NEWS

Another Successful Twilight Run!

Photos courtesy of Tim Larson. 

Please enjoy some photos from our 2025 Ferguson Twilight Run held in downtown Ferguson on May 17!

Ferguson Twilight Run presents awards to top finishers of the 5K and 10K, as well as the top three finishers in age groups. Soulcraft, a woodshop in Ferguson, created the awards for 16th annual Ferguson Twilight Run.

On your mark! Runners of all ages line up at the start line of the one-mile race at the 16th annual Ferguson Twilight Run.

 

Runners move at their own pace under the railroad pass at Ferguson Ave and Elizabeth Ave. during the 16th annual Ferguson Twilight Run, Saturday, May 17.

16 Reasons to #RunwithFerguson, Saturday, May 17

Ferguson, MO – In celebration of the 16th annual Ferguson Twilight Run, here are 16 reasons to #RunwithFerguson on Saturday, May 17.

  1. Ferguson Twilight Run is an ORIGINAL! It’s the first evening race hosted in North St. Louis County.
  2. You can RUN and WALK with hundreds of your closest friends.
  3. THREE DISTANCES – one mile, 5K & 10K – to challenge your endurance.
  4. Colorful RACE T-shirts. Very cool.
  5. Oh-so-shiny-FINISHER MEDALS.
  6. Bananas, granola bars and high fives! Oh my!
  7. The BEST NEIGHBORHOOD CHEER STATIONS and water stations.
  8. A post-race party with FOUR deejays!
  9. AWARDS for age-group winners. So. Many. Awards.
  10. Ferguson Twilight Run GIVES BACK! The Donnie White, Sr. Memorial Beneficiary Award has given $129,850 to nonprofits in NoCo since 2010.
  11. SUPER SPONSORS! Ferguson Twilight Run sponsors give generously to promote healthful and active living.
  12. Professional timing and certified routes by BIG RIVER RUNNING COMPANY, a St. Louis leader in the running community.
  13. LOCAL VENDORS in the finish area to support your health and wellness.
  14. Flag-raising by the FERGUSON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
  15. Safety and security from the FERGUSON POLICE DEPARTMENT.
  16. VOLUNTEERS! Ferguson Twilight Run is successful because of dedicated volunteers who give their time, talent and energy to make the race a reality.

Race Details

Register online at fergtwilightrun.com. You can sign up as an individual, create a team, join an existing team, or be a virtual participant.

  • The race starts and finishes at Plaza at 501, located at the intersection of Florissant Road and Suburban Avenue.
  • Race festivities are 4:30-9:30 p.m. including music and vendor booths
  • Race start times: One mile at 5 p.m., 10K at 5:45 p.m., 5K at 6 p.m.
  • Registered participants receive a T-shirt and finisher medal
  • Awards ceremony at 8 p.m.; Age-group winners will receive awards
  • Baby joggers/strollers and service dogs are welcome on the course; pets must stay at home.
  • Want more details? Follow Ferguson Twilight Run on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube for course routes, street closures, packet pick up, registration, announcements, volunteer opportunities and more.

CONTACTS

Dwayne T. James, 314-325-2197 racedirector@fergtwilightrun.com

Nez Savala, 816-678-9071 miss_tv@yahoo.com

What Have You Done Lately?

By Dr. Larry A. Brown

Many people often make one good deed, or a few, and then do nothing else. They often refer to those previously done good deeds and take plenty of credit for the good that they have done. This is ok and it can make one feel good, but It is always needed and if we don’t do it, then, who will do what we have an opportunity to do?

Often, we have a tendency to dwell in the past and live on our past accomplishments. There is a requirement, however, for us to perform good things for as long as we can. There is always a need.

No matter what our present status is, as long as we can do something good, the world will benefit and we, personally, will feel good and have more to talk about and reflect on in the future.

It becomes most unfortunate when a person reaches the end of life and few can recall anything that the individual did in the past, that was good, Then it is too late to add a good deed to the resume.

Wouldn’t you wish for people to have something good to say about you? We must remember that people often forget the good deed or often take a good deed for granted.

It is important to remember that TIME can also play a part. There are always new generations of people that have needs, and they are not likely to be aware of the good thing you did in previous times.

