It was either going to be the weather or the people that were going to crack this past Labor Day weekend. The country experienced severe weather leading up to the weekend. Tornadoes hitting Utah and Michigan, floods washing out the Grand Canyon, extreme heat in the Midwest. This is that second summer that everyone in the Midwest will tell you about. You have to understand that we could have all four seasons in a week and two in one day. This past weekend was full of activity from traveling around the area collecting free items to playing VR and making candles.
In this economy you have to take what you can get sometimes. That even includes getting free stuff on your birthday. Vanna started her weekend early and traveled around with a friend to knock off free gifts she could get on her birthday. Buffalo Wild Wings gifted 6 free wings, Nothing Bundt Cakes, and other stores. Why not treat yourself on your birthday and save money. A lot of the local dispensaries will offer a “free” gift with purchase. Most have been the “Penny Pre’s” which are really not what you want to get on your birthday……………..
After collecting all of the free goodies we had a full day of trying new things on Saturday. We have always wanted to do a glass blowing or class that deals with making glassware. We signed up for the private klin experience at Third Degree Glass Factory. This private event is $300 for 4 people. That is a great deal for 4 people to make a glass craft with guided instruction. Drayper (sorry if we spelled your name wrong) was our instructor who kept things light and moving in the right direction. Crazy to run into people that you have things in common with and you are closer to their life than you know. Drayper gave us the run down on all of the things we could make along with showing us some sample pieces. We had the option of making jewelry, a coaster, a nightlight, or a glass tile. We chose a glass nightlight and a coaster as a joint project. Drayper explained how to safely cut the pieces of glass and safety rules of working with glass so you didn’t end up having fine pieces of glass embedded in your skin. We had a small basket of tools to use to shape our pieces. While we were assembling our pieces there was another class going on. Lynde, again I am sorry if I mess up on the spelling of your name, was leading the “Intro to Borosilicate” and that table was packed. I want to say even though it was scorching outside all the cool kids were inside playing with glass. Our pieces looked fantastic going into the klin. We have to come back later in the week to pick them up. Can’t wait to show off the finished pieces.
After making our crafts we were starving. So we decided to get some food from Revel Kitchen in Brentwood. We have never had a bad order from this place no matter how crowded it is. The trip from Third Degree Glass Factory was an adventure itself! You would think one of the “nicer” areas would have better traffic flow and people are following traffic laws………Think again! People driving through stop signs, racing down crowded streets. Yikes! Our food was ready when we finally made it. I dropped Vanna off at the front door and circled the block like a shark waiting on its meal. Really I just went in the parking garage and waited at the exit for Vanna. Lunch was filling and gave a time to relax before our Sandbox VR session at The City Foundry St. Louis.
The Foundry’s parking lot was packed with the only spots being available at Fresh Thyme. We ended up parking on the street and made our way to Sandbox. We get there and check in to play “Deadwood Mansion” and watch all the other trailers for the other games. I had to double check with Vanna if she was going to be alright with a VR Headset on shooting fast moving objects. Turns out she did perfectly fine. We get suited up with a haptic vest, hands and feet indicators, and head into the room to get the rest of our gear. Before hand we could have unlocked the gattling gun for an extra $7. We passed on that option. Vanna picked the sub-machine gun and I went guns akimbo with the dual M9’s. We ended up with our own private session and had a blast. It is about 15 minutes of fun and is even better with a group of friends. We laughed, screamed, yelled, and felt like bad assess at times when it worked. We had to stop twice due to my guns losing their tracking. We ended up surviving the run and beat the final boss with the team having about 32% accuracy.
On the way into Sandbox VR we saw Candle Fusion and we had to stop back through when we were done. I know we probably looked a little crazy walking into the store after sweating our asses off in the VR room. It was a big temperature change from the VR to outside to Candle Fusion which felt like an icebox. We get in and were greeted by the ladies working and they directed us to table after looking at their products for sale. We each picked a candle to make. I picked 4 scents and Vanna picked 4. In order of concentration for me – Jade, Agarwood, Bansai, Ginger Ale. For Vanna – Blackberry, Gogi Berry, Honeycrisp, and Mango. The candles smell amazing and was an easy process to get together. You pick up to 5 scents, mix them together, pour it in the melted wax, and they tell you to come back in a hour when the wax hardens. Super easy.
To top off the weekend we headed to Paint Louis to check out the artwork being created on the flood wall. This year featured artists from all around the country along with their crews. This year they had 3 major acts, The Beat Junkie, Expansion Team Soundsystem, and Rah Digga. The artwork speaks for themselves. This event is great for the community as it celebrates an artform that is seen as disruptive or destructive at times. We watched the artists eyes light up as onlookers commented on how great the art looks. They had it rough this year again with staggering heat with no shade out there unless you brought your own shade. Be sure to check out the photos of some of these amazing pieces. The flood wall is located on Wharf st in St. Louis Missouri.
Paint Louis, the largest graffiti festival in the world, began in 1997 and continued through 2001. It was revived in 2013 and is now world-renowned. In the shadow of The Gateway Arch along the Mississipi River, over 400 writers gather every Labor Day weekend, coming from across the U.S, and most recently Canada, Mexico, Germany, and Australia.
-From the Paint Louis Website
Beginning as St. Louis Superfest in the mid-90’s, in the early days of the Internet and way before social media, the now very aptly named Paint Louis quickly became host to legendary names in the graffiti and contemporary art worlds, such as ZEPHYR, REVOLT, SABER, REVOK, TWIST, LADY PINK, and more.
Showcasing the four elements of hip hop, the festival has also recently hosted free performances by KRS-One, Souls of Mischief, DJ Qbert, Rakim, and many St. Louis-based and Midwest MCs and DJs.
The Paint Louis wall is year-round attraction for locals and tourists alike.
After coming from Paint Louis we stopped by Art Hill in Forest Park to check out The Flags of Valor. It was a sight for sure. approximately 3000 flags were placed on Art Hill to remember those who have lost their lives during 9/11.
