STE. GENEVIEVE CITIZENS CELEBRATE HEROIC FLOOD FIGHT

STE. GENEVIEVE Gene~vieve became known as the patron saint of Paris for persuading the population to hold firm through the attack by Attila the Hun in the fifth century A.D. This Franco-American town named for her has just survived a siege itself, one that threatened the populace's homes and livelihoods, and has tried their spirits.

During the summer of the Flood of 1993 there was no Jour de Fete and no county fair. No municipal band concerts, no swimming outings and no ball games were held because everyone was focused on the flood.

But Saturday the citizens will celebrate their heroic fight against the Mississippi River with an event called "A Celebration of Hope, Praise and Renewal." The communitywide affair is meant to thank everyone who helped the town survive an ordeal that is far from over.

Free hot dogs, hamburgers, bratwurst, potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans and soft drinks will be served throughout the afternoon, which will begin at 4 p.m. at the Ste. Genevieve High School football field.

The day will feature entertainment, including comedy, singing groups and a Dixieland band, culminating at 7 p.m. in a contemporary Christian concert by Iowa musician Dalend Mackey.

The event was organized by a small group of citizens who recognized how dramatically the flood had affected the life of the community. "It was time to do something," said Walt Timm, who is president of Sylvanus Products.

The event also will help raise money for those who still need assistance.

"Sandbag banks" will be set up so that people can make donations, but Timm emphasized that everything has been donated and is free, and that no one is being asked to give more.

"We really want people who were hurt by the flood to show up," he said. "We don't want them to be embarrassed that they can't come. If they can put money in, fine, we really don't care."

Many professionals helped with the fight, but they won't be the focus of Saturday's event.

"We will be recognizing all the behind-the-scenes help: the sandbaggers, the people who prepared meals, the people who prayed," Timm said.

It's also a chance to tell the world that Ste. Genevieve is open for business again. Most of the town's tourists remain "gawkers and curiosity-seekers," Timm said.

Primarily, the celebration is an opportunity for the citizens of Ste. Genevieve, the county, and nearby hard-hit communities of St. Mary and Kaskaskia Island to come together and thank each other and God for sparing them.

"We couldn't really celebrate a victory," Timm said. "You can't convince the people in the north part of town who lost their homes or the people in the south part of town who lost their homes that we had a victory."

The community remains under a boil-water order, which could be lifted this weekend. A St. Louis engineering firm is surveying the town's damage, and has okayed its bridges. But many roads are in bad shape.

Last week the city submitted $850,000 worth of bills to the State Emergency Management Agency, mostly to cover trucking and material expenses incurred in shoring up the historic town's levees.

Only a rough estimate has been made of the total amount the flood has cost the city. "It looks like it's going to be in the neighborhood of $6 million, but it could get much more expensive," Mayor William Anderson said.

He said the city is considering buying three or four blocks of severely damaged property on North Main Street. They would be turned into a park.

"We're just getting started on this cleanup and the restoration of things," Anderson said. "We have no idea of the cost of such magnitude."

The good news is that the federal government has agreed to pay 90 percent of the flood damages, leaving the state and local governments to split the rest. "The government, both federal and state, has been very cooperative," Anderson said.

So far, the city hasn't paid for any of the flood-fighting costs. "People have carried us on a credit card," Anderson said. "These people have been most lenient in not demanding money right now. And I'm sure some of them are very desperate and need it."

Anderson said the mood of the community is positive, but much remains to be done.

"It's a very slow process," he said. "We had thousands of people working on the flood, but when it comes to the cleanup we don't have that massive effort."

Though the city government is not involved in this weekend's celebration, Anderson says he thinks it's something the town needs.

"It's a time for giving thanks."