SUMMER
2008 A Complimentary Publication Celebrating Local People and Events
CONTENTS
F E A T U R E S
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Summer 2008 18 22 38
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| THREE CHEERS FOR BEER— Pour yourself a frosty cold one and settle back to learn about local beer and wine options.
| BIG DOGS, BIG HEARTS— “Newfies” make fantastic family pets. | A LA CARTE— Local favorite Wiliker’s shares a bit of it’s history, as well as a mouth-watering recipe. | HEALTH WATCH— Learn how to avoid overtraining and injury whether you’re preparing for events like marathons or triathlons or wanting to look good for that summer wedding. | A HARD WORKOUT?— If you think your workout is hard, check out Dr. John Curtin’s World Record attempt!
D E P A R T M E N T S
4 6 10 22 32 38
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| COMMENTARY | FEATURED ARTIST | YOU CAUGHT OUR EYE | A LA CARTE | BEST SHOPPING FINDS
44 46 52 62
| SEASONAL HUNT | YOU CAUGHT OUR EYE | SUNRISE TO SUNSET | CALENDAR
| HEALTH WATCH
ON THE COVER | Photography: Michael Schlueter, Cover design: Giant Leap Productions
Please Note: The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. This disclosure is required by rule of the Supreme Court of Missouri. STREET SCAPE MAGAZINE |3
BEHIND THE SCENES
C O M M E N TA RY
PUBLISHER & FOUNDER TOM HANNEGAN
Sweet Summertime! Welcome to the eighth edition of Streetscape magazine. As always, we invite you to come as our reader and stay as our friend. We're celebrating our second year of publication this month. We thought that we might take a look back at our successes over the last two years. As our loyal readers may recall, we have interviewed some big names in entertainment over the past two years including American Idol Season 6 Winner Taylor Hicks, as well as St. Charles natives, White Sox Pitcher Mark Beuhrle, Facts of Life and Mickey Mouse Clubs star Julie Piekarski-Probst. Standup Comedienne Kathleen Madigan and 97.1 FM Talk Radio Host Dave Glover were also featured Last September, Streetscape, in conjunction with the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign, held its first annual Urban Expressions fashion show at New Town St. Charles. Now in our second year of our Xtreme 20 Youth Awards program, Streetscape has recognized 40 young people who have displayed outstanding citizenship as well as academics. These St. Charles County youth have each been awarded $100 scholarships and prizes donated by local retailers and humanitarians. Streetscape also started a monthly newsletter several months ago to keep Streetscape readers apprised of what's going on in St. Charles County in between publishings of the magazine. To date, our newsletter reaches over 2,000 people and is growing daily. To receive your online copy, simply email me at tom@streetscapemag.com and write the word "subscribe" in the subject line of your email Streetscape is starting up a subspecialty of event planning. Several months ago Boone Center Inc. (who employs those with disabilities and does the famous annual sell out Wing Ding event) approached me, Streetscape Publisher Tom Hannegan, and Streetscape Magazine Event Planner Donna Costellia to organize a fundraiser. Within two months Streetscape personnel, including Streetscape Graphic Designer and Giant Leap Productions Principal Tracy Brooke, planned and orchestrated a signature event for the center at Windows Off Washington downtown that raised thousands of dollars for the BCI Foundation. Tracy Brooke came up with the clever theme of "Behind the Mask" for what will now be an annual Mardi Gras event for Boone Center. Streetscape Magazine was pleased not only to plan and coordinate this event; we have also featured the festivities as a double-page spread in our event section on pages 52-53. If interested in having Streetscape Magazine and Events Planning help with your business, charitable group or party, call Donna Costellia at 314-341-2790 or email donna@streetscapemag.com. We have much to be proud of in just two year's existence, but we still have much to do as an entertainment and leisure community guide as well as a serious supporter of what's best for St. Charles County. Thanks to all our advertisers for their continued support and of course, to our readers, who continue to bestow their warm wishes and complimentary greetings on St. Charles County’s newest and fastest growing publication. Always remember you can review Streetscape Magazine in its entirety at www.streetscapemag.com.
Be Thankful, Be Passionate, Life is not only good it is GREAT!
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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 ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON Robin has been a writer/journalist for more than 15 years working in print and electronic media. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from UM–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 several titles to her credit.
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.”
NATALIE WOODS Natalie Woods is the owner of Daisy Clover Boutique in Webster Groves. Her goal at the store is to help make women look better and feel better in clothes. She is also obsessed with getting women in the right pair of jeans.
CREATIVE DIRECTION / EDITOR AT LARGE TRACY BROOKE Tracy is the owner and principal artist of Giant Leap Productions, providing creative design for many different industries and applications from print to environmental and beyond.
GIANT LEAP PRODUCTIONS tracy@giantleapproductions.com www.giantleapproductions.com
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 JUDY PETERS Judy has been a PR and marketing professional for many years and now joins the Streetscape Sales staff as an Account Manager. Contact Judy by email at judy@streetscapemag.com or 636-448-2074. DISTRIBUTION Call Tom Hannegan at 636-916-4386 or via email at tom@streetscapemag.com
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Volume 3, Issue 2 • Summer 2008 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
FEATURED ARTIST
Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter/ John Storjohann
For John Storjohann, his art is an escape. For the 29-year veteran school teacher, photography gives him a chance to reconnect with the beauty of nature and wildlife.
John Storjohann Art as escape
“Going out to photograph wildlife is like a spiritual retreat for me. It forces you to slow down. It forces you to look at things in a way you normally wouldn’t look at them. Nature and wildlife move at their own pace,” he said. Storjohann remembers growing up on the Elmendorff Air Force base in Alaska, where his father was stationed. An amateur photographer himself, Storjohann’s father gave him his first camera when he was 11. An Agfa 35 mm range finder, the camera provided Storjohann with his first taste of what would become a life-long hobby and love of still life. Storjohann would eventually become a teacher and fall away from his love of photography for a time. He has taught technology skills at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles for 29 years. He is also the sports coordinator for track, soccer, volleyball and basketball there, where he trains coaches and sets up schedules. When he did return to photography, he set up a website to share his work with family and friends. An editor for the St. Louis Zoo’s magazine and calendar took notice of his work through the website and gave him a call. Today, Storjohann handles the Zoo’s photography needs as well as his own love for the art. He has photographed tigers at the National Tiger Sanctuary, wolves at the Wolf Sanctuary and plant life at the Prairie Garden Trust, among other places. Six years ago, he bought his first digital camera. “It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “You get to photograph the animals in situations you normally wouldn’t get to see them. Occasionally they let me behind the scenes.”
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Storjohann said he prefers capturing still life to photographing people. He said people are always worried about the way they look--their hair, makeup—whereas animals and nature provide a slow pace that grounds him. People rarely slow down, even when they are presumably enjoying the scenes that wildlife and nature provide, he said. “I see people pass a cage or exhibit with just a glance. There is so much they miss. Our lives are so frantic. This allows me to reconnect in a lot of ways.” It’s all about rising early, and many times waiting to catch a glimpse of the beauty of nature. “Part of photography is waiting for everything to come together. It’s patience. It’s waiting. It’s just what God has given you. It’s a quiet solitude you don’t get much anymore. I can spend an hour working on a single flower.” Storjohann’s first love in photography is the Lotus flower. The flower comes in American and Japanese varieties and literally rises from its humble beginnings to produce one of the most beautiful sights in nature. The flower is native to the Missouri and Mississippi River basins. “There is a story about the Lotus flower. It grows literally out of the muck and mire of the river and eventually it is several feet above the water. It is crème or pure white in color and the seed pod is brilliant yellow and pink. The Japanese say it is coming out of the darkness and into the light.” Storjohann said he encourages people to get into photography as the art becomes more affordable for everyone. “It used to be really cost prohibitive with the cost of film and developing, but now, once you’ve invested in a good digital camera, the shooting is almost free. I encourage people to explore photography as an art form. It’s about capturing that split moment in time that can’t be duplicated.” And he said one doesn’t have to travel overseas to do it. He said he prefers the states to anywhere else in the world. “There is so much to explore here if you take the time to look.” John’s work can be purchased at Olson Reed in Warrenton. ■
8|STREET SCAPE MAGAZINE
it ourselves.” Laws said the biggest challenge to gardens at Innsbrook are the deer. Set on 7,400 unspoiled acres of wooded hills with more than 100 lakes just 45 minutes west of St. Louis in the heart of Missouri, the 600resident village is known for its natural splendor. “We joke about it. When a landscape truck comes in, the deer follow it,” Laws said. “The deer eat hostas, day lilies and knockout roses--thorns and all. There are stories of people going into the house to get a cup of coffee and the deer have eaten their hostas when they return. It's just unbelievable.”
Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
It started out three years ago as a simple discussion about plants. The good people of Innsbrook were trying to find out what plants, trees and shrubs were suitable for their growing zone and more specifically plants that would not provide lunch for area wildlife. While the Innsbrook Garden Club developed the garden of their dreams, they also learned a lot about a little known program for all Missourians. From the discussion at Innsbrook was born the Innsbrook Merit Garden, a demonstration garden of plants which are friendly to the gardens of Innsbrook— plants that will survive the soil conditions, weather and wildlife of the area. With the help of Certified Arborist and Environmental Horticulture Consultant Mary Ann Fink, the Garden Club of the Village of Innsbrook has developed a whole host of plant material that is favorable to Central and Eastern Missouri. “It's built around the growing zones and what is native to our area,” said Club Member Lynn Laws. “Innsbrook's horticulturalist Keith Thompson was going to do it, but the garden club said we would just do
10 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E
to what is available and appropriate for their own gardens in Innsbrook.” One of the largest plant selection programs in the U.S. and unique in its promotion of diversity with underutilized but reliable plants, the Missouri-state-wide Plants of Merit Program started in 1999. It centers on a list of regionally proven annuals, perennials, shrubs, vines and trees published by a consortium including Missouri Botanical Garden, Powell Gardens, Mizzou Botanic Gardens and University of Missouri Extension.
Innsbrook
Armed with the G r o w i n g M u s i c i a n s f o r To d a y knowledge of what deer like most, a n d P l a n t s f o r To m o r r o w club members went to Fink for some advice. As coordinator for Missouri The program aims to diversify the home Landscape and Nursery Association and the gardening landscape by promoting plants Ambassador for the Plants of Merit that are relatively underutilized in home program, the National Wildlife Federation gardens. Plants may be known by and America in Bloom, Fink has designed professionals but not by the general public, the first of three beds across from the making them unfamiliar to consumers. Innsbrook Conference Center. “She designed a garden based around her Each year, members of the horticulture knowledge of deer-resistant plants,” industry review regional plant performance for choosing new Plants of Merit. Annuals Laws said. and perennials must perform well in one or Last fall, garden club members prepared the more locations in the Midwest region for first bed, Laws said, building it “the way two to three years, and trees and shrubs someone would build theirs at their own must perform well for at least five years, in home.” They skimmed the sod, turned the order to be considered for nomination. New soil, added compost and seasoned wood plants are added to the list each year, while chips and tilled it all together. In the Spring, others “graduate” to emeritus standing once they planted plugs in pots of soil to develop they have increased in popularity and are no longer underused. nursery-quality plants. More than 70 families are involved with the Innsbrook Garden Club. Members hope to circulate the layout of the garden next year, tagging plants before they blossom. They will not, however, spray any deer repellent on them. “If the deer eat them, we're just going to put up a Rest In Peace sign and use it for something else,” Laws said. The garden is more than just beauty in the making for Innsbrook residents, Laws said. “It's going to be a demonstration garden for our area so that people can use it as a guide
Judging criteria also include increasing landscape plant diversity, minimizing pesticide usage, energy and water conservation, and reliability with low maintenance. The program also recognizes gardens for successful mixes of plants and enhancement of the region's cultivated landscape while protecting natural green spaces. For more information on the program or for a list of Plants of Merit, call 314-5779561 or email Dr. Steven Cline at
YOU CAUGHT OUR EYE
Steven.Cline@mobot.org. For nine intensive days in June advanced string, piano, flute and clarinet students from around the world will descend upon the grounds of Innsbrook for the highest level of classical music instruction and performance available virtually anywhere at the Innsbrook Institute Summer Music Academy. Now in its eighth season, the Institute started over a bottle of wine at the home of Ed Boyce, chairman of the Board of Directors of Innsbrook, a 600-resident village on 7,400 unspoiled acres of wooded hills with more than 100 lakes located just 45 minutes west of St. Louis in the heart of Missouri. Boyce had experienced a similar music institute in Aspen, CO in the 1970's on a hiking trip with his sons. Years later, he met David Halen, concert master and artistic director for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, the second oldest orchestra in the U.S. The two became friends and discussed the possibility of an institute of their own. “It took David Halen,” Boyce said. “He is the connection with the music world. I had the place. He had the connection. We just put them together.” And so far the two men's dream has become an awesome reality. “It's been a huge success. We are special just because we have it,” Boyce said. “There is nothing else like this in this part of the country in a natural outdoor setting.” An accomplished violinist, Halen has been the “Konzertmeister” or concertmaster for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra for 13 years. He started playing the violin at age 6 in his birthplace of Warrensburg, MO--his father being a violin professor at Central Missouri State University. Halen graduated high school at age 16 and two years later won the Music Teachers National Association Competition and was granted a Fulbright Scholarship for study in Germany with Wolfgang Marschner at the Freiburg Hochschule fur Musik; the youngest-ever recipient of this award.
