“St. Louis Folklore: Mom, Clean Underwear, and Toasted Ravioli”
South County’s John Oldani says to cut the point off that slice of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving and eat it last. Then make a wish and it will come true. photo by Diana Linsley of the South County Times. See link below.
That is the title of the talk that Dr. John Oldani (students call him Dr. Jack) will give when the Sappington-Concord Historical Society holds its quarterly general membership meeting on Wednesday, January 22, 2014 at 7:00 pm in the Anne Morrow Lindbergh Room on the campus of Lindbergh High School , 5000 S. Lindbergh.
Dr. John Oldani, professor and author most recently of St. Lou-isms Lingo, Lore, and the Lighter Side of Life in the Gateway City, will present the program “St. Louis Folklore: Mom, Clean Underwear, and Toasted Ravioli” at the SCHS meeting on Wednesday night.
Dr. Oldani’s book will be available for purchase at the meeting. See map and driving directions to Lindbergh High School and location of meeting room.
Amazon.com says of Dr. John Oldani’s new book: St. Lou-isms: Lingo, Lore, and the Lighter Side of Life in the Gateway City, “…do you warsh your dishes and rinsh them in the zink? Do you eat mustgo for dinner? Heard about zombies in Wildwood or St. Louis Hills? Ghostly hitchhikers in Florissant? What or who is a St. Louis Hoosier? In St. Lou-isms, John (Dr. Jack) Oldani documents wholly new St. Louis folklore related to senior citizens, baby boomers, lawyers, nurses, new St. Louis vocabulary, Irish and Bosnian folklore, and even urban belief tales. Dogtown, St. Louis Hills, Valley Park, Wildwood, Ellisville, and other communities are connected through jokes, beliefs, tales, speech, lingo, graffiti, games, and other lore. St. Lou-isms decodes the lingo and traces the stories, shared by all St. Louisans. This book will keep you from being St. Louis ‘stupid’, or a few clowns short of a circus! You can live, laugh, and learn to leave a legacy!”
Learn more about Dr. John Oldani, aka Dr. Jack, his books about St. Louis folklore and beyond…
Dr. Oldani’s latest book, St. Lou-isms: Lingo, Lore, and the Lighter Side of Life in the Gateway City, 2013
Featured in the South County Times at Thanksgiving, 2012. See photo of Dr. Oldani above from that article.
In the St. Louis Beacon blog, “John Oldani on St. Louis folklore and lingo,” in the Books section, by Samara Jatala, Beacon intern, Wednesday, May 22, 2013.
Heard on St. Louis Public Radio (90.7 FM), Dr. Oldani is interviewed by Steve Potter on August 2, 2013 about his newest book, St. Lou-isms: Lingo, Lore, and the Lighter Side of Life in the Gateway City.
Below left: Christmas in St. Louis: Traditions, Displays, and Celebrations
Below right: Sweetness Preserved: The Story of the Crown Candy Kitchen
Below left: You Did What in the Ditch? Folklore of the American Quilter
Below right: Passing It On: The Folklore of St. Louis
You can see that Dr. Oldani is steeped in the history and folklore of St. Louis. That is clear from seeing the books above that he has written, and from the bio of Dr. Oldani in the St. Louis Beacon article cited above, “John Oldani on St. Louis folklore and lingo,” in the Books section, by Samara Jatala, Beacon intern, Wednesday, May 22, 2013:
“Oldani is a true St. Louis native. The only time he left St. Louis was when he was a visiting professor at three other universities. ‘It’s the very reason why I’m writing. It’s my muse,’ said Oldani of the Gateway City. ‘I’m the unofficial ambassador of St. Louis because the St. Louis folklore has never been collected. It’s my mission to make sure it’s collected and not lost forever.’ He’s collected over 200,000 different folk texts related to the region south of St. Louis and is now trying to put meaning behind it.”
You won’t want to miss this entertaining and informative presentation, especially in this year of the 250th anniversary of the founding of St. Louis. The meeting and Dr. Oldani’s presentation are free and open to the public. Bring your friends and neighbors.
Other SCHS events and programs in 2014, the St. Louis’ anniversary theme
There are two other SCHS events and programs this year that are related to the anniversary of the founding of St. Louis with more possibly coming. These make up the “St. Louis 250” theme. See more about themes on the Themes page. So far there are:
Daytime presentation at Tesson Ferry library
Friday, February 21, 2014, 2:00 p.m.
250 Years of St. Louis History
St. Louis turns 250 years old in 2014. In honor of this milestone, the Missouri History Museum is planning an exhibit that will tell the city’s history through 50 people, 50 places, 50 moments, 50 images, and 50 objects. Learn more about the history of your favorite city and about the process of producing a museum exhibit as Jody Sowell, Missouri History Museum Public Historian, takes you behind the scenes of the making of 250 in 250. Please be sure to check the web page Events – 2014 for any updates or changes to this event.
April Meet-at-the-Site tour
Wednesday, April 30, 2014, 10:00 am
Missouri History Museum to see the free exhibit, 250 in 250 which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the founding of St. Louis.
St. Louis turns 250 in 2014! How do you tell 250 years of St. Louis history in one exhibit? The Missouri History Museum does it through the stories of 50 People, 50 Places, 50 Moments, 50 Images, and 50 Objects. We can’t give you a complete picture of St. Louis’ 250 years of history, but through these 250 snapshots, we will give you an engaging look at the richness, diversity, and complexity of the place you call home. Car pool at St Lucas UCC, meets at 9:15 am. Please be sure to check the web page Events – 2014 for any updates or changes to this event.
Presentation by Dr. John Oldani, “St. Louis Folklore: Mom, Clean Underwear, and Toasted Ravioli“
Wednesday, January 22, 2014, 7:00 pm – Please note that this event is over.
STL250.org, and the big St. Louis birthday bash
Be sure to check out the programs and events commemorating the anniversary of St. Louis listed on the STL250.org website. There are things going on all year, with the focus on February 14th, the actual founding date.
Sappington-Concord Historical Society…
…join us and we’ll make history together!
Go to Joining page.
