StreetScape Magazine Fall 2007

Fall 2007 Complimentary

featuring

NORTH & SOUTH

MAIN

FRENCH TOWN NEW TOWN THE STREETS OF SAINT CHARLES

160’s

CONTENTS

F E A T U R E S

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Fall 2007 20 22 44 50

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| NEIGHBORHOODS— Bed & Breakfasts - Rest & Respite.

Local inns offer a getaway... right here in town.

| CELEBRITY FOCUS— Where Do I Know You From? The ‘Facts’ About Julie Piekarski, former Mickey Mouseketeer and Facts of Life schoolgirl. | A la Carte— The Art Of Wine St. Charles native Erin Cannon-Chave | SEASONAL HUNT—Hunting For A Cause-Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Charles continue to benefit from this yearly traditional dove hunt. | Running & Riding-Passion & Purpose.

Why do we run? Why do we ride? Maybe you’ll find a new passion.

D E P A R T M E N T S

4 6 10 14 20 22 32

| COMMENTARY | FEATURED ARTIST | NEIGHBORHOODS | THE BUZZ AROUND TOWN | CELEBRITY FOCUS | A LA CARTE

38 44 46 54 62

| HEALTH WATCH | SEASONAL HUNT | YOU CAUGHT OUR EYE | SUNRISE TO SUNSET | CALENDAR

| BEST SHOPPING FINDS

ON THE COVER | Art Direction/Styling: Giant Leap Productions, Photography: Brea Hammack STREET SCAPE MAGAZINE |3

COMMENTARY

BEHIND THE SCENES PUBLISHER & FOUNDER TOM HANNEGAN

Fall For Autumn!

Tom, Co-Owner of Hannegan Real Estate & Construction, LLC holds a master’s degree from Lindenwood University. Hannegan shares his passion for real estate, community volunteering, and his appreciation of St. Charles in Street Scape magazine.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Welcome to the fifth edition of Street Scape Magazine! As always, we invite you to come as our reader and stay as our friend.

So many have come on board with Street Scape as readers, advertisers and supporters, and the momentum is gaining. Street Scape Magazine (Winter 2006, Issue 2) won the Silver Summit International Award for its layout and design. This could not have been done without the talents of the Street Scape Magazine team. I am grateful to and proud of them all!

September promises to be a busy month for us here at Street Scape. Thursday, September 6th Street Scape Magazine and New Town will be sponsoring "Urban Attitudes: a Vine Affair," a fashion show and wine tasting event to benefit Go Red for Women, the American Heart Association’s nationwide movement that celebrates the energy, passion and power women have to band together and wipe out heart disease. Thanks to the participation of millions of people across the country, the color red and the red dress have become linked with the ability all women have to improve their heart health and live stronger, longer lives. This event will showcase various St. Charles and St. Louis boutiques as well as current fashion trends.

Sunday, September 9th we’ll be sponsoring the X-treme 20 Youth Awards at the St. Charles Art Foundry Centre. Our Master of Ceremonies is Gary Shaw and the keynote speaker is Julie Piekarski-Probst. In the winter 2007 issue we will spotlight each winner and have event photos. Congratulations to the Winners! A special thanks to the sponsors and to the committee for this event.

I was brainstorming about fall topics and what to include in this fall edition of Street Scape.

Immediately I thought about road trips to view the changing colors of the leaves and the occasional stops along the way to wineries or B&Bs. There is something about the crisp smell and chill of autumn in the air, the bonfires, hayrides, and running and bike riding along the Katy trails that’s so comforting. This issue we’re bringing you the "IN" on local inns and wineries. We’re sure you’ll want to visit each and every one of them. And don’t forget to read about why we run & ride, as well as meet some of the locals that make up the tapestry of our neighborhoods, learn about people past and present who have helped shape St. Charles county and the surrounding areas.

We have started a monthly e-newsletter with information on events and promotions in which readers can participate. To recieve the e-newsletter, please send an email to tom@streetscapemag.com with “Subscribe” in the subject line. Remember, you can always see the most recent edition of Street Scape Magazine in its entirety online at www.streetscapemag.com.

Be Passionate! Life is Good.

ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON Robin has been a writer/journalist for more than 15 years working in print and electronic media.

Jefferson holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Missouri at St. Louis, with minors in writing and criminal justice.

ANN HAZELWOOD Ann is the owner of Patches, Etc. on Historic Main Street in St. Charles, Missouri. Hazelwood is an accomplished quilt author, historian, and appraiser with the following titles to her name: 100 Things To Do In And Around St. Charles and 100 Best Kept Secrets Of Missouri (Spring of 2007).

MONICA ADAMS Monica is a certified personal trainer and hosts a health and fitness show Sunday afternoons on KMOX Radio, and is the traffic reporter for FOX 2 News in the Morning. Monica is a St. Louis native who enjoys entertaining family and friends, and doing charitable work.

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS MICHAEL SCHLUETER Michael photographs people and places for advertising and corporate accounts locally and nationally.

“The exploration and discovery process is what keeps photography so exciting for me.”

BREA HAMMACK Brea is currently an art major with a focus in photography. She specializes in portraiture, blending artistic and professional shots.

She sees photography as a way to tell a person’s story through a single image.

DESIGN & PRODUCTION GIANT LEAP PRODUCTIONS Tracy Brooke 636-561-4250 tracy@giantleapproductions.com www.giantleapproductions.com

4|STREET SCAPE MAGAZINE

BEHIND THE SCENES ADVISORY BOARD Deborah Alessi Mary Banmiller Susan Berthold Nadine Boon Diane Burkemper Erica Butler Jody Cox Ann Dempsey Barbara Drant Cindy Eisenbeis Sally Faith Lorna Frahm Bill Goellner Sheryl Guffey Mary Lou Hannegan Grace Harmon Ann Hazelwood Chris Hoffman Jason Hughes Jan Kast Mike Klinghammer Martha Kooyumjian Caryn Lloyd Jeremy Malensky Nancy Matheny

Denice McKeown Bob Millstone Sandy Mohrmann Suzanne Matyiko Maurice Newberry Craig Norden Grace Nichols Toekie Purler Sue Riddler Kathy Robertson Marc Rousseau Rocco Russo Richard Sacks Keith Schneider Bob Schuette Teri Seiler Joyce Shaw Kelley Scheidegger-Barbee Scott Tate Karen Vehlewald Aleece Vogt Brian Watkins Brian Wies Mary West Gail Zumwalt

ADVERTISING CHRISTINE ADAMS Christine has worked in sales for over 11 years and we are very pleased that she has joined our family as Account Manager for Street Scape.

Contact Christine to discuss your advertising needs at christine@streetscapemag.com or 636-219-7358.

Download a media kit online at www.streetscapemag.com.

DISTRIBUTION Call Tom Hannegan at 636-916-4386 or via email at tom@streetscapemag.com

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Volume 2, Issue 3 • Fall 2007 TPH Media 223 North Main Street, St. Charles, Missouri 63301 PHONE 636-916-4386, FAX 1-866-231-6159 WWW.STREETSCAPEMAG.COM Any reproduction of Street Scape magazine or its contents requires publisher’s prior written consent. Street Scape magazine aims to ensure that information is accurate and correct at all times but cannot accept responsibility for mistakes. Street Scape magazine reserves the right to refuse any advertisement and assumes no responsibility for submitted materials. Unsolicited material must include a self-addressed stamped envelope. © 2006 TPH Media. All Rights Reserved.

STREET SCAPE MAGAZINE |5

Bryan Walsh has always loved to draw. He was the kid penning cartoon characters on his folders and in his notebooks while the teacher was teaching. But it was during his stint in college at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio that the young artist began to define his style.

FEATURED ARTISTS

Walsh, 27, earned his bachelor of arts in graphic design and is using that degree in what he calls his “9 to 5” at a small print shop. But his heart is on the canvass and soon he hopes to be making his living with a brush.

Urban Expressions Grafitti and Beyond

“I guess I'm the same as every other artist,” he said. “I've been drawing since I could remember on school folders and notebooks. All during grade school I was in trouble for drawing in class instead of listening.”

He said the “9 to 5” pays the bills and keeps him from being a true starving artist. “I'm skinny enough as it is,” he quipped.

In January, Walsh joined other artists as part of Streetscape's Coffee House Crawl, which showcased the urban art forms of art, poetry and music. The proceeds benefited Children's Hospital. Walsh set up his portable studio in the Prancing Pony coffee shop and did live painting. A couple of abstract pieces emerged from the display.

Before college, Walsh said his work was based on tightly rendered pencil drawings, the elements of which were taken largely from magazine advertisements, “with no rhyme or reason to it.” During college Walsh mainly studied graphic design. He did take one painting class.

Untitled Tim Wagner

But, oddly enough it was a trio of sociology classes that ignited the style of art Walsh would eventually specialized in. “It was very important. It's influenced by a lot of reading that I do on sociology, race, some politics and my interest in the urban landscape. It started in college with three sociology classes on race, class and gender. Since then I've read lots of books. My work has a lot to do with those subjects in one form or another.”

Also during college, Walsh's artistic and musical influences expanded form classic rock like Van Halen and Led Zeppelin to hip-hop, punk, jazz and funk. Almost concurrently, his interest in the art and design related to these genres--graffiti, street art, punk band fliers and more—began to grow.

Walsh said his work is defined as “street art + abstract expressionist hybrid painting”. “I take the mark makings and backgrounds of abstract expressionism and fuse it with the usage of words, symbols and icons and mesh that all together.”

Justin Tolentino

For instance, his latest work, “What about reality?” is an example of his challenge to the viewer to see what they can see. The simple inquiry is found within an abstract painting of varying hues and shapes.

“When it comes to my art, it has to do with the incorporation or words or phrases or the use of symbols as subtle commentary,” Walsh said. “It's not specific imaging for myself or the viewer. The viewer can put their own meaning in it. More or less my intention is to provoke the person to step back and ask themselves, 'What about reality?'”--to step back and make sure to form one's own thoughts and opinions whether it's about politics, sociological matters or war.”

Walsh hopes to soon be using his graphic design talents and knowledge along with his love of painting to set out on his own. Eventually he would like to do fliers, posters, stickers, album covers, and the like, incorporating his painting and design backgrounds into one.

Bryan Walsh

6|STREET SCAPE MAGAZINE

Walsh can't imagine doing anything else. “When I paint I feel happier. I

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FEATURED ARTISTS

just feel more energized. That's how I express myself. I'm not a writer and I don't speak publicly. I just paint.”

Walsh is an active member of ArtDimensions, a St. Louis artists' group focused on revitalizing the arts in St. Louis. Members participate in mural work, education classes, gallery shows and the Taste of St. Louis Festival.

Walsh lives in south St. Louis City where he is able to view the visual, social and political aspects of urban, physical environments and the street aesthetic more closely. “Through the use of symbols as icons and the incorporation of lettering, I hope to weave social commentary and reflections of the urban landscape into many of my pieces.”

To view Walsh's iambwalsh.com.

work

online,

visit

Justin Tolentino is fascinated with his past experience as a dedicated graffiti writer although he acknowledges graffiti writers don't always get the credit they deserve.

"Throughout my entire life, I have been put in awe by vast cities and the type of life styles that thrive and perish in this type of community," he said.

Tolentino's most recent works consist of single character/icon in a color field landscape/background. "The color field contains a hectic way of thinking and in the same picture plane a simple entity," he said.

"The character in most cases is a mask or an over exaggeration of a thought, emotion or feeling. I employ characters to express a multi-faceted self-portrait of what is true, what is comforting and what is good. I convey humor and the irony of being human.

I laugh back at life."

Tolentino said he enjoys "sending in the clowns where others would remain in quiet despair. All of these animated elements are frozen, so as to be viewed for long periods of time by the viewer in order for them to completely analyze and ponder the thoughts and emotions conveyed by the figure in my paintings, prints and drawings."

Tolentino said he wants the viewer to explore his work--the characters and icons, their

8|STREET SCAPE MAGAZINE

Tim Wagner

thoughts and meaning. "The collage--like backgrounds, which I am drawn to, allow me to create not only an environment for the figures, but sets a mood and an idea into motion than perhaps the figure could not do alone," he said.

Tolentino said he believes the pursuit of most artists, along with himself, is simply to create, although graffiti writers are often given a bum wrap. "Graffiti writers live their lives just to make their mark on anything they see fit," he said. "Living a simple life, striving only to alter the urban environment and thus creating something new from the old cities in which we live, something that is uniquely theirs. (Graffiti writers) are ridiculed for their practices and they are not considered artists.

Instead they are seen as public menaces who only wish to deface the already worn town city in which they live."

Tolentino said he draws from both worlds, "the high art world along with the underground art community, then translating my experiences into a widely accepted style, with the feeling and power of the underground."

Born and raised in St. Louis, Timothy Wagner comes from a long line of artists.

Artistic talents have embraced his family for generations and of particular influence was Blanche Fischel Claggett who had a flair for composite works and monoprints, he said.

Wagner began painting in elementary school and developed a unique abstract style by high school. During his travels to the West and Europe, he would always have a sketchbook handy to record landscapes and shapes.

Balloon Porn Justin Tolentino

Wagner uses typical acrylic, latex and oil in his works, but also works in a mixed media format using stains, paper, ink and other materials.

"Many people, places and everyday occurrences influence me," he said.

My style is always evolving and capturing raw emotions and presenting a piece of myself in my own work."

Wagner markets his work at local St. Louis shows and at www.Yessy.com, where he has sold paintings across the country. He is currently working on degrees in fine arts and education at Webster University and hopes to one day teach. ■ ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON

STREET SCAPE MAGAZINE |9

NEIGHBORHOODS

Finding a place to stay at a vacation destination can be an arduous task. Some vacationers are looking out for their wallet, others want romance, still others want recreation and proximity to attractions. But then there are those guests who beg for something different... for an overnight stay that makes them feel at home, yet pampered.

