Soulard renaiSSance

Transcription

Soulard renaiSSance

THE
Soulard Renaissance
Volume xxxVIX Issue 3
OKTOBERFEST 2014
Living with History
ROLL OUT THE BARREL!
Soulard Oktoberfest amps up to throw the biggest and best Oktoberfest
in the nation with a state-of-the art carnival and a new location along South 7th Street
By Kim Gordon
Fall is made for festivals — and
nothing ushers in the harvest season like
the Soulard Oktoberfest with its 1,100
kegs of beer, sumptuous roast pig on a
spit and a dozen premier bands as the
annual festival amps up to throw one of
the biggest and most authentic German
Oktoberfest celebration in America on
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 10–12.
Rated as one of the Top Three
Oktoberfests in America by The
Associated Press, AOL, CNBC and
other major news organizations, the
2014 Soulard Oktoberfest is poised to
celebrate its 11th year as the leading
Oktoberfest in the nation. The festival
anticipates drawing 40,000 people to
Soulard and tapping a record-breaking
1,200 kegs this year.
“We are excited about the festival’s
continued incredible growth because
it allows us to truly mirror the
authenticity of the Munich Oktoberfest
with traditional brewer tents and more
than 35 food, drink and merchandise
vendors while continuing to bring
local, national — and even global —
attention to Soulard,” says festival
founder John McKinstry.
O’zapft ist! The traditional cheer
that heralds the ceremonial tapping
of the keg will ring louder and longer
at the 2014 Soulard Oktoberfest as
the fall festival moves its location to
run alongside lively South 7th Street,
directly across the street from Soulard
Market. The festival’s new location
stretches down 7th Street from Geyer
Avenue to Marion Street. The new area
allows the festival to encompass more
than three football fields packed with
bands, beers, tents and brats.
“We are dedicated to be showcasing
the Soulard neighborhood,” says
Brady McAninch, an attorney and
new Oktoberfest board member who
lives in Benton Park. “Moving the
festival parallel along 7th Street —
with a large carnival and Ferris wheel
in the foreground — not only sets
Continued on Page 4
Opening ceremonies at last year’s Soulard Oktoberfest with “Mr. Oktoberfest,”
a.k.a. Gerd Goetz, and a bevy of fräuleins.
Clementine’s closes after 36 years in Soulard Timing is right for Ferguson incident to inspire
change throughout St. Louis
By Ryan Brockschmitt
The sun has set on one of the most
famous bars in Soulard. Clementine’s
began pouring its signature stiff drinks
in 1978 and served its last in the early
hours of Monday, Sept. 29, 2014.
Its passing was felt by many in the
community and even garnered a tweet
from St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay:
Farewell to Clementine’s. A lot has
changed for the community, most of
it for the better, since 1978. #fgs
— MayorSlay.com (@MayorSlay)
Sept. 27, 2014
The St. Louis LGBT History Project
was on hand that Sunday night — the
bar’s final profitable night — is still
a need for the ‘gay owned’ and ‘gay
By Roger Power
Recent announcements indicate that
the 20- to 35-year-old age group may be
ready for a change from the suburban
car-and-mall culture. They want to
move to the inner city. Is this really
happening in St. Louis? The answer
friendly’ businesses, which we believe
that we, along with the other founding is yes, but not in numbers significant
businesses, have been the foundation enough to create a culture change.
Yet news from around the country
for the new era of the GLBT public
proclaims
that urban change and
and social establishments.”
rebirth
are
within
reach.
Wally Thomas opened Clementine’s
Here is a round-up of how some cities
on April 14, 1978 with a Grand Opening
are
progressing:
Weekend. It was originally what was
known as a Levi & Leather Cruise Bar. • In Seattle, a high-tech hub is emerging
from a former industrial district that
It closed briefly in 1985 before Thomas
languished at the bottom end of Lake
Continued on Page 10
Washington for decades.
TAXI, TAXI
Cabstand signs are installed in five spots to help
alleviate nighttime traffic.
• Light rail is helping to spur an urban
revival throughout the country as
cities are combining renewal with
transportation.
• From $4.7 billion in Denver to
proposals in Charlotte, N.C.; Portland,
Ore.; Salt Lake City; and Carrollton,
Texas, Americans are rediscovering
that a good transit system ignites
desire for new urbanism.
• Pueblo, Colo., is home to a renewed
center city alongside a river walk in
the tourist area. Memphis, Tenn.,
has a very livable riverfront area of
condominiums connected to the
center of town by a streetcar line.
These examples share two significant
Continued on Page 11
I Love Soulard
American Legion Update
Page 10
Page 6
Complete coverage at Soulard.org
Renn_OKTOBERFEST.indd 1
10/1/14 7:10 PM
Dearest Reader,
October means Soulard Oktoberfest
and that means a busy volunteer weekend
is in store for Soulard Restoration Group,
Oct. 10–12. Thank you to the volunteers
who will work to put together the fortress
that is our beer booth to help raise money
for SRG. Rick Dungey, SRG Fundraising
Committee chairman, will lead us to
certain victory, armed only with our
money belts and a never-ending supply of
plastic twist ties.
PARLOUR TOUR: I was talking to
Jeanne Kirby the other day and she
wanted me to let you know that she needs
some houses for the 39th Annual Soulard
Holiday Parlour Tour.
“I’ve got some feelers out there,” said
Kirby, who is in her sixth year as chairman
of the Parlour Tour Committee. “We’re
calling neighbors and trying to get people
to volunteer but we need more houses.”
