The Baer Facts

A trip to Meramec Caverns, Just What the Tour Guides Ordered

A trip down Interstate 44 is a perfect way to entertain two grandkids, ages 8 and 5.

Thanks to my friends Mary Hendron and Nancy Milton from Insight Marketing and Communications, I discovered Meramec Caverns in Stanton, MO. All these years, I’ve heard about the caverns. I’d driven by numerous times, but never stopped in. I told the two former St. Louis Convention & Visitor Commission executives my wife and I were babysitting my two grandkids in July, Will and Charlie Lischer, ages 8 and 5 from Houston, and we wanted something unique and interesting to do for that age set. They quickly suggested the caverns, and better yet, supplied the admission tickets. It is 60 miles from our front door to the entrance of Meramec Caverns State Park in Stanton, an easy trip down Interstate 44 to say the least. The tour costs a family of …

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Courtney's Corner

MICDS Boys’ Varsity Tennis Wins Individual Sectional Competition

Charlie Curtis, Teddy Jones Headed to State Tennis Finals in Springfield Next Week.

Unusual for the middle of May, the 17th was a cool, windy, and cloudy day.  But not out of the ordinary was the determination of MICDS seniors Charlie Curtis and Teddy Jones. Curtis played senior Evan Wallace of Lutheran North and won 6-1 in the first set followed by 6-0 in the second. “I played well, but the kid fought hard,” Charlie said.  His expectations for state: “Hopefully I can win it and go out with a big bang my senior year.” Jones won against his opponent, Ty Merkle, who is graduating from Duchesne, with a score of 6-1, 7-6.  “It was closer than I wanted it to be,” said Jones; “I played conservatively and let up a little bit in the second set, but I pulled through in the end.” Curtis and Jones will advance to the State …

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Moms Talk Q&A

Moms Talk: What's the Best Way to Establish a Curfew for Teens

And what is a reasonable curfew time?

When St. Louis students are let out of school in a few short days, they'll make plenty of plans. They'll get together with friends, go to movies and attend parties. Hear that sound, parents? That's your brain in action, trying to find a happy medium  freedom and overbearing-ness. There are issues of trust, responsibility and safety to consider. So onto this week's question: What is a reasonable curfew for your 17- and 18-year-olds? And what is the best way to implement such a curfew without starting a war?

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District: Sam Horrell Dismissed As Clayton Football Coach

The district says that while Horrell has been dismissed in connection with information that he was involved in strength and conditioning workouts with eighth graders, he will continue to teach at Clayton High School.

*Editor's note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly spelled the last names of Wolfy Gaidis and Melina DeBona. This article has been updated to reflect the correct spellings. Clayton High School students engaged in a demonstration Friday morning in opposition to the dismissal of football coach Sam Horrell. The students held signs with the phrases “Bring back the coach,” “We want Horrell” and “Bring back coach Horrell.” They backed up the messages with chants of “bring back the coach” and “we want Horrell.”  Earlier this week, Clayton High officials self-reported violations of the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) by-laws, a document provided by the School District of Clayton states. The district took …

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Moms Talk Q&A

Moms Talk: What Are Your Summer Vacation Plans?

And how do the kids factor into the getaway equation?

Now that the sun is shining and the breezes blowing through St. Louis are carrying an inkling of summer, we at Patch are thinking (read: dreaming) about vacation. We suspect you are, too. But families with children often can't just pick up and travel to the far corners of the world. It takes time to plan a trip that involves everyone or to schedule a getaway during which the grandparents can watch the youngsters. So onto this week's question: Whether you're planning a summer vacation with your children or a romantic getaway that won't include them, what factors have you taken into consideration? What items should be on the to-do lists of others planning similar trips?

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Nate Birt

1:03 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Love, love, love Michigan. That sounds like a blast. I spent a summer at the Detroit Free Press and have visited the Upper Peninsula several times. That's always the trick with family vacations — keeping the kids entertained! Good luck, and have a great time.   more ›

After the Storm

FEMA Assessment Tempers Tornado Clean-up Efforts

St. Louis cities such as Creve Coeur and Hazelwood have offered to help cities affected by the Good Friday storms.

The St. Louis County Municipal League has been coordinating cleanup efforts with the county by contacting and making visits to cities hit this weekend by a devastating tornado, its executive director said Tuesday. But while work is underway in the areas hardest hit, the Municipal League isn't recruiting additional help until applications for funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are approved, executive director Tim Fischesser said. "Everybody likes to go slow, until FEMA kind of opens the door," executive director Tim Fischesser said. He said St. Louis County is pursuing a FEMA-approved vendor that would help multiple cities by collecting debris. But the need to go through a bidding process means that vendor's work…

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Clayton to Host Play Examining Issue of Bullying

"Cruel to be Kind?" is a joint project of the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute and Shakespeare Festival St. Louis.

Scenes from Shakespeare's As You Like It will be performed this week in Clayton as part of an effort to educate families about bullying. "Art can reach one's heart and soul quicker than anything else," said Jacqueline Langley, an adult psychoanalyst and an advanced candidate in child psychoanalysis at the Ladue-based St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute. She edited multiple drafts of the specialized play—called Cruel to be Kind?—which will be performed Thursday at Clayton High School in an event sponsored by Shakespeare Festival St. Louis. Langley participated in the graduate department of theater at the University of Nebraska while getting her doctorate in psychology. Both subjects are her passions, and both allow a person to emotionally …

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Farmer's Market Organizers Hope for Community Atmosphere, Fair Weather

The Clayton Farmer's Market opens May 7 near Straub's.

Organizers are hopeful that a shift in market location, along with the addition of musicians and other features will bring people to the Clayton Farmer's Market to experience community. "We want to create an event for people," market manager Deb Henderson said. Owner Trip Straub said the market is a separate legal entity from Straub's, the grocery store his family has operated in Clayton for years that also serves as a market sponsor. The idea is to pair farmers with residents in a way the store can't. It is Straub's way of giving back, he said. This year's market will open May 7, on the eve of Mother's Day. Because of that, Henderson said, she and others are encouraging families to make a day out of a visit to the market. The market began…

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Crown Vision Center Marks 50 Years in St. Louis Area

Matt Matthews, the center's president and a Clayton resident, said the company has found success by focusing on affordable eye care in neighborhoods.

Managing an eye-care business appealed to Matt Matthews. So when he decided to form an investor group in 1990, buy the original Crown Vision Center in Alton, IL, and expand to St. Louis, he knew just what to do. "We opened offices in neighborhoods," said Matthews, president of the company and a Clayton resident, during an interview at the Ladue Crossing branch. This year, Crown Vision is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Matthews now oversees 25 eye centers, 23 of which are in the St. Louis metro area. The Alton store had been a single-location group practice with four doctors. It had been in business for 30 years before its original owner retired. Matthews decided to maintain the center's focus on low prices and savings while expanding …

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