Weekend of Class Reunion, Model Contest, and CITY Soccer

Right after a full day of work on Friday (13 September), it was off (after a clothing change on the way) to Andre's Banquet & Catering South in Oakville. My high school class--Mehlville High School Class of 1982--was having a 42.5-year reunion and 60th birthday party. I had to admit it was hard for me to bring myself to come, as I didn't have the greatest of experiences in high school and since. Fortunately, classmates made me feel welcome and I could relax a bit.

I was able to mingle and to meet many of those classmates in attendance along with one of my teachers. There was a buffet dinner with a birthday cake, a slide show of images from Mehlville High during the time we were there, high school yearbooks and other artifacts from those days, a memorial tribute table to classmates and teachers who have died since 1982, and classmate Phil Bender speaking to the crowd. A DJ played music of the time. Overall, it was a nice time that should have gone on an hour or two longer for me.

Among my classmates present that night was my good friend Tim Popp, who I had not seen in person in some time. It was good to catch up with him for a bit.

I came home after the event to get a bit of sleep before being up early the next morning (14 September). It was off to Affton Elks Lodge #2635, where IPMS Gateway Chapter was holding its annual Invitational model contest and swap meet. I was there to help with running the show, particularly in running the admission table. Besides helping take the attendees' money and attaching wristbands, I asked attendees where they found out about the Invitational and where they live. The questions were for survey purposes in planning outreach for future shows.

I entered three models in the contest: an F9F-2 Panther in Aircraft, and a Bren Gun Carrier and 6-pounder anti-tank gun in Armor. I didn't spend much time in the contest and vendor areas, as I was kept busy with attendees. By my count, we had 180 attendees (not counting show volunteers and vendors) who came from as far as West Virginia, Georgia, and Michigan.

I was one of the contest judges, helping out in judging Figures and Out of the Box entries. There were some terrific quality models entered in this show. In fact, 68 attendees entered 317 models in the contest. Virtually everyone left the show happy with how it came out. I stayed to help tear down and get the hall back to where it was before set up the day before. With all the volunteers there, it took just over an hour to do so.

After coming home to drop off my things from the Invitational and making a change of clothes, it was off to Schlafly Tap Room for the St. Louligans pre-match party.  Before St. Louis CITY SC played Minnesota United, it was party time. I got a Kolsch beer from a Schlafly beer tent and a Meatball Here Parmesan with Mozzarella from the New York Tom's Foodtruck. 

After the party, I joined the supporters' march into CITYPARK for the match. As the match began, a tifo honoring Hispanic Heritage Month was lowered in front of the Supporter Section.

CITY took the lead early in the match, but that would be the only high point, as Minnesota United scored three unanswered goals to win 3-1. This loss means CITY has very little chance of getting the final playoff spot in the Western Conference of MLS. A disappointing end to the day for me.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Andre's Banquet & Catering: Andre's Banquet & Catering - St. Louis | Event & Wedding Venues (andresbanquet.com)

Mehlville High School: Home - Mehlville High School (mehlvilleschooldistrict.com)

Affton Elks Lodge: Lodge #2635 Contact Us (elks.org)

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

Schlafly Tap Room: Menu 1 — Schlafly | St. Louis Craft Brewery, Restaurant, Bar & Events

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

New York Tom's Foodtruck:  Home (nytfoodtruck.com)

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

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

Minnesota United FC: Minnesota United FC (mnufc.com)

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

2024 Labor Day Weekend: Japanese Festival, CITY Soccer

After a busy week of work, I was ready for a holiday weekend. It got going Saturday morning (31 August), when I picked up Julie and we headed to the Missouri Botanical Garden. This was the venue for the annual Japanese Festival that weekend. Julie is a Garden member, so we got a bit of a discount on Festival tickets. I found a parking spot on the street a short walk from the Garden and the two of us went to attend the Festival.

We took in an opening ceremony, which featured dignitaries that included the Japanese Consul in Chicago. After the ceremony, Julie and I went to the amphitheater to see a parade of cosplay artists dressed as their anime characters. It was fascinating to see these people and to hear about the characters they are portraying.

Julie and I went to the food tents to get a cup of sake and a bowl of mushroom and vegetables on a bed of noodles, both of which we shared. I then browsed among some exhibits aimed at children, including one on Japanese characters.

After that, Julie and I walked back to my car and I drove her back to her apartment. We had a wonderful time experiencing Japanese culture.

Sunday morning (1 September), I was up early to head to Creve Coeur Park Soccer Complex. I was there to referee two matches in the Gallagher Friendlies tournament that weekend. I had two middles in under 11 boys, which played 9-a-side on a smaller field and 30-minute halves. The first game was more challenging, having to deal with a coach who wandered up and down the touchline instead of staying within his technical area. I cautioned him for continuing to stray from the area, and he wised up. The second match was much calmer by comparison, with no major issues.

