O’Fallon Around Town — Feb. 23 Edition

Noon Friday, Feb. 24, 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: O’Fallon Progress Around Town, Belleville News-Democrat, P.O. Box 427, Belleville, IL 62222-0427. Questions, call Jennifer Green at 618-239-2643.

Friday, Feb. 24

▪ ‘Cram the Car’ Food Drive — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. HSHS Home Care Illinois car, HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital campus, St. Elizabeth’s Boulevard, O’Fallon. Donations of non-perishable food items and monetary contributions accepted. When donating, please check the expiration date of items and avoid donating expired goods. For more information about the food drive, contact Valerie Engelbart, volunteer/bereavement supervisor for HSHS Home Care Illinois, at 217-685-0702 or email Valerie.Engelbart@hshs.org.

▪ O’Fallon Fish Fry — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4-7 p.m. Knights of Columbus Hall, 402 E. U.S. 50, O’Fallon. Traditional menu of cod and several side dishes. Dine-in and carryout. Credit cards accepted. Orders can be called in at 618-632-6229. facebook.com/KnightsOfColumbus4239

▪ KC Club and Event Center Fish Fry — 3-7 p.m. 5420 Old Collinsville Road, O’Fallon. Catfish plates, cod plates, barbecue chicken, fries, cole slaw, hush puppies, baked beans, potato salad. Dine in or carryout and drink specials. facebook.com/KCClubEastStLouis

▪ Shiloh Eagles Fish Fry — 5-7 p.m. Shiloh Eagles 545, 100 Eagle Drive, Shiloh. Cod, walleye, catfish, shrimp and sides. Full menu. Dine-in or carryout available. For carryout, call 618-624-5412. facebook.com/shiloheagles545

▪ 7th annual Metro-East Sled Showcase/Showdown Fundraiser — 7 p.m. Poettker Arena, McKendree MetroPlex, 205 Rec Plex Drive, O’Fallon. This fundraiser helps raise money for Disabled Athlete Sports Association (DASA). It’s a fun event and we would like to invite everyone in the St.Louis metro hockey community to come out and support this event. Donations can be made online at dasasports.org/make-a-difference/donate.

▪ Lift Every Voice: A Black History Month Celebration — 7:30 p.m. Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. Join the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and IN UNISON Chorus to experience the power of music of African and African American traditions and their influence on St. Louis and the world. This annual concert of reflective and uplifting music is one to celebrate with friends and family. slso.org

Saturday, Feb. 25

▪ Caffeine and Chrome — 9 a.m. to noon. Gateway Classic Cars, 1237 Central Park Drive #1, O’Fallon. Cruise in with your collectible car or daily driver and bring your appetite. Indulge in pastries and coffee* (while supplies last). All makes and models are welcome, with plenty of parking space. This is a family and pet friendly event. Free and open to the public. facebook.com/events/1467388670415073

▪ St. Louis Symphony Orchestra: Music of the Rolling Stones — 7:30 p.m. Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Brent Havens perform Windborne’s The Music Of The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards 1969 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Rolling Stones’s iconic albums Beggar’s Banquet and Let It Bleed. The SLSO will pay tribute to The World’s Greatest Rock n’ Roll Band with vocalist Mick Adams and a full rock band. slso.org

Sunday, Feb. 26

▪ Ehtar Belleville F.C. Soccer Club Tryouts — 2 p.m. The former Belleville West High School and Belleville-Lindenwood Campus, 2300 W. Main St., Belleville. Ehtar Belleville F.C. Soccer Club will hold open tryouts. No cost to try out. Registration is required to participate. ehtarfc.com/tryouts or facebook.com/ehtarfc.

▪ Family Concert: Music Without Boundaries — 3 p.m. Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. Doors open at 2 p.m. for pre-concert activities. Participate in a musical scavenger hunt featuring the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra and get your picture taken on the green screen conducting the SLSO. Join us on a cultural adventure that will get you dancing in your seats! In this 45-minute immersive concert, designed specifically for children ages 5-10, you will become musical explorers as you encounter music from West Africa to China, the Balkans, Latin America, and the U.S. slso.org

Wednesday, March 1

▪ O’Fallon Sunrise Rotary Meeting — 6:45 a.m. O’Fallon Township Building, 801 E. State St., O’Fallon. 618-210-8156 or ofallonsunriserotary.org.

