Labor Day

10 Most Offensive, Ridiculous "Sad Desk Lunch" Photos

The mission of Sad Desk Lunch is stated simply on its website: Sad Desk Lunch isn't about how great your lunch is. And it's not about how crappy your lunch is either. It's about the fact you eat your lunch at your desk during your lunch break where you could roam free ....Eating our sad tupperware ... More >>

East St. Louis rapper Fresco Kane is on the cusp

What's the Point of Surviving an Insanely Hot Summer If It Doesn't Set Any Good Weather Records?

The autumn equinox and the official end of summer aren't for another week yet, but Labor Day has passed and there's a nice tinge of something in the air that might be an actual chill. Is it safe to say we've officially survived the scorching summer of 2012? No -- not "say." A better word would be "b ... More >>

How To Suck The Brains Out Of A Skull: Advice from the Weekend's Real Pig Roast

"You know how a slug feels in your hand?" asks John Kraatz. "It's slimier than that." Kraatz is, of course, referring to the brain and brainstem of "Norm," the first of two pigs that will be consumed at the Off Broadway Pig Roast on Sunday night. As for how to reach those slimy, succulent morsels, ... More >>

St. Louis Criminals Took Most of the Weekend Off, Just Like Us

The Labor Day Weekend started off quietly on the crime front, although whether it was because of the holiday, the rainy weather or just a coincidence remains open for debate.That all changed in a 24-hour period starting Sunday afternoon, as three shootings in that span sent three people to the hospi ... More >>

Natural Birth Effort Holds St. Louis Rally; Dozens Demonstrate at Mercy Medical

It's known locally as the "Baby Factory" for the number of women who choose to have their children there. Yesterday morning Mercy Hospital St. Louis (known until last year as St. John's Mercy Medical) was also ground zero for a rally intended to raise awareness about modern-day delivery practices. S ... More >>

This Week's Feature: Did the Dybbuk Box Cause a Fire After the Filming of The Possession?

In this week's feature, Riverfront Times did what the cast and crew of the new Sam Raimi horror flick The Possession were too scared to do: We trucked out to Kirksville and visited the real dybbuk box. Read "The Devil's Wine Box" here. The film, which opened over the long weekend (to the second-h ... More >>

Recalls: A Pen in the Sausage, Milk in the Sea Salt

Labor Day is in the rearview mirror, but the summer of strange recalls continues. On Thursday, August 31, Klement Sausage Company Inc. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, recalled 2,920 pounds of frozen bratwurst patties because they might contain...wait for it...pieces of a plastic pen. According to the USD ... More >>

Ten Best Food Events This Weekend: Aug. 31-Sept. 3

Note: A couple of events on Gut Check's agenda were cancelled due to severe weather forecasts. Officially cancelled outdoor events are noted below. Call ahead for others to ensure availability. Friday (Aug. 31): Midwest Wing Fest @ St. Clair Square - CANCELLED Wings get offered from nineteen res ... More >>

Washed Out or Still On? St. Louis Labor Day Weekend Events

The rain from tropical depression Isaac is pattering softly down right now, but forecasters are predicting five inches or more before the weekend's over. And this being Labor Day weekend, there are -- or were -- a ton of festivals and events scheduled. So what's washed out, what's pushed back and wh ... More >>

Big Muddy Blues Festival Lineup and Ticket Information

The Big Muddy Blues Festival, which takes place downtown every year on Labor Day weekend, returns this year with three stages on Laclede's Landing and a headlining set from New Orleans' Dr. John. Tickets are on sale now -- they range from $10 a day for general admission to $85 per day for Gold Lev ... More >>

Bluesweek triples in size, attracting its strongest lineup yet

New St. Louis Snack Asks, "What-A-Ya Nuts?!"

Julia GabbertHowie Sher stands with his new snack food, What-A-Ya Nuts?! Sher was pleased to see that a Schnucks location had almost sold out of the product after Labor Day weekend.​In the fall of 2009, Howie Sher stood before his pantry looking at the different varieties of bland nuts and tra ... More >>

Pygmalion Music Festival 2011: What to Expect, What to See and More

​With LouFest, Pitchfork and Lollapalooza done you may think the music festival season is over after Labor Day. But there's still more: Those who crave an indie rock festival featuring creative, innovative and up-and-coming artists will be glad to know that their audio paradise is only 178 mi ... More >>

New Wilco Video: "Born Alone"

image via​The latest in a long string of previews of Wilco's upcoming The Whole Love came out this morning: A video for new song "Born Alone." Its lyrics were based on a sort of reverse Mad Libs with nineteenth century poetry, where Tweedy picked out words from the works of Emily Dickenson, Wh ... More >>

Brunching at Winslow's Home

Chrissy Wilmes​​Where: Winslow's Home (7213 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-725-7559). When: Every Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Breakfast served daily from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. We Tried: Oatmeal, $6; rolled omelet, $8.50; fruit bowl, $5. The Verdict: When we stopped by Win ... More >>

Crazy Nasty-Ass Pussy Don't Care 'Bout No Fruit

Cats are carnivores. As in, they eat meat. With the exception of the occasional feline salad to create some vomiting good times, they really don't care about the vegetation. Like our friend, the honey badger, cats just don't give a shit. To prove this, we've found a new series of Japanese videos t ... More >>

Ten Best Food Events This Weekend: September 3-5

Image viaA scene from last year's Midwest Wingfest​Entertainment starts a little late this weekend, bypassing Friday and instead heating up all the way through Monday this Labor Day weekend. With lots of festivals and festivities, there's plenty of ways to taste that last little morsel of summ ... More >>

Happy Labor Day from Gut Check (Enjoy Your Hot Dog!)