After my matches ended, I drove towards CITYPARK for St. Louis CITY SC's match that afternoon against LA Galaxy. I stopped at a QuikTrip men's room on the way to change out of my referee uniform and get into more appropriate attire for a St. Louligans member. I got a cheesesteak sandwich and potato chips from the Widdy's Cheesesteaks food truck and a beer from Schlafly at the street party by the Schlafly Tap Room. Some time after that, I joined in the parade into the stadium for the match.

It was hot and humid, but the crowd was loud and packing the stands for CITY's match against the MLS Western Conference leaders.

Cedric Teuchert scored for CITY in the 9th minute to give the home side the lead. Early in the second half, the Galaxy leveled the score, but CITY won it on Marcel Hartel's 68th minute strike. Roman Burki was superb in goal, making 5 saves for CITY. We were a happy group of fans at full time.

After a well-deserved sleep, I woke up Monday morning (2 September) to nothing. Work was closed that day for Labor Day. I hung around the house that day, mowing the lawns, watching TV, and working on an aircraft model. It was back to work the next day (3 September), and it was a busy one with many cars to clean. My colleagues and I got the job done and all ended well.

Later.

Websites of Entiries Mentioned in this Post:

Missouri Botanical Garden: Missouri Botanical Garden

Creve Coeur Park Soccer Complex: Creve Coeur Park Soccer Complex (ccparksoccer.com)

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

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

Schlafly Tap Room: Schlafly

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

Widdy's Cheesesteaks: St Louis Food Truck Association - Widdy’s Cheesesteaks (stlfta.com)

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

A Weekend in August: Scale Modeling in Liberty and Festival of Nations in St. Louis

Early Saturday morning (24 August), I left home to drive to Liberty, Missouri, northeast of Kansas City. After over four hours of driving (including stops along the way), I arrived at Liberty Christian Fellowship Church, site of the 2024 Modelfest presented by IPMS West Central Missouri. 

I paid for myself and my three model entries at the registration desk, then placed my three models in their contest area categories. I also brought in some flyers for IPMS Gateway's Invitational next month, which went on the contest registration tables. Additionally, I bought some raffle tickets and milled around the show area.

It was very nice seeing my friends and acquaintances at the show and admiring the contest entries. I did win one military vehicle kit in the raffle and bought an aircraft kit and three aircraft books from vendors. At midday, I joined with other contest judges for lunch and a briefing before we began judging contest entries. My team judged automotive entries, then I joined a team to judge ships and figures. The judging went very efficiently.

At the end of the show, I plugged Gateway's show and several other upcoming model contests were promoted before the contest results were announced. I didn't win anything with my entries, but that didn't bother me. I am happy if I win, but that isn't why I am at these shows. Being there is the important part to me. I packed up my models and drove home, arriving home Saturday night.

The next afternoon (25 August), I went to Tower Grove Park in south St. Louis for the final day of the Festival of Nations, a multiethnic fair run by the International Institute of St. Louis. I walked about the many booths offering various food, crafts, and information. I enjoyed a cup of boba tea from Honey Bee Tea, and two empanadas from the Tango Argentina booth.

Late that afternoon, I reported to the volunteer desk for my assignment. I joined with two others to help with traffic control as the artists were leaving the park. I stood my watch for a little over one hour and things went smoothly. It was great to have done my part in making the Festival of Nations such a success.

 Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Liberty Christian Fellowship Church: Liberty Christian Fellowship (lcfliberty.org)

IPMS West Central Missouri: Home (ipmswcmo.com)

IPMS Gateway: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)

Tower Grove Park: Tower Grove Park

Festival of Nations: 2024 Festival of Nations Home (festofnations.com)

International Institute of St. Louis: International Institute of St. Louis – Immigrant Services & Community Engagement Hub since 1919 (iistl.org)

Honey Bee Tea: Boba Tea Coffee Smoothies - Honey Bee Tea (honeybt.com)

Tango Argentina: TANGO Argentina Food - Saint Charles, MO

 

A Day in Grimes for MIME 5

Early yesterday morning (17 August), I left the house for the drive to Grimes, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines. I was heading to Prairie Creek Church, the site for Mid Iowa Modelers Expo (MIME) 5 NNL, a model car show and swap meet hosted by the Glue Brothers Chapter of the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA).

I arrived at the show site around 10:30 a.m. after about 6 1/2 hours of driving and stops along the way. I brought along two car models I had done a few years before--a 1:25 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 SS and a 1:32 1963 Studebaker Avanti. Neither was a terrific model, but the hosts said to bring them anyway since this was a rather informal show.

