Flowers, food, fun!: April 13-22

Last week, my mother and I had a mother - daughter morning at the St. Louis Art Museum.  We went to see the current exhibit, An Orchestrated Vision.  The exhibit features staged photography.  One photographer went so far as to import snow in order to complete his vision.  The exhibit is here until May 13th.  I find a morning trip with the St. Louis Art Museum followed but lunch at Bixby's to be a wonderful start to the day.  Grab a a friend and get out of the rain this weekend at one of our local museums.

Since I didn't get my blog up when I wanted to at the beginning of the week, I'm rolling this weekend into next week's post.  There is a lot going on this weekend and next week.


The Italian Film Festival starts tonight (Friday, April 13th) and runs until Saturday, April 28th at Washington University.  The event is free, check their website for more details and showtimes.
www.italianfilmfestivalstlouis.com

Celebrate the end of one other worst periods of American History...Prohibition at Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood on Saturday, April 14th from 12- 5pm.  $25 (advance), $30 (day of) gets you beer tastings, live music and a commemorative glass.
 
On Sunday, April 15th, Earth Day is being celebrated in Forest Park at the Muny Grounds from 11am-6pm.  There will be everything from live music to food to educational exhibits. 

Tuesday, April 17th, from 9:30am-12, enjoy spring at Shaw Nature Reserve.  The Spring Wildflower Walk leaves from the visitor center.  The informal class costs $8, reservations are requested but not required.

Still I Rise: A celebration of St. Louis Poets is a poetry event being held at the St. Louis Artists' Guild.  Tuesday, April 17th from 7-9pm, you can celebrate Poetry Month listening to readings of poems by St. Louis poets.

Art + Happy Hour= A Great Evening!  Thursday, April 19th (and the third Thursday of every month), the Contemporary Art Museum hosts a happy hour from 6-9pm.  There is a $5 cover charge, beer costs $1 and mixed drinks are $2.  There is also a DJ and of course, art.

Get out of town on Friday, April 20th and Saturday, April 21st and go to nearby Washington, MO.  Friday from 5-10pm and Saturday from 12-8pm the annual BBQ and Bluesfest will be going on.  Admission is free by the BBQ tasting on Saturday costs $7.

The Missouri Botanical Gardens is hosting the Metropolitan St. Louis African Violet Council Sale and Mid America Regional Lily Society Sale on April 21st & 22nd from 9am-5pm.  Buy a plant and get advice on how to care for it from experts.  The event is included with admission to the garden.

In Full Bloom: April 2-8

The replica of the Mastodon skeleton, the original is in London

On Saturday, I journeyed south to Imperial.  Just thirty minutes south of downtown in Imperial, is Mastodon State Historic Site.  In 1839, excavations of the park uncovered a Mastodon skeleton.  Today there is a museum dedicated to the Mastodon and the people of the Clovis culture who later excavations revealed were also living there at the same time.  After going through the museum you can follow the wildflower trail down to the site of the bone bed.  There is also a bird garden and a museum annex for children.

Mayapples in bloom along the wildflower trail

The Mastodons and Mammoths exhibit will be at the Missouri History Museum through April 15th.  Go by the Missouri History Museum and get the full story of the mega-fauna, then get out of town and head to Imperial to see where the bones were uncovered locally.

The Contemporary Art Museum must have some understanding of how hard it is to parent and maintain a your eye for art.  On Tuesday (and the first Tuesday of every month for that matter), they hold a Stoller Tour.  Parents and their crying babies are invited from 9-10am for complementary coffee and pastries. 

" Fiddler on the Roof " is playing at the newly renovated Peabody Opera House from April 3-8.  Make a date night out of it and try Mango Peruvian Cuisine's pre-theater menu.  From 4-6pm, Monday- Saturday, Mango offers a three course dinner for only $20.  It's a great deal at a great restaurant!

At the Crossroads: Exploring Black Identity in Contemporary Art at the St. Louis Art Museum is in its last week.  If you haven't had a chance to see this exhibit which six African American artists yet, may sure to go by this week.

Happy Arbor Day!  What better way to celebrate than with the free tree give away?  Friday, you can pick from a variety of trees, get tips on how to plant your tree from experts at the Missouri Botanical Gardens.

