St. James's Holiday Season Starts at the Spring, Weeks Before the Parade
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
When does the holiday season actually start in St. James? Most calendars say Saturday, Dec. 5, at 5 p.m., when the Chamber parade rolls downtown. Six miles southeast of town, though, the first date that changes a local weekend routine is Friday, Nov. 13. That's the morning Maramec Spring Park reopens its trout water under winter rules. This year, anyone driving in will find the park's front end rebuilt around a construction site.
The order matters. The spring closes one season, pauses, opens another, and only then does downtown take over. If you plan November and December in that order, you won't show up at the water on a day when nobody is allowed to fish.
According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, the 2026 regular trout park season runs March 1 through Saturday, Oct. 31. The winter catch-and-release season starts Nov. 13. That leaves Nov. 1 through Nov. 12, twelve days when trout fishing is closed at the park.
The regular season ends on Saturday, Oct. 31, with the park's Fall Derby Day, from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. When fishing reopens two weeks later, a lot about it has changed:
| Regular season | Winter season | |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | March 1 – Oct. 31, 2026 | Nov. 13, 2026 – Feb. 8, 2027 |
| Fishing hours | 7:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. in October | 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily |
| What you need | Fishing permit plus a daily trout tag, $5 adult or $3 for youth 15 and younger | Fishing permit plus an annual trout permit, which replaces the daily tag |
| Lures | Regular-season methods | Flies only |
| Keeping fish | Allowed under regular rules | Catch-and-release only |
The permit change is the one that catches people. In summer, a $5 tag bought at the park covers a day on the water. In winter, MDC's Maramec Spring Park regulations call for an annual trout permit instead. MDC's trout permit page says a trout permit is required for all winter fishing in trout parks, even for anglers who are exempt from the regular fishing permit. The allowed-methods page spells out the gear rule: pole and line with flies only, and no other lures or bait. MDC's area pages aren't perfectly consistent on the daily tag, so check the current rules with MDC before your first winter trip. This post is general information, not legal advice.
Park hours shrink with the season, too. In November and December the gates are open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and entry stays $7 per car per day. A $70 season pass covers a car for the year. The winter season runs seven days a week until the second Monday in February, so the flies-only water stays open through the whole holiday stretch, including the week of the parade.
Even regular visitors will find the park's entrance different this winter. The Pick N' Shovel Café is listed as closed for construction in 2026. The park says it closed so a new reception building could go up.
The reason goes back to the flood of November 2024. According to the James Foundation's announcement, the old building was nearly 50 years old and had flooded at least four times before, usually with 12 to 18 inches of water inside. The November 2024 flood put 49 inches of water in it and destroyed most of its contents. Repairs would have cost more than the building was worth, and it still sat in the floodplain. The Missouri Department of Conservation's on-site office was in the same situation, so the two are building one larger, shared Welcome Center on higher ground.
The plan, designed by Archer-Elgin Engineers of Rolla, keeps everything the old building had: a store, café, reception area, fee station, outdoor seating and MDC office space. The new building sits at least four feet higher than the old one, with roads and parking regraded for easier entry. Three Rivers Publishing reported that the café will have indoor and outdoor seating and that the projected completion date is March 1, 2027.
During construction, the James Foundation moved trout tag sales and other visitor services for the 2026 season to a temporary Tag Shack near the old park exit. That exit has been working as the entrance. If the March 1 target holds, the new building will open the same day the regular trout season opened this year. That would make this winter the last one with the park's front end under construction, so plan for no café stop on cold-morning trips.
The water stays open into February, but the Maramec Museum doesn't. From April through October it's open Wednesday through Sunday. In November it drops to Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the park's seasonal schedule doesn't list December at all. The park's November calendar lists the museum as open weekends only and lists entry as free.
On the 2026 calendar, that leaves Nov. 1, 7–8, 14–15, 21–22 and 28–29. The museum and the winter fishing season overlap on just three of those weekends, starting Nov. 14–15. If you want to show houseguests the museum and the flies-only water in one trip, those three weekends are your only chance this year. The calendar listing covers the whole month, so call the park to confirm hours before you go.
As the park settles into winter hours, the events move into town. Here's the St. James calendar from Oct. 29 through Dec. 25, in order:
Tiger Express Apparel is the student-run shop that held its storefront grand opening inside St. James High School on Sept. 23. Business and marketing teacher Jordan Hance leads it, and students design, produce and sell the Tigers-themed apparel. Three Rivers Publishing also reported Friday lunch-hour shopping and shopping by appointment. That makes the three December dates the easiest times to stop by for anyone not already in the building.
Everything on that calendar leads up to Dec. 5. The St. James Chamber of Commerce lists the parade for 5 p.m. downtown, with an online sign-up for entries. Santa arrives at the end of the parade and sets up for visits at the Walker Pavilion Gazebo on East Washington Street.
The tree contest runs the same week. It's the fourth year, and voting happens among the Chamber's Facebook followers. Three trees go head to head every two days, and one tree from each round moves on to the finals. This year has two categories, small businesses with 10 or fewer employees and larger employers with 11 or more. Gahr Truck & Equipment won last year.
Some of the stores in this year's holiday shopping are new. Front Porch Boutique opened in early August during Tax Free Weekend. Lisa Stubblefield owns it and runs it with help from her four daughters, and it sells western-wear clothing, skincare and accessories, including brands the family designs, according to Three Rivers Publishing. That makes this its first Christmas season in town.
By parade night, the winter fishing season will be three weeks old. The flies-only water stays open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Feb. 8, 2027, and the new Welcome Center is expected by March 1.
The Closers follow St. James from the Nov. 13 opener to the Dec. 5 parade route. If a park rebuild, a new downtown shop or a winter of quieter weekends has you wondering what your own St. James home is worth heading into 2027, ask our team for a home valuation.
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