All Entries in the "Indoor Fun" Category
Shop for deals @ Christian Hospital’s book sale
For 22 years, my mom worked at Christian Hospital, back when it was still called Christian Northeast. I also worked there for four years during college, in a completely different department from my mom, but if there’s one thing we both have fond memories of, it’s the hospital’s annual book sale.
Hosted by the dedicated volunteers of the Christian Hospital Auxiliary, this big book extravaganza used to feature a mix of new and used items, filling nearly every inch of the lobby. These days, you’ll find a broad selection of new titles at 40 to 70% off list price, as well as photo albums, games, puzzles, CDs and more.
Over the years, the Auxiliary has used this fundraiser and others to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars in hospital equipment, including stretchers and stair chairs for ambulances, furniture and computers for the library in the mental health unit and a new bus for the outpatient rehabilitation department. They’ve also donated more than $20,000 annually to the hospital’s indigent patient/medication fund and are raising funds to support the hospital’s diabetes institute.
So, if you like to shop for cookbooks, paperbacks, bestsellers and children’s favorites, you’ll find them all at the “Book are Fun” sale. And you can feel good knowing that your purchase goes toward a good cause.
The Christian Hospital Auxiliary book sale will be held April 3, 10am-4pm, and April 4 & 5, 7am-4pm, inside the main hospital lobby. Christian Hospital is located at 11133 Dunn Road, 63136. For more info, call (314) 653-5634.
Flo Valley commemorates Women’s History Month
During its final week of activities marking Women's History Month, St. Louis Community College @ Florissant Valley will host a lecture on female body hair.
FROM THE NEWS WIRE:
March is Women’s History Month and for students and staff at St. Louis Community College, they’re not just learning it – they’re living it. Over the past 50 years, STLCC has prided itself on providing students the opportunity to expand their knowledge beyond the textbook. Some students learn visually, some audibly and others through hands-on experience.
For Women’s History Month, students and the St. Louis community will be given the opportunity to learn from those who help form and change our idea of what it means to be a woman. St. Louis Community College- Florissant Valley will host a variety of events, all free and open to the public. Here’s what’s coming up during the final week of March…
Monday, March 26
Hairy Women: How Shaving (or not) Can Change the World: An interactive presentation on how the female body has been a site of resistance and social advocacy throughout history, with particular focus on women’s hair. Emerson Lobby 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Tuesday, March 27
Women involved in Animal Conservation: film and discussion of women that strive to help protect animals and educate others. TC 202, 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 28
Christine Giancola – An Artist’s Talk: Informal Gallery Talk with Artist Gallery. ADMIN, 2nd floor, Administration building, 1:30 p.m.
Groundbreaking Women: A 50th Anniversary Celebration: Panel discussion and reception with women who have been ‘groundbreakers’ in their field.
Terry M. Fischer Theatre 6:30-9 p.m.
Thursday, March 29
Women of Words: This event provides campus members the opportunity to read works from published women authors and/or writings by Florissant Valley’s female students, faculty, and staff at an open mic. You need not be a woman to read at this event. IR South Lobby, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Miss Representation: film and discussion. Explores the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America, and challenges the media’s limited portrayal of what it means to be a powerful woman. Terry M. Fischer Theatre 6:30-9 p.m.
Ongoing through April 5
The Work of Rene Marie Muhl. Contemporary Art Gallery, IR 111. Gallery hours: M-Th 10 a.m.-4 p.m. F-Sat 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Artist Reception: Thursday, April 5, 6-8 p.m.
St. Louis Community College @ Flo Valley is located at 3400 Pershall Road, 63135. For a campus map, look here. And for more info on Women’s History Month activities, contact Janice Nesser-Chu at (314) 513-4861.
Ferguson tour headed to Missouri’s oldest prison
On May 23, Ferguson Parks & Rec will sponsor a tour to the Missouri State Penitentiary, the oldest prison west of the Mississippi.