Dogwood Blossoms at Mastodon Historical Site

No Foolin': March 26 - April 1

Pictured from left to right Anna Deschatres of House of Rose Madeline, myself, and Jimmy Costanzo, outside of Vino Gallery.

On Saturday, I attended the 2 year Anniversary Party and Gallery Opening at Vino Gallery.  Located in the Central West End, Vino Gallery combines two of my loves, wine and art.  As its name implies it is both a wine store and an art gallery.  Saturday was their two year anniversary and to celebrate they hosted a wine tasting and supplied light hors d'oeuvres.  I had a great time at the party on Saturday.  If you were unable to attend but like me think there is nothing better than wine tasting and art, never fear, they host wine tastings every weekday after 5pm and all day on Saturday.

After the wine tasting, we headed to one of my favorite restaurants and a staple of the Central West End, Duff's Restaurant.  Duff's has an extensive wine menu and great food. We chose to sit outside on their patio.                                                        

The great weather is supposed to continue through Friday so get out and enjoy it!



Celebrate crawfish season and go to Broadway Oyster Bar where you can enjoy a bucket of crawfish.  Monday is the perfect day to go because the Soulard Blues Band plays there every Monday from 9pm- 1am.

 
For the most youthful of our followers, the Whole Foods in Town and Country on Tuesday from 10am- 10:30am is the place to be.  Attend "Story Time with Laurie Waller with Friends of the Children of the Eternal Rainforest" and learn about the plants and animals that live in the Costa Rican Rainforest.


The Fringe Film Festival is running at the Tivoli Theater.  On Wednesday at 7pm you can catch a showing of the classic film Psycho.  Admission is free.


If you missed the Civil War in Missouri at the Missouri History Museum or didn't quite get your fill of Civil War History, check out " A Room Divided" at the Eugene Field House.  The special exhibit focuses on life in St. Louis just before the Civil War.  The exhibit is open from Wednesday - Sunday until the end of December.


Friday - Sunday, The Spring Art Fair hosted by The Greater St. Louis Art Association wil be at Queeny Park.  The art fair is juried and the work of over 100 artists will be on display.  While planning your visit make sure to leave time for a hike through the park or a visit to the Dog Museum.


Saturday, the South Grand Business District will be holding a Putt Putt for Pride Pub Crawl.  The Crawl will start at 10:30am at Mockabes.  A variety of awards will be given and 18 wholes of mini golf are included in the price of $20 per individual or $30 for teams of two.  The event is a fundraiser benefiting Pride St. Louis.  For more information visit the event's Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/events/386083304742517/

Celebrate Spring, March 19 - 25

St. Louis is a great place to live.  There are an unlimited number of things to do, many of them are free.  We have a large array of accessible museums, top notch restaurants and independent boutiques yet St. Louisians seem to be the lasts to sing the praises of our own city.  The purpose of this blog is to encourage people to get out and enjoy all there is in and around St. Louis.


Here are some great things to do this week:

This is the last week of the Orchid Show at the Missouri Botanical Gardens.  The show is free for members, $5 for non-members.  There are 800 orchids on display.

Tuesday, March 20th from 12-1, head to Laumeier Sculpture Park for the 'Step into Spring' docent led tour of the park.  The tour is free but registration is requested, call 314-615-5267

Wednesday, March 21st from 7-9pm, Schlafly Bottleworks will be hosting a free discussion on the 'Theology of Bottleworks'.


Thursday at 6:30 is the Iron Fork, hosted by the Riverfront Times and benefiting St. Louis Area Food Bank at the St. Louis Union Station Marriott.  Guests can sample food from 30 area restaurants and watch food and mixologist competitions.  For more information on the event and ticket prices, visit their website. http://microapp.riverfronttimes.com/ironfork/2012/index.php

Friday, head to one of the many area Lenten Fish Frys.  If you want something a little different than the traditional fish fry, try St. Cecilia's Mexican Themed Fish Fry.  From 4:30- 8pm you can enjoy tamales, nachos, beer and even a mariachi band! 

Saturday and Sunday at 9am, the St. Louis Zoo will be hosting a Breakfast with the Bunny.  Go to the zoo, enjoy a full breakfast and take pictures with the bunny.  Seating is limited, pre-paid reservations are required.  Zoo Friends members: $20/adult, $18/child (ages 2-12); Non-members: $22/adult, $20/child (ages 2-12); Children under 2 are free. For reservations, call (314) 646-4897.