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Peter Pan

Local mystery writer tries for kids' best-seller

If you've written 20 adult mystery books, toured with a celebrity "garage band" and have a family, wouldn't you think you were fully-employed?

For St. Louis writer Ridley Pearson, the answer is "No."

So, what did he do next? He's teamed with newspaper columnist Dave Barry to write a best-selling kids book. It's titled, "Peter Pan and the Starcatchers." And it's on the New York Times' best seller list for children's books.

Young Saint Louis.com articles usually tell about what St. Louis-area kids are doing.

But, every once in awhile, YSL.com writes about adults. That is, if what the adults do is of interest to local kids.

One previous time involved the Harry Potter books. Then, YSL.com's interest extended beyond stories and book reviews. We added kid-written reviews of Harry Potter movies.

We don't know whether the Peter Pan book will match Harry Potter. But, one of the authors is from St. Louis and the book is selling well.

So, we're giving special coverage to this new effort. Coverage includes this article about the authors and a separate, special book review. (To read the review, just click here.)

The idea to write "Peter Pan and the Starcatchers" is said to have come from Mr. Pearson's daughter, Paige, who was then 5. He was reading her the original "Peter Pan," a long-time kids favorite by J.M. Barrie.

Paige asked her dad such things as: "Just how did Peter meet Captain Hook, anyway?" How did Hook lose his hand and what about Tinker Bell?.

Co-authors Pearson and Dave Barry might seem like an unlikely team.

Pearson's previous books have been sophisticated adult mysteries. Mr. Barry is best known locally for his column in the Sunday St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Pearson has homes in St. Louis and the West. Barrie is a long-time columnist for the Miami Herald.

But, they've worked together previously.

They're both in the unique "garage band" called Rockbottom Reminders.

That band started in 1992 in California. The members weren't professional musicians; they're professional writers and entertainers. Others members who sit in include sci-fi author Stephen King and comedian Steve Martin.

Last October, the group played a St. Louis concert at The Pageant.

Pearson and Barry are taking their Peter Pan collaboration very seriously. They say they have the plotting done on two more books. They are all "prequels." That means they are to answer Paige Ridley's questions.

It's like writing about the beginning of a story after the original story has been written.

To make room for all this new work, Barry is going to quit writing his newspaper columns in January. He's been writing that column for 30 years, even while on vacation.

Barry is also finishing up a film based on one of his books, "Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys." Barry acts in the movie, plays himself.

The Disney company is backing the Peter Pan effort. That marketing-driven company sees the books as a "franchise." That means it has lots of spinoffs in mind. There's already talk of a stage play.

Pearson said, "Disney saw the possibility a franchise far sooner than we did."

He said it took the authors a couple years just to put his daughter's questions into a book.

But, the focus on fantasy is almost a no-brainer in publishing these days.

Throughout history, kids have liked fantasy. In addition to the original Peter Pan, there were "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Charlotte's Web."

But, for a time, there wasn't much new fantasy writing.

That all changed when the Harry Potter books burst on the scene. Author J. K. Rowling was an unemployed teacher when she wrote her first Harry Potter book in England.

Now, she's considered to be the most widely published author in history, with millions of books in print in dozens of languages. She's also thought to be a billionaire.

Whether St. Louisan Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry will be in that league is certainly in question. But, the first book is going well and it has Disney behind it. We'll see.

If you'd like to read more about Mr. Pearson and the Peter Pan book, you can visit two websites, www.peterpanandthestarcatchers.com and www.ridleypearson.com.

 

Can books about Peter Pan be as
popular as books about Harry Potter?

Two best-selling authors of books for grown-ups have gotten together and written a book for kids, called "Peter and the Starcatchers." The two writers, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, tell of the events that led up to the famous story of Peter Pan.

Peter, in the beginning of his story, lived in the St. Norbert's Home for Wayward Boys. As an orphan, he didn't really know how old he was - maybe nine, maybe ten, maybe eleven - just so he could be a year older than any of his mates said they were. Since he could spit farther than any of the other boys, they never really challenged how old he was.

One morning, Peter, along with four of his group, was hauled off in a carriage to be put aboard a run-down old sailing ship called the "Never Land." Once on board, the boys found out that they were being sent to Rundoon to become servants to a cruel king named King Zarboff, The Third. While on deck, the boys saw a mysterious trunk being loaded on the ship and hidden below.

There were two other passengers on the Never Land. One was a young and pretty girl named Molly, who was about Peter's age. The other was Mrs. Bumbrake, Molly's plump governess. It seems that Molly was also going to Rundoon. Her father was to be the new ambassador to that kingdom, but he was sailing on a newly launched British naval ship, called the "Wasp."

Although the people on the Never Land and on the Wasp were unaware, a notorious pirate named Black Stache was waiting on his ship, the "Sea Devil." His intent was to steal the mysterious trunk. He also wanted to take over the Wasp and make it into his pirate ship. He had formed a devious plan to accomplish his goals. The people on the Never Land were especially fearful of Black Stache, because the worn out old ship they were sailing on wouldn't have a chance against pirate attack. The naval crew on the Wasp, on the other hand, were not worried because they thought their new ship could easily outrun the pirates.

Once the ships set sail, the plot starts moving very fast and gets increasingly more complicated. There's an island where some of the characters are stranded. The island contains unfriendly natives and a huge crocodile to which the natives like to feed visitors to the island, especially if they are British.

The reader, to have some idea of what all this plot is leading to, needs to understand that all that takes place is supposed to be an explanation of how the old and longtime popular story of Peter Pan came to be. Whether you have read and liked the story of Peter Pan or not, "Peter and the Starcatchers" is a suspense-filled adventure that will keep you involved as you follow the cast of weird characters from one unlikely event to another.

 

Kids Voting 2004

Last in a series

Kids Voting results for kids, adults

The majority of St. Louis county and city kids in the 2004 Kids Voting program didn't favor President George W. Bush in balloting last month. But, then, a majority of St. Louis county and city adults didn't either.

However, a majority of both kids and adults in St. Charles and Jefferson counties did follow the national trend in re-electing President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Young Saint Louis.com has followed Missouri's Kids Voting program for several years. It is sponsored by the University of Missouri-St. Louis' College of Education. (This year, YSL.com featured Kids Voting stories in October and November. See Past Stories.)

Kids from school districts across the state took part in pre-election activities. And, then, on election day, the kids voted with the same type of ballots as adults did. Most of the time, the kids voted in the same polling stations as their parents and other adults.

Nationwide, President Bush and Vice President Cheney beat Democratic challengers John Kerry and John Edwards. Bush-Cheney also got a majority of adult Missourians.

As a part of the post-election coverage, this YSL.com story comparing votes made by kids in the Kids Voting 2004 program with results of adult voting in the same areas.

For a breakdown of all vote totals, there are two neat websites to check. For complete Kids Voting 2004 results, visit www.umsl.edu/services/kidsvoting. For complete adult voting results, visit the Missouri secretary of state's website at www.sos.state.mo.us.

(For some other interesting comparisons in the St. Louis metro area, see sidebar below.)

In final results in Missouri adult voting, the Bush-Cheney ticket polled 1,452,715 votes, or 53.4%. Kerry-Edwards totaled 1,253,879 votes, or 46.1% of the total.

In the statewide Kids Voting 2004 balloting, Kerry-Edwards held a 92,100 to 73,699 margin. That's 54% to 44%.

The Kerry-Edwards ticket had a bigger majority among kids in St. Louis city and county.

The St. Louis city kids favored Kerry-Edwards by a 22,440-to-3,184 margin. That's 85% to just 12% for Bush Cheney.

In St. Louis County, kids favored Kerry-Edwards by a 46,324-to-28,122 margin. That was 60 % for Kerry-Edwards to 36% for Bush-Cheney.

In adult voting, Bush-Cheney won with big margins in other parts of the state.

In Kids Voting 2004, that trend was the same. Bush-Cheney got the majority of kids votes in all other sections of the state, including the city of Kansas City. In the adult voting, Kansas City favored Kerry-Edwards but none of the other areas did.

