Whether you're into fancy sneakers, like the idea of watching a baseball game played by blindfolded people or thrill to classic films, this week has something to get you out of the house. Best of all, none of these activities will set you back more than $15 per person — that's cheaper, surely, than this month's A/C bill!
Here are our picks for six things to do this week.
1) Catch a one-man show at Herbie's Vintage 72
The Midnight Company brings back an old, odd favorite in Thom Pain (based on nothing). Will Eno's one-man show is about nothing, as promised, but our lives are accumulations of meaningless moments that somehow congeal into a full meal — sort of like how lasagna left in the fridge few days tastes richer and fuller than when eaten right out of the oven. Joe Hanrahan stars as the man who has known only suffering, from childhood bee stings to the agonies wrought by the combination of male and female. Thom Pain (based on nothing) is performed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday (July 22 to August 6) at Herbie's Vintage 72 (405 North Euclid Avenue; www.midnightcompany.com). Tickets are $15.
2) Watch a very unusual baseball game — for a good cause
Minds Eye Radio provides much-needed entertainment and information for the blind community of the St. Louis area. The organization gathers volunteers to read newspapers, magazines and periodicals of local and national interest over the radio to spare the unsighted the expense of acquiring Braille versions. One of Minds Eye Radio's most successful fundraisers is its annual beepball tournament, which asks teams of sighted players to play a game of competitive baseball while blindfolded. The ball beeps so batters and fielders can hear and track it through space. (The pitcher and the catcher are allowed to go un-blindfolded, however.) This year's installment is the tenth anniversary of the game, and it's being billed as the Ultimate BeepBall Tournament. The championship game starts at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Assumption Parish (4725 Mattis Road; www.mindseyeradio.org), but play-in games will begin much earlier than that. Check the website for the full tournament schedule.
3. Attend a sneaker expo downtown
For some people, shoes are a mere necessity — something you wear so you don't get hookworm. For others, shoes are a prime example of the art of design, a fusion of function and aesthetics, and that's not the Sex in the City crowd we're talking about. For the serious athletic shoe collector, "kicks" link sports and hip-hop, and serve as a status symbol as well. They know the current going rate for a mint pair of any Michael Jordan shoe ever produced and why each one matters (or doesn't). The burgeoning kicks community converges on the Peabody Opera House (1400 Market Street; www.peabodyoperahouse.com) Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. for the Show Me Kicks Expo. They'll be there to buy, sell, trade and discuss the shoes they love. Tickets are $12, and casual fans are welcome.
Turn the page for more affordable fun in St. Louis this week.