Halen's CV includes a position with the Houston Symphony Orchestra under Christoph Eschenbach, and he has served as concertmaster in St. Louis under Leonard Slatkin, the late Hans Vonk and David Robertson. He plays a 1753 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin, made in Milan, Italy. “When Ed and I met, we talked about Aspen and how much we both loved the festival there,” Halen said. “I played and taught there in the summers.” Halen said more than 50 students from all over the world come to Innsbrook each year to study and perform with international artists and members of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. “Over the course of nine days, we hold more than 20 events, public and house concerts. We bring in famous artists who are performing all over the world. The incredible synergy created here in this pastoral beauty comes from the combination of the world's greatest pedagogues, performers, gifted young artists, supportive host families, superb administrative staff and members of the Saint Louis Symphony. This environment is without equal in the music world. No other summer program can boast a more complete, encompassing experience.”
enjoyable for everyone. You don't have to have a background in it to enjoy it.” The professional, non-for-profit endeavor raises money all year long and through ticket sales and has doubled in scope over its brief eight-year history, Halen said. Master classes and private lessons are offered focusing on violin, viola, cello, piano, flute and clarinet. Last year attendance figures grew by 40 percent, averaging around 300 people per concert, Halen said. But what Halen and Boyce love about the Institute doesn't come from the numbers. “What I cherish most is the relationship between the performer and the public. The intimacy at Innsbrook allows the musicians and the public to interact on a much more personal level. The students bring a wonderful air of excitement and energy. A student plays a prelude to every concert to show off their incredible musicianship. For most of us at the Symphony, Innsbrook is our favorite entity.” ■
Halen said disciplines range from classical to Celtic to bluegrass to jazz. “It really crosses all boundaries into what is otherwise a classical format,” he said. “The concerts are pure, casual entertainment designed for anyone to enjoy. People that come usually get addicted. It's an example of how this music really is for everyone. We break down all of those (l to r) barriers and Ron James, Ed Boyce and David Halen make it S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 11
Three Cheers for Beer!
Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
St. Louis is a baseball town. It's a beer town. And most people say, their kind of town. But although the King of Beers put St. Louis on the map for fine, quality beer, Anheuser Busch isn't the only company brewing beer in St. Louis. Local minibreweries, wine makers and even home brewers have been making the grade for years.
kinds of beer at any one time, including four everyday beers and one seasonal. “We also self distribute to Schnucks, Dierbergs, Shop-n-Save— all the major chains and bars and restaurants—as well as several other states,” Fran said. Fran said she uses the “bread analogy” to describe what her microbrewery does relative to the big name breweries. “There is nothing wrong with a good old loaf of
Craft breweries accounted for 3.8 percent of U.S. beer production and brought in some $5.74 billion in sales.
O'Fallon Brewery has 16 employees and makes about five 12 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E
Though Fran admits she can't compete with Anheuser Busch, she said she isn't trying to. “Nobody can do what Anheuser Busch does. They make really good domestic lagers in huge quantities very consistently. We're making smaller batches. That's why we call it craft beer, because it's hand-crafted. Their beers are brewed for the masses. They make a light flavored, colored and bodied domestic lager. Our beers have a higher percentage of grain to water. There is a wide range of color, flavor and body. Some are downright brown, real big and bold in flavor.” Fran said O'Fallon Brewery will make 4,000 barrels of beer this year or about 55,000 cases. The process sounds simple. First, brewers make a barley tea from about 800 pounds of cracked barley malt for every 15-barrel batch. After the barley tea is boiled, hops is added. The brew is then cooled down and transferred to a
According to the Brewers Association, a trade organization based in Boulder, CO, the craft beer industry pulled in a strong 2007, increasing its dollar sales by 58 percent since 2004. The association reports independent craft brewer sales grew by 12 percent in volume in 2007.
Fran and Tony Caradonna, owners of O'Fallon Brewery, have been brewing O'Fallon Gold for nearly a decade. The two opened the brewery after owning a small beer distributorship called Signature Beer Company. When companies started rolling out the craft beers in the 1990's, the Caradonnas knew they were on to something.
Wonder Bread for quality and consistency. What we do is sort of like what St. Louis Bread Company does. Our beer is made locally in much smaller batches and with high quality ingredients.”
O’Fallon Brewery
Krey Distributing
fermentation vessel, or a huge stainless steel tank. Yeast is added which works on the sugar in the barley tea and creates the alcohol and carbon dioxide. Brewing takes six to 10 hours. The mixture then conditions for two weeks before it's packaged and sold. John Witte is no stranger to the brewing process. The director of brewing operations came on board with owner Bob Kirkwood when he opened the Trailhead Brewing Company in St. Charles in June of 1995. “The original concept was to open as a restaurant brewery,” he said. “And the original foundation was there when Lewis and Clark headed west.” Trailhead was a grist mill in those days, where farmers brought their grain. The name Trailhead comes from the position of the restaurant at the Lewis and Clark, Booneslick Oregon and Sante Fe trails. “Most trails heading west came out of a head in St. Charles,” Witte said. Seven different springs also fed the Blanchette Creek and drove the original stone mill, Witte said. “Over the years the city has diverted the water away,” he said. During the Civil War, the building was used to make woolen socks and underwear for the Union Army, Witte said. After the war, it was again used as a mill and later a corn cob pipe factory. “I know that in the 1930's and 1940's it was a tomato cannery because my grandma worked there,” Witte said. “And at one time McDonnell Douglas owned it and made aircraft machinery there.” By the 1970's, the building had all but fell apart. The St. Charles Jaycees made a haunted house out of it. Kirkwood, who also owns and operates the Lewis & Clark restaurant just North of Trailhead on the opposite side of Main Street, started remodeling the building in 1994. Witte was the first brewmaster for Trailhead and served in that post for nearly nine years. Today he works as a consultant, handling the paperwork, managing operations and ordering raw materials. S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 13
NEIGHBORHOODS
Trailhead makes two batches or about 10 barrels per week at a batch size of 310 gallons. The brewery and restaurant makes and serves six styles of beer, five of which are house beers including Trailhead Blond, Trailhead Red, Riverboat Raspberry, Missouri Brown and Old Courthouse Stout. The sixth beer is rotated seasonally every month or so, such as Trailhead's famous Pumpkin Ale. “We give the full spectrum from very light introductory blond to very robust flavor or stout,” Witte said. “Each beer fills a category or taste requirement. Some customers demand stronger, bitter beers. Others don't. We have what I call high drinkability beers. You always want another.” Witte said Trailhead and other microbreweries don't try to compete with Anheuser Busch. They're actually grateful to the company in many ways. “It costs us more from barrel to barrel. Part of that is the economy of scale. It comes from the automation not from cheaper ingredients. They use the same as us. They're very supportive of our industry. They have a lot of connections in Washington D.C. and have maintained Political Action Committees there for years. That helps us with taxes. The small breweries pay a lot less tax than they do. They figure anyone out there promoting safe, enjoyable consumption is also promoting them. It's a win-win.” Krey Distributing in St. Peters has been distributing Anheuser-Busch products for over a quarter of a century. Their primary brands are Budweiser and Bud Light.
distributor is actively promoting AnheuserBusch’s “Here’s to Beer” campaign which is designed to educate consumers on the many different styles of beer. This program allows consumers to sample the wide variety of beers available from Anheuser-Busch without having to purchase an entire 6-pack. “While focused on selling locally-made American beers like Budweiser and Bud Light, Krey Distributing also offers many craft and import beers including: Kona (from Hawaii), Rolling Rock, Grolsch, and Bass. Krey also features Anheuser-Busch’s seasonal brands which are crafted specially for each season.” Nation added, “We are fortunate to be able to offer consumers such a wide variety of products that cover the whole spectrum of beers from ales to pilsners to bocks. Anheuser-Busch products are made from the highest quality ingredients with a brewing process that sets the standard for industry quality. This combined with a network of distributors across the country allows Anheuser-Busch to provide consumers the freshest, most consistent, drinkable product for every occasion.” Krey Distributing has set up kiosks and beer rack displays at area grocery and liquor stores touting the myriad of choices available to beer drinkers. These displays are frequently updated with new brands providing consumers with new sampling opportunities For further information on the
“Here’s to Beer” www.herestobeer.com.
St. Louis Wine and Beer Making sells the raw materials for beer; wine; mead (a drink made from fermented honey), and Saki, a Japanese beer made from fermented rice. Deaton said people treat Saki as a wine, but anything that is made from a grain is classified as beer. Deaton said his business has definitely come into its own. “It's very popular,” Deaton said. “If you look at the demographic of people frequenting wine and beer places, they tend to be educated, above the average income and 95 percent are male.” Deaton said many people mistakenly believe home brewing and wine making is a thing of the past. “So many people come in and can remember some relative who made what they called 'hooch' at the time. They want to get back into it. It's like a lost art in the family. At Christmas time they brought
Ethyl’s Smokehouse
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visit
People who want to brew their own wine and beer at home have opened a niche market for Dave Deaton who's been in business with St. Louis Wine and Beer Making since 1991. The company sells supplies to people who like to make their own liquor, Deaton said.
Marketing Director Kelly Nation said the
Trailhead Micro brewery
campaign,
Dave Deaton
out Grandpa's wine.” The ingredients Deaton sells include fruit juices, barley for beer making and the company's extracts that don't require starting with barley. He also offers classes and demonstrations at his shop at 251 Lamp and Lantern Village in Chesterfield. Deaton said, interestingly enough, that when Congress repealed prohibition it allowed people to make their own wine, but failed to add beer to the list. It was an oversight that former President Jimmy Carter would correct in the 1970's. The first Saturday in May is National Home Brew Day. It commemorates the day Carter signed the law allowing people make their own wine and beer. The American Home Brewers Association enlists people all over the country to brew the same recipe on that day. “The Big Brew” nets thousands of gallons to celebrate the occasion and to introduce people to the art of beer making, he said. Deaton also sells equipment kits that include a collection of two vessels for fermentation, an airlock and stopper, siphon tubing, a racking cane, hydrometer and thermometer. The hydrometer measures the amount of sugar in the liquid to estimate the amount of alcohol that will be in the finished product. The kit is $90 and most of it is reusable, he said. Home brewers will also need an ingredient kit, which range in price depending on the ingredients. Kits that sell for $100 typically produce six gallons of wine. Deaton said first a home brewer needs something to ferment as well as bottles and corks. Wine kits include boxes of juice, yeast, oak chips and other things. The oak chips take the place of the barrel which wine makers use. “It gives the oaky characteristics without having to buy the barrel.” Deaton said the maximum allowable amount a home brewer can make is 200 gallons of wine or beer for two adults for personal consumption. Not to worry, he said. Two hundred gallons equals about 1,000 bottles of wine. “That's a lot of vino, let me tell you,” he said. ■
Cave Vineyard
S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E | 15
YOU CAUGHT OUR EYE
Helping Women Reconnect Mom Me Makeover Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
Ola Hawatmeh said she always thought God had big plans for her. And when her three sons were born, she knew why. What she didn't know was that He wasn't stopping there. Ola would go on to change other women's lives in a big way. Less than a year ago, Hawatmeh founded Mom Me Makeover, a deluxe array of services tailored to individual women who find themselves needing to tend more to, well, themselves. “Mom Me Makeover was created for all the courageous moms that never make time for themselves,” Hawatmeh said. After just eight months in business, Hawatmeh found herself with more than 50 clients, proving her theory that women everywhere need to find some time and tender loving care for themselves. “I'm impacting a lot of women's lives which is great,” she said. “When a mom looks good, she feels good and when mom feels good, the rest of the family feels good.” With that in mind, Hawatmeh has created deluxe packages which include cutting edge personal trainers, personal shoppers and Beverly Hills hair and make-up artists. The week-long transformation ends with a onehour massage and a new you. A native New Yorker and journalist, Hawatmeh attended Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY, taking 20 hours per semester, and maintaining the Franklin D. Roosevelt estate. After school she worked as a producer for FOX. She married at 22 years old and had three boys in the next five years. “I figured there was no reason for me to go out and work. My education is with them,” she said. When her sons started school, the Hawatmeh's were living in Tampa, FL. The Tampa Bay Catholic School, where the boys attended, was a half-hour drive from their home. Rather than drive the distance and return to an empty house, Hawatmeh
started teaching at her sons' school. It was there that she said she learned how badly children needed to learn their manners. “So two years ago, I started writing a planner on etiquette and manners for children,” she said. “Then I started teaching it to the students.” Hawatmeh said it was during the course of teaching this class that she realized that manners and etiquette have to begin at home—they have to start with mom. So the student she really needed to reach was not in her classroom. “So from this lesson planner came Mom Me Makeover,” she said. “What I'm really doing is helping women reconnect with their inner beauty and helping them maintain that.” The maintenance comes in with the group that Hawatmeh formed as an off-shoot of Mom Me Makeover. She named it M3 Women's Group and she invites her clients to join the group, which meets once a month to discuss whatever is important to them. Hawatmeh also offers Prom Me Makeovers, Daddy Me Makeovers, Co-worker Makeovers, Anniversary, and Mother's Day Makeovers. Clients can also purchase services a la cart. Prices range from $150 for a la cart items to $599 for the deluxe package. Hawatmeh has now parlayed Mom Me Ola Hawatmeh
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Makeover into image consulting for companies. But whatever she does next, she said she always wants to use her God-given talents to help others discover theirs. “A lot of it is passion to impact these women, to help them and guide them. We're put here for a reason. If you're a leader then you should lead others.” For more information on Mom Me Makeover, visit Hawatmeh's website at www.mommemakeover.com. ■
Featured Burger W i l i k e r ’s This 1/2 lb. charbroiled burger is stuffed with a red onion, topped with cheddar cheese and served with barbeque sauce, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles and served with your choice of side. Yum!