The Bush-Cheney dominance in suburban and rural areas showed up in kids voting in St. Charles and Jefferson counties.

The kids voting in St. Charles were in the Francis Howell School District. There, Bush-Cheney was favored by kids by a 9,114 to 5,043 margin. That's 63% to 35%.

The Fox C-6 district represented kids voting in Jefferson County. There, Bush-Cheney had a 4,628 to 3704 margin, or 53% to 43%.

In the U.S. Senate race, the majority of St. Louis city and county kids and adults also didn't back the winner.

Sen. Christopher (Kit) Bond won re-election over Democrat Nancy Farmer in statewide adult voting results. Bond collected 1,574,793 votes, to just 1,153,422 for Farmer. That's a 56.1% to 42.7% margin.

Bond's total vote total was more than those gained by Bush-Cheney.

In statewide Kids Voting 2004 totals, Farmer outpolled Bond, 70,915 to 67,118. That's a 48% to 45% margin. (When the percentages don't add up to 100%, that's because there were votes for minor candidates that add to overall totals.)

Farmer also had majorities among kids in St. Louis city and county. But, again, Republican Bond was the winner among kids in St. Charles and Jefferson counties.

In the city of St. Louis, the St. Louis Public School kids favored Farmer by 15,213 to 5,291. That's 68% to just 24% for Bond.

In St. Louis county, the kids favored Farmer by 34,675 to 27,297 or 53% to 41%.

In the St. Charles area, Bond's margin was 7,234 to 4,516. That's 48% to 41%.

And, in Jefferson County, Bond was favored by kids, 3,534 to 3,016. That's 48% to 41%.

(For a story and sidebar of the Kids Voting 2000 results, click to December, 2000, in the Past Stories archives.)

 

How other kids-adult voting compares

The trend of the St. Louis city and county kids voting Democratic while St. Charles and Jefferson county kids voted more Republican continued in other state rates.

Here are some examples, complete with adult voting from the same areas:

For Governor:
	Jefferson County Adults
Claire McCaskill (Dem)	45,909	49.2%
Matt Blunt (Rep)	45,891	49.2%
	Kids, Fox C-6
Claire McCaskill (Dem)	3,219	43%
Matt Blunt (Rep)	3,836	51%
	St. Charles County Adults
Claire McCaskill (Dem)	70,159	42.8%
Matt Blunt (Rep)	91,825	56.0%
	Kids, Francis Howell
Claire McCaskill (Dem)	4,735	37%
Matt Blunt (Rep)	7,740	60%
	City of St. Louis Adults
Claire McCaskill (Dem)	111,236	77.9%
Matt Blunt (Rep)	29,331	20.5%
	Kids, St. Louis Public Schools
Claire McCaskill (Dem)	15,938	70%
Matt Blunt (Rep)	5,613	25%
	St. Louis County Adults
Claire McCaskill (Dem)	295,812	54.8%
Matt Blunt (Rep)	238,184	44.1%
	14 County School Districts
Claire McCaskill (Dem)	36,580	54%
Matt Blunt (Rep)	28,229	42%

 

For Lt. Governor:
	Jefferson County Adults
Bekki Cook (Dem)	46,282	51.2%
Peter Kinder (Rep)	41,616	46.0%
	Kids, Fox C-6
Bekki Cook (Dem)	2,115	39%
Peter Kinder (Rep)	2,140	40%
	St. Charles County Adults
Bekki Cook (Dem)	66,928	42.7%
Peter Kinder (Rep)	86,313	55.1%
	Kids, Francis Howell
Bekki Cook (Dem)	3,092	35%
Peter Kinder (Rep)	4,609	51%
	City of St. Louis Adults
Bekki Cook (Dem)	107,395	77.4%
Peter Kinder (Rep)	27,196	19.6%
	Kids, St. Louis Public Schools
Bekki Cook (Dem)	8,348	62%
Peter Kinder (Rep)	2,001	15%
	St. Louis County Adults
Bekki Cook (Dem)	284,833	53.8%
Peter Kinder (Rep)	235,267	44.4%
	14 County School Districts
Bekki Cook (Dem)	22,017	48%
Peter Kinder (Rep)	15,581	34%

 

Lewis and Clark

Lewis&Clark team touches lots of kids

The Lewis and Clark reenacters started their winter break last month. During their trek this year up the Missouri River they met lots of kids…and a few protestors.

The reenacters are following the route and pace of the original Lewis and Clark team in 1804. That meant, the 2004 travelers also got to Fort Mandan, S.D., early in November.

Two hundred years ago, the explorers spent over five months at Fort Mandan, waiting for the winter weather to break.

But, the current team decided to come home for the holidays. They're going to wait out the winter in their own homes. Also, they'll be able to give their boats some much-needed repair in the same place they were originally built.

(For more about the boats and their repair, click here.)

One constant this year about the trip up the Missouri were the kids….thousands of them.

They ranged from an encampment of thousands of Boy Scouts in mid-Missouri to meeting modern-day Indian kids at schools in Nebraska and the Dakotas.

Jim Sturm is the Journey of Discovery's technology coordinator. Before taking a leave to make the journey, he taught math and science at Wydown Middle School in Clayton.

On the reenactment, his job is to film the journey and put live programs on the Internet.

He said the reenacters met with Indian kids at public schools on two reservations. There was also a program at a Catholic school for Indians in Chamberlain, S.D.

At the Omaha Indian reservation at Macy, Neb., the reenacters heard various presentations by different classes. One class told of the different clans.

Another class demonstrated how Indian kids played a "hand game." That's a game involving feathers and beans.

From another class, the L&C team received homemade "friendship sticks." To make them, Indians take a wooden stick and wrap it with different colored string or yarn.

The legend says, after kids exchange "friendship sticks," they will remain friends for life.

The next reservation stop was near Yankton, S.D. They went to the Marty High and Middle School for Sioux Indians.

Demonstrations included Sioux Indian drumming and dancing. Also, a videoconference was held between Indian kids and students at St. Clements Catholic School in St. Louis.

Sturm said, "This was an exchange between two different cultures." He said the Indians' hesitancy to speak seemed to other students that they didn't want to talk with them.

But, he said that wasn't the case. "They just tend to be very quiet," he said.

At Chamberlain, S.D., the L&C reenacters met kids at St. Joseph Catholic School. These kids were from the Lakota Indian nation.

The kids there gave a show that demonstrated the role of the buffalo in Indian life. Kids from other places got to ask lots of questions about buffalo, Sturm said.

Later, near Pierre, S.D., the reenacters saw a herd of 2,500 buffalo on the Triple-U Ranch. This area was used in filming Kevin Costner's movie, "Dancing with Wolves.".

Sturm said the reenacters met "thousands of kids" along their travel route.

One unusual gathering was in mid-Missouri. The reenacters stopped at a tent encampment by several thousand Boy Scouts. One Scout activity there involved qualifying for a Lewis and Clark merit badge.

One encounter along the trail involved a group of adult Indian protestors. They were urging the explorers to turn around and go back to St. Louis.

Sturm said the protestors were "very upset with us." He said they looked upon the original Lewis and Clark trip "as the start of the end of the Indian culture."

He added that from an Indian point of view they were right.

Exploration by Lewis and Clark opened up a big part of the U.S. to a flood of white immigration. That led to native Americans being confined to reservations.

Sturm said issues raised by protestors "will be explored in future video-conference classes."

The "winter break" began when the reenacters arrived at Fort Mandan on Nov. 4.

The reenacters' Journey of Discovery will resume on April 7, 2005. The crew will arrive at Fort Clapsop in Oregon in November. That site is located near the Pacific Ocean.

The return trip to St. Louis will be completed on Sept. 23, 2006.

(Editor's note: To review all the Lewis and Clark activities, there are two neat websites. One is www.lewisandclark.net. The other is www.ali.apple.com/lewisandclark.)

 

Lots of wear-tear on Lewis and Clark boats

One thing that's clear about the Missouri River: it's hard on wooden boats.

That's one reason the Lewis and Clark reenacters decided to take their winter break back in the St. Louis area. The replica keelboat and smaller pirogues need plenty of reconditioning.

