Experience the sensations of Scotland at the annual St. Louis Scottish Games

 (Here is how I turned in my West Newsmagazine preview for The St. Louis Scottish Games a few weeks ago.)

How ironic that this year’s St. Louis Scottish Games and Cultural Festival will sport the theme ‘The Games are Calling.’ After all, Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone and also worked on developments in hearing, was born in 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland.

But the event, held from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Manchester’s Schroeder Park for the fourth consecutive year, will illicit far more senses than mere hearing aspects. The Games’ marketing guru, Board member and former participant, Bob Macauley, was adamant about driving home that point.

“You get every sense—wonderful visuals whether it be men and women doing great feats of strength, beautiful audio signs of pipes playing, and the wonderful smells of Scottish food,” he said. “It’s a festival!  It’s energetic! There’s always something going on that will pique your interest. Primarily, it’s a day of fun and frivolity.”

                    An athlete competes in the Caber toss. (Elaine Collins photo)

One of the main attractions is what’s referred to as Heavy Athletics. That’s where big, brawny guys and some strong women come out and do various strength events like the hammer throw and the caber toss, which is a wooden beam roughly the length of a telephone pole!

There will also be a big-time tug of war that features first responders such as the firefighters of Manchester.

“Speaking of strength, we also do something that is called the Stone Carry.  The bottom line is, the men and women pick up two 250-pound stones with their hands. Each stone is connected by a ring. Then they walk as far as they can. It’s amazing to watch! Last year, there was a guy who I think carried these two stones—a total of 500 pounds—about 93 feet! It is, another amazing display of strength, power, and balance! And some of the women do it, too. One of the women I think carried it 13 feet, beating some of the men. It just boggles the mind when you watch them do it! They have one hanging down toward the right leg and one down the left leg.” 

Those events are in line with a famous Gaelic saying: ‘Failin means yer playin.’ The translation is ‘It’s better to be doing badly than not taking part at all.’

West County EMS & Fire's tug-of-war team won out over Manchester Police in the annual tug-of-war competition. The team earned a trophy, and $1,000 was donated to The Backstoppers Inc. (Elaine Collins photo)

Another fan favorite is called The Legion of Honor. That’s where men come out in full armor with swords and axes, and partake in full, live combating.

Although specific musicians were not fully lined up as of press time, this year’s gala will be focused around local Scottish music entertainers. There will also be both individual and team (bag)piping competitions.

“We will have a children’s area where they get a chance to go into a cordoned off space, and pretend like they’re playing heavy athletics. Instead of throwing a 70- or 80-pound telephone pole, they just throw a Nerf item, and they have the most fun! Also, when the Legion of Honor is done with their act, they will pose for photographs with the kids, and families can come up so they can be part of the Legion of Honor, too.

“The kids will also get what’s called a passport. It is a printed piece that has squares where individual kids go to the roughly 20 clan tents based on our own Scottish last names. Each of the clan tent members usually have a stamp that features the clan shield. The kids get to walk around and collect those imprints. It’s a way to make sure the kids visit clan tents, and when they go there, many of the tents will be giving the kids candy or something memorable so they have something to go home with.”

That brings to mind another Gaelic saying, ‘Guid gear comes in sma’ bulk.’ That translates into the common saying, ‘Good things come in small packages.’

The St. Louis Legion of Honor combat arena at the Scottish Games. (Elaine Collins photo)

There’s Scottish food offered like meat pies and other traditional Scottish fare. Schlafly is the beer sponsor, and they typically make a Scottish ale available for event attendees. Meanwhile, the only activity still not finalized at the time was sheep herding.

“Our goal is to celebrate the history, the heritage, and the traditions of Scotland. By hosting the games, it allows us to bring in food, athletics, piping, music, and traditional Highland dancing, which is mostly young women but sometimes a young man will come out. Overall, it’s bringing Scottish culture out to the citizens of St. Louis and the surrounding area. It gives them an opportunity to spend the day in Scotland without traveling to Scotland.”

For ticket purchasing and other details, those interested can go to https://stlouis-scottishgames.com/. 

Pathfinder Church to perform 175 Acts of Service for major anniversary year

 (Being big-time into history as I am, this was another fun recent story I did for West Newsmagazine!)

