Festus city leaders will hold an open house next month to show off The Barn at Crites Park following the completion of a $434,000 project to renovate the event venue.
The open house will run from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, June 8, at the facility, which formerly was called “the Red Barn.” It is located inside the Larry G. Crites Memorial Park along Old Hwy. A.
Representatives from the city, the design firm and the construction company will be at the event, said Barb Lowry, the Festus recreation and tourism director.
“If anyone wants to talk to them, they’ll be there,” she said.
Visitors will be impressed with the renovations, Lowry added.
“I think it looks fantastic,” she said. “I’m very pleased at how it looks.”
In June 2024, the Festus City Council awarded a contract to Hankins Construction of St. Louis to renovate the building and demolish a silo next to the barn.
For years, the city had used the old barn for recreational events, like the Seniors in the Park luncheon during Twin City Days. However, the city stopped using the barn several years ago because of structural concerns.
City Administrator Greg Camp estimates that the building has not been used for more than a decade.
The city of Festus will hold an open house at The Barn in Crites Park from 1-4 p.m. June 8 at the renovated structure in Larry G. Crites Memorial Park along Old Hwy. A.
The renovation project included reinforcing the building; making it fully ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible, including building a large ramp; putting on a new roof; installing new doors; putting in a sprinkler system; constructing a new deck; and adding decorative lighting and ceiling fans inside the barn.
Camp said that while “some odds and ends are still out there” to be completed, the work was largely finished by May 2.
Lowry said the Barn at Crites Park is ready for use, and, in fact, a soft opening was held May 15 when Festus City Clerk Leah Smith hosted a conference of city clerks at the venue.
Lowry said she is thrilled that city leaders decided to bring the facility back to life.
“I’ve been with the city since 2013 and if anything was going on there it was coming to an end,” she said.
Lowry said the improvements look great.
“We dressed up a little, but they kept it a barn, like in the past,” she said.
Lowry said city-sponsored events will be held in the facility, but it will also be offered to the public for rental. As of Tuesday, city leaders had not yet set the rental rates.
She said the city will begin accepting reservations for the venue starting June 9.
“I imagine there will be weddings and wedding receptions, baby and bridal showers, and dances,” Lowry said. “There will be children’s parties. A family could have a reunion here. Really, just about anything people would want do in there.
“As far as capacity, 150 would be a tight fit. I’d say, probably 120 to 130 would be pretty comfortable. We put on a deck, adding space.”
Lowry noted that city leaders plan additional upgrades to The Barn at Crites Park in the future, including adding a heating and cooling system and painting the exterior.
“That’s a phase down the road,” she said.
Lowry credits Camp with floating the idea of renovating the facility.
“If I remember correctly, Greg brought it up,” Lowry said. “But the City Council got on board and is very happy with what’s been done.”
For more information about the facility, call Lowry at 636-937-4694, ext. 313, or email her at barb.lowry@festusmo.gov.