12 minute read
Around Town
Experience spectacular views in the evening sky in St. Charles County Parks
If you love scenic walks in the park, then you’ll love St. Charles County Parks fall and winter Moonrise at Sunset Hikes. Join Park Ranger Steve Tiemann on a guided walk to enjoy the sunset and full moon rise above the horizon at different County parks during these free events: • 7 – 8 p.m., Sept. 1: Quail Ridge Park, 560
Interstate Drive, Wentzville • 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., Sept. 30: Broemmelsiek
Park, 1795 Highway DD, Defiance • 6 – 7 p.m., Oct. 30: Klondike Park, 4600
Highway 94 South, Augusta • 4 – 5 p.m., Nov. 29: Veterans Tribute Park, 1031 Kisker Rd., Weldon Spring The city of Dardenne Prairie Board of Aldermen has adopted an ordinance that allows the use of golf carts on city streets where the speed limit is 25 mph or less. Drivers must be ages 16 and up and have a valid driver’s license. Drivers may not exceed 20 mph. “When used responsibly, golf carts help neighbors connect and foster a sense of community,” said Mayor David C. Zucker. “The passage of this ordinance will allow our residents to do that in a safe manner.” Golf carts must have proper head and tail lights when being used between dusk and dawn. The ordinance also requires that carts have a bicycle safety flag that is at least seven feet from the ground. Golf carts are not allowed on sidewalks or park trails. Golf carts should not be used to transport more passengers than the cart is designed to carry. Operating a cart under the influence of alcohol or any controlled substance is prohibited. Golf cart operators are subject to ticketing. The new regulations are similar to those already in place in several neighboring communities, including Lake Saint Louis, St. Peters and Cottleville. Note that all-terrain vehicles and utility vehicles are not authorized for use on city streets. Participants should wear comfortable hiking shoes. The two-mile walks are at a leisurely pace on paved trails at Quail Ridge and Veterans Tribute Park, and on natural trails at Broemmelsiek Park and Klondike Park. Along the way, the group will look for wildlife and identify the sounds in the parks during each season. Participants should meet Ranger Tiemann at the program sign posted in the park before the start of each hike. The Moonrise at Sunset Hikes will be held rain or shine, and all ages are welcome to Calling all ladies ages 12 and older! The St. Charles County Parks and Recreation Department is hosting an exclusive “girls day out” event that you won’t want to miss! “Ladies in the Park” is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sept. 13, at Broemmelsiek Park at 1795 Highway DD in Defiance. Led by Ranger Abigail Chambers and Ranger Ashley Maue, this first-time event in the park is packed with a variety of outdoor activities, including: • archery • stand-up paddleboarding on the 13-acre lake • hiking along the 11 miles of natural and
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participate. Pre-registration is required. To reserve your spot, visit stccparks.org or call the St. Charles County Parks and Recreation
Dardenne Prairie adopts ordinance to use golf carts on city streets
All-inclusive day of fun planned for ladies 12 and up at Broemmelsiek Park
Department at 636-949-7535.
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paved trails • Dutch-oven cooking over a campfire • nature journaling In between all the action, participants will gather at Shelter #7 in the park to take a break for brunch. Guests are welcome to bring their own snacks. This girls-only event is perfect for mothers and daughters, sisters, friends, individuals, Girl Scouts and other organizations. The cost is $15 per person. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. To make a reservation, call the Parks Department at 636- 949-7535 or visit https://bit.ly/LadiesInThePark.
