interested in getting involved with the Marquette Park planning project? Take the survey to let the planners know what you would like to see next at Marquette Park. You can also learn more about Allies of Marquette Park and join them to build a stronger future for Marquette Park.
Welcome to Dutchtown, a neighborhood that bears the weight of our city’s past and stands tall in the truth of who we are today. We are St. Louis’s most populous and densest neighborhood. We are a neighborhood that has experienced growth, contraction, and growth again. We are Dutchtown Proud.
Dutchtown Proud video by Chip Smith of Cross Grand.
Some of us have been in Dutchtown forever. Over a hundred years ago, our families built the brick buildings, churches, and streets which have withstood the test of time in south St. Louis. We have seen some friends move away, seen the businesses come and go, and seen the faces of our neighbors change. We wouldn’t live anywhere else.
Some of us moved to Dutchtown for new opportunities. We may have been economically displaced or simply come looking for affordable housing. Our presence stabilized Dutchtown’s population and created a great community for future residents. Unity is the best community.
Some of us are immigrants. We are from all over the world and have been here 25 years or just a day. Like the very first Dutchtown immigrants, we brought new flavors, clothes, customs, and ways of living creating a vibrant neighborhood.
All of us are Dutchtown Proud. Proud to be a part of one of the most diverse, gritty, and forward thinking neighborhoods in St. Louis. Proud to look for prosperity here. Proud to tell the doubters why we call Dutchtown home.
We call Dutchtown home by choice. We choose to come together and build community with neighbors who may not look or live their lives exactly the same. We respect our neighbors’ right to choose Dutchtown, regardless of who they are, who they love, what they look like, what they do for a living, or what circumstances brought them here.
If you want to join us we are excited to have you. But be warned: We are conscious of our history and weary of making the same mistakes twice. We shun speculators, quick fixers, or worse, anyone not willing to embrace their neighbor and embrace change.
Our path forward is a common one and we see it stretched before us far into the future. So roll up your sleeves and become a member of the Dutchtown Proud as we recognize our past, celebrate our present, and prepare for our future together.
Looking to show off your Dutchtown pride? Order your Dutchtown Proud yard sign today. Name your price.
Neighborhood photographer Chip Smith of Cross Grand beautifully captured the scene at the 8:46 @ 8:46 Dutchtown Family March for Justice and Equality on Saturday, June 13th.
Hundreds of neighbors came out to unequivocally state that Black Lives Matter. We marched down Compton, Osceola, South Grand, and Chippewa carrying signs, chanting, and bringing people out of their homes to join our call for equality and justice.
The DT2 • Downtown Dutchtown summer movie series is back in 2020! We’re kicking things off with a special drive-in movie event at Habitat for Humanity St. Louis to promote safe community building and social distancing.
Join us on Friday, June 26th! Our drive-in movie night will feature the classic summer blockbuster Independence Day starring Will Smith.
The lot will open at 7:30pm. Get your spot early and catch sponsor previews, neighborhood community-building information, food trucks, and more!
Once the sun has set, the movie will be projected onto the side of Habitat’s building. Sound will be transmitted to your car’s FM radio, just tune in.
There’s a Facebook event page if you’d like to share with your friends and neighbors. You can also go to dutchtownstl.org/movienight for info on this event and others scheduled for the rest of the summer.
Meet UrbanMain Steering Committee member Milly Okutho. She’ll participate in a new partnership between DT2 • Downtown Dutchtown and Missouri Main Street Connection to enhance the economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being of Downtown Dutchtown.
If you’d like to help Milly and the rest of the UrbanMain Steering Committee to strengthen Downtown Dutchtown, please take our survey. It takes just a few minutes to tell us what you think about Downtown Dutchtown today and tell us what you’d like to see in the future.
