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."

Creve Coeur City Administrator moving on to Great Rivers Greenway

(Here is an article I turned in to West Newsmagazine on June 25, 2025--just two days after I covered a Creve Coeur City Council meeting.) 

Creve Coeur City Administrator Mark Perkins will soon be leaving his post of 26 years to become CEO of Great Rivers Greenway (GRG).

"The biggest words regarding Mark are strength and continuity," Mayor Robert Hoffman said, crediting Perkins with assembling an efficient city staff. "Being there for 26 years has benefited the city to no end."

Perkins stepped into public service positions after graduating from the University of Kansas. After three years apiece in the Chicago communities of Highland Park and Roselle, he went to Blue Springs, Missouri, for a five-year stint as assistant city administrator before his tenure with Creve Coeur started in 1999.

“Back then, there were a couple issues facing us,” Perkins said. “One was the reconstruction of the (diamond) interchange at 270 and Olive, which was a MoDOT (Missouri Department of Transportation) project slated to begin soon. When I got there, I was working with our staff trying to find out what that was going to look like. What are the aesthetics and what kind of pedestrian facilities are we going to have with this interchange?”

The city quickly pulled together a grant application to provide enhancements that included pedestrian facilities and landscaping. The city also began a series of sidewalk projects. Concerns for pedestrian safety continued throughout Perkins’ tenure.

“We were also in very late discussions to acquire land for Millennium Park, which was already part of Creve Coeur,” Perkins said. 

The city acquired the land for Millennium Park and immediately put together a landscape and amenity design that was completed around 2000.

In the late 2000s, the Creve Coeur Police Department was faced with making several costly upgrades to its dispatching operations. It needed new and very expensive technology upgrades.

Creve Coeur collaborated with Town & Country and Frontenac to create a centralized dispatch operation, the West Central Dispatch Center. It was cost saving because equipment purchases and staffing could serve all three communities as opposed to each one having to bear the costs individually.

“It allowed us to combine our resources, provide better coverage and better service to our communities by having a little bit higher level of staffing,” Perkins said. “We embarked on that around 2010 and it has continued ever since.  It’s been an excellent partnership and an example of regional cooperation.”

The project saved Creve Coeur $100,000 the first year and that savings has continued to grow annually. More recently, the city of Ladue became a member.

According to Hoffman, there have been more positive accomplishments, including updates to Venable Park and progress with the 39 North AgTech Innovation District.

“We’ve just recently dealt with Venable Park in the last 5-10 years to make up for a very, very, very major sleight to a fine black doctor (Dr. H. Phillip Venable),” Hoffman said. “But I think 39 North, which is so close to Mark’s heart, is the best thing he’s done for the city.”

Since the Danforth Plant and Science Center was built in Creve Coeur, there was a recognition of an opportunity to grow the area as a hub for agricultural innovation.

Between 2010 and 2015 there was a collaborative marketing effort of Danforth, Monsanto, Creve Coeur and the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership.

“A few years later, we all undertook a 39 North Master Plan,” Perkins said. “That later became a roadmap for developing that AgTech Innovation District, and what role various partners could play. The city’s role was largely focused on how we could work on providing infrastructure that would support the growth of this district.”

Perkins noted how much he’s enjoyed working on a variety of infrastructure projects to make the community better in partnerships with Creve Coeur’s boards, commissions, staff and City Council. 

“My role has certainly been to continue to help make improvements in the community throughout the term of my service here,” Perkins said. “But one of the things I’m proud of is the great staff we have. I’m also proud of the trust we’ve built with our residents from surveying them every few years to get their feedback. It’s also been gratifying to work with so many residents who are so invested in the community and want to see the city thrive.”

Recently, Perkins learned Susan Trautman, GRG’s CEO of roughly 16 years, was retiring.

“When I saw that, it came to my mind what a fantastic opportunity it could be for someone,” Perkins said. “My other thought was that whoever fills that position is going to have huge shoes to fill because Susan’s done such a phenomenal job with her staff over many years. It certainly piqued my interest and it totally speaks to a passion I have in making St. Louis connected in many ways.”

GRG works with local partners to build a regional network of greenways in both St. Charles County and St. Louis city and county. 

