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WEEK OF JUNE 16-22
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FRIDAY 06/25 Sip & Stroll 4 p.m. each Friday this summer. Lily Pond Shelter in Tower Grove Park, 2716 Tower Grove Avenue. Free. 314-771-2679. Drinking in the park isn’t just for delinquents anymore. In fact, every Friday this summer you can drink in Tower Grove Park for philanthropic reasons. Hosted by STL Barkeep and Tower Grove Park, the Sip & Stroll event aims to help St. Louisans enjoy long, lazy summer evenings in the park. Participants are encouraged to pay a visit to the STL Barkeep bar near Fountain Pond and Ruins, purchase a cocktail and then have a leisurely stroll around the grounds, or lounge around in the grass and enjoy the view. Not only is the event très classy, it also serves to “preserve and protect the beauty of this incredible green space” by donating 20 percent of every cocktail purchase to Tower Grove Park. Masks are required when approaching the bar and participants must stand six feet away from each other when in line for the bar. The event starts at 4 p.m. and runs until dark. Highly Sophisticated: Remember, this is a Sip & Stroll, not a Chug & Run. Keep it civilized and put your pinkies up, you fancy pants. —Jaime Lees
WerQfest is stepping out of the digital world for its second year. | BRANDON DE’SHAUN Sunday with a King of ’Cade tournament at noon. Each competitor is assigned a random game to play as they narrow the competition and determine who the real king (or another gender-inclusive royalty) of the ’cade is. Competitors are limited to 32 players, so get your name registered early! Come out and Test Your Might! Continue?: As always, Up-Down boasts up to 60 arcade games from the ’80s and ’90s, pinball, skeeball and even a classic Nintendo 64. The actual blast from the past is that all games are only 25 cents. In addition, their menu features house-made pizza by the slice and an extensive selection of craft beer. —Jack Probst
Up-Down STL’s 2nd Anniversary Friday, June 25 through Sunday, June 27. Up-Down STL, 405 North Euclid Avenue. 314-449-1742. Ready? Fight! 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of arguably the greatest arcade fighting game of all time, Street Fighter II. Back in the ’90s, you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing one of those iconic machines standing tall and ready to be pumped full of quarters. 2021 also marks the second anniversary for one of the few places you can still play this iconic cabinet in real life, the arcade bar UpDown STL. The bar arcade is going all-out to celebrate its birthday by hosting three separate events throughout the weekend. On Fri-
Up-Down STL made it through tough times, and it’s time to celebrate. | KATIE COUNTS day, 4 Hands Brewing will go headto-head against Perennial Artisan Ales for a Kick the Keg championship match. The first keg to sell out wins bragging rights! It’s like Punch-Out, but neither side is the underdog. Saturday’s festivities
include a patio beach party and tropical drinks to kick off summer. The event might be some kind of homage to every sand level in every Mario Bros game ever, but it seems like it will be much more fun. The festivities end on
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SATURDAY 06/26 WerQfest 7 p.m. Saturday, June 26. City Foundry, $20 to $40. No phone. WerQfest steps into the real world for its second year after making its debut virtually in 2020. A fes-
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