The Parlour Tour, Dec. 6–7, is a holiday
showcase of our neighborhood, not to
mention the biggest fundraiser of the
year for Soulard Restoration Group. The
tour officially kicks off the holidays and, if
you’re a new resident who wants to show
off your home, this is a great way get to
your house ready for Christmas. It’s also a
great way to get to know your neighbors.
This year, we’ve had many renters in
Soulard become new homeowners, so
if you happen to know someone in this
category who would be interested, please
contact the hard-working volunteers
on the Parlour Tour Committee at
[email protected].
And do not fret, the Parlour Tour has
experienced homeowner liaisons who
will help you with decorating ideas so
your home will be ready for its closeup when visitors take photos of your
amazing Soulard home. Neal Thompson
and John Wallace are the Parlour Tour
homeowner liaisons and will guide you
every step of the way. Their fabulous
Sidney Street home was on the Parlour
Tour in 2008, so they know what they’re
talking about. Back in ’08, Neal and John
were even kind enough to help with lastminute decorations at the home across
the street that was also on the house tour.
Talk about good neighbors!
PIZZEOLI OPENS OCT. 8: Owner
Scott Sandler says his Pizzeoli restaurant
will be ready for business on Wednesday,
Oct. 8. Pizzeoli will be serving traditional
When in Memphis …
Neapolitan pizza at 1928 S. 12th St. The
thin, artisan pizza cooks in an impressivelooking, wood-fired oven at 800 to 900
degrees and is done in 60 to 90 seconds.
Scott and his staff will be a great addition
to Soulard! Check out his website at www.
pizzeoli.com and Facebook.com/pizzeoli.
NEW DIRECTOR, GRANT: The Gene
Slay’s Boys’ Club of St. Louis welcomes
the fifth director in its 85-year history.
Executive Director Tom Wild is retiring
and passing the torch to Prescott Benson,
GSBC’s current Director of Programs.
Prescott joined GSBC as the Director
of Programs in 2011 and we wish him
the best of luck. Also, congratulations to
GSBC for receiving a $12,000 grant from
Mardi Gras Foundation to repair the wall
that runs along their property on Victor
Street.
BENEFIT AT SOULARD’S: On Friday,
Nov. 14, Soulard’s Restaurant will have
a wine dinner to benefit the American
Cancer Society. The four-course dinner
will begin at 6:30 p.m. For reservations,
call Tim at 314-241-7956.
Yours in newsprint,
Jackie Parker,
Editor-in-Chief
Soulard Renaissance
[email protected]
2 - The Soulard Renaissance - OCTOBER 2014
10/1/14 7:10 PM
SRG Beautification Committee stays busy sprucing up neighborhood
By Gayle Van Dyke
S. Broadway. Reiner says the garden
will be registered with the City of
St. Louis’ Milkweeds for Monarchs
initiative, a drive to plant 250
monarch gardens throughout the city
in honor of St. Louis’ 2014 birthday
celebration. Organizers also plan
to certify the site with the national
Monarch Waystation Program. The
proposed garden will be planted
with milkweed and other butterflyfriendly vegetation. Another aspect
of this project is an educational
component, accomplished with
multiple
strategically
placed
sculptures created by Soulard artist
Uriel Starbuck. Those sculptures,
Photo by John Durnell
tracing a butterfly’s life cycle, will
be supported with informational Soulard Weed Warriors standing by the fruits of their labor. The September
signage. The focal point will be a project was cleaning up Aboussie Park on S. 13th Street.
huge stainless steel sculpture that
will embody the migration of the much time as their schedule permits. morning attending to Aboussie Park
monarch. This new green space will Most recently, volunteers spent the on South 13th Street.
definitely beautify our surroundings
Continued on Page 8
and enhance our lifestyle, while
striving to help the struggling
monarch in its annual migration. Beautification efforts are grow-ing,
er, well, not like weeds, but their roots
are getting deeper and branching out
to every corner of our neighborhood.
Here is a roundup of what’s going on
with the Soulard Restoration Group’s
Beautification Committee.
CORNER COVER-UP
Efforts are now in progress to screen
the AT&T boxes in the southwest
corner of Pontiac Park at Shenandoah
and South 10th streets. Recently
a concrete footing was poured in
preparation to provide structure for
attaching the art installation that
will make that corner more visually
pleasing. Local metal artist Mark
Bunch of Wild Welding is fabricating
his design, which will honor Ottawa
Chief Pontiac, the park’s namesake.
The design also will feature tree
silhouettes laser cut from steel and
welded to a framework. The plan is to
rededicate the park after installation.
The installation is being funded by
the SRG and should be completed
WEED WARRIORS
this month.
Soulard Weed Warriors are a group
ON THE WING
of residents that get together at 9
In the opposite corner of Pontiac a.m. the first Saturday of the month
Park, another project is taking to perform maintenance and general
flight. The Monarch Butterfly clean-up of our neighborhood’s
Sculpture Garden is being designed, parks. They usually work for about
a partnership with Patrick Reiner three hours, but participants are
of R-Space Gallery and Café, 1704 always welcome and can help for as
OCTOBER 2014 - The Soulard Renaissance - 3
10/1/14 7:10 PM
Oktoberfest
Continued from Page 1
the stage for the lively festivities at
the heart of the German celebration,
but it also accentuates the festival’s
Soulard presence. Keeping the festival
in Soulard and holding it in a location
that showcases and supports our great
neighborhood is at the heart of the
festival’s mission.”
The new and invigorated Oktoberfest
board is committed to rededicating
the festival’s mission of raising funds
and supporting local charities. “We
are accomplishing this through our
bike drive and realigning with local
neighborhood groups like Benton Park
and Benton Park West,” says new board
member and Soulard resident TJ Kirsch.
