Here's the scoop. Coming soon to the Riverfront Amphitheater at Riverfront Park in Alton, Illinois --- the RIVERBEND OKTOBERFEST --- and KARTOFFELFEST.
1) Riverbend Oktoberfest - is an ethnically German festival. A heritage event linking the past to the present.
2) Kartoffelfest - the Festival within a Festival.
So, what are these two events? Well, you can find out the details at the pages on http://www.riverbendoktoberfest.com/
There's more about the Kartoffelfest coming to that website soon, but for now there is a contest or two that cooks may want to enter --- it's not an event for professionals (although they can enter, too). What it will be featuring at this point is a contest for those who make POTATO PANCAKES (Kartoffelpuffer or Kartoffel Pfankuchen) or GERMAN POTATO SALAD recipes.
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1) Oktoberfest is being brought to the Riverbend because of the rich history filled with European immigrants from the Germanic nations that moved into Madison County, as well as the surrounding counties of Jersey, Macoupin, Greene, St. Clair and Calhoun. Although German may have gone through numerous border changes over the past 500 years, those who came to the United States since the 1700s have long held festivals to connect them to their past. In fact, those who know the history of Oktoberfest in Munich know there's nothing like a true Oktoberfest party. Gemütlichkeit - or loosely translate a "festive cosiness" - is hard to say but east to feel at an Oktoberfest when the music is playing, the dancers are moving, and the food and drinks are being enjoyed with family and friends. The Riverbend Oktoberfest is a new event in 2011, but the ethnically German event with a distincly European flavor will once again be seen in Alton for the first time in decades. No --- there is no attack upon our local church festivals at St. Mary's or Resurrection --- it's just time to have a genuine Oktoberfest with German music and dance as one of the main features. It will be a winner for the future of our area --- showcasing the beauty of the Riverfront Amphitheater and the park itself as well as helping to evoke the emotions for older generations and stir a new interest for the younger generations.
2) Kartoffelfest - the Festival within a Festival. This is new to our area. Kartoffelfest can be almost anything at all involving the potato. There will be some children's games along with the recipe/cooking contests involving those who create kartoffelpuffer aka potato pancakes OR Kartoffelsalat aka German potato salad.
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Here's the thing: this is a scoop if you read this blog. The formal announcement has not been made just yet --- but will be coming in the next couple of weeks.
You won't want to miss the "tapping of the first keg" event on Friday, September 30, 2011 at just after 5 pm (looking at 5:11 pm or so) --- there will be dignitaries and media, sponsors and lots of others who have been looking forward to the best new festival in the American Oktoberfest Region.
We will be sharing more with some of our media partners in the upcoming weeks --- and you'll be seeing much more on their pages as well as here and at News St. Louis.
One thing we all need is this: prayers for good weather. This is an outdoor event scheduled for a weekend when the weather is normally mild and dry --- but prayers will help. And pray for all of the workers who will be doing their part to make our part of the region look appealing and friendly. They'll be doing a great service to the Riverbend. And they have my personal thanks now, during the Riverbend Oktoberfest, and beyond.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
All the Ragin
I should have posted an update long ago on this subject. It's good news. Despite a business split between the owners of the Ragin Cajun Piano Bar in downtown Alton, it survived and reopened and is doing well. Aaron Agne and Chris Keidel had a good thing going when they opened it, and it continues under sole-ownership of Agne.
If you get a chance to see the great entertainment inside, don't just take a seat and drink. Eat some of the food, as it is a restaurant with a bar and entertainment.
Last time I checked, it still served the best fried pickles in southwest Illinois. Just so you know, I don't generally like dill pickles --- but my opinion is that these are worthwhile, with a hint of spice, the right amount of grease (hey, it's FRIED), and a flavorful dipping sauce that is enjoyable.
+++++
Meanwhile, those who got used to seeing Chris Keidel at Ragin Cajun don't have far to go if they want to visit with him. He has been relocated to the Big Muddy Pub around the corner from Ragin Cajun, where he tends bar or watches the door and holds court with the patrons and passers-by that stop in for a beverage. Chris and I have had some great conversations over ICED TEA (it's really good and fresh-brewed in the Big Muddy) since he left the Cajun.
+++++
Okay and one more item to report:
The Riverbend is the "3D Entertainment Capitol of the World"
The Riverbend is the "3D Entertainment Capital of the World"
Those are copyright 2010-2011 by buzzmusicmedia, and SM servicemark by buzzmusicmedia, and trademarked by buzzmusicmedia.
Just in case someone wants to try to claim my "3D Entertainment Capitol of the World" --- I want all to know that I started using this moniker in the spring and summer of 2010.
Others who want to use this may face a potential lawsuit...so, don't steal what is someone else's. In this case, don't steal what I created. I don't claim to be overly creative --- but this one is something I will not relinquish without a monetary transaction.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Understanding People
I'd like to understand those who "have" more than I do. But right now it appears difficult for me to comprehend how those who "have money" have any right to stifle progress. It sure appears to be the case many times over from things that I have witnessed or experienced over the past 20 years. It's been especially troubling that some of the people I have come to know personally who have a few hundred thousand dollars or millions in their bank accounts --- well, the troubling part is how lazy they have become because they have the money. It's something different from having the leisure time to go places --- THAT I totally understand. When you have the money, take extra vacations, see the world and do things that you could not afford to do when you didn't have the money. See, that is how many of us in the world know someone has it made --- when you can see their faces have fewer brows of worry and more smiles come out of the person or persons. No --- what I do not understand is when someone has money just WHY do they not put it back into the community somehow and somewhere.
