The Dutchtown Community Improvement District is looking for your help to plan and prioritize for the next fiscal year budget. Join a committee or attend a board meeting to have your voice heard!

Committees meet quarterly, in March, June, September, and December. If you have particular interests or skills, you’re encouraged to join the committee that’s right for you. All are welcome to attend the board meetings held at the Neighborhood Innovation Center on the fourth Thursday of every month.

Beautification and Maintenance Committee

The Beautification and Maintenance Committee is responsible for improvements in cleanliness and aesthetics throughout the CID. So far, improvements include new and upgraded trash cans and flower bulb plantings that you’ll see popping up soon. The Beautification Committee has initialized contracts with Metro Sweeping and St. Patrick’s Center for trash hauling, general maintenance, and cleanup.

If you have ideas for improvements you’d like to see in the District, join the Beautification and Maintenance Committee on Thursday, March 5th. They will meet at 5:30pm at the office of architect Tony Duncan, 4527 Virginia Avenue in the old Stork Inn.

Marketing and Development Committee

The Marketing and Development Committee seeks to promote the neighborhood and attract interest and investment in the CID. Some of the Marketing Committee’s work includes the website you’re reading right now, along with sponsorship of events like 2019’s Go Dutch! real estate mixer.

If you have marketing skills or interest in real estate development, join the Marketing and Development Committee on Thursday, March 12th. The Marketing Committee meets at 6pm at Patrick McKeane’s Pub at the Original Crusoe’s.

Safety and Security Committee

The Safety and Security Committee addresses issues of crime prevention and deterrence and aims to improve the perception of safety throughout the District. The Safety Committee was tasked with contracting for security patrols in the District and is actively seeking other means of improving safety in the area.

If you would like to help make the Dutchtown CID a safer place to live and work, join the Safety and Security Committee on March 19th. The committee meets at 5:30pm at the Original Crusoe’s Restaurant.

Board of Directors

The Dutchtown CID’s Board of Directors is comprised of seven members. While there are no scheduled openings on the board until 2021, residents from within and around the District are encouraged to attend the monthly board meetings open to the public. At the meetings you’ll get reports from the committee chairs, learn about the budget and ongoing contracts, and hear from guests and neighbors.

The next Board of Directors meeting is on Thursday, March 26th, 5:30pm at the Neighborhood Innovation Center. Check the Facebook event page the week of the meeting to find an agenda.

As the weather gets better, the calendar fills up. There’s so much to do in Dutchtown this March!

Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay up to date. And we’re always adding more events to the Dutchtown Calendar.

Primary Election Day

Tuesday, March 10th is the Missouri presidential primary election. Don’t forget to vote! For our neighbors on the east side of the 25th Ward, please note that your new polling place is at the Neighborhood Innovation Center, 3207 Meramec, in the old bank building. Find your polling place here.

Fish Fry Season

Friday fish fry season is upon us! St. Anthony of Padua, St. Cecilia, and St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran offer outstanding food at prices that can’t be beat, along with a great opportunity to meet and mingle with your neighbors and show off the neighborhood to visitors from all over the area.

St. Anthony’s hosts their fish fries in the Parish Hall at 3135 Meramec, across the street from the church. Dates are February 28th, March 13th, March 27th (Cajun Night), and April 10th.

The St. Cecilia fish fries are weekly, February 28th through April 3rd. Find out about online orders and reservations at St. Cecilia’s website.

St. Luke’s, at Taft and Alaska, offers fish fries every Friday from March 6th through April 3rd.

Neighborhood and Garden Cleanups

As spring rolls in and the weather improves, it’s a great time to organize a neighborhood trash pickup event or a community garden work day. A few are already on the calendar.

Neighbors are teaming up to tackle trash along Interstate 55 on Saturday, February 29th. Meet at the Lyle House at Carondelet Park at 7:45am, or at Marquette Park at 9am and help out while you can. Trash bags will be provided but make sure to bring your own gloves.

On Sunday, March 1st, help the Marine Villa Neighborhood Association clean up the monarch butterfly garden at the South Broadway Firehouse. Volunteers of all ages are welcome to join from 9am to noon.

The Pride of Potomac Garden in Gravois Park is looking for volunteers to help prepare the garden on Saturday, March 28th at 10am. The garden is at Potomac and Pennsylvania.

