Art at the Station will present the work of Kirkwood High School Advanced Placement Art students in April at the Kirkwood Train Station, 110 W. Argonne Avenue.  Exhibit opens April 1.  Opening reception will be held Thursday night, April 7, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.  Future Art at the Station exhibits are under development and will be announced at a later date.  Art at the Station is sponsored by the Kirkwood Arts Commission, with generous support from the Kirkwood Arts Foundation.  The reception and exhibit are free and open to the public. The exhibit may be viewed whenever the Station is open for passengers. Donations are welcome. 

STEEL MAGNOLIAS, by Robert Harling. The iconic story about a group of bonded southern ladies in a small town beauty parlor. Events draw on their underlying strength and love, alternately hilarious and touching.  Opens November 4.

WAKE UP, CAMERON DOBBS, by Steve Peirick. Nothing is easy for Cameron. It's his 30th birthday and all he is looking forward to is a quiet dinner with just his brother and his wife. No such luck. His sister-in-law takes the liberty of inviting a blind date and this brother thought that Mom should be included. Lots of laughs and surprises. Opens January 20, 2017.

WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, by Agatha Christie. Only the queen of mystery could have conceived such a suspenseful thriller. A young married man spends many evenings with a rich, older woman. When she is found murdered, the naive fellow is the chief suspect.  Opens March 10, 2017.

25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, book by Rachel Sheinkin. Music and Lyrics by William Finn.  An eclectic group of six mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. A riotous ride including audience participation. Winner of the Tony and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Book. Opens May 5, 2017.

Season ticket renewals open April 29, 2016. For more information, visit their Website at www.ktg-onstage.org.

All performances are at the Robert G. Reim Theatre, Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Road (in Kirkwood Park).

Artists' Boutique - Fine Art and Fine Crafts. Saturday, March 5, and Sunday, March 6, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Road, 63122.  FREE Admission.  For more information:  www.artistsboutique.org.

In Voce Choral Concert. Wednesday, March 9, 7:00 p.m., Keating Theatre, Kirkwood High School, 801 W. Essex Avenue.

~ Spring Musical:  Mary Poppins. April 14, 15, 16, 7:00 p.m. Tickets available online at Seat Yourself. Presented by KHS Drama and KH Players Production Co. Tickets: $7/students, $10/adults.

~ Spring Vocal Jazz Concert, April 21, 7:00 p.m., Keating Theatre

~ Night of Percussion, April 28, 7:00 p.m., Keating Theatre

~ Sunday, March 6, 2016, 3:00 p.m.

~ Keating Theatre, Kirkwood High School, 801 W. Essex Avenue, in Kirkwood

~ FREE.  For information, call 314-822-2749.

Guest Artists: 

~ Christine Guthrie, soprano

~ Bill Stein, piano

Jim Wehrman, Director

Author Event at St. Louis County Library:  Jane King Hession, author of The Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park: The Kraus House, Thursday, March 31, 2016, 7:00 p.m.  St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh, Auditorium.  Free and open to the public. 

Annual Lecture. Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House - Saving a House, Saving a City. Jack Quinan, Ph.D., Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, State University of New York at Buffalo. Tuesday, May 3, 7:00 p.m., Saint Louis Art Museum, Farrell Auditorium. Free and open to the public.

If people just pass you by at book signings, learn how to close the deal at the "Human Fly Fishing: Hand-Selling Books" workshop on Saturday, March 5, at Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Road, from 10:00 a.m. to noon.  Free to St. Louis Writers' Guild members. $5 for nonmembers. The presenter, Ronald "Reggie" Van Stockum, Jr., is a lawyer, teacher, biologist, writer, guitarist, and recently an actor living on his family's old farm in Shelbyville, Kentucky. He has published two novels of magic realism - Markman's Home (2014) and Cosmos, the Stellar Stalker (2015) as well as a number of short stories. 

After the ARCHON 39 science fiction and fantasy conference last October, St. Louis Magazine writer Thomas Crone wrote of his experience:  "HUSTLED, but gently: While walking through the Gateway's halls, I was summoned by a book vendor with this one-liner: 'You, you have a backpack with enough room for a book!' As simply as that, I wandered over and listened to the pitch by author Ronald R. Van Stockum Jr., who sold me a copy of Cosmos: The Stellar Stalker, which I've not yet delved into. His approach was so refreshing that I couldn't resist plunking down $12 on a sci-fi thriller taking place in 1976 Louisville. Honestly, if this fella's book is half as entertaining as his table persona, I'll get a bit of entertainment outta this one."

For many writers, nothing compares to seeing their book on the shelves of local bookstores, but getting it there isn't always easy. Bookseller Emily Hall of Main Street Books will offer some guidance.  April 2, 2016, at Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Road, Kirkwood.  Free to St. Louis Writers' Guild members. $5 for nonmembers. 

Emily will discuss:

• How bookstores select books to stock
• What research independently published authors should do before they visit any bookstore
• How to approach the owner/manager of the store in a respectful and conscientious way
• How to promote your book once it makes it into said bookstores
• How to schedule and promote a signing with an independent bookstore

Downtown Kirkwood's annual Mayfest will once again feature the  Artists in Bloom Art Show & Sale at Station Plaza, from 10:00 a.m., to 3:00 p.m., on Saturday, May 7, 2016. If you are interested in a booth, please contact Kori Thompson at 314-822-0084.