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Local Motion - July 22, 2009
*When most people turn 21, the main goal of their birthday party is to celebrate the ability to imbibe legally. Not so for University City High alumna Kristyn Potter. When she turns 21 on July 22, she’ll host a charity blowout party at Brandt’s in the Loop to benefit International Crisis Aid, a St. Louis-based international relief organization. Potter’s party is open to the public, and everyone is asked to donate $21 upon arrival. The semi-formal event will also feature a silent art auction and trivia. For more information visit www.21for21.wordpress.com.
*Former Left Bank Books co-owner Lisa Greening may have a new job, but she hasn’t left the book world entirely. Greening is now the executive director of Ready Readers, a local not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting reading among at-risk preschoolers. “Ready Readers presents the perfect opportunity for me where my passions for books and for reading intersect,” Greening said. “The organization offers tremendous opportunities for positively influencing the lives of countless young people in our community.”
*Yep, money’s tight and fewer families are heading out on vacations these days. In swoops the “staycation,” a term newly recognized by Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary that roughly translates into being a tourist in your own town.
Capitalizing on the staycation phenomenon, the Missouri History Museum, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Science Center and St. Louis Zoo have teamed up to offer a family staycation package to St. Louis residents that includes tickets to special exhibits and movies and two free nights at the Drury Inn and Suites Forest Park. Register at any of the participating institutions by July 30 for a chance to win. The package must be redeemed between Aug. 1 and 28.
*On July 22, the 17th Ward will host a public workshop for the planned Chouteau Park. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club, 4317 Vista Ave. At the meeting, members of the public will be presented with a few alternatives for the three-acre space — which is bound by Highway 40, Chouteau, Newstead and Tower Grove — and asked to offer suggestions for what should be included in the final park. The city of St. Louis agreed to create the park as part of the long-term lease of Hudlin Park. For more information about the meeting call 229-2115.
*With health care reform the hot topic on Capitol Hill, what is former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich doing in St. Louis? The health care reform advocate will be speaking at a Delta Dental of Missouri seminar, “Transforming Health,” on July 29 at the Ritz-Carlton in Clayton. Gingrich will be joined by Delta Dental of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio science guru Jed Jacobson, who will speak on advances in oral health care. For information on the free seminar, visit www.deltadentalmo.com.
*A slew of local parks and organizations have joined together to create a regional children and nature coalition to collaborate on outreach programs for St. Louis area schools. Among those involved are the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Doris Schnuck Children’s Garden and the St. Louis Zoo. The Gateway Children’s Nature Coalition aims to promote meaningful interaction between children and the environment.
* Tennis, anyone? The home of tennis pioneer and statesman Dwight F. Davis is on the market, at 16 Portland Place in the CWE. Davis helped establish and donated the silver bowl for the Davis Cup international tennis competition and was a member of the U.S. team that won in 1900 and 1902. He also served as the city’s first park commissioner where he established the first municipal tennis facility in the U.S. Davis’ two-acre home site includes the ornate home designed by James P. Jamieson, swimming pool, carriage house and, yes, the original red clay tennis courts that Davis built. The home is listed by Janet McAfee realtors Jim Human and Kevin Hurley for $2.6 million.
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