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YOU CAUGHT OUR EYE
Big Dogs, Big Hearts “Newfies” make life complete Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
The English poet Lord Byron wrote that he knew but one friend and it was his Newfoundland. The breed originated in Newfoundland, thus the name. But Newfies, as they're more affectionately known, are hot on the American dog lovers list of favorite friends. It's suspected that they descended in part from the big black bear dogs introduced by the Vikings in 1001 AD. But it's more likely that the dogs' extremely large size is due to their introduction in Newfoundland to mastiffs brought in by Portuguese fishermen in the 1400's. In the late nineteenth century, German and Irish fishermen traveled to Newfoundland and found two types of working dogs, one of which was the Newfoundland. The dogs were used to pull fishnets and heavy equipment. Newfoundland owners across the country hold rescue demonstrations to prove the breeds' strong propensity to rescue people from the water. The Newfoundland is wellsuited for water rescue with its webbed feet, thick rudder-like tail, water-resistant double coat and its powerful build, strength and stamina. The Newfoundland Club of America states on its website that when a swimmer is in trouble, the Newfoundland will swim out to just beyond the person and allow the person to grab hold of any part of his anatomy in order to tow the swimmer to shore. Only in the case of an unconscious swimmer will the dog grab the swimmer with its mouth, consistently taking the upper arm in its jaws for the tow to safety. This hold causes the person to be rolled onto his back with the head out of the water. When a pair of Newfounldands are working a rescue they will instinctively each take a different arm. Discovery Channel Anchor Bob Goen, at an AKC Eukanuba National Championship
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in December of 2006, reported that one Newfoundland alone once aided the rescue of 63 shipwrecked sailors. An unnamed Newfoundland is also credited for saving Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815. During his famous escape from exile on the island of Elba, rough seas knocked the French emperor overboard. A fisherman's dog jumped into the sea and kept Bonaparte afloat until he could reach safety. The English poet Lord Byron, U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Poet Emily Dickenson, President Ulysses S. Grant and Explorer Meriwether Lewis were all Newfoundland owners. Newfoundland owners can attest to the love they share with the dogs. Cindy Eisenbeis is no exception. The St. Charles mental health therapist said her next Newfoundland will be trained in pet therapy to serve as an aid in counseling sessions. “My husband thinks Boris is strangely attached to me, although he was supposed to be a family dog. He is 100 percent my dog. He literally sticks his nose on me and then goes to the foot of the bed and goes to sleep.” Eisenbeis' first Newfoundland was named Orianna. Orianna set herself up as protector of Eisenbeis' daughter. “I wanted a dog that I knew would be sweet with Jessica. We got the first one when she was five,” Eisenbeis said. “Orianna was very protective of her. When Jessica went to 'time out', Orianna went with her.” “As long as you get them through a reputable breeder, you can be assured they will have a good temperament. After all, you don't want a 140-pound dog with a bad attitude. As long as you can deal with the spit and the hair and the size, it's OK.” Eisenbeis said she eventually wants to get another Newfoundland to train in pet therapy. “Boris is like a big Teddy Bear. He's
Lonnie, Janice & Rudy Vance
huge and he's huggable. I think he would be therapeutic for people struggling with something, just by being there.” Eisenbeis said Newfoundlands were used in New York and New Jersey after September 11 and following Hurricane Katrina. “It is a comfort to people just to have the dog there to touch,” she said. “When someone has experienced a traumatic event, or the victim, or first responder, the dogs presence can help them work through what they saw.” Janice Vance has had three Newfoundlands. “Alex” passed away in 1989, after living to be 13 years old. “He was actually in contention for the oldest living Newfoundland with the Newfoundland Club of America,” she said. “Rudy” is eight years old. He, like Alex, is a gentle giant, Vance said. “They're very sweet natured people pleasers. Vance said when her children were small, they would use Alex to pull themselves into a standing position. “I swear he taught both of my kids to walk. They would stand on him and get big wads of his hair in their hands. They would roll all over him. At first I worried about them getting smacked down. You'd think that 150 pounds of dog would hurt them. It never happened once.” The Vance family are members of the River King Newfoundland Club in the St. Louis region. The club holds water rescue trials as well as grooming and obedience classes. Members also walk their dogs in the Thanksgiving and St. Patrick's Day parades in St. Louis. “We've developed a lot of friendships over
the years with people who have Newfoundlands. It's quite a close knit community. We enjoy when everyone wins at our events, more than a show ring with one winner.” Vance said she and other Newfoundland owners sometimes forget how immense the dogs really are. “Labs look like puppies next to them. You don't realize how big they are until they get with another dog. And no other dogs phase them at all. They really just do not have a mean bone in their body.” About the only thing Vance would change about Newfoundlands if she could is their lifespan. “I wish they had the 15-year life span of a smaller dog,” she said. Scott Newcomer has just joined the world of Newfoundlands. He bought Bear December 22, 2007. Bear weighed 17 pounds when he brought him home. By March, he was pushing 45.
Newcomer has two children, ages 7 and 5. “We wanted a family dog. I did research on the AKC website and the Internet and the Newfoundland was definitely that dog. It's the biggest hallmark of the breed, their sweet disposition.” In less than two months Bear had already learned to come, sit, stay, down and shake, Newcomer said. “He is so easy to train. He has a long attention span.” Bear can be sneaky too though. “We put him in the kitchen and put a gate up when we go away,” Newcomer said. “We know what's in the kitchen—Bear and one chew toy. More than once when we returned, Bear was in the kitchen, and other things just magically were in the kitchen with him. We just shake our head.”
him. “He knows he's supposed to be there, but there's something he wants.”
Newcomer said, apparently, Bear was sneaking out of the kitchen to get things he wanted, but returning to the space because he knew that was where his owners wanted
Newcomer also has to remove Bear's water bowl after he gets a drink. The dog loves water so much that Newcomer said he will paw it all out of the bowl just to lay in it. ■
(l to r) Cal, Scott & Kelly Newcomer with Bear, Jesse & Cindy Eisenbeis with Boris
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May 2006
Raising the Curtain on an Art Mecca L i n d e n w o o d ’s C e n t e r f o r F i n e and Performing Arts Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
October 2006
April 2007
Lindenwood's new Center for Fine and Performing Arts will start its first season with a new direction and a new director. Peter Bezemes, a 1979 graduate of the university, is returning to St. Charles after a successful career in the entertainment industry. A native Bostonian, Bezemes came to Lindenwood after reading Mark Twain. “It was kind of a fluke,” he said. “I had been reading Mark Twain in high school and I was fascinated by the way he described Missouri. I opened up the college catalog and looked for schools in Missouri.” Bezemes admits Lindenwood isn't what it used to be. And that's a good thing. The university has grown exponentially since his tenure there.
September 2007
March 2008
For starters the $32 million building in which Bezemes will work is 136,000 square feet and about 110 feet tall at its highest point. The centerpiece of the building is a 1,200-seat theater, which will be used for Lindenwood theatrical productions, music, dance and special events. A 150-seat “black box” theater, art gallery space, classrooms, scene shop space, costuming facilities and offices will also be included. Planned to be a significant new venue for entertainment in the St. Louis region, the center will also be used
by professional performers. Shortly before its opening, slated for September 2008, Lindenwood University will be receiving a shipment of 27 Steinway pianos for the music program. The purchase of the pianos will render the school one of only 84 all-Steinway schools in the world, putting it in the class of some of the most prestigious universities and schools of music, such as Yale University and the Juilliard School. Next April, a Lindenwood contingent will travel to the Steinway & Sons factory in New York to select a ninefoot concert grand and two other seven-foot grand pianos. Boston pianos, designed by Steinway, will be used in other areas of the Lindenwood music program. The purchase also includes 25 Korg digital keyboards for a computer music lab in the new facility. Considered among the best pianos in the world, Steinways take over 500 craftsmen more than a year to handcraft. The pianos are comprised of 12,000 parts. Bezemes graduated Lindenwood in 1979 with degrees in business and communications, with an emphasis on film and theater. Since his hiring, Bezemes has been contacting nationally recognized performers, including Broadway tours, celebrities, comics, singers and concerts, to appear in the new center. For now, he isn't telling who will be among the first to perform at the center. “Let's just say there will be some lovely surprises,” he said. It was through his business, Bezemes Entertainment Group, that Bezemes found Lindenwood again. He started as a consultant in Spring of 2007, before he was asked by Lindenwood President Dr. James
NEIGHBORHOODS
Evans to seek the directorship. Evans was Bezemes' psychology professor when he attended the school. A shy kid who found his voice on the Lindenwood campus, Bezemes said he always wanted to work in the entertainment business. At first, he thought acting would be his forte, but after working on the movie “Concealed Enemies” at Boston University after graduating from Lindenwood, he knew what he wanted to do. The film won the Emmy Award for best miniseries in 1983. After that, he was called to work on a Vanessa Redgrave film, “Three Sovereigns for Sarah,” a movie about the Salem witch trials. “It wasn't my plan to become a casting director,” he said. “But because it never satisfied me to do one thing, I decided to do everything.” Because of his work in casting, Bezemes has worked in virtually every facet of the entertainment industry as either a producer or a promoter. He worked in radio production in New York and Boston, in TV and radio licensing for RKO Broadcasting, has produced numerous concerts and records, has been a music publisher, has written for television and stage, and is a voting member of the recording arts academy that selects nominees and winners for the Grammy Awards. Bezemes said the new performing arts center was a key factor in his decision to take the job of executive director. “I have been in many theaters, and it quickly became apparent to me that this was no ordinary school facility,” he said. “The theater is grander than most theaters on Broadway. There is an amazing amount of fly space, a large stage and the surrounding support systems are all in place—a scene shop, costume facilities, and the music and dance facilities. There is nothing we can't do there.” Bezemes said the entire St. Louis region should prepare itself for the cultural as well as financial change that the center will inevitably bring. “Students bring millions to
the school as it is, but big name entertainment naturally brings money to a town. It is very likely to change the area and bring notoriety to the university and the city itself.” Also key to his acceptance of the position was B e z e m e s ' opportunity to give students what he never had, a taste of what actual work in the entertainment field would be like. “I'm hoping that we can give students some p r a c t i c a l experience so that they can [break into the business] easier,” Bezemes said, “so that maybe they won't have to struggle to get a job like people used to do. Everybody that has been a student and has a dream wants to try to understand how the business works. Schools do a lot of good in teaching people how to do things. Lindenwood does a fabulous job. But no school has been terribly well equipped to give people a chance with celebrities, big name producers, Broadway touring production companies and
television and film crews. These are things that people expect to find after school, if they get a chance.” ■
Peter Bezemes
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A LA CARTE
Wiliker’s F E AT U R E D R E C I P E Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
Most people who know St. Charles or who have visited the area know about Wiliker’s. What they may not know is the famous people who have shared St. Charlesans' love for the famed local eating destination. Owner Terry Jones opened Wiliker’s at 1566 Country Club Plaza in St. Charles on November 25, 1985. Since then, the restaurant and bar has been visited by rock legends Eddie Van Halen, the guest of Empire Guitar's Dan Martin; REO Speedwagon; Foghat; Los Lobos; Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top; and Peter Frampton. Sports greats Jackie Smith, Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock and Darryl Strawberry have also sat around Wiliker's tables, as have many local and national politicians—on both sides of the fence. “We are kind of known as a stopping over point for celebrities,” Jones said. “We try to keep people away from their tables, autograph seekers and gawkers.” But it's hard to keep the locals away from Wiliker's. With its private dining room that seats up to 50 people, the establishment has been a favorite meeting place for just about every social and civic group in St. Charles County at one time or another. Famous for its French Dip, prime rib and steaks, Wiliker's has had a local calling for more than two decades. Architect Lou Choudini came up with the name, Jones said, adding that they wanted an Irish flavor for Wiliker's. The menu highlights Wiliker's specialty items with four-leaf clovers. The bar is elevated and centered in the restaurant, giving it a welcoming, “Cheers” kind of feel. Sunday brunch at Wiliker's is a staple in the lives of many St. Charlesans. The brunch is held from 10 am to 2 pm each week. Reservations are preferred.
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Quiche, wraps, soups, sandwiches, burgers and salads are just some of Wiliker's specialties. Fried chicken, cobb and fresh spinach salads are among visitors' favorites, as are grilled salmon, Kansas City strip, cashew chicken stir-fry and Cajun seafood pasta. Happy hours, both during drive time and late night, are favorites at Wiliker's and many of the patrons make the establishment a regular stop for winding up their day. Happy hours are held from 4 pm to 7 pm Monday through Friday and from 9 pm to midnight Friday and Saturday. A complimentary appetizer bar is offered during the week and appetizers are half off on Friday and Saturday. Wiliker's offers Valentine's Day deals every year, specializing in lobster, filet mignon and prime rib. Call for details, 636-947-1441. Jones had his start in the restaurant business with Steak and Ale and Bennigan's and later TGI Fridays. He opened Wiliker's with two managing partners, John Maes and Rick Hunt. Jones opened Grappa Grill in 1996 and sold the restaurant in October. Jones said the secret to a successful restaurant is pretty straight-forward. “The secret is balancing a good staff with good management and taking care of customer's needs,” he said. “We have been in St. Charles for a long time before everyone else was. We were very fortunate to be in a location that needed a good restaurant and we have just built on that reputation for years and years.” ■
Wilikers’ Cashew Chicken Stir Fry 6 oz chicken breast cut into strips 2 oz olive oil 6 snow pea pods 6 broccoli florets 4 sliced button mushrooms 6 sliced water chestnuts 1/2 sliced sweet pepper 10 cashews 1 cup cubed pineapple 1 tsp soy sauce 1/2 cup sweet ginger stir-fry sauce 1 cup cooked rice 1/4 pineapple boat Cook chicken in olive oil until done. Add remaining items and stir fry in a wok until vegetables are tender but still crisp. Serve in a pineapple boat with rice on the side.