But, boat builder Jim Rasher of St. Charles says the boats will be in top shape when the Journey of Discovery trip resumes next April. During 2005, the reenacters will retrace the rest of the original Lewis and Clark exploration to the Pacific Ocean.

(For a recap of activities since the reenacters left St. Louis in May, 2004, click here. The team stopped at Fort Mandan, S.D., last month to start a winter break.)

Since the boats are back, St. Louis-area kids can keep track of the winter repair work.

A lot of the repair of the keelboat and the "red" and "white" pirogues will be done at the Lewis and Clark Boathouse and Nature Center. It's located on the Missouri riverfront in downtown St. Charles.

The Nature Center is a unique building. The first floor is open to view from outside the building. The exploration boats are located there for the winter.

The Nature Center is enclosed on the second floor. It's open to the public and has historical Lewis&Clark displays. For information, call (636) 947-3199.

Mr. Rasher is in charge of building and maintenance on all the boats. He also serves as captain on the keelboat when the traveling is underway.

The boats were built in St. Charles. The keelboat has had 10,000 miles of travel on the nation's rivers. And, after the trip on the Missouri this year, it's showing wear and tear.

The keelboat is 55 feet long and 91/2 feet across at its widest point.

The boat gets its name because of a pronounced "keel" or ridge on the bottom of the boat. The keel stabilizes the boat. Rasher said a 10-foot piece of the keel is broken. He said the damage occurred when river debris hit the keel on a slant.

He said there is a lot of tree stumps and other debris in the Missouri.

"Where the Osage River comes into the Missouri near Jefferson City, we ran into debris that spanned the river," he said. "It looked just like a beaver dam across the whole river."

Debris punched holes in the fiberglass coating on the outside of the boat. The water then soaked into the wood and started to rot it.

But, the "red" pirogue suffered the most damage. He said the boat leaked at the rate of 60 gallons a day. Hand-operated bilge pumps had to run almost constantly.

To repair that pirogue during the winter break, the crew will rip off all the hull bottom. "We'll cut the bottom to 2 inches above the waterline and replace all the planks," he said.

The pirogue will have to be tipped upside down to do the work. Plans are to transport the boat to a covered garage at the Busch Conservation Area. That way, the workmen can do repairs in a warm building.

Ironically, it also was the "red" pirogue that gave the original Lewis and Clark expedition the most trouble. That boat didn't survive the 1804-06 journey, Rasher said.

Both the original and the reenactment journeys used lots of different boats.

Both started with a keelboat and two pirogues from St. Louis. But, when the rivers got too shallow or ended altogether, they had to switch to other transportation.

The original keelboat was left at Fort Mandan because the Missouri was already too shallow. The keelboat returned to St. Louis, carrying the first plant and animal specimens back for scientific study.

Use of the pirogues stopped at the Great Falls area in what is now Montana. From there, the original crew used canoes and horses to get over the Continental Divide. On the western side, they went back to larger boats.

They used the Clearwater, Snake and Columbia rivers to get to the Pacific Ocean.

If you go to the St. Charles center, you'll see one of the different types of boats the reenacters will use for the western river travel. This flat-bottomed boat is 30-feet long and 5-feet wide.

The original explorers made each western-side boat from single Ponderosa pine log. One log could make a whole dugout canoe.

But, Rasher said the reenacters boat is made out of pine boards. "The Ponderosa pine trees don't come in that size anymore," he said.

 

Music

Young violinist has busy, varied life

The Saint Louis Symphony's Youth Orchestra is a select group with young people up through college age. Thirteen-year-old Holly Jenkins is in her third year with the group.

She won an audition when she was 11, a year younger than the usual minimum age for admission to the orchestra. "I was a year early," she said.

Holly comes from a musical family. Both her father, Doug, and mother, Carrie, have degrees in music from Principia College. Her older sister, 15-year-old Robin, is an accomplished pianist and the two have a solo recital every spring.

They've already decided their younger brother, Huck, will play the cello to make a trio ensemble. Of course, they'll have to wait a bit since Huck is less than a year old.

Holly started playing the violin when she was six and the family was living in Alaska. Her first instrument was a 1/8th size, purchased by mail-order from a shop in Overland Park, Kan., near Kansas City.

But, Holly's life hasn't been all music.

After leaving Alaska, the family traveled around the country while their dad tried to make a name for himself as a race-car driver. However, making it on a financial shoestring was impossible in a sport dominated by well-financed teams for big-time sponsors.

The family moved to St. Louis and now lives just a few blocks from The Principia School in west St. Louis County. The Principia is the K-12 affiliate of Principia College in Elsah, Ill. Doug now runs Doug Jenkins Custom Hot Rod shop in the city of St. Louis.

Another traveling adventure in Holly's young life involved a summer trip to Costa Rica. There, she lived with her former second grade teacher, Rachel Crandell, who was working to save the rainforest in that island nation.

"I loved it there. I stayed in a hut in the forest for two weeks," she said.

Earlier this year, Holly and her sister Robin played in a benefit concert at The Principia. The concert raised money to further Ms. Crandell's environmental efforts.

Holly's early acceptance into the Youth Orchestra has opened up lots of other musical experiences. Most of them have been good. But, at least once, her young age led to a less than satisfactory experience.

She said one of her best musical experiences involved a summer chamber orchestra camp at Innsbruck, west of St. Louis.

There, the kids were mentored by professional musicians. The kids were placed in small "master's class" groups. Each member got critiqued on their playing and also got to hear all other members play.

"We had a wonderful coach from the Cleveland Institute of Music," she said.

Her less-than-happy experience came when she earned the number one seat in the violin section at another camp. She said another girl, who was 17, was less than pleased that Holly was rated ahead of her.

Holly takes private lessons from Amy Oshiro, a member of the Saint Louis Symphony.

She's also participating in a year-long program at the Webster University Music School. There, she gets a variety of music theory and instrument classes to prepare for college.

Holly said she wants to attend a conservatory school to prepare for a career in music.

"I want to join a symphony and, on the side, be in a chamber group," she said.

She said one of her strengths in music is "that I feel the music really well. It comes easy to me."

However, she said she needs to improve on her musical technique. By that, she means being able to "play the music flawlessly." To do that, she needs plenty of practice.

To get the proper "intonation," she said she needs to be able to break a piece of music down into "phrases" and then be able to put them back together at the right tempo. That is much like learning to speak fluently.

A person might sound out individual words and phrases and then put them together into a properly paced sentence.

Holly breaks up her music and home-school academic classes with physical exercise.

"I play racquet ball three times a week and Robin and I walk our Rottweiler dogs two or three times a day," she said. One of their favorite walking routes is on the grounds of The Principia School nearby.

 

Environment

Creve Coeur kid wins recycle art contest

Seventh-grader Anna Kulik has been in this country for just six years. But, she's obviously adapted well to life in the U.S. since she's already won a state art contest.

Anna's entry placed first in an environmental greeting card competition sponsored by the Missouri Waste Control Coalition. She won over 660 entries from 20 Missouri schools.

Anna and her twin brother, Vitalyi, and their mother immigrated to St. Louis from the Russian Ukraine in 1998. The twins are students at Parkway Northeast Middle School in Creve Coeur.

Both were among 40 kids sending in entries from Ms. Martha Bunch's art classes at Parkway Northeast Middle.

Anna said her brother wasn't very happy when her entry captured the top spot. He was even less happy when he found that she had won $100 and also earned Ms. Bunch $100 as the teacher from the "winning classroom."

Ms. Bunch said she used the classroom money to buy "art books" for her classes. The books serve as reference material when students want to try different types of art.

The second place winner was Kevin Hunt from Republic (Mo.) Middle School near Springfield, Mo. Third place went to Charlene Maravilla from Partridge Elementary School in Waynesville, in south-central Missouri.

Anna's winning design features kids from around the world putting soda cans and paper into large recycling bins. The scene has a border of clouds.

The 14-year-old said, "The message is that people all over the world should recycle and help each other out."

