The 2015 St. Louis Year in Preview

It’s not unusual to see countless year-in-review packages around this time, as many media outlets recap the past 12 months. Instead, we decided to take a look forward.

ATTRACTIONS

1. Polar bears will return to the zoo.

Climate change is melting the polar bear’s habitat, but thanks to a Species Survival Plan—“a little like a computer dating program for polar bears,” says Saint Louis Zoo president and CEO Jeffrey Bonner— St. Louis will soon play a role in trying to save the creature, with the zoo’s new McDonnell Polar Bear Point opening this summer. Here’s what you should know about the bears and their new home.

• The 40,000-square-foot habitat blends coastal rock and moraine (glacial deposits of loose stone) with pools and landscaped tundra that includes, as a polar playground, a sandy digging zone.
• Keepers can open glass doors in a huge curved glass wall and work with the bear right from the viewing area, separated by only a light mesh screen.
• For fun, the bears will climb on a changing collection of logs, bat around 2-foot Boomer Balls, chip away at ice cubes with fish frozen in the middle, and lick “bloodsicles” (giant blocks of frozen blood).
• One “bedroom” will be extra quiet, with an adjacent den/birthing room/nursery, complete with video cameras and a spy window. The mother and cubs will have their own space, as far from males as possible because cannibalism can occur.
• Polar bears need to be sexually aroused to ovulate, and once an egg is fertilized, it can float a long time before implanting. It’s not something you can study in the wild—but research here could teach scientists what triggers implantation.
• Bonner’s dream-team bear would be Kali, orphaned in the Alaskan wilderness. “If we get him, he’ll be a very popular guy, because his genes are totally unrepresented in the population,” Bonner says.
• In the 1920s, St. Louis had one of the nation’s first naturalistic, moated, cage-free bear exhibits. The artificial rock was molded from gel casts of cliffs along the Mississippi River. Concrete from the historic bear pits was crushed as substrate for the new exhibit.
• Solar tubes cut down on electric light, and the zoo will save 2.3 million gallons of water a year by recycling it through the various aquatic exhibits.

2. The Gateway Arch, our most famous landmark, will hit a major milestone.

October 28 marks the 50th anniversary of our most recognizable landmark. It’s the milestone that CityArchRiver 2015 was formed around. Here’s what you can expect over the course of the next year—and beyond.

Park Place

Construction began in August 2013, and the Missouri Department of Transportation plans to wrap up roadwork soon. Forty steel girders have been installed over Interstate 44, and contractors are planning to complete the Park Over the Highway—with pathways shaped like an hourglass—by October, in time for the big celebration. The connecting Luther Ely Smith Square will eventually have 223 trees—as opposed to the 27 in place when construction began—providing plenty of shade. “It’s part of the park that’s not used very often right now,” says CityArchRiver 2015 communications director Ryan McClure. “Once that section’s done, it will be a better gathering place.”

Trees & Trails

Trees are an ongoing theme in the Arch grounds’ makeover. There’s been plenty of attention paid to the 800 ash trees that need to be replaced, thanks to that pesky emerald ash borer, but there will be more than double the number of trees when work is complete. To encourage those trees’ growth, construction fill from the original footprintwill be replaced  with soil. Local firm McCarthy Castle JVI will create accessible pathways to the riverfront and renovate the reflecting pools (“so they actually reflect, instead of having algae and stuff on them all the time,” says McClure). Construction’s expected to be complete on the North Park Grounds and South Park Grounds by summer 2016.

Goodbye, Garage

What was once a parking lot will soon be paradise—at least, that’s the hope. With the parking garage on the north edge of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial being demolished this winter, the park’s main entrance will be from the west. Once work is complete in summer ’16, the former garage site will have a natural amphitheater, a children’s garden, and a more seamless connection to the Eads Bridge and Laclede’s Landing. “We want to activate the edges of the park,” says McClure.

All Along the River

Great Rivers Greenway has reimagined the riverfront. When work is complete in late 2015, the area will have a dedicated biking and pedestrian path, better lighting, and a surface that’s 2 ½ feet higher than it was when the project started—a significant consideration for potential investors concerned about flooding. “It will be a great promenade, where you can walk along the riverfront,” says McClure.