First off, I'll point out that some people I know who have saved up money and gone from being one of the less-fortunate to the well-off honestly do a LOT of major work for the surrounding community. It's not those people I am concerned about or griping about. Those are the great treasures of our lives because they have found ways of giving well beyond what they thought was possible in their lifetime.
It is the lazy ones that confound me. They can give of themselves monetarily and physically, but somehow don't do either. Investing can be something they can do selfishly, but do not find other avenues appealing enough to donate money, time, talents to causes that would benefit from their just showing up.
And that, is where it goes from here. Just showing up.
When someone shows up for an event, a meeting, to put themselves into the heart of a matter than can be made better for just their physical existence --- the results are almost instant, even if they only stay around for a few minutes. There is an impact in much the same way as you see the waves running away from the pebble in the calm lake. It takes movement to make movement --- and once in awhile I'd like to see those who can move the world with just a little money and/or time actually DO that.
In our area, I won't point out one of the people who sits and does nothing or does very little with their money and their talent. I'll just ask you to look and see if they are near you. And if they are, would you consider prodding them do help out with...well...anything that can be done to make this a better world...would ya?
On the other hand, I want to say "thank you very much" for all of the people who volunteer to take on extra tasks and live through headaches, nightmares, and backbreaking work to make the surrounding area a better place to live and work and play.
Thank you for being there. Thank you for showing up.
First off, I'll point out that some people I know who have saved up money and gone from being one of the less-fortunate to the well-off honestly do a LOT of major work for the surrounding community. It's not those people I am concerned about or griping about. Those are the great treasures of our lives because they have found ways of giving well beyond what they thought was possible in their lifetime.
It is the lazy ones that confound me. They can give of themselves monetarily and physically, but somehow don't do either. Investing can be something they can do selfishly, but do not find other avenues appealing enough to donate money, time, talents to causes that would benefit from their just showing up.
And that, is where it goes from here. Just showing up.
When someone shows up for an event, a meeting, to put themselves into the heart of a matter than can be made better for just their physical existence --- the results are almost instant, even if they only stay around for a few minutes. There is an impact in much the same way as you see the waves running away from the pebble in the calm lake. It takes movement to make movement --- and once in awhile I'd like to see those who can move the world with just a little money and/or time actually DO that.
In our area, I won't point out one of the people who sits and does nothing or does very little with their money and their talent. I'll just ask you to look and see if they are near you. And if they are, would you consider prodding them do help out with...well...anything that can be done to make this a better world...would ya?
On the other hand, I want to say "thank you very much" for all of the people who volunteer to take on extra tasks and live through headaches, nightmares, and backbreaking work to make the surrounding area a better place to live and work and play.
Thank you for being there. Thank you for showing up.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Following The (Majestic) Birds
"It's January," he stated the obvious to the audience, "meaning that we have a chance to view the beautiful majesty of the national bird of the United States of America. The bald eagles are in our region once again in much the same way the swallows return to Capistrano. The magnificent birds are making their annual stop in the Riverbend, sticking closely to the areas near the rivers so they can find food. But it's also somewhat for the entertainment of the human species, it would seem."
In the crowd someone makes a mental note: Surely, this is another person who is going to be attacked by groups of left-wing nutjobs or right-wing nutjobs. He's discussing the American Bald Eagle and hasn't brought up American Eagle Outfitters once. The crowd seems to notice this gaffe.
"How dare he not bring up an esteemed retailer!"
"For shame, not talking about the fashions we love to wear in the winter!"
"Does anyone remember the AMC Eagle in the 1970s?"
Oh, great. A skewed conversation already.
The speaker continues:
"It's around this time every year that the temperatures are cold and the eagles fly to the area around the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers as well as the Missouri and the Mississippi Rivers, and points from about 125 miles north of here to about 125 miles south of here. We're among the luckiest of Americans because living near Alton gives us a clear chance to view eagles for several weeks. We've had visitors from North Carolina and Georgia who arrived after the new year just so they can take part in this human ritual --- following the bald eagles as they almost endlessly ride a wave of rising air above the waters near the bluffs, or take a dive near the locks and dam to the rushing waters where they have just spied the fish they intend to have for lunch. It's following these eagles that have resulted in some of the most beautiful large bird photographs in the twenty-first century. All visitors are encouraged to bring their binoculars, cameras and video cameras to capture the eagles in flight."
This is pretty good stuff, even though I have heard all of this before. But it gives me a moment to pause and reflect upon the many times when my family has gathered together to stop at the river's edge to look up to the sky and watch these large creatures with the brown (not just brown, but a beautiful brown --- almost an oxymoron to say beautiful brown on any creature) feathers seem almost completely still as they take an airstream and float high above the waters in wait for that exact moment that they are seeking so they may look like a WWII flying ace and drop in an almost straight line for the water where that gigantic fish is slowly --- at least to the bird it's slow --- moving around just below the surface.
I hear someone in the crowd of people gathered near the dam say "That fish is a goner, for sure."
No doubt about it as within a few seconds that bird has pierced the fish in just the right place and is flying toward the sky to who knows where so it can devour the tasty morsel.
"That fish could feed a couple of hungry men," says a man who is voicing almost exactly what I keep thinking as we all see what has to be a ten pounder in the talons --- it looks lopsided in favor of the bird, firmly a bald eagle which has been around the North American continent a few years.
We all watch as the bird rushes northwest up the river past the city of Alton and continues for a long way toward its hideout. Even with the best binoculars and steadiest hands or tripod with a telescopic lense, that bird is gone from the view in what seems like only several seconds. It may have taken three or four minutes in all to be out of sight, but it was traveling in such a strong, yet graceful, manner that it was being viewed by its human followers as only having taken a moment in time. Is it really possible that we witnessed this GRAB AND GO and it only took the time that gecko says it would take to convert our car insurance?
