CNSTC: November 2, 2022

Hope for the holidays

A Fort Zumwalt School District history teacher writes a book for teens about finding meaning during the advent season

By Brett Auten

Just in time for the holidays, a local au thor has penned a young adult novel based around an advent calendar.

Rachel Browdy, a history teacher in the Fort Zumwalt School District, has released “Journey Through the Advent Calendar” through Beati Publishing and Reedy Press and it is available now wherever books are sold.

Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” C.S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Nar nia,” and all the great tales of Christmas, the goal for “Journey Through the Advent Cal endar” was to create a story that brought the elements of the advent season to life in a fun and epic way. Browdy also pulled from her own family’s love for Christmas, her Catholic background and education, as well as her desire to bring back the passion and excitement of age-old lessons and sto ries.

“I wrote the first draft in about three months,” Browdy said. “It is something of a miracle project. Josh Stevens (with Reedy) asked if I was interested in doing a story centered around an advent calendar and that was about all he had. He was open to me building the story. It was kind of a mir acle project to have it done and done with quality and available for Christmas.”

The story centers around Zachariah La bouré, a 14-year-old boy who is struggling to find his place in the world after the death of his parents. He is adopted by his uncle,

who is a Catholic priest. After spending months adapting to his new life and at tempting therapy sessions, Zachariah feels lonelier than ever. Watching his old friends move on without him through social me dia, Zachariah accepts the hermit life but the unexpected gift of an advent calendar changes everything.

“I wanted to pull in modern issues,” Browdy said. “I have the character go through some tough moments and to learn and work through them. Suffering is part of humanity. We all go through it and we need to help each other.”

The story begins in modern-day United

Around Town

Features

Recipe, Movie & Sudoku. Pg. F-1

CLA SSIFIEDS AND HOME & GARDEN. Pg. F-2 /F-3

Moore On Life, Lifestyle & Crossword. Pg. F-4

Submitted

“Journey Through the Advent Calendar”

new young

novel written by local author, Rachel Browdy.

story centers around

14-year-old boy who is thrust into

within his advent calendar. Burra Din

magical

hidden

wondrous people

Drop-off sites to open for Operation Christmas

Mosaics Fine Art Festival presents Best of Show award to Missouri

‘HOPE’ from cover

States, but the main character is quickly transported into the world within his advent cal endar, Burra Din. Burra Din is a magical world filled with hidden dangers and wondrous people and creatures.

This book is unique because it takes the four main virtues of advent: hope, faith, joy, and peace, which are common ly represented in the Catholic Church by an advent wreath with candles, and breaks them down into 12 values/lessons ac

cessible to people of all ages.

“One of the beta readers was a student of mine, which gave us some insight from older readers,” Browdy said. “My 13-year-old daughter was my most honest critic.”

Another unique element of the book is that every charac ter, every land, and just about everything in the story has meaning. There is a section in the back of the book that pro vides those meanings and ex plains the reasoning behind each.

Browdy will have a presenta

tion and book signing on Nov. 17 at the Washington Public Library from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and at the Owesnville Scenic Regional Library on Dec. 1 from 6-to-7 p.m. Brow dy is a mother of three and also writes adult fiction under the pen name R.L. Dailey. You can visit her website (www.rl-dai ley.com) to learn more.

31st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival returns to area theatres

Cinema St. Louis (CSL) presents the 31st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF), running Nov. 3-13. The festival will showcase a wide variety of films across multiple venues throughout the St. Louis area, in addition to two new loca tions in St. Charles and Edwardsville. A small selection of films will also be available online.

CSL’s new executive director, Bree Man iscalco, shared: “We are excited to welcome back members of our community, in what ever way they choose to experience SLIFF. We still wish for our patrons to feel safe at the fest this year so we will continue to monitor new covid variants but we also believe film is most impactful when we experience it to gether. All of us have a memory in a movie theater, whether it be our first time in front of the big screen, sharing popcorn with a date, or laughing with a packed house. And SLIFF offers local film lovers a chance to travel around the world, experiencing untold sto ries that inspire and transform.”

The festival offers 256 films, including more than 100 documentary and narrative features and 21 short film programs from the widest possible range of storytellers, representing 42 countries featuring more than 35 native languages. In addition to offering a variety of centrally located venues, SLIFF strives to maintain accessibility by offering 32 film pro grams for free and all virtual programming at a discounted rate of $5 per program.

Star-filled highlights include the opening night film, “Empire of Light,” starring Oliv ia Colman and Colin Firth, and the closing night film, “Women Talking,” starring Claire Foy, Rooney Mara, and Frances McDor mand. The SLIFF Centerpiece Spotlight is the powerful journalism film, “She Said” starring Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan. St. Louis’ fa vorite son Jon Hamm stars in “Corner Office” while writer/director Elegance Bratton’s “The Inspection” features Jeremy Pope, Gabrielle Union, and Bokeem Woodbine.

SLIFF guests will explore documentary topics across a variety of thought-provok

ing films including the story of Lavar Burton and Reading Rainbow in “Butterfly in the Sky,” gastronomic revolutionary chef, Charlie Trotter in “Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter,” the journey of the vet eran interplanetary Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity in “Good Night Oppy,” and “All That Breathes,” winner of the World Docu mentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2022 Sun dance Film Festival.

More than 150 films will be available for streaming through Eventive during the festi val at a discounted price of $5. Films available online will be restricted to viewers in Mis souri and Illinois only.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• SLIFF will present three free master classes, thanks to an endowed gift from the Chellappa-Vedavalli Foundation.

