Firebirds Wood Fired Grill is heading to Creve Coeur

 (Here is the second restaurant piece for recent West Newsmagazine publications.)

Lately, nearly all the attention of the far eastern corridor of Creve Coeur has gone to the Olia Village and Centennial Greenway projects. But a different success story was added to the mix on Oct. 27.

The City Council unanimously approved a Conditional Use Permit granting a Firebirds Wood Fired Grill location at 10590 Old Olive Street Road in the Creve Coeur Pavilion Shopping Center.

The 6,285-square foot, full-service restaurant with indoor seating for 183, will also feature patio dining. Offerings include wood-fired seafood and steaks plus beer, wine, and cocktails. It will replace the California Pizza Kitchen which had been vacant for roughly two years in the general commercial zoned site.

Per an inquiry from council member Donna Spence (Ward 1), Director of Community Development Jason Jaggi noted that the gas-powered, wood-fired grills will be located within an enclosed area in the front of the building within the covered patio. He added that they will also be considered a decorative element.

No opening date was mentioned, but hours of operation will be Sunday from 10 am to 10 pm, Monday-Thursday 11 am to 10 pm, Friday from 11 am to 11 pm, and Saturday from 10 am to 11 pm.

The first Firebirds Wood Fired Grill location opened in Charlotte, NC in 2000. There are currently about 60 in the country, including the first Missouri one at 1501 Beale Street in St. Charles, which opened back in Sept. 2016.

Shibam Coffee is set to bring a true taste of Yemen to the city of Ballwin

 (This is the first of two new restaurant pieces I wrote for West Newsmagazine within the past month or so.)

On Oct. 13, the Ballwin Board unanimously passed legislation for Shibam Coffee to move into the address of 15256 Manchester Road in the C-1 Commercial District. According to City Planner Lynn Sprick, that 5,000 square foot site was occupied by Advance Auto Parts from Oct. 2016-March 2020. 

This Saint Louis location of Shibam will serve as the headquarters, the flagship store, product development center, operations management base, and training facility for what petitioner Omar Abdel Baset sees as a rapid expansion across Missouri over the next 3 to 5 years.

What’s uber interesting about the name ‘Shibam’ is that it refers to an historical city in Yemen. With some 7,000 inhabitants, Shibam is not only recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its mudbrick skyscrapers and other unique architectural buildings, but it’s also often called ‘The Manhattan of the Desert!’

And Shibam’s mission statement reflects the culture of its background. They strive to ‘bring the authentic flavors of Yemeni coffee and Middle Eastern-inspired drinks to Missouri, blending tradition with a modern café experience in a warm, welcoming space.’

Some of the site’s featured items will be a wide variety of signature Yemen drinks including coffees, teas, Espressos, specialty drinks, sandwiches, wraps, pastries and other desserts, both imported and locally made.

The 100-seat capacity site will also feature Yemeni-inspired interior design that includes communal tables.

No opening date has yet been disclosed as the owners are currently working on building permits. But once it does open, it will do so from 7 a.m. to midnight daily, starting with a Grand Opening offering free tasting samples.

There will also be seasonal drink launches, sponsorship of cultural festivals and events plus the site’s own cultural event tie-ins.

Circle of Concern is ready to help for Thanksgiving Day and beyond

(I was given this assignment Friday afternoon, Oct. 24. I instantly thought of questions, contacted Circle of Concern the next day for the interview, a call for photos, then did my note transcribing. I wrote the article on Oct. 26.  It appeared online the next day for West Newsmagazine!)

Back in March 1967, Circle of Concern was born into what was still considered an emerging swath of West St. Louis County.

Just like that region itself, what was formerly known as a food pantry has also grown exponentially over the past six decades into a prime social services agency. Circle of Concern has become more like a vastly-enlarged, three-dimensional sphere.

“It started with a group of church leaders who decided they wanted to help people in need,” Communications and Development Manager Tim Elwell said. “Since then, we’ve been providing a lot more services in our area trying to make a big difference in people’s lives.”

The organization serves those in need in the Parkway, Rockwood, Kirkwood, and Valley Park school districts as well as residents in the 63026 and 63049 zip codes. (https://www.circleofconcern.org/contact/)

“We live in an area that just keeps growing with new developments happening all the time whether subdivisions or businesses going up. A lot of people think that out this way, you don’t need much need for a food pantry, but in reality, there’s a lot of people struggling who need assistance and those resources just to get by. It’s unfortunate that we’ve seen an increase in the number of people who have come to see us, but we’ve definitely found a way to serve them and be able to offer assistance.”

