BOB CORBETT'S FOREST PARK JOURNALS

The “Hat” festival, land box turtle and my “new” bike

June 2, 2005
By Bob Corbett

I had a wonderful ride in Forest Park today on my “new” bike. It’s actually my “old” bike, but yesterday I got it back from the repair shop. I had my flat fixed, but also got my annual tune-up. Oh my, that is money well-spent. The brakes, which had been very slow are so sharp I have to be careful or I’ll throw myself over the top. It stops on a dime. The gears, which had gotten a bit ragged, click and roll like a Mercedes. The tires are tight, my slightly wobbling seat is very tight. Just like new and so fun to ride.

I began my day at Cairdeas which is not open again after their electrical problems. My brother and his “crowd” were out front, but today I passed up visiting. I was working on a book review and had to do some work. I spent nearly two hours working on a review that is now only half finished. After I while I just had to get some exercise, but part of me wanted to run home to the computer to type up my work.

I rode into the park over the Tamm Ave. bridge and headed west toward Skinker. While riding alongside Kennedy Forest on Government Drive (the street in front of the zoo) and out near Skinker, I encountered a regular sized land turtle, a box turtle as we called them. That is almost EXACTLY where I saw one last year. Given that I hear turtles live as long as humans, it may well be the same one. I couldn’t ask his name or address.

In all my rides in the park I have only sighted a land turtle 3 times, and my guess is this is the second time for this guy. The other was over in the wetlands.

One of my routes is to come out from the Grand Basin on the new trail (that used to be Hampton Ave. through the park) to the zoo, and up toward the boat house. Then I go around by the Muny and to the road that leads up to Hampton. Today when I went that way I was simply ASTONISHED there were hundreds of cars parked all along that road and even going up the hill toward the Jewel Box. The largest number of cars I had ever seen in that area. I knew something was going on at the World’s Fair pavilion, and resolved to explore that.

But I had miles to go first. Back around the basin, along Lindell, through the wet lands, past Jefferson lake, and up alongside Triple A to the Jewel Box. Then I was ready. I rode out to Hampton and across Hampton to enter the World’s Fair Pavilion area. It was astonishing. There were a dozen gigantic limos, and HUNDREDS of really fancy cars, Mercedes, Jags, Cadillac’s and on and on. This was not a gathering of the poor.

When I rode up to the drive of the pavilion there were a dozen young guys there in fancy clothes who were offering valet parking!!!!! They were parking cars over by the baseball diamonds and all the way down to the Planetarium. This was a really big to-do.

I asked the valet parkers: “What the hell is going on?” They told me it was a “hat festival.” And then I noticed:

1. Every visitor coming in was a woman, and a REALLY DRESSED UP woman.
2. Every woman had on some incredible 1940s style gigantic HAT.

This was truly some “hat festival.” I don’t read the St. Louis papers. I’m addicted to the New York times, Die Presse (Vienna)) and Paris’s Le Monde. Never get to the Post!

But this was some festival. What in the world was going on? Anyone know?

I rode home via my Schnucks store (ah, getting old, my medicines we low….) and a hilarious stop at the new Walgreens (where Parkmoor used to be). I have my photo on my credit card. Happened to be in New York many years ago and my card is a Citibank. I went in and they were taking the first photos they’d ever taken for their credit cards. If you had it taken the card with your photo was free. Now they are all free, in those days they charged for a photo-card. In those days I was still a hippie, and my hair was far down my back. Now I have short hair. (When I hit 66 I decided I should give up being a hippie.) And I keep getting asked by merchants: “Is that really YOU?” So I got some new photos taken. Hmmmmm, wonder if the government would also change my passport. Same problem there.

It was a lovely day to ride and I got home in just 15.4 miles, not bad…..

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Dan McGuire wrote in more information on the "Hat festival."

Bob, you stubled across The Forest Park Forever Women's Committee Leffingwell Award Luncheon held annually each spring at the World's Fair Pavilion. The luncheon features a hat contest for fun and raises substantial funds for Forest Park maintenance and educational programs. Men are welcome too...

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