Plaza Plans

At press time, CityArchRiver 2015 was seeking feedback from the public about its proposed redesign for Kiener Plaza. In some ways, the plan mirrors CityGarden, with play areas for kids, colorful fountains, plenty of green space, and bike parking. The existing amphitheater would be filled in, and The Runner statue would move.

Night at the Museum

Beginning this March, the Old Courthouse will do double time as a museum. It will house temporary Arch exhibits and sell tickets for those cylindrical trams. (Rehab on its own exhibits won’t begin until 2017.) The Museum of Westward Expansion, located beneath the Arch, is scheduled to reopen in spring 2017. When it does, the new exhibits will create a more interactive experience, with six thematic areas. “What you’ll see more of is St. Louis’ role in westward expansion and how critical we were to the growth of the nation,” says McClure. As for that stuffed buffalo? “I’m not quite sure what the fate of the buffalo is,” adds McClure. “But people certainly care.”

3. The National Blues Museum will bring home the blues this fall.

First, know that the National Blues Museum is exactly that. “It’s not going to be a specifically St. Louis experience,” says board chairman Robert Endicott. “It’s going to tell the whole story of the blues, from a national perspective. But a lot of people don’t know, even here, what

St. Louis’ place in that history is, and our first temporary exhibit is going to try to tell that story a little bit.”

When the doors open in the fall—Endicott says the museum is hoping for Labor Day weekend—it will also offer an interactive experience, from a station where you can compose your own blues MP3 to lessons in classic blues instruments like the jug, washboard, or spoons. “It won’t be about looking at old stuff behind a glass casing,” Endicott says. “We’ll have an intimate space that’ll seat 125… We want to have a vibrant space where people can give lectures or performances.”

Organizers would also like to pull the one piece of programming that’s out there right now—Christian Cudnik’s two-hour, Friday-night National Blues Museum Radio on RAF-STL 107.3 FM—into the theater. In the meantime, tune into Cudnik’s show in anticipation of the museum’s opening.

4. Work on The Loop Trolley will begin.

1966: St. Louis’ last streetcar route makes its final run.

1997: At a neighborhood meeting, Joe Edwards proposes a fixed-track trolley along the Delmar Loop. The reaction? “Just total silence,” he says.

1998: Edwards and others begin working to build support.

2000: Metro completes its first feasibility study for the trolley. “To me,” Edwards says, “the best feasibility study of all is just to look to New Orleans or San Francisco.”

2001: The Loop Trolley Company is formed. Four years later, it purchases two vintage cars, placing one at the Missouri History Museum and one at Commerce Bank.

2008: The Loop Trolley Transportation Development District is established, with businesses along the route voting to create a 1 percent sales tax increase, with an estimated $500,000 generated annually as a result.

2009: The Delmar Bridge over the MetroLink, now “trolley-ready,” reopens.

2010: The Loop Trolley Project is awarded a $24.9 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration. “There were only five of those issued by the FTA,” Edwards says. “And 65 cities applied.”

2011: The FTA gives the Loop Trolley project the green light.

2013: University City’s city council votes unanimously to give the trolley a conditional-use permit, and the East-West Gateway Council of Governments finishes engineering for the project.

2014: The transportation development district holds public meetings to inform the public of plans and timelines. After bids come in $11 million over budget, rebidding pushes the project back two to three months.

2015: Construction is scheduled to begin.

2016: The Loop Trolley is slated to begin its 2.2-mile run from the Loop to the Missouri History Museum.

Future: Edwards hopes trolleys will come to other neighborhoods. Already, others are working on a trolley from downtown to Grand Center to the CWE.

5. Union Station will bring in seasonal additions.

Watch for new, seasonally themed vignettes in Union Station’s 3-D light show, which runs day and night in the Grand Hall and has been nominated for multiple industry awards. Technomedia, a Cirque du Soleil collaborator, created the show—the first of its kind in the U.S.