Circle of Concern used to merely pack paper bags and get things to people as they needed. But over time, they learned to fine-tune their service. They were able to add a client choice model for which they could give the clients the opportunity to pick what they need, and there’s no waste involved because they’re actually going to be eating those products.

“One of those ways of giving some dignity back to our clients is that we are a client choice food pantry which means we have our clients come through and shop just like they would at a normal grocery store, and they’re able to pick things off the shelves, review the ingredients, look at the produce, see if they like it to actually be able to use a lot of that stuff.”

Elwell added that the organization gets a great deal of help from more than 200 volunteers from all age groups 18 and older who work on a daily basis. They stock shelves, unload boxes into the warehouse, meet with and shop with clients.

Although the organization’s mission is not associated with any individual church or specific religious organization, Elwell emphasized Circle of Concern’s strong partnership with area churches Fellowship of Wildwood, Living Word, Parkway United Church of Christ, St. John United Church of Christ, Trinity Lutheran, and Bethel United Methodist. They help assemble and donate items.

“Since we’ve been around that long, we’ve learned to be able to help our clients—people in need—with the thought of doing that the best we can. Our motto is ‘Feeding Families is Just the Beginning.’ So, the food pantries are our core program, but we’ve learned to offer other things like children’s programs, holiday programs, summer camp opportunities, back-to-school campaigns. So, we’ve really expanded to offer outside the food pantries, ways to help clients.”

A terrific recent example was Circle of Concern’s Harvest Moon Trivia Night, held on October 10.  They raised their greatest amount on record--$23,000, with all proceeds earmarked to directly benefit their pantry and client programs.

Just 10 days later, the organization embarked on yet another major event. It’s their Thanksgiving Box program that comes from the idea of sitting around the table and having a traditional American Thanksgiving meal.

“What we decided to do was have some of our church partners help us with this because they wanted to make sure that a lot of our clients had a Thanksgiving meal. Our church partners help assemble and distribute boxes of seasonal foods that includes canned pumpkin, cranberry sauce, vegetable broth, instant mashed potatoes and stuff like that. It gives our clients a chance to gather with family and have an extra meal on us. In addition to all that, we also offer a $30 Aldi gift card to them to pick up anything else that they need during that holiday time. This year, that Thanksgiving program runs approximately from October 20 to November 17 or so.”

That said, donations are still much needed over the next couple weeks so clients have the items ready to bake for their family events. Per the Circle of Concern website, those items include ‘flour, sugar, vegetable oil, shortening, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract (and almond or mint), chocolate chips, cinnamon and baking mixes.’

Items can be taken to Circle of Concern’s warehouse at 112 St. Louis Avenue in Valley Park during these days and hours: Monday 9am-3pm, Tuesday 9am-3pm, Wednesday 9am-6:30pm, Thursday 9am-noon, Friday 9am-3pm, and Saturday 9am-1pm. Their phone number is 636-861-2623.

“When clients arrive here, they do need to be eligible. Some requirements are you need to live in our service area and make a certain financial amount to qualify with the federal poverty level. We offer 200% of the federal poverty levels. (https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/dd73d4f00d8a819d10b2fdb70d254f7b/detailed-guidelines-2025.pdf) Once they come here, they’re able to meet with our case worker, talk about their situation, see what we can do, then they head over to the pantry. That’s where they would pick up their Thanksgiving Box along with their gift card. Then, they would walk through our pantry, get that full load of groceries, and be able to go on their way.

“We never want to turn anyone away. So, if someone comes to us and they’re in need, we do offer one-time assistance, and they’re able to get some groceries from us to at least have something to go away with. We also serve the unhoused population. We want to be able to offer them some items as well. If someone comes to us with that need, we’re able to fill that gap, too.”

Second Creve Coeur Plein Air Art Festival is a huge success

 (Loved covering this event again and also all the photos I took that were used in the West Newsmagazine article!)

Not only did the number of artists reach the full capacity, but there were a handful who didn’t make it off the waiting list for this year’s Creve Coeur Plein Air Art Festival. Meanwhile, the number of visitors to the Sept. 11 finale at Millennium Park’s Tappmeyer House, also increased dramatically.

