Gypsy Caravan raises more than $130,000 for Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra educational and community outreach programs

The annual event on Memorial Day has raised $2.5 million since it began in 1973

Gypsy Caravan -- the Memorial Day Antique Fair and Flea Market shopping tradition since 1973 -- this year netted more than $130,000 for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Thank you to the many Symphony and community volunteers and nearly 300 vendors who filled the Saint Louis University campus and surrounding streets on May 26.

Presented by the Saint Louis Symphony Volunteer Association and generously sponsored by Famous-Barr, with additional volunteers this year from StepUp! St. Louis and the Arts Commandos, Gypsy Caravan has contributed more than $2.5 million since it began to help fund the Saint Louis Symphony's educational and community outreach programs.

Projects include the Symphony's beloved Kinder Konzerts, Young People's Concerts and new Young Adult Concerts and serve more than 45,000 children each year. The Symphony's educational concerts date back to the 1920s and have touched generations of St. Louis residents from all walks of life.

Other education and outreach projects of the Symphony Volunteer Association include Powell Hall tours, behind-the-scenes work in support of the acclaimed Saint Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, Picture the Music and Express the Music. Picture the Music and Express the Music are annual competitions of creative expression in response to listening to a piece of music. These programs reach 20,000 students each year.