This year, the Soulard Oktoberfest
is partnering with St. Louis Bicycle
Works to host a bike drive. Through
the B-Works Earn-a-Bike Program,
local kids learn to build and fix bikes
while building the confidence they need
to follow their dreams. B-Works has
provided more than 10,000 bikes to St.
2014
Soulard Oktoberfest
by the numbers
1,200 kegs of beer
10,000 brats
3,700 Bavarian pretzels
8,000 traditional potato pancakes
1,500 hendls (roasted chickens)
20 beers
12 premier bands
35 food, drink and merchandise
vendors
Louis children over the past 24 years.
Donate a bike to the B-Works Soulard
Oktoberfest Bike Drive, and you’ll
receive free admission to the festival.
Please drop off your donated bike at the
Geyer Street entrance.
Over the past decade, the Soulard
Oktoberfest has raised more than
$400,000 for St. Louis and Soulard
nonprofit
groups
and
charity
organizations, including Gene Slay’s
Boys Club, Lift for Life Academy, The
Soulard School, Soulard Restoration
Group and others.
McAninch also adds that the new
board is drawing more of St. Louis to
the festival this year with the addition
of local microbrews, food trucks and
local cigar and doughnut vendors. “We
have made sure to stay dedicated to our
German roots, but we also want to show
off some of the great things St. Louis
has to offer,” he adds. “The Soulard
Oktoberfest isn’t just a party festival for
beer drinkers. It’s also a very familyfriendly event that raises thousands of
dollars for local nonprofits and charities
annually. And this year, the state-of-the
art carnival will help draw even more
families to the festival.”
THE BEER
There’s no better place, outside
Germany, to experience “bier” the
way Germans brew it than the Soulard
Oktoberfest. The 2014 festival will
feature more than 20 types of beer, from
traditional German draughts to local
microbrews.
Beer from five breweries — local
favorites
Schlafly
Beer
Brands
and Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.,
traditional German brewers Spaten,
Weihenstephan and domestic selections
from Anheuser-Busch — will be on tap.
In St. Louis, Schlafly Beer Brands
and Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.
keep up the tradition of German
immigrant brewers. Schlafly will sell
its German beers Oktoberfest, Summer
Lager, Kolsch and Hefewiezen. At
Urban Chestnut, Brewmaster Florian
Kuplent uses his nearly two decades
of artisan brewing experience to make
the German beer drinking experience
genuine.
“This year, we wanted the beers to truly
represent the German brewing heritage,”
says German-born Oktoberfest board
member Claus Schlaefli, “Whatever
you order at the Soulard Oktoberfest,
it’s guaranteed to make you raise a stein
and say ‘wunderbar’!”
THE BANDS
The Soulard Oktoberfest’s devotion to
headlining authentic German music is
one of the reasons it receives repeated
national recognition as one of the
leading Oktoberfests in the nation.
The Soulard Oktoberfest will feature
more than a dozen premier bands
including the international fest-rock
sensation the Dorfrockers, whose
music charts higher than Lady Gaga’s in
parts of Europe. This Oktoberfest will
feature a 15,000-square-foot stage that
holds 2,000 people to accommodate the
big crowds the Dorfrockers draw to the
festival.
“The Dorfrockers’ German fest-rock
music has excited fans across the globe
with performances in Switzerland,
Austria, Holland, France and Las
Vegas,” says new board member Gregg
Gourde.
“The Dorfrockers’ colorful, witty
lyrics and lively pop-fest performances
will help draw big crowds to the festival
International fest-rock sensation the
Dorfrockers will be on stage at Soulard
Oktoberfest.
while bringing an authentic slice of
Germany to St. Louis.”
The 2014 musical lineup marks the
festival’s hottest bill yet. New this year,
legendary Urge frontman Steve Ewing
takes the stage alongside perennial
Soulard Oktoberfest favorites, including
Wisconsin sensation Copper Box’s
award-winning mix of polka, rock and
Zydeco, and the Chardon Polka Band’s
mix of traditional polka and polka-pop
covers of artists such as Justin Bieber
and Lady Gaga. The Austrian Express,
the Deutschmeister Brass Band and
Continued on Page 8
Kommen Man, Kommen Alle!
Let the games begin! Islanders,
you are officially challenged to
compete in the 11th Annual Soulard
Oktoberfest Games!
Think you can handle sausage?
Then test your meat-eating capacity
in the Soulard Oktoberfest Brat
Eating Contest. Entry fee is $5 for
all the brats you can devour. And the
winner will wash all those tasty brats
down with 2 liters of beer.
Masskrugstemmen is a timehonored Bavarian game of skill,
strategy and stamina. This traditional
Oktoberfest contest challenges beer
drinkers to see who has the strength
to hold a 1-liter beer stein the
longest! Contestants will be divided
into groups of five, and the mightiest
of each group will win 2 liters of
beer! Bring your Oktoberfest mug,
$5 entry fee — and a lot of muscle.
Ladies, can you hold your mugs?
Try your skills in the Soulard
Oktoberfest’s Strongest Barmaid
Relay, the festival’s most popular
contest. The fräulein who can
carry the most 1-liter steins will be
crowned the Soulard Oktoberfest’s
Strongest Barmaid — an honor
that earns this talented lady five
free beers of her choice. Every
contestant receives a free beer ticket
for entering. Entry fee is $10.
To enter any of the festival’s
11th Annual Soulard Oktoberfest
Games,
send an email to
[email protected]
with your name and the event
you’d like to enter. Festival staff will
contact all contestants with the full
details about each event, including
event starting time, location and
entry fees.
Family Day, Carnival, $5 admission and free parking
The 2014 festival will feature a
state-of-the art carnival with a Ferris
wheel, carousel and other carnival
rides and games for kids of all ages.