“I’m thrilled with the trajectory of this event from last year’s inaugural event,” Robert Morrissey, Creve Coeur Arts Committee Chair, said. “It’s a work in progress, but we tweaked the lighting, a lot more artists signed up, and there was such great talent that the judge said it was hard to choose just three.”

This year’s judge, or juror, was St. Louis resident Carol Carter, who has been a professional artist for nearly 50 years.

Carter’s early background was a good sign of her judging capability. She spent a full seven years of her career as a Plein Art painter before deciding to primarily work inside of her studio. But she did recently judge a national watercolor show event in California.

“I just look for accomplished paintings that are well done and show the soulfulness and individuality of artists. The quality of the paintings here were very strong, so it was hard to decide.”

This year’s Best in Show winner was 74-year-old Manchester, MO resident Gary Beazley. After being last year’s Runner Up, Beazley won the blue ribbon and $750 this time for his ‘Millennium Park 9/9’ watercolor portrait. The funds were sponsored by the Kodner Gallery.

Beazley majored in art in college and since retired from being a long-time employee in printing industry to make a lot more money than so many starving artists. He’s done Plein Air events since 2014 and his background includes a good deal of oil painting. But Beazley developed a much greater passion for watercolors.

“I enjoy being a landscape artist, and I’m not interested in being a neighborhood one with buildings. I have painted this entire house (Tappmeyer Homestead) before, but I prefer landscapes. I spent an entire week in this (Millennium) park, walking around and learning to find views in places I never thought of before.”   

“I felt the work was sensitive, well-crafted, and was a great interpretation of a landscape and not just a description of one,” Carter said of Beazley’s offering.

The First Runner Up red ribbon and a $500 prize from Selkirk Auctioneers and Appraisers went to Annie Scheumbauer.

Her background includes a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa plus 31 years of teaching art. Scheumbauer has also participated in a good number of University City art shows and won a senior prize in a Webster Groves one.

Her prize offering was from Conway Park, named ‘Walking Ozzie.’

“I was really taken by the pathways and the way the shadows were. Then, a woman comes through with her dog Ozzie, and I also see geese in the setting. It all really moved me!”

“It was a great example of a painting that’s bold, splashy, dynamic, and representative of a confident Plein Air painter,” Carter added.

Honorable Mention’s white ribbon and a $250 prize from Doctors Satish and Nan Kulkarni, went to Kim Bene for ‘Quiet Radiance.’

Nan Kulkarni is also a prominent member of the Creve Coeur Arts Committee who was involved in Town & Country’s Art Committee before they moved here four years ago. She is the one who led the way for Creve Coeur to start its inaugural Plein Air Art Festival last summer.

“It took me a year to convince the city to start holding this event. This year went a lot more smoothly than last year. Also, it’s been so much more popular this year with six artists on the wait list at deadline time.”

Kulkarni & Bene

Linda Kusmer added that she loves being on the committee, which now includes sculptures. In fact, one painting displayed ‘The Lion of Laverne’ from Laverne Collins Park, named after a former long-time Creve Coeur City Clerk.

An added bonus at this year’s event was an offering named ‘A Day in Conway Park,’ submitted by the youngest entrant, 11-year-old Adora Kushwaha. 

   


Yes, the Creve Coeur Plein Air Art Festival indeed has a  bright future!

Annual chicken dinner culminates Bethel Wildwood Church’s historic anniversary

 (Here's my complete West Newsmagazine version of a terrific event on this Saturday, Sept. 27!)

Bethel Wildwood Church's chicken dinner. (Photos courtesy of Chylene Daub)

Everyone is welcome to visit a Wildwood landmark on Saturday, Sept. 27 from 2 pm-7 pm to cap off the site’s official 150^th anniversary!

Bethel Wildwood Church, aka Bethel United Methodist Church, will host its 99^th annual chicken dinner/craft boutique event inside its Fellowship Hall at 17500 Manchester Road! Begun in 1924, the event has maintained its annual popularity while closing down for the two recent Covid years.

“We call ourselves The Church of the Open Door because we really like having visitors here,” said Chylene Daub, who writes the church newsletter and is a loyal church member.  

The special meal, which includes green beans, coleslaw, apple sauce, and desserts, is free for children 5 and under, $10 for those 6-10 and $17 for others.

