The Week with Julie: Valentine's Day at the Zoo; CITY Season Kickoff at the Armory

Valentine's Day this year fell on a Wednesday (14 February)--my off day from work. Julie took that day off from her work and together we went to the Saint Louis Zoo. Before we left her apartment, I gave her a fresh long stem rose and a large, heart-shaped collection of artificial red roses in a lollipop configuration. Julie loved both items.

Arriving at the Zoo, we walked among several areas that we didn't get a chance to see the last time we were there this past November. We walked through the Herpetarium and the Primate Trails, then visited Big Cat Country. It was a pleasant day for a visit and some Zoo animals were outdoors for us to enjoy.

Next, Julie and I went to the Bird House and Bird Garden to see some some feathered creatures on display. 

We then walked over to see some gazelles before entering the Cypress Swamp in the 1904 Bird Cage.

After that, Julie and I entered a theater to see The Polar Express 4D Experience. It was an edited version of the movie The Polar Express, a movie based on a children's book set at Christmastime. We used the borrowed 4D glasses to fully enjoy the experience. It was very entertaining.

Julie and I then went through The Wild and Lakeside Crossing before leaving to return to her apartment. It was a fun way for us to spend Valentine's Day together.

Yesterday (17 February), we went to the Armory for St. Louis CITY SC's Season Kickoff event for season ticket holders. When Julie and I arrived, Fleur de Noise and STL Santos were leading the various chants during the matches. There were many fans in attendance at this event. Some played the games at the Armory--Julie and I tried cornhole--and others enjoyed refreshments from the bars and restaurant. CITY sold souvenirs, including the new Confluence Kit--a white away shirt with CITY Red trim. Some kids did a bit of training under the CITY Futures program. The various supporter groups had information and merchandise tables set up: St. Louligans, St. Louis City Punks, STL Santos, Fleur de Noise, No Goal Patrol, and No Nap City Ultras.

Early that afternoon, after a DJ played some music and two team officials spoke about the upcoming season, the players and head coach Bradley Carnell came on stage. Carnell thanked the supporters who came this day and said the team was ready to go into the new season starting this coming week. Several of the players, lead by goalkeeper and captain Roman Burki, also addressed the crowd.

After the speeches were made, Julie and I hung out at the Armory for a while before we returned to my car to leave. We had to wait about an hour to leave the parking lot, due to traffic congestion on the side street leading to the facility. Otherwise, it was a great time we had at this event. Julie and I are looking forward to CITY's new season, which starts with a CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Houton Dynamo Tuesday night and the Major League Soccer season opener Saturday night against Real Salt Lake. Both matches will be at CITYPARK. 

Two great dates this past week with my sweetheart Julie. 

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Saint Louis Zoo: Saint Louis Zoo | Saint Louis Zoo (stlzoo.org)

The Armory: Armory STL – The Biggest Bar In St. Louis

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

Fleur de Noise: Home - With Merch (fleurdenoise.com)

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)

STL Santos: Home | Home | STL Santos

St. Louis City Punks: Saint Louis City Punks

No Nap City Ultras: HOME (nonapcityultras.com)

No Goal Patrol: No Goal Patrol | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | Linktree

CONCACAF Champions Cup: Concacaf Champions Cup

Major League Soccer: MLSsoccer.com - The Official Site of Major League Soccer

Weekend: Scale Models in Columbia; Sunday with Julie

Early Saturday morning (4 November), Don Will came over to my house from his residence in Carlyle, Illinois. He then rode with me to Marion Morris' house in Maplewood. The three of us, and two more from IPMS/Gateway, rode in Morris' minivan to David H. Hickman High School in Columbia, Missouri. This school was the venue for TigerCon, the annual model contest and swap meet put on by IPMS/Central Missouri Scale Modelers. Besides the five of us who rode together, seven other Gateway members made the trip to Columbia.

After paying the registration fee, I entered my two aircraft models in the contest. The MiG-19 and the Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis" were two models I had built some years ago, but not entered in a contest. I realistically didn't consider them serious award contenders, but I at least wanted to have some models to enter.