·Sunday is Family Day at the
·Other exciting news includes
·And parking will be free at
reduction of the festival
admission from $10 to $5. And
admission is FREE for those
dressed in traditional German
Oktoberfest attire.
Soulard Oktoberfest.
·An art exhibit will feature works
by more than 30 local artists.
designated Oktoberfest lots for
all festival-goers.
10/1/14 7:10 PM
10/1/14 7:10 PM
OFF THE ISLAND
Updates from American Legion Post 422:
Marlinghaus named new commander
By Bill Wirtel
Photo by Michele Johnson
DJ Waugh, owner of Soulard
Picture Framing, visits her second
favorite island — South Padre Island,
Texas — last month.
This is the first contribution to the
“Off the Island” photo feature for the
Renaissance and weekly SRG Blaster.
Thank you to Michele Johnson for
sending us the photo.
*The next time you take a trip
outside the St. Louis metro area,
be sure to take a selfie and include
something “Soulard” in the photo,
such as a T-shirt, hoodie, even a
koozie. Email your photo, including
the names of the people in it and
the location of your trip to editor@
soulard.org, and we will do our best
to publish it in the December issue of
the Renn and in the weekly Blaster.
NATIONAL COMMANDER: Mike
Helms visited St. Louis Sept. 22 to
rededicate the American Legion
Founders Plaque at 301 N. 12th St.,
where the American Legion was
founded in 1919. The site is now a U.S.
Bank. Post 422 was well represented at
the rededication.
NEW COMMANDER: Eric Marlinghaus, P.E., was installed as our
new commander, replacing Capt.
Erin Slawiski. They are both Soulard
residents. Erin is advancing to a district
level office. Congrats to Eric and thanks
to Erin for her progressive year. She was
our first female commander.
AUXILIARY:
Andrea
Dierkes,
founding Auxiliary president since 2006,
has retired, and incoming president is
Martha Hamilton, a charter member.
Her husband, Bill, is a Post member.
GIVING: Fourteen more boxes of
wish list items for our men and women
serving in the armed forces were sent
to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan,
bringing the total to 352. The unit also
donated $500 to the Food Pantry drive
at Jefferson Barracks. Collectively,
40,000 pounds of food was procured for
distribution to our veterans.
BOYS STATE: The Auxiliary and
Post each sponsored a St. Mary’s High
School junior to attend Boys State this
summer for one week to learn how
state government works. More than 700
boys attended. Our two representatives
and their families joined us at our
September installation and told us
about their experiences of making new
friends with other boys from Missouri.
CORNER GARDEN: Thanks to
Lu Ann and Joe Denten and Julie
Dinklemann for maintaining the
garden, adding a decorative fountain
and weekly watering. You will see a new
fence soon.
HAPPY HOURS: Our third Friday
monthly event is growing, and the
live music and tasty grub may be the
cause. Attendees have taken a liking
to Jessica Tipton, guitarist, songwriter
and talented singer. She has become a
crowd-pleaser with her humor. Those
who attended in August got a surprise
when our Judith Howard teamed
up with Jessica. Our grub menus of
chili dogs in July and honey mustard
chicken wings/drummettes fresh from
our newer fryers in August drew a lot
of raves.
GENE SLAY BOYS’ CLUB: The Post
assisted in building a playground
on June 28, joining KaBoom, who
furnished the equipment, concrete and
material for an outdoor learning center,
a food garden, and mulch for paths for
250 volunteers from SRG, Eagle Credit
Union and MetLife Foundation.
JEFFERSON BARRACKS BINGO
AND BUFFETS: These events are
held when we have five Fridays in a
month. On Aug. 29, 32 veterans who
were undergoing rehab joined us for
our Bingo and Buffet evening. This
was our largest group yet. Coupons for
the canteen are given to bingo winners
while others select attendance prizes
consisting of seasonal items, personal
care needs, socks, T-shirts, polo shirts,
underwear, baseball caps, Cardinals
and Rams items. Both Auxiliary and
Post members joined forces for our
Veterans Helping Veterans program.
We will skip October, due to Halloween.
The next B&B is Jan. 30, 2015. We will
need winter items, including scarves,
gloves, knit hats and coats in addition to
our regular personal care and clothing
items. Donations are welcome. Contact
Bill Wirtel or any Post or Auxiliary
member.
NEW MURAL: Doug Fowler and
Bill Wirtel joined Tom Wild at Rob
Westrich Photography Studio to view a
photographic 30- x 10-foot vinyl mural
featuring World War II veterans on their
Honor Flights to Washington D.C. The
veterans visited their National WWII
Veterans Memorial, surrounded by
Continued on Page 8
10/1/14 7:10 PM
Resident participation is key to a safe neighborhood
By Bill Clendenin
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police
Department and the Circuit Attorney’s
Office are reaching out to residents
in neighborhoods like Soulard to
encourage residents to participate
in neighborhood safety efforts.
The premise is the Neighborhood
Ownership Model, in which residents
take ownership of their neighborhood
and become a partner with the SLMPD
and CAO in crime-fighting efforts.
The SLMPD has focused on keeping
residents up to date on what is occurring
in their neighborhood. In Soulard,
Neighborhood Liaison Officer Brian
Min is a regular participant at both the
monthly Soulard Restoration Group
general meeting and the monthly SRG
Safety Committee meeting. At the SRG
general meeting, Officer Min reports
incidents of concern and provides
updates on Soulard’s crime statistics.
SRG Safety Meetings are smaller,
more casual meetings in which
Soulard residents can discuss safety
issues in more depth with Officer
Min. The discussion is always a twoway dialogue, with Officer Min and
residents exchanging ideas about how
to make Soulard a safer neighborhood.
