Fair St. Louis in 2014
Fair St. Louis is an annual festival held during the United States Independence Day holiday in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, at the Gateway Arch National Park. [1] It is funded by the Veiled Prophet Organization. [2]
Fair St. Louis is an annual festival held during the United States Independence Day holiday in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, at the Gateway Arch National Park. [1] It is funded by the Veiled Prophet Organization. [2]
The event originally named "V.P. Fair" was a successor to the Veiled Prophet Parade, [3] which began as a St. Louis civic celebration in 1878. [4] The first V.P. Fair took place in 1981. [5]
In September 1994, the name would be changed to Fair St Louis for subsequent years. "The name 'Fair St. Louis' is expected to be marketable to all parts of the country," said Craig Kaminer, a spokesman for the VP Fair Foundation in 1994. "The vision is to create for St. Louis what the Mardi Gras is for New Orleans." [3]
"In addition," he said, "having the new name will send a positive message to those who have not supported the fair in the past . . . who have felt that the fair was not designed with them in mind." Kaminer said that the initials VP, for Veiled Prophet, "evoked images of the Veiled Prophet Ball and other related events that center around those of wealth and prominence. [3]
David Harper, a member of the fair's minority relations committee, said that "The idea of Veiled Prophet is offensive to some people," noting that the VP association excluded blacks from membership until 1979. [6]
The fair's first theme, in 2002, was "Many Colors, One Flag, One People." [7]
Although this fair is held annually, it did not take place in person in July 2020. This was due to the on going Covid-19 pandemic. Instead they shifted it to be held virtually for the year. [8] It did return in person in 2021. [9]
The fair expects to see around 800,000–1,000,000 guests attending the fair. The fair offers food, drinks, live music, rides for kids, fireworks on some occasions, contest, and a picnic area with tables for their visitors. [10]
Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as saws and ladders.
Six Flags St. Louis, originally known as Six Flags Over Mid-America, is an amusement park in Eureka, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Owned and operated by Six Flags, it has eight themed areas with attractions, dining, and live entertainment, many themed with characters from Looney Tunes and other Warner Bros. films and TV shows, DC Comics, and, formerly, Scooby-Doo.
Al-Muqanna born Hashim,, was an 8th-century political and military leader who operated in modern Iran. He led an anti-Islamic rebellion against the Abbasid Caliphate and claimed to be a prophet. He was a major figure of the Khorrām-Dīn, an Iranian religion which drew on Zoroastrian and Islamic influences.
John Burroughs School (JBS) is a private, non-sectarian college-preparatory school with 631 students in grades 7–12. Its 49-acre (200,000 m2) campus is located in Ladue, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Founded in 1923, it is named for U.S. naturalist and philosopher John Burroughs.
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The Central West End is a neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, stretching from Midtown's western edge to Union Boulevard and bordering on Forest Park with its array of free cultural institutions. It includes the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis on Lindell Boulevard at Newstead Avenue, which houses the second-largest collection of mosaics in the world. The Central West End sits entirely within the 9th Ward.
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The Veiled Prophet Parade and Ball was a yearly cult ceremony in St. Louis, Missouri, over which a mythical figure called the Veiled Prophet presided. The first events were in 1878 and were organized and funded by the Veiled Prophet Organization, an all-male secret society founded in 1878 by a highly select group of the city’s business and governmental leaders. In 2021, the parade was replaced in response to criticisms about corruption and racism.
Elizabeth Claire Kemper is an American actress, best known for her roles of Erin Hannon in the sitcom The Office (2009–2013) and Kimmy Schmidt in the sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2019). She has also appeared in films, notably Bridesmaids (2011), 21 Jump Street (2012), Sex Tape (2014), and Home Sweet Home Alone (2021). In 2018, she released her debut book, My Squirrel Days.
Firmin Desloge Hospital is a hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, opened in 1932 by the Jesuits of Saint Louis University and the Sisters of Saint Mary. Named for the benefactor, Firmin V. Desloge, it was established to serve the poor and others in need. Located on Grand Avenue between Vista Avenue and Rutger Avenue, Firmin Desloge Hospital was the main hospital building of the St. Louis University Medical Center until a new hospital was built and opened in 2020.
Percy Green II, born in the Compton Hill neighborhood of St. Louis, is a social worker and Black activist in St. Louis, Missouri. He was active in the St. Louis chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and was a founding member of ACTION. He was also the plaintiff in the landmark civil rights case McDonnell Douglas Corp v. Green, which remains among the most frequently cited cases in American jurisprudence. Green has fought for equality and black inclusion in the St. Louis region for nearly half a century. He is a member of the Peace Economy Project's board.
Alonzo William Slayback (1838–1882), a lawyer, was an officer in the Confederate Army and a founder of the Veiled Prophet Parade and Ball in St. Louis, Missouri. He was shot and killed in self-defense by the managing editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Charles E. Slayback (1840–1924) was a grain merchant in New Orleans, Louisiana, and St. Louis, Missouri. He was a founder of St. Louis's Veiled Prophet Organization.
John G. Priest (1822–1900) was a businessman and social and civic leader in St. Louis, Missouri, in the latter part of the 19th century. He was the first Veiled Prophet representation of that city.
Walter B. Stevens (1848-1939) was a journalist and secretary and publicity director of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company and the author of books on the history of Missouri.
Steven Roberts is a Democratic politician serving in the 5th district of the Missouri Senate. Roberts' election on January 6, 2021, made him the youngest black State Senator in Missouri history. He serves as the Minority Whip of the Missouri Senate.
The Black Veiled Prophet Ball was an observance in St. Louis, Missouri, beginning in 1967 in which an African-American man was named the Black Veiled Prophet and a woman the Black VP Queen. It was seen as a lampoon or a mockery of the whites-only Veiled Prophet Ball of that era.