Monday, Sep. 07, 2009

Cutter's bar and grill expanding in Belleville

The outdoor patio expansion at Cutter's bar and grill in Belleville in nearly complete. Owner John Brisk said the lower patio at 239 Carlyle Ave. is now open and the upper patio should open in a week. He said the new setting can accommodate several hundred people and has a 30-foot bar. Call 235-7642 to find out more. ...

The apples are ready for picking at Eckert's.

You can now pick your own apples from 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. daily at Eckert's Farms at 951 S. Green Mount Road in Belleville or at 2719 Eckert Orchard Lane in Millstadt. Admission is free and the apples you pick are $1.59 a pound. Call 233-0513 or go online to www.eckerts.com for more information. ...

A new 88-room Holiday Inn under construction in Fairview Heights is expected to open early next month. General manager Cat Phillips said the $6 million hotel located on Salem Place and near Interstate 64 is scheduled to welcome its first guest Oct. 6. Amenities will include an indoor pool, fitness center, 24-hour business center and a restaurant and bar. Rooms will have free Internet access and flat-screen HD TVs. The hotel will also have meeting space to accommodate up to 225 people. ...

Belleville shooting range owner Stephen King will expand with a second shooting spot across the river. King, who purchased Belleville Indoor Shooting Range at 209 N. Illinois St. in 2003, is creating a second location to be called Metro Shooting Supplies at 188 Weldon Parkway in Maryland Heights, Mo., located near the intersection of Interstate 270 and Dorsett Road. The new store will have a full-line gun shop selling handguns, shotguns, rifles, ammunition, reloading supplies, holsters, gun bags and other shooting supplies. The new store will feature brands such as Smith & Wesson, Glock, Kimber, Ruger, Remington, Beretta, Bushmaster and Rock River. To learn more about Metro Shooting Supplies and the Belleville Indoor Shooting Range, go to www.buylearnshoot.com. ...

Collision Plus Auto Body Repair Centers is celebrating its 20th anniversary at 8 Fullerton Road in Swansea. The auto body repair chain also has shops at 201 N. Illinois St. in Belleville, 1274 Central Park Drive in O'Fallon and 2900 Illinois 159 in Edwardsville. ...

And finally, the next time you drive through a Sonic restaurant and purchase a small through "Route 44-sized" fountain or frozen drink (Wacky-Pack Meals and Premium Roast Coffee drinks excluded), you will receive a code to vote for a teacher's project online at www.limeadesforlearning.com. Sonic has identified 35 Sonic Teacher Projects registered in the St. Louis area.

According to Sonic, these teacher projects are used to help inspire learning in the classroom and range from computers needed for science labs to basketballs for gym class. Projects receiving the most votes will be awarded grants in September. This is part of Sonic's recent partnership with DonorsChoose.org, a nonprofit organization that will administer the grants and fulfill teachers' projects. For more information, visit online at www.limeadesforlearning.com.