A unique and secluded spot removed from everyday life but within minutes of varied entertainment venues that offers romance and a walk through the past.

Sandra Snyder bet her savings and 68 gallons of paint on her dream to provide just this type of home away from home for her clients.

Snyder opened Bittersweet Inn at 1101 North Third St. in the Frenchtown Historic District of St. Charles nearly two years ago.

The 143-year-old Civil War era home has the charm of high ceilings, antique furnishings and a sitting porch. A vegetable and fruit garden and flowers abound behind the house as candy for the eyes of visitors taking a quiet break beneath the trees.

Snyder restored the French Colonial style home herself in just five weeks. She added a bedroom, bathroom and utility room along with a closet for her own living quarters.

“The house has good bones,” Snyder said.

“It's solid. My ex [husband] used to call me a sturdy woman. This is my sturdy house.”

Not a stranger to hard work and endearing times, Snyder built a business in St. Charles-Celestial Gardens—after raising her children on her own. “Necessity is the mother of invention and that's us. When you have to learn how to do something, you do.”

An abundance of red geraniums make the white house sparkle inside its charcoal gray trim. Decorations include “something for everyone,” Snyder said. Following a move to Florida and 12 hurricanes, a stint in the real estate and insurance businesses, and a little home decorating on the side, Snyder returned to St. Charles.

“I went to a bed and breakfast 22 years ago. I just thought with what I know, I can do it better. I love entertaining. I love to cook,” Snyder said.

Rest Respite Bed & Breakfasts

10 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

Bittersweet Inn

NEIGHBORHOODS

Bittersweet Inn offers three bedrooms with queen sized beds and private baths. There are also two suites, one with an adjoining room.

All rooms have sitting areas, air conditioning, fluffy bathrobes and ceiling fans. The inn has several common areas decorated with warm colors and antiques. Each night's stay includes a gourmet breakfast with fresh ground coffee, fresh fruit, homemade butter, jams, jellies, breads, muffins and biscuits.

She has also started holding “Secret Weekends” after the successful Rhonda Byrne book “The Secret.” “Women come to workshops and projects on improvising and expanding possibilities,” Rhona said. “We're always trying to figure out how to reinvent and broaden what we can do for our guests.

We feel our guests out and find out how much do they want from us? They just like the personal attention.”

Snyder plans picnics, spa days, massages and dinner reservations for her guests. Rates run from $99 to $129 per night.

Rhona said half the fun of running a bed and breakfast is the people she meets. One group of women who call themselves the “Women of Wow” have particularly captured Rhona's heart. Seven sisters, all professionals, meet at Lococo House II for four days once a year.

“They are retired nuns, writers, deans of schools. Hearing about their lives is so interesting. We meet incredible people with unbelievable lives and stories. Sometimes I feel guilty taking their money.”

For Rhona Lococo, an unexpected trip would become a new way of life for her and her husband Leo. The two opened their first bed and breakfast in the officer's quarters in Jefferson Barracks after Rhona stopped in London on her way to Tunisia, Africa 20 years ago. Spying a bed and breakfast there, Rhona decided this was the business for her.

Shortly after, the Lococo's son found a building in St. Charles, where the family would open Lococo House II. At 1101 North Fifth St., the house was a little far out for Rhona. “I said, 'Oh my gosh, that's the other end of the earth'. But from the time we opened the door and saw the beautiful wood staircase, that was it.”

Many of the Knoblauch family's descendants have lived in the house since they built the structure in 1907. In fact, family members often visit Lococo House II to share stories and photos with its new owners, Rhona said.

Today the 2,500-square-foot house offers four rooms with private and shared baths.

The bedrooms are arranged so that three are adjoining. Groups of ladies can hold gettogethers with adjoining rooms.

Rhona said she services tourists from all over the country and beyond as well as people from around town who just come in for a little “r & r”.

Lococo House II offers Girl's Night Out, pajama parties for women; Quilting Weekends; Red Hat Society Weekends and Scrapbooking Weekends. The house is a venue for support groups, massages and business planning sessions as well.

Bittersweet Inn

Leo Lococo offers guests rides from the airport as well as shuttle services to the wineries and the Katy Trail. Rooms at Lococo run between $85 and $100 per night.

John Doerr seconds the notion that his guests drive his business in more than one way. “The plus to it is that the people you deal with are very different than the people who would stay in a hotel,” he said. “Bed and breakfasts are a function of the people that operate them.

They take on the personalities of the people that run them.”

Doerr owns and operates Morgan Corner Bed & Breakfast at 305 Morgan St. in the Frenchtown Neighborhood of St. Charles.

He purchased the building, along with the carriage house and log cabin, two years ago.

The Weeke-Lawler House is one of the oldest in Frenchtown. The site has been occupied since 1797 when it was owned by Isidore Lacroix, who in turn sold the property to the wealthy French couple, Francois and Beauvais Duquette. Their descendants sold the land and a frame home to Christoph and Friederike Weeke in 1865, who built the mansion on the property. The Weeke Mansion changed to the Lawler Mansion when the property was purchased by James G. Lawler and Elizabeth Hughes Lawler.

Morgan Corner Bed & Breakfast

The cabin which now sits on the Morgan Corner property was built in the mid-19th century by Fidelis Schwendemann on a farm in St. Peters, Missouri on the south side of Mexico Road--the first property east of the present Post Office. As families grew, a larger house was built around it. The cabin was discovered some years ago when the property owners tore down the house. Historian Glen Bishop of St. Charles had the cabin moved to his property at Third and Morgan Streets in St. Charles, where it remains today.

Doerr said the “experience” of another time and place is important for his guests.

“Someone comes into your home and your

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 11

NEIGHBORHOODS

memorabilia is sitting around. The bed and breakfast clientèle have respect for your things. People want to be part of and experience the home and history.”

Some 5,000 square feet include four rooms which can sleep 12 people. Children are welcome with special arrangements.

Doerr ran a venture capital firm before becoming the proud owner of Morgan Corner. He said he entertained hundreds of people from school or office functions in his home before beginning research—the reading of 15 books—on opening a bed and breakfast. “There is a difference between entertaining and someone living in your home,” he said. “If the customer wants 25 pillows, you need to get 25 pillows. It's all about the service.”

Doerr said his guests appreciate the details most of all—the turned down bed, the chocolates on their pillows. “People aren't used to those details. It makes an impression.

The robes, trays, home-baked fresh cookies, two stocked refrigerators, coffee. We treat you as though you're a guest in your own home.”

Morgan Corner's rooms run between $125 to $185 per night.

One bed and breakfast owner is taking the historical perspective of the St. Charles area and opening up an opportunity to actually relive days gone by. In October, Venetia McEntire and Steve Powell will open Boone's Colonial Inn & Market at 322 South Main St. The venture is McEntire's second business of the like in St. Charles. Along with her parents, McEntire also owns and

12 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

Boone’s Colonial Inn

parents bought it. “It was brick walls and dirt floors throughout,” she said. “The flooring had literally disintegrated over the years.

People had used the molding for firewood. It was a shell of a building.”

Lococo House II

operates Boone's Lick Trail Inn at 1000 South Main Street.

Paul and V'Anne Mydler opened Boone's Lick Trail Inn in 1987 after nearly three years of remodeling work. Built as a saddlery and western shop, the Carter-Rice building changed hands many times in its 150-year history, collecting stories about St. Charles, its residents and visitors. Built in the 1840's, the building had served as a private home for years, a hospital for the indigent and even a hippie commune during the 1970's.

“Fifteen people lived here then. We purchased the building off the city auction block and conducted extensive renovations,” McEntire said.

Massive might be more like it. McEntire said the building was “basically a shell” when her

Three years ago, McEntire and the Mydler's purchased the cottage next door, a 1932 arts and crafts bungalow, and transformed it into a suite.

Today the Boone's Lick Trail Inn has seven rooms. Situated on South Main St., Boone's Lick Trail Inn touts what may not be so obvious to its patrons, “Where you are only a few steps away from history. Sleep just 50 yards away from where Lewis and Clark slept.”

It's a fully operational bed and breakfast for local to world travelers, McEntire said.

Patrons of the inn enjoy breakfast each morning complete with fruits, juices, pastries, breads, homemade jams and jellies.

Innkeeper and hostess, V'Anne Mydler, serves breakfast with cheese stuffed French toast drizzled with strawberry sauce in the dining and sitting rooms or in the guest's room or outdoors by request.

The inn also offers colonial fireplaces, a view of the Missouri River, whirlpool bath suites, flat screen TV's, and his and her colonial sleeping garments. Rates run from $125 on weekdays to $285 on weekends for the suites.

McEntire, along with former St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau Chief Steve Powell, are taking their guests back in time with their newest venture in the bed and breakfast industry. The two will open the Boone's Colonial Inn & Market at 322 South Main St. in the fall, but this time with a twist. Not only will visitors be witnesses to historic tradition and décor, they may actually get to participate in it.

“Our marketing position is totally different with this,” McEntire said. “We still have the early American feel, but we want to cater to those people who are looking for a colonial experience. It's all about history and totally immersing yourself in that experience.”

Currently, Boone's Colonial Inn is hosting receptions, seated dinners, weddings, rehearsal dinners and small special events.

Guests can be treated to an historically accurate colonial experience with servers in period costumes and craftsmen and merchants not far away.

Powell created the Living History Program on Main Street in St. Charles during his 17 years at the helm of the CVB. He and McEntire wanted to carry a touch of that living history into their business. With Boone's Colonial Inn & Market, McEntire and Powell have tried to capture the essence of Colonial America with 3-1/2-hour, 16course period dinners served in the establishment. “It's something you can't get anywhere else,” McEntire said.

Four luxury suites will open in October with whirlpool baths and fireplaces. Services and amenities will include gourmet breakfast, Colonial sleeping garments, wine and cheese by the outside fire pit, carriage rides, spa basket and spa services, fresh flower delivery and a sterling silver Jefferson cup to commemorate the stay.

Suites will run from $250 to $395 per night depending on holidays, festivals, special events and occupancy length.

■ ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 13

THE BUZZ AROUND TOWN

Ameristar Hotel

Ameristar “Tops Off” It’s New Hotel Ameristar Casinos, Inc celebrated at a Topping Off ceremony for the Ameristar St. Charles new luxury hotel, spa and pool slated to open in December 2007.

To commemorate the occasion, guests signed the final steel beam that was then raised to the top of the 25-story hotel tower, signifying that construction has reached its highest point and a significant milestone toward the project’s completion has been achieved.

When finished, the new $265 million facility will include a 400-room all-suite luxury hotel, a 7,000-square-foot full-service spa, an indoor/outdoor pool area with landscaped grounds and waterfalls and a 2,000-space parking garage.

The first phase of the expansion – with 19,200 square feet of stateof-the-art conference and meeting facilities – opened in September 2006.

The stunning contemporary but classic chocolate and burgundy-toned décor incorporates plush draperies and premium leather furnishings in intimate seating groups, framed by rich area rugs over marble flooring and lit by the glow of two striking fireplaces. www.ameristar.com

14 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

As she wanders the streets, she begins to see things that jar her memory: a picture on a wall, a historical marker, a map. Slowly, she starts to put the pieces together - the Old River Front, a house and family, a lover and a jealous suitor.

Matt Johannesman & Bill Goellner

Jerry Hurlbert & Tom Waplehorst

Dan Borgemeyer & Family

She embarks on a trek across the city, trying to blend in and adjust to a modern world she has never seen before.

Julian, a mysterious young man employed by the church, is sent out to find her. He seems to know more about her than she does, tracking her, quickly deducing that she is headed home, to the place where she used to live - more than a hundred years ago.

Is Laura reincarnated? Resurrected and risen from the grave? Or is she just the unfortunate victim of a horrible crime, buried in the mud and left for dead? Is Julian really trying to help her, as he claims, or is he part of a conspiracy, a plot to kill her?

Soon Laura is in a race for her life, trying to reach her home and her memories before Julian, the police, and the church can find her.

For more information on this movie visit Pirate Picture’s website at www.piratepictures.net.

(A portion was filmed on Main Street in St. Charles!)

‘Citizen of the Years 2007’ Dan Borgmeyer was the 2007 recipient of the

Photo Courtesy of Ehlmann Photography

Walters' Jewelry, located on North Main Street in St. Charles, was started by Tom’s wife's grandfather, Charles Walters, in 1916 under the name St. Charles Music and Jewelry Company. Since Tom took the reins he continues the family business with the highest quality diamonds, gemstones and the highest quality of customer service. Tom is an active member of the St. Charles Community and deserving of this reognition .

A woman awakens in a pit. She is weak and covered with mud, her face beaten, her throat cut.

She is unable to speak, remember who she is, or how she got there. Hungry, thirsty, she ventures out into the city, stealing food and warm clothes to survive.

Photo Courtesy of Ehlmann Photography

The Saint Charles Chamber of Commerce selected, Tom Wapelhorst, owner of Walters' Jewelry, Inc., as the Small Business Person of 2007.

Hollywood on Main Photo Courtesy of Ehlmann Photography

St. Charles ‘Small Business Person 2007’

‘Shadowlands’

St. Charles Chamber of Commerce's highest honor: the Citizen of the Years.

The Citizen of the Years is honored for a lifetime of achievement and volunteerism in St. Charles County.

At the age of 26, Borgmeyer started his own company, Borgmeyer Advertising.

His company, now called B&B Communications, has been successful for 34 years. Borgemyer attributes the company's success to his dedicated staff and the fact that he has always made each client feel special. Borgmeyer gives of his time and talents on numerous boards that serve the community.