• Sat., Nov. 5 at 10 a.m. (Virtual Live Stream): Missouri Stories Production Lab brings to life short films set in the world of winning scripts from the Mis souri Stories Scriptwriting Fellowship. The writers participate as producers and experience all aspects of produc tion. Completed films will be submit ted to film festivals across the coun try to shine a spotlight on Missouri locations and talent. Andrea Sporcic Klund, head of the Missouri Film Of fice, will host a panel discussion with the writer/producers and directors of the latest St. Louis filmed project, “As sumption”: with writer/producer Peter Hanrahan, producer Michael Sweeney, and director Alfredo De Villa.

• Sun., Nov. 6 at 10 a.m. (Virtual Live Stream): Behind The Scenes (with Casting Directors, Directors, and Ac tors) - Emmy Award-winning casting director, Deb Barylski will talk briefly about a casting director’s process and the responsibility for both the direc

tor’s vision and the actor’s creativity. Award-winning writer, director, and local film professor, Peter Carlos will discuss the importance of understand ing an actor’s process to easily elicit performances and build trust as well as highlight techniques for troubleshoot ing challenges on set. Award-winning actress Jessica Ambuehl will share how to stay prepared, create industry op portunities, and work with a director to bring a story to life.

• Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. (In-person event at Capes Sokol): Investing in Film - Film making is an art form, but it’s also a business. A somewhat elusive topic, come learn more about how invest ment in film projects work. Attorney Pete Salsich with Capes Sokol and Ca sey Sunderland in the Media Finance Department at Creative Artists Agen cy (CAA) will share insight on the pro cess for those interested in investing and for creatives seeking to work with investors.

Cinema St. Louis will be honoring former executive director, Cliff Froehlich for his 19 years of leadership and countless contribu tions to the local and national film world. CSL will pay tribute to Froehlich, on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. at Webster University. In addition to the tribute, a screening of one of Cliff’s fa vorite films will take place - “His Girl Friday.”

Films will screen at the Contemporary Art Museum, Foundry Art Centre, Galleria 6 Cinemas, Plaza Frontenac, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, St. Louis Public Li brary Central Branch, Washington Universi ty St. Louis, and Webster University.

Individual tickets, for either in-person or virtual screenings, are $15 for general admis sion, and $12 for Cinema St. Louis members and students with valid and current photo IDs. Prices are all-inclusive; no additional fees will be added.

Submitted photo “Journey Through the Advent Calendar” is a new young adult novel written by local au thor, Rachel Browdy.

Free fall event: shred it and forget it

Don’t fall behind when it comes to cleaning out your filing cabinets. Safely destroy unneeded documents by bring ing them to a large mobile shredder from 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Environmental Services Build ing, at 135 Ecology Drive in St. Peters.

Simply place the documents you want to destroy in cardboard boxes, put them in the trunk or back of your vehicle, and bring them to the Environ mental Services Building behind Re cycle City at the end of Ecology Drive. Please make sure that the boxes are not too heavy to lift. There is a limit of five boxes per vehicle. All of the shredded material will be recycled, including the

cardboard boxes. A box is defined as a banker box.

Do not bring computer discs or hanging file rods. If you can tear it, then you can shred it using this service. The documents may contain staples or pa per clips.

This service is free to St. Peters and Cottleville residents who present a val id Resident Privilege Card. The cost is $5 per box for non-residents. Privilege Cards will be issued at this event. You can also get your Resident Privilege Card prior to coming to the Shred It event. Learn how to get a Resident Privilege Card at www.stpetersmo.net/ resident-privileges.aspx.

No cost tutoring for students in firstthrough-fifth grades

Action Center Tutoring Services has partnered with Dardenne Presbyteri an Church offering cost-free tutoring in reading and math for students in grades one-through-five.

Each student is provided with a personal tutor, and additional open ings are currently available. Sessions meet every Wednesday during the school year from 3:30 until 5 p.m. at

Dardenne Presbyterian Church at 7400 South Outer 364 in Dardenne Prairie.

Parents may pick up applications at the church office – Monday-Thurs day, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please contact Dardenne Presbyterian Church at 636-561-4347 or the Tutoring Direc tors at 912-222-0645 for more infor mation.

Assumption Parish presents Catholic ‘Funeral Rites or Wrongs?’

Planning a funeral should not be seen as a burden, but rather a gift to the per son who dies. Join Monsignor William McCumber of Assumption of the Bless ed Virgin Mary Parish in O’Fallon as he presents “Funeral Rites or Wrongs?” at 7 p.m., Nov. 10, in meeting room A of the Parish Center, located at 403 North Main Street in O’Fallon.

As expressed by Cardinal Benno Gut of the Congregation of Divine Worship, the Order of Christian Funerals has been the practice of the church not to simply commend the dead to God, but to raise high the hope of its children and to give

witness to its own faith in the future res urrection of the baptized with Christ.

Monsignor McCumber will discuss this pastoral expression in relation to the funeral rites of the Catholic church, in cluding the vigil, liturgical celebration, and burial committal. Pre-planning of funerals, choosing readings, hymnody and discussing how family and friends might be involved in the funeral liturgy also will be discussed.

This one-night presentation is free and open to all ages. For more information or to register, call the parish office at 636240-3721.