The CAO has focused on providing
training opportunities for residents
who want to get involved with safety
efforts. For example, the CAO conducts
training sessions for residents who want
to provide support to victims of crime,
or who want to engage in court advocacy
efforts. The CAO also organizes
quarterly Neighborhood Ownership
Model team leader meetings, which
provide an opportunity for residents
from different neighborhoods to
network and exchange ideas about
safety efforts.
If you want to get involved with safety
efforts in Soulard, we encourage you
to come to an SRG Safety Committee
meeting. The meetings are always on
the last Monday of the month, at 7
p.m. at Soulard Station, 1911 S. 12th St.
While the topics may be serious, these
are informal meetings full of lively
discussions. It’s also a great way to meet
other residents of Soulard.
Photo by Jackie Parker / Renaissance
SRG Safety Committee members Christina Coleman, Evan Bolesta, Bill Clendenin,
Scott Plackemeier, Tom Corcoran, Jim Rick and Wade Weistreich visit the
neighborhood parties during National Night Out on Aug. 5.
Even if you’re not sure if you want to
participate, we encourage you to come
to learn about safety efforts in Soulard.
Bill Clendenin is chairman of the SRG
Safety Committee and can be reached at
[email protected].
39th Annual Soulard Holiday Parlour Tour set for Dec. 6-7
By Julie Price
Come to Soulard and experience
“Living With History!” at the
39th Annual Soulard Holiday Parlour
Tour. The event will be held from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6 and from
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7.
The Parlour Tour is one of St. Louis’
most time-honored traditions, inviting
guests to view featured homes decked
in their holiday best.
Soulard features beautifully restored
19th-century red brick Victorian
homes and Federal-style townhouses
dating from the mid- to late-1800s.
Heated shuttles will take guests from
home to home, where they will meet
homeowners and hear interesting facts
and stories about their restoration
efforts. The event begins with festivities
at Gene Slay’s Boys’ Club of St. Louis, at
2524 S. 11th St.
This much-anticipated annual event
will feature tours of several unique
homes, a holiday bazaar, food, music
and much more. This year, in celebration
of the 250th anniversary of St. Louis,
Soulard also will be celebrating our
250th house on the tour. The exact
house will be a surprise until you tour
it. Enjoy all its glory and a piece of cake
on your way out!
Tickets are $22 per person in advance
and $25 per person the day of the event.
Advance reservations are encouraged
for a preferred tour time slot and
available for purchase at www.soulard.
org or by calling the SRG Hotline at
314-621-6226. You also can find us on
Facebook at Soulard Parlour Tour.
We have a few houses set up for this
year, but are looking for a few more. If
you are interested, please contact our
tour chair Jeanne Kirby for details at
[email protected].
10/1/14 7:10 PM
New Soulard Exhibit Explores Wabi-Sabi Beautification
By Gayle Van Dyke
Save the date for a new exhibit,
“Awakening to the Realities of WabiSabi,” which will open Oct. 17 at R-Space
Gallery and will be on view through
Nov. 14. This promises to be a unique
direction for art shows in Soulard.
The exhibit is a collaborative
exploration featuring Soulard sculptor
Lloyd Kleine Harvey, poet Peg
Pedersen and photographer Adam
Williams. Their works will examine
wabi-sabi, an ancient aesthetic
that celebrates and reveres nature
and the imperfect, impermanent
and incomplete beauty of things.
Sublime in its subtlety, wabi-sabi
is Zen-like in its translation. “Wabi”
poetically has come to mean “simple”
or “humble by choice.” “Sabi” means
to “bloom in time,” evolving into:
taking pleasure in things as they are,
even if they are old or imperfect.
When the two words are put
together, a deeper meaning is revealed.
Reduced to its essence, wabi-sabi is
less a set of rules or constraints and
more an esthetic mindset. Borne out
of the honest creation of one’s hands,
heart and mind, the spirit of a piece
presents itself, resonates and inspires.
This exhibit will invite discovery of
new perspectives and appreciations.
In addition to sculpture, photography
and poetry, visitors will enter into an
experience, enhanced with plants and
sounds from the natural world that invite
peaceful reflection. Patrick Reiner, coowner and creative force at R-Space, is
excited about the show saying, “This
is a unique exhibit for us. It will be an
immersive and calming experience
that could ultimately be quite moving
and emotional for some viewers.”
Awakening to the
Realities of Wabi-Sabi
Oct. 17 – Nov. 14
R-Space Gallery
1704 S. Broadway
www.R-Space.us
OPENING RECEPTION
4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 17
ARTIST RECEPTION &
POETRY READING
5 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 14
Legion
the majestic Independence Mall. They
also visited the Korean and Vietnam
memorials and saw the changing of the
guard at Arlington National Cemetery,
then returned home the same day.
Rob Westrich made us a scaled-down
version of the canvas mural, which will
be displayed in our hall. DJ Waugh,
owner of Soulard Picture Framing,
mounted it and applied a protective
IT’S EASY BEING GREEN
Richard Eaton, long-time chair of
the SRG’s Beautification Committee,
outlined efforts to branch out and
provide more opportunities for
residents to volunteer. Here are the
green spaces for which Beautification
is currently responsible and the
leaders for that particular garden:
• ABOUSSIE PARK
13th Street, south of Sidney Street
Leadership is currently open
Photo by Adam Williams
Soulard sculptor Lloyd Kleine Harvey is
one of three artists whose work will be
on display at R-space Gallery.
THE ARTISTS
Lloyd Kleine Harvey, twig sculpture:
A lifelong artist, Harvey has been
creating contemplative sculpture from
the well-used, discarded and decaying
for many years. He believes in the
transformative effects of wabi-sabi from
which the reality of life — fleeting,
tender and magnificent — emerges.