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LOCAL MUSIC
Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
the Entertainer. Miller's musical hiatus ended after his father passed away, when he said he was looking for a way to relax. “When I started back, my plan was to never let anyone hear me play. My father had passed and I just needed a way to relax. I was too old to play ball and the only thing I had left was my horn.”
Readus Miller builds airplanes during the day. But at night, the 52-year-old saxophone player comes alive as The Readus Miller Project. Named for his great-great uncle, Miller has been playing saxophone as a one-man act for a little over a decade and has no intentions of slowing down. “I always tell young people, 'You don't have to be in a band. If you enjoy what you're doing, somebody will listen'.”
The Readus Miller Project
Miller said he tried to go the band route, but found out early on that dealing with himself is a lot easier than dealing with the personalities and problems of Smooth Jazz, Hot Nights multiple members. “I had two bands and fired them both. It's just hard to get musicians all on the same page. Either they're late for the show, or they don't want to come to rehearsal, or they're drunk, or they're high, or they don't keys on it. Over the course of the summer, get along. I don't need those problems, so I he had taught himself the fingerings of the went out on my own and I've been blessed.” notes. A music instructor in high school taught him the rest. He went on to perform Miller has been making a name for himself in his school's marching band and earned all over the St. Louis region, performing at the coveted first chair for tenor sax. the Shaw Park Heritage Jazz festival in Clayton with David Sanborn, George “I'm the type of guy that if something Duke, Stanley Clark and Dr. John. He also interests me I give it my best shot. If I don't performed at the KMOX Wine & Jazz have it in a year, I usually move on,” Miller Festival, the US Bank Shaw Park Jazz said. “Since I was a kid, I was always curious Festival and the New Town St. Charles about something. I started working when I was nine. I played baseball, football, Jazz Festival. basketball. I shined shoes. I sold The youngest of three children of a low newspapers. I worked in grocery stores. I income St. Louis family, Miller found out always felt that when I saw something, I early how to get what he wanted with hard could do that.” work and perseverance. He learned to play the saxophone in high school after a For over 13 years, Miller laid his horn down summer of teaching himself the position of to try his hand at comedy. Acting on a dare from a friend, Miller wrote a routine and the keys on a coat hanger. tried it out at the Funny Bone Comedy After hearing his girlfriend's brother Club in Westport. “I've been a comedian practicing during the summer of eighth since grade school,” Miller said. He's grade, Miller decided he too wanted to play worked with Steve Harvey, Rosie the saxophone. So he took a coat hanger O'Donnell and St. Louis' own Cedric with the card board around it and drew the
Again, it was a friend who would instigate things. “A buddy talked me into doing one of my songs at a show in a club in Effingham. I played 'Forever in Love' by Kenny G. The owner of the club said she would give me $75 to play the song again for her. I told her I knew three more songs by Kenny G. She paid me $75 per song. That's how I started back playing out in public.” After that, Miller started playing talent shows at small clubs around the St. Louis area. Shortly after he won $1,000 in a talent show at The Pageant, “They stopped letting me do talent shows because I was winning them all. I just wanted to play,” he said. Today Miller plays mostly smooth jazz with the sounds of Grover Washington or Kenny G. Miller plays the alto, tenor and soprano sax, along with the electronic wind instrument, flute and clarinet. Miller said he chose the saxophone as his instrument because “It's the closest thing to the human voice. A drummer can't be a one-man act and be accepted. A flute might be OK, but pretty much the piano, sax and guitar are the only things that can make a one-man act.” He also shares his talents with people in the University City Loop square where he plays for tips, and with homeless people in Kiener Plaza in St. Louis. “I figure they don't have any money to go to a concert.” ■
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Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
Add about 700 pounds to Fluffy. That's how Judy McGee would describe each of the five tigers, she and her husband, Keith Kinkade, keep at The National Tiger Sanctuary in Bloomsdale, MO. “They really are very loving, very intelligent animals,” she said. “Imagine, you wake up and your house cat has gained 700 pounds. Would he kill you? Probably. Would it be an accident? Probably.” McGee and Kinkade have raised five Bengal tigers, four orange and one white, from infancy. The four male and one female were dying, McGee said. Their mom and dad were among six other big cats that had been taken from an unscrupulous breeder who sold tigers to circuses. “The mom was pregnant during and after the transfer. She had five cubs. She was stressed and started exhibiting signs of wanting to kill her cubs. She was picking them up and carrying them along the fence.” McGee said the animals sense when they are unable to take care of their offspring and will often kill them. The cubs weighed eight pounds each when Judy and Keith got them. That was seven years ago. Today the smallest, the female, weighs 350 pounds. The largest, 750. McGee and Kinkade were self-employed business owners with a common love for animals when they started volunteering at wildlife refuges. In 2000, they founded Global Resources for Environmental Education and Nature (GREEN) and The National Tiger Sanctuary (NTS). The non profit 501c3 foundation is dedicated to pioneering new venues of education. McGee and Kinkade sold their businesses and devoted themselves full time to a partnership with De Paul University in the creation of the environmental learning campus near Ste. Genevieve. They took in the five tigers, Vincent, Dee, Paul, TJ and Max, in July of 2001. TJ is a rare white tiger. “In the wild only one in every 10,000 tigers is white,” McGee said. “Although all tigers enjoy the water, TJ is especially fond of his pool.” Today, the tigers live on 10 of a 400-acre tract of land in Bloomsdale, MO near Ste. Genevieve along with three indoor and three outdoor domestic cats and three dogs including a Yorkshire Terrier, an Australian Shepherd and a Great Pyrenees. In the beginning, McGee and Kinkade bottle fed the tigers every half-hour. They tended to their needs and nursed them back to health. Two of the tigers were crippled and another was near blind from malnutrition when they came to the 26 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E
The Eye Of The Tiger M i s s o u r i ’s tiger sanctuary
Tiger Sanctuary. “They all had to have different food and different care. They had severe calcium deficiencies,” McGee said. The tigers each eat eight to 10 pounds of raw chicken, beef and pork every day consisting mostly of leg quarters, brisket and any meat they can find on sale. “We don't take any road kill or game,” McGee said. “Exotic tigers are more prone to disease.” Nearby farmers donate bones to the sanctuary after they butcher their cattle. McGee said when she and Kinkade started volunteering they “didn't realize the plight of the cats. It's bad.” Tigers do not have any natural predators, McGee said. The biggest impediment to the survival of tigers is population increase resulting in loss of habitat, McGee said, with exploitation being second and zoos third. “The zoos are saving the species which is very good, but I don't know that zoos are conducive to cat happiness,” McGee said. “They don't like change. They don't like to move. They don't like to be exposed to a lot of people. They're just like house cats.”
a zoology major and volunteer from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. “I'm honored to even be able to work with them. But I'm always aware of what they're capable of doing. They're affectionate and I love them. But anything whose tongue can hurt me, I'm going to have respect for. They say dogs have masters. Cats have servants. They're the same way.” Tigers have over 50 different vocalizations, said Georgia Wohlert, another volunteer with the sanctuary. “They make a lot of different noises, but no one has ever been able to record them all. Their hearing is five times better than ours and they are such cautious animals. In the wild, they're so hard to study.” “What's a tiger say, Paul,” Kinkade asks the tiger during the tour. Paul roars in response. McGee said she could enter the cage and play with the tigers, but they would probably unintentionally hurt her. “Then people want to kill the animal or people think they can do it.”
whether it means to or not,” she said. Imagine a house cat batting around at a mouse. “In the state of Missouri, there is no legislation that says you can't have a tiger as a pet,” McGee said. The USDA is the only governing body over such matters and they just require a license if you are opening a tiger showing to the public, she said. “We're working on that.” The National Tiger Sanctuary is located at 10019 State Route Y in Bloomsdale, MO. Operating hours are from 10 a.m. To 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and weekdays by reservation only. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Bottled water and soft drinks are available for purchase in the gift shop. For more information on tours, call 573-483-3100 or visit www.nationaltigersanctuary.org. ■
McGee said people think that just because they raise a tiger from a cub, it will never hurt them. “Eventually it will kill them,
McGee's and Kinkade's cats are separated from them by a 16-foot double spectator fence, a USDA requirement. Tigers don't purr, they “chuff ”. It's a sound similar to blowing raspberries to a baby. “If you chuff at them, they chuff back,” McGee said. During the tour of the sanctuary, Kinkade shows several of the tigers' “toys” to his audience. One is a bowling ball, now cracked in half. Another is a truck tire, mangled with teeth marks. And a third is a piece of a heavy duty plastic water tank used for horses and cattle. “At the time it had a little over a ton of water in it,” Kinkade said. The tiger just picked it up and dumped it like a cat bowl. “I really have a healthy respect for them,” said Samantha Bueltmann,
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STATE YOUR BUSINESS
State Your Business! Opening up the windows at the first sign of spring is a joy for most homeowners as they let the fresh air in and the stale recycled air of winter out. Several local companies go one better though. Sams Carpet Service and Air Now, Inc. will clean the farthest reaches of homes, getting into the carpet fibers as well as the air ducts, improving the efficiency of home heating and cooling systems and prolonging the life of carpets as well as equipment. Molly Maid will clean every bit of your home from top to bottom... weekly, monthly or for “spring cleaning” any time of the year. Started in 1985 by Jeff and Susan Sams, Sams Carpet Service has been voted number one for 12 years running by Suburban Journals readers in its “Best of Business” section. The reason, said Susan Sams, “Sams Carpet is committed to distinctive customer service in every aspect of our business.” Sams offers carpet cleaning, oriental and area rug cleaning, upholstery and furniture cleaning, air duct and dryer vent cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, carpet repairs, odor control, 24-hour water damage services, spot and stain removal, pet urine damage removal and carpet, rug and fabric protection. “We have a philosophy that we like to keep customers for life,” Sams said. “We have a value system that is important to us. We work with our customers as well as keep up with technology. We established our business by reputation and most of our business comes from referrals and previous customers.” Sams recommends having carpets cleaned according to manufacturer recommendations, but also according to the quality of carpet, the amount of foot traffic, whether the carpet has a protectant applied and re-applied after cleaning, the frequency of vacuuming and the amount of people and pets in the home. Sams uses a rinse method that will rinse all residues from the carpet. In most instances, Sams can remove 100 percent of stains. Visit Sams at www.samscarpetservice.com or call 636-949-8229. Bette Derges started Air Now, Inc. 10 years ago to offer residential heating and cooling maintenance safety and efficiency to customers. As a woman in a predominantly male field, Derges said she can 28 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E
offer customers a unique perspective. “I think it is unusual for a heating and cooling business to be woman-owned and not handed down. Most times women who own these businesses got them from their father, grandfather or husband,” she said. “Often times a woman doesn't understand the mechanics of her home. I think I bring a different perspective because I am a woman. Hopefully I give them a greater level of comfort because I'm another woman who cares about their needs and understands them. Derges worked in administration for more than 20 years before opening Air Now, Inc. in Wentzville. “I believed with my legal, financial, franchise and engineering administration experience and my husband's heating and cooling experience, we could provide the quality of service people were looking for. I believed we could do it a different way than they're used to seeing companies run.” Bette and husband Brad work together in the business alongside six employees who she said “share” in the success of Air Now. “Our employees share in the success of the company. We pay well and that motivates our employees to do well. We're not just here for ourselves.” In addition to its many services, Air Now offers a Planned Maintenance Program that includes numerous tune-ups, cleans and checks of heating and cooling systems. Benefits of the program include reducing heating and cooling costs, improving the efficiency of heating and cooling systems and improving their dependability. Air Now's website, at www.airnowstl.com, offers a plethora of information on everything from heating and cooling energy tips to tax savings tips to energy efficient water heating. Call 314-5752572 for more information. Molly Maid offers more than just once a year spring cleaning. Their website states, “The home service professionals at Molly Maid will prepare a "Treatment" designed around the unique details of your home and your personal cleaning requirements. You can expect a consistent, thorough cleaning and the highest level of personal service with every visit.” Molly Maid of St. Charles County West owner Jaime Grosvenor says, “As a local owner, I focus on providing outstanding service in the homes of St. Charles County. I’m excited to bring the nation's leader in professional housekeeping to my neighbors. Each uniformed team arrives at your home in the signature Molly Maid car, bringing with them all of the cleaning supplies and equipment necessary to make your home shine!” With guaranteed custom home cleaning service from Molly Maid you’ll be assured that your home will be fresh, clean and sparkling this summer and beyond. For more information on Molly Maid’s services, visit www.mollymaid.com or call 636-939-6243. ■
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YOU CAUGHT OUR EYE
Impacting the Community Martha Stodden Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
A special education teacher in the Winfield School District is making a big name for herself in humanitarianism. Her grandfather would be proud. In addition to her lengthy repertoire of service to her community, Martha Stodden will take on the presidency of the St. Charles Jaycees this year. She comes by it honestly. Her grandfather was Paul Schnare, the philanthropist for whom the St. Charles Community College Library is named. He was also the last Eastern District Commissioner for St. Charles County. “I have grown up learning that community is very important. My grandparents instilled that in me when I was very young,” Stodden said. “I like the way it makes me feel to do good things for other people.” Stodden lived in a duplex opposite her mother's parents, Paul and Helen Schnare, while she was growing up. She said she watched the senior Schnares do much for their community and learned a lot about helping others through their giving. “I remember my grandpa read an article in the newspaper about a woman who was struggling to pay for college. She had children and had gone back to school,” Stodden said. “My grandpa paid for her tuition in full, anonymously. He would never give his name. That's the kind of man he was. He always said, 'What you give comes back to you ten-fold'.” Stodden said her patience and tolerance for others in her own life began when she became a teacher. She was working as a paraprofessional in the Fort Zumwalt School District's Autism Program. “I absolutely loved the kids and loved working with their special needs,” she said. But it wasn't always so. She was soon paired with a particularly challenging autistic boy. 30 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E
