IPMS/Gateway Meets

Last night (16 October), right after work, I headed to Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) for this month's meeting of IPMS/Gateway (https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/). We had a pretty nice turnout, though the Model of the Month "Beauty Contest" had only four entries. Several models in progress--including my Fokker D.VII--were on display as well.

The meeting included discussion of some changes being implemented to improve the club's operations. We also had a demo on paint chipping on models, which was very interesting.

I got lucky twice last night. First, I won the 50/50 raffle prize of $21; another $21 raised that night will go to our donation to Toys for Tots (https://bridgeton-mo.toysfortots.org/local-coordinator-sites/lco-sites/default.aspx) in December. Then, the raffle ticket I got for bringing my work in progress was pulled, and I will get to select a new kit at next month's meeting. (The kits weren't there last night.)

Later.

2018 Airshow at Spirit Airport

It was a chilly, gloomy Sunday morning (14 October) when I drove to Spirit of St. Louis Airport (https://www.spiritairport.com/) for this year's Spirit of St. Louis Airshow and STEM Expo (http://spirit-airshow.com/). I went there primarily to help staff the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (https://moavhist.org/) information booth, which was beside the static aircraft ramp. Jim Means and I staffed the booth, but we had few visitors. This was likely due to the reduced attendance that day compared to the day before. We thought the weather was to blame for that. Still, it was good to represent our group at this show.

I was able to get out and look at the aircraft on the ramp. These included several Boeing (http://www.boeing.com/) F/A-18 Hornet strike fighters; this year marks the 40th anniversary of the Hornet's first flight. Several Boeing F-15 Eagles, a CV-22 Osprey, a P-8 Poseidon, and other current aircraft were on display. Older aircraft present included the B-25 Mitchell, TBM Avenger, and L-3 from the Missouri Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (http://cafmo.org/). Also there was the B-29 Superfortress "Doc" (https://www.b29doc.com/), one of only two flyable B-29s in the world.

I caught the air displays, which included several of those aircraft mentioned, although the clouds made the aircraft fly lower than normal. A B-52 Stratofortress made a pass in front of the crowd. I caught the flight by the Royal Canadian Air Force's CF-18 Demo Team (http://rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/cf-18-demo-team/index.page). This aircraft's scheme celebrates the 60th anniversary of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) (http://www.norad.mil/). It was a most spirited display by the CF-18's pilot, helped by the enthusiastic narration.

I left Spirit Airport soon after that demo to head for home. The air show returns to Spirit Airport on 7-8 September 2019, with the US Navy's Blue Angels (https://www.blueangels.navy.mil/) as the featured attraction.

Later.

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.

Quite a Week for This Soccer Fan

Last Saturday night (6 October), I was at Robert R. Hermann Stadium on the Saint Louis University (https://www.slu.edu/) campus to cheer on the men's soccer team (http://www.slubillikens.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27200&SPID=93202&SPSID=632571&DB_OEM_ID=27200) play Atlantic 10 Conference (http://www.atlantic10.com/) rival LaSalle. The Billikens came back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to win 4-2. It was quite a fine match and I was happy to be supporting my alma mater. A number of SLU men's soccer alumni were honored at halftime.

The next morning, I was at World Wide Technology Soccer Park (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/SOCCERPARK) to run lines on two under 16 girls soccer matches. These were friendlies among member teams of the Elite Clubs National League (http://www.eliteclubsnationalleague.com/), a group of top girls soccer clubs around the country. The matches went well, and it was good getting some nice exercise that morning.

Two days later, I heard of the big announcement about an effort to land a Major League Soccer (https://www.mlssoccer.com/) team here in St. Louis. A new group named #MLS4THELOU (https://mls4thelou.com/) introduced themselves. They are made up of the Taylor family, of Enterprise Holdings, Inc. (https://www.enterpriseholdings.com/en/index.html), and my friend Jim Kavanaugh, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of World Wide Technology, Inc. (https://www.wwt.com/). The group announced that they would seek an MLS franchise, shooting to begin play in 2022, and that they would have a privately funded stadium built in downtown St. Louis. This soccer fan is most happy about this development--not just because I am friends with Kavanaugh and an Enterprise Rent-A-Car employee--and wish this group all the best in their efforts.

Wednesday night (10 October), I was back at World Wide Technology Soccer Park for Saint Louis FC's (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/) match against Tulsa Roughnecks FC. This was the match rescheduled from 14 July, when lightning and stormy weather interrupted the match. I joined in the tailgate before the match with the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/), where I enjoyed nachos and beer, and took in a soccer kit contest by several of our group. We then marched into Toyota Stadium for the match, were a first half goal sufficed for Saint Louis FC's 1-0 win. This result means a draw in tomorrow night's season finale at home against OKC Energy FC will be enough to send us into the United Soccer League (https://www.uslsoccer.com/) playoffs for the first time in club history. This should be great!

Later.