Happy Labor Day!

Going to watch the Labor Day parade today? The last day of bike racing in the Gateway Cup? Gotta work?

Whatever you do today, have a great Labor Day!

— Steve Patterson

Gateway Cup Bicycle Racing Weekend Starts Tonight

Tonight is the start of the 21st annual Gateway Cup bicycle races, four different events today through Monday.

Friday night is always the Tour de Lafayette, a great evening event.

Locations for  the other days have varied, but all are daytime events.

• Saturday is the Tour de Francis Park in St. Louis Hills.
• Sunday is the Giro della Montagna on The Hill.  Afterwards is the Giro Pasta Dinner “Sunday, September 2nd 4:00-8:00pm: St Louis Bocce Club 2210 Marconi @ Bischoff on race course. Menu includes all the Pasta you can eat, plus 2 meatballs, salad, Italian Bread, and dessert. $7 adults/$4 children. Tickets available at the door.”
• Monday is Benton Park Classic in…Benton Park, the neighborhood, not the actual park.

Please consider biking or taking public transit if you plan to watch these events, parking is limited. Some bus routes will be rerouted due to the races to plan accordingly. The races happen rain or shine.

— Steve Patterson

A Great Saturday

Saturday a week ago was a great day from morning until evening. In the morning I collected food for the hungry and in the evening watched a bike ride from a local business.

I met many kind and generous strangers that morning. It’s so nice to see people willing to help others in need.

Later I met a friend at The Map Room on the corner of Lemp & Withnell (map). They’d moved the tables and chairs from the patio to the sidewalk so we could watch the World Naked Bike Ride St. Louis roll by.

From the press release after the event:

The ride took place Saturday, July 28, taking a 10 mile loop through St. Louis’ busiest business districts, including South Grand, Cherokee, Soulard, Downtown, and Washington Avenue, Locust Business District, and Grand Center before ending in the Grove. Several businesses along the route took it upon their own to stage watching parties to support the riders. The ride drew crowds of all ages throughout the route cheering and supporting the ride. “Everywhere we went, we were greeted with smiles, laughter, cheers, high-fives, and at times stripping from onlookers who wanted to join in,” Stephanie Co says. “It’s an incredibly fun event, whether you’re riding or watching.”

The clothing-optional bike ride is known for its dress code of “as bare as you dare”; riders came out in a spectrum of dress and undress. The ride functions to protest oil and car dependency, raise awareness of cyclist rights and vulnerability on the road, and advocate positive body image, as well as provide some creative spark and energy into the city.

I put a couple of short clips together to demonstrate the enthusiasm of us spectators:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE6_nT3noPU

If you want to know about the 2013 ride visit the website, like the WNBRSTL Facebook page or send an email to wnbrstl@gmail.com

— Steve Patterson

World Naked Bike Ride Tonight

Tonight is the 5th World Naked Bike Ride in St. Louis:

This year’s event starts at 6 p.m. at the South Grand Boulevard parking lot and includes body-painting, live music and “costume” contests. The ride, typically 10 miles, starts at 8 p.m. (stltoday.com)

The St. Louis Facebook page is here.

What’s this all about?

World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) is an international clothing-optional bike ride in which participants plan, meet and ride together en masse on human-powered transport (the vast majority on bicycles, but some on skateboards and inline skates), to “deliver a vision of a cleaner, safer, body-positive world.”

The dress code motto is “bare as you dare”. Full and partial nudity is encouraged, but not mandatory, on all rides. There is no mandate to cover intimate parts; this is a distinguishing feature of WNBR against other cycling events.

Creative expression is also encouraged to generate a fun and immersive atmosphere during the ride, capture the attention and imagination of the public and media, and make the experience more personalized and fulfilling for the riders. Body art, such as body painting, are common forms of creative expression, as well as costumes, art bikes, portable sound reinforcement systems (such as public address systems, bullhorns and boomboxes) and musical instruments or other types of noisemaker. (Wikipedia)

Of course local laws require participants “cover intimate parts.”

— Steve Patterson

Weekend Events: Saturday Jubilee, Vegetapolooza, & City-Wide Open Studio

Many events taking place this weekend in and around St. Louis, here are  few I want to share with you:

Saturday July 28th — Saturday Jubilee:

More of our neighbors are experiencing something many never thought possible – hunger.

More than 120,000 individuals in our area rely on food pantries, nearly half are children. Many are seeking help for the first time.

Our local food pantries are struggling to keep up with the increased demand. Saturday Jubilee mobilizes local churches, businesses, civic groups and individuals to participate in a large scale food drive to end hunger.

On Saturday, July 30th more than 1000 volunteers organized into 88 teams will position themselves outside area grocery stores encouraging shoppers to donate non-perishable items. The donated food will be delivered to the Operation Food Search warehouses for distribution to our local food pantries.

Like last year, I’ll be at Culinaria (315 N. 9th Street) for the 9am-11am shift collecting food items to help those in need. Stop by to say hello and to drop a few items into the donation cart.

Saturday July 28th —  Vegetapolooza

On Saturday, July 28 from 9 am to Noon, the North City Farmers’ Market will host Vegetapalooza, a celebration of local produce and healthy habits in the community. Activities will include a salsa-making contest, a strangest vegetable contest, a pie walk, sustainability demos by Gateway Greening, face-painting, and local produce, meats, cheeses, and artisan vendors.

For more info click here.

Saturday & Sunday July 28th-29th — City-Wide Open Studio:

Join us for all of the events at CAM and map out your City-Wide Open Studios itinerary, or take a guided tour. Studios located south of I-44 will be open on Saturday, July 28  (includes Cherokee Street, Tower Grove, The Hill, Soulard, Southampton, Bevo Mill, Southwest Garden, Carondelet, Compton Heights, Benton Park, Fox Park, and McKinley Heights). Studios located north of I-44 will be open on Sunday, July 29  (includes Grand Center, Central West End, Downtown, Old North St. Louis, Lafayette Square, Midtown, Fountain Park, Dogtown, University City, Wydown/Skinker, and Maplewood). (see camstl.org/cwos for more info)

Meet local artists, visit their studios. This is a great annual event where you get to see creative spaces and meet those who work in them.

Have a great weekend!

— Steve Patterson