Grand Center will grow even grander.

Grand Center is becoming a veritable music-and-media ecosystem, with venues collaborating to create all kinds of spaces and programs. Here are five recent additions that will spur even more activity this year.

6. Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz

The Bistro recently got a face-lift. There’s the new Ferring Jazz Bistro. And now, Jazz at the Bistro can live-stream world-class shows all over the world, record top artists as they perform, and train jazz musicians of the future—all in one building.

7. Larry J. Weir Center for Independent Media

KDHX-FM’s new digs offer powerful recording and broadcasting capabilities, plus a ground-floor venue, The Stage at KDHX, which hosts bands, DJs, and screenings for the St. Louis International Film Festival.

8. Folk School at KDHX

Here, you can learn to play banjo, uke, mandolin, upright bass, and more. The school also hosts square dances and music jams.

9. Public Media Commons

Created by the Nine Network of Public Media, St. Louis Public Radio, and the University of Missouri–St. Louis, the Public Media Commons is a dazzling 9,000-square-foot public space, replete with two-story video walls, a performances area, and four interactive screens.

10. Strauss Park

All of the recent activity has brought this pocket park to life. You can see concerts here throughout the year, and it’s become a point of constellation for the always-entertaining

St. Lou Fringe festival.

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FOOD & DRINK

The restaurant scene will continue to expand.

In the wake of several of the city’s recent firsts—a lobster shack (The Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co.), a gourmet chicken shack (Old Standard), and a Korean barbecue restaurant (Seoul Q)—it may be hard to follow 2014. Regardless, these five restaurants warrant a look.

11. Tom+Chee

Starting in 2009, two Cincinnati couples parlayed “a tent and a griddle” into multiple stores specializing in grilled cheese and tomato soup, earning them an appearance on ABC’s Shark Tank and an investment deal. The simple concept—25-plus varieties of grilled-cheese sandwich, plus salads and three versions of tomato soup—attracted hordes of potential franchisees, including Doug Mating, who will open the first metro-area unit early this year in O’Fallon, Missouri. And look for more locations down the road: Mating thinks the region can handle 15 to 20 such stores.

12. 801 Fish

The bookend to 801 Chophouse, its beefcentric counterpart, 801 Fish specializes in freshly caught fish and seafood. A former executive chef of the flagship 801 Fish in Leawood, Kansas, calls it “dock to door in 24”—as in, “if it was caught this morning, it will be on my menu tomorrow night.” The Clayton restaurant, expected to open in the summer, will be lighter in style than the chophouse and will sport seafaring colors.

13. Milque Toast Bar

The name is almost as intriguing as the restaurant’s novel concept: a milk-and-toast bar. Specifically, it will serve locally baked artisanal bread and toast topped with house-made jams, jellies, and flavored butters, as well as regional cheeses and savory options. The idea is an offshoot of the open-faced smørrebrød, the national sandwich of Denmark. Tentative plans are for the cozy South City space to open in early January and to serve breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunch.

14. Monty’s American Grill

Downtown’s Monty’s Sandwich Company recently secured a western outpost with Monty’s American Grill coming to the one-time location of Frailey’s Pub & Grill in Ellisville. Besides exposing a new market to Monty’s classic sandwiches and award-winning creamy Reuben soup, the restaurant’s new space sells smoked meats, steak, and seafood options.

15. Winfield’s Gathering Place

The former flagship location of Saint Louis Bread Co. in Kirkwood will be the new home of Jim Edmonds and Mark Winfield’s latest venture. Piggybacking on the success of The Precinct’s barbecue ribs (“They’ve won every competition they’ve been in,” says Winfield) and smoked brisket, Winfield’s will be family-friendly and will include a large covered patio. The restaurant’s slated to open in early to mid-January.

16. NoWait

NoWait will come to the rescue at more restaurants. It may be the most useful restaurant-related app—ever. NoWait allows diners to place themselves directly onto a restaurant’s waiting list via smartphone, eliminating the need to wait in cramped quarters. It’s especially handy at always-busy restaurants that don’t take reservations, like Pastaria, one of the first locals to sign up. Owner Gerard Craft calls NoWait “almost a reservation.”