Asked about her own recycling, she said, "Our family really became interested in recycling after going to the Lake of the Ozarks award presentation." She said her family recycles plastic, metal cans and paper.

But, she was involved last spring in her school's Great Paper Chase recycling contest. Abitibi-Consolidated companies and area media outlets sponsored the area-wide recycling collections.

Parkway Northeast Middle School placed first by increasing its recycled materials by over 600%.

Anna said, "I brought three huge trash bags full of paper from home. We have lots of paper in our house."

She said pollution is a world-wide problem. "You see pictures of trash on beaches and how that affects the animals that live there," she said.

"And, we should recycle paper so we don't have to cut down more trees," she added.

This was the first year that Ms. Bunch's students entered the environmental greeting card contest. But, she's always on the lookout for outside contests her students could enter.

She said, "I like to have the students enter art contests outside of the school and even the city." The outside competitions let kids gauge their efforts against more competitors.

She entered Anna and other students in a Mentor Me competition in 2003. Winners had their entries entered in the Missouri Mosaics Festival of the Arts show in St. Charles. Also, the entries were on display for two weeks at the Missouri History Museum.

Ms. Bunch, Anna and student Elizabeth McCarter had their entries displayed.

Since moving from Russia, Anna said she is mastering the English language and likes school. She said her favorite classes are art, social science and the sciences.

"I have to get the sciences because I want to be an emergency room nurse when I grow up," she said. She said she wants to go to a four-year college to get her nursing degree.

She said most of what she remembers about her native country center around the family's summer home. She said the vacation "dacha" was located on a hill overlooking the water.

Anna admits that she is losing some of her fluency in the Russian language. "Sometimes I have to ask my mother when we are talking to my grandmother in Russia," she said.

The Missouri Waste Control Coalition's Greeting Card Competition started in 1995.

If you or your school might like to enter next year, you can contact the coalition offices at 8826 Santa Fe Drive, Suite 208; Overland Park, Kan. 66212. The phone number is (913) 381-4458.

 

Outdoors

Kids make pens, ink like the pioneers

About 20 St. Louis area kids got a chance last month to see how Lewis and Clark kept their journals during the Journey of Discovery 200 years ago.

They found out the explorers didn't get their pens and ink from Office Depot or Wal-Mart. Some pens were homemade from turkey feathers. And inks were made from wild berries or walnut hulls.

Ten-year-old Matthew Kelpe said writing the alphabet with the homemade quill pen and blackberry ink "took almost two times as long."

He and other kids were taking part in a Turkey Pen and Ink class. The Missouri Department of Conservation sponsored the two-hour program Jay Henges Outdoor Education Center.

One hands-on exercise involved writing the alphabet first with a modern ballpoint pen and then with a pen and ink they made themselves. They timed themselves both times.

Matthew from Wildwood, Mo., said, "I had to keep dipping the quill pen into the ink about every two letters or so."

The kids started their exercise with fresh turkey feathers, for the pens, and whole blackberries, for the ink. First, they cut the end of the turkey feather into a point. Then, the point was split so it would hold the ink better.

To make the ink, the kids squished the berries. They filtered out the pulp with a strainer.

By adding vinegar, the juice ink was made to set up better on the paper. Without the vinegar, the ink might wash away if the paper got wet.

Naturalist Shanna Raeker directed the class. After the pens and ink were made, she had them practice writing a journal entry just like Lewis and Clark did.

A total of six original Lewis and Clark explorers kept journals of what they did and saw along the route. It's estimated the journals included over one million words.

Ms. Raeker showed them a sample of the fruit found by Lewis and Clark. She didn't give them the fruit's name. But, the kids were to describe the fruit in a journal entry.

Matthew's sister, 6-year-old Anna, wrote: "It's round, bumpy and smells like an apple. I name it 'round apple.'"

Brother Matthew wrote out his description in cursive. It said: "Today, I discovered a ball-shaped fruit that smells like an apple and is very bumpy. I will name it 'bumpy apple.'"

Seven-year-old Brandi Griffith's description was: "It smells like vegetables. It looks like a ball. A name: Dotty. The color green."

The Cedar Hill youngster explained she called it "dotty" because of the tiny black dots, which cover the outside of the fruit.

Six-year-old Travis Nixon came to the workshop from his home in south St. Louis County. He said the most interesting thing about the exercises "was the fact that Lewis and Clark used similar pens and ink on their journey."

He made up the name "greenel" to describe the fruit.

Lewis and Clark also had to describe the fruit without knowing the name. It was one of the first native plant samples Lewis and Clark collected. They found out later the plant is called either "Osage orange" or "hedge apple."

Their journals also included lots of "first-time" drawings. There were no cameras then.

Indians told Lewis and Clark that the fruit wasn't the most important part of the plant. They liked the wood because it made excellent hunting bows.

The kids had fun creating and using the writing materials. But, they didn't want to trade in their ballpoint pens. Travis Nixon said, "You had to dip the quill pen so often."

They also weren't too sure they'd have survived the two-year Lewis and Clark journey from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean.

Matthew Kelpe noted how hard it was for Lewis and Clark when they "went over the Bitterroot Mountains and down the Columbia River to the Pacific." He noted they ran out of food in the mountains.

The Kelpe kids also brought a plastic container of walnut hulls. They were going make some walnut ink at home. To make walnut ink, hulls are crushed and soaked in water. The pulp is then strained out. Again, vinegar is added to help the ink set on the paper.

Another type of pioneer ink was made from egg whites, ashes or charcoal and honey.

For more about writing of the Lewis and Clark journals, visit the conservation department's website at http://mdc.mo.gov/kids/out-in/2001/04/1.htm.

 

Books

This month's book reviews

Sahara Special

Sahara and her father had been close. He had always told her how special she was. So when he left, and then divorced her mother, Sahara was devastated. She got to the place in fourth grade where she no longer responded in school. She not only didn't do her school work, but she wouldn't even talk. She kept scribbling notes to her father asking why he left them and why wouldn't he come back. These notes were collected and filed away in the school office. The counselor in school finally labeled Sahara as needing "special services". When she began fifth grade, she was pulled out of the class each day to receive one-on-one attention from a special needs teacher. So the kids called her "Sahara Special". Of course, Sahara hated it.

The regular fifth grade teacher had quit over the summer. The kids were anxiously waiting to see who their new teacher would be. When she walked in, the kids were astonished. The new teacher had hair that was copper-colored like a penny, but in certain light, it looked green. The hair was wild and held back with sparkling dragonfly barrettes. Her lipstick was eggplant purple and her eye shadow was lime green. Her yellow dress looked like it was made from tissue paper. Her purple bra strap was showing. She looked like a burnt-out punk-rocker teenager!

Her behavior as a teacher was as weird as her appearance. She introduced herself as "Madame Poitier," pronounced PWAH-tee-Yah, and rhyming with the French word touché, meaning "you got me." "Some children call me Miss Pointy, some just call me Madame." She didn't like rules that began with "no." So her rules were, "Yes, looking. Yes, listening. Yes, consideration. Yes, commonsense. Yes, hard work." She described herself as "the meanest teacher in the west."

The schedule Miss Poitier wrote on the board was just as weird as everything else about her. She passed out thick composition books and told them this would be their journals. And, by the way, each of them owed her two dollars for the books. And so went the first day - like no other day in school the kids had ever experienced.

Can Miss Pointy get Sahara to speak up in class? Can she get Sahara to do her schoolwork? Can she get Sahara to do the great writing that she is capable of doing? Can she get Sahara to show that she's not really a "special needs" student? Is Miss Pointy's strange approach to teaching and her "shooting from the hip" going to get her fired before she even gets a good start as the kids' fifth grade teacher? You need to read the book to find out.

 

A middle school girl deals with ridicule
and bullying from her classmates

Maleeka Madison is in the seventh grade at McClenton Middle School. She is having a hard time. It's not because she couldn't be a good student. She always made good grades before. She is especially good in writing and in math. At home, she lives with her mother. Her father left them about a year before and Maleeka's mother took it very hard. Part of the mother's way of dealing with her problems is to spend long hours at the sewing machine making clothes for Maleeka. Unfortunately, her mother is not a very good seamstress. Maleeka wears the clothes to school, but the kids make fun of the way she dresses. Although all the kids are African Americans, they also make fun of her because of her unusually black skin. She tries to fit in by neglecting her schoolwork and appearing to not care about her low grades.