                  A horse and buggy pass before the church in 1871. (Photo courtesy of Pathfinder Church)

In 1851, St. Louis was the fourth largest city in the U.S. Nearly all of its 77,000 residents, with large populations of German and Irish immigrants, lived just west of the Mississippi River which helped the city serve as a crucial transportation and trading hub.

At that same time, far west from downtown St. Louis, what was then known as St. John Church was in its infancy.

“We’ve been established in this community since 1851,” Pathfinder Church Marketing and Brand Manager Kaitlyn Schmidt said. “We started out as an immigrant community of Saxon Germans who started this church on Ries Road. Our first service with baptisms and service was in June of 1851. We changed from a German community to an English-speaking one and we just kind of stood the test of time. But we’ve also not neglected to change with how we need to serve our West County as we still do today.”

                    Sunday school in 1926. (Photo by Francis Scheidegger/Pathfinder Church)

The church’s inception out west was aided by ground being broken on the St. Louis on the Pacific Railroad, the predecessor of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, which aided both connectivity and commerce in the region and helped lead to the church’s growth.

The original Ries Road location subsequently evolved into the modern-day Pathfinder Church at 15800 Manchester Road in Ellisville, with roughly 3,000-members.

The church is celebrating its 175 years of existence by giving back to its community with a 175 Acts of Service endeavor.

                                 The church in 1943. (Photo courtesy of Pathfinder Church)

“Part of that is having our congregation members serve at the local non-profit partners we work with already,” Schmidt said. “But we’re also really encouraging our members to get a group of family and friends together to serve anything from cleaning up a local park to cooking meals for a neighbor who is injured or can’t leave their home. It’s also anything from mowing someone’s lawn or taking out their trash. There’s no limitations. We’re just encouraging our members to be thoughtful and take the initiative to help in our community to make it better.”

The start date of the initiative was April 6.

“Then we’re going through July 4 and really want to blitz our community with active service in those 90 days,” Schmidt said.

The 175 Acts of Service idea was formulated by its church committees, which include staff and members of the congregation.

“But in addition to our meeting discussions, we also want our community to submit their own areas of requests that we can have our people fulfill,” Schmidt said. “There’s a request form or submission form on our website for that. We have a Serve 175 webpage where we encourage our members to submit their activities like a blogpost.”

                               A 1964 Easter sunrise service. (Photo courtesy of Pathfinder Church)

Not directly affiliated with the 175th anniversary, the Church’s annual Summer Blast will be held June 15-19.  Last year, Pathfinder had around 600 kids on campus for that event. It’s a major event they host that fills up every year.

Pathfinder is also hoping to do another community event this fall to again celebrate its 175 years with the community. 

                          A modern view of Pathfinder Church. (Photo courtesy of Pathfinder Church)

“We are part of the LCMS – the Lutheran Church of the Missouri Synod,” Schmidt said. “But we have modern, contemporary services. We are a biblically bound, but culturally relevant church. We are also outwardly focused; always looking to serve the community, and to just serve people as they are and as they enter our doors. A lot of people come in with different degrees and journeys of faith. We like to meet them where they are, and they are welcome here no matter what.”

Castlewood State Park: From vacation spot to a hiker’s paradise

 (Here's another wonderful hiking spot for a recent West Newsmagazine article.  All photos are courtesy of Missouri State Parks.)

Back in the early 20th century, there was a bustling resort town named Castlewood in what is now West St. Louis County. On hot days, hundreds of people would flock to nearby Lincoln Beach along the Meramec River.

Castlewood State Park, officially named with its 1974 introduction, preserves those exhilarating views which drew tourists to the area in droves. Beyond the scenery, the area itself has an interesting history.

“The (Missouri Pacific) railroads were built out this way in the mid-19th century,” said Superintendent David Meeker. “We have a neat photo in our office showing the Castlewood Depot. It was not what you think of when you think of the Kirkwood Depot. It was basically a spot where you could step up on or off the train. That depot on the tracks was near what was called The Grand Staircase, which is a concrete staircase that went from the track level, up the bluffs, and headed to the cabins, hotels.”

Meeker said the train had a custom car to transport people’s canoes to the area. People would get off work on Friday, haul their canoe to the train depot, put it on the train and come out to the park for the weekend. That train still comes through on a regular basis while Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner Line comes through four times a day.

“Back then, Castlewood was far away from the developed city of St. Louis, and out here, there were many cabins, recreation areas and business areas built up to serve more like a summer vacation type of community,” Meeker said. “You could come out with the family and rent a cabin for the weekend, hit a couple trails here and there, swim in the river, canoe … things like that.”

