Thursday 07/13
Flower Power
The Missouri Department of Conservation has a very important announcement: It's Sunflower Season, baby, and you and your peasant dress are invited to come selfie the day away at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area (801 Strodtman Road, 314-877-6014) again. The spot became famous on St. Louis Instagram a few years back when all of the women with the floppy straw hats realized that there was a perfect place in town at which to show off their hotness. And good for them! A pretty woman, a flowing dress, a field of sunflowers and a sunset? It's the perfect combination if you're looking to score likes on the 'Gram. It's practically a Sofia Coppola movie set over there. You definitely do not want to miss a chance to get the perfect selfie or family photo this year, so plan to head over there soon — they say the sunflowers will be in full bloom until sometime in August. More info at mdc.mo.gov.
Stacked and That's a Fact
Anyone who's lived in St. Louis for any length of time knows our city's architecture is defined by its brick homes. (Frankly, other places' wooden buildings just seem wrong by comparison.) But how St. Louis and brick became synonymous is a tale with many threads. The Missouri History Museum (5700 Lindell Boulevard, 314-746-4599) will trace those stories during Brick City, which is part of the museum's Thursday Nights at the Museum series. The event will look at everything from how the rivers and their clay deposits supply the raw materials to how St. Louisans built lives centered around the brick industry. The event is presented in partnership with Great Rivers Greenway. It runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and is free to attend. There will be drinks and food from Sugarfire available for purchase. For more information, visit mohistory.org/events/brick-city.
Friday 07/14
All the White Horses
Ginger pianists with mezzo-soprano vocal ranges are hard to come by these days, but local fans of Tori Amos will be excited to know that their favorite redheaded goddess is hitting St. Louis this week. The "Winter" singer is booked to play the Stifel Theatre (1400 Market Street, 314-499-7600) on Friday, July 14, as part of her Ocean to Ocean Tour, supporting her 2021 album of the same name. It's not often that Amos graces St. Louis with a tour stop — the last time she came through was in 2014, and before that was way back in 2002 — so fans of her work shouldn't sleep on this one. Ticket prices for the show range from $36.50 through $111.50. (Those prices are before the exorbitant service fees, of course, so maybe pick up some extra shifts at work.) Visit ticketmaster.com for more information.
Glowed Up
What do you get when you jam hundreds of blacklights, an untold amount of foam, a foam cannon to shoot said foam from, four DJs and hundreds of painted-up people in swim attire into one room? Well, the answer is a no-brainer, dummy: You get the Blacklight Foam and Body Paint Party at Europe Nightclub (710 North 15th Street, 314-621-5111). St. Louis' wildest party goes down this Friday, July 14, and it's sure to be a memorable one (or not, depending on your level of intoxication). Glow-in-the-dark items, hula hoops and light-up poi toys are encouraged, and there's no dress code (but you'll obviously want to wear something that can get a bit wet). The foam starts flying at 10 p.m., and the party goes until 3 a.m. Tickets start at $20. More info at facebook.com/europeniteclub.
Shiver Me Timbers
Avast, ye landlubber! It's all hands on deck this Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15, for a night of mystery and pirates at the Lemp Mansion (3322 Demenil Place, 314-664-8024). Join the Jest Murder Mystery Co. for the Death of a Blackheart Mystery Dinner Theatre, a hilarious show full of fair maidens, lost boys, rival pirates and wenches. Slap on that eye patch and bust out your pirate finery for an evening packed with murder and intrigue on the high seas. If "Talk Like a Pirate Day" is your favorite holiday, you'll feel right at home. Death of a Blackheart runs each Friday and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. through August 26. Tickets are $68.95 each and come with a three-course meal. For more info, visit jestmurdermystery.com
Nautical Nonsense
Do you love SpongeBob SquarePants? (Who doesn't?) Do you look askance at all of these people doing things outdoors even when it's hot as hell? Do you like activities where you strap blades to your feet and move around? Most importantly, how do you feel about rhetorical questions? If you've read this far you must enjoy them, and if you answered "yes" to any of the above then you're going to love Summer Skate: Spongebob Night at Centene Community Ice Center (750 Casino Center Drive, Maryland Heights; 314-451-2244). The event costs $12 (plus $5 if you need skates) and includes ice skating, music, giveaways and a photo booth. Wear your best Spongebob-inspired attire (or just yellow or pink) to really get in on the festivities. The party starts at 7 p.m. Details at centenecommunitycenter.com.
Negative Ghost Rider
Get ready to see Tom Cruise and Jack Black in Forest Park this summer. The beloved Art Hill Film Series returns this week to the grassy lawn between the Saint Louis Art Museum and Post-Dispatch Lake. Kicking things off will be Top Gun: Maverick on Saturday, July 14, followed by Akeelah and the Bee on July 21 and School of Rock on July 28. The fun starts each night at 6 p.m., with food trucks curated by Sauce Magazine. (You can also bring your own picnic basket.) Films begin at 9 p.m. This year's slate of movies has a "Teacher Feature" theme, which the art museum ties to its 100th anniversary of educational programs, as well as its summer exhibition Action/Abstraction Redefined: Modern Native Art, 1940s-1970s, which "tells the story of the Institute of American Indian Arts and its revolutionary approach to faculty that left an impact on the field of abstraction." That exhibit will be on display through September 3. See slam.org for more details.
Saturday 07/15
Stranger Than Friction
If you don't know Fred Friction, you're missing out on one of the finest citizens St. Louis has to offer. The spoon-playing, poetry-reading, song-singing scrawny southside legend who ran the immortal Frederick's Music Lounge (and a few other joints) will be celebrated this weekend at Fred Friction's 65th Birthday Bash. At 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, Friction fans will descend on Jack's Joint (4652 Shaw Avenue, 314-773-6600), the new event space/music venue upstairs at O'Connell's Pub, for a very special gathering. The party may be in celebration of Friction's newfound senior citizen status, but that doesn't mean that he has settled into old age. Fred Friction is just as likely to get naked as he is to breathe air, so head out for a full evening of entertainment courtesy of an open mic, Jesse Irwin and the Maness Brothers. Maybe if you're extra lucky, Fred will take the stage and sing one of his classics, like "Little Baby Dreams," and you can go home with a wistful tear in your eye. Visit.facebook.com/jacksjointmusiques for more information.
Life in Plastic
Come on Barbie, let's go party! As Greta Gerwig's newest film Barbie prepares to hit theaters July 21, Mattel's Barbie Truck hits the road for the Barbie Truck Dreamhouse Living Tour. The cross-country trek makes a stop at West County Center (80 West County Center Drive) outside Restaurant Village on Saturday, July 15, at 8 a.m. Selling exclusive Barbie merch, it'll have everything you need to get dolled up for Barbie's time on the big screen. More information at shop.mattel.com/pages/barbie-truck-tour.
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