‘Lifetime Distinguished Service Award’ The St. Charles Chamber also presented a Lifetime Distinguished Service Award to Street Scape Magazine Advisory Board Member Bill Goellner. Goellner is the president of the South Main Preservation Society and served on the Historic Landmarks Preservation and Architectural Review Board. Bill and his son Chris are principals in Goellner Printing on S. Main Street in St. Charles.

NEIGHBORHOODS

“Wee Writers” Lilah Contiene, Noelle Miles, Hallye Bone, Jan Lewien, Mary DuBois and Ann Hazelwood

Birds of a feather, right? Well, when it applies to writers that's certainly the case. When Ann Hazelwood, author and owner of Patches, Etc. in St. Charles went looking for some writing companions she wanted the common bond of writing to resonate throughout her group, but not so much of everything else.

“I got the idea from a book called Writing Alone, And With Others,” Hazelwood said.

“I was so impressed. It was the most helpful thing I ever read about writing.”

Authored by Pat Schneider, the book focuses on teaching writers to form their own writers' groups to encouraged their creativity and to network. Hazelwood's goal was to find the individuals to create a group that would be meaningful and helpful to her as a writer.

“The book stresses creating a very diverse group. The last thing you want to do is everyone write the same thing,” she said, so her first member was a spiritual writer. And although the woman is no longer with the group, she brought a different and interesting perspective to the other women involved.

Small Comforts/ Big World

with

Ann Hazelwood

What is your favorite wine, and what winery would you like to be enjoying it in?

Hazelwood herself is currently working on her fourth book. She has published Pretty Polka Dots, 100 Things to do in St. Charles and 100 Best Kept Secrets in Missouri. She has also written for numerous quilting magazines across the country.

Dellene Ollendorf | Sales Associate

Hazelwood said she sees the Wee Writers as a group of women who promote each other and their work, share resources and encourage each other to keep writing. “Some truly want to be very active writers,” she said. “Others just want to enjoy writing. I can't say we do a lot of critiquing. The time is so short.”

Winery—Stover, Missouri

Nonetheless, the group takes home writing assignments and invites published authors, publishers, book store owners and others to speak to them.

Chamber of Commerce

River Boat Red at Wine Country Garden—Defiance, Missouri Bonnie Forsce | Retired Dispatcher Grey Bear Zinphandel at Grey Bear

Dan Satterfield | owner—Form, Function and Finesse Remeggio Cabernet at Casa Remeggio—Treviso, Italy Scott Tate | President—St. Charles

Crown Valley Norton at Crown Valley Winery—Ste. Genevieve, Missouri Greg Presteman | Economic

Hazelwood said the group has to keep itself in check to avoid straying from the topic at hand. “What you don't want it to be is a therapy group,” she said. “We don't go into people's personal problems.”

Hazelwood's group became the “Wee Writers”. Six members make up the group which got its name, “because we're small,” she said. “I like the small group because it gives more individual attention to what we need at the time, whether it's discussion of an issue, reading or having a guest.”

Group members will encourage each other, though, with writer's block and other barriers to writing. One member needed help developing a place to write in her home to get away from the other residents and enjoy her own space. “All of us work differently,” Hazelwood said. “Our comfort zone is different.”

Wee Writers members Lilah Contiene, Noelle Miles, Hallye Bone, Jan Lewien, Mary DuBois and Hazelwood offer varied personalities and perspectives to the small writers' group, including public relations writing, creative writing, reporting, poetry, novel writing, trade writing and selfhelp writing.

The Wee Writers have found success, they say, in finding like-minded yet unique souls to work with. “I wanted to be able to share my ideas and I wanted to hear their ideas,” Hazelwood said. “Writing is a lonely profession or hobby so when you can actually share it, I find that helpful.”

■ ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON

Developement Director— St. Charles County Pinot Grigio at Mt. Pleasant Winery— Augusta, Missouri Cindy Cummins | PR and Event Planner Any kind of white wine at Balducci's— Augusta, Missouri Bruce Evans | Community Developement Director—City of St. Charles Main Street Red at The Winery of the Little Hills—St. Charles, Missouri Gail Zumwalt | owner—Stitches etc.

BV Coastal Merlot at Crown Valley Winery—Ste. Genevieve, Missouri Mike Sellenschueter | Developer Any good Riesling at Hermanof Winery —Herman, Missouri

16 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

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S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 17

Reflexology Healing for Body and Soul Are you stressed? Tense? Just can’t relax no matter what you do? Reflexology promotes the body’s ability to adjust and balance itself during times of stress, and simply taking time out to relax can help you let go of tension and enjoy mental and physical balance.

What is reflexology? Through skillful application of pressure to specific points in the feet, a reflexologist gently helps bring about physical changes in your body that promote balance, ease and healing with more than “just a foot rub.” You need only remove your shoes and socks to address the needs of your entire body.

If you’re overworked, stressed and exhausted, your reflexologist can send a calm and intentional message to your nervous system through the feet. Your nervous system is designed to respond to this input, and a reflexologist’s relaxing touch refocuses your attention from the stress you’ve been feeling.

As you begin to unwind and enjoy this relaxing touch, your tension decreases and pain subsides.

Did you know that the systems of your body are reflected in your feet? When pressure is applied to points on the feet, predictable positive changes occur elsewhere in the body.

Reflexology is used as a complimentary care

for those with a variety of conditions, including headache, arthritis, back pain and many others. It can help ease the symptoms of addiction withdrawl and PMS, and can even reduce symptoms of diabetes.

Nurses working with terminally ill cancer patients in Switzerland routinely use reflexology to decrease pain and increase the comfort of their patients. In Great Britain, reflexology is part of the National Health Service. So many have felt the lasting benefits of regular visits to a reflexologist... shouldn’t you?

Now St. Charles County, O’Fallon and surrounding areas will have easy access to this holistic, whole-body healing care as Hands Over Feet Reflexology opens in O’Fallon.

Shawnee Shellingerhout, R.N. will be happy to speak with you and answer any questions you might have regarding reflexology and it’s benefits for you. She is currently seeing patients in Ladue, MO and will begin seeing patients in O’Fallon in mid-August. Hands Over Feet offers reflexology for stress reduction and relaxation by appointment, and gift certificates are always available for any occasion, including as employee incentives. Contact Hands Over Feet today at 636-329-9500.

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 19

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Where Do I Know You From?

The ‘Facts’ About Julie Piekarski Julie Probst has a gold card, but it's not the kind most people carry. Hers is the Taco Bell Personal Gold Card signed by former Taco Bell President John E. Martin. The 44-year-old ex-Mouseketeer and television star has free tacos for life. She was the restaurant's spokesperson in the early eighties and they granted her the standing for increasing their sales by 60 percent.

She said it's confusing for the young people who now work the drive-thrus and counters of the Americanized Mexican restaurants— kids who never new Julie Piekarski, Sue Ann Weaver on the 1970's preteen hit “Facts of Life,” kids who never knew about the return of Walt Disney's New Mickey Mouse Club, kids who never contemplated whether they were a “Pepper” or whether you wanted to be one too.

Now Julie Probst, wife of dentist John Probst and mother of three teenagers, Julie is still touching the outskirts of Hollywood as her children sing, dance and perform at the Muny Opera House in St. Louis. Today she lives her life in her hometown of St. Louis and helps out her alma mater, the school her children also attended, Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles.

Julie's own memories of stardom and the magic of Walt Disney are still vivid in her mind. “They put me in charge of Mickey,” Julie said about her first experiences as one of the new Mouseketeers at Walt Disneyland in California. Dancing and singing since the age of three, Julie had been chosen in 1975 from more than 20,000 young hopefuls.

After her audition in Chicago, Julie was sent back to St. Louis to do a video test with Walt

20 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

Disney's local affiliate. She said the producer wanted to test her to see if she could pretend an object was there when it really wasn't, since on the show the kids would have cartoon characters superimposed onto the screen with them.

The producer tried to be tricky and didn't let Julie in on his little secret. “He said, 'I'm going to give you a banana,' and he just held out his hand. I didn't know what to do so I pretended to take the banana and began peeling it. And then I asked, 'Is this Chiquita or Dole?' He was amazed.”

At Disney, the person wearing the Mickey Mouse costume carried both the burdens of not being able to see well under the costume and also that the head of the costume itself at the time was worth more than $7,000, making protection of the equipment quite necessary.

The new Mouseketeers, along with Julie, were memorialized on lunch boxes, coloring books, albums and more before the show’s untimely cancellation the following year. Julie said the cast believed at the time that Disney's new movie “The Black Hole” took all of the money that would have been used for the next season.

Julie grew up in Cool Valley, Florissant and Creve Coeur before becoming a Mouseketeer, but she said it was her education at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles that molded both her talents and values. “It was my family and this school that made all the difference in my life,” she said. “The headmistress Sister Steppe was so loving. She said, 'Go do this'. But she still had a little rope on me to let me know that, 'I'm letting you go, but remember your values and what

you represent'.”

Julie said she felt she represented her school and Sister Steppe as she stepped out into the world of show business. She always said, 'What you are is God's gift to you. What you make of yourself is your gift to God'.”

Confidence and humility would come in handy in the glittering city of Los Angeles where stars abound and self esteem often gets trampled. Julie would go on to be asked out by the likes of Tom Cruise, flirted with by Rob Lowe, and neck-in-neck for roles with Melissa Gilbert, Helen Hunt and Molly Ringwald.

Julie did pilots with Nicholas Cage, “before he was Nicholas Cage,” she said. She did stints on Three's Company and Quincy and even read for Michael Landon for Little House on the Prairie. She did the Dr. Pepper commercial with David Naughton of “An American Werewolf in London” and became the spokesperson for Taco Bell in New York.

She said she finds it difficult to watch television shows about childhood stars and their complaints about how hard the life was for them. “We got to sing and dance every day in the Disney studio. We got to walk through the animation department and watch the men draw the animation boards.

We got to ride the rides when the park was closed. What a life. I think, 'You were lucky.

You were privileged. What are you talking about?'” she said. “I would have done it for free. I truly looked at it as an honor.”

Julie was 13 when the New Mickey Mouse Club ended. Shortly after that she and former Mouseketeer co-star Lisa Welchel began new careers on “The Facts of Life”. Welchel was Blair Warner. The experience would last three

CELEBRITY FOCUS years before Julie’s ‘Sue Ann Weaver’ was cut from the show.

Those days were also a dream for a young girl from St. Louis, Julie said. But she said she didn't take to the night life and the pressure like the Lindsey Lohans’ and Britney Spears' of today. “I guess I was probably a nerd. I really never did try a cigarette.”

But Teen Beat and other reporters followed her around and she did want to date Christopher Adkins from Blue Lagoon.

Mostly they roller skated on their nights off, though. After work and studies and dinner, she said there really wasn't enough time to get into trouble. And her mother was always there.

Julie said her mom picked up and moved to Hollywood with her where the young mother-of-two would spend the next eight years looking out for her young star.

“She passed away last September,” Julie said with tears in her eyes. “She made so many sacrifices.”

Julie met her husband, John, when he and a friend were on a road trip to California in 1985. Julie was attending the University of California at Los Angeles for biochemistry at the time, although she switched her major to communications and business.

The two returned to St. Louis. “I didn't want to raise a family there. It's insane.

Everybody wants to be on TV.” They were married in 1986 and Julie followed John to Kansas City to finish his education while she did some print work and training films.

After returning to St. Louis, Julie had a kid every two years for six years—Patrick, now 17 and a senior at St. Louis University High School; Jacqueline, 15, a gymnast and student at Vila Duchesne in St. Charles; and Christian, 13, a student at the Academy of the Sacred Heart.

Julie said her childhood stardom really doesn't come up all that often, and she hardly lets it define who she is.

“It defines me when it's brought up, when someone wants to know about it.

They usually start out with, 'You look so familiar. Where do I know you from?''

■ ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON

It’s A Small World After All...

Cliff Edwards, the voice of Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney's “Pinocchio” in 1940, spent time in St. Charles, according to Frenchtown Museum Director Dorothy Boshears.

“He moved to St. Charles around 1914 and stayed here for several years while he worked for American Car & Foundry,” Boshears said. “While he spent his days at ACF, he spent his nights at saloons in St. Charles and St. Louis.”

Born in Hannibal, MO on June 14, 1895, and also known as “Ukelele Ike,” Edwards was an American singer and musician who enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s.

He specialized in jazz renditions of pop standards and novelty tunes and did voices for animated cartoons later in his career.

Edwards left school at age 14 and began entertaining as a singer in movie theaters and saloons in St. Louis, MO. Few saloons had pianos then, so Edwards taught himself to play the ukulele (then spelled ukelele) to accompany himself. It was the cheapest instrument in the music store. He called his style of improvised singing “effin”, which sounds a lot like the human voice imitating a hot trumpet or kazoo solo.

Edwards got the nickname “Ukelele Ike” from a club owner who couldn't remember his name. He got his first break in 1918 at the Arsonia Cafe in Chicago, IL where he performed a tune called “Ja Da”, written by the club's pianist, Bob Carleton. The two men made the tune a hit on the Vaudeville circuit. Vaudeville headliner Joe Frisco hired Edwards as part of his act, which was featured at The Palace in New York City, the most prestigious theater

in Vaudeville, Ziegfeld Follies.

and

then

in

the

Later Edwards sang the song “When You Wish Upon A Star” in “Pinocchio” and it won an Oscar for best song in 1940. His rendition of this song is one of the great popular vocal performances of the 20th century and it became the theme of the Disney corporation. He never received billing in the credits with the movie's release in December 1939, however.

