Sunday, August 29, 2010

Radio Personality Dave Glover Hosts Rally for America at Frontier Park in St. Charles


Dave Glover and Tom Terbrock Sign Autographs for Fans

Tom Terbrock Introduces Dave Glover

Dave Glover Encourages the Audience to Reduce the Size of Government

A Hero Speaks: Marine Ltc. Shane "Rhino" Tomco Addresses the Audience

Marine Color Guard Posts the Colors

"That 80s Band" Provides Evening Entertainment

Sunday, August 22, 2010

St. Louis All-Star Revue Plays at Florissant's St. Ferdinand Park by the Lake

Dawn Weber Provides Vocals and Trumpet Talents

Fanfare Backs Up the Singers

Ralph Butler Performs the Classic, "Minnie the Moocher"

Velvet from the Fabulous Motown Revue Adds Their Smooth Sounds

Captivation Adds Their Voices

B-17 "Liberty Belle" Makes Weekend Stop at Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, MO

The Liberty Belle Foundation brought their B-17G "Liberty Belle" to Spirit of St. Louis Airport this weekend to provide an opportunity for local residents to see and ride this historic aircraft.  The aircraft was parked at the Million Air ramp, and the public was invited to tour the aircraft, and flights in the aircraft were provided to paying customers.  The aircraft will continue on its national tour after this weekend, with the next stop in Springfield, MO in the coming days.  Visit http://www.libertyfoundation.org/index.html for further information.

Faust Park Village A Step Back in Time

The village provides a context in which the life styles of the settlers of St. Louis County and the skills they used to survive are illustrated. Blacksmithing, spinning, weaving, natural dyeing, and other antique arts are all demonstrated at different times of the year.   Visit http://www.stlouisco.com/parks/Village.html for more information.

(Source: St. Louis County Parks)

Chesterfield's Faust Park Historic Carousel Still Provides Joy to Young and old Alike

The St. Louis Carousel is home to an original carousel created by the Dentzel Company of Philadelphia in the 1920’s. The Carousel was installed in 1929 at the Forest Park Highlands. When the Highlands burned to the ground in 1963, the carousel was the only thing left standing. Howard C. Ohlendorf purchased the carousel to prevent it from being dismantled and donated it to St. Louis County Parks in 1965. The department operated it during the summer months at Sylvan Springs Park until 1980. The St. Louis County Historic Buildings Commission and Faust Cultural Heritage Foundation raised enough money to restore the carousel to its original beauty and installed it in a climate controlled building in Faust Park in 1987.  Visit http://www.co.st-louis.mo.us/parks/carousel/carousel.htm for more information.

(Source: St. Louis County Parks)

Chesterfield's Faust Park Butterfly House Is Fun and Educational

The Faust Park Butterfly House is named after Sophia M. Sachs, who was the widow of Sam Sachs, who founded Sachs Electric Co. and was influential in the development of Chesterfield, Missouri, a western suburb of St. Louis.  The  Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House provides a world-class facility, including a tropical butterfly haven.  Visit http://www.butterflyhouse.org/default.aspx for more information.

(Source: The Butterfly House)

Monday, August 16, 2010

Two Legendary Big Bands Slated to Visit St. Louis Area This Fall

The stars have aligned to bring two of the great surviving big bands to the St. Louis area. It will be a rare treat to experience the sounds of both the Jimmy Dorsey and the Glenn Miller Orchestras within three weeks of each other this September and October.  It is ironic that Glenn Miller at one time recorded music with the Dorsey Brothers, so for fans of big band music, this promises to be an exciting time!

The first big band to arrive in the St. Louis area is the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, which will appear at the Anne Whitney Olin Theatre in nearby Godfrey, IL. on Sunday, September 12, 2010 at 3 p.m. Led by Bill Tole and Nancy Knorr, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra continues the Dorsey Brother legacy by bringing the sounds of the big band era to the stage once again. The Jimmy Dorsey band rose to stardome during the 1940s, and continued to hold great influence in the music industry into the 1950s. In 1953, Jimmy joined his musical brother, Tommy Dorsey, to form a combined musical group until Tommy’s death in 1956. Sadly, Jimmy Dorsey himself died in 1957, but his namesake band has lived on, and will delight those in attendance on this current tour.

The Glenn Miller Orchestra will perform at the Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri - St. Louis for two shows on October 2, 2010 (2 p.m. and 8 p.m.). Miller played and recorded with Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, and Benny Goodman, among others. In 1937, Glenn Miller stepped out to form his own band. On October 7, 1942, Glenn Miller reported for induction into the Army and was immediately assigned to the Army Specialist Corps. He ultimately organized the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band. In the Fall of 1944, the band was scheduled to be sent on a six-week tour of Europe and would be stationed in Paris during that time. Miller decided to go ahead, in order to make the proper arrangements for the group's arrival. And so, on December 15th, Glenn Miller boarded a transport plane to Paris, never to be seen again. Since then, the namesake band has lived on, inspiring local big band leaders, such as Granite City, Illinois’ Stan Fornaszewski, to continue dedication concerts throughout the hot midwestern summers.

Make your plans now to attend both the Jimmy Dorsey and Glenn Miller Orchestras when they come to the St. Louis area, and carry on the big band tradition for another generation.

(Portions of this article were obtained from the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Touhill PAC and the Alton Visitors Bureau).

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Father Dominic Visits Missouri History Museum as Part of Vatican Splendors Exhibit

Father Dominic Garramone, a member of the St. Bede Abbey, a Benedictine monastery just west of Peru, Illinois and host of the PBS series, "Breaking Bread With Father Dominic," spoke to a full house at the Missouri History Museum today to promote the Vatican Splendors Exhibit.  In his humorous and irreverent way, Fr. Dominic interjected stories of his own experiences as he described life within the Vatican.  See my article in Associated Content at http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/279957/carmelo_turdo.html for more details.

Frontier Park in St. Charles, MO - St. Charles Depot and Lewis & Clark Monument