[chesterfield]
People who moved away from here 30 years ago wouldn’t recognize the valley, which used to be only a way to get from the top of the hill and down to the Missouri River crossing at the Boone Bridge. Some people called it Gumbo back in the day. How quaint. Today there’s all that retail development, of course—a veritable megalopolis of cash registers ringing incessantly—but voilà! Now there’s another opportunity down yonder for recreation that isn’t hockey or retail therapy. Think paddleboats and kayaks, even. At 188 acres that includes a 38.5-acre lake, River’s Edge is Chesterfield’s newest city park. The park shares the parking lot with Taubman Prestige Outlets. There’s a shelter, boating dock, and crushed limestone trail more than 2 miles long for viewing scenery and the vast array of birds and other wildlife that were here for eons before this area became a retail oasis. The park benefited greatly from the county’s largesse: $272,000 came by way of a Municipal Parks Grant. The city had to come up with $25,000 only and change to complete the project. Pictured above: Chesterfield Mayor Bob Nation at the ribbon-cutting
Did you know that the International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum had left town? Well, did you, or most anyone else, even know it was here to begin with? It left the StL in 2011 with barely a whimper. For years, fives of people had come through its doors. That is not likely to happen to the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum (IPHF), which moved here from Oklahoma City and has been near Grand Center since late 2013. How and why? IPHF has established the Champion Committee, established to ensure the attraction grows and remains vibrant into its second 50 years. The committee, chaired by Pat Sly of Emerson, aims to provide direction and seek resources to keep the IPHF focused, if you will. While this location in the Lou (3415 Olive St.) was chosen for its proximity to neighboring arts and cultural institutions, it should be noted that St. Louis also boasts the nation’s oldest and largest camera club, and any member would insist that you really can’t take a suitable photo with a smartphone. You still need a working knowledge of shutter speed and other technical aspects of the art and science of photography to make sure something truly special develops. Since 1965, IPHF has curated images and doo-dads that demonstrate the importance of image-making to culture and modern civilization itself, from family snapshots to photojournalism. The collection comprises more than 6,000 historical cameras and upward of 30,000 images. Working together with Sly are other community notables: Blanche Touhill, Ken Kranzberg, Anna Harris, David Diener, Jill McGuire, Michael Weisbrod, Steve Smith, Dick Miles, Scott Wilson and Bob Bishop.
[glendale]
As if this square mile or so of prime real estate weren’t spectacularly beautiful already, a small band of volunteers aims to ‘Grow Glendale Gorgeous.’ Flowers are their goal … lots of flowers. All they had to do was look at a similar effort right next door, ‘Kirkwood in Bloom.’ Although city hall is one spot that will become more gorgeous, GGG is not affiliated. It’s a nonprofit, dependent on donations like any other. Its plans are ambitious. One of its first tasks for the project that’s been growing since last August was to install 30-some planters around city hall and the entrances to the city. Hanging baskets will be a new feature adorning the retail building on Sappington Road across from Glendale City Hall. Further south, Hanneke’s Market will grow even more gorgeous with new window boxes. Environmental education is also part of the effort. Volunteers plan to work with the staff and students at North Glendale Elementary, planting wildflowers with the kindergarten and first-grade students, as well as gorgeous-izing the parking lot islands with native plantings. GGG is the brainchild of master gardener Julie Grimm and friends Allison Knight, Robin Caringer and Kelli Hickenbotham. If you want to help these gals out, you don’t have to have a green thumb yourself … know how to water?
[kirkwood]
The feasibility study on renovating Kirkwood’s Community Center, or building anew, continues, with the possibility that it won’t be all in the same place: The theater, former home to Stages, could be built separately on part of a city-owned lot used by the public works department. More than $145,000 has been earmarked for a conceptual design of the facility, whether a retrofit or entirely new construction. About $84,000 will go toward a study of the recreation center in Kirkwood Park (Adams and Geyer), with about $61,000 (OK; $60,800) to study the potential theater site on East Monroe near South Fillmore, and it won’t take any money to tell you that it used to be not so pretty. Well, one could say it’s still not all that pretty, as part of the nearly 9-acre lot is used for transferring the city’s refuse, and much of the site was quarantined by the state Department of Natural Resources until oil contamination was addressed. Maybe the first production at the new theater could be Grease?
[ladue]
Ladue has a new city clerk: Laura Rider. Meanwhile, officials in Sunset Hills, from whence Rider came, are picking up the pieces. But there haven’t been too many to pick up, as Rider had trained several other employees to perform most of her duties. Plus, she gave two weeks notice. Apparently, Ladue has just made a great hire. Officials in her former office say she was one of the best employees ever. If someone had a question, chances are Rider had the answer. She was the go-to gal for many an alderman in the 20 years she worked for Sunset Hills. Since 2001, Rider had served both as clerk and finance director. She started in her new role with Ladue the week of April 20, and Sunset Hills has made do as it mulls over whether to keep the clerk position or to replace it with a new position: city manager or city administrator. At any rate, officials aren’t sure whether they will keep the clerk and finance roles together under the same hat, as they had been with Rider, or perhaps parcel out tasks to existing employees.
[st. charles]
P.F. Chang’s is coming to mixed-use development known as the Streets of St. Charles (on South Fifth Street). Construction will begin summer for an opening next year. Hey, I love this pricey China bistro as much as the next fan of Asian cuisine, but too many locations of a restaurant that used to be uncommon make it feel kind of … common. It was exciting back in the day when the restaurant opened in The Boulevard across from The Galleria in Richmond Heights. And folks in Chesterfield probably welcomed the next location, when P.F. Chang’s found a home across from the mall. Early on, I didn’t realize it was part of a Scottsdale, Arizona, chain founded in 1993, much less that the yummy Pei Wei diners were a subsidiary. Alas, it’s all so corporate. Would we want another LuLu’s seafood added to the one in U. City? Or a second Mekong for Vietnamese other than the one on grand South Grand? But P.F. Chang’s has “embarked on an ambitious international expansion plan” that aims to add to its portfolio of locations, from Argentina to United Arab Emirates.
Who says the performing arts aren’t important? Certainly not Glenda Hares of Kirkwood, who has made the largest planned gift to the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in the Rep’s 48-year history. Hares has bequeathed a $100,000 annuity to the nonprofit theater group, which has entertained St. Louisans since 1966. Hares, a visual artist who’s been involved with The Rep for 40 years, says she wanted her money to go to an institution she loves, noting also that her financial adviser said it would be a good investment. Annually, The Rep entertains an average of 160,000 people with 350 performances every season. For those who were backstage (for decades) and missed the news: The Rep, although located on the campus of Webster University in Webster Groves, is not affiliated with the university.
[st. louis]
Central Conversations is exactly what it sounds like: a series of give-and-take dialogues on topics important to patrons of St. Louis Public Library and held at the beautifully renovated Central Branch. Last month’s inaugural event was an interactive presentation on urban gardening, not only how to do it, but also a discussion about its importance in building community. This is not a speaker series, but an opportunity for the audience to participate fully with a moderator and panelists who are experts in various subjects. Next month, the topic will be ‘Education: What Happens After High School’ (June 10). And you might want to mark your calendars for Sept. 9, when ‘Racial Justice in a Post-Ferguson World’ is discussed between the panel and audience.