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City of Kirkwood
March 5, 2015

In This Issue

News from MoDOT

Quick Links

City Website

City Blog

Kirkwood Public Library Website

Meeting Minutes - Kirkwood City Council

Meeting Minutes - Boards and Commissions

Calendar of Meetings and Events

MoDOT Website

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: The enhancement work on the facade of City Hall these past few months required removal of old bushes and plants, in preparation for new landscaping. Removal of the old shrubbery revealed this hidden treasure: City Hall's cornerstone. The cornerstone says City Hall was erected in 1941. See photo below for a close-up of the other side. It reads: A.S. Kinyon, Mayor. Chas. F. Hoyt, Councilman. Wm L. Berthold, Councilman.

NEWS FROM MoDOT

WORK ZONES FOR MARCH 5- 11:

As the weather starts to warm up, MoDOT crews will be out in full force to repair potholes and refresh striping. Motorists are reminded to slow down and move over when they see a MoDOT vehicle with flashing lights. Also be aware that there could be three or more maintenance vehicles spaced out some distance to complete maintenance work.

Motorists should be aware of the following ongoing closures:

I-64, St. Louis City, the Poplar Street Bridge ramp to eastbound I-44 is closed until mid-2015.
I-64, St. Louis City, the right lane is closed westbound on the Poplar Street Bridge until mid-2015.
I-64, St. Louis County, auxiliary lane closed westbound from Timberlake Manor to Chesterfield Parkway East until spring 2015.

Here is a list of additional daily road closures, weather permitting:

I-44, St. Louis City, 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., westbound entry ramp from Washington Street closed, through at least March 11.
Route 30, St. Louis County, 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., one lane closed eastbound and westbound between Weber Hill and Seibert, through at least March 11.

Friday, March 6:

For additional work zone information and real-time roadway weather conditions, go to traveler.modot.org/map. For real-time traffic, visit: gatewayguide.com. All work is weather-permitting and may be shifted due to inclement weather.

SENIOR CORNER

CLASSES FROM OASIS: DISCOVER LIFE AFTER 50

OASIS is offering some exciting new things in March. Click on the links provided for full details or to register. The first four programs are offered at the Kirkwood Community Center. The Clayton OASIS classes are held at 50 Gay Avenue in Clayton.

Folk Song Sing-a-Long. Thursdays, March 5 thru April 23, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Fee: $65. Each week, learn about and sing different periods of folk music with Lukas Simpson of Folk School St. Louis. All levels are welcome. Kirkwood OASIS 309.

Pakistan I: Foundations - Pakistan at Its Inception. Thursday, March 12, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Fee: $12. The first installment of the Pakistan series will discuss the reasons for partition, and the establishment of a separate Muslim state that emerged during the fight for independence after nearly a century of British colonial rule. Kirkwood OASIS 309.

Great Naturalists: Rachel Carson. Wednesday, March 18, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Fee: $10. Rachel Carson is the author of "Silent Spring," which alerted the world to the dangers of pesticides. Kirkwood OASIS 313.

OASIS Fraud Awareness Class at the Kirkwood Community Center. Friday, March 27, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. FREE. In 2013, U.S. consumers lost more than $1.6 billion to fraud. Chances are you know someone who has been scammed. It can happen to anyone. Learn how to spot, report, and prevent some of the most common types of scams, including identity theft, the "granny scam," and healthcare fraud. The discussion-style class and materials are provided by the Federal Trade Commission. Sponsored by Wells Fargo Advisors. FREE but seating is limited. To register, call 314-862-4859.

At Clayton Oasis:
Asteroids, Comets, and Cocktails. Thursday, March 19, 7:00-8:00 p.m. Fee: $10. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a cocktail while you view images and results from the exploration of these ancient worlds of ice and rock, remnants from the birth of the planets. Clayton OASIS 195.

Reducing Fat in Your Diet. Friday, March 20, 12:00-1:00 p.m. Fee: $5. Come learn more about how foods high in fat sneak into our diet and effective ways to reduce them, without sacrificing flavor. Attendees will receive a free health guide with recipes. Clayton OASIS 103.

Volunteers Needed: OASIS also offers an extensive volunteer program. Volunteers are needed for the Healthy Habits program for Kindergarten thru 5th grade students in the Mehlville, City of St. Charles, City of St. Louis, and Hazelwood School Districts. Click here for full details.

To learn more about OASIS or to see more of their class offerings, visit their Website at www.oasisnet.org/stl.

