Kirkwood Weekly Happenings City Logo B-W

City of Kirkwood
November 7, 2013

In This Issue

Happy Holidays Boutique

Kirkwood Public Library

Oak Bend Library

Last Thoughts

Quick Links

City Blog: All Aboard

City Website

Kirkwood Public Library Website

MoDOT Website

FALL COLOR: While the weather this year hasn't produced the kind of color vibrancy we typically see in a Missouri Fall, there are pockets of amazing color all over Kirkwood. This photo (above) of City Hall was taken by Bill Burckhalter. Below: Walker Lake, in Kirkwood Park, photo by Kirkwood Councilmember Nancy Luetzow. The plants in the back are water canna, and the one in the foreground is sweet flag.

TOMORROW IS THE DAY!

HAVE FUN - AND GET SOME HOLIDAY SHOPPING DONE!

More than 100 vendors will be on hand at tomorrow's Happy Holidays Boutique, offering:
Jewelry, books, spa and skincare items, handmade items, kitchenware, purses, embroidery, bakery items, women's clothing and accessories, linens, candles, gourmet food items, home decor, and more!

A special gift for the first 200 attendees after the doors open at 10:00 a.m.

BONUS: Special Men's Hour from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with personal shoppers to help men shop for gifts!

LADIES' HAPPY HOUR: From 4:00-7:00 p.m., with free drinks and a gift for the first 100 attendees after 4:00 p.m.

Get an early start on your holiday shopping at the 3rd-Annual Happy Holidays Boutique, Sponsored by the Kirkwood-Des Peres Chamber of Commerce

The Happy Holidays Boutique will be held on Friday, November 8, from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., at the Holiday Inn SW-Route 66, 10709 Watson Road, corner of Lindbergh.

FREE and open to the public.

HOLIDAY CLOSURES & INFORMATION FOR NOVEMBER

CITY OFFICES CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING

~ City Hall and most City offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29, for Thanksgiving.

~ The Kirkwood Community Center office will be closed on Thanksgiving and the day after.

~ The Ice Rink will be closed on Thanksgiving, but there will be three public skating sessions on the day after (12:30-2:00 p.m., 3:15-5:15 p.m., and 8:00-9:00 p.m.)

~ There will be NO SANITATION COLLECTION on Thanksgiving. All Thursday routes will be collected on Friday. Friday routes will be collected on Saturday.
~ Kirkwood Public Library will close at 5:00 p.m., on Wednesday, November 27 for the holiday. KPL will reopen at 9:00 a.m., on Friday morning, November 29.

VETERANS' DAY (NOV 11):
~ City Hall and City offices WILL BE OPEN. There will be no disruption in sanitation service.
~ Kirkwood Public Library WILL BE CLOSED.

SIGN UP FOR SKATING NOW!

COME SKATE WITH US!

Public Skating Sessions: Held year-round. Call 822-5825 for session times or stop by the rink to pick up a monthly calendar. Admission Prices:

Kirkwood resident adult or youth: $4.00
Kirkwood resident senior: $3.50
Non-Resident adult or youth: $5.00
Non-Resident Senior: $4.50
Skate rental: $2.00

Learn to Skate: Kirkwood Ice Rink offers a range of lessons for ages 4 through adult, Monday through Saturday. Costs vary. Call now to register for the next session: 314-822-5255.

Let's Play Hockey! Basic and Power Hockey classes available, ages 6 to 15, 7 levels of basic and 2 levels of power skating for hockey. Call 822-5825 for details.

The Kirkwood Ice Rink is located at 111 S. Geyer Road, in the Kirkwood Community Center. For more information or to register online, visit KirkwoodMO.org/Recreation.

LETTERS FROM SANTA

LETTERS FROM SANTA FROM KPL FRIENDS

Friends of the Kirkwood Public Library will again sponsor its "Letter from Santa" program that raises money for the library, as well as helping Kris Kringle with his correspondence. The letters cost $7 each. The deadline for North Pole postmarks is December 2. Requests received after that date will have a local postmark. All requests must be received by December 16 to ensure delivery before Christmas.

NEW THIS YEAR: Letters from Santa can be ordered and paid for online. Go to kirkwoodpubliclibrary.org/santaletter. Forms can also be picked up at the library, 140 E. Jefferson. For further information, please call 314-821-5770, x1021, or email: KPLFriends@kirkwoodpubliclibrary.org. One of Santa's elves will respond as quick as a wink.

GARDENER'S CORNER

GARDENING TIP OF THE WEEK, FROM THE KIRKWOOD GARDEN CLUB

Spring flowering bulbs can be planted in pots outdoors. Simply use a pot deep enough to plant the bulb at the recommended depth, and big enough around to hold the flower(s) that will grow. Plastic pots are less prone to cracking. Plant the bulb as directed on the package. Water after planting and leave the pot outdoors where it will receive the rain/snow over the winter. As temperatures warm, the bulbs will sprout and flower. If you place the pot under an overhang, water sparsely during the winter.

The Kirkwood Garden Club will periodically share a Gardening Tip of the Week with Weekly Happenings readers. For more information about the club, visit their Website at kirkwoodgardenclub.org. New members and guests - both men and women - are always welcome to attend their meetings and events. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m., at the Kirkwood Community Center.

NOVEMBER HAPPENINGS AT KIRKWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY

ADULT PROGRAMS:

~ Tuesday, November 12, 1:30 pm. Cinema KPL. We are showing The Help.

~ Wednesday, November 13, 2pm. Quilts in the Parlor. Join author Ann Hazelwood as she discusses her new book The Funeral Parlor Quilt. Tea will be served.

~ Monday, November 18, 7 pm. Charlie Brennan will talk about his new book, Amazing St. Louis. Books will be available for sale and signing.