Submitted photo

Drop-off sites to open for Operation Christmas Child

More than 4,500 locations will open to collect Operation Christ mas Child Shoebox Gifts for The Samaritan’s Purse Project. Vol unteers are preparing to collect shoebox gifts during National Collection Week, Nov. 14 ¬– 21.

Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoebox gifts – filled with school supplies, hygiene items and fun toys – to children worldwide since 1993. Anyone can pack a shoebox. In 2022, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoeboxes to reach an other 11 million children.

Individuals, families, and groups still have time to trans form empty shoeboxes into fun gifts. The project partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need. Find a step-by-step guide on the How to Pack a Shoebox webpage.

“Now more than ever, children

around the world need to know that God loves them and there is hope,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “A simple shoebox gift opens the door to share about the true hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ.”

Participants can find the near est drop-off location and hours of operation as they make plans to

drop off their shoebox gifts. The online lookup tool is searchable by city or ZIP code. Signs at each location will identify the dropoff.

This year, for the first time, Calvary Church, 3998 Mid Riv ers Mall Drive, has been named a Central Drop-Off location and trailers will be on-site to receive cartons from other churches.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD DROP OFF SITES

Calvary Church 3998 Mid Rivers Mall Drive St. Peters

Nov. 14, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 15, 4 p.m. -7 p.m. Nov. 16, 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 17, 3 p.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 18, 3 p.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 19, 8 a.m.-11 a.m. Nov. 19, 5:30 p.m.- 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov.21, 8 a.m.-10 a.m.

First Baptist Church/ St. Charles 2701 Muegge Road St. Charles

Nov. 14, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Nov. 15, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Nov. 16, 10 a.m.-12 a.m. Nov. 17, 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 18, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Nov. 19, 9 a.m-12 p.m. Nov. 20, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 21, 8 a.m.-10 a.m.

Grace Community Chapel 7661 Mexico Road St. Peters

Nov. 14, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 14, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

Nov. 15, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

Nov. 16, 12 p.m.-2 p.m.

Nov. 17, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 18, 12 p.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 19, 10 a.m.- 12 p.m.

Nov. 20, 11 am-4 pm Nov. 21, 7:30 am-9:30 a.m.

First Baptist Church/St. Charles 2701 Muegge Road St. Charles

Nov. 14, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Nov. 15, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Nov. 16, 10 a.m.-12 a.m

Nov. 17, 4 p.m.-7 p.m.

Nov. 18, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Nov. 19, 9 a.m-12 p.m.

Nov. 20, 1 p.m.-3 p.m.

Nov. 21, 8 a.m.-10 a.m.

NorthRoad Community Church 1120 Jungs Station Road St. Charles

Nov. 14. 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

Nov. 15, 10 am-12 p.m.

Nov. 16, 9 a.m-11 a.m.

Nov. 17, 4 p.m.-7 p.m.

Nov. 18, 3 p.m.-6 p.m.

Nov. 19, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov.20, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

Nov. 21, 8 a.m.-10 a.m.

More St. Charles locations and hours of operation are available on the Samaritan’s Purse website with an online lookup tool searchable by city or Zip code.

Photo courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse

Mosaics Fine Art Festival presents Best of Show award to Missouri resident

Missouri resident Terri Myer was re cently awarded “Best of Show” at Mosaics Fine Art Festival’s 27th annual event. She was among 80 jur ied artists from more than 15 states.

Myer re ceived $1,000 as the firstplace prize for her oil paint ings. Eight art ists received an “Award of Recognition” prize along with $500 each. They are Chris topher Lynch, mixed media, from St. Louis; Jeanie Papadopoulos, metal, from Ocala, Florida; Caitlin Penny, printmaking, from Lenexa, Kansas; Matthew Piper, photography, from St. Charles; Will Richards, clay, from Underwood, Wisconsin; Dana Rohde, art to wear, from New Albany, Indiana; Buddy Shaw, wood, from New Bloomfield, Missouri; and Rosemary Werkmeister, jewelry, from St. Louis.

“Terri’s artwork truly stood out based upon her intricate designs and colorful images,” said Mosaics Fine Art Festival president Denise Wulff. “Her work – along with artists from throughout the nation – made our 27th annual fair a don’t-miss event, and we are extremely proud of the huge crowd turnout we had this year.”

City of St. Peters announces holiday hours for Veterans Day

St. Peters City Hall, Cultural Arts Centre, Municipal Court, and Police Records Division will be closed Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day.

St. Peters Rec-Plex will be open on Veterans Day, although administrative offices are closed.

St. Peters Recycle City is open for trash disposal on Veterans Day, but Re cycle City offices will be closed. Earth Centre will be open for yard waste ac

ceptance only; no Earth Centre product sales are available on the holiday.

The curbside solid waste collection schedule in St. Peters will be unaffected by Veterans Day.

Animal Control is on call on Veterans Day. For emergencies only, after hours or during the holiday, call Police Dis patch at 636-278-2222.

For normal hours of city of St. Peters services, visit www.stpetersmo.net.

The Home Builders Charitable Foundation (HBCF) has donated $19,590 to St. Peters Senior Citi zen Corporation to replace gutters and downspouts on 13 senior-living apartment buildings within St. Pe ters Senior Village, an independent living facility which offers a home like community of 52 apartments.

The St. Peters Senior Citizen Cor poration was established in 1973 to offer fair and affordable housing for

low-income senior citizens.

The HBA is a local trade associ ation of nearly 600 member firms representing the residential con struction industry. The Home Builders Charitable Foundation, the HBA’s charitable arm, is a non-prof it organization dedicated to provid ing housing assistance to people or organizations with special shelter needs.

