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Bastille Day marked in Soulard, Maplewood

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: July 10, 2008 - There may be no infamous French prison to storm, but that doesn't mean cities in the St. Louis area won't be marking the 219th Bastille Day.

Celebrations in and near the Soulard neighborhood and in Maplewood are just some of the events honoring the start of the French Revolution nationally and internationally.

Art, henna painting and a guillotine (not sharp) can be found along with entertainment and food this weekend.

Bastille Day, a national holiday in France, recalls the day -- July 14, 1789 -- that French peasants stormed the Bastille prison in Paris. The event marked the beginning of uprisings leading to the French Revolution. The revolution would end with formation of a French republic and later, the executions of King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette. The day is a national holiday in France.

City -- Soulard & Benton Park

Soulard will host its traditional Bastille Day celebration for the 22nd year. The two days of events kick off Friday at 6 p.m. with the beheading - again - of the ill-fated Louis and his Austrian queen.

Their date with the guillotine follows a parade with a "mob" and led by the Joia percussion band.

The Soulard festivities continue into Saturday with an all-day flea market and festival at Soulard Market Park. About 75 booths will be selling wares while local bands provide music. Beer and barbeque are the scheduled fare.

In the shadow of the brewery, the Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion speaks to the French heritage of the area. Unlike the more free-wheeling celebration in Soulard, the reception at the museum house will elegantly replace the royal French standard with the tricolour of the Revolution, as attendees are invited to sing "La Marseillaise." The beer is free; the wine is reasonable; the grounds of the old home are lovely.  

Maplewood

"Let them eat art," not cake, is the rule in Maplewood this weekend. The city's "Let Them Eat Art" festival -- a progressive art show along with live entertainment throughout its downtown -- starts Friday night.

Organizers are calling the event "the Maplewood Christmas."

"It's like the Christmas Walk meets Mardi Gras," Rachelle L'Ecuyer, Maplewood's director of community development, said. "It's kind of our summer event."

The Maplewood celebration is younger than Soulard's. It began three years ago. Each year, L'Ecuyer said, the event has grown. This year, which is also the city's 100th anniverary, all the city's downtown businesses are participating with specials and live events.

The focus of Maplewood's event changed this year. Last year, the city celebrated Bastille Day with a progressive art show. Cabaret-style readings of Shakespeare, burlesque, the St. Louis Craft Mafia and music are now part of the attraction.

"We've added this layer of entertainment," L'Ecuyer said. "You never know what you're going to get."

Bastille Day Events

City of St. Louis 

The Soulard neighborhood's 22nd Annual Bastille Day celebration begins Friday at 6 p.m. with the farewell to the royals at the corner of Russell and Menard. The mob parade steps out at 6:30 p.m., leading to Nadine's at 12th an Allen and the beheading at 7 p.m. 

Saturday, the Bastille Days Flea Market will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Soulard Market Park at the market. 

The Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion will hold its annual reception, which is a much tamer celebration than its neighbor to the north. The royal flag will be replaced by the tricolour of the Revolution at about 2:30 p.m.

Maplewood

"Let Them Eat Art" 6-11 p.m. downtown Maplewood   More than 40 shops and restaurants offer specials and live events.