I spent time shopping among the vendors, entering the raffle, admiring the other contest models, and chatting with fellow scale modelers I know. The vast majority of attendees came from around Missouri. I bought a book and kit from a vendor and won two aircraft kits in the raffle.

Late in the morning, I joined with other contest judges for a meeting with catered lunch that featured brisket and barbecue pulled pork. It was tasty and I headed a team judging armor and figures. There were some tough calls to make in judging the categories, such was the quality of models entered in this show.

Four of my Gateway chapter mates won contest awards. The biggest was by Jim Triola, whose 1:200 scale Bismarck won its ships category, Best of Ships, People's Choice Award, and Best of Show. 

After the show, most of us went to a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Columbia for dinner. It was a special meal, for this was the last show that Jim Victor would attend with us. He is moving out of state in a few weeks. It was a most satisfying meal with club mates before we returned home. After arriving at Morris' house, I drove Will to my house so he could return to his vehicle to go home to Carlyle.

Early Sunday afternoon, I picked up Julie from her apartment and drove us to Zenhorse, an equine rehabilitation facility in Marthasville, Missouri. It was hosting a photos with Santa event. Julie and I had photos taken there last year, so we decided to do it again. My friend Kit Maxwell, who runs Zenhorse, was dressed as Mrs. Claus, with her son as a Victorian gentleman and her husband as Santa.

Julie and I sat in a sleigh, flanked by Santa and Mrs. Clause. A horse from the facility was dressed as a reindeer. Michelle Huelsman from Unbridled Focus Photography took the pictures, as she did last year. I am looking forward to seeing the pictures come out in the coming days.

After the photos, Julie and I retired to a barn for hot chocolate and cookies. We also got caught up with Kit in our lives.

Then, it was on to the Armory for Julie and I. We were attending a watch party for St. Louis CITY SC's MLS Cup playoff match at Sporting Kansas City. This was game two of the best of three first round series, and CITY needed to win after Sporting's 4-1 win at CITYPARK one week before to stay alive.

Julie had never been to the Armory before and was impressed with the facility. There was a great crowd of CITY supporters on hand to watch the game projected on the big screen. St. Louis City Punks, Fleur de Noise, and STL Santos co-hosted the watch party.

Despite our best efforts at the party and CITY's on the pitch, Sporting won the match 2-1 to take the series. A disappointing end to the season for sure, but it should not take away from such a great inaugural season in MLS for CITY. The better team won this playoff series, but nobody can take away the regular season Western Conference championship for our side.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

IPMS/Gateway: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)

David H. Hickman High School: Hickman High School / Homepage (cpsk12.org)

IPMS/Central Missouri Scale Modelers: Central Missouri Scale Modelers (cmsm-ipms.org)

Cracker Barrel: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store | Breakfast Near Me Restaurant | Delivery & Pick-Up

Zenhorse: Zenhorse | equine assisted therapy | Marthasville, MO, USA

Unbridled Focus Photography: Missouri Equine Photographer/Unbridled Focus Photography

The Armory: The Biggest Bar in St. Louis (armorystl.com)

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

Major League Soccer: MLSsoccer.com - The Official Site of Major League Soccer

St. Louis City Punks: SLCP Home (slcitypunks.com)

Fleur de Noise: Fleur De Noise

STL Santos: Home | Home | STL Santos

 

2023 Memorial Day Weekend Soccer

It was pleasant Memorial Day weekend, with sunny skies. Saturday afternoon (27 May), I drove to Julie's house in Florissant. After picking her up, we headed to Schlafly Tap Room for the pre-match party. After parking on Washington Avenue, Julie and I walked to the party area.

The St. Louligans, St. Louis City Punks, Fleur de Noise, and No Nap City Ultras were there having fun before St. Louis CITY SC played Vancouver Whitecaps FC at CITYPARK that night. Julie and I mingled among the partygoers, had Schlafly beer, and dinner from the Dutchess Rose Royal Street Food truck. Julie and I chatted with friends who were there.