Microbreweries will continue to boom.

17. O'Fallon Brewery

With all of the brewery hoopla heaped on Urban Chestnut Brewing Company’s new building in The Grove last year (and deservedly so), perhaps the same fate awaits O’Fallon this year. A new 40,000-square-foot brewing facility is slated to open in Maryland Heights this spring. A large tasting room will offer beer-friendly food and enough capacity to quadruple the 15-year-old brewery’s current output. Expect to see more in the Brewer’s Stash series, a set of low-production, one-off specialty beers targeting beer drinkers who want bigger, bolder flavors. For the past five years, O’Fallon has held a variety of chocolate-and-beer events with Bissinger’s and collaborated on a few beers in the process, including one involving a proprietary toffee. The velvety, full-bodied King Louie Toffee Stout will be available in six-packs through this month, with more seasonal and Brewer’s Stash releases on the way.

18. Schlafly Beer

While remaining deeply rooted in classic beer styles, Missouri’s largest locally owned independent brewery is set to refine its core offerings in 2015 and introduce several more innovative beers—some barrel-aged, some using herbs, botanicals, and the juice or must from Missouri grapes—as well as several new releases in the increasingly popular 750-milli-liter bottle format.

19. Brew Hub

Slated for completion in Chesterfield at the end of this year, Brew Hub is a $20 million regional brewery designed for today’s heavily hopped craft beers and India pale ales. In addition to making its own line of beers, Brew Hub will act as a “partner brewer,” assisting smaller brewers in all aspects of the business: brewing, testing, marketing, label approval, retail placement, and legal and governmental issues.

The distillery scene will grow.

While craft breweries and brewpubs are still garnering most of the buzz, the local craft distillery scene will also heat up.

20. Mastermind Vodka

Early this year, the Pontoon Beach, Illinois–based company will open a combination distillery, tasting room, and gastropub in Frontenac, where The Nest once was. Plans call for citron and berry flavors to join the six-times-distilled Mastermind Vodka, a gold-medal winner at the 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

21. Tempest Distilling & Spirits Co.

In midtown, Tempest is slated to open by midyear in a multilevel, 10,000-square-foot building. Both clear and dark spirits will be produced in St. Louis’ first sustainably designed and operated craft distillery. The tasting room will operate as a “scratch bar” (think: scratch kitchen), where everything consumed on the premises will be made in-house.

22. Coulter & Payne Farm Distillery

One of only 10 distilleries in the country to grow and process its own grain, this Union, Missouri–based company is now producing unaged products under the Crop Circle Spirits label. In 2015, look for a “light whiskey” (a clear spirit with more flavor than vodka, but less than whiskey) and a sorghum-based spirit reminiscent of sugar cane–based rum.

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SHOPPING

Cortex will welcome new additions.

The 200-acre Cortex Innovation Community campus, a hub of biotech innovators, is currently home to Washington University, a DuPont subsidiary, Cofactor Genomics, the Center for Emerging Technologies, and the Cambridge Innovation Center, which houses The Venture Café, a weekly gathering for entrepreneurs to exchange ideas.

23. Park Avenue Coffee

One cannot live by brainpower alone. In the first quarter of this year, Park Avenue Coffee will start percolating in the @4240 building, which was set for its grand opening at press time. Cortex president and CEO Dennis Lower predicts that more restaurants will follow. “We want to keep people,” he says. “Come early and stay late.”

24. Cortex Commons

To spur collaboration, Cortex is building a park at the heart of the campus. “We are creating great spaces for smart people to collide with each other,” Lower says. The strip of green and a Zen garden are slated for completion by spring.

25. TechShop

TechShop, a DIY workshop and prototyping studio, is scheduled to open in December of this year. It will be available to members age 8 and up. Need a 3-D printer? It will have one, as well as laser cutters; plastics and electronics labs; machine, wood, and metal shops; welding stations; a water-jet cutter; and design software.

The startup scene will diversify.

