Great Rivers Greenway and the City of Webster Groves invite area residents to celebrate the newest segment of the Deer Creek Greenway at a community celebration and ribbon cutting on Saturday, October 13. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to noon in the northern section of Lorraine Davis Park, which is located between Waymire and Thornton Avenues in Webster Groves.

The project extends the existing 0.7-mile paved greenway, between Deer Creek Shopping Center at Big Bend Blvd and Webster Groves Deer Creek Park, an additional 1.5 miles along Pacific Avenue, through Barnickel Park to Lorraine Davis Park, ending at Ravine Avenue. New trees, shrubs, native grasses and benches can be found along the paved, ADA-accessible path. A new parking lot was built in Barnickel Park, and the existing half-basketball court was improved. In Lorraine Davis Park, there are new boardwalks, landscaping with native plants, and a pavilion with picnic tables and a drinking fountain overlooking the confluence of Deer and Shady Creeks.

On Saturday, October 13, project partners, contractors, area residents and elected officials will officially open the new greenway with a ribbon cutting and a morning filled with music, fitness and family fun in Lorraine Davis Park. The celebration will include a blues music performance co-hosted by the National Blues Museum, free fitness classes, yard games and the opportunity to explore the new greenway. Sarah’s Cake Stop Food Truck will be on hand with free sweet treats for the first 125 visitors. The schedule of events in Lorraine Davis Park is as follows:

  • 9:00 a.m. – Pre-Ribbon Cutting Fitness Class: Steel Plate CrossFit will lead a free fitness class suitable for all fitness levels. No experience required.
  • 10:00 a.m. – Ribbon Cutting: Project partners, contractors, elected officials and North Webster Neighborhood Association representatives will officially open the new greenway with remarks and a ribbon cutting.
  • 10:30 a.m. – Live Blues Music Performance: Jeremiah Allen Duo
  • 11:15 a.m. – Fitness Class: Complete Fitness Results will lead a free fitness class suitable for all fitness levels. No experience required.

“The expanded Deer Creek Greenway is an incredible community asset, not only for the people who live and work in Webster Groves but also the people of the region,” said Gerry Welch, Mayor of Webster Groves. “We encourage the community to join us on October 13 to celebrate this wonderful new space for walking and riding bikes and see all of the improvements to Lorraine Davis and Barnickel parks.”

Thanks to the funding and cooperation by the City of Webster Groves and the Bellwether Foundation, Inc., a new trailhead was built along Marshall Avenue, just east of Brentwood Blvd. The trailhead includes parking for greenway users, a covered pavilion, a drinking fountain, a bike fix-it station and a “pump track,” which features a series of rolling hills and banked turns where bicyclists can have fun and practice their mountain-biking skills. The trailhead project also included the removal of invasive species, new native landscaping, creek bank stabilization and a rain garden designed to better manage storm water runoff into nearby Deer Creek.

“We are happy to deliver this expanded greenway, new trailhead and park improvements to the community,” said Angelica Gutierrez, Great Rivers Greenway project manager. “We’ve not only created a place where people of all ages and abilities can get exercise and enjoy fresh air, but also linked together parks, neighborhoods, shopping and more. We are grateful to our partners at the City of Webster Groves, the Bellwether Foundation and other stakeholders who have helped bring this new greenway to life.”