Charlese is a classmate who bullies the other girls around. She controls Maleeka by bringing cool clothes to school that Maleeka can change into before class. Because of the clothes, Maleeka thinks she has to try to be part of Chalese's cliquish group by doing their homework and letting herself be pushed around by them.

Things start to get even worse when a new African American teacher, Miss Saunders, shows up as the kids' English teacher. Miss Saunders wears expensive designer clothes. She is tall with a commanding presence. The story is that she had been a successful business executive, made lots of money, and now wanted to teach inner-city kids. One other thing that set her apart was that she had a large white stain spread across her face. Naturally, the kids started making cruel remarks about her right away. But Miss Saunders didn't seem to care! Above all, Miss Saunders demanded attention in class and placed heavy homework demands on the students. She wouldn't give passing grades for poor performance. She just wasn't going to let Maleeka get by in school doing less than she was capable of doing.

As you might have already guessed, the story describes how Maleeka is pulled first one way by the selfish Charlese and then another way by the demands of Miss Saunders, who just won't take no for an answer. The reader is kept guessing as to who will win out in this struggle, especially after the kids find out that even tough Miss Saunders has some weaknesses that make her vulnerable to their cruel attacks.

 

Have you ever dreamed you
could fly just by thinking about it?

Jonathan Jeffers lived on a island nineteen miles off the coast of California. He lived with his parents in a small red house that stood next to an old brick lighthouse. Jon's dad was in the coastguard and his duty was to be the lighthouse keeper. The family dog, Smacks, was Jon's only companion. The year was 1935.

Jon was bored with his lonely life. He knew all the stories about the ghosts of the 129 Chinese workers who had died when their ship was wrecked there in 1850. They were just some of the 300 or so people who had lost their lives on the reef. The many shipwrecks at that location had led to the building of the lighthouse about 1875.

On clear nights, Jon could see the glow of the lights of the big city on shore. He often wished he could just fly over the water and find adventure in the city. He sometimes put notes in bottles asking for help and threw them into the sea.

One day when Jon and Smacks were roaming around on the beach, they ran across an ancient-looking Chinese man who claimed to be a famous wizard. Eventually, the wizard let himself be talked into showing Jon how to levitate, or raise his body off the ground. The wizard told Jon to practice and soon he would be able to fly, just by using his mind and willing himself to do so. The wizard also warned Jon to never let himself be seen while flying and not to tell anyone else about his new power or he would suffer a terrible punishment.

After surprisingly little practice, Jon was able to soar over the waves and fly about anywhere he pleased. Naturally, he ignored the wizard's warning and on one flight was seen by the sailors on a ship he flew over. The next thing he knew, armed navy men along with FBI agents showed up on the island to take Jon into custody. The authorities were happy that Jon wasn't an alien or a spy, but they insisted he tell his government how he was able to fly.

The U. S. was possibly facing a war in the near future and knowledge of how to fly without a motor would be very useful. Now Jon was really sorry that his wish had come true. He knew he would suffer awful consequences if he told how he had learned to fly. But he could end up in jail if he didn't tell.

Jon's story makes for fun reading. It is especially funny when Jon finds his body wants to fly even when he wants to stay on the ground.

 

An orphan boy in Medieval England
flees from those who would kill him

The boy had simply been called "Asta's son", with Asta being the name of his mother. The people in the small poor village had little to do with him and his mother. He lived in a small hut with a dirt floor and seldom had enough to eat. Although his name was Crispin, he seldom heard his name used. His mother told him his father had died in the plague. Even though his mother could read, she had not taught Crispin to read or write because it appeared she did not want him to stand out in any way. When she died, she left him only a lead cross with some writing on it. At fifteen, he was penniless and alone.

Immediately after his mother died, Crispin was falsely accused of stealing from the manor house. The nobleman who owned all the land had been away in Europe fighting a war. The nobleman's steward, a vicious and cruel man named Aycliffe, led the villagers in a hunt for Crispin, and he encouraged them to kill Crispin on sight. The village priest who had tried to help Crispin was murdered before he was able to tell Crispin who his father really was.

While fleeing and hiding in the forest, Crispin ran into a bear of a man, who had been a soldier at one time. Bear, which he called himself, lived by being a juggler and performing for donations from spectators in villages across the kingdom. Bear took Crispin on as an apprentice and began teaching him not only about performing, but how to fight like a soldier. But even as he tried to make a new life with Bear, Crispin fond that Aycliffe was still hunting for him and intended to kill him. It was only after Crispin found out who his real father was that Aycliffe murderous actions started to make sense.

The novel provides a reader with a real feeling for what it was like to be a peasant in 14th century England. The descriptions of both a rural village and a large bustling town are highly graphic. Of course, Crispin's plight also makes for an exciting and suspense-filled reading experience.

 

Holiday Reading

Reading on Break

Good books for your holiday reading

When St. Louis area schools break for the holidays, kids will have more time for reading something besides textbooks.

At the request of Young Saint Louis.com, the St. Louis County Library has made a special selection of books with holiday themes. There are books about Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and other holiday themes.

Jean Taylor and Linda Small are on the county library's juvenile collection development team. It's their job to select a wide variety of books to be put on display for kids throughout St. Louis County.

YSL.com asked them to select some of their best books-both new ones as well as classics-that make good holiday reading for elementary- and middle school-age kids. These are all books in the library stacks and available at area bookstores or online.

General Holiday Fiction:

"Dream Soul," by Lawrence Yep.
Joan Lee and her family are from China, living in West Virginia in 1927. Their landlady invites the family to celebrate their first Christmas in America with her.

"The Christmas Barn," by C.L. Davis.
A family faces problems when they lose their home to fire just before Christmas during the Depression.

"Mama had to work on Christmas," by Carolyn Marsden.
Gloria is a Mexican-American who is forced to go with her mother who has to work on Christmas at a big city hotel.

"The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," by Barbara Robinson.
The humorous story about the rude Herdeman kids who put their own spin on the Christmas Story as they hog the parts in the Sunday school pageant. This is a classic.

"The Christmas Rat," by Avi.
A kid has an adventure that features a pest exterminator and a rat in the family's apartment building. This all happens right before Christmas.

"The Christmas Doll," by Elvira Woodruff.
Two poor girls in London find a magic doll that helps them turn their lives around during the Christmas season.

About Hanukkah:

"The Magic Menorah, a modern Chanukah tale," by Jane Baskin.
Stanley isn't looking forward to another Chanukah with relatives. But, then an old man gives him a tarnished menorah and grants Stanley three wishes.

"The Christmas Menorah," by Janice Cohn.
This tells the story about how people in Billings, Montana, fight back against skinheads who attacked a Jewish family.

"Alexandra's Scroll, the story of the first Hanukkah," by Miriam Chaikin.
This is the diary of a Jewish girl who records events during the rebellion that led to celebration of the first Hanukkah.

"A Hanukkah Treasury," edited by Eric A. Kimmel.
A collection of stories that explain the legends, events, symbols, songs and even foods of Hanukkah.

"The Stone Lamp," by Karen Hesse and Brian Pinkney.
The collection of eight Hanukkah stories that occurred in history.

About Kwanzaa:

"Santa's Kwanzaa," by Garen Eilean Thomas.
Santa Claus returns from a long night of delivering Christmas presents to find a Kwanzaa surprise at his North Pole home.

"Seven Spools of Thread," by Angela Shelf Medearis.
A story about quarreling sons who have to learn to cooperate or they will be turned out as beggars. The principles of Kwanzaa lead them on their way.

"Kwanzaa, Journey of Freedom," Amy Robin Jones.
A reference book that explains the history of Kwanzaa and answers questions people would have about the holiday.

"Crafts for Kwanzaa," by Kathy Ross.
How to make the various symbols of the African-American holiday.