Alas, we are not able to see where the prey has taken its catch. So we return our eyes to the closer sky view and seek another one of these big feathered creatures and the chance to see yet another dive toward the waters, or one that slowly comes into view from the bluffs at Alton and finds a wave of air to ride for several minutes between actual flaps of its wings.
A young woman exclaims to her young man, "This never gets old to me. I just love coming out here year after year to see these majestic birds!"
And she has summed up what so many of us think --- and almost word for word what the nature guide says year after year as he turns to a group of viewers near the Mississippi with an American Bald Eagle in sight.
Let's do it again and again --- and be awe inspired by something we may never see up close.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Sometimes I Hate Having a Scoop
I love ice cream. It can be the accompanying part of a dessert such as with a helping of bread pudding and make complete the entire dessert. And I've enjoyed this very dish at RAGIN CAJUN PIANO BAR in downtown Alton several times.
I am a reporter by nature. On occasion, I've been the person who had a "scoop" on a story. Sometimes this is a positive thing of which to be proud, and sometimes it's just another in a long line of stories.
UNFORTUNATELY --- I HAVE A SCOOP involving both ice cream and the RAGIN CAJUN. Well...sorta.
Last night on Facebook, RAGIN CAJUN PIANO BAR announced its own scoop. It will be closing this week unless an agreement can be worked out between the partners involved in its ownership.
Chris Keidel has been a face that all kinds of people from around the RiverBend have come to see inside the Ragin Cajun --- he is one of the two owners --- as far as I know there wasn't a day in the life of Ragin Cajun when Chris was away from the business. Aaron Agne is the other and was frequently seen behind the bar, in the balcony (office), outside with customers during the warmer weather, or even in a restaurant booth on the busier nights. Aaron wasn't around 100 percent of the time, but in any business one person usually takes a less hands-on approach. Such is how it is with these partners: Chris was hands-on, and Aaron --- while still a presence --- was not there every night.
If my scoop is correct (anyone who has taken a tour knows this to be true), Chris and Aaron have been putting their sweat and lives on the line to open up, maintain, and expand Ragin Cajun during one of the worst economic times in the history of any currently-living person. Despite this, countless people came in during 2010 and gave the restaurant (or the bar) a chance. Some of the spring and summer customers left thinking "I liked it, but it isn't open enough" --- thus, they expanded their hours in late summer and it was paying off. Chris and Aaron had listened to these people. There were new customers, new piano players, and bigger sales of food and liquor. As you can tell, I was partial to the food --- my family ate at the Ragin Cajun on several occasions, and even though our own personal economy tanked this fall, we still went and enjoyed ourselves greatly.
But...if the two cannot come to an accord today or tomorrow, this is the swan song for a destination for so many.
++++++++++
Now a bit about the "DESTINATION" part of RAGIN CAJUN PIANO BAR.
Note that key ingredient in the name: PIANO.
Over the summer, the staff who played on the keyboards grew. They added a drum set behind the keys, and suddenly it was taking a new life. This fall I was part of something special when on a Monday the musicians/entertainers were practicing. They were having a good evening, mixing it up, trying new songs out on those of us who were there --- getting some tips to improve their show. Suddenly there came a stranger into the place. We patrons didn't know what to expect, nor did the keyboard performers who had been working on their craft, when Travis sat at the keys with a drink in his hand and started playing. Actually, I think Travis said to Charlie and Jeff, "Can I sit and play one?" He did. And then another...and another...and suddenly we were all singing with him, myself included. Chris took notice. Several of us had the same reaction: hire this guy. And Chris did just that --- hiring Travis, setting things in motion for the remainder of the fall/winter. His existence helped push the younger piano talent in a positive direction --- in a matter of days there was a buzz about how much fun it was inside the restaurant on a regular basis. And the customer base was larger, spending more time and money in "the Cajun" --- the business was finally growing in a way that many of us recognized. It became clear that what happened was putting a happy face on so many people. You could see it when Charlie and Jeff played; when Carl and Travis were teamed up; when Brian beat on the drums and the electricity was in the air; when Melanie had so many customers that she couldn't rest on her trips from the kitchen to the tables and booths, and even on Chris' face on the slower nights when the bar was busy but the kitchen crew was able to do detailed cleanup. Customers, whether bar regulars or restaurant regulars, all had this feeling that we'd just witnessed the turnaround of the business at the Ragin Cajun and perhaps the entire downtown Alton economy --- because 2009 was pretty humdrum outside of the block parties. Now, we had another piece of the puzzle --- a place where the music flowed, the energy was terrific, and the atmosphere was electric. We had a destination --- even for nights when we didn't want food or drinks from the bar we could go and have dessert or a late night breakfast --- and we had musical talent enriching our lives --- Ragin Cajun Piano Bar drew people from outside of the immediate RiverBend on a nightly basis.
(One patron has so many pictures on Facebook that weeks ago I deemed her the Ragin Cajun photojournalist. She comes regularly from Edwardsville, and I dare say that her routine will be dramatically altered if this venue closes.)
++++++++++
It takes quite a lot to make any place a destination. But it was apparent that RAGIN CAJUN Piano Bar was a destination to hundreds of people each week.
Now, I have to wonder if there will be a last-minute savior who can keep open one of the brightest upstart businesses Alton has seen in quite a long time. I do not know what it is that Aaron wants or expects (other than money) out of a deal like this one, but if he simply wants too much money in a buyout, I guess he's going to lose a lot more than most of us. If Aaron forces the closure of Ragin Cajun, the customers cannot help him out.
What I wonder is this: is there someone in the RiverBend who can come into the picture and "save" our endangered destination? Who is he or she? Will they show up in the nick of time?