ART HAPPENINGS IN KIRKWOOD

ARTS CALENDAR - MARCH:

Step Into Spring: Docent-Led Tour, Laumeier Sculpture Park. Friday, March 20, Noon to 1:00 p.m., all ages. FREE. Participants are advised to wear comfortable shoes and dress appropriately for the season. Tour meets at Tony Tasset's Eye (in the park).

Art at the Station:

The Kirkwood area Arts Council and the Kirkwood Arts Commission will feature the photography of Fred Baugh from March 2 through 30 at Art at the Station. His opening reception will be Thursday, March 5, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., at the Station, located at the corner of Argonne and South Kirkwood Road. Exhibits and receptions are free and open to the public. Art may be viewed when the station is open for passengers.

Con Spirito Concert Series:
Con Spirito Concerts are held at the First Presbyterian Church, 100 E. Adams Avenue, in Kirkwood. The series celebrates its 15th season by observing "The Year of the Organ," honoring the installation of the church's new Casavant Freres Pipe Organ. In February:

~ March 13: Brent Johnson, organist, Third Baptist Church, Noon

~ March 27: Nancy Peterson, organist, Zion Lutheran Church, Mascoutah, Illinois, Noon

AIM Community Band Annual Concert:

~ Sunday, March 8, 3:00 p.m., Keating Auditorium, Kirkwood High School, 801 W. Essex Avenue. The concert is free. For more information, call 314-822-2749.

Other February Events:
~ Music in the Library: Bella Corda (Kirk Hanser), Sunday,. March 8, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m., at Kirkwood Public Library, 140 E. Jefferson in downtown Kirkwood.
~ Kirkwood Public Library will feature the work of Susan Zimmerman in the Library's Art Gallery through March 15, with an artist's reception on Friday, March 6, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Ms. Zimmerman is a local artist who creates hand-built porcelain vessels whose shapes evoke enigmatic narratives about nature. She will also have photography on display.

Kirkwood Public Library Accepts Artist Applications:

Kirkwood Public Library will accept applications beginning Sunday, March 1, to exhibit their work for the coming year, which runs August 2015 through August 2015, in the Library's Art Gallery. KPL exhibits work in the gallery throughout the year to expose the community to new art forms and ideas, foster creativity, inspire curiosity, and to provide exhibition opportunities for the artistic community. Exhibits are chosen by a staff committee, according to the needs and interests of the community, the variety of shows, the artistic quality of the works, and the suitability of the format for the Library's physical space. The Library will accept applications through May 5 at 5:00 p.m. Portfolios will be accepted physically and by electronic application. Physical submissions may be delivered or mailed to the Library at 140 E. Jefferson Avenue in downtown Kirkwood. Electronic submissions should be emailed to: edeLooze@kirkwoodpubliclibrary.org. For more details and instructions for the submission process, please visit the Library's Website at KirkwoodPublicLibrary.org. Click on "Display my artwork." Or call 314-821-5770, ext. 1012.

Save the Date - Missouri Chamber Music Festival:
The Missouri Chamber Music Festival (MOCM) presents its fifth anniversary season of concerts and an adult amateur musician workshop. The concerts will take place June 17, 18, 20, and 21 at the First Congregational Church of Webster Groves. Derek Bermel returns as Composer-in-Residence. Single tickets are $12 to $30, and a 4-concert pass is $70. Purchase tickets in advance by phone, 314-882-0053, or online at www.mochambermusic.org, beginning April 17. Tickets will also be available at the door one hour before the performance. MOCM also hosts its continuing education program for adult amateur musicians - the MOCM Pro-Am Intensive Workshop, June 4 thru 7, at Webster University's Community Music School. Visit their Website for full details about the workshop and a full schedule and description of concert performances.

If you have an arts event you would like the Kirkwood Arts Commission to consider for inclusion in its calendar, please send the information to: Arts@KirkwoodMO.org.

KIRKWOOD HISTORICAL SOCIETY

QUARTERLY MEETING MARCH 10

The Kirkwood Historical Society will host a quarterly meeting on Tuesday, March 10, at 7:00 p.m., at Mudd's Grove, at the corner of Harrison and Argonne. Our speaker will be Scott Woodbury of Shaw Nature Reserve speaking on Edgar Denison and his contributions of wildflowers in Kirkwood parks. Mr. Denison was an artist, photographer, botanist and author of the definitive book on wildflowers in Missouri. As always, the meeting is free and open to the public.

