Civil War Soldier by David Newman Graphic from: https://history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/resmat/civil_war/cw_art_and_photos.html

January 16, Thursday at 2:30 pm, at Friendship Village Sunset Hills in the Rhineland Room in the Crossings Building. See re-enactment style presentation by David Newman of the US Grant National Historic Site; “Civil War Soldier.” See the equipment, learn its uses, hear about the life of the front line Civil War soldier, his skills and ways of fighting, surviving.

Get more specifics about the venue on the page: Friendship Village Sunset Hills
The talks are free and open to the public

“St. Louis Lore, From the Arch to Valentine’s Day” presented by Dr. John Oldani. Photo from https://explorestlouis.com/partner/gateway-arch/

January 21, 2020, Tuesday, SCHS quarterly general membership meeting at Lindbergh High School, 5000 S. Lindbergh, in the cafeteria.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m., brief business meeting at 7:00 p.m.  Come and enjoy
“St. Louis Lore, From the Arch to Valentine’s Day” presented by Dr. John Oldani, noted speaker and  author of six books.  He will share entertaining folk lore with a special look at Valentine’s Day.

Directions to Lindbergh High School cafeteria
Turn onto the campus at the signal at Lindbergh Blvd & Roxanna Drive. At the guard station, turn right and follow the drive around the library to the large parking lot at the bottom of the slope. The parking lot there stretches out to the left. The Commons is the building at the far left, at the end of the parking lot. Park and enter through the doors as in the photo on the left. Inside, turn right into the cafeteria.

See address, map and photo of Lindbergh High School cafeteria

Dr Oldani will have some of his books available for purchase, among them:
St. Lou-isms: Lingo, Lore, and the Lighter Side of Life in the Gateway City
Passing It On: Folklore of St. Louis, 2nd Edition, Revised and Updated
Christmas in St. Louis: Traditions, Displays, and Celebrations
Sweetness Preserved: The Story Of The Crown Candy Kitchen
Passing It On: The Folklore of St. Louis – Its Traditions, Superstitions, Rituals and Folk Beliefs
You Did What in the Ditch?: Folklore of the American Quilter

Books by Dr John Oldani

Canceled. See note below about cancelation
April 22, Wednesday, SCHS Quarterly General Membership Meeting in the Lindbergh High School Cafeteria, 5000 South Lindbergh. Doors open at 6:30 pm. A brief business meeting begins at 7:00 pm and will be followed by a presentation by John Murphy. His portrayal of an 18th century barber/surgeon is authentic, interesting, and entertaining. 

John is an interactive historian who brings the 18th century to life for both young and old. Although John’s career is in the electronics industry, his true passion is living history. He has acquired a great number of antique surgical and dental tools and exhibits some of his collection with his presentations. John previously spoke at a SCHS Quarterly Meeting about medical care in the 17th century.   

Canceled May 25, Monday, 10:00 am – 26th Annual Sappington-Concord Memorial Day Observance canceled

The Annual Memorial Day Observance sponsored by the Sappington-Concord Historical Society, scheduled for Monday, May 25, 2020 has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The Society had been planning a fitting tribute to those men and women who served our country; particularly those who died while in military service to our country. We hope to be able to resume this annual event in 2021.

On this Memorial Day, we encourage you to reflect on those who have served and are serving our country; most especially those who lost their lives in service to our country. In this unprecedented time, we also encourage you to reflect on those who are now serving in many capacities during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

The History Talks Speaker Series

The History Talks are on Thursday afternoons at 2:30, at Friendship Village Sunset Hills in the Rhineland Room in the Crossings Building. 12503 Village Circle Drive, Sunset Hills, MO 63127
Get more specifics about the venue on the page: Friendship Village Sunset Hills
The talks are free and open to the public

Jan 16, 2020
Civil War Soldier by David Newman
“A Visiting Civil War Soldier,” a re-enactment by David Newman, a park ranger and interpreter from the US Grant National Historic Site. David will demonstrate and show

