Have breakfast with the Easter bunny, try your hand at wine bingo, or hear live music performed by local bands, plus more events happening around Franklin County this week.
Wednesday, April 16 Take a rejuvenating break in the middle of the work day with a floating nidra yoga session at Present Moment Yoga in Washington. Attendees will rest in the trapeze while being guided through a meditation. The class is limited to six attendees. Learn more and get the ticket link.
Thursday, April 17 Break up the week with a round of wine bingo at Triple 3 Vineyard in Washington. There’s no need to register for the event, just grab your friends and head to the winery for some fun. Learn more.
Friday, April 18 The Jaycee Pavilion in Union will host breakfast with the Easter Bunny at 9 a.m. and an egg hunt to follow immediately after at 9:45am. Have breakfast and get your picture taken with the Easter Bunny. Please bring your own camera and basket. Egg hunt is for children ages 1 to 7 years old. Get the details.
Photo via Union Parks & Recreation Department’s Facebook page.
Friday, April 18 Stop by Blondie’s Breezeway in St. Clair for live music on the patio, performed by Danny & Lloyd. Blondie’s Breezeway serves food and cocktails, and often shares its menu specials on its Facebook page. Visit their Facebook page to find out more.
Friday, April 18 Soul Refresh, a new health, wellness, and beauty-based business located in downtown Washington, is having a two-day grand opening celebration. There will be discounts and door prizes, including free sessions. Find out more.
Saturday, April 19 Day two of Soul Refresh’s two-day grand opening celebration continues with discounts and door prizes, including free sessions. Find out more.
Saturday, April 19 Main Street in Sullivan will be filled with a variety of merchants, vendors, and food.. This will be the first flea market of the year, and the event will run from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Get all the details.
Saturday, April 19 Head to N-Sports Rec Center in Washington for crafts and a photo with the Easter bunny from 1 – 3 p.m. Learn more.
Saturday, April 19 First Baptist Church in Sullivan is hosting an Easter Egg hunt at 10:30 a.m. The fun is taking place behind the church at the elementary school.Ā Find out more at the Facebook event.
Saturday, April 19 Barbecue and music just go together! Stop by Brown Jerry’s Blues, Brews, & Barbecue in Pacific to hear Jeremiah Johnson perform live, beginning at 7 p.m.Ā Learn more at the Facebook event.
Missouri is known for its barbecue, from the pork steaks and ribs popular in St. Louis, to Kansas City’s thick, sweet sauce that coats smoked meats. And in between these major cities, there are small and medium-sized towns with tasty barbecue joints. Franklin County is home to a few barbecue spots, but after a few people mentioned how great the barbecue is at Red, White, and Brew Coffee Company in Union, I knew I had to try it out.
While the business is open mornings for coffee and breakfast, at the time of this article’s publication, Red, White, and Brew is only open all day on Fridays, which is when it serves its barbecue menu of pulled pork sandwiches, pulled pork nachos, pulled pork tacos, and loaded baked potatoes. In addition to their brick and mortar space, Red, White, and Brew also serves its barbecue from a food trailer that is often found at area events like the City of Union Farmers Market.
When I stopped in last Friday, I ordered the tacos, which are sold in pairs, and are the smaller, street taco size. Although they come in a smaller soft shell, they’re pretty filling since each taco is loaded up with meat and toppings.
The pulled pork tacos come topped with pico de gallo, cheese, and an avocado ranch crema. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz
The soft shell is a bit sturdier, like a smaller version of pita bread, and that provided a solid structure for the jam-packed yumminess inside. Each taco shell contained a generous portion of pulled pork, that was then topped with shredded cheese, fresh pico de gallo, and crowned with an ample drizzle of an avocado ranch crema. Now, how to accurately describe all those flavors…
Let’s start with the meat. I can be picky about most things, ahem, barbecue. Although I love a good BBQ sauce, I also only want to add it if I’m in the mood for it, because in my opinion, when smoked meat is done right it needs little to no sauce. I’m here to tell you the pulled pork at Red, White, and Brew is done right! The meat has a delicious smoked flavor, while remaining tender and juicy, the fresh pico brings balance to the richness of pork, and the crema gave a slight, pleasantly tangy finish.