It must become an attitude and a way of life, so that we don’t have to recall the past because we are still doing good things currently.

That is why we are asking you to think about and say what you have done lately. If you can’t identify anything. then it is time to resume your efforts and if it was a long time ago, it may be time to get about the business at
hand. You won’t be sorry!

Also, it may inspire others to do something. The world can certainly use more people doing good deeds now, more than ever before.

It is a good thing to perform introspection, a look at how we are doing, from time to time.

We can become so busy that we forget to put things on our list of things to do. We may have good intentions but never get around to doing anything. That is why we must ask the question, “ What have you done, lately?

Are You Concerned?

“Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.”

The above sentence was something students in “typing” class had to learn when touch typing – which is a lost art. Oh, everyone still uses a keyboard or screen to enter text but learning to navigate the standard manual typewriter was a daunting task. There was no delete key or caps lock so when a mistake was made it was either start over or use white out and hope it doesn’t make a bigger mess.

But I’m not here to talk about typing, I am speaking of freedom of speech.

If you want to voice your concerns about the direction of Ferguson, there will be several opportunities to do so with candidates for Ferguson City Council this month sponsored by PROUD.

I encourage any resident that has concerns to please attend these forums at the Ferguson Library.

Oh, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” This one uses all the letters in our alphabet. A great exercise. Let’s not be the lazy dog – but the quick brown fox.

Have something to say? Be a positive voice for Ferguson.

Papa Deau

Move Ahead Anyway!

By Dr. Larry A. Brown

Don’t let anything stop you from moving ahead with gusto! Too often, we wish to blame someone or something for our lack of progress. We are quick to place the blame on someone else. As a matter of fact, we may go out of our way in doing so. It’s easy to place the blame for lack of progress on another individual, the overall conditions, or anything else rather than take responsibility for the lack of positive movement!

No matter what conditions exist nor what the situation may be, we should not place the blame on these circumstances on others, but take the responsibility, ourselves, for moving forward. We can always blame, rather than take an honest look at ourselves. As a matter of fact, we should always begin with ourselves. Then we know immediately, what other resources or individuals we need to add in order to achieve the progress.

Often. We decide that something is impossible to achieve because we can’t see ourselves having or handling all the resources necessary to be successful when all that is really needed is for us to augment our own abilities with the other things needed for success. We need to “win” challenges rather than accept defeat, or postponement.

Others are counting on us to overcome obstacles and get things done. Sometimes, we look at a need, and don’t even attempt to make the desired changes, because we think, outfront, that it will be too difficult and that success cannot be obtained.

We exemplify the self – defeat syndrome in many of our challenges and opportunities. If we start to change the situation, unexpected support may be obtained, but if we act defeated at the front end, no help may be given the opportunity to surface. In this instance, we have become our own worst enemy

It is very important to approach and accept challenges with the mindset that we can, and must, be successful. That becomes the driving force we may need to overcome any obstacles to our path.

The universe has help available to us, but it cannot be commanded for use unless we exemplify the desire and tenacity necessary to be victorious. Therefore, we must press on and meet the obstacles so that we become conquerors rather than acceptors of defeat. We must eliminate “ defeat” from among the choices we have!!

It is important to our future generations that we adopt the attitude of success and always strive to achieve!!

Blessed Into the New Year

As we enter a new year I have been reflecting on no matter what happened over this past year how truly blessed we have been.

We may complain about politics, inflation, weather, bad drivers, or our aches and pains but I challenge anyone to find a country as great as ours. We may have our differences, but we are all in this together. I see this when I am out talking to my neighbors whom are walkers. One lady walks on most days and although I can’t remember her name, we always exchange friendly greetings and joke about the golf club she is carrying (I think it is a 9 iron).

There is so much ado about migrants and the border. Yes, there are problems, but these have been around for longer than I can remember. Same problems just different voices. What most are not saying is they are descendants of migrants. Unless you are a native American, you are a transplant. In the 1800’s migrants from Europe and the Far East came to America to find a better life escaping the persecution or displacement from war torn countries. These are the people we became and yes we still celebrate our ethnic cultures. I used to love going to October-fests celebrating German heritage (I’m not German), or St. Paddys day (I’m not Irish). I just enjoy the different cultures that make up our great county. I embrace different cultures and cuisines. I’ve mentioned before that I love to cook.