As recently as 2013, more than 70 percent of startup founders were white, and upwards of 80 percent were men, according to the IT Entrepreneur Network. Last June, the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership vowed that its annual St. Louis Startup Challenge would recognize more women-, minority-, and veteran-owned businesses. Here are some of the finalists—and a few other noteworthy newcomers—across a number of industries.

26. Blue Line Security Solutions

Facial-recognition technology allows schools and businesses to better monitor visitors.

27. SmartCare Consultants

Sensors help families monitor loved ones’ well-being, while keeping track of lighting, leaks, and other concerns.

28. CZ Concierge Services

Christine Zika, formerly with the Missouri National Guard, started her St. Charles–based concierge service in 2010.

29. HIPAAtrek

After dealing with policies and paperwork firsthand, Sarah Badahman launched this service to help healthcare professionals more smoothly comply with HIPAA requirements.

30. MindSpark Partners

This online platform helps educators share and access helpful teaching materials and resources.

31. Pet Cooler Carrier

The company’s pet carriers have a built-in ice chest on top that keeps pets cool and provides water running to a spigot below.

32. Five at Seven

Fashion designer Mariella Sheree launched this line in 2009. It now includes both contemporary items and formalwear.

33. Freddie Lee’s American Gourmet Sauce

Freddie Lee James Jr. began developing his all-purpose barbecue sauce nearly a quarter-century ago. It works on ribs, burgers—and spaghetti.

34. PIXI Medical

Manu Stephen, a lab manager and research engineer at Washington University School of Medicine, launched this healthcare company to help patients keep better track of their prescriptions.

35. Zymplr

Started by Abu Abraham and Gabriel Santa Cruz, this advanced-materials company focuses on developing better football helmets, to help reduce concussions.

36. IKEA will come to midtown.

“I call IKEA my Disneyland,” says Simone Keel, a devoted shopper and Monsanto executive. “It’s my happiest place.” Come fall, the Swedish retailer will open its first store in the state, a 380,000-square-foot building in midtown. Some tips for the uninitiated: Peruse the IKEA catalog beforehand. Arrive early. Wear comfortable shoes. Study the store map. Nab a cart on the main floor. Be prepared for jaw-dropping prices, like the Lack occasional table for $7.99 or a Koldby cowhide rug for $199. And know that it will be a long day. “It’s an endurance event,” Keel says. “It’s the Ironman of shopping.”

37. The grocery scene will get even fresher.

The world of fresh food is getting competitive. Whole Foods Market plans to open a 38,000-square-foot store in the Central West End. In the meantime, Lucky’s Market will unveil its first regional store in Rock Hill. Fresh Thyme Farmers Market plans to open two stores: one in Kirkwood and another in Ballwin. And The Fresh Market is slated to open midyear in Creve Coeur.

38. Chesterfield’s outlet-mall scene will expand.

Taubman Prestige Outlets Chesterfield will welcome a new H&M store (but with the chain’s already-low prices, don’t expect more dramatic discounts). Just to the west, St. Louis Premium Outlets is planning a 75,000- square-foot expansion (though the company hadn’t revealed new tenants at press time).

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SPORTS

39. The Cardinals will look to move forward.

The defining moment of the Cardinals’ offseason was, without question, the death of Oscar Taveras, the former top prospect who was killed in a drunk-driving accident in the

Dominican Republic last October. Any discussion of the team’s future had always started with Taveras, but now it must move on without him. How will the Redbirds fill the void? One answer might be Kolten Wong. While he won’t be taking over for Taveras in right field, the second baseman could turn into the team’s next star. Despite early offensive struggles, the 24-year-old finished third in voting for the National League Rookie of the Year award last year. In the postseason, he showed even more promise. And speaking of filling voids, now that starting pitcher Shelby Miller has been traded to the Atlanta Braves, there will be extra pressure on Michael Wacha to return from the shoulder injury that derailed his 2014 season.