About an hour before kickoff, STL Santos led a drum-filled warm up chant session on the side street. This was followed a few minutes later by the march around CITYPARK and into the stadium itself.

It was another full house for the match. The crowd was in good spirits and ready to pull for CITY in the match. Julie and I were ready.

It didn't take long for CITY to take the lead, as Eduard Lowen scored off a free kick in the 10th minute. His shot found the upper corner of the net just past the Vancouver goalkeeper. Just before halftime, an own goal made it 2-0 CITY at the interval.

The Whitecaps pulled one back in the 83rd minute, but CITY's Miguel Perez--who graduated from high school just two days before--scored in second half stoppage time to make it 3-1 CITY at Full Time. We supporters were just so happy about the result. It wasn't a pretty match, but the result was what matters. After the match, the CITY players and coaches walked around the pitch to salute their supporters. When they came to the supporter section, the players and coaches joined hands to do a running salute to us.

After the celebration, Julie and I walked out of CITYPARK and headed for my car. We then headed back to her house, where she invited me in for a beverage and a chat. I had a cup of coffee and Julie had iced tea as we sat on her patio. She lit a fire in a brazier before we sat down to talk for a while. Just before 1:00 am Sunday, I left with a hug and a kiss with Julie and drove home.

After a short bit of sleep, I was up and getting ready for soccer refereeing. The Gateway Memorial Classic youth tournament was taking place and I had three matches at World Wide Technology Soccer Park: an under 12 boys group match, and two under 11 finals. My crew and I had a good set of matches, with no lingering incidents.

Off work today, but conscious of the meaning of Memorial Day. Let's not forget the sacrifices of our service people throughout this country's history.

Later.

Websites of Entiries Mentioned in this Post:

Schlafly Tap Room: Tap Room Brewpub - Schlafly Beer

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)

Fleur de Noise: Fleur De Noise

No Nap City Ultras: HOME (nonapcityultras.com)

STL Santos: Home | Home | STL Saints (stlsantos.com)

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

CITYPARK: CITYPARK | St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

Dutchess Rose Royal Street Food: (1) Duchess Rose Royal Treats | St. Louis MO | Facebook

Gateway Memorial Classic: St. Louis Scott Gallagher — Club Soccer in Saint Louis (slsgsoccer.com)

World Wide Technology Soccer Park: St. Louis Scott Gallagher — Club Soccer in Saint Louis (slsgsoccer.com)

 

St. Louis CITY SC Home Opener

Midday last Saturday (4 March), I drove to Julie's house. After lunch and some wonderful conversation, we made our way to Downtown West in St. Louis. This was the long-awaited day of St. Louis CITY SC's home opener at CITYPARK.

Before arriving at the pre-match party at Schlafly Tap Room, I had to park my car on Locust two blocks from the party site. Julie and I then walked to the street in front of the Tap Room where the party took place. Our mates from the St. Louligans were there, along with The Thieves, Fleur de Noise, St. Louis City Punks, and the Riot Grrrls. Julie and I contributed to the St. Louligans' Charity du Jour, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in St. Louis. I also bought a St. Louligans' scarf and a button from Fleur de Noise, the latter of which I added to my cap.

Julie and I enjoyed beer from Schlafly, and later ate an early dinner from Locoz Tacoz's food truck set up by the Tap Room. We also chatted with others in the crowd and took in the scene. Hundreds of CITY SC supporters thronged the party area, plus a few supporters of the match's opponent, Charlotte FC, were there.

Nearly two hours before kickoff, Julie and I marched with the hundreds of supporters around the block north of CITYPARK, led by the drums of Fleur de Noise. Many of the bystanders along the streets and looking out from the buildings along our route cheered us. After about 20 minutes, our group arrived at CITYPARK and made our way to the Supporter Section in the stadium's north end.

Both of us found our places to stand in the Supporter Section as the teams warmed up on the pitch. The stadium was packed, a sellout of 22,423 spectators. The excitement reached a fever pitch as the starting elevens of both teams walked out the tunnel onto the pitch. Julie and I were ready, along with everyone else.