“The first two weeks were very difficult. I was ready to quit and give up. It was a very stressful job. I never knew what the day was going to be like. I didn't know what to expect.” It was that experience, however, Stodden said, that “opened my eyes to a whole new area of education I hadn't thought of. It's something else to be one-on-one with a student, where you start out as strangers.” Today, she said she wouldn't even consider a regular classroom. And the boy who challenged her? “I ended up falling in love with him. He had the most significant impact on my life. I still visit him at his new school. I'm friends with his teacher.” Stodden said her job as well as volunteering gives her patience she can't explain. “Before I was easily annoyed at the little things. Now it takes a lot for me to buckle.” Two years ago, the Economic Development Center of St. Charles County selected Stodden for their Partners For Progress Fellowship. “They take an educator and place them with companies to let them get a feel for what the business world is like,” she said. “I was placed with United Way. It helped not only with my work as an educator but with my work in the Jaycees. It helped me get the business aspect that my education is lacking,” she said. Stodden has been a member of the St. Charles Jaycees for five years. A friend's father, Brad Wetter, had been president of the St. Charles Jaycees and the Missouri Jaycees. In high school, Stodden and the friend, Melanie Wetter, promised each other that when they were old enough, they were going to join. They kept their promise. Melanie was president of the St. Charles Jaycees last year. Stodden hit the ground running. After just
six months with the organization, she was elected community vice president. That was 2004. She oversaw all of the community functions of the St. Charles Jaycees, including parades, easter egg hunts, senior barbecues and the like. “The list is extensive,” she said. In 2005 and 2006, Stodden was elected as individual development vice president, helping others grow as individuals through social activities, organizational meetings and family projects. Last year, she was elected business vice president, conducting strategic chapter planning and all the fund raising events for the chapter. She said volunteering is kind of like the work she does with the severely handicapped children in her charge. It takes a while to appreciate the results. “Sometimes they have the ability to completely overcome. It starts out so small with the ABC's and then they're reading and doing math.” Stodden, 27, said she wanted to do as much as she could while she was young enough to do it. “I wanted to do this while I'm young and I don't have a family. I know how much of an undertaking it is and how much time it takes. It's really my second full time job.” Paul Schnare passed away in 1997 while Stodden was in high school. “I always thought the most tragic thing about it was that he couldn't see what I would become. He was probably the person I was closest to growing up. But I feel like I'm making him proud now.” ■
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Summer Fashion Trends Hot looks for warm summer days and nights
Story by Natalie Woods
The days are getting longer, the sun is shining a bit more, you’ve switched out your closets and stored all your winter gear….. now what?? What do I wear this spring and summer?? As those of you who follow fashion have seen lately, the seasons are becoming a bit more blurred and clothes are seeing wear in more than just one season, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some clear cut trends for this spring. And there’s no better way to improve your mood on the last days of cold and yuck by buying some key pieces in fun colors and prints. I polled some of the most fabulous and knowledgeable boutique owners in metro St. Louis to get their take on what is going to make you swoon this spring. (we didn’t forget shoes… see Kara Pollnow’s answers below) Here are their answers to my three magical questions and I’ll add in my two cents at the end to round it all out. What are your three favorite spring trends? Sarah King, Blush Boutique: Tiered
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Dresses, Large statement Cuff's like Virgins, Saints & Angels Temptation Cuff , Punchy Colored Bags like Tano Handbags French Nanny Margo Kopman, Byrd Boutique: Three trends? Long dresses, Beach tunics, Leather Jackets Jena McClintock, Ziezo, Inc.: The return of the skirt. I still love dresses, but a skirt is a nice alternative during our sweltering summer days. The gladiator sandal. Flat sandals are so practical and chic. And last but not least, I love the multicultural influence right now. I've always loved ikat prints and it's refreshing to see so many modern takes on them in fashion. Lauri Solet, Laurie Solet: Color - all shades of yellow, Girlie themes, Sexy silhouettes, curvy and form fitting... Kara Pollnow, Wish Shoes: Warm metallics, Focus on texture: skins, raffia, linen, and Platform slingbacks What’s your favorite color this season? Sarah King, Blush Boutique: Yellow Jena McClintock, Ziezo: Orange Margo Kopman, Byrd Boutique: Yellow Lauri Solet, Laurie Solet: Yellow Kara Pollnow, Wish Shoes: Rose gold...it
can go with anything and is such a great warm neutral What’s the must-have item from your store? Sarah King, Blush Boutique: Free People's Dobby Utility Crop Pant in Natural or Green/Grey. Margo Kopman, Byrd Boutique: Seaton cropped cashmere cardi in a bright color Jena McClintock, Ziezo, Inc.: Jeffery Campbell Camp Shoe Lauri Solet, Laurie Solet: A yellow, girlie, formfitting dress like the Foley & Corinna Multiwrap Dress Kara Pollnow, Wish Shoes: A flirty sandal heel, like ours from Luciano Padovan OK –DON’T PANIC. I know almost all of you have been yelling at the magazine screaming … I CAN’T WEAR YELLOW!! Yes, yellow is by far the most popular color for spring and yes, it is not an easy color for a lot of us to wear but don’t throw us all to the wolves just yet. Keep in mind that you don’t have to do head to toe yellow and that there are a million shades out there. It’s very possible that one of them will work with your coloring. If you’re afraid of yellow, try a yellow handbag, a yellow shoe, a yellow skirt (which keeps the color away from your face) or a print that includes some yellow but isn’t predominantly yellow. Or take the route that Jena from Ziezo suggested and go with an orange. Really all of the citrusy colors will be big
BEST SHOPPING FINDS
more fitted silhouette to balance out the empire waist.
this year so if you must, pick a bright shade of orange or green for your pop of color. Two of my personal favorites mentioned by my friends are long dresses and all the great prints. They are calling the long dress “the return to patio dressing” and if you’re like me, you aren’t so sure what that means but either way … I love the long dress. Look for styles with an empire waist so that it appears that your legs go on for days, but make sure you stick to a slimmer
And last but not least, the prints – you’re going to see them in all shapes, sizes and colors. A lot will have a multicultural influence from Asia and Africa, but you will also see lots of florals and more traditional prints. You will see them in dresses, tops and bags. Go crazy with prints, have fun and see how happy wearing them makes you. Before I leave you, there are a couple important trends that my fabulous store owners didn’t touch on (because I only limited them to three, I’m sure) and those are colorblocking, and wide leg pants. Colorblocking is easy to spot – look for two or three colors in a larger block – less like a print and more geometric. You will see this in dresses and tops and it’s a great alternative for those of you who aren’t fond of prints.
colors (especially white). These are easy for all of us to wear, although after all this slim pant stuff, it seems a little weird at first, but they look g l a m o ro u s and elegant in all situations. Now, go forth and shop!!! ■ Natalie Woods is the owner of Daisy-Clover Boutique in Webster Groves, MO.
As for the wide leg pant… it’s about time!!! Look for wide leg pants and denim in all
BOUTIQUE PROFILE
We spoke recently with Missy Shockley, Owner of DC Specialty Boutique located at 550 First Capitol Drive, St. Charles, MO 636.946.3055 When did the store open? December 2007 What made you want to enter the crazy world of retail? I have had a retail store for the past 11 years. It was a dance shop – 3000 sq. ft with over $150,000 in merchandise. We also did a 32 page mail order catalog. But as the internet grew, then the birth of my 2nd child, coupled with teaching ballet 3-4 nights a week something had to give. So this crazy world of retail is old habit for me. What makes your store different from others? It’s different because most of the items found in the store are either my own designs or influenced by L.A. and New York. A good part of my 20's was spent dancing in New York and I designed a whole line of dancewear and other apparel for a company based out of L.A. We also offer “InHome” boutique parties for you and your friends. These make a great girls night out event. What are some of your best sellers? Right now anything with skulls and lots of bling. In addition, florals and big prints are making a comeback. But bling is here to stay …..big and small bling on everything. Plans/hopes for the future? I hope to do some fashion shows and brighten up this side of town. Just because you’re a mom or a student doesn't mean fashion goes away. We have items that you’re not going to find at the mall. You’ll be unique at DC Specialty Boutique!
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Summer Shopping Gifts for mom and beyond
It’s summer and time for some serious shopping. Whether you’re looking for hot looks for yourself or something fabulous to make Mom’s day special, these picks are sure to get your summer shopping off to a great start. 1 Add a little bling to your life with this incredible gold cuff with pink crystal cross. $65 DC Specialty Boutique, 550 First Capitol Drive St. Charles | 636.946.3055 2 Feel like you’ve just jetted away to the Hamptons by carrying this Echo Designs straw and patent bag $48 Susan Lynn’s, 130 Chesterfield Town Center | 636.530.7337 3 Does anything make you happier than a great shoe?? Girly Glitz in this crystal sandal from Beverly Feldman $235 Susan Lynn’s, 130 Chesterfield Town Center | 636.530.7337
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4 Ed Hardy is the edgy darling of celeb style these days and now he gives your wrist a fashionable accessory. $120 DC Specialty Boutique, 550 First Capitol Drive | 636.946.3055 5 Make a simple outfit FABULOUS by stacking these extra fun quartz bangles. $48 each Susan Lynn’s, 130 Chesterfield Town Center | 636.530.7337 6 St. Louisan Lesley Timpe knows hats and her reversible Bella Hats look great on everyone. $52 Susan Lynn’s 130 Chesterfield Town Center | 636.530.7337
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HEALTH WATCH
Story by Monica Adams
Avoiding Overtraining
Many of us have trained for a sport and worked out to get ready for a big event such as a wedding or vacation, but have you ever wondered what your body could do when it was pushed to the extreme? If you are considering training this way it is always important to check with your physician as to your current fitness level and physical stamina. One of the most important aspects is to give yourself enough training time. You need to listen to your body and train from your current fitness level to the one you want to get to, but in the appropriate time frame. As a personal trainer, we talk about exercise progression and injury prevention. Physical Therapists, Orthopedic surgeons and physicians galore tell me every Sunday on my radio show that "most injuries occur in the hips, low back, knees and ankles because you're trying to push yourself in your sport or activity when you haven't properly trained." If you are honest with yourself and where you currently are in your physical health, then you can prepare your mind and body to focus on your strengths and overcome your weaknesses. It is a good idea to know your cardiovascular health before entering into an extreme routine. Take your moring resting heart rate throughout your training. Your resting heart rate should lower throughout your program. Overtraining is a problem for many people. If you keep a log of your resting heart rate throughout the program and it goes up a few days in a row that could be a sign of overtraining or that you are getting sick. There are different schools of thought on stretching programs for your sport or training program. Some trainers, coaches or doctors will tell you to stretch before and after your workout. Others will tell you to do a light cardiovascular warmup and then you can start your program. The key is that you never jump into your sport or workout with cold tight muscles. If you do a 5-10 minute warmup on a
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treadmill, track, bike, elliptical trainer or even some light jumping jacks or jump rope you are loosening up those cold muscles. To prevent injury, always remember this tip. If you want to lift weights to the extreme, you may incorporate lifting to failure. This is when your body stops you, not your mind, by not being able to go any further without causing injury. If you have finally made that decision to do a half marathon, a full marathon or even a triathlon it is key to mark out a training schedule that allows you enough time to log your short and long runs. You have to incorporate time for biking long and short routes as well as routes that will mimick the one you’ll follow on event day. If you will be riding hills at your tri or century (100 mile) ride then you must incorporate hill training or even sprint training. You may have made this statement to your parents when you were a kid, "I can run faster if I wear the right tennis shoes!" Although as a child you may have said it so you had the cool shoes, when you are training for running it is imperative! Here are the top 10 tips for buying running shoes, according to running coaches and podiatrists: Go to a specialist running shop, talk to the staff about what you are training for, wear athletic socks, make sure your feet are measured, ensure there is 10mm between the end of your longest toe and the end of the shoe, allow for the heel to fit snugly without any movement up and down. Ask the salesperson to watch you walk and run and look for pronation or supination, and ask for a run in all prospective choices before you make your selection, making sure the shoes feel comfortable; supporting and cushioning, not pinching, from the moment you put them on. Lastly shop for running shoes as late in the day as possible as your feet can expand up to one half size during the day and will do the same on a long run. If you are training for a marathon or triathlon it is a good idea to ask around your community or at running stores or within running groups where the 5k or 10k runs are. This will help you get your training runs in while enjoying the camaraderie of other runners. â–
with Monica Adams What types of exercises can I do to incorporate both cardio and resistance training? If you want to get the most bang for your buck, start implementing interval or dynamic training. If you start to train this way you will be able to get your cardiovascular exercises in at the same time you are doing your resistance or weight training. Try combining multiple exercises while moving the body. An example would be to do a lunge, into a tricep kickback, into a biceps curl and then a shoulder press. This type of training allows you to train several muscle groups while also giving you that aerobic and anerobic training you are wanting. What if I am a busy traveler and don't have access to a gym or weights? You have a body, right? The resistance you can use from your body weight alone can give you one of the most amazing workouts. Consider some of the training you did in p.e. class as a child...think jumping jacks, jumping rope, shadow boxing, crab walks, pushups, crunches, situps, timed wall sits, lunges, squats (without weight, done in a slow controlled motion), really any type of mat work. You can get an amazing cardiovascular and resistance training workout never leaving your hotel room or your house. You just need to stop the excuses and start moving! Before you begin any type of exercise program, make sure you consult your doctor, especially if you are over the age of 60.
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A Hard Workout? Attempting a world record Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
detection, treatment and prevention of child sexual and serious physical abuse.