If you’re organizing a cleanup on your block, at your park, in your community garden, or across your neighborhood, please let us know so we can spread the word! We also keep a list of upcoming cleanups here on our website at dutchtownstl.org/cleanup/.

Dutchtown CID Meetings

In addition to the regular monthly board meeting of the Dutchtown Community Improvement District, the CID‘s committees will also meet in March. Join a committee and add your special skills to help improve the district, or attend a board meeting to see your tax dollars at work. Learn more about the committees and their functions here.

The Maintenance and Beautification Committee meet on Thursday, March 5th at 5:30pm at Tony Duncan’s architecture studio, 4527 Virginia Avenue in the old Stork Inn.

The Marketing and Development Committee meet on Thursday, March 12th. They’ll meet at 6pm at Patrick McKeane’s Pub next to the Original Crusoe’s.

The Safety and Security Committee meet on Thursday, March 19th at 5:30pm. Their meeting is at the Original Crusoe’s Restaurant.

And on Thursday, March 26th, the Dutchtown CID Board of Directors meets at the Neighborhood Innovation Center, 3207 Meramec at Compton. The meeting is at 5:30pm.

Thomas Dunn Learning Center

The St. Louis Tax Assistance Program continues on Wednesday afternoons through April 15th at Thomas Dunn Learning Center. Low and moderate income households can receive free tax preparation assistance. Appointments are required—book yours here.

Also at Thomas Dunn on Wednesdays, St. Louis Builds Credit offers weekly Credit Fairs. Get a free credit coaching session to review your credit report, set goals, and learn how to effectively build credit. Read more about Credit Fairs and tax assistance in our previous post.

Sassy Slide is a beginner and intermediate slide class that makes fitness fun. Join Sassy Slide classes on Monday nights at 6:30pm. The class is free but registration is required.

Sip ‘n Sketch is a free life drawing class for all skill levels on Wednesday, March 11th at 6pm. Drawing materials are provided. Feel free to bring a snack and an adult beverage.

Tech Support Café is open on Thursday, March 19th at 6pm. Help each other to solve problems relating to technology and build skills, self confidence, and community. Receive free technical assistance and peer mentorship from volunteer IT professionals in a welcoming, friendly, accessible workshop atmosphere.

Celebrate Women’s History Month by creating affirmative embroidery and cross stitch projects at Creative Saturday on March 28th at 1pm. All materials are supplied. The class is $5.

More Dutchtown Events

Intersect Arts Center presents Dovetail, a pairing of classical music performances and cuisine inspired by the music, on March 3rd,, March 17th, and March 31st. Music is performed by Jennifer Humphreys and Elizabeth Chung. Food is prepared by chef-artist Tai Davis. Purchase tickets at Intersect’s website.

South Broadway Art Project invites you to their fourth annual Empty Bowls Chili Cook-Off and FUNraiser in support of their Girls Apprenticeship Program on Sunday, March 8th. Purchase a bowl from the gallery to sample and vote on your favorite chilis. Drinks will be available for donations, and there will also be a silent auction.

Earthbound Beer continues their partnership with the Fattened Caf with two kitchen takeovers featuring the beloved Filipino food. On Sunday, March 8th, come by for a Filipino-style brunch. And on Friday, March 27th, the Fattened Caf continues their monthly residency serving up outstanding Filipino barbecue.

Dutchtown South Community Corporation holds their next Community Empowerment Committee meeting on Wednesday, March 25th at Thomas Dunn Learning Center. Community members help to determine and implement DSCC’s programs. Dinner and childcare are provided.

Celebrate ten years of the STyLehouse at Cherokee and Compton with a block party on Saturday, March 28th. Join STL STyLe for live music, drinks, and lots of fun.

Keep an eye on the Dutchtown Calendar as we’ll be adding more events throughout March. Follow DutchtownSTL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for even more updates. Or sign up for our mailing lists to get occasional emails about what’s going on in the neighborhood.

Everyone can use a little help around tax time. A few organizations are bringing tax preparation assistance and financial education to our neighbors in Dutchtown this tax season. Find out how to take advantage of these services below.

Tax Assistance from St. Louis TAP and VITA

Need help with your taxes? The St. Louis Tax Assistance Program is here to help! Low and moderate income families with 2019 household incomes below $56,000 can get free assistance preparing their taxes at two locations in Dutchtown.

