Good Morning!

We're back! If you noticed What's Up Wentzville was a little quiet last Thursday, you weren't imagining things. The newsletter is continuing under new ownership, and last week turned into a brief intermission while I learned my way around everything behind the scenes.

For now, you can expect the same What's Up Wentzville you've been opening each Thursday — local happenings, useful news, weekend ideas, and the occasional place right in our backyard that somehow manages to stay under the radar. There may be a few new touches along the way, but we'll ease into those as we go.

This week, school is back, I-70 is still doing I-70 things, there’s art opening downtown, Shrek under the stars in Lake Saint Louis, plenty of live music around the area, and a few good reasons to get out of the house before summer officially starts giving way to fall.

There's also a place just outside Wentzville where you can show up after dark and look through some very serious telescopes at the night sky — for free. More on that below.

Here's what's happening this week.👇

School is officially back in session in Wentzville, with students having returned on Monday — and WSD started the year with a little bragging material. All four district high schools — Holt, Liberty, North Point and Timberland — were named to U.S. News & World Report's 2026–27 Best High Schools list.

One calendar note for next week: students in grades 6–12 have an early-release day Wednesday, September 2.

MoDOT—Wentzville Parkway Ramp Closure

Because apparently no Wentzville newsletter is complete without an I-70 construction update.

The eastbound I-70 exit ramp to Wentzville Parkway (Exit 208) is scheduled to close overnight Friday and Saturday while crews install drainage for the Improve I-70 project. The ramp will be closed from 8 PM–8 AM both nights, with drivers directed to use David Hoekel Parkway (Exit 206) instead.

And if you're out late tonight, there's more: westbound I-70 at the I-70/I-64/US 61 interchange is also scheduled for overnight closures through Friday morning. In other words, check your route before assuming I-70 is going to cooperate.

Two New Art Exhibits Open at Crossroads
📍 Crossroads Arts Center, 310 W. Pearce Blvd., Wentzville
⏰ 11:00 AM-3:00 PM

Crossroads Arts Council opens two new exhibits Thursday: Out of Place and Olena's Song, featuring 25 cross-stitch works by Olena Lutes. Both exhibits run well into September, so this is also one you can save for a quieter weekend later on.

Alex Rich at Cottle Village
📍 Cottle Village, 6470 State Route N, Cottleville
⏰ 6-9:00 PM

Cottle Village kicks off the weekend a little early with Alex Rich performing Thursday evening. Grab dinner or a drink, find a spot outside and enjoy some live music — a pretty easy way to make a regular Thursday feel a little more like the weekend.

Shrek--Movie in the Park
📍 Boulevard Park Amphitheater, Lake Saint Louis
⏰ Movie begins at dusk

Bring your lawn chairs and blankets for a free outdoor showing of Shrek at Boulevard Park. It's family-friendly and one of those rare movie choices that works surprisingly well whether the people in your group are 6, 16 or 46.

Ryan Michaels Band at Cottle Village
📍 Cottle Village, 6470 State Route N, Cottleville
⏰ 7-10 PM

Ryan Michaels Band takes over Friday night at Cottle Village. Grab dinner or a drink and settle in for live music — an easy date-night option if your Friday plans could use something more interesting than deciding what to watch on TV .

Friday Night Stargazing
📍 Broemmelsiek Park Astronomy Viewing Area, 1615 Schwede Road, Wentzville
⏰ 7 PM/viewing begins after dark

The Astronomical Society of Eastern Missouri hosts free public stargazing at Broemmelsiek Park, where visitors can see highlights of the night sky through the group's telescopes. No telescope required — just check the weather update before heading out, because cloudy Missouri skies occasionally have other plans.

Picasso Club
📍 Crossroads Arts Center, 310 W. Pearce Blvd., Wentzville
⏰ 9-10:15 AM

Crossroads Arts Council's Picasso Club is a monthly art class for adult artists with special needs. The class is $10 with supplies included, and assistants are welcome. Participants should be able to follow simple instructions.

St. Charles County Resource Fair & Play Date
📍 Cottle Village, 6470 State Route N, Cottleville
⏰ 9:30 AM-12:30 PM

This family-focused resource fair gives parents a chance to connect with local services and organizations while the kids have room to play. A useful Saturday-morning option if you're looking for family resources close to home.