Although Edwards was credited with over 100 films and selling over 74 million records (a large amount even by today's standards), he wound up bankrupt from two divorces, income-tax troubles and years of gambling, alcohol and drug abuse. He declared bankruptcy four times during the 1930s and early 1940s.

Broke in his later years, Edwards lived in a home for indigent actors and often spent his days hanging around the Walt Disney Studios to be available any time he could get voice work and telling stories of his Vaudeville days.

He had disappeared from the public eye at the time of his 1971 death as a charity patient at the Virgil Convalescent hospital in Hollywood, CA. His body was initially unclaimed and donated to the University of California, Los Angeles medical school. When Walt Disney Productions found out about this, the company purchased the corpse and paid for the burial.

Edwards finally got his due in 1977 when Steven Spielberg released the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

Edwards is heard over the closing credits singing his trademark song “When You Wish Upon A Star”. His name also appears in the closing credits.

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 21

A LA CARTE

Erin Cannon-Chave started taking French in kindergarten. The Academy of the Sacred Heart and Villa Duchesne High School alum continued to studied French even throughout college. She majored in French and International Politics at Lake Forest College outside Chicago, studying abroad in France in 1991 where she worked at the American Chamber of Commerce in Paris, France.

Little did the young French-speaking American girl know, she would use her language skills for the rest of her life as she met and married a Frenchman and set out to his vineyard in the south of France.

After college, Cannon-Chave came back to St. Louis where she worked as a server in the Cafe Zoe in Clayton.

There she also took a job at The Wine Merchant in Clayton working in sales. Cannon-Chave began her education with an affection for the wine industry there.

Cannon-Chave met Kermit Lynch, a wine merchant based in Berkeley, CA at a “Meet the Importer” dinner in St. Louis. “Two weeks later, he hired me,” Cannon-Chave said. “I moved to California in 1994 to do sales and administration.

The next year Lynch sent CannonChave to Beaune, France to run his French office in the Burgundy Region. Cannon-Chave lived there until 2000.

It was at a wine tasting event in France that Cannon-Chave met one of Lynch's suppliers—a Mr. Jean Louis Chave—the man who would become her husband. “I liked the wine and I really liked the wine maker. I told my boss, 'I'm going down to the Rhone Valley',” she said Chave's family had been raising and working the vineyards on their land in the Rhone Valley since 1481,

22 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

The Art of Wine Erin Cannon-Chave

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 23

A LA CARTE

Are you looking for a unique venue for your next party? Look no further than Vintner’s Cellar, where you can host your own wine-making party.

Vintner’s Cellar offers a selection of cheese and cracker platters, and you’re always welcome to bring in additional goodies to make your party complete.

After guests blend their own wines, they’ll make custom labels for their own “vintage creation.” It’s a great way to celebrate any occasion from birthdays to showers to bachelorette parties.

Brides-to-be and their fiancées can also come to Vinter’s Cellar and create a custom wine to be served at their wedding, including custom labels to help them celebrate their special day.

For more information on hosting a party or creating custom wines at Vintner’s Cellar, call 636-300-9960.

Cannon-Chave said, “before Columbus even set sail.” The vineyards are two hours south of Beaune and one hour south of Lyon. “It is a small vineyard in the Appellation of Hermitage on about 15 hectare or 30 acres,” Cannon-Chave said.

Today Erin and her family, which now includes a son, live on the top of a hill in the middle of the vineyard, a far cry from her childhood in St. Charles. She works the vineyard like everyone else, replacing old vines, growing new vines, tracing the hillsides with string to plant new vines, working with a horse and plow. “It's a lot of hand hoeing and working like a farmer [would],” she said.

The Chave's employ about 15 people for the very labor intensive work, Cannon-Chave said. They grow red grapes or Syrah and white Marsanne and Roussanne.

The grapes are harvested in September with a 30-person team picking non-stop for three weeks. The grapes are brought back to the cellar. The white grapes are immediately pressed and placed in barrels, where they will remain for two years. The red grapes are put in tanks for three weeks where the workers actually get in and stomp them with their feet to make juice. As the grapes are smashed they produce tannin which gives the wine its color.

After the grapes have been pressed with human feet, wooden paddles are used as the fermentation (transformation of sugar into alcohol) is completed.

The Chave's vineyards produce about 30,000 bottles of red wine and 15,000 bottles of white wine each year. The wine is sold in France, the United States, Europe and Asia.

Pinnacle Imports of St. Louis distributes the Chave's wine locally along with The Wine Merchant.

Erin admits to being the “gypsy” of the family, although she said she has some pretty successful sisters—a journalist in Washington, D.C., a fashion merchandiser with four kids in St. Louis, and a pharmaceutical sales representative

24 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

Did You Know... in Colorado.

Cannon-Chave said wine is subjective. “It's meant to accompany food. Trust your local wine merchants, but the question to ask is would you want a second glass. That is always important.”

Wines change, CannonChave said. “They evolve and become different beings just like people. Early on, it may taste of echasia, hawthorne flower, apricot or green almond. As it gets older, it may take hazelnut or beeswax aromas.”

Wines should always be laid on their sides so that the corks do not dry up thus not allowing the wine to breathe.

“It also can't do its job of keeping the wine in the bottle,” Cannon-Chave said.

“The cork also allows tiny amounts of air to come in over the years.”

Erin said St. Charles and the Academy of the Sacred Heart were “amazing starting blocks that gave me the courage and ability to move overseas. St. Charles is just a great place to grow up.”

Though thousands of miles from home, France is not so different from St. Charles, Cannon-Chave said.

In fact, the resemblance is amazing. “St. Charles is similar to France. It is right on the Rhone River, our equivalent of the Missouri River,” she said. ■ ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON

White wines should be served cool, but not ice-cold.

If you like your wine cold, that’s fine, but try drinking your favorite white wine a little less cold sometime, and you might just be surprised at the increased flavor.

White wine is great any time, which for most people means as a drink without food or with lighter foods.

Whites tend to fall into four broad categories: • Fresh, Unoaked Whites: crisp & light with no sweetness • Earthy Whites: dry, fuller-bodied; lots of earthy character • Aromatic Whites: intense aroma & flavor from their various grape variety; both off-dry and dry • Rich, Oaky Whites: mostly dry, full-bodied with lots of oaky character

Red wine tends to be consumed as part of a meal more often than as a drink on it’s own. Drinking red wine cold can be a mistake... the tannins in the wine can taste very bitter. How do you know the right temperature for reds?

If the bottle feels cool to your hand, it’s just right.

There are a wide range of red wines, just like whites.

Here are four broad categories: • Soft, Fruity Reds: mostly light bodied with lots of fruitiness and little tannin (from grape skins) • Mild Mannered Reds: medium bodied with subtle un-fruity flavors • Spicy Reds: flavorful, fruity wines with spicy accents and some tannin • Powerful Reds: full-bodied and tannic

Is it sweet or fruity? Beginning wine tasters often confuse dry fruity wines for sweet ones. Wine is fruity when it has distinct aromas and tastes of fruit. You smell the fruitiness in your nose, and in your mouth you “smell” it through your retronasal passage.

Sweetness is more of a tactile impression on your tongue. If you’re not sure whether a wine is sweet or fruity, try holding your nose when you taste it. If the wine is truly sweet, you’ll still be able to taste the sweetness in spite of the fact that you can’t smell the fruitiness.

What is good wine? Quality wines come in all colors and degrees of sweetness, dryness and in different flavors. Try different types of wines within your price range. When you find one you like and want to find other similar wines, visit your wine merchant and tell him or her what families of flavors (fruity, earthy, spicy, herbal) you enjoyed in the previous bottle and they can then recommend an appropriate wine.

Degrees of quality definitely exist among wines, but a wine’s quality truly depends on the tastes of the person who is doing the judging. Try a new and different variety of wine today... you might just be surprised at what you discover.

A LA CARTE

St. Charles’ Best Yo u N e v e r K n o w W h a t Yo u ’ r e G o i n g To G e t Life is like a box of chocolates, Tom. It's what Bartender Jason Stephens might tell the mega star about his job of eight years. “You never know what you're going to get,” Stephens said.

Stephens is a bartender at Grappa Grill in St. Charles. In six years he's heard a lot of gossip and played more roles than even the Hollywood legend, Tom Hanks. “Bartenders play matchmaker, psychologist, marriage counselor, everything from financial to emotional,” He said. “I just try to stay away from politics and religion.”

Stephens said the two subjects are off limits in a bar setting as far as he is concerned. “A lot of pepoe have really deep down grudges. It creates more of an issue especially where alcohol is involved. We call it 'tough guy beer',” he said with a chuckle. “The more they drink, the tougher they get. They can be the nicest guy in the world and get a couple of beers into them and it all changes.”

But mainly people just come to socialize and have a good time, Stephens said. And those are the people who make his job not really a job at all. “A lot of people come into a bar because they need to talk to someone away from their circle. Some jobs are completely monotonous. But this is what keeps you around for awhile. It's never the same.

Everyday's different. Some days you get the greatest people in the world.”

(now the Arizona Cardinals), Jim Hannifan; former St. Louis Cardinal Outfielder Kurt Flood; Todd Collins, linebacker for the St. Louis Rams; and Mark Buerhle, pitcher for the Chicago White Sox and former St. Charles resident.

“I've probably worn nine different Superbowl rings,” Stephens said. “Those are especially things I treasure.” Stephens said the sports greats will on occasion let him wear their precious mementos when he's serving them.

Solomon said he just gets “bigger and better, faster and quicker. I try to get people to come back, to come back for me. And they do.

They come back and say, 'We want this guy'.”

Soloman said part of his secret is staying positive. “No matter what day I come in, I'm in a good mood, because I'm waiting on someone I've waited on before. It's like socializing with a bunch of people. It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from. I

Then there's “The Rob.” Rob Solomon, 22, has worked at T.G.I. Fridays for six years.

He's been a server (and one of their best according to him) for four years. On how he was promoted, Soloman said, “I was probably the most amazing busser in the history of the world. I just took pride in what I did. If you were a server under me, you didn't have to do a thing. All you had to do was wait tables and run food. I competed with myself.”

Solomon went on to be a server at the restaurant, and he's still competing with himself and everyone else. “Sometimes we sell summer glassware. I place bets. I say, 'Two bucks says I'll sell this table some glassware.' I haven't lost yet.”

Stephanie Miller Show Me’s

Stephens does ascribe to the “full moon” theory, however. “When it's a full moon, it really brings out the wackos. If you're standing behind the bar you can really tell if it's a full moon The emotions run wild. There must be a brain chemical imbalance or something. Maybe the poles get off or something. I can usually say whether there's a full moon without even going outside.”

Stephens has met plenty of celebrities in his time behind the bar including St. Louis Rams former offensive line coach and former head coach for the St. Louis Football Cardinals Rob Solomon TGI Fridays 26 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

Jason Stephens Grappa Grill

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 27

A LA CARTE just like talking to people.”

Solomon came up with his own nickname like he has so many times before. “It was basically the next step. I wanted to move up to where I am today. I love serving so much.

Because I excelled at my first job, because I am the man. I made up my own nickname.

First it was the “Rob Guy,” then “R.O.B.” I did this with name tags. Now I am “The Rob.” Never at a loss for words or a good laugh, Solomon said his days are filled with fun and fortune. “Every day something's going on that cracks me up pretty good,” he said.

Solomon has seen a $100 tip on a $98 bill.

One time he got $140 on a $300 check.

“I take care of them. One time I served this guy who worked in the restaurant business.

He said, 'You took care of my daughter, I'll take care of you.' I thought, 'Sweet, I'm going to get $20'.” Instead, he got the equivalent of half of the check.

But he's also been “stiffed.” Three times, a party has walked out without paying, including an $88 check and a table of four young ladies.

Another time, Solomon took a cake that his guests had given to him to save for their birthday party after the meal. “I took the cake and put it on a party platter. Then I rebuilt the cake out of whip cream and faked a fall. I fell on the cake. The manager then came out with the real cake. There wasn't a dry eye in the place.”

Solomon said he has gone two years without ever writing down an order. The largest party yet that he has served without recording the order has been 19 people. “My specialty is not making mistakes. It's an incredibly tough job; not everybody's cut out to do it. It's my niche. I wake up and I go. I work. I take care of everyone in my section at all times. I take pride in my job. I do a good job and bring personality to it.”

Stephanie Miller said she has seen a lot of strange things in her six years bartending. A bartender for four years at Show Me's in St. Charles County, Miller said smiling is the key to success in the service industry. “I just smile a lot and take everything with a grain of salt. You don't let things get to you. Smiling is the key.”

Miller remembers a man, a “drifter,” she said, who came in about three years ago. “He swore up and down he was a werewolf. He even knew the terminology for the condition.

I Googled it when I got home. He said mostly women are werewolves.”

Miller said she hasn't seen the man or the werewolf since then.

Another guy would come into the bar every now and then and tip the female servers between $500 and $1,000 each. He didn't stay around long though.

■ ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON

Ultimate Hawaiian Volcano TGI Friday’s Hot Halston Grappa Grill

1/2 oz. Southern Comfort 1/2 oz. Amaretto 1/2 oz. Vodka 1/2 oz. Grenadine Syrup 1 oz. Orange Juice 1 oz. Pineapple Juice

1 cup of coffee 3/4 oz. Kahlua 3/4 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream Combine ingredients, put cinnamon and sugar around the rim of a footed mug and pour in. Add whipped cream and drizzle Irish Mist over the whipped cream.

Mix together and pour into a tall glass filled with ice, garnish with lemon and lime wedges and enjoy!