On Saturdays through February 29th, head to St. Mary’s High School between 8:30am and 11:30am. Email StMarys@stlouistap.org or call 314-782-7454 for more information.

And on Wednesdays through April 15th, you can make an appointment to get assistance at Thomas Dunn Learning Center between 1pm and 4pm. Appointments are required—schedule yours here. Email ThomasDunn@stlouistap.org or call 314-635-8753 for more information.

If these times and locations don’t work for you, St. Louis TAP offers other dates and locations throughout the St. Louis area. Visit their website for a list of locations and dates.

Also on the South Side and across St. Louis, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) offers free tax preparation services for low and moderate income families. Find a list of locations and dates at their website.

If you’re more of a do-it-yourself type, or you’re a bit above the income threshold, United Way offers a portal to find free online tax services. Visit MyFreeTaxes.com for more information.

Credit Fairs with St. Louis Builds Credit

St. Louis Builds Credit, a joint effort between Prosperity Connection, Dutchtown South Community Corporation, and other organizations, hosts weekly Credit Fairs every Wednesday afternoon through tax season at Thomas Dunn Learning Center.

STLBC offers residents of all credit levels free resources on credit building, including one-on-one, confidential financial coaching, classes on credit and money management, referrals to trusted partner services, and more. Get your credit report, review your goals, and create a credit building plan during your free credit coaching session.

In addition to the Wednesday Credit Fairs at Thomas Dunn, services are also available on Saturdays at the Five Start Senior Center in Benton Park West.

Why These Services Are Important

Through the effort to create the Gravois-Jefferson Historic Neighborhood Plan, Dutchtown South and their partners found that neighbors needed better access to reputable financial services. Unbanked and underbanked residents want to expand their financial capability, but need the knowledge and skills to build and keep prime credit scores.

Additionally, residents seek to reduce the number of predatory financial institutions in the Dutchtown area. This includes not just payday lenders, but also fly-by-night tax preparation services that offer expensive advance loans on tax refunds.

Organizations like St. Louis TAP and St. Louis Builds Credit can help our neighbors avoid the pitfalls of predatory financial services and empower themselves with financial strength that will ripple through Dutchtown. Take advantage of these great opportunities, and tell your neighbors!

The Dutchtown Calendar is packed with events in February! Follow through on those New Year’s resolutions to get involved, get creative, or just get out!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as we’re always finding more to do in the neighborhood. If you have an event in Dutchtown that we should know about, contact us or email info@dutchtownstl.org.

Neighborhood Meetings

The Gravois Park Neighborhood Association meets Tuesday, February 11th at 6pm. Their meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every month at the Rita Ford Community Center, 3353 California, just north of Cherokee Street.

Dutchtown West meets on Wednesday, February 12th at 7pm. They meet monthly on the second Wednesday in the banquet hall at Grbic on the corner of Keokuk and Meramec.

The St. Cecilia Historic District Neighborhood Association meets on Tuesday, February 18th. The meeting is at 6:30pm in the cafeteria at St. Cecilia School. Enter between the church and the school on the 5400 block of Alaska. StCHD‘s meetings are on the third Tuesday of every month.

The next public meeting for the Cherokee Street Community Improvement District is on Thursday, February 20th, 5:30pm at Artist Art. The Cherokee Street CID hosts meetings on the third Thursday of every month.

The Marine Villa Neighborhood Association‘s monthly meeting is on Monday, February 24th at 7pm. The meeting is in the back room at Irish Corner Pub at Cherokee and Lemp.

Dutchtown South Community Corporation‘s Community Empowerment Committee meets on Wednesday, February 26th, 6pm at Thomas Dunn Learning Center. Dinner and childcare are provided.

The Dutchtown Community Improvement District Board of Directors holds their monthly meeting on Thursday, February 27th, 5:30pm at the Neighborhood Innovation Center, 3207 Meramec.

Art Opportunities

Intersect Arts Center offers open studio hours at their woodshop on Tuesday evenings from 6pm to 8pm and on Saturday mornings from 10am to noon. Learn the basics, brush up your skills, or take on an advanced project.

