Talk of the Towns: 9.21.22

the metro | Lush, green grass. Lush green grass that must be watered, mowed, fertilized and attended to weekly by uniformed guys in a truck labeled Green Acres who spray some agrichemicals to assure it will remain lush, green grass. Neighborhoods of lush, green lawns everywhere throughout the metro are about as unnatural as the way I’ve chosen to start writing this item. Prairie grasses and flowering plants lived here quite naturally for centuries before European settlers invaded and did whatever some ancestor of King Charles III or another aristocrat had started doing with their grounds generations ago for croquet. When’s the last time you used your lawn for croquet? Bees, butterflies and other pollinators may all search in vain for nectar from the same random clover blossom, then flit on to the next. So, where do the pollinators go about their instinctive business of ensuring that flora and fauna continue the natural order of things on this planet? No one dares let their lawn go to seed. Dandelions are dispatched like roaches. And milkweed? What’s that? It’s a plant that butterflies love, including the beloved, endangered migratory monarch. That’s right—the vibrant black and orange insect is endangered. Cate and I were mesmerized by the untold thousands that migrated through my South Grand neighborhood several autumns ago on their way to winter in Mexico. But they’re running out of foraging territory. Now, I can’t imagine anyone turning their lawn into a cactus garden or ‘prairie restoration area’ by the weekend, because no one could play touch football there on Thanksgiving. But I am asking you to consider replanting some of that lawn with greenery (and brownery) that grew here generations before the invasive plant species invaded. Think, maybe, a third—that would be a measly 0.122 of an acre for those whose vast land holdings amount to 0.366.

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Two authors worthy of note will appear soon thanks to the St. Louis County Library. St. Louis business leader and philanthropist Adrian Elizabeth Bracy, MBA, CPA, will discuss and sign her book Halftime: How to Pivot as a Leader and Identify Your Next Steps on Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. at the Florissant Valley library branch, 195 New Florissant Road. An author, business coach, consultant and motivational speaker, Bracy, says that no matter where you are in your career, there comes a time when you need to change course. That may mean taking a new position within the same company, a new job elsewhere or a leap of faith to start your own business. Bracy’s book is a collection of her career experiences as an NFL executive who spent 18 years in senior financial management with the Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals, before transitioning to the nonprofit sector to follow her passion. Bracy served for over a decade as CEO of YWCA Metro St. Louis and, after retirement, became executive director of The Steward Trust. Books will be available for purchase at the free event. For something completely different, the Library’s Favorite Author Series presents New York Times No. 1 bestselling Western suspense author C.J. Box for a discussion and signing of Treasure State, his new thriller featuring private investigator Cassie Dewell. The free event is slated for Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Road. Box is the author of 30 books, including the Joe Pickett and the Cassie Dewell series. He has won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe and Barry awards, as well as the French Prix Calibre .38. A Wyoming native, Box has also worked on a ranch and as a small-town newspaper reporter and editor. He’s an executive producer of ABCs Big Sky, a show based on his Cody Hoyt/Cassie Dewell novels, and is executive producer of Joe Pickett for Spectrum Originals. Books will be available for purchase from Left Bank Books.

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Hey, kids! You can meet PBS animated characters Daniel Tiger and Katerina Kittycat from 9:30-11 a.m. Sept. 24 at Channel 9’s Be My Neighbor Day. At Nine Network’s first Storytime in the Commons since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Be My Neighbor Day will focus on kindness, mutual respect and appreciation. Presented by Nine PBS and St. Louis Public Library, Storytime in the Commons will rivet kids of all ages (maybe even some adults) as storytellers read aloud while the book’s pages are shared on the big screen. The excitement includes a photo opportunity with Daniel Tiger and Katerina Kittycat from the PBS Kids series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Plus: Meet some of the brave firefighters of the St. Louis Fire Department and take part in fun activities for the entire family. Bring your own chairs or blankets and pack a snack for this free outdoor event. In case of cancellation because of inclement weather, you will be notified by email. Registration is through eventbrite.com.

notable neighbor
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You can’t make ice cream with alcohol because it doesn’t freeze, everybody knows that. That’s the challenge that corporate foodstuffs exec and veteran ice-cream maker Tamara Keefe found herself up against when a friend lamented the lack of booze-infused selections to scoop out at appropriate times of day. Keefe had been cranking out her own ice cream since she was a kid and had years of experience in food ingredients and products under her belt. Her friends and former colleagues helped her solve a 75-year-old production puzzle. Clementine’s Creamery has both Naughty and Nice selections at the ready for customers in six locations, and during our interview on the patio of her modest Lafayette Square shop, she took a call to help sort out construction issues at the CWE location, which she plans to open next spring, about the same time as a eighth location in Edwardsville. Keefe’s dream materialized following an epiphany: Over a women’s work-play weekend at Lake of the Ozarks; she enlisted big brains to storm and help draft a business plan, gave two weeks’ notice to her employer in the corporate world and after a reasonable length of time, opened her first shop near the end of 18th Street. It’s been a destination for nice treats like you wish Grandma could have made—as well as naughty ones you know she never would have, like a concoction fashioned with a locally brewed chocolate milk stout—since 2015. Real estate pros say three things are critical to satisfy a prospective homeowner: location, location, location. Well, local, local, local are three keys to Clementine’s success. On the right side of the river you’ll find Meadowvale, the dairy co-op where classical music is piped in to de-stress the cows for milking. Clementine’s other ingredients, including the unique alcohol infusions are sourced locally wherever possible. And starting such an entrepreneurial venture here made all the sense in the world. I mean, where’d she go to high school? “Not here,” she answered, with an impish grin. It was somewhere on the Left Coast a few years ago. But once leaving corporate America, she bloomed where she was planted. “It’s an amazing place to live—each neighborhood provides its own thread to create a rich, beautiful tapestry,” she says, adding, with emphasis: “St. Louisans love and support independent businesses! You can live on one income, buy a house, take vacations and retire here.” The StL’s smart, innovative use of public monies impresses her—with our zoo and many other cultural institutions free to enter, not to mention 1,500 seats at The Muny. But is the product at Clementine’s worth it? Uh, does Albert Pujols hit home runs? Their raspberry-flavored Blue Moon is, to use two overused reactions, OMG, to die for! Their vegan and gluten-free creations, plus their naughty formulations, are rich and various. And, for Abe Lincoln’s sake, they serve Excel sodas, the pride of Breese, Illinois. Also peep the modest black-and-white sign and vintage display window in Clayton’s DeMun district. Clementine’s other naughty and nice creameries, at this writing, can be also found in Southampton, Kirkwood, Town and Country and Lake St. Louis. Get your taste buds poppin’ at clementinescreamery.com.