Submitted photo

Pictured (from left) are Mosaics Fine Art Festival vice president Melinda Nolan, artist Terri Myer and Mosaics’ president Denise Wulff.

Two WSD students named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

Grace Warren from Holt High School and Eian Fowler from Tim berland High School have been se lected as Semifinalists in the 68th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

In addition, Aden Hicks from Holt, Alexandar Djidjev and Arthi Konapaneni from Liberty, and Oyinloluwa Ganiyu, Anna Kim ball, Stephen Rhoades, and Elijah Wolf from Timberland were named to the list of National Merit Com mended Students.

Warren and Fowler are among 16,000 academically talented U.S. high school seniors (less than 1% of all high school seniors) who now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for over 7,250 National Merit Scholarships, worth nearly $28 million, that will be of fered next spring.

Designees are selected on the ba sis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

“We are extremely proud of these students who have been named Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program,” said Super intendent Dr. Danielle S. Tormala. “Their accomplishments broaden their future opportunities, and I congratulate them for their hard work and commend the work of our outstanding educators who have supported them along their educa tional journeys toward success.”

Warren has a weighted GPA of 4.13, scored a 34 on the ACT, is ranked 25th in her class at Holt, and is recognized as an AP Scholar. She is a four-year member of Key Club, and currently serves as co-president; and is a member of National Honor

Society, Art Club, and Film Club. Warren is a member of the Holt In dian Band and competes in World Quest. She will attend the University of Missouri-Columbia and plans to major in biology.

Fowler has a weighted GPA of 4.34 and earned a score of 34 on his ACT. Ranked fourth in his class, Fowler is a member of FBLA, Link Crew, Ger man Club and Board Game Club, and he serves as an officer of Pro gramming Club. He attended Mis souri Boys State and plans to major

Duchesne welcomes new band director

Duchesne High School has hired Bill Wells as its new band director. In addition to band, Wells will also teach a choir class, computer apps, acting and video production.

Wells graduated from Central Methodist University with a bach elor’s degree in music education. He received a master’s degree in education from Northwest Mis souri State University and a degree in education specialist in curricu lum and instruction from the Uni versity of Missouri - Columbia.

“My goals for the program are

to have more student involvement and provide various opportunities for them,” said Wells. “It’s fun get ting to know students and watch ing them grow and make music together.”

In his free time, Wells enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, cycling, and playing vio lin in the Meramec Symphony.

Photo courtesy Duchesne High School Duchesne High School has hired Bill Wells as its new band director.

in computer science at the Univer sity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

To become finalists, the semifi nalists must submit an extensive scholarship application that in cludes a strong academic record and an account of their participation in school and community activities, leadership abilities, employment and any honors or awards. About 95% of the semifinalists are expect ed to be named finalists, and about half of the finalists will win a Na tional Merit Scholarship.

Photos courtesy Wentzville School District

Rapid Dry celebrates opening with ribbon cutting

The Cottleville Caddy Shack celebrates opening with ribbon cutting

Rapid Dry opened its office at 1989 Lohmar in Cottleville in September. To commemorate the opening, the com pany held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 13.

Cottleville Mayor Bob Ronkos ki, members of the Cottleville Wel don-Spring Chamber of Commerce, local realtors and other community leaders were in attendance.

“Rapid Dry is exited to serve the city of Cottleville with any mold, water or asbestos needs,” said Grant Erfert, Owner.

Rapid Dry is a locally-owned water removal and restoration company with decades of combined construction and water damage removal expertise. Their services include water cleanup and re moval, mold removal, fire and smoke damage restoration, asbestos removal, and sewage removal. Their certified technicians are experts in the field and are quick to respond in your emergen cy situation.

The Cottleville Caddy Shack opened its business at 1987 Lohmar in Cot tleville in August. To commemorate the opening, the company held a rib bon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 13.

Cottleville Mayor Bob Ronkos ki, members of the Cottleville Wel don-Spring Chamber of Commerce, local realtors and other community leaders were in attendance.

“The Cottleville Caddy Shack is cre ating a fun, energetic golf cart culture through sales, services, events, cus tomizations, and cart rentals are on

the way,” said John Stiles, Owner.

The Cottleville Caddy Shack is a place where the genuine care of cus tomers and their “toys” is the highest mission. They pledge to provide the best personal sales and service expe rience to their guests, who will always enjoy a warm, relaxed atmosphere with reasonable prices. They offer free monthly cart clinics for all owners and operators. The clinics last approx imately 20 minutes and cover ordi nances, cart safety and trail etiquette.

Submitted photo

Submitted photo

EVENTS

Nov. 5: Archeology day

Local members of the Missou ri Archaeological Society are hosting a free public archaeol ogy day from 1 – 5 p.m. at St. Paul UCC at 903 Meier Road in Old Monroe. Activities in clude talks about local archae ology, a children’s craft table, artifact identification, and at latl throwing. Members of the general public are encouraged to bring their artifact collec tions for display and identifi cation. No buying or selling. For more information, call or text Doug at 636-290-0710.

Nov. 5: Civil War Round Table meeting

The Civil War Round Table of St. Charles will meet at 7 p.m. in Room 259 at the Spencer Road Library. Park Ranger

Nick Sacco from the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site will present Ulysses S, Grant’s Time in St. Louis. This is a free event. Contact Doug at 636.290-0710 or historynutt@ hotmail.com for more infor mation.