Gin Rickey Classic 1930’s Cocktail 1 1/2 oz gin Juice of 1/2 lime or equivalent Rose’s Lime® Tonic water 1 lime wedge/twist Pour juice of lime and gin into a highball glass over ice cubes. Fill with tonic water and stir. Add the wedge of lime and serve. For a sweeter drink add superfine sugar to taste.

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S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 29

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BEST SHOPPING FINDS

arrangements. She did four weddings on a shoestring and had fun doing it. Just when she was thinking about retiring from 30 years as a secretary in the educational field, including 21 years at Riverview Gardens School District, a thought occurred to her.

Why not take some of that talent for decorating and open a shop that caters to decorating your home without spending a mint in the process?

Hidden Treasures Rustic Roots

We've all seen the cable shows. You know the ones where professional designers redo a room (or a person for that matter) with flea market finds or inexpensive found treasures?

But when was the last time you dressed yourself for a formal engagement in a used sequin gown or redecorated your family room with old baskets you found in a little shop you never knew existed?

Well, several business owners in St. Charles County are here to help you do just that. And they say shopping on a dime is well worth the effort, and the dime.

Ruth Murphy used to dabble in dried floral

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So Murphy opened Rustic Roots, LLC at 406 Boonslick Rd. in St. Charles. A store full of seasonal treasures, silk floral arrangements, candles, artwork and photography, Rustic Roots and Murphy are determined to “add to the warmth of your home.”

Rustic Roots is located in the historical home of Esra Overall, built in 1864. Overall was a local attorney and land speculator who sold dozens of properties. The building is a good example of a typical German one-story house with a gabled roof, Murphy said. She purchased the building from Mary Weise, who did alterations in it for decades.

Rustic Roots was established in the Fall of 2006. Raised in St. Vincent's Orphan Home in Normandy, MO, about which she later wrote a book, Murphy yearns to help others make their own houses into homes. “I used to spend days off of work with my children visiting Main Street. It was so comforting and relaxing. I always felt a sense of belonging. I

love meeting new people and making my mark in this wonderful area of history.”

Murphy has been married to Bob Murphy for 40 years. The couple have three children and four grandchildren. She said her own history is probably what led her to want to create a legacy in everyone's home. “I always had this yearning in me to have my own family and something that is mine. I always loved country things and nature so that's rustic.

And I am an avid gardener. That's where you're rooted. That's what this store is all about. All of this is a comfort to me.”

Ruth said her best sellers are the tart warmers, lamps and shades, all part of a Colonial tinware collection. She also sells Glena Canning Co. products including corn and black bean relish and others.

Rustic Roots features the photography of Kris Devlan who specializes in still life and indirect photography by candlelight.

Arteaga Photography specializes in historical St. Louis photography. Robert Arteaga did the photography for the St. Louis Arch and Busch Stadium. His grandson and current owner, Brad Arteaga, photographed the new stadium.

Water colors by Mike Keehn are also featured at Rustic Roots. “It's basically a shop that goes to show you can tie in a balance of the old and new together. It's a blend of whatever you love in your home. It doesn't have to be labeled contemporary or antique. It's what you love and what you make of it.”

Kristal McAtee, owner of Mom's resale specializes in dressing the family without breaking the bank. She has been operating Mom's Resale for 1-1/2 years at 274 Fort Zumwalt Square. A friend of hers started the business in 1990. By 1992, McAtee was a partner and by 1993, she bought the business.

At first she merely helped out in the store, which at that time was situated just off of Main Street in Wentzville, MO next to Mary Martha's Thrift Shop. But the business soon grew and was moved to the plaza where WalMart used to sit on the south side of Hwy. 70

BEST SHOPPING FINDS

collections, estate sales and auctions and runs them on consignment. She's starting a line of gift baskets soon. Architectural salvage, such as fireplaces, windows and original artwork are also offered.

in Wentzville. Then in 1996, the business moved to Hwy. K in O'Fallon. In those years, Mom's Resale went from 700 to 5,000 square feet—a testament to the fact that not everyone can afford to shop at the mall.

Mom's Resale is now an 800-square-foot full family consignment store offering everything from clothing and shoes to household items and furniture--all good quality, McAtee said.

“We have rules about acceptance,” she said.

Clothes can only be two to three years old and must be laundered and include all pieces.

McAtee said the store has an abundance of unique household items, things shoppers can't find just anywhere.

Consignees receive 50 percent of the purchase price on furniture and 40 percent on everything else. The merchandise can stay on the rack for up to 90 days before McAtee calls the owner to come and pick it up.

McAtee said she has had customers who have purchased more than they bargained for in her shop. "I remember a lady letting me know a ring she had paid $1.99 for had appraised at $400," she said, "and a man bought a belt buckle from me for $1.99 then let me know it was a collectible Union Pacific Railroad item."

LaRose said after five years of getting her husband's business set up, she was ready to set out on her own. “I wanted to pursue my passion of decorating and design again.”

Until now LaRose did consulting work, giving out tips to family, friends and business owners on how to decorate their spaces.

Cherie LaRose

a consultant do all the wonderful displays.

We expanded to furniture last year--dining room tables and chairs, couches, end tables, bedroom items to name a few."

LaRoserie opened a year ago at 700 South Main St. in St. Charles. Owner Cheri LaRose said she loves unique, eclectic items. Advising on interior decorating for 20 years has given LaRose the confidence that she knows what many of her clientèle are looking for. “If I like it, I buy it. New, old, doesn't matter.”

“One of my gifts is for making the inexpensive look very expensive,” LaRose said. “I want my customers to look high end but not pay high end prices. That's part of success. I don't see the reason for spending a lot of money. My pastor calls it the 'Nieman Marcus Needless Mark Up'.”

■ ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON

LaRoserie offers custom flower arrangements, local artisan’s works, photography, furniture, stained glass, various vintage pieces and new furniture.

Built in 1805 as the Farmer's Home Building, the structure later became a cavern, saloon, tavern and hotel.

LaRose gets many of her wares from private

At Mom's Resale cutomers can pick up a $200 to $300 prom dress for $39.99. Ann Taylor, Kasper, Hollister, American Eagle, Gap, Abercrombie, Ralph Lauren are basics on McAtee's racks. "I carry men's, women's, maternity and children's clothing. I have a large selection of teen clothing at all times," McAtee said.

Mom's Resale also offers home decor. "I have

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 33

Fall Shopping Preview 2007

It’s time to start thinking about Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas gifts and goodies!

1 Wooden accessories and duck calls are hand carved on the premises at JIL Flea Market & Oldies. Stop in and check out the ever-changing selection of vintage treasures.

107 N. Main St., St. Charles | 636-724-2295.

2 Eclectic wine accessories, including this wine bottle and four glasses holder are available (along with wines) at Vintner’s Cellar. 973 Waterbury Falls Dr., St. Charles | 636-300-9960

1

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3&6 Rustic Roots is the place to find home decor items at a reasonable price. Drop by to check out the Halloween themed decor, as well as rustic accents.

406 Boonslick | 636-947-6687 4 Want your home to look like a million bucks on a budget?

Visit LaRoserie! 700 S. Main St., St. Charles | 314-265-4942 5 Mom’s Resale is a trove of treasures of many different kinds, including children’s and home decor items. 274 Fort Zumwalt Sq., O’Fallon | 636-272-6667

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S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 35

TIDBITS

Esther Talbott Fenning, 69, has written the “Neighbor’s Portraits” column in the St. Charles Post of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for nearly two decades. She's seen seven bureau chiefs come and go and interviewed at least 10 times that many interesting personalities in a community she loves.

Esther worked as a medical secretary at Veterans Hospitals in Albany, NY after graduating high school, and then again after she married at age 21, in Buffalo, NY. By 1970, the couple moved to St. Charles, MO from Pittsburgh, PA. Upon her arrival in what was then a very small and seemingly insignificant town along the Missouri River, Esther said she asked her husband, “'What have you done with me?'

Everybody was blond, German, Catholic and conservative.”

She said she literally would have “gone insane without Lindenwood College. I grew up in a town that was an ethnic microcosm of the world with every imaginable religion and nationality and in a family that was eccentric to the max. How could I survive in St. Charles?”

So at 35 years of age, Esther enrolled inclasses at Lindenwood College. She would graduate five years later with a bachelor of arts degree in English and a minor in journalism.

Former St. Charles Post Bureau Chief Ralph Dummit hired Esther as a freelancer to write the “Neighbor's Portraits” column in December 1989. “I was told that the stories were to be eight inches long and to focus on ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” she said. “I feel that one could approach a stranger in an airport, on the street or in a hospital waiting room or anywhere and they would have an interesting story to tell, if they're willing to share.”

And approach people, she did. Esther would go on to meet and interview everyone from cancer survivors to circus clowns. She told their stories like no one else could and learned 36 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

Changing Lives lessons from each of them. “It's like a college education in itself. There is so much talent and so many interesting things going on. I loved doing it. I've never been a person for whom money was a main goal. You will never get rich as a freelancer. You can't. No writer can ever have fame as their goal either.

Your name is in the paper. But most people don't know who wrote it. By night's end the paper's lining a bird cage. You have to enjoy the process. Once the story has left me, I've kind of lost interest. The people and the interesting things are what stay with you.

The people fighting disease--some of the bravest people. When people call me and say, 'You've made such a difference, you were an inspiration to someone else, that's what makes me feel really good.”

Bob Davis, an agent for American Family Insurance in St. Charles for 35 years and the president of the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of St. Charles County, Davis has used his contacts as well as his energies to help kids for many years.

It all started in high school for Davis. “I was a keyclubber in Carbondale, IL as a kid,” Davis said.

“We learned that service is a part of life. You want to give back to a community what they give to you.”

In St. Charles, Davis started as a volunteer for the St. Charles Kiwanis Club and as a Jaycee. “Kiwanis just raised money to give away to children's clubs—the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Child Advocacy Center, Camp Wyman, Community Living, Emmaus Homes.“ Davis was inspired by Chuck Brown, the first director of the Boys and Girls Club of St. Charles. “I met him when he was retiring,” Davis said. “He really impressed upon me the importance of what the Boys and Girls Clubs were doing.”

Davis is now also in the business of raising money for Cystic Fibrosis and for Camp Wyman. “A friend of mine has three children

with CF,” Davis said. “I made his charity mine.” In the last ten years, Davis’ golf tournament in the spring has raised over $20,000 for CF. The Fall tournament has raised over $100,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs.

Davis' next project is the construction of a new $4.5 million facility for the Boys and Girls Clubs.

The current building at 1400 Olive Street in St. Charles was built in 1961 from allvolunteer material and labor. The new building will be constructed just east of the old one.

It will be a far cry from the 45-year-old block structure without air conditioning that exists today. Davis said more than 150 kids occupy the existing building on any given day.

Like most humanitarians, Davis takes little credit for what the Boys and Girls Clubs have become. “They are full. They have programs to keep the kids occupied and interested. As a board member, I watch and I see hundreds of little short people running around and I just try to stay out of the way. The people who do the everyday stuff are totally amazing. The programs at the Boys and Girls Clubs are modern,” Davis said. “The space is antiquated.”

Davis said the Boys and Girls Clubs are asking for the support of the community in their endeavor to build self esteem in young people locally. “We own all the ground.

We're looking for investors, in-kind support.”

“It's not for me. I don't do anything. It's for the kids. The community's been very good to me. I moved here in 1971. The community was good enough to embrace me. I'm at a point where I have a staff and some time.

You do it for the kids. You do it for the next generation.”

St. Charles Boys & Girls Board Vice President Mary Lou Hannegan says "It's an honor to work with Bob; he energizes the board with his enthusiasm. He's first in line for service and financial support of projects.

He's a great leader for this important time of building a new facility for the Boys & Girls Club of St. Charles County."

■ ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 37

HEALTH WATCH

Happy Feet Better Health From The Ground Up If you’ve made the decision to lose weight, get active or maybe you are a lifetime athlete, this article is for you. You want to be able to stick to your program and reach your goals but that won't be attainable if you don't take care of your feet. Dr. Michael Horwitz, a board certified foot surgeon with Feet For Life Centers says the first consideration for everyone is to determine if you have a limb length difference. You may have lived with it for years and even if it is slight you can walk anywhere with no problems, however the minute you switch to jogging or running you will encounter all sorts of problems. The warning signs will be leg, hip, shoulder and knee pain on one side of your body. This will become extremely important as you start logging higher miles, such as those training for 5 and 10ks on up to marathons. If you find you have pronation (the inward roll of the foot or heel) in both feet then you have to address that with orthotics.

The big question many have is what is the right shoe for me and do I really need to spend a ton of money to get that proper running shoe? Dr. Horwitz says it is imperative to spend the money on your feet or you will encounter numerous problems down the road. Horwitz stresses for those that are older and just starting a program, "you

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must make sure that you change out your old tennis shoes for those appropriate to your chosen sport, biking or running program.

Horwitz says "you have to pay anywhere between 80 and 120 dollars every couple of months for new footwear." If you are doing a lot of crossover and side to side motion there are certain problems that could arise from a simple pair of running shoes, in which you would want to spend the money for a good pair of running and cross training shoes.

the sides of your feet halfway down the track and then 4) walking on the insides (over pronating), which will stretch out the ankle ligaments. It's important to not only stretch but to build up ankle strength, so remember in your workouts to incorporate stretching (a good dynamic form of flexibility), resistance training, cardiovascular training and it is also good to ask a trainer to teach you a good balance and coordination program.