This visit was another solo dining experience, but since my husband loves barbecue as much as I do, I placed a to-go order for him. I brought home a pulled pork sandwich for my other half. And since it was thoughtfully placed in the bag in an assemble-at-home fashion, with the meat, slaw, and bun all packaged separately, when he put his sandwich together, it gave me a chance to steal a few more bites of the meat š
Whereas I will add sauce to my barbecue here and there, my hubby is team no sauce. Like ever. He was really happy to find the meat sauce-free, and delicious. He’s a man of few words when it comes to his food, but his actions speak for themselves. Although it was a decent-sized sandwich, it disappeared in a just a few bites!
The Socialite recommends Red, White, and Brew’s barbecue!
Easter is getting closer and there’s lots of egg hunts happening throughout Franklin County. There’s also a trail run, karaoke, and even an Easter event for dogs! Check out all that’s going on this week.
Tuesday, April 8 Bad Beats Dance Class is a fun way to get fit. This hour-long class will feature a blend of music genres and decades such as music from the 90s to present day, with dance moves that encompass Latin, jive, country, hip-hop, and more. Register for the class at badbeatsdf.com
Wednesday, April 9 Every Wednesday is Karaoke Night at The Tipsy Keg. Belt out your favorite song, enjoy flash sales and drinks specials, plus happy hour from 3 to 7 p.m. Kitchen is open until 9pm! Find out more.
Thursday,April 10 Head to the St. Clair Elks Lodge for an Artmazing Paint Nite event, open to teens and up. Unleash your inner artist to create your very own Celtic Trinity Tree. The process will be guided by talented instructor Diana. Enjoy beverages and limited bar food, available separately for cash purchase. Get all the details, plus the ticket link.
Friday, April 11 Take a break from dyeing eggs and stuffing baskets with candy to join First Christian Church of Washington for an unforgettable Easter experience complete with fun, games, and music! Easter Jam is a FREE, fun, memorable, family-centered celebration around the Easter story. Learn more and register.
Friday, April 11 Get ready for an egg-citing evening of adventure at the Teen Easter Egg Hunt at Pacific City Park. Round up your friends and head to the park for an after-dark egg hunt where youāll have the chance to win awesome prizes! Whether youāre a seasoned pro or a first-time hunter, this event is guaranteed to be a blast. Tickets are $10. Get more details and the ticket link at this Facebook event.
Friday, April 11 Belt out your favorite tunes at Sip on Main’s karaoke night. The fun is going down at the establishment’s event room. Find out more by visiting the bar’s Facebook page.
Friday, April 11 The Legacy Leadership Foundation will host its annual prom event at The Historic John B. Busch Brewery Event Center. This celebration is for area homeschool high school students, as well as their parents. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7:15 p.m. After dinner, there will be dancing and the event will have a DJ, a photo booth, and snacks. At 9:30 p.m., Seniors will be honored and have their senior/parent dance. Find out more and get the ticket link.
Saturday, April 12 Keep the trail miles rolling in 2025 with your choice of a 10k or 20k Trail Run through one of eastern Missouriās most beautiful locales, the Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit. The 10k loop course features a little bit of everything trail running has to offer: from grass meadows to gravel hiking paths, rocky single-track to dirt roads, steep cliffs to rolling hills, and even a boardwalk above a lily-filled lake! Tackle it twice if you feel like doing the 20k! Find out more and purchase tickets.
Saturday, April 12 This Easter Egg Hunt is free and welcome to all without registration. For children ages 1-10. Hunt begins at 9 a.m. sharp. The hunt takes place on the midway soccer field at the Fairgrounds in Washington. Parking is in front of the Amphitheater. Eggs will be hidden in the field and children will be grouped according to age. Don’t forget to bring your baskets! Learn more.
