Blogs

Not totally satisfied with your weekend itinerary? Never fear, Go! is here! This regular feature highlights everything from rock shows to art openings, from delicious dishes to hidden-gem hangouts.

Friday, 2/29

Be a Good Sport: Strength and agility will help you in any sport, though not so much in sports trivia. Alison Sieloff points out where you can hit a homerun by flexing your brainpower this evening.

Corpse Pride: The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (3750 Washington Boulevard; 314-535-4660) resurrects the exquisite corpse, a favorite parlor game of yore, from 6 to 8 p.m. At no cost, take part in the teamwork and the beautiful randomness when groups construct art and wonder on life-size composition boards. While collaborating with others on your masterpiece, music from artists inspired by exquisite corpse will get those creative juices flowing, as will the complimentary round of drinks provided by the museum.

Funny Ha-Ha: Need a good, hearty laugh? Local comedy group the Fingerbreaker Brothers teams up with sketch group OneTwoThree for two shows (at 8 and 10 p.m.) at the Focal Point (2720 Sutton Boulevard, Maplewood; 314-781-4200). Described as "the Smothers Brothers meets Robot Chicken," the Fingerbreaker Brothers garner the giggles with sitcom-like sketch comedy. Watch a promotional video for their performance here. The three-member, Chicago-based OneTwoThree (seen here) has been performing sketch comedy since 2005. Tickets, available at the door, cost $10.

Saturday, 3/1

Ambassador of Art: Arrive at the Belas Artes Multicultural Center & Art Gallery (1854 Russell Boulevard; 314-772-2787) at 10:30 a.m., and be wowed by the vivid colors and powerful images in Ibiyinka Olufemi Alao's contemporary African artwork. Hear the Nigerian award-winning art ambassador speak about his work and exhibition True Visions of Color, which will be on display at the gallery through Friday, March 7. The lecture and exhibit are free.

The Bald and the Beautiful: Shooting a bald eagle is against the law, but what about dressing like one? Before Alison Sieloff took off to get fitted for faux-feather slacks, she posted a note about Bald Eagle Day for you right here.

The Jig Is Up: An Irish dance performance based on the work of a couples' therapist? Now, this you gotta see! Knots explores the complexities of relationships between man and wife through riveting contemporary dance. CoisCéim, a leading dance company in Ireland, brings this rainbow of emotion to Washington University's Edison Theatre (6445 Forsyth Boulevard; 314-935-6543) tonight at 8 p.m. Call the theater or visit MetroTix to buy a ticket, priced at $18 to $30.

Sunday, 3/1

Driver, You Crazy!: The little ones weren't allowed to view the potty-mouthed puppetry of Avenue Q for obvious reasons. But now, there's a new show you and the younger set will enjoy: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Part of the COCA Family Theatre Series, the children's book adaptation was created to give three- to six-year-olds a taste of live theater along with their parents. Enjoy either (or both!) of the two performances today at 1 and 3:30 p.m. at the Center of Creative Arts (524 Trinity Avenue, University City; 314-725-6555). Buy $12-to-$14 tickets through MetroTix or by calling the COCA box office (314-725-1834, extension 124).

All You Need: When a young couple struggles to conceive their own bundle of joy, everyone wants to give them a helping hand in Real Love. Click here to learn more about this baby-making comedy.

Hockey-Fan Heaven: The crowd roars as you glide across the ice, only moments away from a Stanley Cup win with the Blues. If you've always daydreamed of playing in the big game with our local hockey team, today might be the day you get to play, well, a game with them. Race to Side Pockets (1439 Bass Pro Drive, St. Charles; 636-724-9300) for Dream Night from 4 to 7 p.m., and challenge members of the Blues to a super-serious game of foosball or air hockey for a small donation. Not up for it? Just come for the autographs and photo ops then. Advanced tickets run from $10 to $15, and $20 ($10 for kids) at the door. All proceeds go to Dream Factory, a nonprofit organization that helps make wishes come true for ill children. For more information call 314-589-5998.

-Jeanette Kozlowski

Say what you want about the King of Beers. When it comes to making quirky, attention-grabbing advertisements, the folks at Anheuser-Busch know few bounds.

Like, have you seen the Bud Light commercial entitled "Cut the Cheese" that’s making the rounds online? The one the Federal Communications Commission ostensibly banned from this year’s Super Bowl? Since yesterday the ad has garnered more than 8,500 hits on the popular sports blog Deadspin, which -- like other media -- reports that that the commercial was too risqué for television screeners. (Deadspin in turn credits BostonSportz for getting there first.)