Peg Pedersen, poetry: The medium
for Pederson’s reflections on life’s
experience always has been expressed
through her poetry. Embracing wabisabi has awakened a new appreciation
for what is and what was and acceptance
of change. In this context, those former
imperfections with which she struggled,
became beautiful and inspiring.
Adam Williams,
photography:
Adam’s background is in journalism
as a writer and photojournalist. The
philosophy of wabi-sabi has been
exciting to him, as the concept of being
flexible and open to what may happen in
the moment was a revelation and freeing
in creating his conceptual imagery.
After the Oct. 17 opening, the
exhibit will be on display during
R-Space business hours, from 7 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
For those who want to take a piece of
wabi-sabi home, select items from the
exhibit will be available for purchase.
The show closes Nov. 14 with an artist
reception and poetry reading from Peg
Pedersen. The event is from 5 to 6:30
p.m. Also that night, visitors will have an
opportunity to speak with the artists oneon-one about the wabi-sabi esthetic and
how it has impacted their creative lives.
acrylic covering. We are honored as the
only military veterans organization to
have this mural.
SOULARD
MARKET
FLAG
DISTRIBUTION: In honor of Veterans
Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11, members of
Post 422 will gather at Soulard Market
on Saturday, Nov. 8, to distribute 500
Safety Ball Top 4- x 6-inch flags. We
also do this on Memorial Day and
Independence Day.
MOUSE RACES: We will do the Mouse
Races again on Saturday Jan. 10 at St.
• CELEBRATION GARDEN
Near Soulard Market’s playground
Leaders: Tony Range, George Grove
• PONTIAC PARK Ann & South 9th streets
Leader: John Durnell
• SOULARD STATION GARDEN
South 12th Street & Gravois Avenue
Leaders: Tony Range, George Grove
• NEIGHBOR’S TRIANGLE
South 13th Street & Gravois Avenue
Leaders: Katarina Michalova, Gayle
Van Dyke
• 9th STREET TRIANGLE
South 9th & Sidney streets
Leadership is currently open
To know more about any of these
projects or to volunteer in the
greening of Soulard, contact Richard
Eaton at 314-621-4460 or rreaton@
sbcglobal.net or on Facebook
at Soulard Restoration Group
Beautification Committee.
• SOULARD MARKET PARK
Lafayette & South 8th streets
Leader: Richard Eaton
Oktoberfest
longtime local favorites, the Soulard
Blues Band and the Good Times Band
and others, also will play the 2014
festival.
A TASTE OF MUNICH & FOOD
TRUCKS
From lively German party-fest and
authentic polka music to traditional
brewer tents to grilled brats and turkey
legs, the 2014 Soulard Oktoberfest
promises to bring a taste of the legendary
Munich festival to the Midwest.
Kenrick’s Meat Market & Catering,
one of St. Louis’ oldest and finest
butcher shops, will prepare traditional
Oktoberfest favorites such as opengrilled bratwurst and fresh homemade
sauerkraut. The Soulard Oktoberfest
also is pleased to welcome back G&W
Bavarian Sausage, a perennial favorite
with the local German community. For
the fest-goers who prefer other types
of food, the Soulard Oktoberfest will
introduce several food trucks this year,
such as Hot Aztec and Waynos.
“People travel from around the globe
to partake in the Soulard Oktoberfest
because it provides a unique opportunity
to experience German culture and
food,” says “Mr. Oktoberfest” Gerd
Goetz.
Vincent’s Parish Hall, 1408 S. 10th St.
It’s a family event, and kiddos really
enjoyed it.
NEW MEMBERS WELCOME: See if
you are eligible to join The American
Legion, America’s largest military
veterans group with more than 2.4
million members. Eligibility dates as
established by Congress are:
• Korean War: June 25, 1950–Jan. 31,
1955
• Vietnam: Feb. 28, 1961–May 7, 1975
For years, the 75-year-old German
immigrant and retired tool and die
maker has opened the first keg of beer
and presided over the event as the
lively “Mr. Oktoberfest.” Decked out
in lederhosen, his stein held high, he’s
led thousands in rousing rendition of
the German drinking song, Ein Prosit.
“Everybody howls and screams,” Goetz
says. His Oktoberfest getup includes a
hat in the form of a beer barrel from
the granddaddy of all Oktoberfests, the
Munich Oktoberfest. “I love to dance
around on stage and make the people
happy while celebrating my German
heritage. There is no better place in
America to celebrate Oktoberfest than
the Soulard Oktoberfest.”
FESTIVAL HOURS
Friday 6 p.m.–12:30 a.m., Saturday
10:30 a.m.–12:30 a.m., and Sunday
10:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m.
Go to www.soulardoktoberfest.com,
like us on Facebook, follow us on
Twitter and download our new mobile
website for the latest updates on the
2014 festival. Admission is $5 — and
free to anyone dressed in traditional
German attire — so get decked out in
your lederhosen and dirndls!
• Lebanon/Grenada: Aug. 24, 1982–
July 31, 1984
• Panama: Dec. 20, 1989–Jan. 31, 1990
• Gulf War/War on Terrorism: Aug. 2,
1990–Present
Contact Bill Wirtel or any Post 422
member. Dues are $30.
Mr. Bill Wirtel is chaplain, former
commander and event coordinator of the
American Legion BKZ Post 422, 2601 S.
11th St. He can be reached at mwirtel@
charter.net.
10/1/14 7:10 PM
10/1/14 7:10 PM
Potluck in the Park menu includes perfect setting
By Amy Grove
Everyone loves that perfect fall
Sunday afternoon when the humidity is
gone and there is not a cloud in the sky.
