At Freedom Park, a grain silo from a Star farm now stands with stars cut into it, and lights shine through the cutouts after dark. Mayor Trevor Chadwick told KIVI in April that the silo "came from a farm in Star," and that "Bill's machine shop cut out all the stars around it for us." The silo is the centerpiece of the new Veterans Garden. Red, white and blue flowers line paths that project stars onto the concrete at night. Military seals are arranged in the order each branch entered service. The garden also has a Purple Heart area, a Gold Star family section and POW-MIA recognition.
A building was going up a few steps from that garden in April. It opens on October 13 as Liberty Hall, the City of Star's new event space at 960 S. Main Street. That is the same address as the Star Riverhouse and the Riverhouse pasture. Most of the city's fall and holiday events this year are listed there too. Once Liberty Hall opens, the block is close to a complete civic campus, and Star's calendar from October through December mostly happens on it.
One address, four pieces
The campus grew in stages. The anchor is the Star Riverhouse, which the city owns and runs. Its rental agreement describes a remodeled event center with projection equipment, a warming kitchen, restrooms, and tables and chairs. Behind it is the Riverhouse pasture, the open ground that hosts the outdoor events. Next door at 1000 S. Main Street is Riverwalk Park, which has a bike trail and walking trails.
The Veterans Garden came this spring. Chadwick credited the idea to local Gold Star daughter Dana Partridge. She and her husband, Tom, helped plant the garden and plan its layout. Local concrete companies donated materials or gave discounts, and local businesses and craftsmen contributed some pieces. One spruce in the garden was grown from a seedling by a Star veteran who has since died. His wife asked the city to move it there, and a plaque recognizing his service is planned. A fountain carries a plaque that reads "Hold the Line" to honor people serving now.
Liberty Hall is the last piece. Before it, the campus had one indoor room and a lot of open ground. Now it has two indoor rooms side by side, which is what lets a single address handle a whole season of events.
The season, in order
The city and the Star Chamber have put five dates on the fall and early-winter calendar. Four of them are confirmed at 960 S. Main.
- Saturday, October 3: Star Chamber Chili Cook-Off and Brewfest at the Star Riverhouse. Gates open at 11 a.m. Chili tasting runs from noon to about 3:30 p.m. There's also a beer garden, a pie-eating contest, live music and awards.
- Tuesday, October 13: State of the City and the Liberty Hall grand opening, 7 to 9 p.m.
- Saturday, October 31: Trunk-or-Treat in the Riverhouse pasture, 3 to 5 p.m. It has candy, a costume contest, bounce houses, kids' activities and food trucks.
- Friday, November 6: Veterans Day Potato Feed. The city calendar lists it as an all-day event but gives no start time or venue yet.
- December 5 and 6: Christmas at the Riverhouse. The 2026 listing has no description or times yet. Last year's tree lighting was at 6:30 p.m., but that was the 2025 schedule. Check the city calendar for this year's times.
The Potato Feed is the only date without a confirmed location. With a Veterans Garden now open next to the Riverhouse, the campus would be an obvious fit, but the city hasn't said where it will be.
October 13 is the night the campus fills in
The State of the City has a full agenda. Chadwick will cover the city's financial position, the past year's major accomplishments, and goals for the coming year. Topics include parks, roads, infrastructure and growth. A question-and-answer session follows the address. The same evening is also the grand opening of Liberty Hall.
Idaho's Liberty Bell will be there as well. The city announced the visit on September 9. That traveling replica is a separate thing from the bell KIVI reported in April. That one is a Liberty Bell the city was working to bring from a foundry to Liberty Hall itself.
The building also has plans for the people of Star to help make it. KIVI reported that Liberty Hall will hold a large art piece for America's 250th birthday, an eagle and a flag made of individual squares that community members will paint.
"It's a mural that's gonna get painted by different folks in our community." Mayor Trevor Chadwick, to KIVI in April 2026
The city also planned to collect items for a time capsule during this year's Fourth of July celebrations. Chadwick said it will be sealed and opened on the country's 300th birthday.
Ross Talley, a Star resident quoted in the same story, said he lives six minutes from Freedom Park and is sometimes there three times a day. If you come by that often, you'll see the garden, the hall and the mural develop together through the fall.
What's still unannounced about the new room
The city hasn't published Liberty Hall's square footage, capacity, construction cost or rental rates. The October 13 open house is the most likely time to learn them, and the Q&A is the place to ask.
The Riverhouse next door shows how the city has priced its own space so far. Under Star's 2025 fee schedule, the Riverhouse rents for $150 an hour Monday through Thursday and $200 an hour Friday through Sunday, with a two-hour minimum. A full weekend day is $2,500, plus a $500 refundable cleaning and damage deposit. Reserving Riverwalk Park costs $25 an hour or $200 a day. That reservation doesn't include the Riverhouse or the pasture. An hour inside the Riverhouse on a Saturday costs eight times as much as an hour in the park next door. If you're planning a birthday party, a club meeting or a reunion, that gap is why it matters where Liberty Hall's rate lands.
The drive in is next to change
The usual route to 960 S. Main is about to get a construction season. In August, the Idaho Transportation Department awarded the contract for Key No. 20574, listed as "Star Rd (SH-44) to SH-16," to Knife River Corporation – Mountain West of Boise. Its low bid was $5,384,589, against an engineer's estimate of $7,706,374. Four other firms bid, and all came in higher. The solicitation schedules work to start in late 2026. Utility and irrigation work runs through the winter, and completion is expected in late 2027.
In June, KIVI described the downtown Highway 44 widening as roughly City Hall to Plummer Road or Moyle Avenue. That stretch goes from three lanes to five, with two through lanes each way, a center turn lane, and new sidewalks and pathways. ITD project manager Jackson Smart said then that it would start this fall and take about a year. As of early October, ITD hasn't published a lane-closure or detour schedule for it.
East of town, part of the work is already finished. ITD's September 10 update said traffic has moved onto the new northbound SH-16 ramps. SH-44 is now open with two lanes in each direction at the interchange, and crews have started breaking up the old SH-16 concrete to build the new interchange bridge.
For the Trunk-or-Treat and Christmas at the Riverhouse dates, allow extra time if you're driving in from the east side of State Street.
Where the campus could go from here
Star's updated downtown plan, presented in March, splits the core into five districts. Its River District concept includes Freedom Park, river access, a boardwalk around the pond, and a pathway corridor. These are plan ideas, not projects with construction dates. Even so, the plan puts them around the same block that already has the Riverhouse, the pasture, the garden and, as of this month, Liberty Hall.
The State of the City on October 13 covers parks and growth. It's also Liberty Hall's grand opening, so you can hear about the next phase of the block while standing in the newest part of it.
If you're thinking about how Star's new civic spaces and road projects could affect your home or your next move, Soldman Team follows these changes block by block. Let's find your way home. Book a consultation.