A Lake Saint Louis chiropractor will set out June 1 to set a new world's record, in the Guinness Book of World Records no less, in triathlons. Dr. John Curtin will attempt the remarkable feat of 100 triathlons in 100 consecutive days in 50 states. He calls it the P3 Triathlon Tour. The Child Center in Wentzville is calling it a miracle.
“Though media coverage is significant, many people do not realize the center's existence,” Curtin said. “This effort will touch [people] not only on a national level, but also a very local level, reminding the country that child predators exist and we need to learn to protect our children and to teach ways to prevent child molestation. There is nothing more exciting and heartwarming than seeing our country coming together, with their outpouring of generosity, to help their neighbors, communities and families.”
“I always wanted to do something big athletically and to promote my office,” he said. “I realized I can do this to help promote the Child Center too,” Curtin said. Curtin sits on the board of the Child Center, Inc., an organization that helps raise awareness and funds through donations and pledges of the multidisciplinary team approach to facilitate the investigation, 40 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E
The record itself, if attained, will be listed in Guinness as the most consecutive triathlons in one year. There is no such record currently. Attaining the record will require the participation of several key sponsors,
Curtin said, including Expetec, Teamup, TrainingBible, Impressive Promo and Momentum Cycles in St. Peters. Curtin said the triathlon is America's fastest growing sport and has undergone massive development around the world since its inclusion in the 2000 Olympic Games. The dynamic multi-discipline sport encompasses swimming, cycling and running. Competitors race against the clock from the point they enter the swim to the point they cross the finish line. The distances of triathlons range from a “Super Sprint,” which can take less than an hour to complete, to the “Ironman,” which can take up to 20 hours, he said. Curtin's triathlons will be timed, United States of America Triathlon certified triathlon courses, though most will not be run on the actual triathlon race day, Curtin
said, adding that he hopes athletes everywhere join him in his race. “Through local media outlets, the Child Center, Inc., national running clubs and triathlon clubs, people will be encouraged to run alongside me each day for as much or as little as they would like.” It all started after a chance meeting of Curtin and Maggie Menefee--the executive director of the Child Center--at a Lake Saint Louis Chamber of Commerce meeting. Menefee later introduced Curtin to St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Jack Banas and began to learn more than he or anyone else would ever want to know about child sexual abuse. Curtin said the Child Center offers children who are victims of child molestation a safe physical exam along with psychiatric counseling and forensic questioning. The prosecuting attorney, law enforcement and others are centralized at the center to protect children from the bombardment of multiple agencies, he said.
Along with running his chiropractic office, Aligned Chiropractic, in Lake Saint Louis, Curtin is an endurance coach with TrainingBible under Joe Friel, an international best seller of books on endurance training. TrainingBible is a coaching system that has assembled some of the worlds' best coaches to help athletes who are just beginning their journey as Olympians. Curtin's wife, Rhonda Brown, a local psychologist, will accompany him part of the way. Brown, along with Curtin's two young daughters and teenage son, are the inspiration for his efforts, he said, and will certainly be at the forefront of his mind as he swims, bikes, runs and eats his way across America. “I know how to take care of a
multitude of injuries and how to keep myself well rested. I will be eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, good carbs, honey, whole wheat and brownies. I have to keep the calories up.” Curtin holds bachelors degrees in political science and human biology. He has a masters degree in sports science, and a doctorate of chiropractic. He spent the first 10 years of his professional life as a physician assistant in pathology before becoming a chiropractor. All proceeds of Curtin's world record attempt will go to the Child Center. “This was an enormous goal, and it only seemed natural to leverage its enormity to benefit others in an equally enormous way,” he said. ■
“Family members, parents, neighbors, law enforcement officials, juvenile detention facilities and judges can all direct people to the center,” Curtin said. “It's an easier way for the children then having to go through the court system alone.” The Child Center is part of the Missouri Kids First organization which oversees all 15 agencies in the state. Rob Purvis, development and marketing director for the Child Center has also agreed to be the marketing director for the P3 Triathlon Tour. “I approached him to help promote the P3 Triathlon Tour and it was an excitement you wouldn't believe,” Curtin said. “It was more than yes. They were elated.” At 15 years old, Curtin was considered one of the youngest Half-Ironman Triathlete competitors in the country. A 1985 graduate of Francis Howell High School, Curtin has also competed in sailboat racing locally and nationally. His upcoming tour has put him on the map in local sports. “I have been inspiring a lot of people to work out and get healthy. People keep calling and wanting to work out with me. They want to know what they can do to get healthy and lead better lives through exercise, chiropractic and nutrition.” Dr. John Curtin
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SEASONAL HUNT
The Exhilarating Hunt Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
Jerry Hollingsworth has been fishing for as long as he can remember. He comes by it honestly. His mom, Tim Hollingsworth, fished until she was 86. “She was quite the little huntress. We asked her to stop,” he said of his 92-year-old mother. “She was getting so rickety traipsing around the ponds in Mount Pleasant in Iowa.” The 16-year veteran St. Peters alderman is even worse than his mom. His fishing graduated to hunting and his hunting to exotic trips to foreign locales. He plans to go to Africa next year. A father of three sons and one of the owners of St. Charles Insurance, Jerry has been an area, zone, district and regional chairman for Ducks Unlimited, an organization that, along with the various departments of conservation, restores wetlands in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Jerry grew up in Arizona where he learned to hunt rabbits and doves with his dad, Holly Hollingsworth. Holly, who ran a motel, passed away from a heart attack when Jerry was 16. Jerry remembers the first dove he ever killed. He shot it off a hire wire with a 22. “Dad said to shoot at it because he didn't think I could do it and I did,” Jerry laughed. “He said, 'Hurry up and get it and let's get out of here'.” That was in 1958. Back in Bowie, AZ, Jerry said there were
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eight kids in his graduating class. He would get up before school to “puddle jump” ducks. “Here we get out decoys and call the ducks in,” Jerry said. “There we puddle jumped the ducks. We would crawl through the water and sneak up on the bank of the pond to the ducks on the pond. They'd spook and fly. Then we'd shoot them. We'd leave them for dad to clean.” Jerry attended college at the University of Iowa, where he “damn near flunked out” of his junior year because of his love for hunting. A school buddy took him pheasant hunting. “I absolutely fell in love with it.” Jerry Hollingsworth
After attending school in Iowa, Jerry took a job as a traveling salesman in Illinois and Missouri. “I rolled into St. Charles County and parked in February of 1971,” he said. Since then Jerry has killed antelope in Alberta, Canada; white tail deer and a black bear in Saskatchewan, Canada and two bull caribou in Yellow Knife in the Northwest Territories of Canada. “They have wonderful game in Canada. It's so sparsely populated there,” he said. Jerry said there are 12 species of ducks not on the North American Continent. He should know. He has hunted duck in Washington State, Alaska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maine and Argentina. Jerry built his house in 1999. He has 10foot finished ceilings in his 100-squarefoot trophy room where he houses 53 of his mounted ducks and geese. It also stores his black bear, four deer and the buffalo he killed in South Dakota. His favorite mount is the arctic tundra swan he killed on the outer banks of North Carolina. “It's a pure white bird with a seven-foot wing span.” He said he loves hunting because of the opportunity it affords him to be outdoors with friends. Next year Jerry will be traveling to Namibia, South Africa with his best friend of 35 years and hunting buddy, Cliff Neuse. It's no small sacrifice, for a hunting trip to Africa, Jerry said, where the prices can range from $250 to $320 per day just for the outfitters, which include hunting supplies and room and board. Jerry and Neuse will be hunting plains game in Africa, including kudu, oryx, zebra, warthog, impala and spring bok. Trophy fees for animals killed in Africa are “all over the board,” he said. “A kudu in one area can range from $300 to $860.” An elephant can cost in upwards of $12,000. A lion, up to $20,000. He said he won't be hunting the dangerous game,
though. Besides, they wouldn't fit in his basement. “They're dangerous and very expensive.” Hunting plains game is different than duck hunting in many ways, not the least of which is the work involved. In plains game hunting, the hunter goes to the hunted, in its habitat, where it lives. The hunter stalks the hunted. “When you hunt a duck you never move. You sit in the blind and call to them,” Jerry said. Jerry said hunting is big money to foreign countries as well as the United States, and it's all controlled by the governments. “The tourism is a $50 billion deal in the U.S. There are enormous revenues from hunting.” The various hunting sports also control population growth among the animals, he said. “Hunting controls the herds. Diseases kill off the herd when they get too large. There was a terrible problem with the white and blue geese. They ruined their habitat in the arctic circle. They want to thin out the population to get it to a manageable state.” Jerry said the hunter has to really love the sport to keep up with it, aside from the costs and time off associated with hunting. “I remember leaving St. Louis in September one year and it was 96 degrees when I left. I was Caribou hunting in the Northwest Territories of Canada. The next thing I knew I was sleeping in a tent. It was nine degrees outside and snowing.” The payoff is worth the effort, he said. “The quiet and the beauty of nature is unbelievable. There is nothing like fishing for a 25-pound king salmon on a 10pound test line on a fly rod wading in a stream. It's impossible to describe,” Jerry said. “In the morning when the sun comes up on the river, the exhilaration coupled with the camaraderie of the outdoors with friends is pretty amazing.” Jerry said his wife is pretty tolerant of his wanderings. “I go on vacation with my wife because I love my wife and she deserves it, but in all honesty, I'd rather be hunting.” ■
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YOU CAUGHT OUR EYE
Dynamic Duos The Purlers and the Hazelbakers Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
Clarence “Sonny” Purler wasn't looking for a wife when Matilda “Toekie” Vorstel Mills came along. But when his friend and boss, Boots Poeling approached Purler about a lady that lived next to him, he decided to take a chance. “He said, 'You want to meet a good woman?' I said, yeah.” Purler said. Purler had two kids at the time and didn't want to be alone anymore. His first marriage had ended in divorce. The two met at Poeling's house and within a year were married. Matilda “Toekie” Purler had three children of her own. A Navy pilot, her husband, Captain Joe Mills had been teaching pilots for the Indonesian government when he was shot down by the Vietnamese over Laos in 1961. Toekie said she thought Sonny was a “very happy-go-lucky person” when she met him at her neighbor's house in 1963. At first, the two had one thing in common. They had children they needed to raise. But as time would tell, they found they were made for each other and it was fate that had brought them together. Now married over 45 years, the Purlers have seven grandchildren. They've built a successful business and a wonderful life together. Sonny gives Toekie just as much credit for the success of Purler Cannon Schulte, Inc. as he gives himself. “A part of it was my wife. One year I only took two days off. Most women couldn't have put up with that, but mine understood. She stuck with me and we made it work.” In the beginning Toekie kept the books for the business. That didn't last long, Sonny said. “She made a mistake and I chewed her out. She said, 'You're not paying me anyway so forget it'. ”
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So the Purlers each found their place in the marriage and in the business and made it work together. “We've been able to work together and she's made a lot of sacrifices. She did a great job,” Sonny said. Sonny, 75, was born in Old Monroe during the depression. His father drove a truck for a beer distributor. “We lived in a two-room house with no heat and no Sonny and Toekie Purler water,” he said. “It was a tough life. We were very poor and we place then, devoid of so much as a didn't even know it. If everybody around correspondence to let her mother know you is in the same situation, you have where they had taken her father. “There was nothing to compare it to.” no radio, no messages, nothing. We were Born to Dutch parents, Toekie, 76, grew up on a tea plantation where her father worked in the town of Bandung on the Island of Java in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. At the time, Toekie had servants for everything. “It was quite luxurious. My father worked for a big Dutch Company headquartered in Holland called Wadering & Company. We had a cook, butler, maid, gardeners and a chauffeur.” “It was a beautiful city at the bottom of the mountains, like a resort city,” she recalled. But their dreamy existence was not to last. Indonesia was soon to be occupied by the Japanese and Toekie's father, Heinz Vorstel, was eventually taken to a concentration camp where he remained from 1941 to 1945. During that time, Toekie and her family lived in a garage in the city, their home taken by the Japanese. Toekie was 11 years old. “Everyone in the Dutch military was taken. Then they took all the Dutch men,” she said. “They were notified to bring a small suitcase and a small mattress. If they didn't, they would be shot. Toekie said the world was a much different
completely shut out. We just hoped that somebody would help us,” she said. “After the atom bomb was thrown, that's when we knew we were free. We heard it by word of mouth.” Vorstel passed away in 1947 at 47 years old from the after affects of malnutrition, Toekie said. He was the one who first called her Toekie. “It was something I mispronounced when I learned to talk. I don't know what it means.” Toekie said it's hard to remember her childhood without sadness. “I often tell my children that I hope they never have to go through that,” she said. “When I hear something about those times, I wonder if I've blocked out anything. I've often thought that I have. My mom wouldn't talk about it. It's very hard to make people understand what it was like.” Toekie's mother, Marie Vorstel, went back to teaching in a public school in the new republic of Indonesia. When her contract was up in 1956, the family returned to Holland. Marie passed away in 2000.
