On the evening of Saturday, Oct. 3, the 1990s country cover band Whiskey Morning played at Longview Farm Park, and at 8 p.m. drones lit up the sky over 13525 Clayton Road to close out Fall Fire & Ice. That same day, a few miles away in Queeny Park, the Greensfelder Recreation Complex rink opened for public skating. Its season runs to Feb. 21, 2027.
The city's large community events, like Fire & Ice and the coming Winterfest, run on a set afternoon or evening, and you can decide to go that day. The smaller events have a price break, a vehicle cap, a preregistration rule or a short list of evening hours. Most of those limits come due before the turkey is carved. If you want the full season, you have to start on it this week.
The season on one page
| Date | Event | Where | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Now through Feb. 21, 2027 | Public skating | Greensfelder Recreation Complex, Queeny Park, 550 Weidman Rd. | Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas |
| Saturday, Oct. 31 | Turkey Trot discount ends | Online registration | $25 adults, $10 kids 13 and under |
| Nov. 20, 22, 29, 30 | An Evening Under the Lights | Tilles Park | $80 per vehicle, 125 vehicles per session |
| Nov. 25 through Jan. 2, 2027 | Winter Wonderland, 5 to 9 p.m. nightly | Tilles Park, 9551 Litzsinger Road | Closure dates vary |
| Thursday, Nov. 26 | Turkey Trot, 9 a.m.; kids' half-mile, 10 a.m. | Longview Farm Park | Thanksgiving morning |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Winterfest, 1 to 5:30 p.m.; tree lighting 5:15 p.m. | Town Square, 13360 Clayton Road | Vendors, Santa, fire pits |
| Dec. 21–22 and Dec. 28–29 | Winter-break skate camps, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Greensfelder | Preregistration required |
The first deadline lands this Saturday
The Turkey Trot comes back to Longview Farm Park on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 26. The three-mile course starts at 9 a.m. and the children's half-mile follows at 10 a.m. According to West Newsmagazine, registration is $25 for adults and $10 for children 13 and under, and there is a discount for anyone who signs up before Oct. 31. Oct. 31 is two days after this post goes up. The city takes registrations on its Turkey Trot page.
The race is the first of the season's Clayton Road bookends. It starts at Longview, where the fall program ended in October. Winterfest closes the year at Town Square, further along Clayton Road at 13360. Between those two dates, most of what needs planning happens outside city hall's calendar, at the county's parks.
Greensfelder's ice is open, but mostly during the workday
The Greensfelder rink sits in Queeny Park, with entrances at 550 Weidman Rd. and 1675 South Mason Rd. The season started on Oct. 3, so the ice has been open nearly four weeks. The schedule is the part to plan around. St. Louis County Parks lists these public skating hours:
| Day | Public skating |
|---|---|
| Monday through Thursday | 10 a.m. to noon |
| Friday | 10 a.m. to noon; 1:45 to 3:45 p.m.; 6:30 to 8 p.m. |
| Saturday | 8 to 9:30 p.m. |
| Sunday | 3 to 4:30 p.m. |
Count the sessions that fall outside a weekday workday and you get three a week: Friday evening, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Those three are the ones a household with school and office schedules can actually use. Everything else is a morning or midday window.
The cost is modest next to anything else on this calendar. Adults 13 to 64 pay $8, children 4 to 12 and seniors 65 and older pay $6, and children 3 and under skate free with a skating adult. Skate rental is $3. Two adults and two school-age children who all rent skates come to $40 for a session. The county also says hours can change for holidays, weather or special events, and the rink is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. That rules out a Thanksgiving pairing with the Turkey Trot.
Over winter break, Greensfelder runs two skate-camp sessions, Dec. 21–22 and Dec. 28–29, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Preregistration is required. The camps fill the two weeks when school is out and the daytime public sessions are the rink's main offering. But a camp seat needs a decision well before those weeks begin.
The lights at Tilles come with a hard ceiling
The county's Winter Wonderland at Tilles Park, 9551 Litzsinger Road, is a short drive east of Town & Country. It runs nightly from 5 to 9 p.m., Nov. 25, 2026, through Jan. 2, 2027. Two county pages list different dark nights, one naming Nov. 29 and 30 and the other naming Dec. 7 and 14, so check the county's Winter Wonderland page before choosing a date.
The scarce ticket is the walk-through, An Evening Under the Lights. Each of four nights has two 90-minute sessions: Friday, Nov. 20; Sunday, Nov. 22; Sunday, Nov. 29; and Monday, Nov. 30. Tickets are $80 per family vehicle for up to eight people, with 125 vehicles per session. That makes 1,000 vehicle spots for the whole run of the walk-through. Two of the four nights fall before Thanksgiving. When the county page was last checked, registration was marked "coming soon."
Compared with the rink, the price works out differently. A carload of eight pays $10 a person, which is close to an adult skate session with rental. A carload of two pays $40 each. The flat per-vehicle price favors a full car, and it rewards extended family who plan together early.
Winterfest is the one you can decide on the day
Winterfest is a single afternoon on Clayton Road. It takes over Town Square, 13360 Clayton Road, on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 5:30 p.m. The city posted the announcement on Oct. 6. West Newsmagazine's preview lists booths from area businesses and crafters, food and drinks, fire pits and s'mores, and Santa with a workshop for children's holiday crafts. The afternoon ends with the city's tree lighting at 5:15 p.m.
Winterfest belongs to the same family of city events as Fall Fire & Ice, and that event shows how the city has been building them up. Town & Country first added drone shows in 2025 for its 75th anniversary. For this October, the city's team designed new visuals instead of repeating last year's show. Peoples National Bank, Mari de Villa and Principia School supported the show. Luxe Lou supplied the upgraded restrooms, and a free shuttle ran from First Church of Christ Scientist on South Mason Road. Alderman David Murphy described what the city is aiming for in an interview with West Newsmagazine:
"Our residents will often remind us to 'keep the country in Town & Country.'"
The city's own events are outdoors and run on a single set day, and the timed and capped options around them are add-ons. A household that registers for the Turkey Trot this week can add a Friday-night skate at Greensfelder and an Evening Under the Lights ticket once registration opens. On Dec. 5, the season comes back to Clayton Road for the tree lighting at Town Square at 5:15 p.m.
If a sale or purchase in Town & Country is on your calendar for spring, the planning starts this season. John Ryan and Talena Floyd at The Ryan Tradition are glad to talk through timing with you, quietly and without obligation, while the tree goes up at Town Square. Contact Us.
