St. Louis Dad

Numbskull Halloween Pop-Up at Westport Social

September 15, 2023September 15, 2023 Richie Leave a comment

Halloween is coming early to Westport Social, the classic gaming lounge, bar and restaurant at Westport Plaza.

Numbskull at Westport Social begins October 4 and continues through October 31. The experience is open daily at 11 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis with no reservations needed.

The most-anticipated pop-up bar of the season serves up creepy cocktails created in specialty glassware. A carnival atmosphere envelopes the space with elaborate decor inspired by visions of vintage midway amusements, questionable clowns and paranormal performers.

The event’s specialty cocktails include a creative selection of spooky sips ranging from The Executioner and Inside Out Man to Death By Pumpkin and Human Canvas.

Every Thursday during October, Numbskull activates with fortune tellers, zombie roller skaters and otherworldly carnival fun. Westport Social’s popular games will continue to add to the fun during Numbskull, with guests invited to play hoops, bocce, shuffleboard, darts, foosball, ping pong and more inside and on the expansive patio outside.

Friday and Saturday, October 27 and 28, guests should dress to impress for a horrifying Halloween costume contest featuring giveaways and a $500 first-place prize each night.

Numbskull Cocktail Ingredients

The Executioner: Rye Whiskey, Angostura Bitters, Allspice Dram, Blueberry Grenadine, Lemon, Coconut.

Human Canvas: Mezcal, Aloe Vera, Ghost Chili, Squid Ink, Falernum, Lime and a Skull Tattoo.

Pennywise Punch: Dry Gin, Rhum, Salted Banana, Coconut, Forbidden Rice, Lemon.

Death By Pumpkin: Vodka, Nutmeg, Coffee Liquor, Half & Half, Averno Amaro, Cardamom, Maple Pumpkin.

Inside Out Man: Bourbon, Sweet Vermouth, Dried tomato, Fig Leaf, Electrolytes and an Eyeball.

Lobster Boy: Dry Gin, Cranberry Vermouth, Red Bitter, Rhubarb, Lobster Oil.

Westport Social’s dinner menu will be available during Numbskull. A wide range of appetizers, shared plate options and entrees share the menu along with pizza, sliders, tacos and skewers.

Westport Social is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m until 11 p.m. All patrons must be 21 or older after 4 p.m.

The restaurant is located at 910 Westport Plaza Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146. www.westportsocial-stl.com. Follow on social media @westport-stl.

4 Issues You Should Consider Before Buying That Dream Car

September 13, 2023September 13, 2023 Richie Leave a comment

Are you thinking about buying your dream car? If so, then it’s always worth considering what issues you might encounter and whether it’s worth these potential headaches.

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Part Availability

First, you should consider checking whether the parts for your dream car are easy to acquire. You might assume that it’s always going to be easy to find parts if you buy a brand new car and this just isn’t the case. In reality, there are certain brands and models where parts are incredibly rare. This makes a repair very difficult and can result in there being lots of times where your car is undrivable. You might also need to get your hands on your car repair manual. Something like an 1979 El Camino repair manual is often the best resource to find out what parts you’ll need and whether they are easy to source, before you commit to a purchase.

Hidden Costs

Make sure that there are no hidden costs which will eat away at your budget each month when you are purchasing a car. There are lots of examples of hidden costs to consider here, it could be a gas guzzler. If you’re stopping off at every gas station, then it will quickly cause the costs to build up. Alternatively, it might have a history of being unreliable on the road or it could be expensive to insure. Let’s look at both these problems in a little more detail.

Reliability

Not all vehicles will give you the same reliability as others on the market. Just because a car looks nice, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will perform as it should. Do your research before handing over your hard earned cash for a new car. You can’t make the decision overnight, consult dealerships and other car experts to get their point of view. You may have always wanted a particular make and model of car, don’t be surprised or disappointed if this isn’t the best car on the market. Remember, there will always be amazing dream cars that you will want to get your hands on. However, you want to make sure that your new car will stand the test of time and provide you with many happy years of being behind the wheel.

Insurance

Finally, if you are after your dream car then you should consider how much the insurance will cost you. Even if you don’t plan on driving the car around that much, you will still need to purchase insurance. Your dream car may be on the pricier end of the scale, which will also drive up the cost of insurance. Make sure you shop around for the very best deals and go with a provider that gives you the greatest protection for your vehicle. Check out ways you can cut the price of insurance, for instance where you store your car. You can also save money by choosing a company that offers a black box.

We hope you found this article helpful and that it gave you some useful tips on the things you might want to consider before buying your dream car. There will be many pros and cons to your dream car, it is all about weighing up the options and finding the one that works best for you.

Pirates & Pumpkins Invading the St. Louis Aquarium This Fall

September 12, 2023September 12, 2023 Richie Leave a comment

St. Louis —-The St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station is being invaded by Pirates and a spooky patch of magnificently carved pumpkins this fall.

“Pirates & Pumpkins,” a new family adventure, is open September 15 through October 31, 2023 with special activities on Fridays and Saturdays in October.

