The Insider: 2.28.18

Here comes the bride! For the fourth year in a row, Peabody Opera House has been named a Best Wedding Venue in the Midwest by Brides magazine. The 3,100-seat theater was featured along with Chicago’s Adler Planetarium, the Cleveland Museum of Art and other prominent venues. The Peabody has hosted more than 100 weddings since its extensive renovation and 2011 reopening.

On behalf of the Delmar Loop, Joe Edwards, who has been dubbed ‘The Duke of Delmar’ for his decades-long revitalization of the area, recently accepted the 2018 Creative Community Award from the Missouri Arts Council. The district received the honor for its strong support of the arts through public displays, institutions like COCA and Craft Alliance, art galleries, live music venues and more.

Kudos to SLUCARE physician Dr. Keith Naunheim, recently elected president of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Naunheim says he was inspired to become a cardiothoracic surgeon by two high school science teachers who were also SLU doctors. His fields of interest include lung cancer, esophageal disease and health policy.

Teacher Jan Jacobi says his students at The St. Michael School of Clayton encouraged him to write a young adult novel about the 16th U.S. president, so he did! Titled Young Lincoln, the new book from Reedy Press follows teenage Abe’s exploits as he strikes out on his own. The author, who has been known to appear at school assemblies in a black top hat, is planning a sequel as well. Available at amazon.com.

the main events

Clothes make the man at the fourth annual Gent Menswear Fashion Show March 2 at Encore. The event is part of Gent Fashion Week March 1-4, which includes a kickoff party, pop-up boutique and more.

Webster Groves native and Musician 1st Class Jenny Stokes, principal bassoonist, is returning home to play with the U.S. Navy Concert Band March 7 at Touhill Performing Arts Center. The show is part of the band’s 2018 12-state tour.

Grammy Award-winning singer k.d. lang will be on stage at Peabody Opera House March 16 as part of her 19-city North American Ingenue Redux Tour, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of her multiplatinum album, Ingenue.