40. The St. Louis Rams will take a hard look at the numbers.

Will they stay, or will they go? That’s been the ongoing storyline for the past several years, as fans and pundits do their best Miss Cleo impersonations. But when the Rams’ lease goes year-to-year starting this March, it will be decision time. Here are some staggering stats that Rams owner Stan Kroenke might be considering.

57,341: Average attendance at home games at press time, according to ESPN—among the NFL’s lowest

$124: Estimated cost, in millions, of the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission’s proposed improvements to the Edward Jones Dome, which the Rams rejected in 2012

$700: The Rams’ estimate, in millions, for making dome improvements that would meet lease stipulations, placing the venue among the top 25 percent of NFL stadiums across several measures

60: Acres of land that Kroenke bought adjacent to the Forum in Inglewood, California, a year ago

$930: Forbes’ most recent estimate, in millions, of the Rams’ value, the least valuable in the league

$82.19: The average price for tickets to this past fall’s Rams–49ers game—the least expensive Monday Night Football game of the season at press time

41. We’ll get a new football team—and by football, we mean soccer.

Given St. Louis’ rich soccer heritage, it’s something of a sore spot that our burg doesn’t have a professional team. That will change this spring, when Saint Louis Football Club begins its inaugural season in the USL PRO league. Head coach Dale Schilly shares what to expect.

The new team is owned by a youth soccer club you help direct. Are there lessons you’ve learned from coaching kids that apply to leading pros? Everybody wants to cheat. They’re trying to figure out if they can do less and get more, and it’s your job to hold them to a standard so they understand that what they invest is what they’re going to get out of it.

How can this team succeed where others have failed? People need to see we’re excited about representing St. Louis soccer. Certainly, winning is important as well. I think, finally, to see that the players are as invested with the team’s success as the fans are.

Local high-school stars will make a splash beyond St. Louis.

42. Austin Panchot

Sport: Soccer

Position: Attacking midfielder Credentials: After a distinguished career with the St. Louis Scott Gallagher youth club, Panchot graduated from Lafayette High School early to start his college career at Indiana University this month.

Backup Career Plan: Soccer coach

Sports Hero: Thierry Henry

Favorite Superhero: Batman

Best Present Ever Received: FIFA 15 for PlayStation 3

Goal for 2015: Break into the Hoosiers’ starting lineup.

Favorite Food: Pasta

On His iPod: Country

Celebrity Crush: Soccer star Alex Morgan

43. Napheesa Collier

Sport: Basketball Position: Guard/forward

Credentials: One of the top 10 recruits in the country, Collier will head to the University of Connecticut after she wraps up her championship career at Incarnate Word Academy.

Backup Career Plan: Sports psychologist

Sports Heroes: Maya Moore and Kevin Durant

Favorite Superhero: Superman (“My dad rolled his eyes at me.”)

Best Present Ever Received: Toyota Camry

Goal for 2015: Gain enough flexibility to touch her toes (“I’m doing yoga!”)

Favorite Food: Cassava leaves (“It’s from Sierra Leone.”)

On Her iPod: Anything but country

Celebrity Crush: Divergent hunk Theo James

44. Terry Beckner Jr.

Sport: Football

Position: Defensive end

Credentials: At press time, the All-American from East St. Louis High School, ranked the No. 1 football prospect in the country, hadn’t picked a college.

Backup Career Plan: Something in communications (“I know I’m going to have to get one.”)

Sports Hero: Ray Lewis Favorite

Superhero: None (“I ain’t really into superheroes.”)

Best Present Ever Received: Chevy Tahoe

Goal for 2015: Good grades

Favorite Food: Fried chicken

On His iPod: Rap

Celebrity Crush: R&B artist K. Michelle

45. St. Louis Blues star Paul Stastny’s warm reception will continue.

“I want to win. As you get older, you realize how hard it is and how bad you want to do it.

