End-of-summer wrap up

It seems that there is always more to say about a topic after I post it, so today I'm throwing out some odds and ends left from the summer, in order to cover as many bases as I can before I escape to San Francisco for a few days.

June's "Elevate St. Louis:The Trestle" event, sponsored by Great Rivers Greenway, was a tremendously popular subject (see post here.) Recently, Great Rivers Greenway Board Member and CWE resident Mike Murray sent photographs showing the painting that has begun on the structure which spans I-70 in North St. Louis.

Great Rivers Greenway, whose logo is is shown painted on The Trestle above, is spearheading the effort to develop the 1.5 mile elevated railroad trestle that begins at the intersection of
Howard and Hadley Streets, and connects to the Branch Street Trestle and
the Mississippi Riverfront Trail.

According to Todd Antoine, Great Rivers Greenway's Deputy Director for Planning, "This project (the painting) involves major traffic and lane closure
coordination with MoDOT and the construction of the new MRB (Mississippi River Bridge), so that is
why it is being done in segments. If all goes according to plan, the
project should be completed by late fall. It will be a very nice
feature for drivers as well as alerting residents and visitors to North
St. Louis that something special is happening." 

At the end of August, Amy Johnson (see earlier post here), whose wildly successful pop-up shop occupied a space at 234 N. Euclid for the summer, moved her clothing line, "KayOss," back to her home studio in the CWE. The video I've inserted below shows Amy's new fall line which was filmed entirely in the neighborhood. Amy's expanded studio is open by appointment only: email [email protected] or call 314.398.9098.  

Marty London, proprietor of Dazzle Me Twice at 4632 McPherson (across from The Vino Gallery), emailed that she has expanded the shop's hours to include Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays from 11 to 5, Saturdays, 10 to 4.. Previously the shop had only been open Friday evenings and Saturdays. Be sure to drop by this stylish shop where you'll find reasonable prices on upscale consignment clothing (including special occasion dresses)—some sporting their original sales tags.

Meanwhile, Ewell Thomas, aka The Shine Guy (see earlier post here), whose stand is located on the lower level of the Chase-Park Plaza (around the corner from Sante Health Club), stopped me last week to tell me he now offers a shoe repair service. You can drop your shoes off to have heels replaced (mens' & women's shoes $24), heel tips put on most pumps & stilettos, $16, and complete sole & heel replacement on men's boots or shoes, $55. The repairs can be done in less than a week, some overnight.

Ewell is offering a special 10% discount to CWE residents on shoe repair and shine services, which range from $8 for a regular shine, up to $15 to spiff up your cowboy boots. You'll find Ewell at his station most of the day Mondays through Saturdays and on some Sundays too–if there is a special event at the hotel, (314) 951-8641.

Arthur Culbert, whose tireless efforts have created the bountiful community garden on Waterman just west of Kingshighway, asked me to stop by a couple of weeks ago to view some of the end-of-summer harvest, above and below. Proud to be named New City School's "Urban Farmer in Residence," Arthur will continue his outdoor classroom for this year's fourth graders at the school, located a few hops, skips and jumps west. I took pictures of
the children last February (see post here) when they planted the first vegetable seeds of the year. My what time has wrought!

Since May the community garden has yielded a total of 700 pounds (!) of fresh organic produce for the food pantries at Trinity Church, 500 N. Euclid, and Second Presbyterian Church on Westminster at Taylor.

There is a beehive in a neighboring yard and annuals that were planted in the garden have provided food for the bees, who in turn pollinate the fruit trees that ring the area.

A honey mushroom, above, is one of several varieties of mushrooms that's
sprouting in the community garden. Arthur said it's edible, just not
very tasty.
Arthur's project is supported in part by funds collected from the Real Change meters that are parked on several sidewalks around the neighborhood. Real Change meters represent an effort to discourage panhandlers and support those who are less fortunate. Since panhandling is strongly discouraged, change can be given to a Real Change meter instead. Best of all, with the monies collected Arthur has provided a job for a former panhandler working in the garden.