Kirkwood Weekly HappeningsCity Logo B-W
City of Kirkwood
January 16, 2014
In This Issue
MLK Holiday
Rummage Sale
Sanitation Reminder
Art at the Station
Gardening Tips
Pancake Supper
Kirkwood Public Library
Oak Bend Library
Last Thoughts
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK:  Ayla Burba is a third grader at Keysor Elementary in Kirkwood. She wrote a lovely, hand-drawn and hand-written thank-you note to Kirkwood Electric a few months ago that featured a drawing of the electric linemen who worked to restore power on her street after an outage.  The linemen then invited her to visit and tour the electric facilities.  During her tour, she said that she used a flashlight during the outage (and read a lot of books) and that they ate cereal and granola bars.  As part of the tour, she saw one of the bucket trucks, tried on the linemen's rubber gloves and tool belts, and got to see close up the equipment used for climbing poles, after which she commented:  "I have some experience with climbing trees!"  Pictured L to R:  Kirkwood Electric Distribution Engineer Rick McKinley, Ayla, and Lineman Chad Jeffrey.
HOLIDAY INFORMATION AND CLOSURES IN DECEMBER

CITY OFFICES CLOSED ON MARTIN LUTHER KING'S BIRTHDAY

City Hall and most City offices will be closed on Monday, January 20, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday.  There will be no sanitation collection, and all routes will be delayed by a day all week.

 

PHONE SYSTEMS WILL BE DOWN ON MONDAY: The City's MIS department will do a phone and voice mail system upgrade while offices are closed on Monday.  This means that voice mail will be unavailable for about four hours Monday morning, until approximately noon.  Residents who need to call the City on Monday to leave a message for any reason should wait to do so until the afternoon.  If there is an urgent need to contact the City (e.g., power outage), please call the non-emergency police dispatch number at 822-5858.  In the event of an emergency, of course, please call 911. 

GOT JUNK?
RUMMAGE SALE AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER FEBRUARY 1
There is still time to snag a table at the Kirkwood Community Center Rummage Sale on Saturday, February 1.  The cost is $15 per table (eight feet long).  They have eight tables remaining.  Call 822-5855 to reserve your spot! 

Don't have anything to sell?  Be sure to check out all the great deals.  The sale opens up at 8:00 a.m. and runs until 12:00 noon. 
 
SANITATION REMINDER
AT THE CURB BY 6:00 A.M.
Please have all sanitation items - trash, yard waste, recycling - at the curb no later than 6:00 a.m. on your normal collection day.  Our drivers are experiencing a lot of back-tracking to pick up sanitation that wasn't at the curb on their first drive-by, and this slows down everyone's collection.  It is perfectly fine to place all sanitation items at the curb the evening before.  Thank you!
ART AT THE STATION

OIL AND ACRYLIC PAINTINGS OF JUDITH POLYS IN JANUARY 

The Kirkwood Area Arts Council will hold the opening reception for its January exhibit tonight, Thursday, January 16, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., at the Kirkwood Train Station, located at the corner of Kirkwood Road and Argonne. The oil and acrylic paintings of Judith Polys are featured now through February 3.  Exhibits and receptions are free and open to the public.  Donations are welcome.  Art may be viewed when the Station is open for passengers.

 

THE WORK OF ArtFIBER SAINT LOUIS IN FEBRUARY:  The work of ArtFiber Saint Louis will be on display February 4 thru March 3. Please join us for their opening reception on Thursday,  February 6, 5:30 to 7:00pm at the Kirkwood Train Station.

 

We will be jurying artists who would like to exhibit in the latter part of 2014 on Saturday, February 1, beginning at 11:00 a.m. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact Linda Epp 314-821-2250.
SALT'S EFFECTS ON YOUR PLANTS - GARDENING TIP OF THE WEEK!

SNOW-RELATED DAMAGE ASSESSMENT TIME

Now is a good time to assess any damage that last week's snow may have caused.  Check for broken limbs, branches, or stems on your trees, bushes, and plants. Make a 45-degree cut to remove any damaged portion.  For any significant damage to a tree limb, cut it back to about an inch of the trunk. Should we get more snow - avoid the urge to try and knock snow from your trees and bushes.  This can lead to more damage.  

SAVE THE DATE:  ANNUAL PANCAKE SUPPER
KIRKWOOD POLICE PANCAKE SUPPER:  FEBRUARY 13
The annual Kirkwood Police Department's Pancake Supper will be held Thursday, Febuary Pancakes 2013 13, from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m., at Kirkwood High School, 801 W. Essex Avenue.  It's $4 for all  the pancakes you can eat (no carry-outs) plus sausage, eggs, coffee, milk, and applesauce.  Purchase your tickets from any Police Department employee (at the PD, 131 W. Madison, or at City Hall, 139 S. Kirkwood Road), OR at the door.  Questions:  822-5868.
FROM KIRKWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY
ONCE UPON A MURAL:  To celebrate the new fairy tale-themed mural at Your Kirkwood Public Library, KPL is sponsoring a community art project in January.  All ages, from children through teens to adults, are invited to submit fairy tale-inspired art for the mural.  First - pick up an entry form at the Library.  Other details:
~ Art should be fairy tale-inspired
~ Art should be mounted on cardboard for display purposes
~ Art should not exceed 11x14 inches in size
~ Art is to be turned in January 18 or 19, by 5:00 p.m.
~ Work may be picked up February 2 through 8
~ The entry form offers more specifics about how art is to be tagged and turned in.  Art will be displayed at the discretion of Kirkwood Public Library.  For more information, contact the KPL Children's Room.
~ Join us on January 25, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. for the unveiling of the mural.

