MPC Meeting; Saint Louis FC Clinches a Playoff Berth

Last Saturday morning (13 October), I went to the St. Louis Artists' Guild (https://www.stlouisartistsguild.org/) in Clayton for this month's Missouri Professional Communicators (http://www.mpc-nfpw.org) meeting. The meeting was well attended and had two speakers--Dr. Andrew Smith of Lindenwood University (http://www.lindenwood.edu/) and Jessica Bellomo of Gateway Media Literacy Partners (https://www.gmlpstl.org/)-- on media literacy with the midterm elections coming up next month. It was quite an interesting program.

After relaxing at home that afternoon, I headed to World Wide Technology Soccer Park (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/SOCCERPARK) for the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) tailgate. This was held before Saint Louis FC (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/) played its final regular season match against OKC Energy FC. We enjoyed a crawfish boil with beer at the tailgate, and made contributions to the St. Louligans' Charity Du Jour, Painting the Town Gold (http://ptgglened.org/), which raises funds to fight pediatric cancer. This season's Charity Du Jour efforts have raised $30,000--exceeding the goal before this season of $20,000.

We then marched into Toyota Stadium for the match. Saint Louis FC only needed a draw to clinch a berth in the United Soccer League (https://www.uslsoccer.com/) playoffs for the first time in club history. Club Chief Executive Officer Jim Kavanaugh led the St. Louligans in the chant "Who Are We," immediately followed by "Whoa, Saint Louis FC," just before kickoff.

The night ended with the home side's mission accomplished, as the scoreless draw clinched a postseason berth. We came out onto the pitch to celebrate with the players. It was a most happy time for us.

Saint Louis FC finished 8th in the USL Western Conference, and will play at top seed Orange County SC this Saturday night at 9:00 pm, Central Time in Irvine, California. The sides played to a 1-1 draw in Irvine on 12 May and a 2-2 draw at Toyota Stadium on 21 July. Bring it on!

Later.

Running Off to the Circus (Flora); Witnessing Soccer

A week ago Thursday night (28 May), I was volunteering at the preview night of Circus Flora in midtown St. Louis' Grand Center. This was the night before the official opening night of this season's show, "One Summer on Second Street." I helped the patrons find their seats before the show, monitored people coming and going during the intermission, and helped the patrons leave after the show and collect discarded show programs. It is a very enjoyable show for children of all ages. We have acrobats, a clown, a trapeze act, a high wire act, trained cats, trained birds, and trained horses. "One Summer on Second Street" runs through 28 June under the Big Top. Check it out! For more information, including show times, tickets, and how to volunteer (the show can use some more volunteers), visit their website: http://circusflora.org/.

One week ago (31 May), I was at Columbia (Illinois) High School to referee youth soccer games--the final matches of the Spring season. I was scheduled to work three matches, but my schedule was changed late and I didn't get the word until that morning. So, I only worked two matches, but it all ended up for the good.

The hard work has continued at the car rental branch. We're still getting customers who are getting their cars repaired after the hail storm two months ago. (Yes, the repair shops have been that busy.) Plus, we're starting to get the summer vacation business. With two new people on staff with us this summer, we can more easily handle our customers. If you want or need to rent a car, please check us out at http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/home.do.

I put in another volunteer shift with Circus Flora this past Thursday night. That was after taking care of some personal business at home on my off day from work. After work Friday, I stopped by Epic Sports Bar and Grill in Spanish Lake, Missouri for happy hour. It was Stress Free Fridays' 11th Anniversary Bash. I haven't been to many Stress Free Fridays events in recent months, due to my work schedule, but I did want to hang with them for a bit. It was fun, seeing these folks and getting in a few dances as well.

Yesterday, I witnessed some soccer online and on television. I followed Saint Louis FC's match at Pittsburgh Riverhounds via Twitter (@STL FC Gameday), and was happy when Saint Louis came from 1-nil down to get a 1-1 draw. They are back home this Saturday night against Harrisburg City Islanders. Hope to see you there! For more info, visit: http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index. I followed the last minutes of Saint Louis FC's match while watching the UEFA Champions League Final on television at O'B. Clark's in Brentwood, Missouri. I and other soccer fans--including members of St.Louis United FC--gathered there to watch Juventus play FC Barcelona in Berlin. I and others left happy as Barcelona won 3-1. You can find out more on O'B. Clark's here: http://obclark.com/. For more on St. Louis United FC, visit: http://stlunitedfc.net/.

Then, I came home and watched more soccer on television: The start of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. I'll be following that tournament for sure. Here's the tournament's website: http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/. By the way, the USA opens play in the FIFA Women's World Cup tomorrow (Monday) night against Australia.

Later.