The area’s popularity diminished a great deal as the introduction of the automobile led to people driving greater distances to sites in all directions just after World War II. Through that time, the area fell into disarray due to building abandonments and natural deterioration.

Fast forward to the early 1970s and the Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region and other citizen activists began working together to advocate for more green spaces in what became expanded urban areas.

“What I find significant about Castlewood is that it’s 1,818 acres of primarily undeveloped forests, river bottoms and ecosystems that you rarely see in West St. Louis County,” Meeker said. “As a large point of significance, the park exists to serve as a very large greenspace.

“You could be driving down Big Bend Road and see nothing but housing, businesses and you’re near the highway. Then when you take a left heading south on Ries Road and once you hit our border, it can be overwhelming for some people because it’s nothing but forest. Then, there’s a winding road that leads into the park entrance.”

The park’s hiking opportunities featuring ruralness and scenic views spread across Castlewood’s eight trails that cover some 30 total miles.

Most first-time Castlewood visitors are totally unaware of what roughly two-thirds of the park could offer to them.

“The day-use area is where most people come to visit,” Meeker said. “But we have trails on the south side of the Meramec River as well. There’s the Castlewood Loop Trail and the Chubb Trail. Those are managed in cooperation with St. Louis County Parks. But on the north side of the Meramec River to the west of the day-use area, we have other properties as well. We have the Al Foster Trail which stretches out to Wildwood, the Cedar Bluff Loop, and the Stinging Nettle Trail.” 

Castlewood is a busy location on nice days for hiking, mountain biking and other activities. In addition, the park plays host to third party and special events regularly, and features several major volunteer events throughout the year as well. 

“Starting in April, we are beginning a series of Trail Maintenance Volunteer Days that are on the second and fourth Tuesdays every month from April-October,” Meeker said. 

Meeker said a recently improved park feature is the Lone Wolf Trailhead gazebo. 

“The structure was in need of a lot of help,” Meeker said. “We replaced all the posts on it, poured concrete sidewalks all around it, and it’s ADA accessible as well.”

Castlewood’s park gates and grounds are open year-round daily from 7 a.m. to one-half hour after sunset.

Babler State Park links suburban, rural in West County

 (As an avid hiker, I loved getting this recent area parks assignment for West Newsmagazine!)

                              (Photo courtesy of Missouri State Parks)

Located less than two miles from Rockwood Valley Middle in Wildwood, Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park is a merging point for suburban West St. Louis County and the rural beauty of Missouri. 

“We have natural reasons and cultural reasons to visit,” said Babler Park Superintendent Christopher Ferre. “Specifically for Babler, it’s preserving a large swath of the forest and hillsides that are indicative of this part of Missouri. We call those ‘the river hills.’

“Overall, we’re just over 2,400 acres, so it’s a nice piece of greenscape to hold onto for parks. We’ve got over 16 miles of hiking trails which includes equestrian horse use trails. Of course, our ever-popular 75-site campground is kind of the main focus of the park along with our visitor center. There we have exhibits, our retail shop, and it’s the place for information for the whole park. Another key feature is our group camp we have down in part of the park. We call it the Outdoor Education Center.”

That latter amenity includes overnight cabins, a dining hall and an accessible pool. It was all designed to be barrier-free to suit any park-goer’s accessibility needs. It’s run in partnership with Parkway-Rockwood Community Education and can be rented out with cabins for a weekend or longer as in the case of summer camps.

                                                 (Photo by Elaine Collins)

The park is named after Edmund Babler, who was born in 1874. He died at age 55 and his legacy as a general surgeon was honored by his brother Jacob and younger brother Henry by purchasing a large swath of land to donate to the state of Missouri during the depression years. A bronze statue of Babler was added in 1938, unveiled at a dedication ceremony that drew a crowd of 3,000 people, according to the Missouri State Parks website. The size of the park increased greatly in future years. 

The statue of Dr. Edmund A. Babler, which has been in the park for 87 years. (Photo courtesy of Missouri State Parks)

“Of course, a lot of our Civilian Conservation Corps-built shelters are able to be reserved by families and friends,” Ferre said. “Also, the natural area we talked about is home to a good portion of Missouri’s flora and fauna that is found in this part of the state. We have a little bit of everything here.”