Not true, according to A-B’s vice-president of brand management, Keith Levy. “Bud Light’s 'Cut the Cheese' spot was not banned by the FCC and was never intended for TV,” says Levy in a statement to the RFT. “The spot was created as an Internet-only ad and was made available online at budbowl.com to adult consumers who participated in Bud Light’s Super Bowl ad mobile-phone voting campaign.”

The brewery did the same thing last year with an online-only ad titled "Apology Bot."

Okay, now that we got that cleared up, you can check out the “banned” commercial below. Umm, Buttweiser anyone?

Psssst! Here’s a “bonus feature” of our own. The following commercial aired in the U.K. in 2006. Same oeuvre as the Bud Light ad, with a slightly different odour, as the Brits would say. Watch out for the brown trout.

-Chad Garrison

Here's a clip of Dick Gregory speaking at the State of the Black Union forum this past weekend in New Orleans.

Brilliant.

Remember the great St. Louis Cardinals World Series/St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department scandal of 2007? I broke news of the department's internal affairs investigation into the matter here on STLog back in March of '07.

Well, it's back, thanks to St. Louis attorney Albert Watkins, who frequently goes to bat for the blue shirts of the department. Watkins issued the following press release today:

Police officers involved in the 2006 World Series ticket use inquiry have directed the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to cease its unilateral delay in the production of records sought by subpoenas issued by the State's Director of the Department of Public Safety.

The eight officers, seven of whom remain active with the City's police department, learned late last week that the State's POST Commission had for over a year been seeking the Police Department's files on the World Series ticket use investigation but the City Police Department had failed to release the requested records. "The officers are shocked and disappointed that anything less than full and timely cooperation has been demonstrated by the police department and cannot understand the rationale for the secretive delay," said Albert S. Watkins, legal counsel for the officers.

"The officers involved have previously acknowledged their role in the incident and accepted their discipline. They want nothing more than to demonstrate a continuing commitment to transparency and cooperation with the POST Commission," added Watkins.

The POST Commission (Missouri Peace Officer Standards and Training Program) is a regulatory agency that is responsible for licensure of peace officers.

Watkins also sent along a copy of one of the subpoenas, sent to Captain John Hayden (click to download in pdf form), commander of the city department's Internal Affairs Division. The POST Commission basically wants any and all records related to the IA investigation. More, certainly, to come...

-Kristen Hinman

Here's the scoop from Matt Leach at mlb.com.

The Post-Dispatch has a story, of course, but they never link to us, so why should we link to them?

The kicker to Leach's story:

[St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony] La Russa, who said he hadn't talked to Spiezio since learning of the arrest warrant, said news of the allegation wasn't a complete surprise.

"I had heard there was an incident in California, but I didn't think anything would come of it," La Russa said.

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but the Spiezio debacle sheds a new light on the Cardinals' seemingly counterintuitive decision in early January to re-sign utility infielder Aaron Miles.

It was odd, in that the team seemed to have enough infielder-types going into the spring, and that they'd opted not to tender Miles a contract offer in December, making him a free agent. Then they turned around and signed him for $1.4 million.

That move was decried by sabermetricians all over Cardinal Nation. Larry Borowsky, who operates Viva El Birdos, which for my money is the best Redbirds blogs out there -- and one of the best baseball blogs, period -- surely spoke for many on that fateful day.

(Though not for me. I like Miles. I'll concede his defense doesn't hold up to statistical analysis, and that the same goes for his bat. I like the guy's attitude, though, and I like being able to point him out to my kids as an overachiever who makes his bones the hard way. God forbid there turns out to be a warrant out for his arrest.)

Here's what the Post's Derrick Goold wrote about the signing:

"The way we are set up now, we're fully protected in the infield," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. "You look at the need we had, and there's a comfort level with Miles. ... He gives us added flexibility."

Miles provides depth at both middle infield positions and may be the answer if questions arise with [second baseman Adam] Kennedy, [shortstop Cesar] Izturis or switch-hitter Scott Spiezio, who missed more than a month last season in rehab for substance abuse.

The club also has Brendan Ryan, a young shortstop who turned in a solid performance when called up from the minors late last year.

Also, a few weeks ago Post columnist Bernie Miklasz noted that La Russa had "called out" Spiezio for being late to the team's annual Winter Warm-Up event.

