downtown | It’s likely there’s a special day dedicated to your favorite animal, real or imagined. Usually, Google alerts us to these observations with a little graphic in the right-hand side of the search field. April 8 was Pygmy Hippo Day and April 9 was Unicorn Day. Oftentimes, however, these notices earn a “meh” or “big whoop” heard all the way around the laptop on my desk. But one such observation worthy of notice because we have young circus performers throughout our fair city was April 19: World Circus Day. This event recognizes and promotes the art and joy of circus, paying tribute to circus artists and workers while highlighting the cultural and social importance of this artistic tradition. To celebrate, Circus Harmony offered free hula hoop instruction with admission to City Museum. Missed it? Well, registration is open for one of the coolest camps in town. Circus Harmony’s Summer Performance Camps at City Museum give children ages 8 to 16 the opportunity to run away and join the circus, but still be home for dinner! Campers learn actual circus skills the first week of each two-week session, and the second week, they get to perform in an actual circus show. While learning to flip, fly and fling, they are also learning important life skills like focus, persistence and teamwork. Alumni from Circus Harmony have gone on to perform with circuses around the world, including the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil … and it may have started at circus summer camp in the StL. For more information or to register go to circusharmony.org/classes.
delmar loop
The Race For Reconciliation is a 5K run/walk with the goal of promoting racial unity in St. Louis. The race has been held on Delmar to bring the spirit of racial harmony to the ‘Delmar divide,’ the symbolic north-south line of racial and socioeconomic separation in the city. In part, the race acknowledges those differences, while the day itself is dedicated to highlighting the hopeful collaboration that is helping make the divide fade into our history. To that end, the timing of the event is particularly special: It kicks off the Delmar Loop Juneteenth Celebration on June 14 at 8:30 a.m. This will be meaningful for participants of all paces, as there is a one-mile course option as well. Race For Reconciliation is a hybrid event with in-person and virtual participation options. If you register as a virtual participant, you may complete your 5K run wherever and whenever works for you—you can complete your 5K all at once or break it up into shorter segments. Join all participants in building cooperation, one step at a time. Immediately following the race will be a vendor fair, music and several family-friendly activities to enjoy. There is a call for volunteers, who—for tasks that range from manning watering stations to setup and teardown—will receive a commemorative race T-shirt. Event organizers are accepting applications from food trucks, local businesses and community organizations. Vendors will have access to hundreds of participants and spectators, providing an excellent opportunity for promotion and engagement. For more information or to register, visit stlr4r.com.
the metro
It may almost be about time to Go Crazy, Folks! Not to count our chickens before they hatch, of course, but the St. Louis Blues recently managed 12 wins in a row, a franchise record, before falling to the Winnipeg Jets on April 7. That may have been the same day that a neighbor’s replica of the team mascot finally fell over on the sidewalk. I haven’t checked back, but it may be upright again since their next game, a win over the Edmonton Oilers. Oh, poor Canada! Thirteen wins in 14 games puts our hometown skaters in excellent position leading into the playoff season. Everybody in the StL was a Blues fan after June 12, 2019. Even the sculpture of a boy and girl honoring the American flag outside Ladue City Hall (pictured) showed their true colors when the Blues won the championship in seven games against the mighty Boston Bruins and the coveted Stanley Cup toured the Lou for weeks afterward. Everybody seemed to want a selfie with it. If that wasn’t possible, the Cup became the profile pic on the Facebook pages of many rabid fans, even those with all their original front teeth. Some may never have changed it back to a pic of their actual faces—or maybe they just put the Cup back up in fervent hopes for another furious skate at the NHL championship. It was the first Stanley Cup for our boys in franchise history.
notable neighbors
u. city
The best athletes need coaches. Dorothy Hamill, an Olympic gold medalist in figure skating, had a coach. Some coaches are larger than life, like Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowls and had the winner’s trophy named after him. Public speakers need coaching, too, which is where Fred Miller comes in, and why SLU and corporations like Mastercard and Centene have turned to him for his expertise. After graduating from U. City High and Mizzou, Miller started a corporate career with Procter & Gamble, and out of curiosity took in some of the motivational speakers who’d appear at the Arena: Zig Ziglar, Les Brown, Tony Robbins. He also joined Toastmasters. This was about 30 years ago, when Miller also realized he wasn’t cut out to retire from corporate life and get a gold watch after 40 years. He set out on his own. Many people, when faced with an opportunity to speak, suffer a crisis of self-confidence: They feel like an impostor or recall a time from long ago when a presentation didn’t go quite right. But we’re all experts at something, and each of us has life experiences that we can share as stories. Perhaps the presentation or speech isn’t memorable as a whole, but a story within it is compelling. “That goes straight to ‘the hard drive’,” Miller emphasizes. Go easy on the overheads; pictures are more helpful than straight text. “Nobody’s there to hear you read your presentation,” he says. Dress nicely, but not so formally that you seem stiff. Keep it simple and casual, for the sake of the audience and yours as well. “Don’t try to impress them with things they won’t understand. Avoid buzzwords, acronyms and technospeak.” The fastest way to lose an audience is to sound smart. For one thing, it’s boring. Move the lectern to one side, or step away from it. And avoid distractions. If you use props or visual aids, put them away once they’ve served their purpose. (The lectern may have room inside.) “We really can’t multitask,” Miller points out. For example, TV shows that have a news ticker running along the bottom of the screen defeat the main purpose, as does an overhead screen left illuminated once the speaker has already moved on to another subject. Miller’s first book, No Sweat Public Speaking, was published in 2011, and he followed it up with No Sweat! Elevator Speech, both available on Amazon. Take questions perhaps several times before you close, not afterward—but don’t ask, “Are there any questions?” Instead, ask, “What questions do you have?” All these little things make a world of difference, such that just one “you know” that slips in may be overlooked. In essence, says Miller, “Speaking opportunities are business, career and leadership opportunities!” Want to know more about how to polish a presentation with panache—and carry yourself with cool confidence? Visit nosweatpublicspeaking.com.
