In this issue of The Chesterfield Post…

⭐Chesterfield Brings Olympic Champion Sculpture Back to Central Park 🏃‍♀️🎨

⭐Rockwood Summit Students Earn Third-Place Finish with Zephyrus Drum & Bugle Corps 🎶🏅

⭐Saint Louis Zoo Welcomes 34 Endangered Snails After Extraordinary Rescue 🐌🌿

Chesterfield Area Events

8/20

8/21

8/22

A familiar face is returning to Chesterfield’s Central Park. 🏃‍♀️🎨

The Chesterfield City Council has approved the purchase of a life-size bronze sculpture honoring Olympic racewalker Yue Ling Chen, bringing the popular artwork back to its former location along the Central Park Lake Trail. The sculpture had previously been displayed there for several years through the city’s art-on-loan program before being removed about six years ago.

The $30,000 agreement also includes a smaller bronze edition of Chen and the stainless steel sculpture Birds in Flight, with the three works valued by the city at approximately $77,000. An anonymous donor has pledged $15,000 toward the purchase, leaving the remaining $15,000 to come from Parks Fund reserves.

The decision came after a 4–4 City Council vote, with Mayor Dan Hurt casting the deciding vote in favor. Supporters pointed to the strong community response calling for the sculpture’s return, while opponents raised questions about the cost and the city’s role in purchasing public art.

Chen made history in 1992 as the first Chinese track-and-field athlete to win Olympic gold and later became a U.S. citizen and competed for the United States at the 2000 Olympics.

Six members of the Rockwood Summit High School band and color guard spent their summer taking their talents on the road with the Zephyrus Drum & Bugle Corps of Tulsa, Oklahoma. 🎶🏅

Caroline Kahn, Milana Levaniuk, Olivia Green, Laura Gordon, Amelia Otto, and Chloe Litton each earned their spots through auditions and dedicated hundreds of hours to rehearsals, travel, and performances throughout the summer.

Their hard work paid off with an impressive third-place finish to cap off the season.

Congratulations to these talented students on an outstanding summer of music, competition, and achievement!

An extraordinary rescue mission has brought 34 endangered humped tree snails to the Saint Louis Zoo’s Bayer Insectarium. 🐌🌿

Ahead of Super Typhoon Bavi in July, conservation partners worked together to locate, collect, and safely transport the snails from one of the species’ last remaining populations.

The rescued snails are now settling in at the Zoo, where they will support breeding efforts aimed at creating a healthy assurance population and helping protect the species for the future.

The effort included partners from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Snail Extinction Prevention Program, Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz, and the University of Guam.

This marks the first time humped tree snails have been cared for at the Saint Louis Zoo and the first time the species has entered professional care at an AZA-accredited institution.

Learn more about the rescue at: https://stlzoo.org/snailrescue