Posts Tagged ‘Elaine Viets’

Somewhere in her family, Alexis Tucci had to have inherited the genes of Cecil B. DeMille or David O. Selznick.  Only they and Tucci could produce a spectacular such as the Mayor’s Ball in City Hall t’other eve, crafted by Tucci.  Usually the corridors are as empty as an Elaine Viets book signing, but Friday night they were wall-to-wall, costumed party-goers as well as those in formal attire.  Why not? It was the eve of Mardi Gras festivities around town and the guests partied and jammed beyond belief. The aforementioned Dooley and Hizzoner Francis Slay were hugging and recalling how earlier in the day, Dooley pulled off his best joke yet. While Slay and others were at a Hardee’s launching of Heat Up St. Louis, they looked in vain for Dooley, whose presence was expected. Finally, someone caught a side-splitting Dooley at a drive-up window.

Speaking of attending functions, Guv. Jay Nixon was invited to the ball, but was a no-show much to the anger of some power brokers. “He doesn’t even care about St. Louis”, said one of them.  Another Dem chimed in about county exec hopeful Bill Corrigan and pointed out, “He’s been elected to Pulaski Bank’s board.  You know, the bank that has not yet paid back the TARP funds?”

With his wife, Gienne, at  his side,  Parks & Rec. chief Gary Best tipped that a conservancy is being formed to raise money for the Gateway Mall park. Nearby, St. Louis Sheriff Jim Murphy lamented about his nephew, Judge Joe Murphy, another victim of lung cancer. “It’s treatable – he’s now on chemotherapy,” said Murphy. Affable 25th Ward Alderman Shane Cohen enthused over having gotten a grant from the Justice Dept. for his district to cover police and prosecutorial services as well as the neighborhood watch program. Taking it all in were Deb and Cong. Russ Carnahan, who admitted he enjoys listening to Rush Limbaugh whenever possible. Getting admirable stares were the stunning duo of Teresa and broadcaster John Brown, while nearby were Michelle and St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson, who expressed comfort about what he described as a “coming together of all factions in the department, but several forces don’t want that.”  A few toasts were raised to Brian Wahby, chairman of the city Democratic Central committee for having pioneered the Mayor’s Ball way back then.

Gails

In Tower Grove Park, “The Historic Shaw Art Fair” was in full swing over weekend. All that craft attracted St. Louis City parks department flack Gail Compton and her long-time pal, Post-Dispatch television critic Gail Pennington. The Two Gails moonlight as garage sale and craft fair combers, re-selling their best finds and keeping the rest. (Pennington also served as the columnist’s copy editor during a portion of his tenure at the Post-Dispatch. That was the same period, Pennington reminded me, that saw the firing of local color columnist Elaine Viets, over her reluctance to return to the actual local color here after an assignment in the newspaper’s DC office.) Gregg Gobberdial and his wife/artist Cathy helm the annual art fair. The duo anticipate that this year’s event will garner $40,000 for the Shaw Nabe Improvement Association and for Helping Hands for Kids. Cathy creates house portraits, and recently completed two of them as gifts for Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols. With the Gobberdials was booth sponsor and bronze sculptor Tom Wargin. Among the faces in the crowd in the park were those of Renee Cox, Rose Yocum, and Dana Hines. One poster hardly anyone missed remarking was the one emblazoned with “Art is creepy; it speaks to you” . . . The “Walk for Hearing” was also in

Wargin

full-swing, and that’s where Valerie Pennington and David Udell, with his offspring Chloe and Dylan, gave me a rundown on the hottest Southside nightcrawling spots. They liked The Shanty in Soulard; The Tin Can; Three Monkeys; Mattingly’s; and The Cat’s Meow “where I used to get a shot and beer for $1.50,” said Udell. (The Meow is the deliciously dive bar operated by St. Louis 9th Ward alderman Ken Ortmann and his wife, Pat.) . . . Continuing the green theme, I dropped by The Best of Missouri Market at the Missouri Botanical Garden. There, I cornered Kimmswick’s Blue Owl owner Mary Hostetter, who

Mary Hostetter

- in self-defense, likely — lamented the recent woes of the town’s matriarch, Lucianna Gladney Ross. Ross, who is 94 and the heiress of the Seven-Up fortune, recently broke her leg. Hostetter admitted cheerily that her restaurant/bakery does not vend Seven-Up, “but we have baked plenty of Seven-Up cakes.” Ever the civic booster, she also mentioned that the big, upcoming event in Kimmswick is the Oct. 24-25 Apple Butter Festival, which punctuates the every-Thursday tours of the Anheuser estate. Commandeering the Blue Owl and its bakery booths were Mary’s grandson Martin, Brenda Balpaluczak, and Cindy McCain. (It is possible – likely, even — that columnist, overcome by sugar and locally grown produce, copied down those last two names incorrectly.)