Nov. 5-6: Quilting event

Loose Threads Quilt Guild presents Celebrate With Quilts 2022 Nov. 5, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Nov. 6, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at St. Charles Communi ty College at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville. An $8 donation for admission (cash only). There will be over 300 quilts, vendors, and quilt and sewing machine raf fles. Proceeds support Crisis Nursery. Facebook updates @ LooseThreadsQG.

Nov. 6: Free concert

No Name Chorale Presents: “The Fruit of Silence” at St. John UCC at 405 South Fifth Street in St. Charles at 3 p.m.

Nov. 18: Holiday bazaar and luncheon

The ladies of Immanuel Lu theran Church Wentzville host a Holiday Bazaar and Luncheon from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 632 East Highway N. The event features home made crafts and baked goods. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Carry out is available, cash or check only.

Nov. 24: Thanksgiving meal

The Wentzville Outreach Li ons Club will be hosting its annual free Thanksgiving lun cheon for the community, in cluding veterans, seniors and those who do not want to be alone, at St. Patrick Catholic School at 701 South Church St. in Wentzville from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For mor information call 314-258-1069 or 314-7805629.

Dec. 4: Christmas house tour

Come join the New Town @ St. Charles Women’s Club for the 13th annual New Town @ St. Charles Christmas House Tour from 1 – 4 p.m. You will tour beautifully decorat ed homes while helping to fund local charities. Tickets ($10) will be available online starting Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. at the New Town House Tour Facebook page (@NTChrist masTour) or available the day of the tour at the New Town Town Hall located at 3300 Rue Royale Street. The tour starts at the Town Hall where tour maps will be available as well as holiday goodies to pur chase.

Mondays: Parent support group

Because I Love You, (BILY), Gateway parent support group meets every Monday at 7:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church at 801 First Capitol Dr. in St. Charles. For information and directions, please contact the helpline at 314-993-7550 or email gate way_parent_help@yahoo. com. BILY is a program of self-help for parents of trou bled children (all ages). We are not professionals, but par ents helping each other. The meetings are free to attend.

Mondays: NAMI St. Lou is Connection Recovery Support Group

If you have mental health con cerns and need support, please come on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. at Friedens United Church of Christ at 1703 Old Highway 94 South in St. Charles.

Mondays: Alcoholics Anonymous

If you want to drink, that’s your business. If you want to stop, we can help. Call Alco holics Anonymous at 636970-0013.

Mondays: Cottleville Wel don Spring Kiwanis Club Cottleville Weldon Spring Kiwanis Club meets the first Monday of the month at noon at The Breakfast Club, 991 Waterbury Falls Dr., O’Fallon, MO 63368. New club look ing for new members who want to better our commu nity. Contact Christy at 314583-0538.

Mondays: Seasoned eye carvers meeting

COVID pandemic, meetings are held via conference call, starting at 6:45 pm. For more information, contact Beverly Kaskadden at 636-561-6947.

Mondays: St. Peters Rota ry Club

Noon at St. Peters City Hall, One St. Peters Centre Blvd. www.stpetersrotary.org.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: Fitness First Exercise Class 9:30-10:30 a.m., American Legion Hall, 504 Luetkenhaus Blvd., Wentzville. 314-3696521.

Mondays and Thursdays: Bridge St. Peters Senior Center plays bridge from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday and Thursdays, and would love to have any player, regardless of skill level, to join in. Call Mary Ann at 636-397-0866 if you are inter ested in playing on Monday or Thursday morning.

Mondays: American Le gion Post 388 Meets Meets the fourth Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at American Legion Hall, 607 Westridge Dr., O’Fallon, 636219-0553

at 7 p.m. at Dardenne Prairie Presbyterian Church (enter at Adam Lamb pre-School, turn left) at 7400 South Outer 364 at the corner with Bryan Road.

Tuesdays: Cribbage Club

Meets every Tuesday, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. at The Falls Golf Course Clubhouse. Relaxed, friendly play and is open to all. Call 314-954-3364 for info.

Tuesdays: Optimist Club meeting

The St. Charles Optimist Club meets Tuesdays at noon at Pio’s Restaurant. For more in formation contact Jack Ross at 314-287-0569 or jack-ross@ att.net.

Tuesdays: Cribbage

Looking for an evening out? Come and play cribbage Tues days at 6 p.m. at Rookies at 15358 Veterans Memorial Pkwy in Wentzville. Win priz es and awards with semian nual tournaments. ACC sanc tioned. For more information contact Dee at 636-233-8032.

Tuesdays: Diabetes sup port group

ONGOING EVENTS

Mondays: Optimist Club meetings

The Wentzville/Lake St. Louis Optimist Club meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Wentzville IHOP, 10 Layla Lane, Wentzville, MO.. For more information contact Ed Jurotich at 314-560-1868.

Mondays: Take off Pounds

Sensibly

TOPS meet every Monday at Holy Cross Lutheran Church at 8945 Veterans Memorial Hwy in O’Fallon. Meetings at 9:30 a.m. with weigh in begin ning at 8:30 a.m. For more in formation please call Leogene Weber. 636-399-3124.

Meetings are held from 9 to 11 a.m. at the St. Charles Se nior Citizens Center at 1455 Fairgrounds (near the Bass Pro Shop). Visitors are al ways welcome. For more in formation visit http://www. stcharlesareawoodcarvers. com/ or contact Charles Sapp at cwsapp@charter.net.

