Meet Me in St. Louis

John C. Danforth Cheers Revitalized City

 
by Amber Morris

 
In 1995, after 18 years in the United States Senate, John C. Danforth returned to St. Louis as a partner in the law firm of Bryan Cave LLP. This Episcopal minister, husband, father, and grandfather was about to become involved in a grand plan to make St. Louis a region where young people want to work, raise families, and become community leaders – and to do it by the year 2004.

The year 2004 is of great historical significance for St. Louis. It commemorates the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis & Clark Expedition and marks the 100th anniversary of the World’s Fair and Olympics.

With the determination of Danforth and other ambitious St. Louisans, and financial support from the Danforth Foundation and countless other organizations and corporations, St. Louis 2004 was born. Their vision was a year-long celebration that would commemorate the historic anniversaries and celebrate the region’s revitalization.

“St. Louis 2004 has always been about attracting and keeping the best and brightest young people in the St. Louis region through improved quality of life,” said Danforth, chairman of St. Louis 2004.

In 1998, St. Louis 2004 identified 13 target initiatives after meeting with area citizens to determine what was important to them. Among them were downtown revitalization, safe places for kids, parks and trails, diversity, and access to healthcare.

The year 2004 is here. and Danforth is pleased with St. Louis 2004’s continuing progress:

• In downtown St. Louis, visitors can stroll and enjoy an exciting promenade of dining, shopping, and entertainment on a revitalized Washington Avenue. More people live downtown, and there’s real progress in the renovation of some of St. Louis’ important historical buildings.
• A bistate system of parks and trails is being created to bring people back to the riverfront for biking, hiking, or simply gathering. St. Louis 2004 led the effort to establish a permanent public funding source for park projects and helped create two park districts charged with development.
• People can embrace diversity by joining the St. Louis Rams, Cardinals, Blues and others in adopting the Diversity Awareness Partnership’s charge to “make a difference by accepting everyone else’s.” At work, 115 of the St. Louis area’s largest employers are working hard to recruit and retain minority employees as part of the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative.

Danforth and St. Louis 2004 have already begun to celebrate these and many more accomplishments. Celebrate 2004, the planned year-long celebration, was launched with a free New Year’s Eve party in Forest Park. Upcoming events include:

• U.S. Olympic Women’s Marathon Trials – The nation’s elite female distance runners will compete on April 3-4, to earn a ticket to Athens for the 2004 Olympics. The race begins at the site of the 1904 Olympic Marathon – the first ever held west of the Mississippi River.
• Giant Ferris Wheel – A giant Ferris wheel, glowing with a kaleidoscope of thousands of colored lights, will take riders 11 stories high to view Forest Park, downtown St. Louis, and the surrounding area, May 29 through August 26.
• U.S. Olympic Diving Trials – The nation’s best divers compete June 9-13. The sport made its Olympic debut during the 1904 Summer Games.
• Olympic Centennial Celebration and Torch Relay – On June 17, St. Louis will be one of only four U.S. cities on the Olympic Torch Relay as the flame heads to the 2004 Summer Games. The relay will conclude with a celebration to commemorate the centennial of St. Louis hosting the first Olympic games in the United States.
• River Splash – The St. Louis riverfront will come alive during six summer weekends with a stunning multimedia display of fireworks, lasers, images and sound. Customproduced shows, featuring lasers, pyrotechnics, and images celebrating the best of St. Louis, will be projected onto an enormous water screen over the mighty Mississippi. An exciting concert series will feature free live performances by top-name artists before each multimedia show.
• Eats Bridge – Historic Eads Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River from downtown to Illinois, will be transformed into a unique dining destination on six summer weekends. In addition to scrumptious culinary delights, Eats Bridge will serve up amazing skyline views.
• Grand Finale at First Night® – St. Louis – Exciting New Year's Eve festivities will mark a year of memorable events and welcome the New Year with unique First Night® visual and performing arts.

Though St. Louis 2004 will go out of business in the year 2004, Danforth, who in 2001 was named Special Envoy for Peace in Sudan, strives to make sure the spirit and the efforts of St. Louis 2004 continue long after the organization closes its doors. His well-known mantra is “St. Louis is not a spectator sport. What are you doing?” It’s a question he can answer with ease.
 

For more information on Celebrate 2004, visit www.celebrate2004.org.