I'm just sayin.'

-Tom Finkel

Every once in a while I get an e-mail I feel compelled to share.

Like the one I've pasted in after the jump, sent to me from Amy Stallard, who works for American Apparel. As you'll see, the LA-based clothing manufacturer/retailer, which recently went public, is considering a move into the St. Louis market and looking at targeting one of three potential sites. The first two are predictable, the third, not so much:

The Galleria in Richmond Heights
Westfield West County in Des Peres
The Delmar Loop in University City

Amy Stallard wrote to ask whether a Loop location makes sense to little ol' moi.

It's a good question, really. To begin with, it says something about the Loop's progress and potential -- and, for that matter, about American Apparel's -- that a clothing chain might be seriously considering a move here. (For the benefit of those who think Riverfront Times is located literally on the banks of the Mississippi, the paper moved from downtown St. Louis to our current location, on Delmar above the Tivoli Theatre, a decade ago.)

The Loop has become home to quite a few chains in recent years. Let's see... Bread Co., Starbucks, Ben & Jerry's, Cold Stone Creamery, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Jimmy John's, the local chain Crazy Bowls and Wraps (not to mention ostensibly incoming-from-Colorado twins Noodles & Company and Chipotle Mexican Grill), Blockbuster Video, Game Crazy, U.S. Cellular and T-Mobile. Among them, though, if memory serves, only one clothing chain has reared an outpost: Foot Locker.

As has been documented in the pages of RFT, the chains make many local -- as in homegrown, non-chain -- merchants nervous. They're a threat to business, and, potentially, insidiously worse.

"You have to wonder whether we've reached a tipping point now -- that we've diluted the characteristics that make the Loop a unique destination," Andy Ayers, owner of Riddles Penultimate Café & Wine Bar, told Ellis Conklin last spring. "We're getting to the point where people will say, 'We might as well stay in Fenton or Creve Coeur or Chesterfield,' because we won't be any different than they are."

Ayers, one of the most thoughtful, articulate, all-around good guys you could ever want to meet, wasn't alone. All of the Loop merchants Conklin spoke with were leery of chains. The article itself was occasioned by an initiative to pass an ordinance in University City that would limit the number of national chains that could open in the Loop and put a cap on how much square footage any one of them could legally occupy. Not surprisingly, the proposal didn't sit well with local landlords.

In the end, property owners agreed in principle that the Loop needs to retain its unique character and everyone went their separate ways without getting city government involved.

For now, anyway. You can be sure that as the ratio of independents to chains creeps downward, the issue will arise again.

I grew up in the Loop; I remember when it was home to two locally owned grocery stores, a hardware store, a kids' shoe store, an independent bookstore, a family-owned Chinese restaurant and, yes, a Dairy Queen. (And not a single bar!) Since then I've lived a lot of different places. My last stop before moving back to St. Louis was St. Paul, Minnesota, where I lived in a revitalized neighborhood not unlike the Loop, about five short blocks from a street not unlike Delmar Boulevard.

That street, Grand Avenue, had been somewhat of an urban train wreck for decades, but now chains and independent merchants coexist there. What chains? J. Crew, Patagonia, Restoration Hardware, California Closets, Bruegger's Bagels, Caribou Coffee, Starbucks, Chipotle, Pizza Hut, Penzey's Spices....

The hand-wringing that has gone on in St. Paul echoes what's transpiring in the Loop. Witness this story on Grand Avenue that aired on Minnesota Public Radio a year or so ago:

During the 1970s and '80s a series of quirky and charming shops and restaurants began sprouting among the avenue's houses, apartments and offices in a way that produced an urban diversity unmatched in any mall. As the avenue became a destination, it wrestled with typical problems of traffic congestion and a shortage of parking. But recently neighbors have raised their voices about what they see as a deeper threat....

So what am I gonna tell Amy Stallard?

Nothing.

I'd just as soon not set foot in about 90 percent of the chains currently doing business in the Loop. But that's because in most cases I have no use for them. So I'm inclined to believe the free market will be able to figure this out. (Plus, if I tell American Apparel where to go and they go there and it doesn't work out for 'em, I won't be able to live with myself.)

Here's the thing, though: Amy is interested in input from any "interested locals." If you want to contribute to the dialogue, by all means do so -- I suggest you do it the polite way, via e-mail: amystallard@americanapparel.net -- and, while you're at it, copy and paste your two cents into the comments thread for this post.