Mondays: Choral Arts Singers practice

Choral Arts Singers practice on Mondays, from 7-9 p.m. at Connection ChristianChurch, 1332 Feise Road in Dardenne Prairie. New singers (high school and older) are wel come. Auditions are not re quired. See www.concertarts. org.

Mondays: St. Charles County Council of the Blind meetings

Business meetings are held on the first Monday of each month unless otherwise spec ified. Currently, during the

Mondays: Measurement Mondays: 10 a.m. - 12 noon at the ST. Charles Health Deparment in the Upper Level Confer ence room. Measurement Mondays is a family-friendly breastfeeding support group. We are open to all moms and moms-to-be who are breastfeeding or interested in breastfeeding. The group is supported by the St Charles County WIC program so there will be information about the program available at each meeting. Each meeting will be a little different than the last. There will be baby weigh-ins, introductions, games, interactive education, group conversation, and even snacks.

Mondays and Wednes days: Tai Chi for arthritis class

Every Monday and Wednes day a Tai Chi for arthritis class, sponsored by the city of St. Charles Parks and Recre ation, takes place from 9:1510 a.m. at Webster Park across from the Family Arena. This is a class that is taught nation ally to manage arthritis and to prevent falls. For more infor mation call 636-949-3372.

Tuesdays: Women’s AA weekly meeting

Candlelighters Women in Re covery meets every Tuesday

A diabetes support group meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month except Novem ber and December from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. at 400 Medical Pla za, Suite 102 in Lake St. Louis. A new speaker each month. Questions? Call Amanda Meyer at 636-625-5447.

Tuesdays: Kiwanis Club of St. Charles

12:05 p.m. at Ginghams Homestyle Restaurant, 1566 Country Clcub Plaza Drive, in St. Charles. Kiwanis is a global organization of vol unteers dedicated to improv ing the world one child and one community at a time. The group is looking for new members who want to better our community and help its youth. If you are interested in making a positive impact in St. Charles for generations to come, please come for lunch. For more information call 636-206-2483. You can also visit http://stcharleskiwanis. com.

Tuesdays: Quilting Guild at the O’Fallon Family

YMCA

1-4 p.m. Free. Quilt for local charities. No sewing experi ence required.

Tuesdays: Toastmasters Meeting

7 p.m. at the Midwest Bank Centre Board Room at 2299 Technology Blvd., O’Fallon, MO 63368. Info: 636-3792505.

Tuesdays: Mended Hearts

This heart patient support group provides hospital visi tation support for people with any type of heart issues. The group meets at 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at the Spencer Road St. Charles Library, at the corner of Boone Hills Dr. and Spencer Rd. For additional information please call 636-639-0875.

Tuesdays: St. Louis Chap ter of the Alzheimer’s As sociation Male Caregiver Experience

The group meets on third Tuesday of every month from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Alzhei mer’s Chapter Office at 9370 Olive Blvd. For more informa tion about Alzheimer’s disease, support, or the Male Caregiv er Experience, please call the Alzheimer’s Association’s 24/7 Helpline at 800-272-3900 or visit www.alz.org/stl. Regis tration is requested before the first meeting.

Tuesdays: Social club for widows and widowers

On the first and third Tuesday of each month a social club for widows and widowers meets from 1:00 - 3:30 p.m. at St. John’s United Church of Christ at Fifth and Jackson Streets in St. Charles. On the first Tues day there are refreshments and on the third Tuesday there is either a speaker or entertain ment. The group also goes to breakfast, lunch and dinner monthly, and has a pot luck dinner each month.

Tuesdays: NAMI St. Lou is Connection Recovery Support Group

If you have mental health con cerns and need support, please come on the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at Grace United Church of Christ at 8326 Mexico Rd. in St. Peters.

Tuesdays: NAMI St. Louis Family Support Group

If you have a family member or friend who is having mental health concerns there is a sup port group for you. It meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at Grace Unit ed Church of Christ at 8326 Mexico Rd. in St. Peters.

Tuesdays: Dardenne Pres byterian Church Basket ball

8-9:30 p.m., in the Christian Life Center, 7400 South Outer 364 in Dardenne Prairie. Open to high school and adult men.

Tuesdays: Central Missou ri Railroad Association meeting

This unique organization is for railroad modelers, railfans, photographers and railroad re tirees with layouts in O, HO, N hoping to add G scales. Meet ings are on second Tuesdays of the month from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Warrenton Masonic Lodge. For more info call 636279-5522 or 636-456-0776 or visit our Facebook page.

Tuesdays: Cancer support group

Cancer Companions Support Group is a support group for any cancer patient in treatment or post treatment, their care

giver and their loved ones that meets on the second Tuesday of each month at Dardenne Presbyterian Church at 7400 South Outer 364 in Dardenne Prairie at 7 p.m. in the parlor. Registration is not required.

Tuesdays: O’Fallon Gar den Club

Meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month at Sunrise Methodist Church, 7116 Twin Chimney Blvd. Info: Barb at 636.978.5930. Club does not meet in May or November.

Tuesdays and Thursdays: Tai Chi at the St. Charles County Family YMCA 10:15-11:15 a.m. No experi ence necessary. 636-928-1928.

Tuesdays and Thursdays: Get Fit Exercise Classes

9-10 a.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church Hall, New Melle. 314-369-6521.

Third Tuesday: Luncheon for seniors

On the third Tuesday of every month there is a luncheon for seniors from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Transfiguration Episcopal Church at 1860 Lake St. Lou is Blvd. For more information call 636-561-8951.

