downtown
Do you still have overdue books checked out from St. Louis Public Library from goodness knows how long ago? (They’ve got to be around here somewhere …) Scared what’ll happen once you turn them back in? Scofflaw! You could be a chicken liver and just drop them off in a return slot at Central Library or another SLPL branch because we know you don’t want to have to face a librarian’s wrath. Seriously, though, you might hope the fine will go away eventually, like a parking ticket, but those don’t ‘just go away,’ as anyone who can’t renew their license plates will tell you. Library fines are forever, or for as long as they continue mailing overdue notices to your last known address. Don’t think for a minute that they’ll stop wasting postage on you, you bum. Well, at least you’re a bum who reads, so you have that going for you. Feel a little better? You’ll feel a whole heck of a lot better when you return the book(s) with food for the metro’s hungry. SLPL once again is teaming up with St. Louis Area Foodbank—for the 11th straight year—to help fight hunger and feed hope with Food for Fines. You have through July 31 to reduce or eliminate your fines, as well as help the hungry. For each non-perishable food item donated, SLPL will deduct $1 in overdue fines from an adult cardholder’s account, up to $25 per account.
Kate Spade, the fashion designer. Anthony Bourdain, the celebrity chef. Avicii, the dance-music performer and producer. Those three supremely talented, creative people took their own lives this year and already have faded from the headlines. ‘everyday’ suicides … the veterans, the bullied teens, the alcoholics and addicts, the chronically depressed … rarely make the news. What remains are the questions that will never have answers, the hole in a loved one’s heart that can never be filled. Avery Reine Cantor excelled academically, played field hockey and soccer, and was editor of the school newspaper. Yet she suffered crippling depression and took her own life in May 2014. Despite his grief, her father, Rick Cantor, managed to channel his energy into raising awareness of teen suicide so that Avery’s death would not be in vain. He established the A.R.C. Angels Foundation, which has brought members of Little Feat to The Pageant for a benefit concert every summer since 2015. This year’s show is Saturday, Aug. 11, and it features four members from when founder Lowell George was still alive. (In 1979, George died at 34 of a heart attack caused by a cocaine overdose.) Paul Barrère, Bill Payne, Sam Clayton and Kenny Gradney, members since the early 1970s, should demonstrate why many consider Little Feat to be a better band live than in the studio. Special guests are John ‘Papa’ Gros, Ron Holloway, Craig & Patrick Fuller, Falling Fences, and The Melissa Neels Band. Proceeds will benefit A.R.C. Angels, whose mission is preventing suicide through education.
the metro
Senior citizens, beware: Crooks, creeps and slimeballs, also known as scammers or fraudsters, are never as crafty as a Paris pickpocket … but they’re still after your wallet! Again, and always. Here’s their latest incarnation(s): lottery, sweepstakes and prize schemes are using everchanging methods to hurt victims financially and emotionally, according to a new report by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). These frauds target seniors by direct mail, ‘cold’ calls, social media, and even text messages and smartphone pop-ups. (Now, if you get your news from print media, read on, and all of us at T&S sincerely thank you.) This fraud is big business—in 2017 alone, scammers bilked $117 million from half a million victims in the U.S. and Canada. Seniors are the most frequent target and suffer the largest losses by far. The report found the scams commonly originate in Jamaica, Costa Rica and Nigeria. (Violence has broken out between rival Jamaican fraud gangs!) True lotteries or sweepstakes don’t ask for money before you claim a prize. If they want money for taxes, themselves or a third party, Publishers Clearing House they ain’t. They’re crooks. The report urges social media platforms to take steps to weed out fake profiles and make fraud reporting easier. If you’re suspicious, BBB suggests you talk to a trusted family member or your bank.
Three concerts remain for the Compton Heights Concert Band at two of our prettiest south side city parks. The traditional July 4 celebration included Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture punctuated by blasts from authentic Civil War cannons. (Not to worry, neighbors. Loaded by re-enactors, the cannons fire blanks.) Concerts are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Sunday nights at Francis Park in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood. Monday nights at the same time, the same program is performed in an historic pavilion at Tower Grove Park—the Sousa-style, old-fashioned band concerts in TGP are called Musical Mondays. On July 8 and 9, David Morris, billed as a world champion whistler, performed with the band. Sorry if you missed all of that, but three more opportunities are coming up this summer: July 22 and 23, guest soprano Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir will sing with the band. (Can’t pronounce her name? Try Diddú … she’s from Iceland, as is Björk Guðmundsdóttir. Fans just call the musician, who puts the ‘alt’ in alternative music, Bee-YORK.) It’s not all classical. Rock ’n’ roll is the order of the evening when Butchwax & the Hollywoods with Billy Peek appear July 29 and 30. For the final band concert of the summer, tenor Hugh Kash Smith takes the stage Aug. 5 and 6. Concerts are free. Lawn chairs and blankets are de rigueur.
The Rev. Dr. David Greenhaw is a preacher, teacher, scholar and theologian. Greenhaw, president of Eden Theological Seminary in Webster Groves and an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ, says many regular folks have too lofty a conception of the term ‘theology.’ “It’s just humans talking about God,” he says. In practice, however, Greenhaw notes that some clergy “talk at you about God. All human beings have to arrive at a concept of their own.” They must also arrive at a viable concept of their life’s work. Some people couldn’t imagine doing anything but devoting themselves to ‘the common good’ while supporting themselves and their families. But others work only to make enough money for a house with a two-car garage and two leased luxury vehicles, to send well-dressed kids to college and to play golf on the weekends. Then, retirement means they can play golf whenever they want. (But how much golf can one actually play after retirement? To some of you, that’s surely an impertinent question.) Greenhaw never keeps score. He only hopes to make a satisfying shot or two. If he shanks one, he just drops another one of the dozens he’s collected at the fringes of the Forest Park course during walks. Life’s too precious to spend looking for lost balls in the weeds. And at 63, near the age when many of us get the gold watch, Greenhaw has invented a program for professionals who have recently retired, or are planning to, and wish to infuse the rest of their lives with meaning. ‘NEXT Steps: Midlife and Beyond’ is designed for baby boomers serious about transitioning their career experience and talents to benefit the greater community. Beginning Sept.13, Greenhaw will guide the first 15 or so participants, age 55 and up, to self-discovery through seminar-style discussions, guest speakers, study, networking and opportunities to explore the nonprofit world. The eight sessions will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays September through December, and the first already has seven guests signed up and has reached ‘critical mass,’ Greenhaw notes. (Participants from all faith backgrounds are welcome and encouraged to apply.) “A growing number of baby boomers seek new social purpose in their lives,” says program coordinator Dr. Janet Brown. Some seek to start nonprofits. NEXT Steps guest speakers will include theologians, social entrepreneurs, and leaders in the business and nonprofit worlds. The program will be held on the Eden campus at Walker Leadership Institute. The institute strives to equip business leaders with skills and experiences to guide their organizations in better serving the common good, partnering with other academic, religious and business groups to host workshops, conferences and forums to identify, encourage and activate community leadership. “Lots of people make financial plans for their retirement, but fewer make plans about who they will be and what they will do,” Greenhaw emphasizes. Applications for the first group are due by Aug. 31. Visit eden.edu for more details.