~ Wednesday, November 20, 10 am. Maintaining Your Home Series. On the road with Roots & Blooms at 915 South Kirkwood Road. Sherry Davis and Jennifer Elliott will present "Decorating Your Home for the Holidays" at their festive store. Refreshments will be served. Reservations are limited: Please phone the library reference desk at 314-821-5770, ext. 1012. Free and open to the public.

~ Wednesday, November 20, 3:30 pm. Mystery Readers Book Club. The Midwife's Tale: A Mystery by Sam Thomas. Skype visit with author.

~ Saturday, November 23, 2pm. Music in the Library. Bella Corda is performing.

TEEN PROGRAMS:

Friday, November 15, 4 pm. Marshmallow Toss Challenge. See how far you can launch a marshmallow. Then enjoy a S'more.

YOUTH PROGRAMS:

~ Monday, November 4, 7pm. Family Book Club. We are discussing An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo.

~ Wednesday, November 7, 6:30 pm. Family Book Club Junior. We are discussing The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman.

~ Tuesday, November 12, 6:30-8:30 pm. Preschool Fair. Learn about the wonderful preschools in Kirkwood from their expert staff. For parents of preschoolers.

~ Saturday, November 16, 10 am - 4pm. National Gaming Day. Board and video games for kids and teens in computer lab, teen and kid area.

~ Saturday, November 23, 10 am. Friends of KPL host a Holiday Shop for children to buy gifts for family and friends. Crafts and refreshments.

STORYTIMES:

Tuesdays, 10am

Wednesdays, 10am

Thursdays, 9:30 am : Books for Babies

Thursdays, 10:30 am: First Steps Storytime for young twos.

HOLIDAY CLOSURES:

~ The Library will be closed on Monday, November 11, for Veterans' Day.

~ The Library will close at 5:00 p.m., on Wednesday, November 27, for the Thanksgiving holiday, and will reopen at 9:00 a.m. on Friday morning, November 28.

The Kirkwood Public Library is located at 140 E. Jefferson in Downtown Kirkwood. For additional information, please call 821-5770.

NOVEMBER HAPPENINGS AT OAK BEND LIBRARY

FOR CHILDREN:

~ Wednesday, November 13, 4:00 p.m. Book Bites Junior: Amelia Bedelia. Meet with fans of Mr. Putter and Tabby, Flat Stanley and other early chapter books. This month we'll be discussing the Amelia Bedelia books by Peggy Parish. Grades K-3. Registration requested.

~ Friday, November 15, 6:00 p.m. Catching Fire Release Party. Get ready for the upcoming movie sequel with Hunger Games-inspired challenges and activities. Registration recommended.

~ Monday, November 18, 7:00 p.m. Whiskers and Tales. Need practice reading? How about practicing reading to a dog or a cat? The mission of Whiskers and Tales is to improve the literacy skills of children through the assistance of certified pet therapy teams. All ages welcome. No registration required.

FOR ADULTS:

~ Thursday, November 21, 7:00 p.m. Creative Writing and Poetry Share Group. Do you enjoy writing? Would you like to share your creativity with a captive audience? Bring some of your work and join us for our creative writing and poetry share group. Registration requested.

FOR TEENS:

~ Wednesday, November 27, 7:00 p.m. Teen Book Club: "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

Do you like to read, eat snacks, and talk? Join our new teen book club. Come just for the book talk or stay for Teen Advisory Group. Grades 6

HOLIDAY CLOSURE: All St. Louis County Library branches will be closed on November 28 and 29 in observance of Thanksgiving.

Oak Bend Library is part of the St. Louis County Library system and is located at 842 S. Holmes Avenue. For more information or to register for a program, call 314-994-3300. Note: The City provides the Oak Bend Library listings in Friday Happenings for the benefit of Kirkwood residents who live near Oak Bend Library. Not all Kirkwood residents live within the Kirkwood Public Library (KPL) District. However, ALL Kirkwood residents are encouraged to obtain a FREE Kirkwood library card, check out materials from KPL, and attend KPL programs and events.

FROM THE EDITOR: The Mini Blog

Happy Autumn!
Just scrolling through the headlines in this newsletter, it is glaringly obvious that we are heading into the holiday season: Happy Holidays Boutique, Letters from Santa, Come Skate With Us, and Thanksgiving closures. It's that time of year. I wore my winter coat today, for just the second time this season (it was 30 degrees when I left the house!), but we are supposed to reach 58 degrees tomorrow, so apparently we have a little

bit more time to enjoy the glorious Colors of Fall in the Tree City.

We are winterizing at our house. We turned off the outside faucets, stowed lawn furniture in the garage, and today I dropped off my car for an oil change and tire rotation. I have started thinking about (but not yet writing) my holiday letter. I booked my daughter's Thanksgiving flight home a month ago, and this week I put the finishing touches on planning our post-Christmas road trip to visit family in New Jersey. This year we leave on December 28, and along the way, we will visit the Hermitage in Nashville, the battlefields of Gettysburg, and the 9/11 Memorial in Manhattan. My favorite part of our winter road trips, however, is always the day we drive down to the Jersey Shore and have lunch on the beach. That is a special kind of treat for us land-locked Midwesterners!

I'll bet a lot of you are in the planning stages for your holiday get-togethers and trips as well. If you're also in the gift-planning stage, be sure to check out tomorrow's Happy Holidays Boutique, sponsored by the Kirkwood-Des Peres Chamber of Commerce. I will be working the front door at the Boutique tomorrow from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., so be sure to say hello if you stop by!

Have a great weekend - and see you next Thursday!

Beth von Behren, Happenings Editor

City of Kirkwood
139 S. Kirkwood Road
Kirkwood, MO 63122
314-822-5894
www.kirkwoodmo.org