I will be at RAGIN CAJUN tonight. I need to show my personal support for these people, even though I am unable to put up the money necessary to buy out Aaron --- unless I won the jackpot of a lottery and don't know it.
It seems like an appropriate time for me to ask more questions and, as the late Paul Harvey always said, get THE REST OF THE STORY.
I sure hope that I have good news by this Friday.
I am a reporter by nature. On occasion, I've been the person who had a "scoop" on a story. Sometimes this is a positive thing of which to be proud, and sometimes it's just another in a long line of stories.
UNFORTUNATELY --- I HAVE A SCOOP involving both ice cream and the RAGIN CAJUN. Well...sorta.
Last night on Facebook, RAGIN CAJUN PIANO BAR announced its own scoop. It will be closing this week unless an agreement can be worked out between the partners involved in its ownership.
Chris Keidel has been a face that all kinds of people from around the RiverBend have come to see inside the Ragin Cajun --- he is one of the two owners --- as far as I know there wasn't a day in the life of Ragin Cajun when Chris was away from the business. Aaron Agne is the other and was frequently seen behind the bar, in the balcony (office), outside with customers during the warmer weather, or even in a restaurant booth on the busier nights. Aaron wasn't around 100 percent of the time, but in any business one person usually takes a less hands-on approach. Such is how it is with these partners: Chris was hands-on, and Aaron --- while still a presence --- was not there every night.
If my scoop is correct (anyone who has taken a tour knows this to be true), Chris and Aaron have been putting their sweat and lives on the line to open up, maintain, and expand Ragin Cajun during one of the worst economic times in the history of any currently-living person. Despite this, countless people came in during 2010 and gave the restaurant (or the bar) a chance. Some of the spring and summer customers left thinking "I liked it, but it isn't open enough" --- thus, they expanded their hours in late summer and it was paying off. Chris and Aaron had listened to these people. There were new customers, new piano players, and bigger sales of food and liquor. As you can tell, I was partial to the food --- my family ate at the Ragin Cajun on several occasions, and even though our own personal economy tanked this fall, we still went and enjoyed ourselves greatly.
But...if the two cannot come to an accord today or tomorrow, this is the swan song for a destination for so many.
++++++++++
Now a bit about the "DESTINATION" part of RAGIN CAJUN PIANO BAR.
Note that key ingredient in the name: PIANO.
Over the summer, the staff who played on the keyboards grew. They added a drum set behind the keys, and suddenly it was taking a new life. This fall I was part of something special when on a Monday the musicians/entertainers were practicing. They were having a good evening, mixing it up, trying new songs out on those of us who were there --- getting some tips to improve their show. Suddenly there came a stranger into the place. We patrons didn't know what to expect, nor did the keyboard performers who had been working on their craft, when Travis sat at the keys with a drink in his hand and started playing. Actually, I think Travis said to Charlie and Jeff, "Can I sit and play one?" He did. And then another...and another...and suddenly we were all singing with him, myself included. Chris took notice. Several of us had the same reaction: hire this guy. And Chris did just that --- hiring Travis, setting things in motion for the remainder of the fall/winter. His existence helped push the younger piano talent in a positive direction --- in a matter of days there was a buzz about how much fun it was inside the restaurant on a regular basis. And the customer base was larger, spending more time and money in "the Cajun" --- the business was finally growing in a way that many of us recognized. It became clear that what happened was putting a happy face on so many people. You could see it when Charlie and Jeff played; when Carl and Travis were teamed up; when Brian beat on the drums and the electricity was in the air; when Melanie had so many customers that she couldn't rest on her trips from the kitchen to the tables and booths, and even on Chris' face on the slower nights when the bar was busy but the kitchen crew was able to do detailed cleanup. Customers, whether bar regulars or restaurant regulars, all had this feeling that we'd just witnessed the turnaround of the business at the Ragin Cajun and perhaps the entire downtown Alton economy --- because 2009 was pretty humdrum outside of the block parties. Now, we had another piece of the puzzle --- a place where the music flowed, the energy was terrific, and the atmosphere was electric. We had a destination --- even for nights when we didn't want food or drinks from the bar we could go and have dessert or a late night breakfast --- and we had musical talent enriching our lives --- Ragin Cajun Piano Bar drew people from outside of the immediate RiverBend on a nightly basis.
(One patron has so many pictures on Facebook that weeks ago I deemed her the Ragin Cajun photojournalist. She comes regularly from Edwardsville, and I dare say that her routine will be dramatically altered if this venue closes.)
++++++++++
It takes quite a lot to make any place a destination. But it was apparent that RAGIN CAJUN Piano Bar was a destination to hundreds of people each week.
Now, I have to wonder if there will be a last-minute savior who can keep open one of the brightest upstart businesses Alton has seen in quite a long time. I do not know what it is that Aaron wants or expects (other than money) out of a deal like this one, but if he simply wants too much money in a buyout, I guess he's going to lose a lot more than most of us. If Aaron forces the closure of Ragin Cajun, the customers cannot help him out.
What I wonder is this: is there someone in the RiverBend who can come into the picture and "save" our endangered destination? Who is he or she? Will they show up in the nick of time?
I will be at RAGIN CAJUN tonight. I need to show my personal support for these people, even though I am unable to put up the money necessary to buy out Aaron --- unless I won the jackpot of a lottery and don't know it.
It seems like an appropriate time for me to ask more questions and, as the late Paul Harvey always said, get THE REST OF THE STORY.
I sure hope that I have good news by this Friday.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Another Reason Why St. Louisans Should MOVE To The Riverbend
Here it is again --- the CQ Press study (flaws and all) shows the city of St. Louis atop the latest rankings for "Most Dangerous Cities" in the United States.