The sun provides a gentle warmth and
just when it begins to feel too warm,
a slight breeze stirs the leaves and
rustles the grass. Potluck in the Park
on Sunday, Sept. 14, at Pontiac Park
was the setting for that beyond-perfect
Sunday afternoon.
Potluck in the Park is one of many
functions organized and hosted by the
Residential Promotion Committee of
the Soulard Restoration Group. The
committee is dedicated to the promotion
of Soulard as a neighborhood,
advocating for the residents that Soulard
is more than an entertainment district.
The committee is focused on providing
complimentary activities for the
community to promote neighborhood
cohesion and camaraderie.
About 35 Soulard residents enjoyed
the beautiful afternoon while sharing
food, drinks and conversation and
I Love Soulard
I have something to say that is hard
for me to say and that some people
might take the wrong way, but please,
hear me out.
Soulard is not perfect. Sure, if you are
comparing it to Fox’s reality TV series
“Utopia,” we are perfect times 100.
However, we are not. The good news is
that no other neighborhood anywhere
is perfect. I’ve written this column for
a couple years now. I have a little blog
at iLoveSoulard.com. I’ve rented here
for five years. It’s hard for me to write a
column about how Soulard isn’t perfect.
The fact is, I think it needs to be
addressed. I see signs all over Soulard
of shifting demographics, habits, tastes
and whatnot. There also are signs of
people not wanting to address those
changes, but rather wanting folks on the
other side of the aisle to join theirs.
One example is a recent spat over
the law saying that dogs must be on
leashes when they are not on the
owner’s property. Some residents, new
and old alike, wanted to let their dogs
run unleashed in Pontiac Park. They
couldn’t understand why their “Godgiven right” was being taken away.
On the other side of the fence, some
residents saw it as newer residents of
a different generation thinking they
could do what whatever the hell they
wanted. I don’t know that this issue was
ever really resolved. It could have been
the dog owners didn’t want to risk the
ticket, but this is a kind of issue that
both sides need to approach in the right
participating in games. Delicious sliced
ham from Vincent’s Market, donated by
Precision Engraving, served as the main
dish, and residents brought a variety
of snacks, sides and desserts. Cold
drinks were donated by Alderman Ken
Ortmann. A bocce court was created
and balls were tossed amid competitive
cheering. A sidewalk-size Jenga set
crashed to the ground numerous times
and more than one intense game of
Sequence was played as teams traded
players to be the ultimate winner. The
afternoon faded into early evening and
the Potluck in the Park lunch turned
into dinner as people lingered, not
wanting the beyond-perfect Sunday
afternoon to end.
The committee will host its next
community event, Local Hour, at the
Good Luck Bar and Grill, 2501 S. 9th
St., at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12. Local
Hour provides neighborhood residents
the opportunity to support a new
business while enjoying great food and
conversation.
By Ryan Brockschmitt
frame of mind.
Another example I see of avoiding
change is with businesses. Just like
several other businesses around St.
Louis, some in Soulard are complaining
that Ballpark Village is taking away
their business. Hate to break it to those
owners, but Ballpark Village alone isn’t
stealing your business. Customers are
choosing to go elsewhere to spend their
dollars because they are choosing to
have that experience instead of yours.
There are various reasons this could
be happening. Maybe they had a poor
experience at your establishment due to
food, service or whatever. Maybe a new
place opened closer to them. Maybe they
like the TV or music situation better
somewhere else. Maybe they don’t want
their eardrums blown out when they’re
having a drink with friends.
These business owners really have
two choices: adapt to changing tastes or
get out of the business.
These are just two examples of the
changing demographics in Soulard
that residents and visitors alike need to
adapt to in order for us all to succeed. I
am hopeful that we all can agree that we
want everyone’s voices to be heard.
I urge you to make a concentrated
effort to really listen to an individual
who may be on the other side of the
fence from your way of thinking. A
neighborhood is only as strong as its
neighbors. Working together, we all can
be happy and successful.
Thanks for reading. Stay fly, Islanders.
CONTACT TAMMY TODAY! 314.644.2501
Advertising deadline for the Parlour Tour issue is Nov. 14.
www.soulard.org
Photo by Julie Price
Joe Denten, Maureen Parry, Beth Bennett, Linda Kurdi, Barb Marlinghaus and
Luann Denten enjoy a game of Sequence at Potluck in the Park.
Clem’s
sold the bar to Jim Briscoe, Reed and
Kelly. Thomas died in 1997.
One Clementine’s employee told
Boom magazine that the sale will be
final on Oct. 15 and the new owners will
be taking the bar in a direction.
This location, 2001 Menard St., has
been an important spot for Mardi Gras
in Soulard. The High-Heeled Drag Race
is held annually in front of Clem’s on
Mardi Gras Grand Parade Day. The bar’s
parking lot hosts registration for the
Mardi Gras Pet Parade each year, and
an STL250 birthday cake showcasing
the Pet Parade sits in front of Clem’s.
With all of its historical significance,
Clementine’s holds a special place in the
hearts of many St. Louisans, past and
present. Steve Potter of St. Louis Public
Radio shared his own thoughts on the
closing and how Clementine’s fit into his
life. The Vital Voice has been gathering
quotes from Clem’s aficionados on its
website. Feelings range from anger at
the owners for selling to someone who
will change the bar, to promiscuous
stories not fit to be told here, to a story
of a drag queen entombed in the wall
to “Fading Flowers” coming to the
realization that things change.
Goodbye, Gary and Jan. Goodbye,
Soulard’s Rose. You lived your life like a
candle in the wind. Your candle burned
out long before your legend ever will.
