DownTown Monroe City Revitalization

05/23/2026

Please register with us at the corner of Court & Vine Street!

Sign up for our Side X Side Poker Run!

Info below!!!

05/18/2026

Happy Preservation Month!

Preservation is not only about protecting historic buildings. During Preservation Month, we also celebrate the places that embody community heritage. In Indian Creek, the Swinkey Picnic is one such destination.

Hosted by St. Stephen Catholic Church, the Swinkey Picnic can draw over 1,000 people on a busy year. It is considered the oldest annual picnic in Missouri, with the tradition said to date back to the establishment of the parish in 1833. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the picnic was held in a grove of trees owned by Jim Tom Spalding. A 1969 pictorial directory of the parish sets the scene:

"When you woke to the delicious smell of fired chicken. You knew it was Swinkey Picnic Day.”

“Boards were erected in the shape of squares or rectangles, as stands for bingo, the knock-down-the-milk-bottle game, the wheel of fortune, [and] the fancy needle-work booth where anything from embroidered pillow slips to patch quilts were sold.”

“Water was hauled to the grounds in a horse tank, and tin cups were fastened with binder twine to the sides of the tank. Everybody drank from the same cup.”

“Old timers recall when the picnic was more like a family reunion, where sack races were held for the kids. Horse shoes was a favorite pastime of the older men and there were choose-up teams of young men who played baseball.”

“Young ladies also helped to serve the dinner and attended the various stands. Frankie (Williams) Smith once was in charge of what she called a Historical Stand. ‘I remember when you walked in you were to see Plymouth Rock. Instead you saw an old hen, one of that breed of chickens.’”

05/17/2026

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

🎓Congratulations Class of 2026!🎓

05/15/2026

Side x Side Poker Run stops are listed below! Stay tuned for a few additional stops!

Pre-Register or Sign-Up day of!

Contact Devin Jarman 573-501-1293 for more information!

05/13/2026

Sign up for our Side X Side Poker Run!

Info below!!!

05/09/2026

May Market is only 2 weeks away! Help us celebrate America in Bloom by participating in the Talent Show, all ages welcome! Or sign up for the Side by Side Poker Run!

Food, vendors, crafts and entertainment from 10:00am-3:00pm!

Kick off your Memorial Day weekend with us! 🇺🇸

05/06/2026

Happy Preservation Month!

Preservation Month is a time to celebrate the historic sites, neighborhoods, and landmarks that make up the unique heritage of our country’s cities and states. This year, we are spotlighting St. Stephen Catholic Church, the oldest parish in the Diocese of Jefferson City and host of the oldest annual picnic in Missouri. Though several church buildings have come and gone throughout its nearly 200-year history, St. Stephen has remained integral to the Indian Creek community.

The first church building was constructed in 1838, five years after the parish itself was established. Built from logs, it was destroyed by a fire soon after its construction. Its wood-frame successor suffered the same fate, foreshadowing future fire-related disasters.

The third building was constructed from brick and featured an impressive 110-foot steeple. According to the parish records, it was “justly the pride of the congregation and of the surrounding county.” Unfortunately, disaster struck once more on March 10th, 1876, when a cyclone tore through Indian Creek and completely leveled the building. A contemporary news article recorded that “St. Stephen’s church, a substantial brick edifice, and the finest church building in the county, was crushed like an eggshell, nothing remaining but a confused heap of brick and rubbish to mark the spot.” However, it is said that the sanctuary lamp was discovered afterwards on a pile of brick, still burning.

The fourth building was also made of brick, though it was slightly smaller than its predecessor. Its modest steeple was struck by lightning on two separate occasions before a third lightning strike on March 10, 1907, sparked a fire that destroyed a portion of the building. This disaster occurred nearly 31 years to the day after the Swinkey Cyclone.

Once again, the community rebuilt. The brick building dedicated in 1907 still stands today.