One of the nice benefits of living in Ferguson is the fact that the city has an awesome Parks & Recreation Department. Aside from maintaining 106 acres of public land and offering a wide selection of classes and learning opportunities, Parks & Rec also coordinates some incredible road trips.
My friend Nancy Whitener handles most of the travel planning, and though I’ve never hopped on a bus with her, I’ve heard rave reviews of her many adventures. Nancy is always looking for new & interesting places to visit, and this time she has really outdone herself. On May 23, she’s leading a group to the old Missouri State Penitentiary!
Built in 1836, a full 100 years before Alcatraz, this massive complex is the oldest prison west of the Mississippi. Located in Jefferson City, it was a brutal place once condemned as the “bloodiest 47 acres in America,” and a number of infamous criminals (including women) were housed here. Dozens of prisoners were also executed here, both by hanging and lethal gas, before the facility was finally closed in 2004.
Not surprisingly, the Missouri Pen is a hotbed of paranormal activity. Ghost Hunters even filmed an episode here, so there’s no telling what you might see if you sign up for this trip.
After a two-hour ride on Amtrak, you’ll enjoy lunch at the Prison Brews microbrewery then visit the Missouri Highway Patrol Museum and finally the penitentiary, where you’ll get to view dungeon cells, the upper yard, A-Hall (pictured above), Housing Unit 3, and even the gas chamber. Before heading back to St. Louis, you’ll also get a taste of ice cream at the historic Central Dairy.
The trip will run from 8am to 8:30pm, and the cost is just $84 for Ferguson residents and $89 for non-residents, inclusive of everything but souvenirs. Only 53 people can go on the tour, and Nancy’s trips frequently fill up, so if you want to tag along on this unique outing, call (314) 521-4661 ASAP.
Ferguson’s Old Missouri Penitentiary Tour is scheduled for Wednesday, May 23. The prison is NOT wheelchair accessible. Photos courtesy of Micheal Peterson.
UPDATE 3/16: This trip is sold out!
Renowned journalist Lisa Ling speaking @ UMSL
As far as journalism careers go, it’s hard to top Lisa Ling’s. Nabbing her first reporting job while still in high school, Ling was just 21 when she became a war correspondent for Channel One News, working in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Back in the states, she was selected by Barbara Walters as a co-host on The View, but left after three years to become the first female host of National Geographic Explorer, where she was able to cover a wide range of hot-button topics around the world, including Colombian drug wars and the repressive culture of North Korea. Not long after, she landed a prime gig with Oprah Winfrey.
As a special investigative reporter for the Oprah Show, Ling often tackled difficult subjects that received little attention in the mainstream press, from Pennsylvania puppy mills and AIDS orphans in Uganda to bride burning in India and even gang rape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She parlayed this experience into a similar job for CNN, where she covered elephant poaching in Chad and illegal shark fishing in Costa Rica for the award-winning documentary Planet in Peril.
The author of two books, including one with her journalist sister, Laura, who was briefly imprisoned in North Korea until Bill Clinton intervened, Ling currently produces her own show, Our America, on Oprah’s OWN Network and frequently lectures at colleges across the country.
She will be speaking at UMSL on March 13, in a one-night event at the Touhill. During her presentation, “Open Heart, Open Mind,” Ling will share some of her most compelling stories and dramatic video clips, discussing how she uses her role as a journalist to foster positive social change. She will also talk about the importance of having an open heart and mind, encouraging audience members to cultivate a global perspective and become more engaged in the world around them.
Tickets to this intriguing lecture are $15, or $5 for UMSL students. Lisa Ling: Open Heart, Open Mind is scheduled for Tuesday, March 13, 7pm at the Touhill, 1 University Blvd, 63121. For more info, call (314) 516-4949.
Are you getting ready for the big day? NOCO is a proud sponsor of the 3rd annual Live Well Ferguson 5K