Talk of the Towns: 5.18.16

chesterfield: Would-be and already-are trapeze artists, get ready to swing on Swingley Ridge Road! Circus Harmony Flying Trapeze Center is moving to Chesterfield due to the renovation of its former location, Union Station. And with it much of the name has dropped out, not to be heard from again. (You know … no net.) The trapeze center is being renamed TrapezeSTL. It sprang from the Circus Harmony programs at the City Museum that since 2001 have engaged people from all walks of life in the circus arts. Anyone who dares fly through the air needs plenty of room, and Lodging Hospitality Management was hospitable enough to help the organization find suitable space at Chesterfield Athletic Club and the adjacent DoubleTree Hotel. Yes, you can still run away and join the circus, but you don’t have to go too far nowadays. The program really got off the ground thanks to a 2014 grant from the Skandalaris Social Enterprise and Innovation Competition, and classes are available for all age groups. TrapezeSTL will be open Wednesday through Sunday with afternoon and evening classes Wednesday through Friday, all-day classes on Saturday, and afternoon classes on Sunday. There will, of course, be safety equipment in place: A net will be 20-some feet below participants, who will wear safety belts. A lesson costs $60 per person with five and 10 packs of classes at discounted rates. Corporate-style team-building packages are available for groups, too. A portion of TrapezeSTL proceeds funds Circus Harmony’s ‘Wheels to Wings’ program, which provides transportation for deserving circus students to take classes. Circus Harmony is a nonprofit social circus organization that uses circus arts to motivate social change. By inspiring individuals and connecting communities with its circus education and entertainment programs, Circus Harmony strives to make a positive impact in the metro and beyond.

eureka: In November all can let their light shine … then float away … at Brookdale Farms in Eureka. Lantern Fest, a unique, uplifting event, will make a stop in our area Nov. 5. So, why are we telling you this so far in advance? Ticket prices increase the closer you get to the event, and this one sounds like a worthwhile family outing a few days after Halloween. Yes, fireflies are fun to catch and shooting stars are visually stunning, but you have to be in the right place at the right time, and those dang meteorites always seem to streak down just outside your field of view. At any rate, you may have been to a wedding reception where they release lanterns to float up, up and away at dusk. Imagine hundreds of them! But beyond imagining, why not be there? Tickets remain available at a reduced rate, less than half the $50 day-of admission, and kids 4 to 12 get a pass for $7. When the gates open at 1 p.m., a day of celebration awaits: A stage show, live music, large inflatables, beautiful princesses … and lanterns. Each pass comes with a lantern, marker, s’mores kit and a lighter. Historically, Chinese lanterns have been used to symbolize good fortune, request favorable weather, and celebrate the lives of loved ones. Whatever your reasons … maybe just because you think it’s cool … reserve that Saturday that’s off a ways for a trip out to the farm, 8004 Twin River Road, Eureka. It’s really not far, in terms of driving distance, at least: Brookdale Farms is an easy jaunt on 109 south of I-64 a few miles. About as far as Six Flags, and not nearly as pricey, to boot.

kirkwood: This ‘million-dollar evening’ is all for the kids. No, it isn’t that thing coming up over Labor Day weekend. A glitzy, glamorous L.A.-styled gala is coming to benefit Little Patriots Embraced, which is not unlike the USO, but benefits the kids of military families. More on the Kirkwood-based charity in a minute. LPE is throwing quite the bash June 4 in a 40,000-square-foot home overlooking Lake St. Louis, with tickets priced at $500 apiece and $750 per couple. The ever-popular Asher ‘The Smash’ Benrubi will emcee, and special guest will be Josh Flagg, star of Bravo’s hit series Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles. He’s also an author and real-estate guru whose brain you might want to pick. Sure to add sequins and an uncanny voice to the evening is Steve Davis, one of the best performers anywhere who masquerades as Elvis. (Notice we didn’t refer to him as an impersonator. Reportedly, he’s that good.) Now, why support LPE? It serves military families across the country, with a special focus on children, as they face the emotional stress of separation during a service member’s deployment, as well as the difficulty that can result when families are reunited after a long absence. It is also prepared to support those left behind if the unthinkable happens.

university city: Guidester is a unique app designed for the traveler to have an itinerary and personal guidebook built using their preferences and whims, whether they’re traveling to St. Louis or St. Paul. And the founder, St. Louis travel consultant Jack Baumann, has—with Washington University— established a partnership that aims to help overcome the negative perception that many may have of the Gateway City. With the unflattering portrayal of the city in recent years in national and international media following the Ferguson riots, some families may have been hesitant to send their kids to study here. But Guidester has partnered with the Olin Business School to provide these young people with an easily accessible way to better acquaint them with a city that is livable and provides a rich cultural experience. The new custom guidebooks provide a brief history of our town, best things to see and do, local culture and transportation. Plus it highlights four of the most popular neighborhoods for students to live near Wash. U. Baumann reports that feedback the university received at a recent welcome event was “fantastic.”

st. louis city: How can you carry love to the hungry? In a bucket, according to the Carondelet Community Betterment Federation (CCBF) in reference to its new ‘bucket’ garden, which has been planted to provide local organic produce to Carondelet’s food pantry clients this summer and beyond. The St. Joseph’s Food Pantry at CCBF served more than 9,000 needy people in 2015. The Gateway Garlic Urban Farm’s system is a 220-bucket sustainable drip irrigation garden built for CCBF to benefit its food bank. The irrigation is rainwater-fed from a positive gravity tank. The plants will be drip-fed right at the roots using the water sustainably. The system’s present capacity is 275 gallons, soon to be expanded to hold 550 gallons of rainwater, and workers will be able to micromanage nutrients and efficiently use fertilizer solutions to directly target the plants. They don’t have to go far to the pantry, which is on site in the south St. Louis neighborhood on Michigan Avenue. For this season, buckets are planted with peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, cucumbers, and acorn squash. The garden is set in alignment to the path of the sun from east to west, utilizing the maximum amount of sunlight possible. Every other row will be filled with cucumbers or cantaloupes, maximizing the possible potential harvest. Crops will be rotated out of the buckets to maximize efficiency. You remember this concept from third-grade social studies, don’t you? Hey, are you taking notes? These are great ideas for your own backyard.

Pictured: Eureka