Play for Peace
📍 Crystal Worthy Art Studio, 212 W. Pearce Blvd., Wentzville
⏰ 10:30-11:30 AM

Crossroads Arts Council is joining the worldwide Play for Peace event with a musical performance on the porch at Crystal Worthy Art Studio. A Saturday morning, a downtown porch and live music feels pleasantly old-fashioned in the best possible way.

Funky Butt Brass Band at Cottle Village
📍 Cottle Village, 6470 State Route N, Cottleville
⏰ 7-10 PM

St. Louis favorite Funky Butt Brass Band takes the Saturday-night slot with its mix of New Orleans-style brass, funk and jazz. If your weekend needs something livelier than another night scrolling through streaming menus for 45 minutes, this should do it.

Dinner with the Dead
📍 Historic St. Charles
⏰ 5-8:30 PM

Here's a date-night option for anyone who finds dinner alone insufficiently interesting. Dinner With The Dead pairs dinner with a haunted-history walking tour through historic St. Charles, including stories tied to actual locations around Main Street and some unusual spaces along the route. Last season's tours sold out, so check availability before making the drive.

Iron Turbine Live Music
📍 The Pavilion at Iron Turbine, 65 Eagle Fork Ln., Moscow Mills
⏰ 12-7 PM

Iron Turbine has a full Sunday of live music at its outdoor pavilion, with Steven Woolley from noon–3 PM followed by Borderline Acoustic from 4–7 PM. The venue is 21+ and serves food, wine, beer and seltzers, making this an easy adults-only Sunday afternoon option just up the road in Moscow Mills.

Bunco Party
📍 Crossroads Arts Center, 310 W. Pearce Blvd., Wentzville
⏰ 1-3 PM

The Crossroads Arts Council Fun(d) Group is hosting an afternoon Bunco party. Admission is $20, and reservations are requested. If you've reached the stage of life where an afternoon involving dice, snacks and other adults sounds increasingly reasonable, Tuesday is your day.

Dogs of Society: Ultimate Elton Rock Tribute
📍 Chesterfield Amphitheater, Chesterfield
⏰ Doors 6 PM | Show 7 PM

If Elton John's '70s catalog is more your speed, Dogs of Society brings its full live Elton rock tribute to the Chesterfield Amphitheater Saturday night. Expect everything from the big hits to deeper cuts, with Billy The Kid also on the bill. This one's a little farther from Wentzville, but exactly the kind of Saturday-night show that may be worth the drive.

Pooch Plunge
📍 Splash Station Aquatic Center, 1141 Peine Rd., Wentzville
⏰ Tuesday, September 8

Splash Station is going to the dogs — literally. Wentzville's annual Pooch Plunge gives four-legged residents a once-a-year chance to take over the pool before the season wraps up. There will also be opportunities for dogs to win door prizes, so apparently even the dogs have a social calendar now.

America 250 Concert Series: Ben Morgan & Whiskey Tango
📍 Rotary Park, Wentzville
⏰ Saturday, September 12

Wentzville's America 250 Concert Series wraps up its summer run with Ben Morgan & Whiskey Tango bringing country, blues and rock 'n' roll to Rotary Park. The free evening also includes food trucks and kids' entertainment, so bring lawn chairs and make a night of it.

Broemmelsiek Park Astronomy Viewing Area

There are hidden gems.

And then there are places where you can drive a few minutes outside Wentzville, stand in a field after dark and look at Saturn through somebody's telescope.

Broemmelsiek Park has a dedicated Astronomy Viewing Area designed specifically for looking at the night sky. Its location away from heavier development means less light pollution, and the site has 10 concrete telescope stations equipped with electrical service.

You don't need to own a telescope to experience it, either. The Astronomical Society of Eastern Missouri partners with St. Charles County Parks for free public stargazing on Friday nights, weather permitting, with volunteers bringing telescopes visitors can look through.

Even better, the astronomy viewing area itself is open around the clock, and the observing stations are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

It's the sort of place you can live near for years without realizing it's practically in your backyard.

And somewhere out there is probably a person with a very expensive telescope who would be absolutely delighted to explain Saturn to you.

📍 1615 Schwede Road, Wentzville

That's what we've got for you this week.

It feels good to have What's Up Wentzville back in your inbox!

If you know of a local event, fundraiser, hidden gem, business update, or something people around Wentzville should know about, send it our way and we'll do our best to include it in an upcoming issue.

Thanks for reading, sharing, and sticking with us through the brief intermission. We're looking forward to seeing where What's Up Wentzville goes from here — one Thursday at a time.

See you next Thursday!