Feb 20
Early St Louis Cinema by Mike Tsichlis
The Birth and Growth of Early St. Louis Cinema
Come explore how “moving picture” exhibition got its start in St. Louis over a century ago. We’ll look at the establishment and growth of local movie theaters from hole-in-the-wall nickelodeons to grand theater palaces, as well as some of the pioneering and creative entrepreneurs who started them. So bring your popcorn and follow the story of such local industry leaders as the Skouras brothers, three young Greek immigrants who went from waiting tables to owning one of the largest movie theater chains in the country in less than a decade.
Bio: Dr. Mike Tsichlis is the owner of AXIOS Communications and is a researcher and author who has written on various aspects of St. Louis history. He holds a doctorate in public policy and has worked in both academia and the nonprofit world for over 25 years. He is also a member of the Lindbergh Schools Board of Education.

March 19
Canceled. The St Louis Auto Industry by Molly Butterworth – cancelled
They Will Run: The Golden Age of the Automobile in St. Louis by Molly Butterworth (Author), Tom Eyssell (Author)
Were it not for a few quirks of history, St. Louis might have become the center of the American automotive industry instead of Detroit. Since the late 1800s, St. Louis has been home to dozens of automobile makes and to numerous manufacturers, large and small. In They Will Run: The Golden Age of the Automobile in St. Louis, head down the road of automotive history in the Gateway City, where transportation has always meant power.

April 16
Canceled. The St Louis Browns by Ed Wheatly – cancelled
St. Louis Browns: The Story of a Beloved Team
As we all know, St. Louis is the best baseball town in America, but the city’s major league history is not confined to the Cardinals. For several decades, until the middle of the twentieth century, St. Louis fielded a second professional team. True, it was mostly a losing team, but it once featured a first baseman who hit .400, a legendary Negro League star, and a pitcher who would go on to throw a perfect game in the World Series. They were the St. Louis Browns-the forerunners of the current Baltimore Orioles and a part of St. Louis’s rich baseball history.
Wheatley is president of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society and the author of “St. Louis Browns: Story of a Beloved Team.” His new book, “Baseball in St. Louis,” will be published April 1.

May 21
Canceled. The French Colonial Era in Missouri and Illinois by Andrew Cooperman Canceled.

Contrary to the popular imagination, colonial American history is not confined to the eastern seaboard. The Mid-Mississippi River Valley also has a very rich colonial history. The French established several settlements on both sides of the Mississippi during the early to mid 18^th century. The Illinois French – as they came to be called – developed a society, culture, and economy that were well suited to their mid American home, and very different from those that the Anglo-Americans developed on the east coast.

Andrew Cooperman earned his BA in History & International Relations from McKendree College (now University), and a MA in History from the University of Toledo. He has taught history & international relations, and worked at historic sites, archives & libraries. He is currently an adjunct instructor of History at Southwestern Illinois College.

June 18
Canceled Growing Up St. Louis by Jim Merkel Canceled

No matter when or where we grow up, the stories, people, and places that populate our memories leave an indelible mark on the manuscript that becomes our life story. A day at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904, meatless meals and hard times during the Great Depression, or knowing Mark McGwire s precise home run count that summer of 1998 become galvanized in our own time lines, while other details fade into the background. In Growing Up St. Louis, hear the stories that stuck with more than 110 native St. Louisans over the last century told by the very people who lived through them. Ranging from joyous to humdrum, and even to grim, these childhood memories offer a glimpse of life in still frame, from the start of the twentieth century to the present day. A woman speaks lovingly of the elephant ears she bought in University City in the 1950s while a future local sportscaster falls in love with sports as he and his dad watch the 1968 World Series. With new and old photographs to accompany the essays, join veteran author Jim Merkel on a journey through ten decades of coming of age in St. Louis. Whether they spark nostalgia or empathy, they will surely provoke commentary about how deeply our tender years impact us for the rest of our lives.

Growing Up St. Louis is the fifth book by Jim Merkel about St. Louis. A St. Louis native, he has reported on the area for various local newspapers for 29 years.

See Jim’s book on Amazon

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lfumgqD4pEtJDdPUbjwSotnoqJfy4N3ww