Wednesdays: Food pantry Food pantry open Wednesdays to the public from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Cornerstone UMC at 1151 Tom Ginnever Ave. in O’Fallon. Bread, canned goods other necessities.

CROSSWORD answers from page F-4

SUDOKU answers from page F-1

Sports you see with Gary B . . .

Ambush sign with affiliate for future players

The professional St. Louis Ambush soccer team play in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) with their home games at the Family Arena in St. Charles for the 2022-2023 season.

The Ambush have entered into an affiliate agree ment with the Iowa Demon Hawks (formerly Des Moines United FC) for the upcoming 2022-23 sea son. The Demon Hawks compete in the Major Are na Soccer League 2 (M2), having moved up for the upcoming season after previously competing in M3.

The M2 is the second tier in the MASL’s three-ti er professional indoor soccer pyramid. It serves as a developmental league for the MASL. M2 will kick off its sixth season of action the weekend of Dec. 10-12. Each M2 team will play a 12-game regular season.

The MASL is the top tier in professional indoor soccer in the United States and will have 14 teams, each playing a 24-game schedule, for the 2022-23 season.

The MASL encourages teams from different tiers to collaborate on player development, to share busi ness strategies and marketing ideas and to promote the sport of professional indoor soccer in general.

St. Louis Ambush Co-Owner and CEO Shelly Clark said this agreement, “…Allows for collabo ration between the two organizations to develop indoor players. As needs arise throughout the sea son, we’ll be able to look at players from the Demon Hawks to help fill roster spots. We look forward to this partnership with the Demon Hawks and feel this can be an arrangement that will benefit both clubs.”

Darwin Salas, owner of the Demon Hawks said, “It is an honor to be affiliated with such a great organi zation like the St. Louis Ambush and encourage all M2 teams to follow the leadership and help of our commissioners for the love and growth of profes sional indoor soccer.”

The upcoming 2022-23 season is the tenth for the Ambush. Their home opener is slated for Black Fri

day, Nov. 25 at 5:05 p.m. at The Family Arena in St. Charles. It is the first of a two-game series against the Kansas City Comets to open the MASL season. The Comets host the second game the next night, Nov. 25, at Cable-Dahmer Arena in Independence.

*Great group to get extra players

Woman on cross country team at Lindenwood in new division and conference picks up hardware

Lindenwood University’s first campaign in both Di vision I and the Ohio Valley Conference, women’s cross country freshman Holly Harding was named OVC Female Cross Country Freshman of the Year.

In Harding’s first year at Lindenwood, she made quite the statement, being the top finisher for Lind enwood in each of its four meets. The New Zealand native kicked things off placing fourth at the SEMO RedHawk Cross Country Invitational before run ning a 14:25.27 to place fourth again the following week, this time at the SLU Invitational.

She then followed up with running a 19:33.5 5K the following week, leading the Lions at that particu lar meet as well. The freshman standout most recent ly a new personal record with her 22:50.4 6K perfor mance at the Bradley Pink Classic last weekend.

*Much more to come from her and other athletes

Gary Baute, a St. Louis native, may be educated in business but he lives and breathes sports. As a fan or an athlete, Gary is all sports all the time. He hosted a radio sports program on KFNS, emceed the River City Ras cals’ inaugural season, and co-hosted SportsRadioSTL.com, and is current ly hosting a Health show on 97.1 FM, ‘Prime Time Health’ www.PrimeTimeSTL.com It broad casts Saturday nights at 8 and Sunday mornings at 9.

Movie:

By Steve Bryan

Although Santa Claus cornered the market on toys, Jules Bass and his creative partner, Arthur Rankin, Jr., knew what families really wanted for Christmas. Bass, who passed away at age 87 on Oct. 25, and Rankin formed a partnership that led to such holiday classics as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.” Their output also included “The Year Without a Santa Clause” and “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year.”

Born and raised in South St. Louis, Steve Bryan is now based in Anaheim, California, and has been allowed access to movie and television sets to see actors and directors at work. Though his writing has taken him far from St. Louis, Steve is, at heart, still the same wide-eyed kid who spent countless hours watching classic movies at neighborhood theaters.

Animated films created by Rankin/Bass Productions had distinct qualities and voic es. For “Rudolph,” the inimitable Burl Ives lent his vocal talents to Sam the Snowman, the narrator who also sang the classic song “Silver and Gold.” Jimmy Durante narrat ed “Frosty the Snowman,” a holiday spe cial about a snowman who came to life. In contrast, 1968’s “The Little Drummer Boy” was more intense and featured a young boy named Aaron who witnessed the death of his mother and father.

The Rankin/Bass library also had inter esting undertones and themes. Rudolph, for instance, was shunned by the other rein deer simply because his nose was red and

shiny. He left on a hero’s journey to find a place where he belonged and was later ac companied by Hermey, an elf who wanted to become a dentist, and Yukon Cornelius, a prospector who sought only wealth. As Rudolph matured, he realized that the place he sought was his own home and family.

1974’s “The Year Without a Santa Clause” began with the premise that Santa, after some choice words from his impatient doc tor, decided to cancel Christmas and not deliver gifts that year. The doctor simply thought no one believed in Santa anymore. Two elves named Jingle and Jangle took the reindeer Vixen on a fact-finding mission to see if anyone still believed. “The Year Without a Santa Clause” has been well-re membered for the characters of the “Heat Miser” and “Snow Miser.”