I have been blessed to have traveled to many points in the world both during my time in the service and when I worked. The people I met have always been friendly and helpful. You can always find the bad in life – just turn on the news. But you can also always find the good – just go out in your neighborhood. Good is all around us if we take the time to make it good. A smile and a wave, holding a door, letting others go first, I think it’s called random acts of kindness. Let’s all practice some this year.

As a boomer and former software engineer, I know I have lost touch with all the emerging technology and trends. But, I really don’t care because I realize I am beginning to hit my stride in life. I am still active, live on my own, cook, play music, cut my own grass, play golf, fish, and hang with my family and friends. How blessed is that?

When you reflect on your life, I hope you realize even in the hardest times, we are blessed and although it may look bleak at times, we can always be proud to live in a nation that has the freedom we all cherish. My big brother passed away in 2024 but I was blessed to have him as my big brother for 73 years. I miss being able to talk with him. But I’m blessed to still have my baby sister.

As mom used to say: “No matter what happens, the world keeps turning and the sun is going to come up in the morning.” Thanks mom!

Papa Deau

Closing the year and hopefully not the door

It has been another crazy year hasn’t it? Between the election hype, the extended warm weather, and what’s happening around the world it is amazing anyone can keep their head on straight.

As I write this, the weather is beginning to get wetter (we needed the rain) and is looks like it the bottom is going to drop out soon. I say that and the weather will make a liar out of me. The last time I remember it being this warm in late November was in 1983 when it was unseasonably warm on Thanksgiving and by the New Year it was 10 below. So, we just never know, do we?

I am blessed because I only have myself to worry about feeding. I grocery shop a lot. Maybe because I love to eat. But we all get tired of eating the same routine dinners don’t we? In the summer we live on BBQ and fresh vegetables. In the winter we shift to cooking in the oven to help heat the house. To that end, my friend Lorraine sends me really great new recipes – the last few are for casseroles. With grocery prices so staggering, these casseroles are easy to make, using ingredients most of us have in our pantries. So that helps me corral my fixed income spending at the store and we get to experiment and enjoy some yummy, and some not so yummy meals.

We all have challenges to face. We at the paper are facing the challenge of keeping this 100 year old paper alive. Yes, we went through this early last year but have managed to keep going with some of us making up the shortfall. Recently a couple of other residents have stepped forward to help offset the monthly shortfall. Yet, a few of us cannot sustain this for the long run. As this is a community paper, it befuddles me how many businesses in Ferguson do not step up and support the paper through advertising.

If we close our doors, it is because those who profit from the community do not care enough about the community to offer their support.

We are fortunate to have our long time advertisers and I applaud them for their dedication and support. Thank you!

I want to thank all of our contributors for their dedication to this paper. Although I have not met most of you personally; you are appreciated. We will be losing our crossword so if there are any puzzlers out there, please let us know.

It has been suggested we ask for subscriptions. Personally, I would think that would be a nightmare to manage and put more work on a small volunteer staff. It also defeats the purpose of having a “free” newspaper available to ALL residents regardless of economic status.

Another suggestion is to go strictly on-line. Again, we are forced to go on-line for almost everything now-a-days. Besides, this would limit our readership and would not be a value for our advertisers who are the ones supporting the paper. And what about those who do not go on-line for anything?

Please read Phil Berwick’s article on page 3. He has a good suggestion with asking for people to become monthly supporters.

Regardless of our challenges, I want to wish each and everyone of you a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year. Be safe.

Papa Deau

Why Vote?

Many people say that their vote doesn’t count, or won’t make a difference, so it becomes very low on their “ things to do” list. Some feel that their vote may be manipulated by other politicians. Some even feel that their vote won’t even be counted. Some even feel that others run the system we live in.

We need to let these people know vehemently, that they are totally wrong! One of the features of our society or democracy is that of being able to “voice our choices” in matters that affect us, once we are of the age of reason. Many countries don’t allow everyone to say how they feel about certain matters and who should be elected to serve in certain offices, and which issues must be addressed.

In most cases, it becomes a majority vote that results in change. The size of that majority often dictates the speed and timeliness of the decisions to address the issue.

It has been said that “Every Vote Counts“.