About Christmas:

"The Princess Present," by Meg Cabot.
Princess Mia celebrates Christmas with her friends in Genovia. This is part of the Princess Diaries series.

"Christmas After All, the Great Depression diary of Minnie Swift," by Kathryn Lasky.
A fictional journey of 11-year-old Minnie Swift tells how an orphan from Texas changed their lives. The story is about life in Indianapolis before Christmas in 1932.

"Merry Christmas Everywhere," by Arlene Erlbach with Herb Erlbach.
How Christmas is celebrated in 20 countries around the world. The book includes directions for holiday foods and crafts.

"The Nutcracker," by E.T.A. Hoffman.
Author Janet Schulman adapts the Christmas story of "The Nutcracker," written in the 18th Century by famed composer and author E.T.A. Hoffman.

 

Holiday Visits

Author picks fun places for holidays

St. Louis author Ann Seebeck has been telling St. Louisans where to find fun for the whole family since 1988. This month, she highlighted a dozen places that are especially good for holiday visits.

Young Saint Louis.com asked the Kirkwood mother to update her holiday selections in an exclusive listing for our readers.

We've had samples in the past from her book, "Favorite Places to Go with Kids in St. Louis." (To see a previous holiday list in Dec. 2001, click here. For a summer listing in May, 2001, click here.)

This year's favorite holiday list is a mixture of old favorites together with some new offerings. In each case, Ms. Seebeck scouts out the places personally to make sure she can recommend it to families.

In all listings, both new and old, she's updated opening-closing dates and times. Also, admission prices, if any, are current.

If your family would like to purchase the complete book, you can contact Seebeck by e-mail (rlseeb@swbell.net) or write to her at 1018 Edgeworth, Kirkwood, Mo. 63122. Books are $6 each plus $1 for postage.

The books are also available at most local bookstores. The bookstore price is $7.

Here are her "Top 12" holiday choices for the 2004 season:

By Ann Seebeck

The holidays are just around the corner and it is time to start thinking about what you'd like to do when you are off school.

It's great fun to spend time with your family and friends and explore some new places.

Here are my holiday recommendations from "Favorite Places to Go with Kids in St. Louis:"

1. Tilles Park, Litzsinger Rd. and McKnight Rd., Ladue. (314) 615-7275. Hours from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily, except Saturdays and Dec. 24 and Dec. 31. Tickets are $9 per car at the gate.

From Nov. 24 to January 2, Winter Wonderland is a beautiful holiday light display with a river of lights, waterfalls, Santa's sleigh and many other figures all lit up. You drive through the park in your car and see miles of lights.

2. Santa's Magical Kingdom, Eureka, MO. (636) 938-5925. Take I-44 west to the Six Flags exit, turn left and follow the signs. This is open every night from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., starting Nov. 15 through Jan. 5.

This is another wonderful light display that you drive through with 35 acres of sparkling lights, animated figures and joyful Christmas music. You see Yogi Bear, the Flintstones, a candy cane village and Santa's workshop.

3. Breakfast with Santa. At several Dillard's stores and the Famous-Barr downtown. Call your local stores for dates and times of reservations. Programs start Dec. 11. But remember, they fill up fast.

The stores have a program during the month of December where kids can have a breakfast with Santa and many elves. There is singing, magic, clowns and balloons. A great time for all.

4. The Magic House, 516 S. Kirkwood Rd., Kirkwood. (314) 822-8900. Admission is $6.50 per person. Please call for hours and days.

In December, kids can come and make holiday crafts and there is a special holiday program and breakfast with Santa on Dec. 5.

5. Christmas at Adams Mark Hotel, 4th and Chestnut Sts, in downtown St. Louis. (314) 241-7400.

In the lobby of this beautifully decorated hotel is a village of gingerbread houses made out of real gingerbread, icing and candies. A small toy train runs through the village.

6. Wild Lights at the St. Louis Zoo, Forest Park. $5 per person. Begins Nov. 26 and 27, then Thurs.-Sat. through Dec. 11, then nightly starting Dec. 16.

Come to the Zoo and walk amongst the sparkling lights and animal figures and listen to the music of the season. Kids can make take-home craft projects and the refreshment stand is open.

7. Nutcracker Suite Ballet, at Edison Theatre, Washington University. (314) 935-6543. Dec. 10 through Dec. 19. Prices range from $19 to $29 per ticket.

Some of the performances are a shorter version of the play for smaller children. Call for times and reservations.

8. The City Museum, 701 N. 15th St., downtown St. Louis. (314) 231-CITY. Admission is $7.5 per person. Hours are Wed. and Thurs., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fri. 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Sat. 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Snowflake Lady will be on the 3rd floor of the City Museum making and teaching you how to make paper cutout snowflakes. They are beautiful. Enjoy all the museum with its many rooms of caves you can crawl through, slides, aquariums, circus, art studios and many more.

9. Old Courthouse, a Victorian Christmas, 11 N. 4th St., downtown St. Louis. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

There is a huge, beautifully decorated Victorian Christmas tree on for the month of December.

10. Sing-out St. Louis, Union Station Center, downtown St. Louis. (314) 421-6655.

On Dec. 18 at 4 p.m., join hundreds of joyous St. Louis people and come caroling on this candle-lit evening.

11. Missouri History Museum, Lindell and DeBaliviere St. in Forest Park. (314) 746-4599. "Baseball as America," an exhibit from the Baseball Hall of Fame, starting Dec. 19. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and until 8 p.m. on Tues. Entrance to museum is free. On Tuesdays, admission is free for the exhibit. On other days, the special exhibit admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and students, and children 6 and under are free.

This was a special year with the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. On your holiday break, come relive some memories of baseball. The specials exhibit from the Hall of Fame has over 500 displays. These include record-setting bats from Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Maris and Babe Ruth. Also included will be another exhibit from the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.

12. Cut your own Christmas tree. There are several places you can go and cut down your own fresh tree. Some have wagon rides to the trees along with hot chocolate and snacks.

• Christmas Tree Valley, Pacific, MO. (636) 742-3436.
• Pea Ridge Farm, near Hermann, MO (636) 932-4687.
• Meert Tree Farms, at Festus and Mehlville, MO (636) 487-5824.
• Eckert's, Belleville, IL (618) 233-0513.

 

St. Louis History

This Month in St. Louis History

Jazz's Wheatstraw and the Whiskey Ring

Among St. Louis' historical highlights of past Decembers were the birth of an early great in St. Louis jazz and an indictment in a whiskey ring involving President Ulysses S. Grant.

Jazz musician Peetie Wheatstraw was born Dec. 21, 1902. His real name was William Bunch, born in Ripley, Tenn. But, he spent a big portion of his musical career in St. Louis and East St. Louis, Ill.

The history of President Grant is very much linked to St. Louis. His rise to being the commanding general of Union forces in the Civil War started in St. Louis.

Also, the Ulysses S. Grant National Historical Site is located in south St. Louis near Grant's Farm.

But, one less than flattering chapters in Grant's life also centered here. That was the infamous Whiskey Ring. In December, 1875, a St. Louis grand jury indicted Grant's personal secretary, Gen. Orville E. Babcock, for his part in the "ring."

Other December highlight included a Missouri Supreme Court ruling in a landmark case involving racial covenants in housing. Also, in December, 1763, Pierre Laclede Liguest and Auguste Chouteau arrived to found what is now St. Louis.

These are some of the highlights from St. Louis and Missouri history for Decembers past. They are provided to Young Saint Louis.com by the Missouri History Museum. For more, visit the museum's website at www.mohistory.org.

Jazz great Peetie Wheatstraw

Musicians in the early years of jazz often resorted to gimmicks to bring attention to their new type of music.

For some, that involved stunts such as playing their instruments behind their heads or between their legs. Others promoted the urban myth that their music was a "gift" from the Devil.

For instance, both Tommy Johnson and Robert Johnson claimed they got their musical talent directly from the Devil. They said they exchanged their souls for the ability to play jazz.

Peetie Wheatstraw was one of those that promoted his alleged link to the Devil. He often billed himself as "The Devil's Son-in-law" or the "High Sheriff of Hell."