From our friends at News St. Louis: http://newsstlouis.blogspot.com/2010/11/st-louis-named-most-dangerous-city-by.html
Here it is (with permission from the publisher):
St. Louis is number one! Yes, it's happened again, and St. Louis' mayor and other officials are not happy about it.
A yearly study has once-again ranked St. Louis as the "most dangerous city" in the United States of America. That study, by CQ Press, has been controversial for its methodology and the subject of much scrutiny by the FBI and police agencies around the country for several years. St. Louis edged out Camden, New Jersey, as the study found St. Louis had 2,070.1 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, compared with a national average of 429.4. Citing those statistics CQ Press claims St. Louis edged Camden, which was atop last year's "most dangerous cities" list and was bestowed that distinction in 2003 and 2004 - and remains in the top five along with Detroit and Flint in Michigan, as well as Oakland, California.
The city of St. Louis maintains that it has become safer each year since 2007 and that crime is down in the past year.
The CQ Press statistics uses FBI data and population combined as basis for the statistics cited by the study, which does not take into account economic conditions and geography --- such as a city/county line as exists between the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County or a boundary area such as the Mississippi River which divides the city of St. Louis from East St. Louis, East Carondelet, Sauget, Madison, and other areas in southwest Illinois which would normally border a big city.
Criminologists have been critical of the way the statistics are used because of the minimal data versus population which many say does not take all factors into account.
The City of St. Louis last year was ranked second in the study and was atop this study in 2006.
=================
Well, okay, that should tell you something. I honestly don't know what it says for each of you who read this, but I have to admit that I lived in the city of St. Louis from 1998 to 2008 and know that the statistics are just for the city and does not take into account small crimes or the amount of people who come into the city for work and are crime victims. It also does not take into consideration the criminals who live outside the city of St. Louis and drive into the city just to take part in a crime.
It surely doesn't take into consideration the high taxation that city residents have to endure to live there or the taxation that non-city residents have to endure in order to have a job in the city of St. Louis. That one-percent city earnings or living tax is huge sometimes --- and the stretch from 2007 to 2010 is nothing short of one of those times. Boy am I glad I don't work or live in the city of St. Louis for that one-percent tax alone. But those who do live and work there honestly don't notice it unless they look at each and every pay stub and want to know "why" for this or that --- including "why is St. Louis showing up at the top of a dangerous city list when we are always being told how much better it is now because the police are doing their job?" And, honestly --- I think the study cannot be taken all that seriously because the overall criminal activity seems (in my opinion) to be a LOT LESS than it was 20 years ago. And I can account for how I felt riding the buses in 2006, 2007, and 2008 --- when you take public transit you get a good view of a city and its people, and the residents in the city of St. Louis aren't a bunch of hoodlums, which is how a study like this invisibly characterizes an entire city.
But --- again, why did I title this particular entry the way I did?
Well, frankly, I see a HUGE difference in how criminal activity is handled in Alton, East Alton, Wood River, Bethalo, Godfrey, Roxana, South Roxana, Hartford, Grafton, Jerseyville, Brighton, and all around up and down the Riverbend. Neighbors are always on the lookout for --- and reporting --- criminal activity. With that, police are not only informed about the persons involved, but react quickly and pull people off the street - jailing the offenders while investigators and prosecutors follow-up with each case. It leads to a safer overall environment, a security in neighborhoods, and a piece-of-mind that I didn't feel living in South St. Louis. [Note: my particular neighborhood near Carondelet Park was not immune to crime --- we had two murders during my years there, and I knew one of the victims. But, overall I only felt "less secure" a couple of times walking to and from the bus stops at 4:30 am --- because I was aware of criminal activity which had been reported.]
But again --- why did I use "THIS" title?
There is ample opportunity to buy an affordable home, live in a safe atmosphere, put children into decent schools, attend the church of one's choice, take part in scouts and other "family" activities, and enjoy the higher quality of life featured in this area. And one example of something relatively new and available for today's youth and families is the Riverbender.com Community Center in downtown Alton, where they have activities for children year-round. And if you're into history, Alton and the surrounding areas have rich history to view on a daily basis. PLUS --- for business people --- now is the time to move an existing business or open a new business in the Riverbend area and take advantage of the workforce that is available, the existing base of customers, and the expanding economic climate that the region has because of its proximity to everything in St. Louis --- and there is the river, highways, trains (both freight and Amtrak), and air traffic (Regional Airport at Bethalto, and Lambert is only 15 minutes from Alton).
And let's go with this line of thinking: Sure, there's "The Loop" and other venues in Missouri, but there is a burdgeoning entertainment industry in the Riverbend that includes regional acts which regularly are featured at venues throughout the Alton-Godfrey-Grafton-Bethalto and associated Riverbend area clubs, restaurants and stages. Argosy Casino Alton has also hosted numerous acts regularly on its stage including Chuck Berry, The Turtles, Max Weinberg's Big Band, and so many others, and has made overtures that it will be bringing more acts to the area in the coming months and years. In downtown Alton alone you can find regular entertainment at the restaurants along 3rd Street between Piasa and State Streets in Bossa Nova, Tony's Restaurant, Chez Marilyn's, Ragin Cajun Piano Bar, and on State Street at Spirits and other venues. This is just a small slice of what is available, as there is the Alton Symphony Orchestra, Alton Muny Band, and other musical entertainment groups which have a long history in the area. And if you don't know about Fast Eddie's Bon-Air you've probably been in a bubble for the past 20 years or so --- because Eddie Sholar advertises enough that St. Louisans come across the big beautiful Clark Bridge regularly just to see what the hubub is about and end up seeing things all around Alton. There are a lot of people who come over to Fosterburg to eat at Castelli's 255/Moonlight Restaurant as part of a tradition --- it's been there for four or five generations --- and they have been utilizing local and regional acts to attract people, too.