Care Service provides 200 backpacks for students in tri-county area
More than 200 low-income students in the tri-county area were equipped with a brand-new backpack – fully-stocked with needed school supplies. “The families that come to the Care Service for assistance are struggling to keep the lights on and make sure their families are fed. Purchasing school supplies is an added expense that is beyond their budget,” said Pam Struckhoff, executive director at Sts. Joachim and Ann Care Service. “We wanted to ease this burden, and provide children with the tools necessary for a strong start to the school year.” Sts. Joachim and Ann Care Service holds an annual School Supply Drive each August to ensure children in St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren counties have access to basic and necessary school supplies. According to the National Retail Federation, parents of students in elementary school through high school anticipate spending close to $800 on back-to-school supplies and clothing this year. “Our families have no extra money to purchase new clothes or supplies for their children. They often have to make tough decisions on how to pay both their rent and their electric bill. School supplies are simply a cost they cannot afford,” said Struckhoff. “Thank you Timberland High School 2020 graduate Kyle Rehme competed in the finals of the 10th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition on Aug. 10 at the Fabulous Fox Theatre, earning the Audience Choice Award. After the competition was over, viewers were able to choose their favorite performer to win a $1,000 cash prize, and Rehme was chosen as the winner. He also won tickets and a performance opportunity with the St. Louis Bach Society and earned The Musical Theatre Scholarship Award underwritten by the majority owner of the Fox, Mary Strauss. Rehme and the other finalists competed on the stage of the Fabulous Fox Theater on Aug. 10, which was shown live on Nine PBS. The show can be seen on the Nine Network of Public Media website. The finals were originally scheduled to be held in April in front of a live audience, but were postponed due to the pandemic. The Fox’s partnership with Nine PBS made possible the opportunity to air the competition live from the Fox Stage. Performers still had an audience to entertain, albeit virtually. The after party can also be seen on the Fabulous Fox website.
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to the many donors who dropped off school supplies or purchased
Timberland grad wins St. Louis Teen Talent Competition Audience Choice Award
items on Amazon to make this annual event successful.”
Rehme’s Bach Society award affords him the opportunity to engage in a side-by-side chorus rehearsal, participation in a vocal masterclass, and/or the opportunity to perform in a Photo courtesy WentzBach Society of St. Louis choral concert. ville School District The Musical Theatre Scholarship Award underwritten by Mary Strauss comes with a prize of $1,500. “Kyle is a great kid with a heart of gold and I am extremely proud of the growth he made during his four years in Timberland Theatre,” said Timberland drama teacher Melissa Queen-Couch. “Kyle’s talent continues to shine, and his musical theatre career will continue to grow, first at Lindenwood, and then beyond. I can’t wait to see what he achieves!” Additionally, the band Rosemary, which includes Timberland graduates Jory Spiroff, Connor Pellegrini, Jackson Fenner, and Ashton Ranney, advanced to the semifinals by performing their original music. Also competing in the contest were Timberland dancers Emma and Sophia Giltner (duo), and Emily Low; as well as Holt High’s Isabella Burzio-Roca (Dance) and Liberty High’s Sarah Burke (Vocalist).
WSD students earn Seal of Biliteracy
Fifty-one Wentzville School District students earned the Missouri Seal of Biliteracy this spring and summer, a state recognition for students’ commitment to world language studies. Aligned with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) goal of preparing students for a lifetime of success, the seal recognizes an advanced level of proficiency in English and one or more other world languages prior to high school graduation. The recognition of attaining biliteracy becomes a part of the high school transcript for these students and serves to certify attainment of biliteracy for the community, employers and universities. All 51 students from Holt, Liberty, and Timberland high schools met the rigorous criteria, which includes multiple assessments and a project to earn the Seal of Biliteracy. Timberland graduate Luis Gonzalez Torres earned the Distinguished Seal of Biliteracy for Spanish based on his scores, and Timberland graduate Julia Clements earned a Dual Six members of Boy Scout Troop 968 chartered by Morning Star Church have recently earned the Eagle Scout Award. The six young men are all 2020 graduates of Liberty High School and have been scouting together since they were first graders at Prairie View Elementary. To earn the rank of Eagle, a scout must first earn the ranks of Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star and Life Scout. Earning these ranks requires the completion of certain scout skills as well as meeting leadership and service requirements. They must also earn a minimum of 21 merit badges; 13 of which are required for Eagle such as First Aid, Citizenship in the Community, Cooking, Swimming, etc. The final step toward Eagle includes a service project. Scouts are encouraged to choose a project that is meaningful to them. The project must benefit the community in some way; the scout is responsible for the planning and implementation of the project. As a whole, the boys’ projects totaled more than 600 hours of service. This includes the Eagles individual hours of planning as well as the hours of all the scouts, leaders and friends who volunteered their time to complete each project. Each boy’s project is as follows: • CJ Butler built a planter and planted an oak tree and butterfly bush for Diekroeger Park in Wright City. He earned his Eagle Scout
Award on July 22, 2019. • Adam Steiner constructed a 12x16 pavilion for the Tree House
Center of Greater St. Louis. He earned his Eagle Scout Award on
Aug. 26, 2019 • Henry Roos built and installed a trophy shelf for the Liberty Eagle
Regiment at Liberty High School in the Wentzville School District.