The hosts were very happy to see me, appreciating the effort I made to come to this show. I enjoyed talking with several people I know from within IPMS/USA Region 14 that were there. I also admired the other models on display and browsed among the vendors on hand.

I went to a convenience store a short drive away to get lunch at midday before returning to the show. They had some very nice models on display at the tables, though it seemed not quite as many as the year before.

Late in the day, the raffle tickets were drawn. I got a Ferrari car kit. Sounds like something I can build for next year's show. Then, the awards were presented. These included the Top Five models as determined by popular vote of the attendees and the People's Choice Award.

I packed up my models and headed out after thanking the hosts for this event. It was back in my car for the long drive home. After covering a total of 731.3 miles (1176.9 km), I arrived home just after 9:30 p.m. I was tired but happy.

This Saturday, I am back on the road to another IPMS/USA show, which I will tell you about next weekend.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Prairie Creek Church: Prairie Creek Church | (pcgrimes.com)

IPMS Glue Brothers: IPMS Glue Brothers - Des Moines, Iowa | Facebook

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page (ipmsusa.org)

Saturday with Julie: Pedicure, Pool Time, and Streaming TV

Saturday morning (3 August), I drove to Julie's apartment. After we exchanged greetings and I said hello to Julie's roommate Joan, Julie drove me to Ballas Nails & Spa in Creve Coeur. There, we would both get a pedicure--for me, the first time getting this procedure. We got into chairs beside each other and placed our feet into the tubs before our chairs. The person assigned to me trimmed my toenails (they really needed them) and cleaned the cuticles.

Given a choice, I selected the Volcano procedure, in which volcano ash is poured into the tub to exfoliate my dead skin. The person massaged my feet and lower legs and applied a collagen mask, lotion, and booties to my feet. After approximately one hour of this procedure, my feet felt most refreshed. 

After the pedicure, Julie and I returned to her apartment, where we got into bathing suits and walked to the complex's pool. We swam for a while and sat by the pool to talk. It was fun to do, and the cool pool water felt good on such a hot day.

After the swim, we returned to the apartment. Julie, Joan, and I sat in front of the TV watching various Summer Olympics events and an episode of Doctor Who. The latter was sure interesting.

The three of us also played Yahtzee, which I haven't played in quite a few years. We got in two rounds of the game.

Julie served us snacks--popcorn during Yahtzee, cookies and ice cream later--and I had some beer (Leinenkugel's Juicy Peach, a sour, fruited beer). It was a nice relaxing day, just hanging out with Julie and Joan. 

Later, it was time for me to go home. I said my goodbyes to Julie and Joan and drove home happy after this day.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Ballas Nails & Spa:  Ballas Nails & Spa - The best nail salon | Manicure | Pedicure | Dip Powder | Creve Coeur St. Louis, MO 63141 (ballasnailslouis.com)

Yahtzee: Yahtzee.online | Free Yahtzee | Yatzy game online

Leinenkugel's: Home | Leinenkugel's (leinie.com)

 

2024 IPMS/USA National Convention (4)

After a nice night's sleep, Julie and I woke up, got dressed and packed, and checked out of Baymont Inn & Suites in Janesville. It was a good place for the two of us to spend the nights during our vacation in Wisconsin. 

After checking out, we topped off the vehicle's fuel before we headed to Wedge Inn Cafe in Janesville, where we would have breakfast with Julie's sister Dianne and Diane's husband Dennis. The four of us had a nice time chatting and enjoying a good breakfast. In my case, it was eggs, hash browns, and toast. 

After the meal, the four of us posed for a selfie before Julie and I started off to return to St. Louis. Dianne and Dennis were very happy to see the two of us and I really enjoyed their company.

The drive home went smoothly. We had a stopover in Bloomington, Illinois to stretch out and get refreshment at a Starbucks. Weather along the route was pleasant and we had no serious traffic issues.

Julie and I got into St. Louis late that afternoon. She dropped me off at home, where I unloaded my luggage and contest entries. We hugged and kissed before she drove off to her home.

Back home, I unpacked and made sense of my haul from Madison. That included the Convention t-shirt (I bought Julie one while up in Madison), other items in the convention packet, and items bought from Convention vendors and at the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh the previous Thursday.

Overall, this was a great vacation. I spent it with fellow scale modelers in a most happy place, and I spent some quality time with Julie in our first vacation. We're looking forward to more such good times together.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Baymont Inn & Suites: Baymont by Wyndham | Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Janesville: Janesville, WI | Home (janesvillewi.gov)

Starbucks: Starbucks Coffee Company

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page (ipmsusa.org)