The Feet For Life Centers in St. Louis are always looking for ways to prevent injuries and support runners. They have

The most abusive thing that we do to our feet as athletes is improper stretching, according to Dr. Horwitz. Horwitz says if you are over the age of 30 and enter into a running or biking program you need the assistance of someone stretching you and to have a professional show you how to stretch on your own. It is all about flexibility. One of the best areas to start is with your ankles. If you are a runner Dr. Horwitz says these simple stretches will help with injury prevention, 1) walking on your heels halfway down a track 2) walking on your toes around Dr. Michael Horwitz, Feet For Life Podiatry Centers the first corner 3) walking on

with Monica Adams What can I do to make myself more comfortable and keep to my exercise program when it’s so hot outside?

groundbreaking approaches to some of the top ligament and joint pain injuries, such as sesamoiditis, plantar fasciitis, capsulitis and achilles tendonitis. They have three shock wave therapy machines that focus on prevention. Dr. Horwitz says it is imperative that you start treatment immediately so as to avoid further damage to the rest of your body.

Horwitz says massage had always been the de facto standard; "stretch, massage and if necessary rest." Now they are able to use low intensity shock wave therapy with no anesthesia that attacks the problem much more deeply. With this new treatment you can get treatment and continue your program so as not to lose the momentum and progress you are making in your program.

Feet for Life Centers have been serving the St. Louis, St. Charles and Illinois areas since 1990. They are located in University City, St. Peters, Chesterfield, Fenton and online at www.feetforlifecenters.com. You can call for an appointment at 314-983-0303. Most insurances are accepted. ■ MONICA ADAMS

If you look at the positives, with summer there is more time to work out since you have more sunlight in a day. You should try to do your workouts in the early morning or late evening and not in the hottest part of the day between 10 and 4. There are some very important rules to follow when training in the heat.

First and foremost, you must hydrate yourself. You should have plenty of water on hand and if you are playing sports or training for long distances and expected to be in the heat for many hours. It would also be beneficial to have a sports drink with electrolytes. Don't wait until you’re thirsty; at that point you are already deydrated. Also stay away from heavily caffeinated beverages.

Your appetite will decrease if you are constantly out in the heat but it is important to fuel up so try eating smaller meals 5 to 6 times throughout the day. Remember having a meal based in protein/carbohydrate and healthy fat is the way to get the most bang for your buck. Don't feed your body minutes before you are going to train as you could cramp or get sick. Try eating 15-30 minutes before and after you train. Fruits are also a good source of hydration.

It is imperative to wear light fitting workout outfits that are based in a material that allows you to perspire without holding it in the material.

There are many brands on the market now that wisk sweat away from your body. Under Armour is most popular.

Also don't forget to take care of your skin and wear sunscreen with a protection of at least 15 or higher before you step outside.

Remember you do want your body to sweat so if it is not or you are feeling dizzy, nauseated, dry and clammy be sure to rest and possibly call for help. Learn the warning signs of heat stroke and exhaustion.

They are as important as frostbite is when training in the coldest of temperatures.

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 39

HEALTH WATCH

High Tech Healthcare Transporting X-rays from doctor to doctor can be a cumbersome task. They're big.

They're bulky. And they impose an added trip most people do not have time to make.

At least locally, patients can cross that trip off of their medical agenda. SSM St. Joseph facilities have launched a new Picture Archive and Communication System (PACS) that will make many of those trips unnecessary and allow their physicians to view their x-rays almost immediately.

St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles, St. Joseph Medical Park in St. Peters and St. Joseph Health Center-Wentzville recently launched PACS. The introduction of PACS is the first phase of SSM Health Care's systemwide move toward electronic health records in an initiative known as Project Beacon.

PACS eliminates the film generated by magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray, cardiology and other diagnostic tests.

“Instead, images become part of the patients' electronic health records, and are available for display on high-resolution monitors for physicians and other caregivers to view,” said Marge Feilner, information systems manager at St. Joseph Health Center.

The images are stored in a central repository where they are always available and can be recalled almost immediately, thus reducing the time physicians spend waiting for results.

“One thing is immediately clear,” said Chrissi Blake, clinical site manager of St. Joseph Medical Park. “As our proficiency with PACS increases, St. Joseph staff will be able to offer more convenient service while providing quicker results for our patients and their physicians.”

Ralph Buettner, director of Radiology at St. 40 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

J o s e p h H e a l t h Center, said the journey to investigate whether St. Joseph would purchase the $25 million system began three years ago. “We looked at an SSM system-wide project for our 18 hospitals from Wisconsin to Illinois to Oklahoma to Missouri. We wanted our physicians to have immediate access to those images including X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, digital mammography, ultrasound and nuclear medicine.”

Buettner said once the radiologic technician has taken the X-ray, it's delivered in a digital format and sent to the computer server.

“Radiologists and physicians have immediate access to it whether they're in the emergency room, the office or at home. Say you saw the doctor at 10 a.m. They sent you to have Xrays. Normally you would have to have them taken, wait for them, and bring them back to your physician. With PACS, by the time you got back to his office, he is looking at the Xrays on his computer.”

An added benefit to the health care facility is the cost they will no longer absorb for hard copies of X-rays. “We don't have to produce that sheet of X-ray film,” Buettner said.

Before PACS, St. Joseph spent more than $500,000 per year on X-ray film alone. “And our techs don't have to go to the dark room or mess with film. Patients won't get injured carrying film.”

Health care providers can access images in three ways: over the Internet, by burning the images onto a compact disk or by printed film.

“From the patient’s standpoint, the benefit it provides is that the doctor is getting

additional tools that they can magnify and look at in a whole new light versus a view box. It gives a lot more detail so they can make a better diagnosis,” Feilner said. “They can also manipulate the image, change the contrast and enhance the image. It gives the physician an extra way to look at it.”

The second phase of Project Beacon is the Electronic Health Record (EHR). According to the American Hospital Association, U.S. hospitals admitted more than 36 million patients in 2004. Nationally EHR has the potential to save more than 27,000 tons of paper each year. Nationwide use of EHR could save the health care system industry $77.8 billion annually.

The Institute of Medicine, the driving force behind Project Beacon, reports that one in every seven primary care visits is affected by missing medical information.

“With EHR, test results will be made available to consulting physicians through a secure Web site, allowing consultation with any physician virtually anywhere in the world,” said Sharon Gardner, information systems manager for St. Joseph Hospital West. “Hospital staff will spend less time copying records and patients will no longer have to carry cumbersome films and records from one doctor to another.”

Gardner said EHR capabilities will be available at St. Joseph Hospital West by the end of 2008, and at the other three St. Charles County campuses in 2009.

The integrated EHR network across the entire SSM system is expected to take nine years. ■ ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON

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S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 41

Street Scape Spotlights: Bittersweet Inn Bed & Breakfast

636-724-7778 www.bittersweetinn.com . RD 3T s 3T #HARLES

Restaurant & Winery 501 S. Main Street St. Charles, MO 63301 (636) 946-9339

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S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 43

SEASONAL HUNT

A local hunt that started as a way to raise campaign funds has grown into a huge humanitarian effort that helps kids of all ages and walks of life.

The Mallard Point LLC Dove Hunt Benefitting the Boys and Girls Clubs of St. Charles County really began in 1982 as a vehicle for local farmer Jim Machens to raise campaign funds for his longtime friend and favorite politician Fred Dyer. It was the year Dyer would run for the Missouri Senate after he'd won the special election.

“We were friends for a lot of years. I charged $50 a gun to hunt,” Machens said. “We provided food and refreshments. I think we had 25 people that first time.”

Dyer's farm, called Mallard Point, spanned 360 acres and was the perfect flyway for doves, he said.

Hunting For A Cause Boys & Girls Club Dove Hunt

Some years later, Machens sold his farm in Black Walnut, MO just north of St. Charles County to a group of businessmen with the agreement that they would continue to sponsor the Dove Hunt.

Machens said that over the years, the hunt continued to increase in size and importance.

From its humble beginnings as a political funding machine, the Mallard Point Farm would go on to support some pretty worthy causes. “The same group that came that first time still comes to the hunt now,” Machens said. “It's really become a tradition.”

The Dove Hunt has taken place every year from 1982 until the present, save for the year of the Great Flood of 1993, Machens said.

“We have barbecue and fry the doves. We have a great breakfast. Oh, we just eat all day long,” he said.

One year the hunt supported the Alzheimer's Association. But it was local mover and shaker Don Boehmer who introduced Machens to the need at the Boys and Girls Clubs of St. Charles County. “He was on the board and asked me what I thought of giving to the Boys and Girls Club.”

When Dyer retired from the Missouri Senate, Machens approached the Boys and Girls Clubs, said Jeanette Koechner, resource development director of the clubs. “We've

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been doing it now for about seven years,” she said.

In that time, the hunt has raised over $15,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of St. Charles County, she said.

The number of participants in the hunt has grown with each passing year until the group finally had to put a cap on it for safety reasons. Today, 75 hunters can participate in the hunt and there is a waiting list every year.

Each hunter is limited to 12 doves and has to have a license.

The hunt is held on September 1 of each year, kickoff day for dove season. Registration begins at 5 a.m. with coffee and donuts. A gourmet breakfast is served at 7:30 a.m. prepared by Grappa Grill and underwritten

by First National Bank.

At 11 a.m., lunch is prepared, including bratwurst donated by Middendorf Meats, along with lots of side dishes. Each year, at

least 25 people show up just to eat breakfast or dinner in the large machine shed on the property, Koechner said.

Today, hunters pay $150 each to hunt at Mallard Point. Some people just choose to sponsor the event with a $500 donation and an advertisement in the flyer. “People love the event so much they have even told me, 'Raise the price if you have to, but just don't take me off of the list',” Koechner said.

The money raised by the hunt is used to provide programs for kids designed to build self esteem and help them to succeed with education. Without the money from the

hunt, programs would probably get cut, including computer assistance or perhaps a counselor, Koechner said.

The Mallard Point LLC Dove Hunt also includes a raffle with lots of donated items. For information on donating to the Boys and Girls Clubs of St. Charles County, call Jeanette Koechner at 636-946-6255, ext. 104. ■ ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 45

YOU CAUGHT OUR EYE

Dynamic Duos Behind Every Good Man...

Behind every good man there’s apparently a no-nonsense woman holding down the fort and supporting him every step of the way.

Again and again a common denominator among couples successful both in marriage and in business has been the role of the wife.

The story's always the same. She held the family together. She committed herself to her children and she stood behind her husband's decisions. Listen up, newlyweds! These dynamic duos have the formula for success in love and money.

“She's smart,” Doyle Shockley said of his wife of 43 years, Linda Shockley. “She was always right there with us working hard. She always helped with the work. And she didn't mind going forward with risks.”

Doyle and Linda Shockley were married on Halloween in 1964—not because of the holiday's significance, but rather that was when he could get off work and the parents could come into town. “But we have had a lot of good Halloween parties since then,” Doyle said.

Doyle was from Kentucky and Linda from St. Louis. They met after Linda's brother—at the time Doyle's next door neighbor—played a fast one on the them. “He staked up some kind of deal to get her over for Christmas and then he broke the lights on the Christmas tree. I was in electronics so it was a way to get me over there to fix the tree.”

The couple married a year later and moved to an efficiency apartment on Washington Street in St. Charles.

Doyle was working for MacDonnell Douglas in those years in the company's electronic engineering department—a job he held for seven years. Soon he was selling real estate on the side. By 1980, Doyle gave up the electronics gig completely and opened his own real estate business.

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“I didn't like being in a little lab doing engineering work,” Doyle said. Linda took his move in stride and left her job at Sears to help out in the business. “She got a license too and we both worked very hard,” he said.

Today Shockley Real Estate at 501 First Capitol Dr. is one of the most successful and prominent real estate businesses in the area.

Doyle said they both did their share to make that happen, but more than anything, they stuck together. Nowadays, Doyle said things aren't nearly as tough. He said for the Shockley's at least, they just get better.

“We respect each other, we’re pretty close, and we give and take. We had spats when we were young, but over the years you just float along.

Nothing's ever too serious anymore. The longer you're married, the less you take seriously. If you don't like something you just don't say anything. It's not really all that important.”

Married 45 years, Harold and Diane Burkemper know all about teamwork. The two were introduced nearly half a century ago

by Diane's father at Chuck & Dale's restaurant and bar in O'Fallon. The two have shared their lives and their business enterprises ever since.

Harold and Mary Diane Kleeschulte were married 18 months later on March 3, 1962 at the Assumption Church in O'Fallon. Diane said between the Burkempers and the Kleeschultes, the wedding was a big one.

John and Carole Sonderegger

Lumber wasn't going to get him far, so he took a drafting class and started drawing house plans for contractors on the side.

It was Harold's determination and Diane's belief in her husband that got them through the tough times, Diane said. “I really think it was my strong faith in God. I knew when I got married, it was forever. It's also about being kind to one another and putting your partner above yourself and having fun together,” she said.

The Burkempers also enjoyed success with their kids, Diane said. Their son owns his own business—Burkemper Construction— and their daughter is raising three children and working on a degree in business management.

“I don't even know why we're blessed,” Diane said. “I don't think we did anything different from anybody else. We just loved the kids like crazy.”

Harold gives Diane most of the credit for his success as well as the kids. “The first reason I'm successful is because of my wife,” he said.

“When you're in business for yourself, hours have no meaning. To get you have to give.

She allowed me to be in business. She had total control of our children.”

By 1968, the Burkempers had two children, Jeffrey Wayne and Jill Marie. Two streets still bear their namesakes in Sunny Meadows, the first subdivision that Harold built after starting his own company, First St. Charles County Construction (now First Construction Corporation of St. Charles County).

Harold said when an individual is starting their own business, the support of a spouse is indispensable. “It's a tremendous issue. If you're not involved or don't believe in what your partner is doing and have the fear of losing everything you've worked for, you can't go very far. Diane made the decision many, many years ago, and told me, 'If you think it's going to work, I'll sign it'.”