▪ Saint Louis Zoo Job Fair — 4-7 p.m. 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. stlzoo.org/employment

Thursday, March 2

▪ St. Clair County Genealogical Society — 7 p.m. Online via Zoom. Program: “Gems & Junk: A Beginner’s Guide to Online Research,” presented by Board-certified genealogist, professional researcher, writer and genealogical educator Alice Hoyt Veen. Explore the very best and worst of online genealogy research sources and resources available to the family historian. The meeting is open to the public, but space is limited. Reservation information is at stclair-ilgs.org/events or facebook.com/STCCGSIL.

Other area happenings

▪ The deadline for submission of applications for inclusion on the O’Fallon Veterans’ Monument for the Memorial Day dedication on Monday, May 29, is Tuesday, Feb. 28. All honorably discharged veterans who lived in O’Fallon School District #203 at any point in their life are eligible. Applications are available at O’Fallon City Hall, O’Fallon Public Library, at The Monument at 737 E. Wesley, O’Fallon, or visit the website at ofallonveteransmonument.org. For more information, call 618-632-9826.

▪ Candidate Forums — 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 9. Shiloh Community Center, 7 Park Drive, Shiloh, and 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 16. City Council Chambers, 255 S. Lincoln, O’Fallon. A Forum Moderator will introduce all candidates, ask questions, manage time, and maintain proper decorum. The public is invited to attend all Forums; seating will be limited. O’Fallon Broadcast details coming soon. A letter has been sent to all candidates inviting them to the upcoming forum. Please feel free to contact the Chamber of Commerce office at 618-632-3377 with any questions.

▪ Colorectal Cancer Awareness Drive-thru Event — 8-10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 18. Cancer Care Center of O’Fallon, 321 Regency Park, O’Fallon. Free at-home colon cancer test kits will be given away (while supplies last) to anyone age 45 or older or a person with a first-degree relative who had a colon cancer diagnosis. For more information regarding this event, contact Christy Koenigstein, patient navigator, at 618-607-5545.

Scott Air Force Base news

Breaking racial barriers, one generation at a time

By Airman 1st Class Shelby Rapert

375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

Master Sgt. Keith Green, 375th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal unit flight chief, comes from a long line of service members. His great-uncle, Marlon Dewitt Green, is most famously known for breaking the airline industry color barrier — and his journey started in the Air Force.

“He faced a lot of discrimination,” Green noted. “He wanted to be on the front line of everything, but he wasn’t really allowed to.”

Five months after his great-uncle commissioned in February 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order banning racial segregation in the Armed Forces. Two years later, Marlon Green was finally able to earn his wings, ultimately serving for nine years, flying bombers and other multi-engine planes and logging 3,071 flight hours.

“After he got out, he applied to be a commercial pilot. He met all of the criteria, but they still wouldn’t hire him,” said Green. “So, he started submitting grievances to the court.”

Marlon Green filed through the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Commission and waited as his grievances eventually made their way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1964, the Supreme Court ruled in his favor.

“He became the first African American to fly a commercial airline,” said Green. “He flew with Continental Airlines for 13 years before he retired.”

Green uses his great-uncle’s stories of perseverance and overcoming barriers to encourage the next generation of leaders in the Air Force.

“I like to talk to the younger guys and explain that they have to take advantage of the opportunities they’re given,” said Green. “And that’s what really drew me to stay in the Air Force for 20 years. I never had to feel like I was less than anyone else.”

While things have evolved in the Air Force and across the world since Green’s great-uncle passed away in 2009, his legacy still lives on to this day.

“When people read stories like his, don’t get angry — be motivated and inspired,” said Green. “Here it’s no longer about skin color, it’s about diversity of thought and of character.”

This story was originally published February 14, 2023 at 12:00 AM.