Weekend plans aren't hard to come by in St. Louis, as there is a wide range of activities happening once more. Geek out at the Fan EXPO, featuring a host of Sci-Fi favorites and more, or take the family to Eckert's Farms for their Strawberry Festival. If you're looking for something more rare, you'll have to plan a trip to Elephant Rocks State Park to view the pending Blood Moon on Sunday.
In case you missed it, the moon is going to be blood red on Sunday. No, it’s not apocalyptic (although, with the current state of affairs in the world, it might feel like it) — it’s just a lunar eclipse. And if you’re bombarded with city lights or other pollution that may block your view of the rare occasion, you don’t have to miss out.
Tasha Smith had a brilliant way to get people into Burger 809 (1821 Cherokee Street, 314-899-5959), her Cherokee Street brick and mortar. On days she cooked her jalapeño bacon jam, she'd prop open the front door so the entire area would be filled with the rich smell of sweet smoke.
The Dark Room (3610 Grandel Square, 314-710-5643), St. Louis' premier destination for jazzy acts and tasty cocktails, is once again opening its doors next month for a slate of shows. June's roster includes performances by electro-acoustic trio Vehachi, funk/soul act the Grooveliner and saxophonist Kelvin Evans, among others. Tickets for each show range from $10 to $25 and can be purchased at metrotix.com.
Pas Musique w/
18andCounting, The Brutal Art of Stabbing, Sun Castle New York's Pas Musique's self-described "electroacoustic frequencies for your inner mind" are self-explanatory, especially since the legendary project's approach to electronic music can be as abstract as they come.
New data compiled by the RFT shows that St. Charles County first responders have deployed on average more than 800 doses of Narcan per year for the past five years. Narcan is an "opioid antagonist" nasal spray that reverses an opioid overdose. It stops the depression of respiratory function brought on by drugs such as Fentanyl and brings the overdosing person back to consciousness.
Alderman John Collins-Muhammad resigned from the St. Louis Board of Aldermen today. Collins-Muhammad announced his departure by posting to social media a resignation email he sent to Board President Lewis Reed.
Dozens of residents raised a stink at an Olivette City Council meeting Tuesday night over a special-use permit being considered for a medical-marijuana cultivation and product manufacturing facility. They worry the facility, owned by Proper Cannabis, would bring an unpleasant “skunk” odor to the neighborhood. “It’s a fairly quiet community, we enjoy time outside,” Christina Hansen, an Olivette resident since 2007.
Last week, Justice Alito’s leaked opinion confirmed my worst fears: The Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey without regard for the dignity, health, safety or even lives of pregnant people. If this decision is formalized, anti-abortion extremists in Missouri will push to criminalize pregnant people and those who support them.
The Central West End will soon have a new lounge and events space courtesy of a beloved neighborhood brand. Maryland House (44 Maryland Plaza), by the team behind Brennan's, will open this fall on Maryland Plaza in the former Mandarin Lounge. It's a new venue that should look a little familiar to veteran Central West End bar-goers who patronized the original Brennan's location from 2005-2020.
As the weather heats up, so do this summer's music festival announcements. Twangfest — a grassroots music festival featuring genres such as Americana, pop and rock — will return after a two-year hiatus brought on by the pandemic with four days of music. Once produced by the community radio station KDHX, the fest now operates independently as a nonprofit organization with sponsorship from Urban Chestnut Brewing Company.
The South Grand restaurant scene is about to get even more vibrant thanks to three well-regarded industry players. Salve Osteria (3200 South Grand Boulevard), a new restaurant from Natasha Bahrami, Michael Fricker and Matt Wynn, will bring an Italian, Spanish and Mediterranean-inspired menu to the restaurant space formerly occupied by Cafe Natasha's. The new restaurant will serve as a culinary complement to the Gin Room, which will continue operating in the space, creating an immersive food and beverage experience grounded in genuine hospitality.
Yesterday in federal court, St. Louis County resident Tawonna Ellis was charged with one count of wire fraud for fraudulently applying for and receiving $20,832 through the Paycheck Protection Program for a retail business that does not actually exist. According to her indictment, in April 2021 Ellis submitted a PPP loan application that stated she ran a "merchandise-retail business" that did $100,000 in gross revenue in 2020. The indictment states that Ellis "created the fictitious sole proprietorship for the purpose of receiving a PPP loan."
With the early afternoon sun high in the sky, the temperature hit 81 degrees, and Kim had unzipped every opening in her tent, trying to let in as much breeze as possible. Kim, 54, is one of about twenty people living in tents alongside the River Des Peres near Gravois Road. Many residents and nearby business owners are unhappy about the so-called "River Des Peres tent city," telling the RFT it's bad for business and makes the area unwelcoming.
When the text came in, Sara Richter was chilling, watching American Idol with her family in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. “Is this real?” she recalls thinking. But then, Richter, 21, and a student at Mizzou, realized she had the same message on her SnapChat.
School is almost out for summer, but that’s not about to stop 9 Mile Garden (9375 Gravois Road, 314-390-2806) from calling class into session. The food truck garden is introducing Beer College, an event that shows the intricacies behind turning the tap on and letting the beer flow. Local craft brewers come out and encourage students to hit the books, or at least try samples of their beers to get a taste of just what goes into making one of St. Louis’ favorite beverages.
He liked to call himself the “Grim Reaper of Radio” but now the Grim Reaper has come for him. Local radio host Bob Romanik died on Saturday at his home in Belleville, Illinois. (Is that why the sun was shining and the birds were singing all weekend?)
The Post-Dispatch announced this weekend that it will end arts reviews because the articles do not get enough traffic online. William Roth, artistic director for St. Louis Actors' Studio shared the news on his Facebook page. The quote comes from an email from the Post-Dispatch.
Front and center news this past week was a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court of the United States that could overturn Roe v. Wade. Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of the draft but noted that the opinion isn’t the final ruling of the court. Nevertheless, the opinion throws out more questions than answers: What does a post-Roe Missouri look like?
Ask any pro-choice advocate if they were surprised by the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade, and they’ll most likely say no. Pamela Merritt, executive director of Medical Students for Choice and an abortion rights advocate, began to “mourn the loss of Roe immediately following the election of Donald Trump.” Dr. Erin King — executive director of the Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, Illinois — says access to abortion has been nearly nonexistent for years, even without a Supreme Court ruling. For decades, the state’s predominantly conservative legislature has dissolved the state’s pool of abortion providers.
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