He earned his Eagle Scout Award on Oct. 14, 2019. Seal in French and German. Results were delayed this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and some assessments were administered virtually. “I would definitely use the word tenacity,” WSD Social Studies/World Language Content Leader Nichole Nolan said when asked about this year’s recipients. “They went so far above and beyond, having to switch gears and take the high-stakes STAMP4S test in their homes using specialized software. We are very proud of these students and their teachers who worked hard for four years to earn a level of world language proficiency that is recognized throughout the state.” Forty states and the District of Columbia have established a Seal of Biliteracy and additional states are in the process of doing so. Missouri approved the Seal of Biliteracy three years ago and the WSD introduced it for the first time last year. Ninety three WSD students
Six Boy Scouts from same troop earn Eagle Scout Award
(From left) Eagle scouts Ethan Zink, Adam Steiner, Dylan Nordmann, Justin Burski, Henry Roos and CJ Butler gather to celebrate the Eagle Court of Honor of Henry Roos.
have now earned the prestigious Seal of Biliteracy.
Submitted photo • Dylan Nordmann designed and installed an outdoor book walk for the library at Prairie View Elementary in the Wentzville School
District. Dylan earned his Eagle Scout Award on Nov. 18, 2019. • Justin Burski built a Gaga pit for Discovery Ridge Elementary in the
Wentzville School District. Justin earned his Eagle Scout Award on
May 11. • Ethan Zink built and installed trail signage for the Tree House Center of Greater St. Louis. Ethan earned his Eagle Scout Award on May 21.
Wentzville EDC Business Spotlight
WWW.LANGINSURANCE.COM
Eagle Eye USA is located at 851 Pic Parkway along the I-70 south outer road near the former Belz Mall. The business opened in 2013 and is owned by Tom Schlansker. The facility includes an indoor shooting range with twelve shooting lanes up to 25 yards; firearm sales; ammunition; and accessories. The business also offers various classes which are tailored to specific groups, such as a youth safety class. The business provides an opportunity to shoot indoors, learn about firearms, and obtain knowledge about the gun industry. The staff are primarily former military, police or fire personnel. We are encouraged by the overall growth of the Wentzville area and invite you to come by for a visit.
WWW.FOREVERCLEANGUTTER.COM
A blue-ribbon park
O’Fallon’s O’Day Park has garnered awards and accolades for preserving nature while providing a recreation space for the community
By Brett Auten
The plan all along was to make O’Day Park into something unlike any other in the O’Fallon’s parks and recreation system. Consider that strategy a success. O’Fallon was honored last month by the Missouri Municipal League (MML) with the 2020 MML Innovation Award for the design, construction and execution of O’Day Park. The award honors outstanding projects happening in communities across Missouri that enhance the quality of life for Missouri cities. O’Fallon received the honor in the Extra Large City category, which recognizes cities with a population of more than 30,000. The MML noted O’Fallon’s use of an innovative, multifaceted strategy to address environmental concerns, maintain the natural character of the land, protect the habitats and ecosystems native to the area, and conserve and reuse water for irrigation throughout the park. According to the MML, the new park satisfied a need for additional recreation space within the community and expanded the footprint and unique offerings of O’Fallon’s park system. “To have our peers within the state look at us as innovative means a lot to us,” Tom Drabelle, O’Fallon’s Director of Communications, said. “It is a little bit of wilderness in south O’Fallon.” O’Day Park, located at 1000 O’Day Park Drive in O’Fallon, is nestled in the countryside just off Highway DD. The 57-acres offers the area’s first adventure playground, a truly unique play experience for kids of all ages. The Adventure Playground has equipment that invites those to climb the rope course, gang together on group swings and giggle on the wooden log climbers and slides. There are also miles of paved and natural paths and group camping for Scout and youth groups also is available. For those special occasions, educational or corporate events, O’Day Lodge is at the southwest tip of the park offers all the amenities including state-of-the-art technology
