Thursday 02/22
The Three Bs
This week's new Blues, Bourbon and Beer event promises to bring soulful blues music, savory hors d'oeuvres, crafted bourbon and local beer to downtown St. Louis on Thursday, February 22. The Marriott St. Louis Grand (800 Washington Avenue) will host the event starting at 6 p.m. in their Statler Ballroom, the former lobby of the historic Statler Hotel from 1917, with Robert Nelson as the evening's host. Live music by Charles "Skeet" Rodgers will start at 6:30 p.m. and go to 10 p.m. Guests will have the opportunity to taste local and international brews as well as a selection of crafted bourbons, including the hotel's custom Maker's Mark 1917 Gran Reserve. There will also be small bites from the Marriott's kitchen to complement the experience. Tickets are $25 each and include the blues performance, a selection of hors d'oeuvres and one drink. Ticket holders also get a $5 valet or complimentary self-parking at the Grand. The event is sponsored by the National Blues Museum, and tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite.
In Their Shoes
In celebration of Black History Month, the Missouri History Museum (5700 Lindell Boulevard) is playing host to Black History: Shaping St. Louis, in which KSDK's Kelly Jackson and Brent Solomon will lead a conversation with Black community members as they share their perspectives on life in the Gateway City. Topics of discussion will range from Black economic successes in the region to healthcare challenges faced by community members to Black media to the complexities of the Black LGBTQIA+ experience. Additionally, there will be a happy hour with food and drinks available for purchase at a discount from the museum's Key Bistro. Guests will also have the opportunity to check out the museum's exhibits, explore community resource tables and enjoy a piano performance by Franklin Moss. The event takes place on Thursday, February 22, from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Lee Auditorium, and admission is free. For more information, visit mohistory.org.
Friday 02/23
Go with the FLOW
Swap the winter blues for the ocean blue this Friday at the first SLAM Underground of the year at Saint Louis Art Museum (1 Fine Arts Drive), titled FLOW. SLAM invites the city under the sea to highlight the museum's latest exhibition, Matisse and the Sea, which probes modernist artist Henri Matisse's marine imagery and the significance of the sea in his work. We've all stood in awe of the museum's Matisse Bathers With A Turtle — this is that and more! The museum will offer seashore-themed cocktails, art making, music and other performances. Past SLAM Underground events have hosted some of St. Louis' top DJs, so bring your dancing shoes. Cancel that trip to Cancun and vacation for free on Art Hill this Friday, February 23, from 7 to 10 p.m. For more information and a full schedule, visit slam.org/event/slam-underground-flow.
Saturday 02/24
Paying Your Respects
It may feel like it only just began, but Black History Month is already rapidly approaching its end (this is what happens when a topic with major historical import is saddled with the shortest month of the year). That makes this weekend a perfect time to brush up your knowledge of the local African Americans who made a big impact on the world. The African American History Trolley Tour at Bellefontaine Cemetery (4947 West Florissant Avenue) offers a two-hour crash course on some of the biggest names buried in the area's most prominent cemetery, including activist Reverend John R. Anderson, abolitionist Mary Meacham and educator Ida Woolfolk. (Just ignore Rush Limbaugh and John Priest, who has the dubious honor of having been St. Louis' first veiled prophet.) Tours start at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., but you'll want to get there at least 15 minutes early. Seating is limited and tickets are required (free, but a $5 per ticket donation is requested). Limit of four tickets per party. Email [email protected] to wheedle your way into more. More info at bellefontainecemetery.org.
Balls to the Walls
A new facility promising to be the world's largest dedicated space for multiple flavors of big ping pong is finally opening its doors. The Grand Opening of the Padel + Pickle Club (1220 North Price Road, Olivette) is this weekend, and promises six "panoramic padel courts" and eight "advanced Cushionmaster II pickleball courts" at Olive and 170. What's padel, you ask? It's apparently a mashup of tennis and squash, played on walled-in courts that are one-third the size of their tennis counterparts. (Perfect for athletes wanting a workout upgrade from pickleball, perhaps?) At any rate, the people behind this club hope it will be a flagship for similar clubs across the U.S., equipped with "well-appointed locker rooms and shower facilities, ensuring comfort and convenience from start to finish" and a bar offering "a variety of sports drinks, non-alcoholic beverages and alcoholic refreshments" to help members and guests unwind after a hard-fought match. The facility opens for business at 7 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, February 24 and 25, and closes at 9 p.m. Membership starts at $60 per month, but limited guest pricing is also available for $17.50 per person per hour for pickleball and $30 for padel. For more information, visit padelandpickleclub.com.
Sunday 02/25
Good News
Cocktail bar Good Company may not be open just yet, but this week it's hosting a pop-up at the Vandy (1301 South Vandeventer Avenue) to preview its spring launch in the former Layla space in the Grove. The Good Company bar team will take over the cocktail menu to give customers a taste of what's in store, and the pop-up will also offer a limited food menu to tease what owner Jordan Goodman has described as an "approachable, chef-driven menu featuring burgers and a unique twist of gastropub fare." Topping the pop-up menu is Good Company's signature Good Burger, which features thick-cut bacon, Cooper white American cheese, the bar's "Good Sauce," pickles and a fried egg. Also on the menu are fries, a beet salad and brown-butter chocolate chip cookies from Poot's Provisions. Tables will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and food will be available all day, or until they sell out. The pop-up takes place this Sunday, February 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. For all the latest, visit instagram.com/goodcompany_stl.
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