And maybe in 2011 the Riverfront Amphitheater will have a LOCAL operator that has knowledge of what to do with such a beautiful venue. At least I am hoping someone at Alton city hall will actually listen and award a local production group the chance to make this venue a regional and national attraction with touring acts stopping throughout the spring/summer/fall.
Honestly, I'm not even started good on how many different things there are to do regularly as an entertainment destination --- but the Riverbend has so much going for it in the positive way that even when the news is distressing (the centerfire plant which has been in operation in East Alton for 80 years or more is closing and moving to Mississippi because of greed by both a union membership and a company plant operator), it doesn't seem to make everything come to a halt because the region always pulls together and pushes on to the next phase of life. In the Riverbend, people do things in a "new, old-fashioned way" --- using what we have in the 21st Century and yet having traditional parades, celebrations, and neighbor-meeting-neighbor times like it was 35 or 45 years ago or more.
As much as I did like living in the city of St. Louis (I did --- don't let my disparaging remarkes make me sound like a total nay-sayer for St. Louis), I LOVE living in the Riverbend that much more. And I feel that if you're in St. Louis City or O'Fallon MO (which, by the way, was ranked as the city with the second-lowest crime in that same CQ Press study), you'll enjoy your time in Alton and the Riverbend --- because you are NEVER TOO FAR from those things you've been enjoying "over there" in Missouri.
And in the 21st Century it seems that one wants to feel safe and secure at home and in your neighborhood, as well as adventurous and outgoing. I cannot tell you how much MORE adventurous and outgoing I feel here --- but it would suffice to say that on a Monday morning when I find things are "slow" outside my window, I can always take my bicycle and go for a nice ride up the Great River Road and enjoy the scenery at my own pace.
And sometimes, it's the pace you take - fast or slow - which makes you realize what piece of mind is about. I'm not sure one can find piece of mind in the city of St. Louis. But it sure is here in the Riverbend.
From our friends at News St. Louis: http://newsstlouis.blogspot.com/2010/11/st-louis-named-most-dangerous-city-by.html
Here it is (with permission from the publisher):
St. Louis is number one! Yes, it's happened again, and St. Louis' mayor and other officials are not happy about it.
A yearly study has once-again ranked St. Louis as the "most dangerous city" in the United States of America. That study, by CQ Press, has been controversial for its methodology and the subject of much scrutiny by the FBI and police agencies around the country for several years. St. Louis edged out Camden, New Jersey, as the study found St. Louis had 2,070.1 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, compared with a national average of 429.4. Citing those statistics CQ Press claims St. Louis edged Camden, which was atop last year's "most dangerous cities" list and was bestowed that distinction in 2003 and 2004 - and remains in the top five along with Detroit and Flint in Michigan, as well as Oakland, California.
The city of St. Louis maintains that it has become safer each year since 2007 and that crime is down in the past year.
The CQ Press statistics uses FBI data and population combined as basis for the statistics cited by the study, which does not take into account economic conditions and geography --- such as a city/county line as exists between the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County or a boundary area such as the Mississippi River which divides the city of St. Louis from East St. Louis, East Carondelet, Sauget, Madison, and other areas in southwest Illinois which would normally border a big city.
Criminologists have been critical of the way the statistics are used because of the minimal data versus population which many say does not take all factors into account.
The City of St. Louis last year was ranked second in the study and was atop this study in 2006.
=================
Well, okay, that should tell you something. I honestly don't know what it says for each of you who read this, but I have to admit that I lived in the city of St. Louis from 1998 to 2008 and know that the statistics are just for the city and does not take into account small crimes or the amount of people who come into the city for work and are crime victims. It also does not take into consideration the criminals who live outside the city of St. Louis and drive into the city just to take part in a crime.
It surely doesn't take into consideration the high taxation that city residents have to endure to live there or the taxation that non-city residents have to endure in order to have a job in the city of St. Louis. That one-percent city earnings or living tax is huge sometimes --- and the stretch from 2007 to 2010 is nothing short of one of those times. Boy am I glad I don't work or live in the city of St. Louis for that one-percent tax alone. But those who do live and work there honestly don't notice it unless they look at each and every pay stub and want to know "why" for this or that --- including "why is St. Louis showing up at the top of a dangerous city list when we are always being told how much better it is now because the police are doing their job?" And, honestly --- I think the study cannot be taken all that seriously because the overall criminal activity seems (in my opinion) to be a LOT LESS than it was 20 years ago. And I can account for how I felt riding the buses in 2006, 2007, and 2008 --- when you take public transit you get a good view of a city and its people, and the residents in the city of St. Louis aren't a bunch of hoodlums, which is how a study like this invisibly characterizes an entire city.
But --- again, why did I title this particular entry the way I did?
Well, frankly, I see a HUGE difference in how criminal activity is handled in Alton, East Alton, Wood River, Bethalo, Godfrey, Roxana, South Roxana, Hartford, Grafton, Jerseyville, Brighton, and all around up and down the Riverbend. Neighbors are always on the lookout for --- and reporting --- criminal activity. With that, police are not only informed about the persons involved, but react quickly and pull people off the street - jailing the offenders while investigators and prosecutors follow-up with each case. It leads to a safer overall environment, a security in neighborhoods, and a piece-of-mind that I didn't feel living in South St. Louis. [Note: my particular neighborhood near Carondelet Park was not immune to crime --- we had two murders during my years there, and I knew one of the victims. But, overall I only felt "less secure" a couple of times walking to and from the bus stops at 4:30 am --- because I was aware of criminal activity which had been reported.]
But again --- why did I use "THIS" title?
