university city
The food may not be nutritionally balanced for our best friends at the second Dog Park Chili Cook Off, but for at least three hours at the University City Dog Park this Saturday (Nov. 5), it’s not all about them. It’s about their people, folks. Chili chefs, that is, and we all know how competitive they can be! There will be prizes for first, second and third place. Come one, come all—two-legged homo sapiens and four-legged friends—from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for this sloppy bark before dark at the dog park, on the Vernon Avenue side of Heman Park. There will be plenty of fresh water for the dogs, and separate play areas for larger and smaller varieties. And there will be beer. That’s about as good for our dogs as macadamia nuts, of course, so keep the mutts away from the suds generously supplied by Kräftig. Entry is not free: there’s one fee for U. City residents and another for nonresidents. All must be rabies-tagged critters, natch. Now, I know there’s a terrible pun somewhere out there about a chili dog … could anyone find it for me? There may be a rawhide treat in it for you.
fenton
KP Development has tossed the first shovelfuls of dirt for the first building to occupy Fenton Logistics Park, just west of the I-44/I-270 interchange and once site of the sprawling Chrysler plant. Just how big was it? Well, more than 8 million square feet of asphalt has to be removed, and that’s just the former parking lots … but not for this $10 million spec building alone, of course. This first project, planned for completion next summer, will be 160,000 square feet, intended for use as a warehouse with offices. It’s at the southeast corner of the site, ideal for optimal gawking from the interstate by would-be industrialists—along with potential hoteliers and restaurateurs to serve the estimated 2,500 to 3,000 permanent workers that will be based there eventually. The site also abuts existing rail access, which gets us to that catch-all word, ‘logistics,’ a concept physicists and engineers may fully understand but we folks who operate from the opposite side of the brain scratch our heads over. Logistics are what make a business go, from sourcing raw materials for your widgets to making them, storing them and distributing them to select widget outlets. And all with the utmost efficiency. Aha! That’s why a Chrysler assembly plant was based here, in a central U.S. location that received materials from multiple points A for eventual distribution to numerous points B. Anyhow, as the local market continues to gain traction, Fenton Logistics Park aims to provide new and expanding companies the opportunity to establish roots for the next several decades. As it is built out and additional tenants are lined up, the park is projected to feature nearly 1.2 million square feet of manufacturing, logistics and warehouse space; 480,000 square feet of office/warehouse and flex space; 182,500 square feet of retail, restaurant and hotel space; and 105 acres of land owned by the BNSF Railway for anticipated additional railroad services. The overall development has the potential to pump an estimated $135 million in wages to the region. Meanwhile, actual redevelopment of the site is expected to create 500 to 750 construction jobs over the next several years.
ladue
DarthVader, his storm troopers and other baddies from The Empire have invaded the Headquarters branch of St. Louis County Library in Ladue, and it’s up to kids, teens and their families to flush them out. Wouldn’t want the dark side of The Force to take over the universe, starting right there across Lindbergh Boulevard from Plaza Frontenac, would you? That would be bad—so bad that even the wise Yoda might need help figuring it out. Representing the brighter side of The Force, fortunately, are Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and other impossibly good guys (and a gal) from the four-decades-and-counting juggernaut that is Star Wars. They’re all part of an ongoing scavenger hunt at the library that ends Oct. 31. The event is designed for folks age 8 to 18; the series characters, and clues on where to find them, are hidden throughout the children’s and teen areas of the library. Once a hunter has discovered all the clues, he or she may pick out a Star Wars pin of their choice at the children’s desk. And then, why not hang out for awhile? There’s like, reading and other fun stuff to do. And it’s free. Plus, you might get a great last-minute costume idea for Halloween. Looks like you can get a storm trooper outfit online for less than $1,600! (FYI, that’s, um, a Supreme Edition. Versions at Party City or Target are much less, like between $25 and $50, and some places even have them for girls, too.)
richmond heights
Not long after a friend of mine with grown children remarried, the couple adopted a baby girl here in St. Louis. The infant, they were shocked to find, is addicted to heroin. According to one study, in 2012, nearly 22,000 newborns in the United States were treated for opioid withdrawal. And as abuse remains at epidemic proportions for young people and adults, the number of babies born dependent on these drugs has increased dramatically. But SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond Heights has geared up to be part of the cure. The ribbon was cut last month on the hospital’s WISH Center (Women and Infant Substance Help), which provides comprehensive, highrisk maternity care for women dependent on heroin and other opioid drugs like the prescription painkiller oxycontin. Established in 2014, it is the only center of its kind in the region. WISH started out as a half-day clinic operating within the SLUCare department of maternal and fetal medicine, but quickly became backlogged. A dedicated, full-time practice was needed to keep up with demand from across the bistate area. Unfortunately, that demand shows no signs of flagging. Meanwhile, my friend and his wife are playing the hand they were dealt, praying their little one recovers—and hoping her birth mother gets well, too.
st. louis
Sundance, step aside—SLIFF has got it going on all over town, starting tomorrow (Thursday, Nov. 3). The St. Louis International Film Festival is one way to stay out of the mega-multiplex to see some cinematic art that A.) didn’t cost $50 million to produce, B.) features some artists from right here in the StL, and C.) is priced such that you won’t feel like you’re breaking the bank by adding popcorn and a soda to your ticket price while sneaking in a box of Milk Duds from an unnamed outside source. This, the 25th anniversary of SLIFF, runs through Sunday, Nov. 13, and suffice it to say you’ll have more options during the next 10 days than you’d have on any given weekend in LA, even: 419 films. That includes 111 narrative features, 73 documentary features and 235 shorts. Additionally, SLIFF continues its tradition of offering a large selection of free events. There are 59 of them this year. St. Louis-area elementary, middle and high school students can enjoy free screenings, often with filmmakers in attendance for discussion before and/or after the curtain. Films are offered both at the many festival venues and for in-school presentations. And, get this—busing reimbursement is available.