Daub added that the meal will also include its original German sweet potato salad which came from a recipe long kept a secret by one little old lady.

“She had the recipe in her purse and wouldn’t let anyone know what the ingredients were even though you have to have lots of people helping boil, peel, and cook the potatoes. But we have the recipe today, anyway!”

What a contrast to the initial meal event which Daub noted as picnic style. There was no kitchen nor large eating area inside the early church, so women cooked everything at home, brought it to the church, and served it on tables outside. But they decorated with Japanese lanterns, which will also be featured this year.

Another highlight of the event is the craft boutique. 

Daub noted that for many years, there has been a little parsonage on the property called ‘Our Craft Cottage.’ This year, they changed the name of that craft cottage to ‘The 1875 General Store.’

Church member ladies make a lot of handmade items for home décor plus fall, Halloween, and Christmas items.

“One of their other projects is knit prayer shawls that are really pretty. They’re free and used for someone in the hospital; especially for children. Every shawl they pray over and it’s like a little love gift for people who are ill.”

In order to make the event work, people come the day before, set everything up while others get there around 4 in the morning to peel potatoes and cook that Saturday.

They’ll also have clean up from Boy Scout troop 456, which the church has sponsored for over 70 years.

“It helps to get everybody involved. You’ve got people who are serving the chicken, others are greeting people, ones who are passing out desserts, and others keeping the kitchen clean as they go. It’s a busy day, but it’s really a lot of fun!”

Daub also noted that Pastor Kevn Dekker, who has only been there for a year, will also be on hand. She said he’s a talented preacher and musician who plays piano and guitar.

She also wanted to make sure everyone knew about Nina Lantz and Carla DeSalme, the two co-chairs who have put on this event for several years.

"They call it their favorite day of the year!"                     

The church’s 150^th anniversary was celebrated on June 1^st. 

“A lot came in costumes depicting 1875, and we had a band there, Padre and the Pulse. We also had a farm animal petting zoo with a couple Shetland ponies. We had Hank, the cutest goat you ever saw, baby rabbits and chickens…and the kids absolutely loved that! A magician who put on a little show, and we had hayride tours through our cemetery, telling about some of its history. Originally, there were two acres of land donated by the St. Louis Marble Company, then we added onto that. It's one of the oldest cemeteries in St. Louis County.”

The sanctuary was dedicated in April 1875, but the original church was started around 1858 as one of the oldest Methodist churches west of the Mississippi.

“At that time, traveling preachers would go from church to church in a circuit. There was no preacher in the church every Sunday, but they would have some Sunday school time and have revivals that would last a couple days. They would set up tents. Some people would come in covered wagons. They called it a camp meeting of Southern Methodist preachers, and they gathered at Camp Hollow near Wildhorse Creek and Hardt Roads.”

Daub added that was the time when a group of people decided they wanted to form Bethel. So, the next year, they built a little stone church. It’s still standing on Wild Horse Creek Road as kind of a little forgotten building, but the Pastor, Wesley Browning, actually had slaves help build that church. That was in 1858—the same year Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas had their debates in Illinois.

When the Civil War broke out, it was a really difficult time because Missouri remained loyal to the Union, but when it became a state in 1821, slavery was allowed through The Missouri Compromise. You could have slaves, but very few people in the area did because its really big German population didn’t believe in having slaves.

There are slaves buried alongside a good deal of teenage Civil War soldiers in their cemetery that is actually older than the church itself. They were able to keep the church together even though some people were suspicious of Southern Methodist preachers because they figured they were very loyal to the south. They stayed at that little Rock Bethel Church. 

“A couple years later, they built a log cabin for the church, and it doesn’t stand anymore. But in 1873, they decided they wanted to build a permanent sanctuary. They acquired property right on Manchester Road. When I wrote an article, I wrote ‘History has marched right past our front door’ because Manchester Road was the first state road for Missouri because it was designated as the official road from St. Louis to Jefferson City. You had stagecoaches that went right by our church. Later on, it was part of Route 66.”

The church itself has long been referred to as ‘The little white church in Wildwood.’ But it received the name ‘Bethel’ because it means ‘The House of God’ in Hebrew.

Finally, Daub added that, while in the area, more history can be found just a few blocks away at Big Chief Roadhouse, one of the original motels and restaurants on Route 66.