The Aquarium will be decorated with pirate-themed scenes, including a ghost ship with smoking, booming cannons. On the exciting treasure hunt inside the Aquarium, guests will take a self-guided tour through a highly themed wonderland of treasure caves and grottos.

Social media fans will love the Instagram-worthy photo opportunities throughout the transformed Aquarium during their fall journey.

Patches of realistically carved and lighted pumpkins representing the Aquarium’s sea life will greet visitors as they explore the attraction. One of the highlights is a pumpkin shark scene complete with a boat for family pictures and scary selfies.

Guests make their way through the marine habitats and hands-on animal adventures at the Aquarium, learning amazing animal facts and enjoying pun-filled pirate jokes.

Treasure seekers will explore elaborate pirate scenes and kids can fire the pirate ship’s fearsome cannons.At the end of the quest, only the bravest adventurers can sit at the Pirate King’s Throne for a triumphant picture.

“Pirates & Pumpkins” is included with admission to the Aquarium. Tickets are available online at www.stlouisaquarium.com.

Weekends in October Pirates & Pumpkins will turn into a trick or treat festival on Fridays and Saturdays, October 6-7, 13-14, 20-21 and 27-28 from 5 to 8 p.m. (last admission at 7 pm.).

Kids get a free plush pumpkin and a complimentary trick-or-treat bag at the entrance where they learn how to choose their own pirate name. Six trick-or-treat stations will be open.and staffed by the Aquarium’s pirates. Guests will learn to talk like a pirate with Tommy, the Aquarium’s animated Otter mascot, and will meet a real pirate parrot at the Ambassador stage from 6 to 6:30 p.m. Other spooky seasonal animals — including snakes, newts, tarantulas and creepy crawlies — will be highlighted during the evenings. Pirate Story Time in the KidZone offers family friendly terrible tales every 30 minutes.

Costumed scuba divers will carve pumpkins inside the Aquarium’s Shark Canyon at 1:15 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays in October.

The St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station is open daily at 9 a.m. Advance tickets are available at www.stlouisaquarium.com. Follow the Aquarium on social media @aquariumstl. The Aquarium is located at 201 S. 18th St., St. Louis, MO 63103.

About St. Louis Union Station

In addition to the Aquarium, St. Louis Union Station — built in 1894 and once the largest and busiest train terminal in the nation — offers additional attractions, restaurants and the St. Louis Union Station Hotel.

Visitors can ride the 200-foot-tall St. Louis Wheel for views high over the St. Louis skyline. The Wheel rolls along with the St. Louis Carousel every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Next to the Carousel, St. Louis Mini Golf presents 18 holes of fun under the historic train shed. The Mirror Maze takes guests on a funhouse romp back to the days of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, and Selfie Express is a new train-themed interactive photo illusion experience. The St. Louis Ropes Course is an adventure with obstacles and zip lines poised high over th Aquarium lobby. Combination tickets for the attractions are available at www.stlouisaquarium.com.

Make it a spooky family escape by staying at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel, a Curio Collection by Hilton. Room reservations and packages are available at: https://www.stlouisunionstation.com/hotel-packages

HAUNTED GARAGE HORROR FESTIVAL OCTOBER 5-7 AT THE HI-POINTE THEATRE

August 24, 2023August 24, 2023 Richie Leave a comment

ST. LOUIS, MO / August 24, 2023 – Shift Films and the Haunted Garage Podcast are back with their 3rd Annual Haunted Garage Horror Festival taking place October 5-7 at the historic Hi-Pointe Theatre, located at 1005 McCausland Avenue in St. Louis.

Tickets range from $10 Pit Stop Passes for specific events to an all-access weekend pass for $100. Find ticket details and prices at FilmFreeway or at the Hi-Pointe box office.

The event kicks off Thursday, October 5 with a horror-themed cocktail meet-and-greet with festival guests and a classic car Trunk-or-Treat event for families benefitting Stray Rescue of St. Louis.

Producers and festival creators Franki Cambeletta, Jeremy King, Travis Brown and Lily Schenck are excited to bring both local and national filmmakers together in the third year of the acclaimed Haunted Garage Horror Festival. “We are excited to work with the Hi-Pointe Theatre this year on bringing a world-class horror fest to St. Louis,” says Cambeletta. “We will be awarding Golden Piston Awards for categories such as Best Short, Best Feature Film, Best of Fest, Best Student Film, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay and the Film with Most Grit.”

In addition to the horror micro-shorts, shorts, and features, horror experts in the field will participate in “Dead Talks” over the three-day festival such as Professor Athena Aktipis, founder of Zombie Media; last year’s “Best of Fest” winners Aaron Irons and Josh Croft; and Director Patrick Rea will talk about how to get your film distributed. Dr. Coltan Scrivner, a leading expert on the psychology of horror and morbid curiosity, will also present over the weekend with more guests to be announced.

For more information and a full itinerary and film schedule, visit www.hauntedgaragehorrorfest.com .