FROM YOUR KIRKWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY

IN MARCH:

FOR ADULTS:
~ Art Gallery: Susan Zimmerman, February thru March.
~ Author Event: Edna Campos Gravenhorst will discuss her book "Famous Barr: St. Louis Shopping at its Finest." Ms. Gravenhorst will discuss the 95-year history of the St. Louis department store and the ins and outs and impact of this institution. Saturday, March 21, 2:00 p.m.
~ Music in the Library: Bella Corda (Kirk Hanser), Sunday,. March 8, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
~ Books on Tap: Second Wednesday of the Month at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company. March 11: "Where'd You Go, Bernadette," by Maria Semple.
~ Books for Bingo: March 17, 2:00-3:00 p.m. Come play bingo with us for an hour on the 3rd Tuesday during the winter months. We play for books that have been donated to the library, and we always have a good selection. Everyone always goes home with a book, sometimes with more than one.
~ Mystery Readers: Wednesday, March 18, 2:00 p.m. "Critical Mass," by Sara Paretsky. V.I. Warshawski's closest friend in Chicago is Lotty Herschel, who escaped to London in 1939 with her playmate Kitty Saginor Binder. V.I. is summoned to help Kitty's daughter when her life is endangered by secrets that go back to the research and development of the first atomic bomb.

FOR CHILDREN:
~ Wednesday After-School Special: Join us on Wednesdays for a different activity each week of the month. For elementary school-age children. March 11: Science Fun. March 25: Make and Take After-School Craft.
~ Rainbow Fun: Saturday, March 14, 10:00 a.m. Celebrate the coming of spring with stories, activities, and crafts all about rainbows.
~ Family Bingo Night: Tuesday, March 17, 7:00 p.m. Felling lucky? Grab your family and come for an evening of Bingo fun. Families are welcome to bring snacks for their table. Prizes!
~ Calling All Inventors - What Can You Make with a Box of Junk? Friday, March 20, 10:00 a.m. Channel your inner creative genius. We supply the junk. You supply the imagination.

STORY TIMES:
~ Time for Twos, Tuesdays, 10:00 a.m. Stories, songs, crafts.
~ Pre-school Story Time, Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. Stories, songs, crafts.
~ Books for Babies, Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. For babies 6-24 months and their caregivers.
~ First Steps Story Time, Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. For our youngest 2s and graduates of Books for Babies.

BOOK CLUBS:
~ Family Book Club, Mondays, 7:00 p.m. For children in grades 5 thru 8 and their parents. Books available at library for check out. .
~ Family Book Club Junior. For children in grades 3 and 4 and their parents.

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IN APRIL: FOOD FOR FINES RETURNS!
To celebrate National Library Week, your Kirkwood Public Library and KirkCare are proud to announce that the popular Food for Fines program will occur for the 5th consecutive year April 12 thru 18, 2015. This program enables all patrons to pay down their fines by donating canned goods to KirkCare. For every item brought in, $1 will be subtracted from over due fines - up to the $20 limit per patron. This applies only to fines, not to lost or damaged items. And even if you do not have fines, please join in the fun by donating canned goods.

Kirkwood Public Library is located at 140 E. Jefferson Avenue in Downtown Kirkwood.

OAK BEND LIBRARY

MARCH IS TEEN TECH MONTH AT ST LOUIS COUNTY LIBRARY

For more information, pick up a flyer at the library or visit: slcl.org/events.

THE WRITE STUFF CONTEST: March 1 to March 31
Calling all kids and teens ages 8 to 18 with a talent for creative writing. St. Louis County Library is holding a contest for all writers. There will be prizes for the winners. View the official contest rules and guidelines here, or pick up a flyer at the desk.

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

Don't ask me nothing about nothing; I just might tell you the truth. If you ask the weathermen, they will tell you we are looking at temperatures in the 40s and 50s this weekend. Just yesterday, I took this photo of Tom Che, one of our facilities workers, spreading salt at City Hall during the mini snow event that left us with temps in the 20s and not quite an inch of snow.

How are your sinuses doing?

Some days, it's hard to know what to wear. One thing I do know for sure: This will not last forever. We will have more and more weekends like the one coming up, and fewer and fewer days in the 20s and 30s. Before you know it, I'll be complaining about the heat.

Speaking of heat, don't forget that Summer Pool Passes are already on sale (Resident ID Cards too), and this is the best time to get that done because there are no lines. Community Center hours: Monday-Thursday: 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Fridays: 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays: 9:00 a.m. to Noon.

Speaking of the Community Center, don't forget that you can purchase yard waste bags and plastic trash bags there, and you can do the CFL Exchange there too (bring in up to five burned-out Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs and get five free in exchange).

One last thing: This Sunday, March 8: Daylight Saving Time begins.

Stay warm out there, and see you in two weeks (on March 19).

Beth von Behren
Happenings Editor/Public Information Officer

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