And while in the area, history and entertainment can be found at Stovall’s Grove Rockhorse Saloon, a famous dance hall just west on Manchester Road. They have a statue of a horse, rear end up on its hind legs in front of the place.

“What’s interesting about it is, during the Civil War, generals from both sides of the war at one time or another camped there by its natural spring and a grove of trees that provided shade. The (Confederate) Quantrill’s Raiders (including Jesse James and brother Frank) were also known to have camped there. Also, Brenda Lee sang there one time with the Missouri River Boys who still play there on Saturday nights.”

Timberwinds Nursery to host the 2025 St. Louis Koi Show and Pond Expo

 (Published in a recent copy of West Newsmagazine)

In Japanese, ‘koi’ has a variety of meanings. Just a few of them are ‘strong,’ ‘love,’ and ‘come here.’

Who knew that part of their value to the Japanese culture is the great strength of a koi’s ability to swim upstream? Also, how can one not have love and affection for those beautiful creatures that are also considered to bring luck to community waterways and area ponds?

The ‘come here’ part is an open invitation for everyone to head to Timberwinds Nursery in Ellisville on the weekend of Sept. 19-21. The hours are 3-5pm on Friday, 9am-5pm on Saturday, and 10 am-2 pm on Sunday.

It’s there that the non-profit Gateway Koi and Pond Club will host the 23rd Annual Northern Midwest ZNA (Zen Nippon Airinkai) Koi Show & Pond Expo.

Timberwinds owner Mike Curran agreed to hosting the event back in 2018 after being contacted by a regular customer. It’s been the event site every single year since.

“It’s a free event, it’s family-oriented, it’s a national event, it’s been going great, and Mike’s loved it and loves us being there!” said the non-profit’s President Pam Jokerst, who is also the show’s chairperson. “It’s been a really good opportunity for all of us. It brings a lot of people into the nursery for their business, and it’s a really nice location for us to have our show.”

And what a show it is for roughly 2,500 attendees!

The main focus is exhibitors bringing the fish they’ve taken care of in their own ponds. They have traveled here from all over the Midwest, from the East coast, one from the West coast and another from Hawaii.

“This year, we are the ZNA Eastern District Koi Show. So, there’s even going to be judges from all across the country for our judges’ meeting. Just like a horse show or a dog show, there’s different varieties of koi, and also different size categories depending on their length. That also depends on what variety they are. So, there’s different categories they can compete in depending on the characteristics of that fish with different championship categories.”

The koi in general are referred to as gosanke. The three main varieties or families of gosanke are kohaku, sanke, and showa. Those are the ‘A’ fish. The rest are in the ‘B’ category, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less. It’s just how they’re categorized. One judge named Sato, will be coming in from Japan for this show.”

The show and judging of what Jokerst labeled as ‘show-quality koi with high-quality bloodlines,’ are mostly purchased from seasoned handlers in Japan. She added that their breeding is similar to horses with certain sires.

How valuable are the koi to their Japanese breeders? Jokerst said they actually put the koi in their wills.

The event will also feature different koi vendors, koi food, an herbalist who displays her own health products, ones for garden products, plus vendors offering other products. In addition, there will be food trucks and possibly an ice cream or gelato person.

And there is yet another event highlight that often attracts visitors of all ages.

“The Star Wars people who will be here is a local charity that’s called Bad Guys Doing Good, which is just their name because they’re not convicts or anything like that! They dress up as Star Wars characters. Last year, we had Chewbacca there and several others which is for photo ops with adults and children. Our club donates to their charity.

“We also have raffles of items donated by different companies. They could be things for one’s pond, a piece of artwork, or a lawn & garden item. Those are all on our raffle table and done throughout the weekend. At our awards banquet, we have signed artwork, woodworking items like huge windchimes that will be auctioned off at the silent or live auction the night of Saturday’s banquet.”

There are also different judges lined up to give seminars in the retail sales building, set up with chairs and a screen. Those are on various topics having to do with fish, gardening, and the like. Their 40-45-minute programs are followed by 15-min Q&A sessions. Those are posted at the welcome table and open to all attendees.

Meanwhile, the Gateway Koi and Pond Club has over 175 members and more than 500 Facebook members, including ones across state lines.