There is ample opportunity to buy an affordable home, live in a safe atmosphere, put children into decent schools, attend the church of one's choice, take part in scouts and other "family" activities, and enjoy the higher quality of life featured in this area. And one example of something relatively new and available for today's youth and families is the Riverbender.com Community Center in downtown Alton, where they have activities for children year-round. And if you're into history, Alton and the surrounding areas have rich history to view on a daily basis. PLUS --- for business people --- now is the time to move an existing business or open a new business in the Riverbend area and take advantage of the workforce that is available, the existing base of customers, and the expanding economic climate that the region has because of its proximity to everything in St. Louis --- and there is the river, highways, trains (both freight and Amtrak), and air traffic (Regional Airport at Bethalto, and Lambert is only 15 minutes from Alton).
And let's go with this line of thinking: Sure, there's "The Loop" and other venues in Missouri, but there is a burdgeoning entertainment industry in the Riverbend that includes regional acts which regularly are featured at venues throughout the Alton-Godfrey-Grafton-Bethalto and associated Riverbend area clubs, restaurants and stages. Argosy Casino Alton has also hosted numerous acts regularly on its stage including Chuck Berry, The Turtles, Max Weinberg's Big Band, and so many others, and has made overtures that it will be bringing more acts to the area in the coming months and years. In downtown Alton alone you can find regular entertainment at the restaurants along 3rd Street between Piasa and State Streets in Bossa Nova, Tony's Restaurant, Chez Marilyn's, Ragin Cajun Piano Bar, and on State Street at Spirits and other venues. This is just a small slice of what is available, as there is the Alton Symphony Orchestra, Alton Muny Band, and other musical entertainment groups which have a long history in the area. And if you don't know about Fast Eddie's Bon-Air you've probably been in a bubble for the past 20 years or so --- because Eddie Sholar advertises enough that St. Louisans come across the big beautiful Clark Bridge regularly just to see what the hubub is about and end up seeing things all around Alton. There are a lot of people who come over to Fosterburg to eat at Castelli's 255/Moonlight Restaurant as part of a tradition --- it's been there for four or five generations --- and they have been utilizing local and regional acts to attract people, too.
And maybe in 2011 the Riverfront Amphitheater will have a LOCAL operator that has knowledge of what to do with such a beautiful venue. At least I am hoping someone at Alton city hall will actually listen and award a local production group the chance to make this venue a regional and national attraction with touring acts stopping throughout the spring/summer/fall.
Honestly, I'm not even started good on how many different things there are to do regularly as an entertainment destination --- but the Riverbend has so much going for it in the positive way that even when the news is distressing (the centerfire plant which has been in operation in East Alton for 80 years or more is closing and moving to Mississippi because of greed by both a union membership and a company plant operator), it doesn't seem to make everything come to a halt because the region always pulls together and pushes on to the next phase of life. In the Riverbend, people do things in a "new, old-fashioned way" --- using what we have in the 21st Century and yet having traditional parades, celebrations, and neighbor-meeting-neighbor times like it was 35 or 45 years ago or more.
As much as I did like living in the city of St. Louis (I did --- don't let my disparaging remarkes make me sound like a total nay-sayer for St. Louis), I LOVE living in the Riverbend that much more. And I feel that if you're in St. Louis City or O'Fallon MO (which, by the way, was ranked as the city with the second-lowest crime in that same CQ Press study), you'll enjoy your time in Alton and the Riverbend --- because you are NEVER TOO FAR from those things you've been enjoying "over there" in Missouri.
And in the 21st Century it seems that one wants to feel safe and secure at home and in your neighborhood, as well as adventurous and outgoing. I cannot tell you how much MORE adventurous and outgoing I feel here --- but it would suffice to say that on a Monday morning when I find things are "slow" outside my window, I can always take my bicycle and go for a nice ride up the Great River Road and enjoy the scenery at my own pace.
And sometimes, it's the pace you take - fast or slow - which makes you realize what piece of mind is about. I'm not sure one can find piece of mind in the city of St. Louis. But it sure is here in the Riverbend.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Union NO Vote Robs The Community of Jobs
I'm not going to rant on a national company which started as a local concern. Nope. The story is not new to the area - the company is held by people who have NO relation to the founders. They don't live here, and they truly are like every other corporate board: concerned about keeping the doors open.
THIS NOTE IS ABOUT A BUNCH OF 21st Century UNION PEOPLE:
(FIRST SENTENCE) ---- Well, thanks you jerks, idiots, stupid people, morons.
You THINK you're right in doing what you did. But, in fact, you're just going to find yourself wishing you'd actually listened to what others were telling you.
First off --- if you've been in a job for 35 years - and it's 2010 --- you should just freaking be GLAD to have a job at all. Or, listen to the others who have been working for 10 or 15 years and HEAR that you're retirement is going to dry up pretty soon after you've done what you've just done.
I'm talking about the members of a union in East Alton who voted - for a second time - against a contract being proposed to them by Olin. It wasn't a pretty contract, no, because it was filled with wage concessions, loss of matching 401K funds, elimination of a fifth week of vacation to senior-tenured members of the union who worked at the centerfire manufacturing operation, and other things which may or may not have been accurately portrayed by those union members who spoke to others outside the union. Meanwhile the results of that "no" vote means one thing to the people of the metropolitan area - the Riverbend and beyond: 900 union jobs and altogether perhaps more than one-thousand jobs in the region will DISAPPEAR because THE UNION MEMBERS just --- read the first sentence again to see what they ARE.
Let's review something here. 2010 - a time when the economy is bad.