Image via​Did you know that between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans eat roughly 818 hot dogs per second? That's what the Hot Dog and Sausage Council tells the New York Times. We're a nation of Joey "Jaws" Chestnuts!This weekend, of course, marks the unofficial end of summer and, with it, the ... More >>

New Owner Seeks the Original Spirit of Arcelia's

Laura Ann MillerInside Arcelia's (before the rehab)​Pat Shelton loved Arcelia's so much she decided to buy the building.The Mexican restaurant closed at the end of last year after a twenty-year run, first in Soulard, then at 2001 Park Avenue in Lafayette Square. Shelton and her husband acquired th ... More >>

The Civil War by Boat

Patric Chocolate Wins Good Food Award From Slow Food Nation

Nick SchnelleA In-NIB-itable Bar is born.​Patric Chocolate, one of the two Missouri bean-to-bar chocolate makers profiled in Riverfront Times last year, is officially good food. That is, Patric's In-NIB-itable Bar won a blue ribbon in the inaugural Good Food Awards in San Francisco last week. ... More >>

Is the RFT Haunted?

Scoodog via FlickrIs that a ghost at the Tivoli/RFT offices?​Way, way back in the day (well, the early 90s), before the Loop became a nice place again and the Riverfront Times was still by the river front, the Tivoli building housed a movie theater, three floors of dilapidated apartments and a ... More >>

Wonders Never Cease: Clayton Bally May Reopen Tomorrow

More than five months after it was gutted by fire, the Bally Total Fitness on Forsyth Boulevard in University City -- better known as the Clayton Bally's, as it's just a hop, skip and a jump from that fair municipality -- appears to be finally ready to reopen tomorrow, November 3.​Employees had pr ... More >>

Bally Total Fitness Reopening in University City -- But When?

The Bally Total Fitness on Forsyth Road in University City has been telling patrons that it will reopen November 1, five months after it was shuttered by fire.But that's news to University City, which will have to complete a series of inspections before the gym can open its doors to the public. A U ... More >>

Stan Chisholm sweats music and bleeds art. Won't you join him?

Love A Fair

Jeremiah McMillon: Charged in Muggings, Sexual Assault in Clayton, University City

Jeremiah McMillon​Clayton police yesterday held a press conference announcing the arrest of a man suspected in a mugging and sexual assault early Labor Day morning and another holdup the day before.Jeremiah McMillon, 23, is charged with forcible sodomy and attempted robbery and rape in a gunpoint ... More >>

UPDATE: Serial Mugger/Pervert Could Be on Loose in U. City, Clayton

Sketches from University City (left) and Clayton.​Update 9:39 a.m. Clayton police have reportedly arrested the man they believe responsible for the mugging and sexual assault Monday morning. They're now working with Wash. U. and University City police to see if the suspect might also be involved i ... More >>

Big Muddy Blues Festival and Bluesweek to Face Off This Weekend

In the epic battle between Laclede's Landing and, well, the rest of downtown, who will prevail?​We're talking, of course, about the dueling blues festivals going head to head in the two areas: the inaugural St. Louis Bluesweek in the downtown corner, and Big Muddy Blues Festival representing Lacle ... More >>

Ten Things to do Labor Day Weekend

Amber McDonaldHeart's Ann and Nancy Wilson​It's Labor Day weekend, the last "real" weekend of summer. Don't let it get away from you. Friday: NewPop II Opening at Hoffman LaChance/After-Party at HandleBar Stan Chisholm, recent RFT Mastermind winner, is unveiling two solo shows at once this we ... More >>

13 Reasons Your Exotic Dancer Hates You

​It's a three-day weekend for most of us, but not for the hardest working women in show business: your local exotic dancer. With that in mind, Daily RFT recently contacted some of our favorite East St. Louis strippers to ask them what we can do to make their Labor Day a bit more enjoyable/tolerabl ... More >>

Win a Pair of Tickets to the First North Coast Music Fest in Chicago! See Chemical Brothers, Nas & Damian Marley, Benny Benassi, Paul van Dyk and more

Click for a larger version​From September 3-5 -- that's this weekend -- the first North Coast Music Festival is happening in Chicago's Union Park. The lineup is pretty fantastic: Umphrey's McGee, Paul van Dyk, Benny Benassi, Chemical Brothers, De La Soul, Moby (as a DJ) and Lupe Fiasco are the ... More >>

Big Muddy Blues Festival Celebrates Its Fifteenth Year on Laclede's Landing With Moreland & Arbuckle, Eric "Guitar" Davis, More

The BIg Muddy Blues Festival will be back on Laclede's Landing for the fifteenth straight year this Labor Day weekend. Artists announced so far for the two-day event include Moreland and Arbuckle, Nick Curran and the Lowlifes, Magic Slim and the Teardrops and Eric "Guitar" Davis. Local luminary Kim ... More >>

Nightclubbing: Recent Bar and Venue Openings and Closings

Drown your sorrows about the oil spill/World Cup/Wimbledon and beat the heat at one of the new nightlife spots in town. The Good News: Chesterfield's International Tap House opened its sister location last week in beery, cheery Soulard. The place is huge and swank, and features 500 beers in bottl ... More >>

The Lot

5 p.m. Saturday, August 29. The parking lot of the Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust Street.

Talkin' Chalk -- And Parties

Talkin' Chalk -- And Parties

Eat, Dance, Laugh

The Grecian formula for happiness

East by East Loop

The Loop labors for you

We (Still) Got the Beat

Hog, Two Ways

Festival of a Nation

Jam in the Morning

Get into Labor

To Market, to Market

Ride, Ride, Ride

Let yourself ride

'Cue, Part II

Following the smoke signals to more of this town's best barbecue

Greek Goods

An offering of thanks for the Greek Festival's heavenly food