The 21st Annual Lemp Mansion Halloween Party

If you're looking for a fun Halloween party in the St. Louis area, but want to avoid doing something on the night of Halloween itself, check out the 21st Annual Lemp Mansion Halloween Party, which takes place on Saturday, October 28th, from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. This party is certain to attract quite a crowd of costumed St. Louis area residents and visitors, as it has in past years.

The Lemp Mansion (3322 DeMenil Place, Saint Louis, MO 63118), located in the Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis, is alleged to be one of the most haunted places in the United States. The mansion was owned by the Lemp family, which was involved in the brewing business in the mid to late nineteenth century. The Lemp Brewing Company was very successful for a number of years, and was the largest brewery in St. Louis in 1870. Even before the decline in their business, tragedy surrounded the fortunes of the Lemp family. One family member died in 1901 under mysterious circumstances, and the family was plagued by a series of suicides by their numbers in later years. Prohibition finally spelled the demise of the family business, which was auctioned off in 1922, three years after the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment. Even after the family business was dissolved, the Lemp family continued to live in their impressive home, and there were several more suicides and early deaths within the family, thus lending credence to the possibility of ghostly hauntings.

Admission to the annual Lemp Mansion Halloween Party is $45 in advance, or $50 at the door. They offer food (mostly hors d'oeuvres) and an open bar for the duration of the party, serving soda and their "Bacardi Witches' Brew," which is a fairly fruity-tasting mixed drink. The event features three bands: Hush, Blues Handle, and the Stacey Collins Band, the latter two of which are blues-oriented bands. The Lemp Mansion Halloween Party also hosts a costume contest, for which participants can win cash prizes. Tickets went on sale on September 15th, and there are a limited number available. The Lemp Mansion website does not mention a minimum age for entry, but as there is alcohol served, those under 21 might want to check into any age requirements when ordering tickets.

A group of five of my friends and I attended this party in 2004, and we had a great time drinking, socializing, and checking out all of the costumes. There were a great number of people in store bought costumes, but there were also a fair number in handmade costumes. Four of our group had decided to go as characters from America McGee's Alice video game. Most of the other attendees didn't seem to be familar with our costumes, but we did a decent job of it for mostly having made our own costumes. We didn't win any of the prizes in the costume contest, which was divided into individual costumes and group costumes. They did give out door prizes of a sort, and at least half of us went home with one of those.

The Lemp Mansion itself, at least the areas which are open to the public during the party, is beautifully maintained, and possessed of a charm of an earlier age. My only regret about getting to visit the mansion was that we were not able to see all of it that evening. The grounds of the house were also well-maintained and a pleasure to visit.

All in all, we had a great time at the Lemp Mansion Halloween Party, and have talked about trying to go back again. Unfortunately, not living in St. Louis makes attendance a bit more difficult for us. Hopefully, we will get that chance soon!