Not totally satisfied with your weekend itinerary? Never fear, Go! is here! This regular feature delivers the can’t-miss activities to complete your fun-seeking agenda. Looking for live music? Here's your St. Louis weekend concert calendar.
Friday Start off your holiday season downtown. Head to Kiener Plaza Friday night for the Macy's Holiday Festival of Lights. The light-up ceremony has plenty of family friendly stuff. Recall the days of downtown holiday shopping before the suburbs and shopping malls became icons of commerce. At 6:15 p.m., Mayor Francis Slay will pull the "magic switch" (hmmm) and begin a fireworks display. Yes, fireworks, not just for Cardinals homeruns anymore! Then at 7 p.m., the downtown Macy's store on Olive and Seventh Street will unveil its holiday window displays.
Friday Another way to kick off the cold weekend is with fire and glass-blowing at the Third Degree Glass Factory (5200 Delmar Boulevard). The free (a good word these days) event includes on-display art by Wash. U. students as well as music by St. Louis' Prairie Soul. What's more, Pandora's Matchbox, our city's very own "fire performance troupe," will perform. And it's free! For more info, call 314-367-4527 or visit stlglass.com.
Saturday One of the city's most popular nightclubs as of late is Lush Cafe & Lounge in Midtown (3037 Olive Street), despite its god-awful MySpace page. On Saturday, the dance club hosts its "Models Night Out" party from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. This event will include stylists, photographers and management from House of Style Productions.
Saturday "Dipset for life," is the mantra by the NYC rap clique, and one of its members Juelz Santana will appear Saturday at club Society (326 S. 21st Street.) The doors open at 9 p.m. and ladies get in free at 11 p.m. There will be a freestyle rap battle on-stage and likely a lot of unspoken fashion battles off-stage between sharply dressed guests. "Early arrival is suggsted!" reads a flier, so get there early. For VIP seating or reservations, call 314-249-6836. DIP-SET!
Saturday TV actor and stand-up comic Patton Oswalt will be at Lumiere Place Casino for two shows Saturday. Yes, the same comic from King of Queens and the same comic we interviewed on this very blog. There are 7 and 10 p.m. shows, and tickets are $25, or a buy-one, get one half-off ($18.75.)
Saturday Who hasn't found themselves watching one of the Star Trek spin-offs at least once in their lives? On Saturday, beam yourself to Star Clipper in the Loop (6392 Delmar Boulevard) to meet Chase Masterson (photos), best known as "Leeta the Dabo girl" from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She'll be at the comics/toys/cool stuff emporium from 2 to 4 p.m. to promote her new film, Yesterday Was a Lie, which is screening at the St. Louis Film Festival. And as if you needed another reason to go to the free event, here's Masterson's sexy resume: One of the "50 Sexiest Women of the Year" by Femme Fatales Magazine and one of the "Hot Leading Ladies" of film by Film Fetish for her role in Yesterday in which she plays a mysterious jazz singer.
Saturday Pull that flapper dress from several Halloweens ago out of the closet. Why, you ask? To go to a "speakeasy" of course. No, not a real hole-in-the-wall joint with bathtub gin, but the Thaxton Speakeasy, a "downtown underground lounge" in the historic Thaxton Building (1109 Olive Street.) It's the grand opening for the lounge, and the drinkin' begins at 10 p.m and goes until the usual go-home, find another bar or head-east time of 1:30 a.m. The lounge has been completely remodeled into a swank hangout, fit for seeing and being seen, hence the need for a vintage-looking flapper dress. It's an ALIVE magazine event also. For more info and pics of the place, check out thaxtonspeakeasy.com. Check the RFT Sunday for a nightlife slideshow.
Saturday A little "pre-gaming" before Thanksgiving can only help you when the traditional meal arrives on your table. And for vegetarians, a turkey-free Thanksgiving is the ethical choice for holiday dining. The St. Louis Vegetarian Society Turkey-Free Thanksgiving (or STLVSTFT) will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of St. Louis (6501 Wydown Boulevard.) Let Amy George stuff you with the details.
Sunday Probably the best spin-off of the holiday name, "Cranksgiving" at St. Louis BicycleWORKS (4102 Shenandoah Avenue) invites bicycle-riders to buy between $5 and $20 worth of non-perishable groceries along a five or 25-mile route and then return to bikeWorks to donate them. Improve your health and help feed the hungry. For more info read Christian Schaeffer's story on Cranksgiving, visit stlbikeworks.com or call 314-664-0828.
Sunday The Mad Art Gallery hosts Praise the Tube Sunday, a creation of the Free Form Film Festival that is a compilation of the weirder televangelists in TV land. In the words of Paul Friswold, "During the wee, small hours of the night when all the sane people are sleeping, the local affiliates and public access channels give up their airwaves to the money-hungry faith healers and their bizarre visions of salvation." The film is only $5 and starts at 8 p.m. at Mad Art (2727 South 12th Street.) For more infor check out freeformfilm.org.
For more weekend events, the RFT Calendar has lists and lists of them. Have a great weekend!