Whatever hardships Toekie faced growing up and even into her young adulthood, her life with Sonny has helped her to overcome. “I just believed in what he was doing and I helped him with it.” Mike Hazelbaker was doing more than soaking up the sun when he went to the Philippines in 1996. He said he had a friend who had married a Filipino woman and the two had a wonderful life together. He decided the lifestyle just might be right for him too. Hazelbaker said it was the values and work ethic of the people of the predominantly Catholic nation, and the only Christian nation in Asia, that sealed the deal. After several “less than desirable relationships” in the U.S., Hazelbaker took his friend up on his invitation to vacation in the Philippines. “So there I am enjoying and basking in the tropical climate and honest to God, this bug bites me in the eye and it swells shut,” he said. “I later said it had to have been the love bug.” It was during his visit to the emergency department of Cebu Velez Hospital in Cebu, Philippines, that Hazelbaker ran into Maria Jenifreda Betonio, now known as Jen Jen Hazelbaker. “This is what he said,” Jen Jen said. “'I'm looking for a Filipino professional woman'.” Mike proceeds to give Jen Jen what he described as his calling card, with his name and phone number on it. “I wanted someone who was educated. I said, 'If you're so inclined, I would like to spend some time with you'. So what does she do? She tries to sell my card.” “I gave it to my friend,” Jen Jen corrects him. “So I'm getting phone calls from all of these ladies when it was her that I wanted to see,” Mike said. But Mike persevered. “What really taught me that he was a good man was when he told me he wanted to meet my family,” Jen Jen said. “I told him if he wanted a date, I needed to have a chaperon. That is my
culture. When you are courting a woman, you have to go to the girl's house and meet her parents. Courtship in my country is very strict.” If courtship was strict, discipline was even more so. “Our parents would go to jail here. My parents did not teach us to dial 911 if you're being spanked. Our parents told us, 'We don't have a lot of wealth. The only inheritance you can get from us is your education, your crown'.” All eight of the Betonio children hold degrees and work in some form of health care. Jen Jen remembered a time when she didn't have enough money for snacks at school so she skipped. “My father made me kneel on salt and pray in front of the altar for thirty minutes,” she said. The long-awaited first date between Jen Jen and Mike eventually came. “So she shows up with her sister and her cousin,” Mike said. “This was very much a hand shake exposure. As it turns out, Jen Jen's father approved of the ensuing nuptials, albeit reluctantly. Jen Jen is the only child of eight who married a foreigner. When Mike asked for her hand in marriage, her father cried, and then gave his blessing. “My father thought I didn't need to marry him, I already had a license to come to work in the United States.”
Jen Jen is a nurse, licensed to practice in three countries including the U.S., the Philippines and the British Commonwealth. She currently works in surgery and OBGYN at St. Mary's Hospital in Clayton. Nevertheless, the two were married in April of 1996. Afterward she spent a few years in Antigua in the Carribean while awaiting her green card. “It is actually easier to get a fiance than a wife into the United States,” Mike said. The couple's only child, Jenika Hazelbaker, was born in November of 2000 in Manchester, England—delivered by the famous OBGYN physician, Dr. Michael Maresh, who delivered the Malta Siamese twins, Jen Jen said. “We went in September to scout out a doctor,” Mike said. “I didn't want her born
Mike and Jen Jen Hazelbaker
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in Antigua because of the facilities and Jen Jen's spousal petition was not completed yet.” Eventually the family of three made it to the U.S. in April 2001, some five years after their wedding. with
Ann Hazelwood
What is your favorite vacation spot, and why? Holly Perney | Teacher of deaf and hearing imparied at Brentwood Middle School
In May of 2005, Jen Jen became a U.S. citizen, a privilege she does not take lightly. She is one of the most active members of the Grand Old Party that local republicans have ever encountered. Anyone who knows Jen Jen can attest that nary an election passes that she can't be found outside of one of the polls, lobbying for her GOP candidates.
There is a B&B in Eureka Springs Arkansas called Cliff Cottage Inn. We love it because of the atmosphere that takes place under a hanging cliff. Grace Nichols | Former Mayor of St. Charles, and now Judge Lauderdale by the Sea is right on the Atlantic Ocean. Right outside your door is shopping and eating. Terry David | Retired school teacher I love to go to the Garth Mansion in Hannibal, Missouri because it is so peaceful and the restaurant, which
Jen Jen considers being in America and the rights that it affords a privilege beyond all others. “I cried at being an American, that I am being accepted here. I have traveled the world. We Americans are the luckiest people on Earth. We enjoy the freedom, the luxury of having lights on and air conditioning and endless food you can buy, all of life's abundances and riches.” Jen Jen has campaigned for local, state and even national candidates,including U.S. Senator Kit Bond. She petitions door to door and stands for hours outside of polling places throughout the county.
has great food, is right there in the mansion. John Hannegan | Retired Attorney New York, because of all the great shows!
When Jen Jen came to America, she didn't know an elephant from a donkey, politically speaking. “I didn't know what democrat or republican was, but when I examined both parties, I said, 'I must be a Republican. My values fit on their agenda'.”
Jasper Notto | owner—J. Notto's on Main Street The Amaifa coast in Italy, because the people, food and atmosphere are wonderful! Joyce Rosen | Exeutive Director of the Foundry Art Center San Francisco, because of it's "art scene" and of course all the great food. The "wine country" is tempting as well.
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It didn't hurt that her new husband was a card-carrying member of the GOP himself. A retired pilot and local philanthropist, Mike has done his share of campaigning and serving for that matter. At one time, he donated his time and the use of a Cessna 172 to U.S. Senator Kit Bond to use on the campaign trail. Mike is a member of the St. Charles County Pachyderms. In 1993, he founded and underwrote the Pachyderm Scholarship to Lindenwood University, with the late Lindenwood president, Dennis Spellman. The following year, he ran unsuccessfully for St. Charles County Collector. He also
served on the Republican Central Committee that year. In 1996, he received the Tough Tusk Award for outstanding achievement with the Pachyderm club. Mike has given in excess of 23 acres of land for bike trails and parks in the city of St. Peters. He's also donated property to Lindenwood. He served on the St. Charles County Board of Adjustment from 1994 to 2003 and has served on the Wentzville Planning and Zoning Commission since 2005. Mike was born “on election day in 1942, in the middle of WWII,” he said. His mother was a nurse and his father an artist for Purdue University. He overcame polio when he was two years old during an epidemic before the vaccine was available. After attending Catholic grade and high school, Mike went on to Purdue University where he earned an associate's degree in Aviation Technology. He owned his own airplane by the time he was 15 years old, a machine he and his father found wrecked in a salvage yard and repaired. He paid for the Cessna 140 with money raised growing green beans and sweet corn. He's made a living at aviation since he was 19 years old earning money for crop dusting and flight instruction. His first airline job was with a commuter airline called the Taxi Air Group (TAG) in Detroit, MI. He started with Ozark Airlines in 1965, lasting through the exchange with TWA and American, garnering 38 years and retiring at age 60 in 2002. Mike has two daughters Marika and Marlo, from his first marriage. Mike and Jen Jen established the Betonio Hazelbaker Charitable Foundation for the children of the Philippines in 2005. That year, daughter Jenika donated all of her birthday gifts to the foundation and the family transported them, along with medical and school supplies, to Jen Jen's native country. ■
YOU CAUGHT OUR EYE
A Local Angel Babe Hackmann Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
Her dad called her “Babe”. Many in this community call her an angel. Elvera “Babe” Hackmann was the baby on the family farm in St. Paul, MO. She grew up six miles across the field from where she now lives on the 80 acres of farmland that was left to her by her father. Today she's 90 years old, and she's still going strong. Hackmann served for over 40 years as St. Charles County's director of Agriculture. She has served for more than two decades on the board of SSM St. Joseph West and has served as the president of the auxiliary of SSM St. Joseph Health Center. Although she's formally retired from St. Charles County Government, Hackmann is still helping out her friends on neighboring farms. “I visit the elderly and the lonely and the sick,” she said. “I'm active in my community and the St. Paul Parish.” For nearly half a century, Hackmann worked for the farmers who couldn't drive to the St. Charles County Agricultural office. “I took reports from farmers about the crops they produced,” she said. Hackmann started out as a clerk before working her way up to the directorship. She had a high school education and later took a college course on agriculture. But it was her own upbringing on a farm in St. Paul that lent understanding to the plights and lifestyles of area farmers. Hackmann has received the Angel Award from the St. Joseph Health Center Auxiliary for helping people in need. Hackmann said there's little left of the world that she hasn't seen or even wants to. But in her view, there really is no place like home. “I've traveled all over the world except for Russia. I've been to Ireland twice,” she said. “The United States is still the best for being just a plain person.” Hackmann's father, Frank, lived to be 91, her mother, Agnes Hoeckelmann, to 93. Her brother Albert died at 54 from a heart attack. She cared for her parents until their deaths. Although she does wish she would have had children, she has cared for so many other people that she hasn't had a lot of time to dwell on regrets. “I have the health to do it and they don't have. God has given me the strength to keep my good health.” ■
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Teaching Techniques That Fulfill Dreams The best of both worlds Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
At least someone got tickets to the Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds Tour; and she didn't even have to use the Internet! Local dancer extraordinaire Missy Shockley, owner of Techniques dance studio in St. Charles, didn't even think about using her connections to see the show, but when Hannah Montana's back-up dancer Ryan Novak called, she knew just who to invite— her seven-year-old daughter and a clan of her friends. That’s some birthday party! Schockley started training Novak to dance when he was 12, right here in St. Charles. Now 23, Novak is one of Hannah Montana's dancers on the tour and one of Shockley's success stories. “He's not the first one. I've had kids go on to London to dance in the production of 'CATS.' I have kids in Las Vegas, kids in Los Angeles. They're just not kids anymore.” Nevertheless, this local-turned-dance-star is part of the hottest concert going this year. Shockley trained in St. Louis and in New York. She studied with the Joffery Ballet in New York City and trained with the Delta Festival Ballet in New Orleans. She's danced at The Muny and the Fox Theater. Now she runs her own studio with four instructors and more than 50 students.
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“It's not so much about me. It's about them fulfilling their own dreams. When a child fulfills their dreams, I'm ecstatic that they took what I had to offer, that they worked their way up from the bottom and had the courage to stick it out.” Novak has modeled for NIKE, opened the show for the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas and worked in High School Musicals I and II. Shockley said he moved to Los Angeles three years ago and was immediately picked up by an agent. “Ryan auditioned for Madonna and was down to the last six guys. But he was too young to do it,” Shockley said. But the Hannah Montana crew didn't think he was too young. “Now Ryan is making a great living doing what he loves to do. Shockley said Ryan, like most male dancers, had to overcome a lot of stereotypes to get where he is. “They have to put up with a lot from kids at school because people think that if they dance they are going to be feminine. It's just always there. I figure, where else can you go and dance with a room full of barely-clothed girls and not get arrested.” Novac was a typical boy, Shockley said. “He played sports in high school. He didn't just dance.” Shockley said dance makes boys stronger both physically and emotionally. “It's not just dance. They're learning an art as well as self confidence. They're learning strength. I
have one boy who plays on the varsity team for Lindenwood. He's being scouted by the White Sox.” But the lure of a chance of fame doesn't hurt. “Kids see Ryan and the Jonas Brothers and they aspire to be like that.” Schockley said Novac is a good example of a boy who made it big despite the stereotypes. “A lot of them have a lot of talent and it gets passed by because of the stereotypes of society,” she said. “Boys are so awkward at 9 to 14. They need some kind of physical fitness to get through that awkwardness just like girls do. No one wants them to dance and then when they go to get married, they're embarrassed to dance at their own wedding or go to a club because they can't dance. The boys that I have at the studio are learning rhythm. And it's a very good outlet to keep them out of drugs and trouble.” Shockley said weight should never be an issue for anyone who wants to dance, including boys. “When I was growing up, a ballerina had to be 90 pounds and you couldn't go beyond that. You may not dance with the New York Ballet, but you may also never be a Rockette if you're 5'2”. It can be just strictly for fun. It's an extracurricular activity that helps them get rid of stress and get healthy. We don't compete. They compete enough at school and with their friends. They need a place to just be. I wish every kid could have that opportunity to learn about the art of dance.” ■
SUNRISE TO SUNSET
BCI’s Behind the Mask Gala February 5 | BCI Foundation held its very first Behind the Mask celebration on February 5, 2008. The Mardi Gras event honored Tom Hughes and UMB Bank for their past support of BCI. Each of the honorees received the “Loving Hand Award,” a blown glass piece custom designed for BCI Foundation. Attendees received masks and boas with which to don themselves. Guests were dazzled by the juggler, swayed by the sax player, learned the secret Behind the Mask, enjoyed authentic New Orleans cuisine and cut a rug with their favorite hoofer. Matt Fairless, BCI Foundation Board President said, “The event was a real Mardi Gras party! Guests mingled with old friends and made new ones. BCI Foundation had the opportunity to thank it’s supporters at a new exciting venue and introduce itself to others who share the dream of employing those with disabilities.” Twenty-six St. Charles county artists donated an original art piece to be auctioned off at the event. The proceeds benfited BCI Foundation. The People’s Choice Artist award went to Genny Glosier.
Photography by Michael Schlueter
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Photography by Michael Schlueter
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The Polar Bear Plunge February 9 | This 5th annual event held at Lake St. Louis Community Association’s Clubhouse was unBEARably fun as always. Participants took a refreshing dip into the chill waters of Lake St. Louis in the name of raising funds for the Special Olympics. Many participants wear costumes that they plan well in advance. Sign up next year and help raise funds for the Special Olympics, or consider sponsoring a friend. You’ll be glad you did! www.somo.org
Photography by Michael Schlueter/Brea McAnally
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SUNRISE TO SUNSET
St. Charles Humane Society’s Spay-ghetti Dinner February 22 | In celebration of “Spay Day 2008,” the St. Charles Humane Society held it’s Spay-ghetti dinner and silent auction at the All Occasion Banquet Center in St. Charles on February 22. Spay Day USA highlights spay/ neuter as an effective and humane solution to pet overpopulation. Throughout February, animal care professionals and volunteers nationwide host events to encourage people to get their pets spayed or neutered. It’s not just rabbits who multiply like rabbits. Have your pet spayed or neutered!