Perennial opens their community workshop on alternating weekends, February 1st–2nd and 15th–16th. Get access to the space, tools, and professional advice from Perennial’s staff. Purchase salvaged, upcycled, and eco-friendly project materials at the on-site shop. Learn more and purchase passes at Perennial’s website.

South Broadway Art Project hosts open pottery workshop hours on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Visit their website for information on projects, classes, and passes available.

Sign up now for spring classes at Intersect Arts Center. Offerings include ceramics and woodworking for both beginning and advanced artists.

Leverage Dance Theater offers adult beginner dance classes on Monday evenings at Intersect Arts Center. Drop in at 6pm for modern dance or 7:15pm for ballet. Pay as you go at $12 per class or purchase a six-class package for $60.

The Fortune Teller Bar hosts Drink and Doodle on the first Wednesday of every month. They’ll provide markers, pens, and pencils, or feel free to bring your own supplies. Have a drink and get creative.

All ages are invited to a Valentine’s printmaking workshop at Thomas Dunn Learning Center on Saturday, February 8th. Make your own linocut Valentine cards. This event is free, but registration is required.

Intersect Arts Center invites you to their gallery on Saturday, February 8th for the opening of Reservoir, an exhibition exploring the relationship between work and rest. Reservoir will be on display through April 3rd. Visit the gallery weekdays 9am–6pm.

Thomas Dunn Learning Center’s monthly Sip ‘n Sketch is on Wednesday, February 12th at 6pm. Sip ‘n Sketch is life drawing for artists of all skill levels. Feel free to bring a snack and a beverage.

More Dutchtown Events

International Gruit Day is February 1st, and Earthbound Beer is celebrating with Sahti Fest. Learn more about hopless beers and enjoy half a dozen varieties on tap. Stay warm with a special menu featuring grilled cheese sandwiches and borscht.

Thomas Dunn Learning Center hosts the St. Louis Tax Assistance Program again in 2020. TAP provides free tax preparation assistance to low and moderate income households. Appointments are required and book quickly, so schedule yours today. TAP is at Thomas Dunn every Wednesday through April 15th.

Also at Thomas Dunn, St. Louis Builds Credit hosts weekly Credit Fairs on Wednesday afternoons through April. Get a free 20 minute credit coaching session to create a credit building action plan.

Cherokee Street Second Saturday returns on February 8th. Visit locations all along Cherokee Street for gallery openings, live music, food, drinks, and specials at local businesses.

Earthbound Beer hosts a fundraiser for Australian wildlife on Tuesday, February 18th. A dollar a pint goes to conservation funds working with wildlife affected by the ongoing Australian fires.

DT2 invites you to their next After Hours happy hour on Wednesday, February 19th at Sol Azteca Mexican Restaurant on South Broadway. Support a local business, enjoy some delicious, authentic Mexican food, and meet your neighbors.

There’s always more on the Dutchtown Calendar! Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates and more. You can also sign up for our mailing list for occasional updates in your inbox.

Top photo by Josh Burbridge. Follow @stlouisisms on Instagram for more photos from Dutchtown and all over St. Louis.

Occasionally we like to highlight some great homes for sale in the Dutchtown area. Take a look at a few of the offerings on the market right now! With great prices and local amenities, houses sell quick in Dutchtown. These homes won’t last long!

5458 Alabama

2 bedrooms • 2 baths • $110,000

(Update: sale pending!) This home in the St. Cecilia Historic District features a large, open living and dining area, a beautifully updated bathroom, exposed brick, and original millwork. View this listing on Zillow.

3228 Osceola

2 bedrooms • 2 baths • $75,000

Small but mighty, this cozy home features lots of counter and cabinet space in the kitchen, two full baths, and a solid brick garage out back. View this listing on Zillow.

5223 Idaho

3 bedrooms • 2 baths • $159,000

Enjoy worry-free homeownership with brand new everything in this home. New plumbing, electric, roof, and more, and lots of open space. View this listing on Zillow.

3713 Ohio

2 bedrooms • 2 baths • $127,500

This Gravois Park townhouse features beautifully redone bathrooms and a stunning kitchen. View this listing on Zillow.

The information presented above is accurate according to Zillow at the time of posting. These posts are not sponsored, and we are not real estate professionals. Make sure to contact a licensed real estate agent when shopping for your new home.