The St. Louligans unveiled a huge tifo while the rest of the seating areas displayed colored cards to welcome everyone to this first home match. St. Louis CITY SC kicked off the match and the cheering never stopped. Fleur de Noise's drummers set the beat and the capos led the chants throughout the match.

Charlotte FC scored the opening goal 25 minutes in, but CITY SC kept up the pressure. An errant back pass by a Charlotte player became an own goal in the 41st minute. Just into stoppage time, a hand ball in the Charlotte penalty area led to a penalty goal for CITY SC. The home side was up 2-1 at halftime.

CITY SC made a few scoring attempts in the second half, finally connecting in the 71st minute in front of the Supporter Section. We all went into maximum pandemonium at that point.

The final whistle left CITY SC 3-1 winners, and nobody left their seats. The players came over towards the Supporter Section to applaud us before moving around the stadium to give the other spectators their thanks. All of us (except for Charlotte FC and their supporters) left CITYPARK very happy. Julie and I walked to my car and we returned to her home.

The next morning, we had breakfast before watching some Serie A matches on TV. I then had to leave to get ready for refereeing youth soccer later that day, but Julie and I will have some special time next weekend.

Later.

Websites of Entiries Mentioned in This Post:

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

CITYPARK: CITYPARK | St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

Schlafly Tap Room: Tap Room Brewpub - Schlafly Beer

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)

The Thieves: Home | Up the Thieves! (stlouligans.com)

Fleur de Noise: Fleur De Noise

St. Louis City Punks: SLCP Home (slcitypunks.com)

Riot Grrls: SLCP Home - About Riot Grrrls (slcitypunks.com)

Locoz Tacoz: Authentic Mexican Food Truck in St. Louis | Locoz Tacoz

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Lower Plains | Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (lls.org)

 

Weekend in Downtown West with Julie

Last Saturday morning (8 October), I picked up Julie at her house and drove us to the Schlafly Tap Room in St. Louis' Downtown West neighborhood. We attended a watch party for the MLS Next Pro Cup being played in Columbus, Ohio between Columbus Crew 2 and St. Louis CITY 2. The St. Louligans were there to hold the event, joined by the St. Louis City Punks, the Thieves, and Fleur de Noise. Schlafly provided a free buffet lunch, and we could buy Schlafly beer in the Tap Room.

Julie and I set up our chairs in front of the big screen set up on the lot and we watched the livestream of the match. We had fun socializing with the other supporters. Unfortunately, CITY 2 lost the match 4-1. We were sad about the loss, but happy about the season they had.

After the game, I drove Julie back to her home, before I returned to my home.

The next day, after refereeing some youth soccer matches at the Lou Fusz Complex, I washed up and returned to Julie's house. This time, we went to Centene Stadium, immediately south of the Schlafly Tap Room. We were attending a special event for Enterprise Holdings employees, and Julie was my guest. Entering the stadium, we were each presented with a commemorative scarf.

Wandering around the concourse, we were most impressed with the beautiful, clean lines of the stadium. This is the home ground for St. Louis City SC when it begins play in Major League Soccer in 2023. Julie and I sampled food and drink from the complimentary buffet bars around the concourse and shopped in the City Market souvenir shop.

Julie and I then joined other attendees and took our seats in the lower deck for the evening's program. This was the premier of a new documentary film, "Jack Taylor: The Enterprise." It is about Jack Taylor, born 100 years ago, who founded Enterprise 65 years ago. Prior to the film being screened on the videoboard, the film's director interviewed Jack Taylor's two children: Andy Taylor, Executive Chairman of Enterprise Holdings, Inc., and Jo Ann Kindle. The three discussed Jack Taylor, his life and legacy.