FOR ADULTS:

~ Tuesday, January 21, 2:00 p.m..  Bingo for Books.  Join us for a fun hour of Bingo.

~ Thursday, January 23, 7:00 p.m. Gig Gwin, Travel Dreams-Journeys of Discovery.  Tips from a travel agent for your next journey.

~ Tuesday, January 28, 1:30 p.m.  Cinema KPL.  We are showing Brief Encounter.

Bookclubs:

~ Saturday, January 18, 10 a.m.  Saturday Morning Perks.  We are discussing Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter.

~ Thursday, January 30, 7:00 p.m.  Classics Revisited.  We are discussing The Awakening by Kate Chopin.

 

FOR YOUTH:

Story Times:

~ Weekly Story Times for all ages. Tuesdays: 10 a.m., January 7 - April 29.  Wednesdays: 10 a.m., January 8- April 30.

~ Books for Babies, for 6-24 months and their caregivers, Thursdays, 9:30 a.m, January 9-April 24.

~ First Steps Story Time, for young twos.  Thursdays, 10:30 a.m., January 9-April 24.

 

SPECIAL EVENTS:

~ Saturday, January 18, 10:30 a.m.  Lego Celebration.  Channel your inner architect with KPL's Lego building contest and exhibit. Rules and details at the Children's Desk. Ages 5 to 12.

~ Saturday, January 25, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Once Upon a Mural: Join us for the unveiling of the new Fairy Tale Mural.

 

AFTER-SCHOOL SPECIALS:

~ Wednesday, January 22, 4:00 p.m., Minecraft.

~ Thursday, January 23, 4:00 p.m.,  Minecraft.

~ Wednesday, January 29, 4:00 p.m.,  Make and Take Craft.

 

TECHNOLOGY CLASSES:

 ~ Drop-In IT Help:  Sundays, 2:00-4:00 p.m., Tuesdays, 10:00 a.m. to Noon, Thursdays, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays, 1:00-3:00 p.m.

~ Tuesday, January 21, 6:00 p.m.:  Facebook

~ Saturday, January 25, 11:00 a.m.:  Google Searching

~ Wednesday, January 29, 10:00 a.m.:  Library Technologies, EBSOhost  

 

HOLIDAY CLOSING:  The Library will be closed on January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday.  

 

Your Kirkwood Public Library is located at 140 E. Jefferson Avenue.  For additional information or to register for programs, call 821-5770.
FROM OAK BEND LIBRARY
FOR TEENS:
~ Wednesday, January 29, 7:00 p.m.  Teen Book Club: Your Choice!  Do you like to read, eat snacks, and talk to people? Join our new teen book club. Come just for the book talk or stay for Teen Advisory Group (TAG) at 7:30 p.m.. Grades 6 to 12.

FOR KIDS:
~ Wednesday, January 22, 4:30 p.m. Tweensday: Rainbow Loom Magic. Make fun rubber band bracelets and more! Whether you're a pro or just getting started, stop by to craft with other loomers. Please bring your own loom if you have one. Grades 3 to 6. Registration requested.
~ Tuesday, January 28, 10:30 a.m.  Discovery Time: Home Sweet Home. Join us as we explore animal habitats through stories, songs, and hands-on experiences. Ages 3 to 6. Registration required.

HOLIDAY CLOSING:  The Library will be closed on January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday.

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
IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR...

It's cold outside, it's snowing pretty often, we're fixing potholes and repairing broken water mains, and yet it is also a very busy time of year for all the normal reasons:  The skating rink is in full swing - a new class session just started.  The spring/summer Parks & Recreation program guide is being finalized and will be mailed out in about two weeks.  Camp Kirkwood registration opens February 12, and season passes for the pool go on sale just two weeks later.  City Council is hard at work putting the finishing touches on the budget for the fiscal year that begins April 1 (tonight's Work Session is an extra-long one for that very reason).  The Greentree Festival Planning Committee starts up again this month, and registration for summer softball teams starts in February.

With temperatures in the 20s, it's natural to start dreaming about summer softball and floating on the Lazy River at the pool.  But while the cold weather is still here, there are lots of indoor things to do.  Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and I don't know about you, but I usually try to see all of the best-picture nominees on the list, which is a great way to spend a snowy Saturday afternoon.  Here's a link to the list (with some analysis).  Then there's the 250th anniversary of the founding of St. Louis, and STL250 has tons of events and programs planned for the coming year.  Here's a link to their Website.

That's all for now.  I am looking forward to a four-day weekend. It will be cold, but we have tickets to the Symphony (a morning "Coffee Concert" tomorrow, complete with coffee and donuts!) and to the Kirkwood Lions' Trivia Night on Saturday at the Community Center. This will be Beth's Braniacs' third attempt to win this one (wish us luck!). Have a great weekend.  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