But, he started life on Dec. 21, 1902, as William Bunch, the son of poor Southern parents. Shortly afterwards, the family moved from Ripley, Tenn., to Cotton Plant, Ark.

By 1927, he was traveling throughout the Deep South as an itinerant musician. But, he moved to St. Louis in 1929. St. Louis was a destination for many former sharecroppers looking north for a better life.

It was in St. Louis that he took his new name, Peetie Wheatstraw. He took the name from an old African-American folktale.

He was adept at both the piano and guitar, often playing both in the same concert.

Although he was popular as a performer, he also had enormous influence on jazz as a vocalist and songwriter. He was instrumental in establishing a new urban jazz sound. That was different than the original country blues.

Robert Johnson is considered to be one of the most important blues musician in the 1930s. Many of his recordings were re-working of Wheatstraw's tunes.

Wheatstraw died at age 39 when his car was hit by a train at a crossing in East St. Louis..

For more about is life, visit cascadeblues.org/history/PeetieWheatstraw.htm.

Grant and the Whiskey Ring

President Grant was a Civil War hero and was elected president on a platform that promised peace, prosperity and progress. But, how those goals were achieved were often under question.

One of those bad episodes came to a head in St. Louis.

In December, 1875, Grant's long-time friend and personal secretary was indicted for his part in the "whiskey rings." That friend was Gen. Orville E. Babcock.

The "whiskey rings" involved avoiding federal taxes on whiskey and sending those funds to Grant's Republican Party.

The idea was that whiskey distillers, distributors and sellers combined to under-report whiskey production to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Thus, they avoided a 70-cent-per-gallon federal tax.

The money was then funneled to Republican Party candidates who backed Grant.

The original indictments came in St. Louis because that's where the whiskey rings started. However, by indictment time, whiskey rings were in many states.

Eventually, they had outgrown the political origins and were strictly a criminal activity.

Among people indicted in St. Louis were a variety of IRS supervisors and agents. Also indicted was William McKee, proprietor of the St. Louis Globe newspaper.

Babcock became involved when telegrams he sent seemed to support those indicted.

Although the indictments involved persons high in Grant's administration, the president avoided indictment.

Racial Housing Covenants

In 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court declared unconstitutional those housing covenants that banned home sales on racial grounds.

The test case was Shelley vs. Kraemer and started in St. Louis.

The house involved is still standing at 4600 Labadie Ave. in St. Louis. The modest two-story building is on the National Historic Landmark registry.

The story began in the 1930s when J.S. Shelley purchased the home from an owner who agreed to ignore the neighborhood racial covenant. That said the owner couldn't sell to anyone except another Caucasian. The Shelley family was black.

Another property owner in the neighborhood, Louis D. Kraemer, sues to stop the sale.

A local St. Louis court ruled in the Shelleys favor. But, on Dec. 9, 1946, the Missouri Supreme Court overturned that decision, siding with Kraemer.

Then, on May 3, 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Missouri court's decision. That decision put an end to racial housing covenants, a landmark civil-rights decision in our country's history.

For more Shelley case information, see www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/mo1.htm and www.umsl.edu/services/library/blackstudies/shelley.htm.

Laclede and Chouteau arrive

Pierre Laclede Liguest and his 13-year-old clerk, Auguste Chouteau, arrived at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers in December, 1763. Laclede had been given a grant to establish and manage a trading post here.

Their arrival is considered to be the beginning of the city of St. Louis. The town eventually became the fourth largest city in the U.S. in 1900.

When Laclede and Chouteau arrived, this part of the country was under French rule. Two years later, word arrived that France had deeded the port of New Orleans and the Mississippi River area to Spain.

Just a few years later, the Louisiana Purchase turned the area over to the United States.

But, the whole process of building St. Louis started with Laclede and Chouteau.

For a longer essay on St. Louis, visit www.common-place.org/vol-03/no-04/st-louis.

 

From "St. Louis World's Fair 365"

1904 World's Fair attendance was 19,694,855

The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair closed on December 1, with final attendance for the fair set at 19,694,855,

The fair had opened on April 30, with first-day attendance of 178,423. The last day's attendance was 293,101. But, the largest single-day attendance was on St. Louis Day, Sept. 15. A total of 404,450 people attended that day.

These are some of the 83 news items listed in the December chapter of "St. Louis World's Fair 365." The book of fair trivia was written by St. Louis author Joe Sonderman.

(Sonderman has granted permission to Young Saint Louis.com to quote some of the monthly items. If you would like a copy of the book, check local book stores or visit www.booksonstlouis.com)

Here are 10 of the December items from Sonderman's book:

December 1: The Igorots were quietly spirited away, following a threat by the proprietors of a "Filipino midget" exhibition on The Pike. The midget exhibition planned to seek a court injunction keeping the natives in the country. All 69 natives, including the baby born on the grounds, were rushed aboard the Burlington Route's Train #49.

December 1: President Francis spent the day making last visits to the exhibit palaces and the foreign buildings. The Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company Board of Directors presented him with a gold and silver table service, made by Mermod and Jaccard. The 500-piece set was valued at $17,000. The pieces were engraved with views of the exposition.

As the midnight hour arrived, Francis stood before the Louisiana Purchase Monument, raised his arms and said, "Farewell, a long farewell to all thy splendor." He threw a switch and the lights were gone. The band played "Auld Lang Syne." Fireworks filled the sky and outlined a portrait of Francis with the words "Farewell" and "Goodnight." The 1904 World's Fair was over.

December 4: The Globe-Democrat newspaper reported that the Inside Inn, the only hotel on the fairgrounds, was sold to a construction company for $50,000. The Minnesota Building was headed for the state fair grounds. The Iowa Building would be made into an asylum for inebriates (alcoholics). The Temple of Fraternity was to be rebuilt in New Mexico as the largest sanitarium for consumptives (TB patients) in the world.

December 6: The octuple printing press exhibited in the Palace of Liberal Arts was sold to the publisher of the News in Buffalo, New York. The press could crank out 100,000 eight-page papers an hour. Three of the other presses from the grand prize winning exhibit of R. Hoe and Company already were installed at the (St. Louis) Globe-Democrat.

December 8: The World's Fair Superior jury awarded Mrs. Jessie Tarbox Beals a gold medal for her distinguished services. She probably was the first female photojournalist and was the first woman to be named an official photographer at the World's Fair. She took 2,000 pictures, many of which are the most famous images from the exposition.

December 11: The first snow of the season waited until ten days after the fair had closed. About two inches marked the latest first snow in 21 years, with the exception of 1900. In January, employees would discover a new use for Art Hill. Many of them used the plentiful discarded folding chairs as makeshift sleds. (Sledding on Art Hill remains a favorite St. Louis wintertime activity.)

December 12: The commissioner of the World's Fair Police released the final arrest report statistics. Of 19 million visitors, just 1,439 had been arrested. Theft of property amounted to less than $1,500. There were five murder arrests, 421 arrests for disturbing the peace, 312 for trespassing and one for wife abandonment.

December 20: The official report from the World's Fair directors showed total admissions added up to 19,694,855. Of those, 6,890,239 were free admissions. Officials said the proportion of free admissions to paid attendance was the greatest in the history of international exhibitions.

The report listed the days with the largest attendance (in chronological order):

• April 30 (Opening Day) 178,423
• June 8 (Liberty Bell Day) 144,509
• July 4 179,258
• September 5 (Labor Day) 209,622
• September 15 (St. Louis Day) 404,450
• October 6 (German Day) 184,552
• October 8 (Chicago Day) 163,317
• October 11 (Missouri Day) 179,857
• October 13 (Connecticut Day) 168,286
• November 24 (Thanksgiving Day) 181,829
• November 26 (Roosevelt Day) 163, 758
• December 1 (Francis Day) 293,101

December 23: Japanese officials announced that President Francis would be awarded the highest award from the Emperor. Francis would be awarded the first grade of merit, The Order of the Rising Sun. The award was given for his service to the Emperor in bringing Japan to extraordinary prominence among the nations of the world.