If you want to do a little research first, by all means check out American Apparel's Web site, which links to all sorts of positive press, as well as the titillating imagery the company is so proud of/notorious for. You might also peruse this New York Times Magazine profile of founder and CEO Dov Charney, which discusses at length the company's "sexualized workplace environment" and rehashes Charney's penchant for, uh, "self-pleasure," while in the presence of a reporter from Jane magazine.

You can download the "beating off for the reporter" Jane story as a pdf here. And you can read Amy's e-mail after the jump.

-Tom Finkel

Here's a link to the Orange County Superior Court Web page that details the charges against St. Louis Cardinals utilityman Scott Spiezio in connection with his alleged DUI in December.

As the courts in OC see it, Speez is a fugitive.

Also, here's two relevant paragraphs from a statement from the Orange County District Attorney's Office:

At approximately 12:20 a.m. on December 30, 2007, Spiezio is accused of leaving a bar in Newport Beach after spending the evening drinking several vodka drinks. He is accused of getting into his 2004 BMW and attempting to drive home while under the influence of alcohol. Spiezio is accused of speeding, cutting across several lanes, crossing through the oncoming traffic lanes, driving over a curb, and crashing into a fence. The crash knocked down a fence pole and blew out the front two tires of the car. Spiezio is accused of getting out of the car and fleeing the scene on foot.

The defendant is accused of running to his Irvine condominium complex and going to a friend’s condo, who lived in the same complex. While his friend attempted to clean up the defendant, Spiezio is accused of vomiting in his friend’s room. When the friend made a comment about the vomit, Spiezio is accused of becoming angry and attacking his friend, punching him repeatedly and throwing him against a wall.

Another spring, another booze-related Cardinals train wreck?

From the Associated Press:

An arrest warrant has been issued by the Irvine Police Department for St. Louis Cardinals utilityman Scott Spiezio on six charges stemming from a crash in late December.

CNN/SI

The warrant alleges driving under influence, driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or more, hit and run, aggravated assault, assault and battery.

According to the story, after the hard-rocking Redbird, who underwent treatment for substance abuse last summer, crashed his 2004 BMW and ran from the scene, a neighbor reportedly told police that "Spiezio had arrived home appearing disheveled and apparently injured. Spiezio vomited in his condo and then allegedly assaulted the neighbor, causing significant injuries."

The AP story can be found here.

Mary Sansalone, the embattled dean of Washington University's School of Engineering, announced this afternoon that she will step down from her position at the end of the current academic year.

As I reported last week, Wash. U.'s administration had vowed, in the face of petitions from faculty and alumni calling for Sansalone's ouster, to stand behind the dean. According to a statement the university's communications office released this afternoon, Sansalone resigned voluntarily and plans to remain at the school and "devote herself to teaching, research and other forms of University service."

Sansalone, 48, has been a controversial figure at Wash. U. since she arrived in the summer of 2006. Presented with the task of pulling the engineering school out of a financial crisis, she cut costs by streamlining programs and eliminating jobs. Faculty and students protested that the firings were unjust and that Sansalone's new budget did not leave enough funding for research, which caused at least one graduate student to leave Wash. U.

Last August 40 faculty members signed a petition demanding Sansalone's removal. Two weeks ago alumni signed another petition threatening to withhold all future donations until Sansalone was gone. The petition alleged, among other things:

* that Sansalone "unilaterally slashed curriculum" and merged several departments within the school without faculty approval;

* that a technical-writing instructor who had been formally reprimanded by Sansalone "must now earn a master's degree in a subject of the dean's choosing" in order to keep her job;

* and that "the dean and her staff filled six dumpsters with much of the history of the School of Engineering," including alumni records.

Wash. U. spokesman Fred Volkmann says he "can't imagine [the alumni petition] would have any affect" on donations.

-Aimee Levitt

Kansas City’s NBC affiliate took hidden cameras into Milestone Christian Academy, the new school that hoped to become a hoops powerhouse, and which drew from KC and St. Louis schools. Regina Taylor Gilbert, mother of former Career Academy and Vashon High School player Marcel Taylor-Smith, sent me the story this morning.

NBC got a look at e-mails from Milestone coach/pastor/principal Peter Flournoy to Regina Gilbert in which he apparently promised to pay Gilbert’s rent, utilities and groceries, and get her a job.