After the discussion came the film. The 57-minute-long film was narrated by Gary Sinise and looked at Taylor's childhood in St. Louis, his service as a Navy fighter pilot in the Pacific during World War II, and his founding of Executive Leasing (now Enterprise Rent-A-Car) in 1957. Interviews Taylor gave prior to his death in 2016 were included, along with archival footage and interviews with family members and historians. The film showed how Taylor's wartime service influenced his approach to business and life. (Taylor would eventually call his firm Enterprise after the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, where he served part of the time in the Pacific during World War II.)

After the movie ended, Julie and I walked out feeling happy and most impressed with what we saw. I drove us back to Julie's house. We stayed and talked for awhile before I left to go home. This was a great weekend for us.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

Schlafly Tap Room: Tap Room Brewpub - Schlafly Beer

St. Louis CITY2: STL CITY 2 | St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)

Saintt Louis City Punks: SLCP Home (slcitypunks.com)

The Thieves: Home | Up the Thieves! (stlouligans.com)

Fleur de Noise: Fleur De Noise

Enterprise Holdings, Inc.: Enterprise Holdings

Centene Stadium: Home - Centene Stadium

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC | America's First Soccer Capital (stlcitysc.com)

Soccer Weekend: SLU, SLYSA, and CITY2

Last Saturday night (1 October), I went to Saint Louis University's Robert R. Hermann Stadium to cheer on the Billiken men against Atlantic 10 Conference rival Loyola Chicago. There was a good crowd on hand and I found my seat to await the game.

The visiting Ramblers took the lead on 14 minutes and it remained 1-0 until SLU leveled it on 47 minutes. The Billikens would win it on a fluke own goal, when a Loyola defender passing it to his goalkeeper overshot and the ball rolled into the net. SLU took advantage of this miscue to hold on to a 2-1 win. It was an odd way to win, but this Billikens fan will take it.

The next afternoon, I drove to Maryland Heights' Lou Fusz Athletic Complex to referee St. Louis Youth Soccer Association matches. I worked two under-14 matches and had the middle in the first one. The games generally went well, except for a situation in my first match where I had to send off two players for fighting. Fortunately, no other players got into it and the match ended calmly. I quickly wrote out an incident report that was turned in with the game card.

After my games, I drove to my girlfriend Julie's house in Florissant, picked her up, and drove us to SIU-Edwardville's Ralph Korte Stadium. St. Louis CITY 2 was playing Tacoma Defiance in the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference Final. Before the match, Julie and I enjoyed the tailgate experience. The St. Louligans were set up in the parking lot, along with Saint Louis City Punks, the Thieves, and Fleur de Noise.

Before our match, we knew that Columbus Crew 2 had defeated Toronto FC 2 in the Eastern Conference final that day. Thus, Columbus would host the winner of our match. Julie and I joined with the other supporters in marching into the stadium for the match.

We were singing and chanting away from before the opening kick-off. Our constant chants paid off in the 31st minute, when CITY 2 scored to take a 1-0 lead. Tacoma nearly equalized a few minutes later, but the shot hit the post.

In the second half, two quick Tacoma shots early on were saved by CITY 2's goalkeeper. The home side doubled the lead with a 59th minute score. Tacoma pulled one back from the penalty spot 16 minutes later, but that was as close as they came. CITY 2 was Western Conference Champions. The St. Louligans--including Julie and I--went nuts.

CITY 2 plays at Columbus this Saturday late afternoon/early evening (Central Time) for the MLS NEXT Pro Championship. Julie and I plan to watch the live stream of that game.

I drove Julie and I to her home, where I stayed for a bit to chat before going home--tired, but happy. 

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

Saint Louis University Athletics: Saint Louis University - Official Athletics Website (slubillikens.com)

St. Louis Youth Soccer Association: Home - St Louis Youth Soccer (slysa.org)

SIU-Edwardsville Athletics: SIUE - Official Athletics Website (siuecougars.com)

St. Louis CITY 2: STL CITY 2 | St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

MLS NEXT Pro: The Official Home of MLS NEXT Pro | MLSNEXTPro.com

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)

Saint Louis City Punks: SLCP Home (slcitypunks.com)

The Thieves: Home | Up the Thieves! (stlouligans.com)

Fleur de Noise: Fleur De Noise