Photography by Michael Schlueter
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The Art of the Motorcycle March 8 | The Art of the Motorcycle event, held at the Foundry Art Centre, featured vintage and custom bikes on display, a biker couture fashion show and collectible motorcycle art. A great time was had by all as they feasted on creative culinary delights and checked out the latest in Biker Chic. www.foundryartcentre.org
Photography by Michael Schlueter
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SUNRISE TO SUNSET
Daddy’s Little Sweetheart Dance February 9 | Dads brought their daughters aged 3-12 to this sweetheart of a dance in Wentzville at Progress Park. Everyone enjoyed an entertaining evening of fun and laughter. The night consisted of dinner, dancing and games. Each couple received a 5 X 7 photo to remember this special evening together. Daughters, don’t forget your dads this upcoming Father’s Day!
Photography by Michael Schlueter
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Changing the Legal Landscape Paul Neidner: The Neidner Law Firm Everybody thinks that's the way it is in court.”
Story by Robin Seaton Jefferson Photos by Michael Schlueter
A sign hangs above the bar in his home, a gift from his pediatrician grandson: “A good lawyer knows the law. The clever one knows the judge.” A long-time lawyer and local mover and shaker, Paul Niedner has known them all, at least in St. Charles County. The 93-year-old retired lawyer still advises members of the firm his brother started more than 50 years ago. Those were the days when lawyering was a profession, he said. “The biggest change I recognize is the fact that the legal profession in my early years was a profession,” Niedner said. “It became an occupation. In the early days, it was not ethical to advertise or solicit cases or people for litigation in any way. Doing so was justification for revocation of your license. Thirty years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States held that the bar association was violating the anti-trust laws by prohibiting lawyers from advertising. From that, the occupation started. I think that was a deterioration of the profession.” The single act, Niedner said, “produced a litigous people in this country. The U.S. is nuts on litigation. Today you have vicious solicitation”--like the lawyers who visit the emergency room to find out who the passengers were in an accident that could produce a lawsuit. Further proof of Niedner's claims lies in the number of “Judge Judy” off-shoots on afternoon television. “They amuse me in their error,” he said. “It's a comedy. 58 | S T R E E T S C A P E M A G A Z I N E
Born in Minneapolis, MN, the second oldest of six children of a Lutheran minister and his wife, Niedner learned early on the importance of hard work—maybe too well, he said, as he admits he probably worked too much while his children were growing up. The elder Niedner was serving a church in Achison, KS, when he got a phone call asking for a German-speaking Lutheran minister to pastor Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Charles. Niedner was in the third grade when his family moved to St. Charles where his father would preach for the next 40 years. “That was one of the reasons they called,” Niedner said. “He was adept at speaking German. There was one English and one German service every Sunday morning in those days.” Niedner said he remembers the depression, but foremost in his memory is the giving nature of St. Charlesans, including his own parents—a quality that endures today. “We had a long back porch at the parsonage,” he said. “There was hardly ever a meal we had that a guy didn't come and my mother gave him a plate to eat on the porch. There were a lot of poor people. I don't remember seeing a lot of soup kitchens here though. St. Charles was a town of many relatives. It still is. The relationship among people here is tremendous. I think we didn't see abject poverty that you saw in the big cities because everybody knew everybody.” Niedner graduated from St. Charles High School in 1933. It was in college at the University of Missouri at Columbia that Niedner met his first wife, Helen Niedner. She was a journalism major from Texas. They married in 1937. After graduating with his jurist doctor in 1938—five years after he entered undergrad--Paul and Helen moved to San Antonio, TX to practice law.
In 1943, Paul joined the Merchant Marines just in time to board an oil tanker carrying gasoline and oil across the Atlantic Ocean. He said he tried the Navy first, but they wouldn't have him because he is colorblind. “So the Merchant Marines made a cook out of me. I preferred to be at sea if I could, so I joined them.” Paul still lives in the house on Eau Claire in St. Charles that he and his wife built together in 1947. Much of it is unchanged. The couple had two sons, Charles and Fred, an attorney and dentist, respectively. Today, Paul has five grand children and seven great grandchildren. Fred Niedner died of cancer earlier this year. Paul has buried four siblings, two wives and a son to the disease. His second wife, Catherine Pundmann Niedner, also died of cancer. Paul practiced law until the age of 90, when he suffered a paralyzed left leg, due to spinal surgery. Paul's brother started the practice, and after the war ended Paul joined him. The firm still needs him from time to time. “Things come up in the office that take my help,” he said. “A lawyer's files live a long time. They live long after you do.” Paul said his brother has been dead for twenty years and the firm still holds his files. Paul has witnessed a good many changes in St. Charles County since he started practicing law in the 1940's. “When I came here, St. Charles had one judge in the Circuit Court, who was also the judge in Lincoln and Pike Counties. Now St. Charles has nine circuit judges. The population in St. Charles was 6,000 when we came here.” The number of attorneys has increased even more dramatically, he said. “Right after the war, we had a meeting of the lawyers in St.
Charles County. We had 12 people and 100 percent attendance. Now we have over 300 attorneys in St. Charles County. Paul said he credits his many years devoted to staying in shape and the four pacemakers he's had implanted. He said he even swam across the Mississippi River at one time. “I'm the oldest Niedner any of us ever heard of,” he said. “I think part of it is due to the war, when I spent a period of time training. After that, I maintained my practice of exercising. The first four months was physical training. I never quite got over it.” Something else he never got over was working. In the beginning, he had to. In the end, he just wanted to. “I practiced law 12 hours a day seven days a week. My wife raised my children, not me. I wanted to be a good lawyer. I enjoyed being successful and accomplishing the objects, whatever they were.” Paul represented four of the five school
districts in St. Charles County at one time and was general counsel for four banks in St. Louis. He was a board member for three of them. He also operated Emmons Abstracts Company, which he owned. He always participated with the St. Charles Chamber and the Rotary. He was one of the organizers of Our Savior Lutheran Church in St. Charles, and his favorite charity has always been the Salvation Army. Of all of his accomplishments, he said he is most proud of The Niedner Law Firm. Living for nearly a century carries with it plenty of memories. Paul remembers his first television set in 1946. He remembers his first radio, “a letter box, 6-by-6 with a crystal on the top that you pecked around on until you found a station.” He remembers listening to the Dempsey Firpo fight on that radio. Paul said more than just the sheer number of lawyers has changed over the years. He
said he spent a good deal of time pouring over law books during his career that spanned five decades. “Today, everything in my library is on the Internet.” And he doesn't really need his waxed coil dictamachine anymore. Much of Paul's days are now spent dining with friends or reading. He loves history (it's what he majored in in college) and — go figure— John Grisham novels. “I like to read things that have a possibility of having occurred.” He said he hasn't read Harry Potter. He does meet his friends for poker games in his living room once a month. He said he's the only charter member left of the club that once included big names on the St. Charles legal landscape. All in all, he said he's had a better life than most, but after 93 years, he's ready for whatever's next. “I've had a good life, but I wouldn't want to live it over.” ■
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Bridgeway’s Pearl Anniversary Gala March 22 | Guests enjoyed an evening of dancing entertainment with"Local Stars" and celebrated with good friends at Bridgeway's Pearl Anniversary. The gala celebrated Bridgeway’s 30 years of rebuilding lives and restoring hope to women and children who have been victims of violence in their homes.
Photography by Michael Schlueter
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SUNRISE TO SUNSET
Photography by Michael Schlueter
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M AY
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| Paws On Parade | Walk the trail at Quail Ridge Park with your dog or one of ours. 8:30-10 AM-first Wednesday of each month. 636-949-7535 www.stccparks.org | The Stars of Spring | View far-away places and discover secrets of the universe. St. Charles County Parks 636-949-7535 www.stccparks.org
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Summer BOOK CLUB
Calendar of Events
THE DARING BOOK FOR GIRLS by Andrea Buchanan Available at Main Street Books 307 South Main | 636-949-0105
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| Kite Extravaganza | Kite-building kits available free of charge to the first 200 participants. There will be professional kiteflying demonstrations provided by a local kite club. Woodlands Sports Park 636-939-2386 www.stpetersmo.net | The Kids Walking for Kids | This fund raiser campaign ends with this Sunset Luminary Walk to honor those who have lost their lives to suicide, regardless of their age. 5PM – 9PM Creve Coeur Park www.chadscoalition.org | 3rd Annual Karen 4 A Kause Run/Walk | 5K Fun Run/Walk & Children’s Mad Dash. Registration Available Online at ACTIVE.com 636-947-5009 www.karensfoundation.org | Plein Air Art | Augusta’s Fifth Annual open air art event. Stroll through Mount Pleasant Winery’s grounds and watch as artists paint scenes from the winery. Live music and over 100 artists. 636-482-9463 www.mountpleasant.com | Bark In The Park | Includes live music, interactive family and pet fun. All proceeds benefit the Dr. Doolittle Fund, which provides veterinary care for homeless animals. $25 Adults; $5 12 & under
It's only fair to give girls their due after featuring THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS last issue. This equally adventurous volume is a guide to everything girls need to know -- and that's a lot more than cooking or sewing although those things are included also. For ALL girls from tomboys to girly girls, we DARE you to pick up a copy and not find something that interests you.
Children 3 & under are free. 314-951-1501 www.hsmo.org/bark
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| Paws In The Park | Enter your pups in pet-friendly contests, win great prizes, and party with other pooch lovers at this free, family friendly event. Quail Ridge Park, Off-Leash Dog Area 636-949-7535 www.stccparks.org | Lewis & Clark Heritage Days | Frontier Park, St. Charles, Missouri www.stcharlescity.com | Crescendo Concert Series | The Kingsbury Ensemble 636-724-2507 www.crescendoconcerts.org | St. Charles County Youth Orchestra Performance | 7 p.m. New Town @ St. Charles Amphitheater. Free and open to public. www.newtownatstcharles.com | Blessing Of The Vineyard | Free and open to the public. Wine tasting and music on the terrace. Sugar Creek Winery, Defiance, MO 636-987-2400 www.sugarcreekwines.com | Hot Summer Nights | Beginning May 24, thru August 23. Dining under the stars, themed music and browse the galleries and shops from 5-11pm. Music at 7. N. Main Street www.stcharlescity.com | Ticket to the Beatles Band and British Car Cruiser | New Town Amphitheater; 6 p.m. Free admission. www.newtownatstcharles.com | Dog Days of Summer | Join us from 11am-5pm for the Dog Days of Summer on North Main Street. The festivities continue from 9pm-1am inside RT Weilers. See website for entertainment listings. www.dogdaysofsummer.org
JUNE
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| Jammin Outdoor Concerts | Free live music Tuesdays, 5:30-8:30pm. Bring your blanket or lawn chair! Civic Park in O'Fallon, MO 6/3/2008 - 8/12/2008 636-379-5614 www.ofallon.mo | Innsbrook Music Institute | For 9 intensive days, advanced students are immersed in the highest level of classical music instruction and performance. 636-928-3366 www.innsbrook-resort.com | Chesterfield Garden Tour | Tour five gardens in the Chesterfield community. $15.00 per person 636-537-4000
www.chesterfield.mo.us
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| Jam Band Music Festival | 7 p.m.; New Town @ St. Charles amphitheater; free admission. www.newtownstcharles.com | St. Charles Community Big (Jazz) Band | Join us on the 2nd Sunday each month at 7:30pm. Frontier Park 6/8/2008 - 9/14/2008 www.stcharlescity.com
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| Fleur-De-Lis Market Day | The Frenchtown District activities include local artisans, antiques, arts, crafts, food and beverage booths, petting zoo and entertainment from 10am-6pm. N. Second Street www.historicfrenchtown.com | St. Louis Symphony Orchestra | The 127year-old Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is the 2nd oldest symphony in the US. Bring a blanket, picnic and enjoy the world class sounds of one of the top US Orchestras at this free concert at Frontier Park. www.slso.org | Art Show on Domain | 1 - 6 p.m. Domain Street. $25 artist entry fee. free to public.
636-399-7256 www.newtownatstcharles.com
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| Reggae Festival | 7 p.m.; New Town amphitheater; free admission www.newtownatstcharles.com
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| O'Fallon Heritage & Freedom Fest | July 3-4, enjoy national entertainment, two nights of fireworks, free kids activities, a carnival and midway plus lots of great food. Free admission & parking. 636-379-5614 www.ofallon.mo.us | Hometown Parade and Celebration | 10 a.m. Parade in New Town. Call 636-916-1511 for entry form; $10 per entry to New Town Trust. Fun daytime events planned at the outdoor amphitheater. Bands begin at 4 p.m. at the amphitheater with a Fireworks Spectacular at 9 p.m. Free admission. www.newtownatstcharles.com
Ongoing events: Lunch at the Foundry | Thursdays 11am-2pm lunch buffet only $8.95 plus tax per person. Meet the
Foundry Artists, tour the galleries. Foundry Art Centre, St. Charles, MO Dates: 3/20/2008 12/31/2008 636-255-0270 www.foundryartcentre.org Music on Main Join us the 3rd Wednesday of the month from 57:30pm for food, drink & free live music. A different band each month, bring your lawn chairs. North Main Street 5/21/2008 - 9/17/2008 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.org → www.stpetersmo.com
A PERFECT SCORE Brandon Otto, son of local resident Jean Fredrickson Otto, was the only collegebound student in Missouri and one of 63 in the U.S. to achieve a perfect score of 36 on the October 2007 national test administration of the ACT. About 20,000 Missouri students, and 500,000 worldwide, took the ACT collegeentrance exam in October. (The average composite score for the national high school graduating class of 2007 was 21.2.) Brandon is currently a junior at DeSmet Jesuit High School, where he is active in the liturgical choir, the student government club, and acting, and is a member of St. Cletus Parish, where he is involved in LifeTeen.
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