Babler State Park is also known for a few prime events.

“Chronologically, what we’re looking at first is a big Memorial Day weekend with  various events throughout the park with crafts and programs, and we’re going to cap that off with an outdoor movie night,” Ferre said. “There’ll be a big screen to sit out in the field and watch a movie.”

Babler plays host to many organizational meetups, such as this Missouri Mycological Society event. (Photo courtesy of Missouri State Parks)

That event will be followed by the offering of art classes with a good deal of painting.  Ferree said people who register will be welcomed with a plethora of all the supplies needed to paint landscapes and also parts of the park. That’s because some of the classes will be held at the visitor center while others will be held outside in the park.

“Also, we will have our Halloween event known as the Howl-O-Ween,” Ferree said. “It’s always a highly-popular event capping off the season. On the campgrounds and the regular visitor center, we do crafts, trick-or-treating, costume contests, and campground contests. That happens the weekend before Halloween, which is Saturday the 24th. This is a totally free event with no reservation necessary and no limited capacity.”

Updates on events can be found on the Missouri State Parks website or the Babler’s Facebook page.

                                  (Photo by Elaine Collins)

Ferree said Babler is ready to be fully open again for the full season, starting in April. Renovations have been done on 38 of its campsites, upgrading them to full hookups with concrete pads.

Another project in the works is upgrading the water distribution system, switching over from an independent well to a more modern system through Missouri American Water. That’s going to provide better water pressure across the site and consistency.

                             (Photo by Elaine Collins)

“The other key thing that’s kind of coming along is the lodge that sits back in the corner of the park,” Ferree said. “For the past few years, it was used as kind of an outpost by the Division of Youth Services for some of the kids they had in their care. But it’s come back into the state parks’ hands. 

“We are in the process of designing a renovation of that lodge. It will be opened back to the public, which it has not been for a lot of years. That would include overnight stays and special events. We’re excited about that coming along once we complete the final design process.”

All Missouri parks are free to enter for all guests because of the Parks, Soils and Water Sales Tax, a one-tenth-of-one percent sales tax which comes up for a vote once every 10 years. The tax will be on the ballot again for the Nov. 3 General Election. According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the tax costs the average resident about $10 a year. Half of those funds go to the parks, but that accounts for 80% of each park’s funding.

Feed the Need STL set to hold 20th annual food-packing event

 (From one of my recent West Newsmagazine articles...It's not too late to sign up to volunteer! Photos courtesy of Janie Wolfangel...)

Feed the Need STL, working in coordination with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), will host its 20th annual MobilePack event from April 8-12 at Queeny Park’s Greensfelder Recreation Center.

“Last year was a huge success,” said planning team member Janie Wolfangel, who has been involved for 15 years. “We packed over a million meals that were sent to foreign countries. This year, we’re shooting for 1.5 million.”

                        Food donations for Operation Food Search collected at a previous MobilePack.

Wolfangel’s part of the organization, affiliated with Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Manchester, is hoping to draw 6,000 volunteers. Well over 5,000 were registered as of March 7, with over $300,000 raised out of a goal of $436,000.

The first year of the event in 2007 saw $22,000 donated, with a turnout of 500 volunteers packing 112,104 meals.

“What we do is to ask the people who come to pack the meals to also bring canned goods that we donate to Operation Food Search here in St. Louis,” Wolfangel said. “So, we’re not only benefitting kids out of the country and all over the world, but we’re also helping kids in St. Louis. We’re the longest running group doing this. So, we’re kind of proud.”

Volunteers pack food to be sent to children around the world through the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children. 

FMSC decides where meals are shipped. Those who do the packing know where it’s going three or four days after the food is packaged.

“The organization is just phenomenal,” Wolfangel said. “What they do for other people, I just can’t say enough good things about it. The group that puts this one together, we have three executives: David Hawkins, Bob DeBolt, and Suzie Everingham. They’re unbelievable and they get more people involved in this. It’s awesome.”

To volunteer or learn more about the event, visit feedtheneedstl.org.

Ballwin officer Rachael Stark finds success in Hollywood

 (Complete story as I turned it in to West Newsmagazine for publication! All TV show images were taken by the Wheel of Fortune crew, the one of Murray Weidenbaum with President Reagan is from cyclowiki.org, while the officer one is from the city of Ballwin,)

Making an appearance on an uber popular TV game show in the bright lights of Hollywood is a stark contrast from serving primarily behind the scenes in the field of law enforcement.