Saturday, April 12 Sisterchicks Flowers featuring Goddess Gowns invites you to customize your own unique corsage, boutonniere, or bouquet to make prom night even more unforgettable! Attendees can enjoy complimentary snacks and refreshments as designers guide you through pre-ordering the PERFECT prom accessory. Learn more.
Saturday, April 12 Franklin County Sports Club (FCSC) is excited to host its first-ever Open House at the Union Library! This is a special event to bring our community together and introduce its board of directors, coaches, and club leadership. Learn about FCSCās mission, vision, and values, discover its goals for growing soccer in Franklin County, get details on sponsorship opportunities and how you can support our young athletes, hear all about the June tryouts and plans to kick off the inaugural season in August 2025. Get more details.
Saturday, April 12 The City of St. Clair is hosting a community Easter Egg Hunt at Orchard Park. The hunt begins at 11 a.m. There will be complimentary water, hot dogs, and chips donated by First Baptist St. Clair, while supplies last. Find out more by visiting this Facebook post.
Saturday, April 12 Come visit with the Easter Bunny then hunt over 6,000 eggs at the Harney Mansion in Sullivan. This free event starts promptly at 11 a.m. Age divisions are 1-3, 4-7 & 8-12. Adults can only assist in the 1-3 division. Get more details at the Facebook event.
Saturday, April 12 New Haven’s annual short film festival is happening at The Walt. Attendees will watch a series of short films throughout the festival and then the audience will vote for their favorite films once all films have been viewed. Concessions and drinks are available for purchase at event. Downtown New Haven offers several local places to eat and drink before or after the film fest. Purchase tickets.
Sunday, April 13 This ticketed Easter event includes dog treat filled eggs scattered around 3 yards for your hound to track down! Bring your pups dressed in their best Easter outfits! There will be an egg hunt, photos with the Easter bunny, and a booth with Puppy Pals Pet Shop set up with goodies, treats, and Easter pet wear. Find out more and get the ticket link.
A new book store is coming soon to Washington. The Novel Nook, located at 600 East 5th Street, will carry used books in a wide range of genres, from non-fiction to classic literature, children and young adult titles, and more. There will also be a small section dedicated to new books by indie authors.Ā
The Novel Nook owner Carmella DeJesus, who calls herself āa total booknerdā and has the home library containing 1,000 books to back up her claim, says opening a bookstore is an experience sheās always dreamed about.
āIt was one of those lifelong dreams that think you canāt do, but it snowballed after looking at the space,ā Carmella says.
Area bookworms can rejoice knowing that the storeās shelves have room for around 1,400 titles. Carmella plans to replenish the storeās inventory from various sources in order to keep the shelves full of titles, including by accepting donations. Anyone wanting to part with some of their current books and get a little something for them in return can bring in books to receive a store credit that will go towards future purchases.
The store’s selection includes classic literature, non-fiction, popular fiction, kids, young adults books, and more. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz
Playing on the business name, the interior has several cozy reading nooks that invite you to sit down and stay for a bit. In addition to the retail space, thereās a private room that businesses can rent out for meetings. The meeting room space will also be open to bookclubs, homeschool groups, or other community groups, free of charge. Additionally, Carmella plans to host events at the store, such as the upcoming Bunny Brunch, on Saturday, April 19. This ticketed event will feature a bunny themed story time and craft for kids ages four to nine, and a light brunch for all attendees, plus a latte for parents provided by Lang-a-Tang Cafe and Catering.Ā
Thankfully, area book enthusiasts, myself included, wonāt have to wait long to experience the new store. The Novel Nook will host its Grand Opening celebration this Saturday, April 5 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Follow The Novel Nook on Facebook and Instagram to get all the opening celebration details.Ā
Small Town Socialite 