On Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 11 a.m. to noon, the City of Town and Country holds the grand opening of its Military and First Responders Tribute at Town Square, 13360 Clayton Road. According to West Newsmagazine's groundbreaking coverage, the project's $300,000 budget was raised entirely through private donations from residents, area businesses and nonprofits.
That funding model shaped the whole project. Neighbors and local organizations raised the original budget, so the plan answered to donors from the start. When construction estimates went up this year, the city's response was to look for more donations and a smaller scope. The tribute opens on Veterans Day, two years after the shovels first went in.
Two Veterans Days, Two Years Apart
The record moves in clear steps:
- Nov. 11, 2024. The city held a 10 a.m. groundbreaking at Town Square on Veterans Day. West Newsmagazine quoted Ward 4 Alderman Sue Allen: "We hope to have the tribute completed by Veterans Day next year and be back here for a ribbon cutting, if not before then."
- Nov. 25, 2024. At that night's budget hearing, in answer to a question from Alderman Allen, Finance Director Joan Jadali confirmed that the money in the city's Public Art Fund was donations for the tribute project.
- March 24, 2025. The Board of Aldermen approved Resolution R05-2025 by voice vote. It directs the City Administrator to enter a construction agreement with Musick Construction. In West Newsmagazine's report on that meeting, Allen described the resolution as a precursor to a contract ordinance from the board seated after the April 8 election. She said she hoped the work would be finalized by Veterans Day 2025.
- Feb. 2, 2026. The minutes of the Parks & Trails Commission meeting at Longview Farm House recorded that construction costs for the tribute were "$40,000 higher than previously estimated," and that "efforts are underway to reduce the scope and raise additional funds."
- Nov. 11, 2026. The grand opening is on the city calendar, one Veterans Day after the original target.
Against the $300,000 budget reported at the groundbreaking, a $40,000 overrun comes to a bit more than 13 percent. The minutes name two responses: cut the scope or raise more money.
What the Donors Were Asked to Build
West Newsmagazine's 2024 report describes the design the city published. It calls for a "reflective walk around a solitary stone" engraved with four core values: duty, sacrifice, courage and valor. A wall embossed with military and first responder crests doubles as seating, and an American flag hangs on the stone. A plaque carries the dedication:
"Dedicated to those who served and continue to serve our country. Veterans, active military and first responders – from a grateful community."
That is the plan as published in 2024. After the February 2026 scope discussion, the details visitors see on Nov. 11 may differ in places.
The intended feel has stayed the same throughout. At the groundbreaking, Allen told West Newsmagazine: "This will be a quiet, respectful place where people can sit and think and appreciate the active military members, veterans and first responders."
The Neighbors Who Carried It
With a budget built from donations, the people who organized the tribute matter a great deal. Mayor Charles H. Rehm Jr. formed a task force led by Allen. Its members, as listed in West Newsmagazine's groundbreaking report, were Michelle Francisco, Meg Johnson, Skip Mange, George Roman and Larry Toomey.
Army veteran John Stupp Jr. spoke at the 2024 groundbreaking about his family's military service, which goes back to his great-great-grandfather in World War I. His company's charitable foundation, the Stupp Bros. Bridge and Iron Co. Foundation Trust, contributed to the project. When the board approved the Musick Construction resolution in March 2025, West Newsmagazine reported that it also recognized the task force and the citizens, businesses and stakeholders who had donated.
One of the task force names also turns up in Town Square's routine upkeep. Meg Johnson is listed as a Ward IV member of the Parks & Trails Commission in the city's 2026 minutes. That commission hears the tribute updates along with everything else at the square.
The Square It Joins
Allen described the tribute as a place where someone "can walk over off the beaten path and be thankful," in West Newsmagazine's March 2025 coverage. The rest of Town Square has had a busy year, according to the 2026 Parks & Trails minutes:
- Concerts. The square hosted an April 17 concert with Hubb and the Heavy Hearts and another on May 15.
- Repairs. In June, staff requested quotes to replace a cracked concrete slab, repair the log cabin and add electronic irrigation controls. HR Green was preparing bid specs for "pick hole" repairs to the Town Square tunnel.
- The pond. Commissioner Beth Nelson asked staff to look into adding bait fish or more fish to the pond.
- The trail. In August, commissioners reported trash on Principia property near the Town Square trail.
- Ideas on the table. At the same August meeting, commissioners discussing the city's 20-year plan raised a spring car show at Town Square and Tuesday family picnics there, with ideas such as open mic, jugglers and kids' businesses.
Those are proposals, not scheduled events. Still, they show the commission planning more regular programming at the square, and the tribute's quiet walk will sit alongside it.
The Square's Next Big Day
The tribute's first month includes the biggest crowd Town Square draws all year. Between the two events, the 20th anniversary Turkey Trot runs Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 26, at Longview Farm Park. The 3-mile race starts at 9 a.m. and the kids' half-mile at 10 a.m.
Then Winterfest comes back to Town Square on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 5:30 p.m. Here is the afternoon in order, from the city's September 2026 Parks & Recreation newsletter and West Newsmagazine's preview:
- 1 p.m. Shopping opens with local vendors, handmade goods and holiday treats, along with caroling and performances by local groups. West Newsmagazine adds food and drinks, fire pits and s'mores.
- 2 p.m. Santa arrives on a firetruck and stays for pictures until 5:30 p.m. The Grinch also makes an appearance. Kids can make crafts at Santa's Workshop, and families can take photos inside the Snow Globe.
- Through the afternoon. The Parkway West choir is confirmed to perform, according to the August Parks & Trails minutes.
- 5:15 p.m. The annual tree lighting, with a holiday performance by the award-winning River Blenders Chorus.
Parks & Recreation Director Anne Nixon credits the city's event sponsors and names Peoples National Bank, Mari de Villa and Principia School as community partners. Winterfest, like the tribute, runs on local support. This year it will happen a short walk from a memorial built on a donor-raised budget.
The square around the tribute is shared public space that neighbors helped build. Town and Country homeowners who want to know how places like Town Square figure into their home's value today can ask Show + Sell STL for a free home valuation. We'll prepare it with the same local detail you just read.