Meanwhile, Second Mile Ministries, which started the school, has suspended Flournoy after learning about his outstanding warrants for bad checks. Here’s a statement from Second Mile:

Having discovered there were misdemeanor warrants in Peter Flournoy's past in Etowah County, Alabama for insufficient checks outstanding, the Second Mile board has taken the following action. Because part of the mission of the church of Jesus Christ is to be redemptive, Mr. Flournoy will be given 90 days to take care of all his outstanding warrants and insufficient checks in Texas and Alabama. During this time, he will [be] suspended as Principal of Milestone Christian Academy. He will be retained as boys basketball coach and will assist in teaching responsibilities.

At the end of 90 days, if Mr. Flournoy has not taken care of his outstanding warrants and insufficient checks, he will be dismissed from the staff of Milestone Christian Academy.

C. Michael Bobbitt, Director
Second Mile Ministries

I did find out that the Kansas City Star will be publishing a related investigative story, but the reporter told me the paper hasn’t yet set a run date.

-Kristen Hinman

My article “Hoop Raiders, Part 2” came out Thursday, and has apparently already reached basketball families in Kansas City. Today I heard from the parents of two former Milestone Christian Academy players, each of whom wanted to share a laundry list of complaints about the school. Their kids, Willie Reed and Cortez Barrett, are two of the ten varsity basketball players that recently transferred out of Milestone.

Reed, who is six-foot-eleven and has signed to play for the Saint Louis University Billikens next year, attended Milestone for one semester before returning last month to Bishop Miege High School. Barrett, a junior, attended Milestone from January through December 2007 and now goes to Center Senior High, a Kansas City public school.

Reed’s dad, Will Reed Sr., says his son didn’t play basketball this past semester at Bishop Miege in order to focus on academics and maintain his NCAA eligibility. Barrett’s mom, Lynn Richard, says her son is currently ineligible but that she is hoping to get that ruling reversed by next fall.

As I understand it, a sports reporter for the Kansas City Star will soon publish an investigative article about Milestone. I've left messages with the reporter but haven’t heard back with confirmation of the story, or when it will appear.

Until I do, I’m going to hold off on looking into the allegations levied by Lynn Richard and Will Reed Sr. As it is, Milestone’s coach/pastor/principal, Peter Flournoy, still has not returned repeated messages that I left for him last week. SLU assistant basketball coach Angres Thorpe also did not get back to me about Reed’s status.

Milestone is still open. But as I was looking around on the Web for more info last week, I noticed that its Web site is shut down. For some reason, I can’t find the cached version either. On YouTube I came across this “testimony” video (in which Cortez Barrett appears) from last school year, as well as this promo video, also from last year. Here’s one that apparently takes a look inside the school.

I’ll post again and link to the Star article if and when it appears.

-Kristen Hinman

Steve Patterson, a prolific urban-planning blogger, is recovering from a stroke. Patterson, who's 40 years old, suffered the stroke while at home in his Locust Street loft on February 1. He didn't make it to the hospital until fourteen hours later; a friend who'd been trying to reach him suspected something was wrong when he didn't return her calls and let herself into his apartment.

Despite the circumstances, Patterson emerged from the stroke with his ever-opinionated mind intact, says friend Dustin Bopp. "It's my opinion, he has 100 percent of his cognitive function," Bopp says. "We've never been given anything other than the optimistic outlook," he adds.

After three weeks in intensive care at SLU Hospital, Patterson moves this weekend to a rehabilitation facility. A rotund man, Patterson in the past year has admonished himself to bike, rather than scooter, around town. He's certainly weak, Bopp says, but "there won't be much keeping him down."

In the meantime, Bopp, an architect, is soliciting guest entries for the blog Urban Review STL. Patterson, a realtor, writes with such verve about curb cuts and chain restaurants -- and their effect on the vitality of St. Louis neighborhoods -- that he has attracted a following of equally passionate professionals, as well as those of us who just live here. Riverfront Times recognized Urban Review STL as Best Civic-Minded Blog in 2005 and Patterson as Best Gadfly in 2006.

Coincidentally, one of Patterson's most recent entries was an update on a hot topic from 2006, the fate of a drive-through McDonald's at Grand and Chippewa. Facing major opposition (spearheaded by Patterson), the people who wanted to relocate the restaurant pulled out, and now a payday-loan company is thinking about moving in. Patterson's January 31 blog entry sparked a 58-comment debate about whether the city should try to counter the market forces at work.