December 29: The skaters had returned to Forest Park. Skating conditions were reported to be very good on Sylvan Lake, which could accommodate about 400 skaters. Many skaters had been disappointed to learn that they couldn't skate on the lagoons at the fairgrounds. They were drained soon after the fair closed.

 

Things To Do

Places to Go, Things to Do

Baseball exhibit and more during December

The Baseball Hall of Fame's "Baseball as America" exhibit opens this month at the Missouri History Museum. It promises to thrill local baseball fans of all ages.

But, there are plenty of other things for St. Louis area kids to enjoy during their school holiday breaks in December.

There are so many different things to do that Young Saint Louis.com this month has expanded its information about "places to go, things to do."

Besides the things in this feature, there are three other longer December articles which include ways you use your free time during the holiday break.

Ann Seebeck is a St. Louis author who for many years has published a book, "Favorite Places to Go with Kids in St. Louis." At YSL.com's request, she has picked a dozen places that are especially suited for families to visits in December. (To read, click here.)

Also, the children's book staff of the St. Louis County Library has selected a group of books that will make good reading for the holiday time this month. (To read about those selections, click here.)

Although there's no scheduled event, St. Louis kids might like to stop at the Lewis and Clark Nature Center in St. Charles. Workmen will be repairing the boats used by reenacters who are duplicating the famous 1804-06 trip from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. (To read about the needed repairs after a year on the river, click here.)

Besides those in-depth articles, check out the following interesting places and things:

Baseball Hall of Fame exhibit

The Missouri History Museum will be the site for the "Baseball As America" exhibit. That's the traveling exhibition put on by the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

It opens in St. Louis on December 19. It will be here until next April 24.

In addition to hundreds of items of national baseball memorabilia, the museum has a special extra exhibit from the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame. (YSL.com published a longer preview article last month. To read that, just click here.)

For other information about the exhibition, visit www.mohistory.org.

Skate with Santa

The St. Louis County Parks will host two "Skate with Santa" events during December.

The Kennedy Recreation Complex in south St. Louis County will have its event on Sunday, Dec. 12, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. There will be candy canes, cookies and music in addition to the skating fun.

For information and directions, call (314) 894-3089.

At the North County Recreation Complex, the Santa skating event will be Sunday, Dec. 20, from noon to 2 p.m. You can also get your photo taken with St. Nicholas.

For information and directions, call (314) 355-7374.

In both cases, there is no registration and only the regular admission is required.

For other county park information, visit www.stlouisco.com/parks.

Boys-only Recycling Camp-in

The St. Louis Science Center will host an unusual overnight event on Friday-Saturday, Dec. 3-4. It runs from 5 p.m. Friday through 10 a.m. Saturday.

The event is open to school-aged boys up to 6^th grade and their parents or adult leaders/sponsors.

The theme of the camp-in is "Recycling." You get to explore the galleries and delight in special hands-on activities. You can play in the Discovery Room and receive a souvenir patch and certificate. There is also an OMNIMAX film also.

There's an evening snack and a morning breakfast. The cost is $30 (with discounts for Center members).

Pre-registration is required. Call (314) 289-4424 or toll-free 800/456-SLSC, Ext. 4424.

Art Museum's Family Fun

The Sunday Fall Family Fun events at the St. Louis Art Museum feature the theme, "Illumination."

Kids will create their own illuminated masterpiece. The event goes along with the museum's "Painted Prayers" exhibit. Family Fun will be held Dec. 5, 12, 19 and 26, from 2 to 4 p.m.

The event features hands-on activities, gallery games and demonstrations.

Admission is free and no registration is needed. Also, all materials are provided free.

Trapping clinics offered

If you would like to learn a new outdoor activity, you might like to try the two-day trapping clinics offered at two different Department of Conservation Outdoor Education Centers.

The first one will be Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 4-5, at the Busch Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center. Both sessions start at 9 a.m.

The second one will be Thursday, Dec. 16, and Saturday, Dec. 18, at the Henges Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center. The Thursday lecture is from 7-9 p.m. while the Saturday field trip is from 6 a.m. to noon.

At the Busch event, kids will cover such subjects as trap types, how-to-do sets, skinning, fleshing and stretching of skins. Participants complete a hands-on overnight set and then return the next morning to check traps and finish pelts.

For registration and directions, call (636) 300-1963 Ext. 251.

At the Henges event, you'll cover the basics of trapping raccoons, beaver, muskrat and coyotes. The participants are in the field on Saturday morning.

For registration and directions, call (636) 441-4554.

 

Fun & Games

Fun & Games

Crossword Puzzles
When you have completed the puzzles, you can click here to find the answers!

Young Saint Louis.com #1

Across	Down
1. associate, partner 3. enter a new country 6. relates to resources 8. an evaluation 9. to try out for 10. Russian country home	2. sound patterns 4. reusing resources 5. contamination 7. musical performance

 

Young Saint Louis.com #2

Across	Down
1. showing of support 6. shows greatest power 9. close to city 10. place to cast vote	2. way to pick leaders 3. size of difference 4. party's nominees 5. more than half 7. the direction 8. farm communities

 

Young Saint Louis.com #3

Across	Down
1. joined writing 5. much alike 6. studies nature 7. a sour liquid	1. burned wood 2. record of seen items 3. guessed, figured 4. for picture-taking 5. smash, squeeze 8. planned way to go

 

Holiday Traditions

Across	Down
1. felt at holiday time 2. given on holiday 5. what kids feel 6. remembrance of roots 7. symbols of season 9. gift-bringing elf	1. Christian holiday 3. Jewish celebration 4. Christmas music 8. the day before

 

Silly jokes, for starters

Why did the pony cough?
      He was a little hoarse!

How does the moon cut his hair?
      E-clipse it!

Why did the frog say "meow"?
      He was learning a foreign language!

What did the teddy bear say when offered dessert?
      No thanks, I'm stuffed!

Where do you find a no-legged dog?
      Right where you left him!

What do you call a sleeping bull?
      A bulldozer!

Why did the snowman name his dog "Frost"?
      Because frost bites!

How do you keep an idiot busy for hours?
      Give him a piece of paper with "Please turn over" written on both sides!

Why do ghosts make such poor magicians?
      Because you can see through their tricks!

When is a car not a car?
      When it turns into a garage!

David's father had three sons: Snap, Crackle, and ____?
      David, of course!

Bumper Stickers

• I am not paranoid! Which of my enemies told you this?
• Back up my hard drive? How do I put it in reverse?
• I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol!
• I need patience…NOW!
• The best things in life are free…plus tax.
• He who hesitates is probably right!

More useless inventions

• A black highlighter pen
• Smooth sandpaper
• Inflatable dartboard
• Braille drivers manual
• Waterproof teabags
• A book on how to read
• Powdered water

Closing knock knocks

Knock. Knock.
      Who's there?
Emma.
      Emma who?
Emma bit cold out here, could you let me in?

Knock. Knock.
      Who's there?
Howl.
      Howl who?
Howl you know, unless you open the door?

 

Answers to Fun & Games

Crossword Puzzles

Note that the words used in Young Saint Louis.com crossword puzzles are all taken from the articles appearing in this months issue.

Young Saint Louis.com #1

Across	Down
1. associate, partner 3. enter a new country 6. relates to resources 8. an evaluation 9. to try out for 10. Russian country home	2. sound patterns 4. reusing resources 5. contamination 7. musical performance

 

Young Saint Louis.com #2

Across	Down
1. showing of support 6. shows greatest power 9. close to city 10. place to cast vote	2. way to pick leaders 3. size of difference 4. party's nominees 5. more than half 7. the direction 8. farm communities

 

Young Saint Louis.com #3

Across	Down
1. joined writing 5. much alike 6. studies nature 7. a sour liquid	1. burned wood 2. record of seen items 3. guessed, figured 4. for picture-taking 5. smash, squeeze 8. planned way to go

 

Holiday Traditions

Across	Down
1. felt at holiday time 2. given on holiday 5. what kids feel 6. remembrance of roots 7. symbols of season 9. gift-bringing elf	1. Christian holiday 3. Jewish celebration 4. Christmas music 8. the day before