Sunday, June 25, 2006 Somehow, eating soft-serve ice cream for breakfast never got boring. Nearing the end of our stay at SLU, even the hardest-nosed grownups were giving in to their inner “I scream for ice cream” desires. Did we mention we worked all that ice cream off by walking over a quarter mile from the dorm to the cafeteria, and climbed up (and down) five flights of stairs six or more times a day? That’s how the grownups justified their indulgence in the frozen stuff. Back at De Mat, we spent an hour doing preliminary packing (actually socializing for the most part). We grabbed a few supplies and skittered downstairs for our worship ceremony, held on the lawn in the front of the building. Several of our chaperones are accomplished musicians, in addition to being good singers. Three, David Burrows, of Columbine, CO UU; John Graham, Fairfax VA UU; and our 24-7 nurse, Rita Anderson, of Oak Ridge, TN UU; provided stirring folk music to set a reflective tone. During the service, construction paper, markers, stickers, cut photos and glue sticks were distributed so the entire group could make memory and address books. Then, the group made a circle and a HUGE ball of blue yarn was tossed back and forth across the circle. Then, water bottles and music in hand, it was time to board the buses for the short ride to the St. Louis Convention Center for our Closing Ceremony rehearsal. The building is cavernous and the space for the Closing Ceremony was a big box – a Sam’s Club with rows of seats and bleachers replacing Sam’s acres of stocked shelves. The Boston 2003 UUCC alums were delighted to run into Wendy Bartel of San Diego, now a student at Starr King Seminary. She was a popular chaperone in 2003 and adults and kids buzzed around her. She played the saxophone and a large African drum during the ceremony. We met Mimi Bornstein, Music director of the First Universalist Church in Rockland, Maine. She was the GA Adult Choir director, a winning compliment to Dr. Sandra Snow’s talents. The kids were put through their paces and practiced their entry and exit cues too. Back on the bus, bag lunch in our laps, we headed to the City Museum of St. Louis. We’d heard hints that we’d get dirty, our knees would get banged up and we’d have to do some crawling, but it would be loads of fun. But, we were not ready for the amazing place to which we were transported. This museum was like something from another planet, a Lost Boys Paradise, a fantasyland for adults and children alike with elements of Willy Wonka, Edward Scissorhands, Top Gun, Star Wars, Wizard of Oz, Titantic, Indiana Jones, and a dash of Elvis Presley’s Viva Las Vegas. There was, for you early 20th Century silent movie fans, a huge dose of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. Simply, jaw-dropping amazing. You could slide on a 3-story slide made of a conveyor belt from an defunct shoe factory, doodle in a huge art studio, listen to ragtime. You could walk on the wing of a jet suspended over 100 feet above the ground, find a castle to conquer, eat a snow cone inside a copper dome overlooking the city, spelunk through countless caves or crawl through super-sized metal coils or gnarled tree branches. There were mini-museums to explore – including a bittersweet studio containing remnants of long-destroyed industrial buildings, a ballroom with a finely grained wooden dance floor, incredible mosaics, gigantic gargoyles ready to take flight - all the product of an imagination on fire with delightful do-the-impossible ideas. Oh, yes, there were also restaurants tucked away in fanciful nooks and a bar or two for adults (the place does stay open until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings), and several gifts shops dealing in fine blown glass, beads and bric-a-brac. Naturally, we had trouble pulling ourselves away. Excitement mounted as UUCCers groomed and dressed for our final performance. We filed off the bus into the back of the hall – much like rock stars – and zipped into a smaller room for a final rehearsal.Annease Hastings, Harry Mangle and Sandra Snow were all surprised when the group presented them with tokens of appreciation. Dr. Snow received her own memory book, filled with notes from the UUCCers. Annease and Harry were each presented with two spirit bags filled with a little gift to lift their spirits.

Photography: Wendi Winters from UUC Annapolis,
Neal Watzman from Heritage UU Church
Web Site: Neal Watzman

Email Contact: Neal Watzman