I like the team’s chances. They’re built to win.” —Blues star Paul Stastny on the team’s chances of winning the Stanley Cup

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CULTURE

46. North Campus will continue to make a difference in the heart of the city.

Every weekday, just after 3 p.m., children begin streaming into The Sanctuary, a former church building on a sunny residential corner, part of the North Campus. They’re greeted by volunteers, given a few quiet minutes to shed the stress accumulated in chaotic homes and chaotic schools, then guided to two classrooms upstairs. Kids have everything they need—laptops and iPads, plus old-school supplies like markers and scissors. They receive four hours of tutoring and instruction, with breaks for Facebook and snacks. On the first floor, a row of chess tables occupies a hallway near the media room, which is outfitted with a large projector screen and comfy couches.

This scene might not be what most people think of when they picture North City, and to some extent, that’s the point. “There is a stigma about what it means to live on the North Side,” says Liz Peinado, director of after-school programming for the North Campus. “We’re trying to change that narrative. The idea, long-term, is to create this pipeline of birth through college graduation.”

Founded three years ago by Alderman Antonio French, the organization offers summer and after-school programs to third- through ninth-grade children in his 21st Ward. In October, Gov. Jay Nixon pledged $500,000 in federal funds for a partnership between the North Campus and the University of Missouri–St. Louis, aimed at expanding services to low-income children across the region.

“We do whatever it takes,” Peinado says. “If it’s getting kids glasses or getting them a haircut, then that’s what we’re going to do. If it’s getting them extra math and science help, that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to figure out whatever barrier is keeping them from being successful, and we’re going to take that barrier down.”

47. Downtown’s much-hyped music festivals kick off.

This Memorial Day weekend, ICM Partners will hold its first music festival in downtown St. Louis. That initial slate of bands will be country acts, though there’s no word on the lineup yet. Then, in the fall, when ICM holds a rock festival on Labor Day weekend, word is, it may look a lot like Lollapalooza in Chicago—though ICM books both arenas and festivals like Bonnaroo, so it’s still anyone’s guess what the overall vibe will be. Despite all of last year’s controversy, Alderman Scott Ogilvie is optimistic. “In the future, if you live in Peoria, Illinois, you have a good choice to make,” he told SLM writer DJ Wilson last fall. “You can go to Lollapalooza in Chicago and check out the IKEA, or you can go to St. Louis and see the ICM music festival and check out our IKEA—tough choices for Peorians.”

48. Fair Saint Louis will return to Forest Park.

There wasn’t an air show, and parking was at a premium, but otherwise, Fair Saint Louis was a smashing success in 2014. With the Arch grounds’ makeover still underway, the festival will return to Forest Park this July, during its 35th annual affair. Expect big-name bands, big-boom fireworks, and a big-deal park to draw even more of the masses.

49. Artists will find new ways to think outside the box.

Paying a farmer to get a box of tomatoes, zucchini, and carrots is now mainstream. Paying an artist to get a box of ceramics, paintings, and prints is not—but Community Supported Art–Saint Louis has received such an enthusiastic response, it now has future members on a waiting list. Organized by Katy Peace, Gardiner Rhoderick,  and Cassandra Howard, CSA STL (csastl.org) currently works with nine artists per season. Its 50 members get three pieces of art at each pickup, with three pickups per season. For the first season, that included letterpress art prints by The Firecracker Press owner Eric Woods, fermentation crocks from ceramist Tom Dykas, illustrations by local comic illustrator Ray Nadine, and more. You don’t have to be a member to attend pickups, which often include drinks, music, and artist meet-and-greets.

50. Don Draper will say goodbye.

It’s difficult to imagine Jon Hamm without Don Draper. As comes to a close this spring, it’s something the St. Louis native himself is trying to envision. “This has been the singular experience of my acting career, really,” he told The Daily Beast. “And it’s coming to an end.” He admitted to talking about it with fellow actors Bryan Cranston and Tina Fey, who also portrayed iconic TV characters. Their response? “It sucks. It’s hard.” Alas, life will go on, with Hamm lending his voice to the 3-D animated film Minions, a prequel to Despicable Me, this summer. But it may take time for us to adjust to the post-AMC Hamm, one without a Lucky Strike, an Old Fashioned, and a clever observation like, “It’s your life. You don’t know how long it’s gonna last, but you know it doesn’t end well. You’ve gotta move forward…as soon as you can figure out what that means.”