university city
Kudos to COCA! The Center of Creative Arts, one of the largest multidisciplinary community arts schools in the nation, has received national accreditation by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Precollegiate Arts Schools. This makes the busy dance/theater/art hub the only accredited school in Missouri for non-degree instruction in the arts, and one of only 17 nationally. Wow! That distinction puts it on the map with such luminaries as Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan, Music Institute of Chicago and the Old Town School of Folk Music. Kumbaya.
maplewood
Arbor Day just don’t get no respect. Many calendars don’t even feature the observation. But painters age 4 and up are invited to the Maplewood Public Library, 7550 Lohmeyer Ave., to create a mural in honor of Arbor Day from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 23. Come one, come all, and come dressed for painting. That last point is key. (I own a few pairs of dress pants with specks of a different color on them because I thought I’d paint just a few strokes of a project before I changed clothes. Criminy.) Arbor Day, which may or may not have been a precursor to Earth Day, is April 29 this year. So get ready to do some tree planting, people.
chesterfield
Great news about fair Chesterfield, which ranked in the top 1 percent of cities with the ‘Best Money Management Skills’ in a recent study from WalletHub. Analysts compared cities based on eight key metrics, from credit score to average number of late payments. Chesterfield ranked No. 25 out of the 2,570 cities rated in the U.S. And that isn’t all … the West County suburb also ranked fifth in a ‘Smartest City in Missouri’ list compiled by Zippia, which analyzed the percentage of adults over the age of 25 with at least a high school degree. With more than 47,000 residents, only 2.3 percent of the Chesterfield population lacks a higher ed degree.
maryland heights
It’s not just about dogs and cats. If they marched onto Noah’s ark in pairs, the Humane Society of Missouri may have had a hand in their rehabilitation at one time or another. Pigs? Check. Llamas? You betcha. Elephants and giraffes, lions, tigers and bears? Well, not usually. But out in Union, Missouri, at Longmeadow Rescue Ranch, abused horses and other farm animals that have had a rough go of it have a better life ahead of them thanks to good veterinary care and proper diet. Some would have starved to death had not the Humane Society stepped in. One of the residents is named Dolly Llama. We love that. For these animals have encountered a kinder, gentler way of life at the ranch. And you’re invited to visit during the ranch’s three ‘Wagon Days’ this spring/summer. Filled with free, fun activities for people of all ages, the events include wagon rides (natch) and tours of the 165-acre property, which rehabilitates hundreds of abused and neglected horses, cows, goats, pigs, ducks and other farm critters. The first ranch foray is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, March 26. Next up: Saturday, May 14, same times. Third and last opportunity: June 18. (Now, just where in them thar wooded hills is this place? Just GPS: 480 Joseph Road, Union, MO 63084.) Important: Leave the doggies at home. Even though this is a family event, Fido might spook the other animals.
kirkwood
The AIM Community Band has been tooting its horns for 40 years now, and celebrated its longevity with a concert March 6 to mark the anniversary. Founding members Tom and Judy Roberts were at the show, and Tom brought the house down when he presented a check in Judy’s name for $50,000 to the Kirkwood School District Foundation earmarked for instrumental music programs. Fitting, since the band’s name, AIM, is an acronym for Association for Instrumental Music, and has been a way for parents of musical students to give back to their school community. Some members are KHS alums, and they’ve been playing in the band for all four decades! Back in the 1970s, Tom and Judy recognized that many parents of Kirkwood High band students were themselves accomplished musicians, and since then have helped call the tune for the group that actively fundraises for instrumental programs via two organizations: Kirkwood Band Boosters and Kirkwood Orchestra Parents Association. The band is now under the direction of Jim Wehrman, who played French horn with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for nearly 30 years. Although the AIM parent group has reorganized, the band of committed parents continues to play concerts regionally and takes on practically all comers adept at an instrument and interested in supporting the district’s up-and-coming players. Superintendent Tom Williams, after an astonished Judy Roberts read aloud the note her husband included with the check, said he would recommend that an area of the band room be named Roberts Rehearsal Hall. Well, strike up the band!
st. louis
Homers For Health and K’s For Kids. This is the fifth year that Redbirds slugger Matt Holliday and teammates, including hurler Adam Wainwright, have put their celebrity and muscle behind the program benefiting pediatric patients at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Since its inception, the program has netted $2.7 million for the children’s hospital from the faithful in Cardinals Nation, many of whom don’t even live in St. Louis. Last year alone, the program raised $1 million through fans pledging a certain donation amount per home run hit or strikeout thrown by a Cardinals player.
sunset hills
The St. Louis theater community gets a chance to sparkle on the silver screen, thanks to Hollywood veteran Wyatt Weed, Pirate Pictures and St. Louis’ Archlight Studios. A red-carpet event with cast and crew will kick off Four Color Eulogy’s one-week run at Wehrenberg Ronnies 20 Cine on April 8. (It’s sort of not in Sunset Hills. Ronnie’s is really in adjacent Concord Village.) Tickets are available online or at the Ronnies 20 box office. This dramatic comedy features a cast of familiar faces representing more than 30 metro area production companies. Local actors Jason Contini and his father John developed the concept together, and both star in the film, which centers on a comic book artist (Jason) who returns home to south St. Louis when his mother becomes ill. John plays a bartender and mentor to Jason’s character. Jason and John wrote the film in large part via Skype. Jason says the movie has become a giant ‘family’ experience in every respect, with friends and family on both sides of the camera, including Nicholas J. Hearne, ‘a surrogate brother,’ and ‘older brother’ Weed (director, co-writer and cinematographer). Four Color Eulogy is Weed’s second St. Louis-based feature film project with his producing partner, Gayle Gallagher, and the second collaboration between Weed and Jason Contini. Listen up: The soundtrack features songs from local bands and musicians, including Clockwork, Taylor Pietz and Abby Stahlschmidt. Local businesses and institutions also ‘star’: Keep your eyes peeled for Uncle Bill’s Pancake House on South Kingshighway Boulevard, Melrose Club on The Hill, Newcastle Comics in Maryland Heights, and Saints Mary and Joseph Catholic Church. You might want to consider getting tickets early, folks. A sold-out 2014 film fest preview even included scalpers out front.
Pictured: Longmeadow Rescue Ranch