“The Great Rivers Greenway is a project that Mark’s looked at for many years, including Creve Coeur’s participation in it,” Hoffman said. “I think he’ll have his heart and soul in it. That’s why it’s a great fit.”

Perkins’ new role as CEO starts Aug. 4. He said “it was certainly bittersweet” when he had to close the June 23 city council meeting with details on the search for his own city administrator replacement. The city is seeking nationwide proposals by mid-July, allowing for a contract award by the Aug. 11 council meeting. Meanwhile, Assistant City Administrator Sharon Stott will serve in the interim position near the end of July. 

Rescued zoo butterflies are brought to the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House

 (Here is the full piece I did for West Newsmagazine following the May 16 tornado that mainly moved through the western section of the city of St. Louis. Used several of my own photos from more than a dozen Butterfly House visits in Faust Park.)

How ironic that there’s a lyric that reads, ‘You’re a butterfly, and butterflies are free to fly; Fly away, high away, bye-bye’ in Elton John’s 1975 hit song, “Someone Saved My Life Tonight.”

Hundreds of butterflies were saved after a tornado measuring about E3 caused heavy mid-afternoon damage on May 16 at the St. Louis Zoo.

Heavy winds sent large trees crashing through several plexiglass panels of the geodesic dome of the Mary Ann Lee Butterfly Wing.

Zoo employees were racing around to save several dozen butterflies from escaping through the openings. So was entomologist Tad Yankoski of the Sophia M. Sachs Butterly House in Chesterfield’s Faust Park.

Chris Hartley, current Manager of Collections, Education and Facilities of Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, has been an employee there since August 2005. He noted that his facility works closely with the Intake Care team at the St. Louis Zoo. They were personally in contact with the zoo due to having a lot of friends there.

“So, we knew right away when the storms damaged the insectarium. Tad actually responded from his house and let us know at work that this happened and was on his way. He took the initiative and just dove right in because if you’re in this business, you knew this was a top level, emergency situation. I’m sure you read how they were running around with nets trying to catch all the butterflies. He brought a net, jumped right in, and helped their staff gather them up and he took them to safety at our facility. The butterflies were actually released that same night that they were caught because the best habitat for the butterfly is the natural one where they can find food and everything they need.”

Hartley said that regarding transport, it was very normal. He noted that butterflies are very easy to transport compared to so many other species at the zoo like giraffes or polar bears. They simply go into mesh cages in the back seat of a car where they can be contained instead of just flapping around your car. They make sure it’s a safe way to transport them because their wings can be so delicate. He said that “if they were not confined a little bit, they could beat themselves up before they even arrived at the Butterfly House.”

 The Chesterfield facility took in between 500 and 600 butterflies in the rescue. Among them were The Clipper and The Paper Kite from Southeast Asia, plus four types from Central America: The Postman, The Malachite, The Golden Longwing, and The Blue Morpho.

Among those, dozens were still in the chrysalid stage. He added that those chrysalids went right into their emergence case. Since then, they have emerged into butterflies and have been released into their new conservatory just like they’ve always been there. 

Hartley also noted that butterflies are not aggressive toward each other and there’s never a situation where they can’t be mixed. The lifespan of an adult butterfly is pretty short with the average of about four weeks. So, the butterflies will live out their whole life in Chesterfield before they pass away from old age or natural causes. 

“We are just so grateful that we had the ability to help. There are lots of cities where there’s no other facility to care for them just 20 minutes or so down the road. In fact, that’s far and away the more normal situation. We were just very lucky that even though this tragedy struck the zoo, we were in a position to swing in and help. They helped us out last year and we returned the favor.”

Hartley was referring to a November 2024 situation in which a major flood rocked his own structure.

“This was kind of a reverse situation. They were able to help us out when we had water collecting in our basement because our sump pumps failed, causing the water to accumulate. During that time, we were unable to heat our conservatory, and it was cold. So, they helped us by taking a few of our shipments. That way, our butterflies were able to be released at the zoo so they could survive there.”

What a great example of playing it forward, reciprocating, and returning the favor! And a lot more butterflies were again saved in the process!