Renaissance SEPT 2026

SEPTEMBER 2026 - THE SOULARD RENAISSANCE - 11 On July 11, Soulard celebrated both Bastille Day and the first of two sum- mer concerts in Soulard Market Park. This year, the Soulard Business Asso- ciation selected Brenton and Liz Henry to hold the honor of being crowned King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, paraded through the streets, and be- ing beheaded in front of a crowd of their neighbors. This year’s parade went down 9th Street, marched along 10th, and headed down Geyer before returning to the park. Along the way, the crowd stopped for refreshments at sponsoring organizations such as Protagonist Café, Ray’s, Stew’s Food & Liquor, the Great Grizzly Bear, Fur Real K9’s Dog Daycare and Molly’s. The afternoon concluded with loud cheers as Robespierre sentenced the King and Queen to their fate, and ex- ecutioner Brad Pitlyk brought down the guillotine. As afternoon turned to evening, lawn chairs came out, beer cans popped open and the sounds of tuning instru- ments and sound checks filled the air. Soon the audience was on a sonic trip to New Orleans while they enjoyed a performance by Andy Coco’s NOLA Funk and R&B Revue. Some folks kicked back and enjoyed the music, while others kicked up their heels and danced the night away. Congratulations to Brenton and Liz for the much-deserved honor, and for providing the neighborhood with an especially humorous performance. Thanks to the hard work of the Sou- lard Business Association and the SRG CI&E Committee for their hard work staging and executing Bastille Day, and the Development Committee for an excellent start to the Summer Concert Series. Bombast and Boudin: A NOLA-Infused Bastille Day By Allyson Whipple Steve Edele performs guillotine maintenance. Soulard Business Association photo Andy Coco and his band perform. Caron House photo Liz and Brenton Henry as Marie An- toinette and King Louis. Nancy Lambert photo Parade leader Stephen Schuman. Nancy Lambert photo