But that’s precisely what 30-year-old Ballwin Police Officer Rachael Stark experienced in her spins for prize money on The Wheel of Fortune!

                                                  

Stark met a few challenges during the show itself, but it was a much greater struggle just to get there.

“I’ve been applying for three years straight!” Stark said. “Each year, they open up an application. I’ll put in my information, and they’ll schedule like a ZOOM meeting with me. Finally, near the end of August, I got an email saying, basically, ‘Hop on a plane. Here’s your taping date.’ I was like ‘Whoa!’ The date was going to be on a Thursday, and I had (Missouri National Guard) Army duty on Saturday. So, my husband (Sean) and I flew out to L.A. on a Wednesday (Sept. 3), taped Thursday (Sept. 4), came home Friday, and I went straight to Army duty Saturday. I know it sounds like a cliché, but it was a whirlwind trip because it was not on my Bingo card!” 

Once on the air, Stark’s excitement was at a fever pitch. But she was slowed by countless bad luck spins onto the Bankrupt spot.

“It’s wild how quickly the game can turn. One spin can completely change the direction of the game. Even with some setbacks, I was genuinely excited for my fellow contestants when things went their way. The energy backstage was so positive, and we all got along so well. Honestly, even if I had walked away with no winnings, the experience itself would still have been the most valuable prize.

That said, Stark later fought that off by solving the ‘What are you wearing?’ question with the answer, ‘karate black belt.’ For the final puzzle under the category of ‘Never have I ever,’ Stark won again by solving the puzzle’s answer, ‘pulled a prank.’ Her total winnings were $8,000, leaving her short of making the bonus round.

Stark said that knowing her husband was in the audience cheering her on helped immensely. His support made the entire experience even more special.

She added that just being there felt like a win, and no matter the dollar amount, the experience itself was priceless. After all, she has always had a great passion for game shows.

“I love Wheel of Fortune and I love game shows like Press Your Luck and The Price is Right. I love testing my knowledge and seeing how much I know. I’ll be watching Jeopardy and trying to guess it faster than the person on the screen…which never happens. But I have always been fascinated with entertainment. I think it’s so cool. I watch reality TV and think, ‘Oh my gosh! They’re so popular!  That’s so cool!’ I’m fascinated with Hollywood and all that. So, to actually be a part of what’s going to be on TV is awesome!

“Ryan (Seacrest) and Vanna (White) were incredibly kind and gracious. They could tell we were nervous and made an effort to put us at ease, which meant so much. Maggie Sajak was also there, and it felt surreal being in the same room with people I’ve watched on television.”

A major challenge for Stark was knowing that her episode would not even be aired until February 18!  She forced herself to honor an agreement not to divulge any details of her showing until the end of the 5 ½-month wait between it being filmed and having it air.

Stark said quietly going back to normal life and keeping that long-term secret may have been tougher than trying to solve the puzzles.

“Finally getting to share it with friends and family has honestly been just as exciting as being on stage. It made the whole experience feel real all over again. This experience also showed me how much I genuinely enjoy being on camera.”

 

Stark added that she and Sean had a few other goals for the roughly 40-hour whirlwind visit. They succeeded in eating scrumptious tacos, loved walking along the Santa Monica Pier, and spending time dipping their toes into the ocean. She also got an incredible smoothie from Erewhon. Her only tongue-in-cheek disappointment was not running into the Jonas Brothers.

Then, it was return to work time at various settings.

Now that the airing has been completed, including on HULU, Stark’s work duties are once again magnified.

Those include volunteering her time as a Ballwin Reserve Officer. Duties include providing security at the Ballwin Municipal Courts twice a month plus community events like Ballwin Days, Halloween patrols, and a variety of 5K and other runs.

Full-time work for the St. Louis County Police Department takes up most of Stark’s time. Her current role is serving as a civilian analyst in their Bureau of Research and Analysis. She’s also a Captain of the Missouri National Guard.  

Stark had previous stints as a Police Officer for the Creve Coeur Police Department and as a Reserve Police Officer for the Maryland Heights Police Department. She also graduated from the Police Academy during the Covid years.

But Stark was very young when she her initial experience led to the decision that law enforcement would be her lifetime career.