Goodbye, Clementine’s. Garden Co-Op Fundraiser an End-of-Summer Success
Photo by Jackie Parker / Renaissance
Sight ’ems at the Soulard Garden
Co-op party/fundraiser included
Alderman Phyllis Young, Linda
Pilcher, Marilee Keys, Maureen
Parry and Mary Sheridan. All are
members of the co-op.
The Sept. 19 garden party was
well attended by co-op members
and neighbors alike. The event
featured raffles, music by Jay
Morris and tasty grilled sliders from
Chef Michael Pastore and David
Cornelius. The money raised will go
toward projects and needed repairs
at the garden, located at South 9th
Street, between Barton and Lami
streets.
10/1/14 7:10 PM
Change
features: space and invention. There was
space to build new stuff and out-of-thebox ideas to try. Plus, all of these cities
have public transit.
Enter St. Louis at a critical time in its
history.
Protests and civil disobedience this
summer in Ferguson over the shooting
death of Michael Brown might lead to
some very positive solutions to problems
that have plagued St. Louis for decades.
This city cannot rebound without the
contributions and ideas of its AfricanAmerican citizens. This accounting
of facts and anecdotes intends to
challenge the St. Louis mentality that
says, “Nothing can be done about it,” to
become “Let’s put our collective talent
together in order to provide solutions.”
All the great cities have changed in
innumerable ways from 1900 to 2014.
Washington D.C., New York and Los
Angeles have fortified their claim
on significance through population
growth, political punch and financial
power. Others such as Dallas, Atlanta
and San Jose, Calif., have risen from
second-team status to international
prominence through educated labor
pools, affordable housing and major
investment, mostly since the 1960s.
Many facts point to St. Louis’ demise
from the ranks of the mighty. We were
the nation’s fourth-largest city in 1900,
the eighth-largest in 1950 and, now at
the mid-point of the census cycle, we
are ranked No. 58. A movement in the
1870s and ’80s proposed to move the
U.S. capital to St. Louis because of its
central location. The old City Directory
listed St. Louis as the 11th-largest city
in the world in the 1890s. False on the
face of it.
St. Louis, Cincinnati, Detroit and
New Orleans are cities that have
become casebook examples of decay
caused by the new economics in the
late 20th century. These cities are
very similar in population loss and
the relocation or closure of major
employers. In St. Louis, just think of the
garment, shoe and the manufacturing
industry, which includes automobiles
and streetcars. All over St. Louis these
employers were cheek-and-jowl within
the neighborhoods. People walked to
work or rode a streetcar.
This was true until a colossal reversal
of urban philosophy took place in the
decades after World War II. President
Dwight Eisenhower wanted the nation
to be connected by the interstate
highway system. Who prospered with
that idea? Big oil, Detroit (but not
permanently), road builders, shopping
center developers and all the other
businesses centered on the automobile.
Who lost? The inner cities. The
highway system took people away from
each other and depersonalized the very
fabric of association with neighbors.
Is it possible for a city and its
inhabitants to cause and create positive
change?
Examples cited above tell us that yes,
it is possible, including:
• In
St. Louis, developer Paul
McKee should be able to create
a transcending difference in Old
North. Let him get started.
Photo by Roger Power / Renaissance
Acres of open space at South 3rd Street and Lafayette Avenue in Kosciusko could
be made into residential property through inventive construction, perhaps using
shipping containers that could be offered to qualified first-time buyers to become
homeowners.
• In east Soulard, a.k.a., Kosciusko,
build new housing from container cars
that are sitting around every rail yard
in the country. Young people could
afford this style of living and move
there in droves, bringing imagination
and energy with them into a peoplestarved area of downtown.
• In the Greater Ville, inspire the area
with in-fill housing and retail and
at the same time open schools with
curricula that train young blacks in
the technology and language of future
employment.
Political leaders in St. Louis have long
talked of progress and change, but very
little evidence of their words have turned
into streets full of prosperous residents
trading at local merchants, which is
exactly how you build community.
The Ferguson incident is a door that
can either lead to more of the same for
the indefinite future or be the catalyst
moment when all St. Louisans begin to
realize that the city can be great again
when all members of our community
have similar aspirations and similar
possibilities. Can you imagine a St.
Louis where Monsanto, Emerson,
Express Scripts and Brown Shoe build
their facilities in Dutchtown or Soulard
or on North Broadway?
Roger Power is a five-year resident of
Soulard. Born in St. Louis, he returned
to live here after a 50-plus–year absence
and has lived in California, New York
and the nation’s capital. Power’s mother
grew up in Soulard in the 1920s.
10/1/14 7:10 PM
Marybeth Bradford Wallace
Selling all of St. Louis & Surrounding Counties
24/7 Real Estate Agent with 27 Years of Experience
SEPTEMBER UPDATES
COMING SOON IN SOULARD
2018 Menard Avenue
$225,000
Sharp updated town home
with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths
and off street parking.
SOLD TO BUYERS
2710 South 13th – Soulard
2711 Geyer Avenue – Soulard
42 Kassebaum – South County
SOLD
927 Ann Avenue – Soulard
7011 Broken Oak – South County
3539 Halliday – Tower Grove East
6622 Pernod Avenue – South City
6236 Twin Springs – Cedar Hill
UNDER CONTRACT
2940 Mid Course – South County
12 Hidden Springs Ct. – St. Charles
Lot 56 Boulder Ridge – Wentzville
Realty Executives of St. Louis
314.759.9100 {office} • 314.550.7250 {cell}
mbstlhomes.com {website} • [email protected] {email}
10/1/14 7:10 PM

Soulard renaiSSance

Transcription

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