Shortly after the Burkempers were married, Harold said he could see the job at O'Fallon

Carole Sonderegger didn't have loans to co-

YOU CAUGHT OUR EYE sign, but she did have a traveling reporter for a husband who spent much of his time with a pen, notebook and professional athletes.

John and Carole Sonderegger met in night school at the University of Missouri—St. Louis in early 1965. By July, the two were married. “It was as simple as that,” John said, “unlike today where you have to be 30 or 35 to get married. And she was awful cute.”

The couple made their first home at the University Park Apartments near the university. They continued at UMSL for another year.

John said Carole worked full time at an insurance company and supported her husband while he finished Journalism School at the University of Missouri—Columbia.

Carole continued to support John through journalism jobs at the St. Petersburg Times in Florida, the Chicago Sun Times, and finally with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in August of 1971, where he remains today, now authoring the entertaining and sometimes crass column, “Charleytown”.

John is a sports writer.

He's covered

everything from pro football and hockey to major league baseball and two of the three legs of the Triple Crown. Carole, on the other hand, had four children in five years, and took on John's two children from a previous marriage.

“Basically we share a commitment to our family and each other,” John said. “Like any couple we’ve had our ups and downs, and now we're just too dumb to know the difference.”

All of the Sonderegger's six children have made something of themselves, as they say.

John, 46, is a publisher. Carla, 44, owns a home cleaning business. Michael, 31, is a musician. Mary, 30, is a director of public finance. Susan, 28, has her MBA and works for Edward Jones. Susan, 28, is a physical therapist.

“Our kids have all been successful,” John said.

“One key thing is that we always pushed education with them, strongly. We wouldn't accept failure at all. And we sent them to parochial schools, where t hey had to work hard.”

Carole was home in the kids “formative years,” John said. “It helped a lot because she was there more, especially at a time when I was traveling a lot covering sports. She put her career on hold.”

The Shockleys

The Burkempers Celebrate with Friends

The Pals

John said Carole had always wanted to teach special education. “She never forgot about it. That's what she does now,” he said. After the last child moved off to college, Carole did complete her degree and fulfill her own life's dream.

But maybe the biggest sacrifice and certainly the most important to her husband, Carole took in John's two children from his first marriage. “They came to live with us in 1970. She took over as their mother and raised them.

Their success they owe to her.”

Harlan and Anne Pals had one son, Kris Pals. But the two have helped and nurtured more of

other people's children than even they can remember. And they're still doing it.

The two were married in a little mountain church in Idaho Springs, CO in 1966 after a friend of Harlan's brought him to meet her at the University of Colorado at Denver.

“These boys were short so they knew they didn't have a chance with me,” Anne quipped.

“Oh my gosh. She was a knockout,” Harlan said. “Anne was tall, brunette and different from all the other girls I dated. She was from a good family from St. Louis. She was not only good looking but fun to be around and had a huge, huge heart. All these things are still true--more so. I just can't believe how smart I was at such a young age.”

Anne said the main thing that's sustained their 42-year-marriage is laughter and a concern for others. “When you have two Atype personalities, you have to have a sense of humor,” she said. “We both want to run everything. But we had a purpose, a cause.

Both of us did, you know, to make life easier for others. You basically distract yourself from your own issues.”

The Pals' made it a priority to help others with their business as well. Pals Financial Group would match any contributions to charity by the couple's employees at Christmas time. The gifts became hefty sums as the business went from one employee in the beginning to more than 35 agents when Pals retired.

Before he was 30, Harlan said he had lived in more than 20 places. But since he was 30 he's only lived in one. The couple's 20-acre farm in St. Charles has housed more than the three-member family. Over the years, the Pals have taken in over 30 children, either helping them as they attended school or just nurturing their spirits. Their home is surrounded by the infamous Pals' Barn, a guest house, a couple of outbuildings and an outhouse.

The Pals are truly their brothers' keepers, and have made a life and career out of helping those “brothers” or children or nieces or nephews, whoever they may be. “Harlan's career was really to benefit others,” Anne said.

■ ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 47

r

Street Scape Magazine would

Galleries & Artist Studios

like to honor Foundry studio artist Mary Smith, Smith who has been chosen for the second time to receive the coveted First Place award in the beads category of the Saul Bell Design Awards. This annual competition challenges artists around the world to create innovative, cutting

edge

designs,

and

winners were honored at an awards gala during the JCK Show in Las Vegas in June.

Mary’s work can be viewed at The Foundry Art Centre or online at www.beadedjewelrybydesign.com

48 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

636-255-0270 · www.foundryartcentre.org 520 North Main Center · St. Charles, Missouri · 63301

Running & Riding Passion & Purpose

Missouri Governor Matt Blunt declared September “Tour of Missouri Month” in honor of Missouri's first ever statewide professional bicycle race, the first annual Tour of Missouri race.

Blunt said the Tour of Missouri is an opportunity to “showcase Missouri's natural beauty and hospitality to the world”-something the state's avid runners and cyclists already know.

The tour will span the state and bring tourists and visitors to communities across Missouri, culminating in St. Louis. More than 120 world-class cyclists from over 15 countries will participate, along with one of the world's top professional teams, the Discovery Channel team, owned by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. These athletes compete in the Tour de France, the Vuelta a Espana, the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de Georgia and the Tour of California.

National and international coverage of the race will showcase Missouri's countryside and communities that include Kansas City, Clinton, Springfield, Branson, Lebanon, Columbia, Jefferson City, St. Louis and St. Charles. The tour routes will vary each year and will spread the tourism benefits throughout the entire state.

Patterned after the world-famous Tour de

50 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

France, the race will feature point-to-point racing in six stages, as the world-class cyclists traverse west to south to east through more than 600 miles of the Show Me state.

In its first year, the Tour of Missouri already is slated to be one of North America's top three professional cycling stage races, behind the Tours of California and Georgia. It has been sanctioned by USA Cycling and Union Cycliste Internationale as a 2.1 rating, one of the highest in North America.

The six-day race will begin in Kansas City, Missouri's second largest city and end in the shadows of the St. Louis Arch, having covered more than 20 counties and fifty towns and cities.

The professional athletes that will ride across Missouri represent a growing segment of the population--amateur runners and cyclists who are taking to the trails for fun and fitness as well as competition.

Trailnet, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1988 that promotes bicycles and pedestrian activities and the trails that support them, advocates “Active Living”. “It's a way of life that integrates physical activity into daily routines, resulting in healthy individuals, a healthy environment and healthy communities,” said Kathi Weilbacher, public relations and program manager for Trailnet.

To that end, the group supports bicycle rides and recreational events, transportation alternatives, community bicycle and pedestrian planning and trails, greenways and bicycle and pedestrian compatible roadways.

Founded in 1988 to promote the St. Louis Riverfront Tail as one of the city's longest multi-use recreational trails, Trailnet has also partnered in the development of the bi-state regional trail network including Grant's Trail, the St. Louis Riverfront Trail, the West Alton Trail and the Ted Jones Trail in Missouri; and the East St. Louis Heritage Trail, MetroBikeLink, the Metro-East Levee Trail and the Glen Carbon Trail Extension in Illinois.

The St. Louis bi-state area offers more than 80 walking, hiking and biking trails and on-road bikeways throughout the five-county area including St. Louis City and County and St. Charles County in Missouri and Madison and St. Clair Counties in Illinois. For a detailed listing of trails, their names, lengths, types, uses, surfaces and terrains visit www.Trailnet.org.

Two new trails opened in June including the Riverwoods Trail and BaratHaven.

And where there are trails there are not only cyclists but runners.

More often than not these weekend athletes are in it for the fun and fitness. Thirty-year veteran advertising executive Dan Borgmeyer started running when he was 30 years old.

“I was a four-pack-a-day smoker,” Borgmeyer said. “I considered exercise a good brisk sit till I was 30 years old.”

Borgmeyer quit smoking and started running the same day. And nothing's been the same since. The 60-year-old admits he would probably be dead if not in severe health today had he not changed his lifestyle. He claims he has an obsessive compulsive personality, so he channeled that energy into something positive.

Today he runs three or four days a week, four or five when he's training for a marathon— which he has competed in all over the world.

One marathon took him up and down Pike's Peak mountain in Colorado. He's also competed in Chicago, the New York Marathon, Minnesota, the Kansas University marathons, the Longest Day marathon in South Dakota, San Fransisco and quite a few others.

“Anything worth doing is worth over doing,” Borgmeyer said of his motto. “I have good habits now rather than bad.”

Borgmeyer had colon cancer in 2003, and went into a coma following the surgery. He had to start over, he says, so he started walking and lifting weights. Before he knew it, he'd lost 83 pounds.

He said he just might live by advertising guru Stan Richards' words, “One day I might go for a run and I won't come back.”

Marjorie Pickering has been walking for 26 years. She started competing in marathons five years ago—at the age of 62.

The whole thing started when she had a baby at the age of 40. “I just thought it was good fitness and good for me,” Pickering said.

“I'm not a speed demon. I just do it for myself. I do the marathons just because I know I can do it.”

Pickering was inspired to do marathons after joining Weight Watchers in 2002. She competed in the inaugural Lewis & Clark

Marathon and Half Marathon.

“The lady there got everyone involved. I saw women that were larger than me and I thought, 'If they can do this, I can do this'.

These women inspired me.”

Pickering said everyone has their reasons for running. For her, it's personal. “The idea is it's for yourself. I'm not out there to be first. I do it because I want to.

Although I have taken first in my age group, I just want to be able to complete the run, be able to accomplish it and be healthy when I finish.”

Pickering placed third in the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon and Half Marathon in the 65 to 69 age group in April. She took first in the Lewis and Clark Marathon and Half Marathon in 2003 for the 60 to 64 age group. Pickering has also competed in Nashville, Cincinnati, Phoenix and others.

She's participated in five marathons and five half marathons, which span 13.1 miles.

Tour de Winghaven

Bridgeway Walk Against Violence

“I've always enjoyed walking. You can pray.

You can think. You can do whatever. It's just a quiet time to enjoy the beauty of the world” Brian Wies was inspired to run by his old boss and avid runner Bob Kirkwood, owner of Lewis & Clark restaurant. “He was really instrumental in getting me involved in running,” Wies said.

Wies was always very athletic. He played soccer, football and track for years both in high school and in college. He started out running a couple of miles every other day to “get back into shape.” He soon joined the Fleet Feet Runners Club in St. Louis, running on weekends.

Wies turned his love for the sport into a vehicle to help others. After a woman he grew up with lost her battle with breast cancer in 2004, Wies joined the woman's co-workers in a golf tournament to raise money for the Karen Weindinger Foundation “It felt so good to raise that money for a golf

tournament.” Soon the golf tournament blossomed into Karen for a Kause, a 5 kilo or 3.1 mile run along the Katy Trail. Each year, the run is held the day before Mother's Day in Frontier Park.

The money goes to support the HW Koenig Cancer Center at SSM St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles. It buys wigs and quillos (quilted pillows). It funds yoga classes for women in treatment and programs for guidance and support for victims and their families.

“Our focus is to keep the attention on the St. Charles County community. That's what Karen did,” Wies said. “She lived and worked here. She spent time on the river. Everything she did was about her community.”

Wies said he has gained a lot of compassion for sufferers of breast cancer since his involvement in Karen for a Kause. “It's a very rewarding thing for us to do. It's the right thing to do. If Karen was here today, she would be spearheading a program for us.

That's just kind of person she was.”

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 51

YOU CAUGHT OUR EYE

And, Wies said, it's what the locals can do.

“There are millions of dollars raised by large corporations for research and that's really needed but there are also needs in our community. I've taken my passion for running and channeled it into helping this organization.

Fleet Feet Runners Club

Fleet Feet Runners Five years ago Manoj Sood watched a friend complete a full Iron Man Triathlon. Shortly after, the would-be athlete started running and soon found this was the life for him.

Tour de Winghaven

The ‘Tammy O’ Team

Active in sports his whole life, Sood was a natural fit for the Fleet Feet Runner's Club, which he joined just to “get in shape and for recreation.”

simply that you can do anything as long as you put as much effort in and get as much out of it as you can. It's also a mental health break.”

By 2004, Sood was competing in the St. Louis Marathon where he ran 26.2 miles. He ran his fifth marathon on April 15 where he said he accomplished his personal best with three hours and 24 minutes. It was 19 minutes faster than his previous marathon.

Sood said he trains three days per week when he isn't on a training schedule, which pushes him up to at least four days a week running before work.

Sood said his goal is to compete in the Boston Marathon, one of the most popular marathons in the world. “It's not for elite athletes. It's the holy grail and the oldest marathon in the United States. It's an officially sanctioned marathon, where the course is certified by the USTFA. You have to qualify,” Sood said.

Sood said he runs for his own fitness and enjoyment and for the challenge it presents to him personally. “It's always a challenge to see what you're going to be capable of,” Sood said. “It's a challenge against yourself. It's a distinctly personal journey, and everyone gets something different out of it. The appeal is

52 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

Fleet Feet Runners' Club has 75 members.

“As our president, Glen Ezell, likes to say, 'We run and we eat'. It's really a social club.”

Sood said the group does “pancake runs” as well as runs for charitable causes.

The Fleet Feet Runners Club (FFRC), formerly known as the St. Charles YMCA Runners Club, provides a forum for St. Louis area runners to socialize and assist runningoriented charitable causes. The nonprofit group is sanctioned by the Road Runners Club of America. It's governed by an elected board of directors, advised by a volunteer committee at large and administered by Fleet Feet Sports.

The group runs on Saturday mornings yearround, beginning at Creve Coeur Lake Park's Sailboat Cove at 7 am. Most runners start with the 5.5 mile loop. Two times each year the run is canceled. One weekend every June and August, the park is host to powerboat races.

