Those who visited Grant's Farm just hours after Anheuser-Busch agreed to sell to a foreign company found the entrance blocked by a black gate stretched between sturdy brick pillars that bore the A-B logo.

The red-roofed ticket booth stood empty. The normally packed parking lot was a sea of open pavement. Was this the first sign of what many fear could be massive cost-cutting in store for the venerable hometown brewer that runs Grant's Farm?

Not in this case: Monday is the one day of the week the south St. Louis County attraction is closed during the summer.

Maybe someone should reconsider Grant's Farm's hours.

On Monday morning, a steady stream of people arrived at the idle farm just off Gravois Road, only to be disappointed. Most said they felt the same about the pending purchase of A-B by InBev.

"It's like a hit to the heart," said Deidra Engelage, 36, of O'Fallon, Mo., from the passenger seat of a black SUV packed with four kids. "It's a trademark of St. Louis — of home."

Lee Hartman, 52, was visiting from Franklin, Tenn., when she and her mother, Maxine Tebeau, 75, of St. Louis, decided to visit the farm for the first time in they can't remember how long. "I hate it," Hartman said of the sale.

Tebeau, like many, is concerned about those who might be laid off. Her daughter worries about places like Grant's Farm and Tampa's Busch Gardens, one of the company's theme parks, and whether they will be jettisoned by the new company. She also worries about the charities that long have relied on A-B's largesse.

"Anheuser-Busch has been a staple here in St. Louis," Hartman said.

Carrie Ann Elkin, who was in town from Montana to visit family, was one of the few Grant's Farm visitors who didn't care too much one way or another about the sale.

"Right now, I've got three kids and we're trying to figure out what we're going to do today. So it's really not that important," she said.

Down at the brewery on Pestalozzi Street, Maureen Fahey, 65, of St. Louis, headed toward the visitors center with her 5-year-old granddaughter, Kaitlyn Comesana, in tow.

When asked about the sale, Fahey said: "That's why we came today. We're going to show her what it is before it changes."

"And her parents drink beer," added Fahey's sister, Nancy DeGreeff, 59, also of St. Louis.

Meanwhile, Ray Schmidt took pictures of the words "Anheuser Busch" spelled in script lettering on the brewery's wall. He snapped photos his wife asked for of the flags that fluttered over the visitors center courtyard. He didn't have a lens with a wide enough angle for the shot they really wanted — one that took in the whole brewery.

"I just wanted to see it again," said Schmidt, 68, a lifelong St. Louisan who lives in Ballwin. He wore a Cardinals polo shirt. "There will be changes. I hope it will be positive."

His wife, Margie, wasn't so sure.

"What changes have helped St. Louis lately," she said. "You have to be pessimistic. What will become of the Clydesdales?"

Her husband said he doubted the new owners would do anything to damage the brand or the company.

"We just want something to remain American," Margie Schmidt said. "Where is this all headed? Are we going to wake up someday and it's all owned by someone else?"

Her husband offered the final word: "It's business."