“Growing up in my Olivette neighborhood, we had a police officer (Rick Knox) who would always stop by our house. One of my earliest memories was just him getting to know the neighborhood, getting to know my family.  As time went on, he stayed with our community police department then went on to be Chief of Police and was one of my biggest role models in law enforcement. I was really inspired by the work that he did for my community and me growing up, and I was like, ‘I want to be like him when I grow up!’”

In addition, Stark’s family has had a long history of military and other governmental service.

“I’m extremely proud of my dad’s (Victor) military service. I’ve always looked up to him. So, I’ve had that role model in my life growing up. That was a very big motivation to get into  community focused work and to serve my nation. When I went to Mizzou, I joined Army ROTC. I did that for four years and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. I’ve been in the Missouri National Guard ever since, and now I’m a Captain.”

Stark spends one weekend a month with them and is a Medical Services Officer with a lot of administrative duties, leadership, and overseeing the big picture.

“I manage soldiers and it’s very rewarding. I absolutely love it! I completely see why my dad loved the military.”

Meanwhile, Rachael’s mother, Laurie Weidenbaum, along with siblings Susan and Jim, graduated from Parkway North and had a very famous father. Murray Weidenbaum served as United States Assistant Secretary to the Treasury and President Ronald Reagan’s economic advisor.

Rachael herself was a full-time patrol officer in Creve Coeur. She said she absolutely loved Creve Coeur, growing up so close to there in extreme western Olivette.  

“There were a lot of people there I was familiar with, the community loved us, and it was a very rewarding part of my career. While I was there, I met my husband who is now a police officer elsewhere (St. Clair County, Illinois). The schedules were really hard on us, so I went to the St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office to be a Death Investigator after that.”

Stark also joined the Ballwin PD in March of 2023.

“I missed actual police work, but I knew I didn’t want to do it in a full-time capacity just because I never saw my husband. But I couldn’t completely get out of it. I was acquaintances with Lieutenant (Robert) Wetzel. I contacted him and asked if they needed any reserve officers. They put me through the process. I work court and also special events for the department about 20 hours a month. They are so welcoming and such a wonderful group of people. I love my other reserve officers, and we make such a good team.”

Starks’ been with St. Louis County PD, writing policy for 2 ½ years. She works there Monday-Thursday 6 am-4 pm. She somehow finds time to play pickleball twice a week.

As an only child, Stark mentioned, “My parents have been so supportive in every career decision I’ve made and I could not have done this without their support. So, is my husband as a fellow law enforcement officer and is also totally supportive of what I do.”

And the accolades also poured in for Stark herself!

“She’s a very motivated person; that’s for sure,” noted Ballwin Public Information Officer  Shannon Jones. “She’s always very busy, active in the community and very close to her family.”

“Rachael is a great part of our team,” added Ballwin Police Chief John Bergfeld. “She is courteous and always professional. She has a great work ethic and always willing to help out with a project or an event. Rachael has a great future ahead of her.”

Stark’s statement about her own attitude toward police work was also profoundly evident throughout Stark’s Wheel of Fortune experience! 

“I understand there is police work where you can’t be smiling all the time, but I like community engagement and going to the events; working 5Ks, shaking hands with people, and that’s what I love about police work,” Stark added. “This brings out the best aspects of my personality because I’m a happy, bubbly person!”

 

West End wine merchants enjoy fruit of their labor

 (This is for all my fellow wine drinkers AND wine aficionados. We join so many of our friends on nearly weekly trips to area wineries for food, beverages, live music, and dancing. Here's a story I did from a couple very lengthy, in-person interviews with lots of questions for a spring 1989 West End Word piece. I have no idea how I received all those extra, highly-detailed facts about wines!)

Are wine aficionados born or made? Considering the contrasting backgrounds of two Central West End establishment owners, the answer maybe ‘yes’ to both choices.

Steve Casagrande, co-owner of Bevco Wines and Liquors, 5127 Delmar Blvd., was born into the business.  The 76-year-old father of this 1964 St. Louis University Business graduate still runs his own wine-selling entity in Casagrande’s native Spring Lake, NJ.

“I worked for 20-plus years as a CPA for an international firm,” Casagrande said. “This is my retirement—working 18 hours a day. But I don’t really look at it that way because I’m doing what I enjoy doing.”

Casagrande, who shares ownership with wife Karen, has quite an eclectic background in wine. He has lived near some of the famous European vineyards, collected wines, lectured, judged wines in Missouri and Kentucky, and is an original member of the Augusta (MO) Wine Board.

