Highland Around Town — June 8 edition

By Jennifer Green

June 2, 2022 4:01 PM

Noon Wednesday, June 8, is the deadline to appear in next week’s “Around Town” listing. We must receive your event in writing with a contact phone number for questions. Due to the number of submissions, events may run only one time in print, will be edited and appear in the week before the event date.

Email: lifestyle@bnd.com. Mail to: Highland News Leader Around Town, Belleville News-Democrat, P.O. Box 427, Belleville, IL 62222-0427. Questions, call Jennifer Green at 618-239-2643.

Wednesday, June 8

▪ Whitaker Music Festival 2022 Concert Series: Karen Choi — 7 p.m. Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis. Entry at 5 p.m. The Whitaker Music Festival offers a lineup of free Wednesday evening concerts under the stars. Pack a picnic and enjoy the beauty of the Garden grounds in summertime bloom as you listen to the tunes and rhythms of an eclectic rotation of artists from week to week. Live music will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays through Aug. 3. Free admission entry begins at 5 p.m. Last entry is at 8:15 p.m. Advance reservations required. mobot.org/whitaker

Friday, June 10

▪ Aviston Legion Fish Fry — 4:30-7 p.m. American Legion Post 1239, 601 S. Clinton, Aviston. Cod (baked or fried), catfish, shrimp, chicken strips, fries, baked potato, slaw, applesauce. Dine-in and carryout. 618-228-7311 or avistonlegion.com.

▪ Music of Queen — 7:30 p.m. Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. We will, we will rock your night! Back by popular demand, the SLSO and a full rock band celebrate the legendary music of Queen in a performance that bridges the gap between rock n’ roll and classical music. Experience this electrifying concert as the SLSO and rock band soar through tunes from all of your favorite albums including Queen, The Works, Jazz and more. slso.org

Friday, June 10, & Saturday, June 11

▪ 22nd annual Madison County Garden Tour — 4-8 p.m. Friday, June 10, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 11. Self-guided tours in Edwardsville and Glen Carbon. Tour eight beautiful gardens, rain or shine. Tickets are $13 (kids 10 and under free), good for both days, and can be purchased at Joe’s Market Basket, Edwardsville and Troy; Creekside Nursery, Collinsville; Edwardsville Children’s Museum, or online at www.event.gives/madcogardentour22. 618-344-4230.

Saturday, June 11

▪ Highland Garden Club 16th annual Garden Tour — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Featuring six private gardens around Highland as well as the Gardens at Glik Park and Lila’s Garden at the intersection of Olive Street and Lindenthal Avenue. Advance tickets are $6 and can be purchased at The Greenhouse of Highland, Rural King Flower Shop or from Highland Garden Club members. Tickets on the day of the tour are $7. 618-696-2629.

▪ Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine Chamber of Commerce E-cycle Event — 1-4 p.m. Troy United Methodist Church, 407 Edwardsville Road, Troy. Place your items in your trunk, and the volunteers will remove them for you. A list of accepted items can be found online at troymaryvillecoc.com.

Sunday, June 12

▪ Ragtime, Blues, and All That Jazz — 3 p.m. Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. In this tour de force concert, Byron Stripling showcases ragtime masters Scott Joplin and Jelly Roll Morton plus blues legends B.B. King and Muddy Waters. Byron’s entertaining and humorous vignettes about the music and its creators, plus a finale that closes with an unforgettable toe-tapping jam session, has made this one of his signature shows. Byron is joined by keyboardist Bobby Floyd of the Ray Charles, Dr. John and Count Basie Bands. slso.org

▪ Picnics on the Plaza: Janet Evra — 7:30 p.m. The Sheldon’s Steward Family Plaza, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis. These casual, outdoor concerts will feature live music by some of St. Louis’ best musicians in the elegant setting of the plaza, while guests enjoy a boxed picnic dinner and drinks at assigned tables of two to four people. Advance registration required. Picnics must be ordered by Wednesday, June 8. thesheldon.org

Tuesday, June 14

▪ Parents of Addicted Loved Ones — 7-8:30 p.m. Online via Zoom. The PAL group provides education, support and hope to family members and loved ones of someone who has an addiction of substance use disorder. Free and open to all. For info or to join the Zoom meeting, contact Craig at 618-567-6095. palgroup.org

Wednesday, June 15

▪ Whitaker Music Festival 2022 Concert Series: Old Souls Revival — 7 p.m. Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis. Entry at 5 p.m. The Whitaker Music Festival offers a lineup of free Wednesday evening concerts under the stars. Pack a picnic and enjoy the beauty of the Garden grounds in summertime bloom as you listen to the tunes and rhythms of an eclectic rotation of artists from week to week. Live music will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays through Aug. 3. Free admission entry begins at 5 p.m. Last entry is at 8:15 p.m. Advance reservations required. mobot.org/whitaker

HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland named Tim Claxton, director of facilities (third from the left) Leader of the Year and Jill Helmkamp, imaging technologist (third from the right) Colleague of the Year. Both were recognized for their dedication to ensuring high-quality care and for exemplifying HSHS’ Core Values of Respect, Care, Competence and Joy. Pictured with Claxton and Helmkamp are Jed Driemeyer, director of human resources (far left); John Ludwig, president and CEO (second from left); Teresa Cornelius, chief nursing officer (second from right); and Mark Ennen, director of finance (far right). For more information about HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland, visit the hospital’s website at stjosephshighland.org. Provided

Other area happenings

▪ HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland Auxiliary Book Donation Drive — Used book donations are currently being accepted. Donations can be delivered to St. Joseph’s Hospital Gift Shop 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday. Accepting nice, clean books of fiction, nonfiction, children’s and cookbooks, hardbacks and paperbacks, puzzles, CDs, DVDs. The Auxiliary requests no self-care, religious or DIY books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc. Masks (non-cloth) must be worn in the hospital at all times.

Korte & Luitjohan announces promotion, hirings

Korte & Luitjohan Contractors, Inc. (K & L), based in Highland, has announced a promotion and the hiring of three new members of its team.

Kyle Luitjohan has been promoted to project manager. Luitjohan began his career with K & L in September 2013 as an assistant project manager and IT manager. He will continue his IT duties in his new role. A Highland native, Luitjohan graduated from McKendree College in 2004 with a degree in computer information systems. Because of his experience in an assistant’s role, Luitjohan will easily transition to the project manager’s position, where he will work with office and field staff to execute the successful, timely performance of K & L’s construction jobs.

Chris Kattenbraker is joining K & L as estimator/project manager. Born and raised in Chester, Kattenbraker currently lives in Walsh, with his wife, Heather. He has two adult sons, Collin and Nick. Chris is a 1990 graduate of State Technical College of Missouri. Based on his experience and relationships he has developed, Kattenbraker will be an asset to acquiring and managing a variety of projects.

Traci Albers of Germantown has been brought on as an assistant project manager. She has a degree in business administration from McKendree University (2000), and an MBA-HRM from McKendree (2017). Albers has over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, business administration, finance, human resources/payroll and project management in a variety of professional fields.

Cynthia Simpson is the new office manager for K & L. A Granite City resident, Simpson most recently served as office manager/payroll coordinator for Gateway Classic Cars in O’Fallon. She will serve as the executive assistant to K & L President Gregg Korte, while also coordinating a variety of daily office tasks.