Highland Around Town — Feb. 1 edition
Noon Friday, Feb. 3, 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, Feb. 1
▪ Butterfly House’s Morpho Mardi Gras — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays through Tuesday, Feb. 21. The Butterfly House, 15050 Faust Park, Chesterfield, Missouri. Escape the cold by visiting Morpho Mardi Gras: Bugs, Butterflies and Beads! Bring your Krewe to the carnival during the month of February. Join the party at our Bugs on Parade, make a masquerade mask, and immerse yourself in a sea of blue as the Butterfly House floods the tropical conservatory with thousands of Blue Morpho butterflies. With the sounds of jazz in the air, inaugurate the season with these and other majestic creatures. Included with admission. For additional information about or purchase tickets, visit butterflyhouse.org.
▪ Black History Month Celebration — Through February. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, 212 N. Sixth St., Springfield. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will celebrate Lincoln’s birthday and Black History Month with activities that include a read-a-thon, two days of free admission and a play about a daring escape from slavery. Black History Month opens Wednesday, Feb. 1, with the first of 10 performances of “Small Beginnings,” a short play about the amazing Robert Smalls. Enslaved from birth, Smalls commandeered a Confederate ship in Charleston Harbor and used it to take family and friends to freedom in 1862. He then piloted that ship for the U.S. Navy and was elected to Congress after the war. Other performances are scheduled for Feb. 2 (Thursday), 3 (Friday), 6 (Monday), 7 (Tuesday), 15 (Wednesday), 16 (Thursday), 17 (Friday), 23 (Thursday) and 24 (Friday). All performances begin at 1 p.m. and are included in the regular admission price. For more information, visit presidentlincoln.illinois.gov.
Thursday, Feb. 2
▪ Diabetes Support Group — 4 p.m. Frisse Conference Room, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland, 12866 Troxler Ave., Highland. Open to those with diabetes and their family members and/or caregivers. The group meets on the first Thursday of each month. Participants will be required to wear non-cloth, medical-grade masks, as masks are still required in health care facilities per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. Registration is required. 618-526-5743 or lisa.ketchem@hshs.org to register or for more information.
▪ Croce Plays Croce — 7:30 p.m. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, 400 N. Alton St., Lebanon. A.J. Croce performs Croce Plays Croce, a special night of music featuring stories and songs from his late father Jim Croce, music of his own, and covers that link them. For tickets and info: thehett.com
Friday, Feb. 3
▪ Saint Louis Zoo Job Fair — 9 a.m. to noon. The Living World, Saint Louis Zoo, One Government Drive, St. Louis. The Saint Louis Zoo will host job fairs in The Living World at the Zoo’s North Entrance for those interested in part-time work at the Zoo. In addition to summer employees, the Zoo is seeking applicants who have immediate availability mid-spring. Energetic, responsible and service-oriented individuals are needed for part-time positions, including catering and food service personnel, attraction operators, education interpreters, security beats, retail, parking lot attendants and more. Additional date: Wednesday, March 1. stlzoo.org/employment
▪ Aviston Legion Fish Fry — 4:30-7 p.m. American Legion Post 1239, 601 S. Clinton, Aviston. Cod (baked or fried), catfish, shrimp, hush puppies, chicken strips, fries, baked potato, slaw, applesauce. Dine-in and carryout. 618-228-7311 or avistonlegion.com.
Friday, Feb. 3, through Sunday, Feb. 5
▪ St. Louis Symphony Orchestra: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ In Concert — 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3, and Saturday, Feb. 4; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5. Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. Light and dark. New and old. The Star Wars saga begins anew with Rey, Poe, Finn and Kylo Ren. The SLSO performs John Williams’ iconic score live to film as we travel to a galaxy far, far away …. slso.org
Saturday, Feb. 4
▪ Highland Home Museum Open House — 1:30-4:30 p.m. Highland Home Museum and Art, 1600 Walnut St., Highland. These open houses take place the first Saturday of every month. For more information, contact 618-654-2395.
▪ Blessed Assurance: The Evolution of the Negro Spiritual — 7:30 p.m. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, 400 N. Alton St., Lebanon. Experience the story of Black music in this showcase of spiritual music, which has shifted and grown from the fields of the Agrarian South all the way to the stage of Carnegie Hall. thehett.com
Tuesday, Feb. 7
▪ 375th Force Support Squadron Job Fair — 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cardinal Creek Golf Course, 1192 Golf Course Road, Scott AFB. Bring your resume for on-the-spot interviews. Open Non-Appropriated Fund (NAF) positions include laborers, recreation aids, cooks, food service workers, child & youth program assistants, custodial workers, waiters, lifeguards, pool manager, tractor operator and more. Regular and flexible category positions, as well as temporary summer positions are available. NAF positions are open to active duty spouses/dependents, retirees, veterans and civilians. To apply, visit www.usajobs.gov. For additional information, call 618-256-3831. Want to attend the Job Fair but don’t have Base access? Call 618-256-2385 ext. 1.
▪ Botanical Resonance Virtual Talk Series: Kevin Harris, ‘Welcome Home Habitat’ — 12:30-1 p.m. Online via Zoom. Join the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum to learn more from artists who created artworks for the “Botanical Resonance” exhibition in a special virtual speaker series. The exhibition showcases different plants used to create musical instruments in cultures around the world, as well as some plants make unique sounds throughout their life cycles in nature and in the Garden. For the species used to make instruments, many are threatened in their native environments due to the increasing production and demand for the desirable plant material. Register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_W2DZ2WxOQjW-gvZmjYlLJA
▪ 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, Feb. 8
▪ National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) Alvin G. Bohley Chapter 1019 – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Ginger Buffet and Grill, 53 Ludwig Drive, Fairview Heights. Speaker TBD at noon, followed by meeting. All active and retired federal employees are welcome. Speakers/meetings held the second Wednesday of each month except for May and December socials. NARFE remains the go-to resource for the federal community. For information, contact James at jbflat2021@gmail.com or call 618-795-5174.
Thursday, Feb. 9, through Saturday, Feb. 11
▪ HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Auxiliary Used Book Sale — 1-4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10; and 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11. HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Ungacta Conference Center, 12866 Troxler Ave., Highland. Featuring an impressive selection of fiction and nonfiction books, children’s books, cookbooks, puzzles, DVDs, CDs and more. Prices for hardback books will be $2, paperbacks are 50 cents, children’s books will be 25 cents and 50 cents, and oversized paperbacks, puzzles and DVDs/CDs are $1. Saturday’s sale is a $3 Bargain Bag Sale. Masks (non-cloth) must be worn in the hospital at all times and social distancing will be observed. 618-651-2592.
This story was originally published January 22, 2023 at 12:00 AM.