In a democracy, all individuals are supposed to be treated the same and are endowed with certain inalienable rights.

It is expected and necessary for one to use one’s inalienable rights in order for the society to work properly. Therefore, we have a responsibility, when the time comes, to vote.

There is a unique feature included in this option, which is, the importance of the vote which can be for or against an issue or individual!

Not voting, has a negative effect on the process, because reality is not reflected.

It is therefore, most important, that we research the issues and individuals, and caste our votes accordingly.

We also have court backups to insure that what our vote indicates, becomes law and is followed.

If we choose to withhold our vote, then the courts’ decision and other actions and responses may not reflect our feelings.

This allows for us, no matter what our financial standings are, what our ethnic background may be, nor what our current status may be, we can still participate in the affairs of our community as well as the person who is doing great!

It has been said that “ You never miss your water, until the well runs dry” Of course, this means that if your vote is “taken” from you and you no longer have the “right”, is when you unfortunately realize how important it was.

We must exercise every right, privilege, and expectation that we have in order for this society to function properly. We must take a responsible attitude for the success of our community and not leave it up to someone or something else!

Oh, how many folks in other communities wish they had the privilege, which we take very lightly at times!

It is our conclusion that voting is important because it is a responsibility, a privilege, the right of adults in a democracy, a way to participate in issues that will affect us, and for many other reasons.

PROUD Conference on October 18

PROUD – People Reaching Out for Unity and Diversity – invites you to join in the conversation about Ferguson’s experiences over the past thirty years and evaluate what worked, what didn’t, and what should be done next. The conference is called “Thirty Years After Oak Park: Ferguson Then and Now.”

In October 1994, the City of Ferguson hosted its first Oak Park Exchange Congress at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley. The conference considered ideas for stabilizing the city as it was going through demographic changes. Several programs, including the Ferguson Neighborhood Improvement Program, came out of that conference.

PROUD, a volunteer not-for-profit organization, was established as a direct result of the conference. PROUD’s purpose is to continue the goals presented at the Oak Park Conference by working to improve relationships among members of the Ferguson community.

We will return to Florissant Valley on October 18 and 19, for a two-day conference to consider the ways that Ferguson has changed over the past thirty years. Join us for the Friday afternoon session on “Building Relationships,” the Saturday morning session on “Appreciating Diversity,” the Saturday afternoon session on “Strengthening Community,” or for the whole conference. There will also be a reception on Friday evening to honor the city officials who organized Ferguson’s original Oak Park Conference as well as PROUD’s charter members.

For more information and tickets, visit our website at www.proud-ferguson.org.

Prayers for Officer Travis Brown

We reached out to Chief Troy Doyle concerning the senseless attack on Ferguson’s own Travis Brown.

Thank you for reaching out and for the support that you and the Ferguson Neighborhood News have shown to our department and Officer Brown during this difficult time. Your words of encouragement mean a great deal to us, and I know that our officers will be heartened to hear that the community stands with them.

As you mentioned, the situation with Officer Brown has been a challenging one for us all. He is a dedicated officer who has served our community with integrity, and right now, our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as he fights to recover.

If you would like to print something in the upcoming issue, I would appreciate it if you could convey the following message to the community:

“Our department is deeply moved by the outpouring of support we have received from the community. Officer Brown, his family, and all of us at the Ferguson Police Department are grateful for the prayers, messages, and acts of kindness that have come our way. This incident has reminded us of the strength and unity within our community. We ask that you continue to keep Officer Brown in your thoughts and prayers. We also want to assure you that despite the challenges we face, our commitment to serving and protecting Ferguson remains unwavering. Together, we can continue to build a safer, stronger, and more united community.”

Additionally, I’d like to remind everyone of the importance of staying professional and focused during these times. We ask that residents refrain from engaging in negative rhetoric on social media, as it can be divisive and counterproductive to the progress we’ve made. Our goal is to remain united and work together to support Officer Brown and all the officers who serve this community.

Thank you once again for your support, and please do not hesitate to reach out if there’s anything further we can provide.

May God bless you and the entire Ferguson community.

Best regards,
Troy Doyle
Chief of Police
Ferguson Police Department

CONTACT

FERGUSON CITYWALK
110 Church Street
Ferguson, MO 63135
(314) 524-5197
EMAIL

 

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