J.R.R. Tolkien’s books became part of

“The Hobbit,” a 1977 Rankin/Bass animated adventure that arrived just in time for the hol idays. Although he be lieved that adventures “make one late for din ner,” a hobbit named Bil bo Baggins played host to the wizard Gandalf, who wanted Bilbo to join him on a quest that involved trolls, dragons and a ring that made its wearer invisible. “The Hob bit” marked new animated territory for Ranken and Bass.

For years, the studio’s output was only available on television, but that changed with the release of the Sony Betamax and RCA’s VHS (Video Home System) format. Commercially produced videotapes had been expensive, but the now-defunct Mu sicland Group launched the first Suncoast Motion Picture Company store in 1986 with reasonably priced films. Competing stores also opened their doors with similar merchandise. The Rankin/Bass library of films were quite popular with customers, especially when Christmas was drawing

Thank you, Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass, for making the holidays magical for adults and children. Your legacy lives on in your incredible films.

Fill in the blank squares in the grid, making sure that every row, column and 3-by-3 box includes all the digits 1 through 9.

Photo courtesy Rankin/Bass Produtions

WANTED

WANTED

PRAYER TO ST. JUDE May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved and preserved throughout the world, now and forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. St. Jude, Worker of Miracles, Pray for us. St. Jude, Helper of the Hopeless, Pray for us.

Say this prayer 9 times a day for 9 days, then publish. Your prayers will be answered.

It has never been known to fail.

Thank you, St. Jude. R.H.

NOTICE

Since this is the month of all things food, we should take a moment to ensure our intake is up-to-the-minute fresh. For that task, I will gladly send my daughter over to your house as a complimentary public service. There she will rummage through your non-perishables and glee fully toss out anything that looks contrary to her impossible stan dards.

This girl is our self-appointed food warden. She be lieves it’s her duty to save me and her father from in gesting less than straight-off-the-assembly-belt food products and thus prevent our early demise.

She means well, but she’s mean as well.

She came over for a routine visit then coyly asked for some water. She then intentionally reached into the wrong cupboard for a glass. She can’t help herself; it’s some kind of weird obsession. She then started ran sacking our cupboards to find expired food labels as if she were a toddler searching for Easter eggs on a timed hunt.

She grabbed her first item and shouted, “Ah ha! This box of baking soda is so old it probably came over on the Titanic and we all know how well that ended!”

“Hey,” I say, “I thought you wanted a glass of water.”

“Well, I did, until I saw that your stuff is out-of-date. Now I’m not even sure your water is fresh!”

“That makes no sense,” I say. “Besides, baking soda is a mineral – some kind of rock, which means it’s been around long before caveman days. So basically, it can’t expire.”

People often stop to take stock of important chores that need to be done around the house. While big proj ects like windows are hard to overlook, don’t forget smaller areas that need attention, too, such as your home office.

Making sense of a year’s worth of paperwork and clut ter can take some serious time, especially as many people have been working from home more than normal, but getting organized can help you tackle home management tasks more efficiently. Making the office a priority can reduce frustration when it comes to spending additional time in your office while working from home.

These five tips can help get you started:

1. Make sure you have furniture that can ade quately store your stuff, including plenty of space for files, reference books and comput er equipment. Pieces need not be costly to be functional and there are plenty of attractive options available online and at both small and major retailers.

2. Arrange the space with its intended use and your own work style in mind. For example, if you don’t need ample space to spread out over

By Cindy Moore

“I’m just trying to save you from an early grave.”

She tosses it in the trash then reaches back and pulls some thing up that’s firmly attached.

“Really, Mother?” She chas tises. “This package of spaghetti sauce mix was stuck to the bot tom of the cupboard.”

She scans it for a date and finds none.

“Ha!” I say, “It’s still good. Put it back.”

“Negative,” she challenges. “If it has no date then it’s older than when they started putting dates on the packages. In the trash it goes. Anything older than two years is basically toxic and should be tossed out,” she remarked smugly.

Lightbulb moment: I reminded her that she was much older than two years. Her time had expired. I tossed her out.

Cindy Moore is the mother of three superlative kids, servant of two self-indulgent felines and wife to one nifty husband. Her ficticious occupation? Archeological Humor ist: someone who unearths ab surdity and hilarity in strange and unusual places including public restrooms, the lint filter, and church meetings. Most recent ly, she excavated a find in her neighbor’s bird feeder.

The opinions expressed in this column are Cindy Moore’s alone and do not reflect the opinion of the owners or staff of Community News.

a large, flat work area, elim inate that space – it’s simply an invitation for clutter.

3. Place items you rely on frequently, such as a cal culator or ruler, within arm’s reach so they can easily be put away between uses. Cap ture these items in containers and bins to keep the space looking neat and free of clutter.

4. Establish a filing system that lets you keep track of important papers you need to keep and have a shredder handy to help you discard any sensitive documents. Whether you alpha betize, color code or use some other method, group paperwork into segments for categories such as bills, banking, health care, auto, insur ance and so on for easy access in the future.

5. Tangled cords can make even the most orga nized spaces look messy, and they may pose a fire or tripping hazard. Get control of your cords by storing devices you don’t use regular ly and securing the remaining cords with twist ties or clips. Remember to use a surge-protect ed power strip to minimize the chance of dam age should a power surge occur.

Find more tips to make your workspace tidy and organized at eLivingtoday.com.

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on Life: Overdue date