“Everybody is friends in our club. You don’t just go to the club and go home. We get together and do pond tours, we have member evenings where we get together at somebody’s house and just stay there and have a social activity there. We do field trips and have monthly educational meetings. So, we have educational opportunities. We want to let people know what to do with their pond, how to enhance their pond, and how to take care of their fish because we are based on husbandry—good quality water, good quality food, and you’ll get the best results.”

The fifth annual St. Charles Jewish Festival shined a light on many different levels

 (This piece was for a mid-August 2025 copy of Mid Rivers Newsmagazine.)

Most long-time St. Louisans know the vast majority of Jewish citizens used to be born and raised within those city limits, University City, Olivette, and other parts of that central corridor. From there, many of their offspring started to migrate further west in St. Louis County.

Fast forward to 2025 and August 10 was the day that the fifth annual St. Charles Jewish Festival was held on the Lewis & Clark Boat House parking lot just off Main Street.

One of the main forces behind the event is Rabbi Chaim Landa. He, wife Bassy, and their children recently moved to St. Charles from St. Louis County. Landa also serves as Co-Director at the nearby Chabad Jewish Center of St. Charles County.

“Over the past bunch of years, families have moved west for new housing, job opportunities, and a great quality of life,” Landa noted. “With that came steady growth in the Jewish population out here. Today, there are more than 6,000 Jews who call St. Charles County home, and the number has been growing steadily. We are a vibrant and growing St. Charles Jewish Community.”

Landa recalled that when he and Bassy first visited St. Charles in 2019, the only Jewish program in the area was Chabad of Greater St. Louis’ Roving Rabbis program—a summer and Passover outreach initiative that brings rabbinical students to smaller, more isolated Jewish communities.

Then came the 2021 birth of the St. Charles Jewish Festival!

“We identified the need to bring people together in a big way. Outside of St. Charles County, people assumed there were no Jews here. Inside St. Charles, many Jewish residents thought they were the only ones. The festival was a way to change both of those perceptions—with joy, music, and pride.

“From its inception, Mayor Dan Borgmeyer and the City of St. Charles championed this celebration in a huge way. We chose Historic Main Street as the location, brought in Jewish music, kosher food, cultural crafts, kids’ activities, and made sure it felt both authentically Jewish and welcoming to everyone.”

Before moving to St. Charles County, Landa’s work as a rabbi was always about creating connections finding ways for people to celebrate their Judaism no matter where they lived. But he went on to stress that this event is not just for Jews, and only roughly half of the attendees have been Jewish.

And the highlights of this year’s event were numerous with the main focus on culture, crafts, music, and especially for families with young children.

Regarding the latter, this year’s event featured balloon art, rock painting, lots of bubbles turned into foam, inflatables, and an Animals R Us petting zoo brought up from Hillsboro, Missouri.

There was also a Mitzvah (good deed) Corner, a Kosher pickle-making booth, and a Kosher caterer of great food from Chicago. The wide array of fabulous music at the festival featured Queens, New York-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist Aryeh Kunstler.

Regarding merchandise, the event featured the second year of the Shuk Experience—a popular Israeli open-air marketplace selling a wide-variety of Judaica and other items. There were also terrific t-shirts and hats for purchase that commemorated the event.

“Every year, the festival has grown—more food, more entertainment, more interactive activities, and more people coming together -- with more than 4,000 this year,” noted Landa.  “We also had about 100 volunteers and staff working together to create a seamless, welcoming experience.”

For context, Landa was one of only about six volunteers for the first year.

There was also a message for the event nearly two years after the Hamas terror attack of rockets that killed well over 1,000 Israelis and American visitors. That came on the Jewish holiday Simchat Torah, the Jewish holiday that celebrates the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle.  

That attack initiated the ongoing Gaza war and Israel’s fight back has fueled the anti-Semitism and anti-Israel rhetoric on college campuses and on streets throughout the U.S. and the world.

“We talk about hate a lot; maybe too much,” noted Landa. “This was bringing people together to the other extreme.”

In addition to Mayor Borgmeyer, several other dignitaries on hand included St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann, Wentzville Mayor Nick Guccione, St. Peters Mayor Len Pagano, and state representative Terri Violet.

There was also an unexpected guest at the center of the festival’s ribbon cutting. It was Polish Holocaust survivor Elza Drapacz. She is a survivor from 80 years ago, and was highlighted in the early spring St. Louis Jewish Film Festival.

Drapacz was one of many to emphasize the motto, "Be kind to each other. Help make a better world."