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Local Motion - Jan. 6-19, 2010
*It’s awfully cold outside, but the kids at Our Little Haven and the St. Louis Crisis Nursery will be cozy inside, thanks to Wydown Middle School’s sixth- and eighth- graders. The students constructed about 50 handmade fleece blankets for the two nonprofits. The students also raised the money and solicited fabric donations for the project.
*Meanwhile, others are embracing the chilly atmosphere outside. The fifth annual Loop Ice Carnival will take over the Delmar Loop Jan. 16. The carnival will feature annual favorites such as the 5K and 10K Frozen Buns Runs at 10 a.m., a pub crawl from noon to 5 p.m. and live ice carving throughout the day. This year’s event will also bring new attractions, including an 18-foot-high slide and $1,000 frozen into 1,000 ice cubes to be given away at participating Loop venues. For a full schedule of events call 727-8000 or go to www.visittheloop.com.
*Well here are a couple of events to help bust those New Year’s resolutions — but for a good cause! From 5 to 9 p.m. Jan. 19, River City Professionals will host a happy hour at Sol Lounge, 4239 Lindell Blvd., to benefit Safe Connections, a local not-for-profit agency that helps survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. A week later, Safe Connections will also benefit from a pizza night at Il Vicino Wood Oven Pizza, 41 N. Central Ave. That event will take place from 4 to 10 p.m. Jan. 27.
*Speaking of New Year’s resolutions, CWE resident Melanie Armer has taken it upon herself to challenge her friends to keep theirs. Armer and her co-workers at Covidien have joined DetermiNation, a program created by the American Cancer Society to help runners train for the Go! St. Louis half-marathon. Training for the April 11 run begins Jan. 16 in Chesterfield. For more information about joining the program or the ACS half-marathon team, visit www.determinationstlouis.org.
*Just weeks before the Missouri Botanical Garden hosts its annual orchid show, the horticulturalist in charge of the Garden’s orchids will visit Bowood Farms to talk about orchid care at home. Babs Wagner will stop by Bowood at 2 p.m. Jan. 9 for the free event. For information visit www.bowoodfarms.com.
*Once again, the city of St. Louis Parks Department is helping city residents dispose of their dying Christmas trees. Bare live trees — no ornaments, tinsel, lights, rope or plastic wrapping, and no wreathes or pine roping — can be dropped off at the lower Muny parking lot in Forest Park; at picnic grounds #4 in O’Fallon Park; and between the gate and recycling containers near Grand and Holly Hills in Carondelet Park. The drop-off sites are available Monday through Friday, through Jan. 15. The trees will be ground into mulch that will be free and made available at the same sites.
*For those interested in raising urban chickens, the Maplewood Richmond Heights School District will host a pair of free classes to introduce potential farmers to the ins and outs of chickens. The first class will be from 4 to 5 p.m. Jan. 27, while the second, more in-depth class will be from 4 to 5 p.m. Feb. 24. Both classes take place at the MRH Early Childhood Center, 2801 Oakland Ave., which is home to eight chickens that are cared for by MRH students.
*After six years in business, Washington Avenue restaurant Kitchen K closed its doors Jan. 1. But those doors won’t be closed for long. Kitchen K owner Pablo Weiss plans to quickly renovate the space and reopen as The Pacific Grille, a lunch-only bistro featuring fresh California cuisine, and the California Room, a private event space capable of holding up to 200 people.
*Talk about granting a Christmas wish! The Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition announced in late 2009 that the St. Louis community was able to give a gift to every foster child who made a wish as part of the Little Wishes program. There are more than 5,000 children in foster care in the St. Louis area.
*The CWE’s First Unitarian Church will host its annual auction and dinner at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 16. The event features a catered dinner, wine, and silent and live auctions with nearly 200 items up for bid. Tickets are $35 per person, and childcare will be provided. For more information visit www.firstuustlouis.org or call 361-0595, ext. 23.
*Also at First Unitarian, the Institute for Bodymind Studies will host a six-week tai chi certification class beginning Jan. 20. The class costs $120 per person, or $80 if you bring a friend. For registration information, send program coordinator Lorre Powell an e-mail at lorre.powell@gmail.com.
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