Runners meet at the Westport Plaza St. Louis Bread Company for bagels and coffee following the run.

The Fleet Feet Runner's Club offers race information, training teams and special events listings.

The Beginner's Program is appropriate for anyone whose goal is to finish the marathon, with no time constraints. With this program, regular runners can become respectable marathoners and couch potatoes can become marathoners in just 4-1/2 months. It requires the trainee to commit to four days of training per week.

The Advanced Program is for those who have been consistently running a minimum of 25 miles per week for at least a year and want to

YOU CAUGHT OUR EYE

train to run the marathon for time. It requires additional speedwork and weekly training runs on both Saturday and Sunday. An Intermediate Program is appropriate for regular runners who want to run for time, but don't have either the time or constitution to accommodate the high miles. The program is fashioned by adding either pace runs or speedwork to the Beginner Program, not both.

For more information on the club and training programs, visit www.fleetfeetstlouis.com.

■ ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON

The “Tammy O” Team Tammy Ostmann was just diagnosed with breast cancer January of 2007. Her family decided to put a “Tammy O” team together in honor of Tammy (of St. Charles.) The local community, friends, family, and co-workers came together and we registered 116 walkers/runners to participate in the Susan G. Komen Race on June 16th. They raised $3,990.00 and the team ranked #9 for the amount of walkers.

The following local St. Charles businesses donated the following: Sams Carpet Cleaning & Repairs - Jeff Sams, Owner provided transportation of two buses to transfer all the participants to and from the race and “Tammy O” Signs. Plaza Lanes and Mr. Stitcher - Kevin Toebbins, Owner provided shirts for the “Tammy O” team and transportation bus to transfer participants to and from the race. Tubby’s Pub & Grubb - Matt Garrison, Owner provided brunch after the race for all the participants.

Tammy and Mark Ostmann donated bottled water and s n a c k s .

Thanks to everyone who participated in walks or races to help support breast cancer issues and research!

Beverly Groneck has certainly caught our eye... and everyone else’s! Her murals have appeared on construction walls for Heartland Bank locations in Ladue and O'Fallon, and her largest piece was a 555-foot mural for the Heartland Bank location at 9877 Manchester Road in Rock Hill.

She is now in the process of painting a construction fence for The Magic House entitled "The Big Trucks Are Coming." The mural includes images of children carrying construction tools and wearing hard hats.

Construction equipment such as cement mixers, wheel barrows and tape measures, all things one would see at a construction site, are included.

The construction fence surrounds expansion for The Magic House, which will more than double the museum's exhibit space, expand its educational programs and services, and better accommodate its 400,000 annual visitors.

We’ve got our eye on you, Beverly, and you’re doing a great job!

In memory of her Grandfather, John White, and her Aunt, Vicki White who both battled cancer and now rest in peace, Ashley Hannegan hand makes and then delivers creative, fashionable flip-flops to various children's hospitals.

These fun, colorful shoes help to brighten the days of sick children who are currently battling cancer.

For more information on volunteering in your area, contact your local hospital or church group. There may be a way for you to bring a little sunshine into the lives of those in need.

9th Annual Wing Ding June 14 | From 4:30-8:00 PM guests at this premier event, held at EPC Computers at the northwest corner of Cave Springs and Highway 70 enjoyed a whole lotta wings and a whole lotta fun. Along with the usual $25 General Admission ticket (included all you can eat wings and two drink tickets,) a $50 VIP ticket was also available, which included all you can eat wings, all you can drink brewskis, and access to the VIP tent. A great time was had by all! www.bciwingding.com

Frenchtown Homes Tour May 6 | Frenchtown residents and business owners opened their doors and put out their welcome mats to showcase the vitality and the dynamics of their blossoming district that is constantly growing and undergoing redevelopment. www.historicfrenchtown.com

Photography by Michael Schlueter/Brea Hammack

54 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

SUNRISE TO SUNSET

Let’s Eat! Various Dates | From local eaterys to family friendly festivals, summer is the time to eat, eat, eat! We were there as J.Buck’s celebrated it’s first anniversary in O’Fallon, the football Cardinals celebrated their 20th anniversary at Grappa Grill, and during Thursdays With Theo at Grappa, as well as with locals at the famous WingDing.

Thursdays with Theo Grappa Grill

Photography by Michael Schlueter/Brea Hammack

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 55

SUNRISE TO SUNSET

Music on Main May-September | On the 3rd Wednesday of each month friends gather from 5-7:30 pm for food, drink & live music. A different band plays each month and it’s FREE to the public. What a great way to enjoy a warm summer night with good friends, good food, and good music! www.historicstcharles.com

Photography by Michael Schlueter/Brea Hammack

56 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

Scheidegger Dinner Party May 16 | Jerry and Ruth Scheidegger hosted a gourmet dinner prepared by chef Father Jeff Vomund. The dinner was purchased by the Scheideggers at the Foresight Dinner Auction fundraiser for Duchesne High School. Guests included: Joyce and Gary Shaw Joe and Lisa Redding Frank and Lucy Vatterott Mike and Nancy Prost John and Mary Lou Hannegan Ruth And Jerry Scheidegger

Academy of the Sacred Heart Chemin de Fer Auction May 5 | The 34th annual Chemin de Fer train roared to a stop at The Academy of the Sacred Heart and the annual dinner auction raised more than $300,000.00 for the local school. Auction chairs Jay and Tammy Mudd and Kevin and Teresa Killian readied the track for the “Kentucky Derby” theme as they put the children who will benefit from the results in the Winner’s Circle. A highlight of the evening was additional money that was raised for a new Lower School playground.

Photography by Michael Schlueter/Brea Hammack

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 57

SUNRISE TO SUNSET Dog Days of Summer June 16 | The Dog Days of Summer is a doggone good time where dogs and their owners enjoy fun, games, food and more. The fun included a beach wear competition for dogs, training demonstrations by Tom Rose School, and the ever fun dog and owner limbo competition. If you didn’t go this year, make plans to go in 2008!

Photography by Michael Schlueter/Brea Hammack

www.dogdaysofsummer.org

58 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

SUNRISE TO SUNSET

Tribute To Leadership April 20 | Friends gathered at the St. Charles Convention Center in a regional tribute to St. Charles County leadership in the Missouri State Senate & House of Representatives.

Senator Chuck Gross, (Appropriations Chair,) Representative Carl Bearden, (Speaker Pro Tem,) and Representative Tom Dempsey, (Majority Floor Leader) were welcomed by all. Governor Matt Blunt, Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder, and Senator Michael Gibbons, President Pro Tem were special guests at the black tie optional event, which included dinner followed by dancing to the Bob Kuban Band.

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 59

SUNRISE TO SUNSET

Summer Fun Various Dates | St. Charles and surrounding areas are home to many different festivals, events and movie nights in the summer months. Some shown here are: Hot Summer Nights, Music on Main, Lewis & Clark Heritage Days, New Town Blues and Reggae festivals, and more. Check out our calendar for dates of upcoming festivals in your area.

Photography by Michael Schlueter/Brea Hammack

60 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

SUNRISE TO SUNSET

S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 61

AUGUST

1 17

8

| Chuck-A-Burger Cruise Night | Aug. - Sept. 8th

18 23

| Festival of the Little Hills | Aug. 17 & 18 www.festivalofthelittlehills.com | New Town Beer Jazz Festival | www.newtownstcharles.com | Bridgeway Main Street Stars Fashion Show | 636-757-2229

25 25 26

Fall

Calendar of Events

31

| Hot Summer Nights-New Orleans Jazz | www.stcharlescity.com | Annual Juggler’s Competition | www.newtownatstcharles.com | Tour of the Little Hills | An urban ride for cyclists. Starts at the Foundry Art Centre.

314-416-9930 | Jaycees Fridays at Frontier Park | | 2nd Annual Ride For Jerry’s Kids |

SEPTEMBER

6 7

| Urban Attitudes: A Vine Affair | Fashion show & wine tasting event at New Town St. Charles. www.streetscapemag.com

9

| Bluegrass Festival | Music and Frontier Park www.mainstreetstcharles.com | Civil War Reenactment | Frontier Park 8-9th www.mainstreetstcharles.com | Quilts on Main | 314-428-3133 www.quiltsonmain.com | Street Scape Xtreme 20 Awards Banquet | www.streetscapemag.com | Community Big Band | Jazz at Frontier Park

10 11 14 15 16 20 21 22

| Augusta’s 1st Fridays | www.augusta-chamber.com

BOOK CLUB

28

DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS Available at Main Street Books 307 South Main | 636-949-0105

62 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E

This book will take you back to your childhood when days were spent running loose and coming up with excellent ideas that were much more fun to plan than they were to implement. THE DANGEROUS BOOK is a font of information on how to do all those things you remember doing but can't remember quite how. It's brimming with info such as how to make a paper airplane, find constellations, make a bow and arrow, first aid, coin tricks and much, much more. The author says that the reason he wrote the book was because it was the kind of book he wanted when he was a boy and didn't have. As soon as you take a look inside, it's the book you'll want, too, either for yourself to share with a special child.

29

| Businessmen’s Prayer Breakfast | St. Charles Convention Center | Tour of Missouri | Bicycle Race 11-16th www.tourofmissouri.com | MOSAICS | Festival for the Arts 14-16th www.stcharlesmosaics.org | Harvest Festival | Augusta, Missouri www.augusta-chamber.com 636-228-4005 | Lewis & Clark Marathons | www.historicstcharles.com | Music On Main | North Main Street www.mainstreetstcharles.com | Quilting with the Artists | Foundry Art Centre 636-978-4588 | Round Bobbin Expo | St. Chas. Conv. Ctr. www.roundbobbin.com 21-23rd | The BLAST & 5k Run | www.newtownatstcharles.com | Failte/Heritage Days | Irish Festival www.failtestcharles.com | Hot Summer Nights | Calif. Wine Night www.stcharlescity.com | 4th Friday Art Walk | North Main Street www.stcharlesriverfrontarts.com | Magic Tournament | St. Chas. Conv. Ctr. | Oktoberfest | Frontier Park www.stcharlesoktoberfest.com | Pioneer Days | Daniel Boone Home, Defiance, Missouri 636-798-2005

OCTOBER

2 6 6

| St. Louis Small Business Expo | St. Charles Convention Center www.sbmon.com | Bums Hollow Concert | Blanchette Park www.arbogastband.com • www.serapis.8k.com | Firearms Collectibles Expo | St. Chas. Conv.Ctr. 636-669-3000

7

| Marsala’s Market Cookoff | New Town www.newtownatstcharles.com | 2007 Tirathlon | St. Peters Rec Plex 636-939-2FUN

12 13 19 20 23 27

| Flood Stage Productions | Plays 12-14th and 19-21st 636-578-8301 for Info. www.floodstageproductions.com | Fishing For Fun | Derby & Cookout www.newtownatstcharles.com | Monsters & Marshmallows | 1st State Capitol 636-940-3322 | Mo. River Storytelling & Ghost Stories | 19-20th Karen Potts 636-928-7984 | German Festival | New Town www.newtownatstcharles.com | Cork Yard Events/Meet the Winemaker | Little Hills Winery/Restaurant 636-946-9339 www.little-hills.com | Halloween Spectacular | New Town www.newtownatstcharles.com | Concert/Campfire Storytelling Festival | Daniel Boone Home 636-798-2005

31

| Trick or Treat on Main Street | St. Charles www.mainstreetstcharles.com

NOVEMBER

2 11 13 23

| Augusta’s First Fridays | Augusta, Missouri www.augusta-chamber.com 636-228-4005

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| Habitat for Humanity Festival of Trees | St. Charles Convention Center 11-25th | MO Wildlife Art Festival | Foundry Art Centre confedmo@socket.net 1-800-575-2322 | Christmas Traditions | Old Fashioned Evening Shopping & Lantern-lit Caroling 23-Dec. 23rd www.stcharleschristmas.com | The Great Train Expo | St. Charles Conv. Ctr. | Candlelight Tours | Daniel Boone Home Nov. 30, Dec. 1, Dec. 7 & 8, Dec. 14 & 15 636-798-2005

Ongoing events: Arch Rivals Comedy—3rd Thursday of every month at Comedy Forum in St. Peters | $5 www.archrivalscomedy.com 636-498-1234 Augusta’s First Fridays—1st Friday of each month | www.augusta-chamber.com Music On Main—3rd Wednesday of each month on North Main in St. Charles | www.mainstreetstcharles.com Hot Summer Nights—Monthly through October | www.stcharlescity.com Fourth Friday Art Walk—North Main Street | www.stcharlesriverfrontarts.com 636-949-3231

For more information on events in our area, visit these helpful websites: → www.historicstcharles.com → www.mainstreetstcharles.com → www.historicfrenchtown.com → www.newtownatstcharles.com www.augusta-chamber.com www.stpetersmo.com

MUSIC SPOTLIGHT Jon T. Howard writes uncompromisingly honest songs and presents them with nonchalance on his latest release, Time for Something New, which might give you pause to think, since his father went to jail early on and life began to tumble him around. He spent his youth in St. Charles then high school in Chicago and Dallas. Through wonderful melodies and intertwined lyrics, discerning listeners will detect a psyche who has warred with a lifetime of train wrecks yet still has hopes and dreams for himself and others. “The album is a bookend of what I’ve lived through and been a witness to,” says Jon T. Jon recently returned to St. Charles for several engagements at Picasso’s on Main Street. Time for Something New is available locally or online at www.amazon.com.

“Laidback and heartfelt...rootsy melodic pop-rock a la Tom Petty, The Eagles and Dire Straits.”

– Easy Rider Magazine

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