Meanwhile, John Sappington, co-owner of West end Wines, 309 Belt Ave., Has discovered that his more recently-found love for wines keeps growing with age.

Sappington entered the wine business in 1975, shortly after completing graduate school with a degree in classical studies from Washington University. He says he fell into the field because he needed money and enjoyed tasting wine.

“I was just a consumer who knew very little about wine, but I was always interested in food, cooking, and related things,” said Sappington, who has shared a two-year partnership with fellow Central West End resident Melanie Harvey.

“It seemed interesting enough for a temporary job, but I became even more interested when I learned more about it,” he said. “Now I’m very happy with it because it’s a continual learning process. There’s a tremendous amount of information. It’s a lifetime study.”

Obviously, the greatest fascination surrounding wine is centered around its distinct taste. Physiology is of the utmost importance in that respect. Different areas of the tongue can detect sweetness, sourness, acidity, and astringency.

People swirl the wine glass to aerate or cause heightened activity in the molecules. They then sniff the wine to experience the much higher density of those active molecules.

“My perception is that there’s a lot of ritual to it which seems kind of silly to some,” Sappington said. “Sniffing corks at the table doesn’t tell you anything about wine. But tasting starts with your eyes—evaluating the color and clarity. It proceeds to the nose—the wine’s aroma. People get intimidated by tasting criteria, but it’s really supposed to determine whether you like the wine or not.”

The most important knowledge to be gained from wine sampling is a consistent approach to differentiating preferences for some wines over others.

“All the testing is done to build up your individual taste memories,” Casagrande said. “One way to help you do that is to put a little time into learning terminology. Terms are important as they relate to sensory perceptions. They help you classify taste memories and communicate with others about them.”

Terminology is especially important considering people’s sharply different opinions about what is good or bad wine. Various areas of preference include sweet to dry, heavy to light, and extremely concentrated versus a close to water consistency.

Color is another area of individual preference. It is often dependent upon how the grape is vinified, although red wines are often akin to the color of grapes. Pinot noir grapes are often used in red burgundies, while a Swiss grape called Rote has les color and is used to make lighter wines.

Blush wines, whose name was changed from rose by a group of Californians in 1973, is made from a red grape whose skin was removed earlier in the process than it would be with red wines. Champagne differs from wine in that it goes through as many as three fermentations within the bottle.

Headaches have long been a problem in wine drinking, with 10 to 15 per cent of the population susceptible to them. The cause is the buildup of sulfur dioxide, and the solution is to expose the opened bottle to air for 15 minutes before drinking.

To a lesser extent, the preservative tannin has been known to cause headaches for those drinking young red wines. But a greater concern to vintners is the belief that wine drinking leads to serious alcoholism.

“Alcohol in moderate amounts is actually prescribed to people with high blood pressure,” Casagrande said. “Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘A nation that drinks wine is not a nation of drunkards.’

“You have to realize that wine is food, basically, or at least a natural accompaniment to food. I lived in Italy for three years. They drink about a bottle a day per person. There’s no drunkenness there because they drink wine in moderation with food.”

That brings up another question. What type of wine should be served with various foods? To some, that seems as trite a consideration as the processes some use to sample wines. But there are certain truisms.

“It’s based on certain flavor affinities,” Sappington said. “Certain wines and foods marry so nicely from a chemical standpoint. Red wine and beef is a combination that seems to work better than white wine and beef, while a lot of seafood dishes go better with white.”

Naturally, price is another consideration in choosing a wine. But according to Casagrande, the highest priced wines are not always the best. He refers to a variety of mediocre Missouri white wines which are far more expensive than some good Italian imports. On the other hand, he believes that Missouri’s fruit wines are often better despite their relatively lower cost.

Sappington cited factors other than sheer quality in determining the price of wine.

“It basically boils down to one or two factors,” he said. “First, the cost of producing wine, and second, the ability of the winemaker, or more likely the people between the winemaker and the consumer, to sell it. It will also be based on the wine’s reputation and its demand and supply.”

Additional information on wine may be obtained from “Wine Spectator,” a magazine designed for consumers; Kevin Zraly’s book, “Windows of the World Wine Course,” local wine tasting group called Les Amis du Vin (The Friends of Wine), and various programs through the St. Louis Community Colleges.