Olin happens to make ammunition at this particular operation --- and we have a presidential administration which doesn't want war, doesn't much care for bullets and other ammo being made, let alone it being sold to the public. The company is looking at the bottom line. They have to look at all areas of their operation in order to make ends meet in a bad economic climate and a government which doesn't think highly of such an operation in the first place and do their best as a company to not go bankrupt. So, they stockpile the goods, sell the goods at a higher rate and price than the competition, and the company is trying to stockpile money because they know they have to possibly layoff workers, not just here, but in other operations. They have cost-cutting in mind, so they can save the company.
Meanwhile, a union member just sees what they want to see: the company is making profits, the company wants concessions in order to save more money because they will have to find ways of making their bottom line better - which means the union member may have to give up something.
Oh darn. You may miss a fifth week of vacation, a vacation "bonus", a matching fund for a few years. What is your mind thinking about here?
It's my guess that most people in the region believe YOU WANT EVERYONE TO LOSE THEIR JOB!!!
Olin had said it was considered moving it's Centerfire Manufacturing Operation to Mississippi if this vote turned out the same way a vote did three weeks ago. Well...you're gonna lose your jobs. And you've CAUSED OTHERS to lose their jobs, too!
WEDNESDAY - OLIN ANNOUNCED THEY WILL BE CLOSING THE CENTERFIRE OPERATION in EAST ALTON and MOVING THE JOBS TO MISSISSIPPI.
This isn't a joke.
BUT YOU so-called "people" who voted "no" ARE A JOKE, mister and misses and miss union member who in doing so also made clear that they voted "no to continuing other related jobs for the community".
I know there are reasons you may THINK you were right in voting "no jobs" --- but you were dead wrong. And I'm not one to pussyfoot around this issue at all --- I was a union member myself for a national company which had a local office and watched as my former (I'd already separated from the job) co-workers lost their jobs because of a company with a legal jackal.
But when you stop to consider YOUR NO VOTE is taking jobs from NOT JUST YOU, but other companies when Olin moves to Mississippi...does it make sense to you that your families are now going to start suffering --- and if you've only been there 10 years and voted "no" on this contract, you didn't really understand what you were saying. You said "I really don't care if they go or not. I want my job, but not if I have to give up something else."
You didn't think at all. You decided for everyone else because for you, "it's my way or the highway". Selfish bums.
THIS NOTE IS ABOUT A BUNCH OF 21st Century UNION PEOPLE:
(FIRST SENTENCE) ---- Well, thanks you jerks, idiots, stupid people, morons.
You THINK you're right in doing what you did. But, in fact, you're just going to find yourself wishing you'd actually listened to what others were telling you.
First off --- if you've been in a job for 35 years - and it's 2010 --- you should just freaking be GLAD to have a job at all. Or, listen to the others who have been working for 10 or 15 years and HEAR that you're retirement is going to dry up pretty soon after you've done what you've just done.
I'm talking about the members of a union in East Alton who voted - for a second time - against a contract being proposed to them by Olin. It wasn't a pretty contract, no, because it was filled with wage concessions, loss of matching 401K funds, elimination of a fifth week of vacation to senior-tenured members of the union who worked at the centerfire manufacturing operation, and other things which may or may not have been accurately portrayed by those union members who spoke to others outside the union. Meanwhile the results of that "no" vote means one thing to the people of the metropolitan area - the Riverbend and beyond: 900 union jobs and altogether perhaps more than one-thousand jobs in the region will DISAPPEAR because THE UNION MEMBERS just --- read the first sentence again to see what they ARE.
Let's review something here. 2010 - a time when the economy is bad.
Olin happens to make ammunition at this particular operation --- and we have a presidential administration which doesn't want war, doesn't much care for bullets and other ammo being made, let alone it being sold to the public. The company is looking at the bottom line. They have to look at all areas of their operation in order to make ends meet in a bad economic climate and a government which doesn't think highly of such an operation in the first place and do their best as a company to not go bankrupt. So, they stockpile the goods, sell the goods at a higher rate and price than the competition, and the company is trying to stockpile money because they know they have to possibly layoff workers, not just here, but in other operations. They have cost-cutting in mind, so they can save the company.
Meanwhile, a union member just sees what they want to see: the company is making profits, the company wants concessions in order to save more money because they will have to find ways of making their bottom line better - which means the union member may have to give up something.
Oh darn. You may miss a fifth week of vacation, a vacation "bonus", a matching fund for a few years. What is your mind thinking about here?
It's my guess that most people in the region believe YOU WANT EVERYONE TO LOSE THEIR JOB!!!
Olin had said it was considered moving it's Centerfire Manufacturing Operation to Mississippi if this vote turned out the same way a vote did three weeks ago. Well...you're gonna lose your jobs. And you've CAUSED OTHERS to lose their jobs, too!
WEDNESDAY - OLIN ANNOUNCED THEY WILL BE CLOSING THE CENTERFIRE OPERATION in EAST ALTON and MOVING THE JOBS TO MISSISSIPPI.
This isn't a joke.
BUT YOU so-called "people" who voted "no" ARE A JOKE, mister and misses and miss union member who in doing so also made clear that they voted "no to continuing other related jobs for the community".
I know there are reasons you may THINK you were right in voting "no jobs" --- but you were dead wrong. And I'm not one to pussyfoot around this issue at all --- I was a union member myself for a national company which had a local office and watched as my former (I'd already separated from the job) co-workers lost their jobs because of a company with a legal jackal.
But when you stop to consider YOUR NO VOTE is taking jobs from NOT JUST YOU, but other companies when Olin moves to Mississippi...does it make sense to you that your families are now going to start suffering --- and if you've only been there 10 years and voted "no" on this contract, you didn't really understand what you were saying. You said "I really don't care if they go or not. I want my job, but not if I have to give up something else."
You didn't think at all. You decided for everyone else because for you, "it's my way or the highway". Selfish bums.
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