-Kathleen McLaughlin

Not totally satisfied with your weekend itinerary? Never fear, Go! is here! This regular feature highlights everything from rock shows to art openings, from delicious dishes to hidden-gem hangouts.

Friday, 2/22

The Great Landscape: Give thought to the magnificent natural scenery of the world by checking out the work of landscape artist Ellen Glasgow. Her new solo exhibit, Reflections, opens with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight at the Atrium Gallery (4729 McPherson Avenue; 314-367-1076), and the show remains up through Saturday, March 29. This exhibition features oil paintings the western Kentucky native calls “meditations rather than records of the world as it is.” The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Like Clockwork: A Stanley Kubrick film usually falls into one of two categories: It’s gonna be really freaking weird, or it’s gonna be completely mind-blowing. See for yourself during the Ethical Society of St. Louis’ film series honoring the late Kubrick. Like to know more? Mark Fischer has all the answers.

Got It Covered: The first party of its kind at F15teen (1900 Locust Avenue; 314-588-8899), Masquerade lets you shield your true identity. That is, until someone bumps you, and the mask falls onto the floor. Focus on the positive though: a chance to finally rock that Phantom of the Opera look without feeling like a weirdo. Doors open at 9 p.m., there’s no cover, and valet parking is $5 (but there’s free parking about a block away). Haven’t got a mask? No worries -- there will be extras at the party provided by F15teen.

Saturday, 2/23

Hug a Pug: Mike was the nicest pug we ever met. With his curly tail and googly eyes, he’d sit on our lap and stare at us as if he’d never seen a human before. Plenty of pugs like Mike are just as cute, but they need more than a bit of affection to get by. That’s where Southeast Pug Rescue & Adoption, Inc. comes in. Unfortunately, the group didn’t raise enough funds at the last event, so SEPRA is scratching at the door again offering to wash your pets for $10 today from noon to 4 p.m. at Pets in the City (1919 South 12^th Street; 314-772-7387). After doing his or her business outside in this slushy weather, you know your pet needs a nice scrub.

If This Hoo-ha Could Talk: Alison Sieloff is right -- we never refer to a certain womanly part by its proper name. Thank goodness The Vagina Monologues sets the record straight in a one-off performance at the Center of Creative Arts. Find more details on the event right here.

Just Because: With so many people stomping around to find a cure, it’s about time they returned to square one. To do so, money must be raised, and parties must be thrown, much like Back to the Cause’s Preview Party at Mike Shannon’s Steaks & Seafood (620 Market Street; 314-421-1540). An 8-p.m.-to-midnight free rendezvous has vintage everything -- a 1981 DeLorean, retro trivia, Dr. Zhivegas. And as if all that wasn’t enough, there will also be cheese samples from Swiss American. Don’t worry, the cheese isn’t actually from the ’80s.

Sunday, 2/24

Green Beings: If you see frequent contributions to your compost heap and recycling bin as merely small steps, learn how to shrink your ecological footprint even more at the Healthy Planet Natural Living Expo. Admission is $5 for a day jam-packed with giveaways, health screenings and Earth-conscious decision-making. Arrive at 10 a.m. to be one of 200 who will receive a free Whole Foods Market shopping bag, and stick around for a live Native American flute performance. It all happens at the Webster Groves Recreation Complex (33 East Glendale Road; 314-963-5600); for more information call 314-962-7748.

Worlds of Fun: Been meaning to travel and have neither the time nor the money? Trek a short distance to the Maryland Heights Centre (2344 McKelvey Road; 314-434-1919) for Celebrate the World. In its seventh year, this free international festival includes fun from Peru, Ireland, Greece, Argentina, China, India, Mexico and several African countries, with a special spotlight on Japan this year. From noon to 5 p.m., immerse yourself in food, crafts, music and dance by taking in performances courtesy of the St. Louis Osuwa Taiko drummers, Gene Dobbs Bradford and the Blues Inquisition, El Caribe Tropical (a Latin orchestra), African dance group Mama Fatou, Irish Xiles, and many more.

Little Bald Men: Usually disrobed bald men garner little attention (unless you’re Michael Chiklis). One night of the year, though, the statues of small men reign supreme. To celebrate this wondrous occasion, Cinema St. Louis hosts its Oscar Night America soiree. Alison opens the envelope for more details here.

-Jeanette Kozlowski