PALM Health is putting its commitment to longevity into motion by joining Pedal the Cause, September 19–20, 2026, at the Family Arena in St. Charles. Led by Team Captain Mary Druyvesteyn, Team PALM is bringing together employees, members, friends, cyclists, spinners, volunteers and donors to help fund groundbreaking cancer research at Siteman Cancer Center and Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Since 2010, Pedal the Cause has raised more than $56 million, with 100% of participant-raised funds supporting cancer research. For PALM Health, a Ladue-based center dedicated to personalized longevity medicine and helping people live longer, healthier and more vibrant lives, the partnership is a natural extension of its mission. Through group rides, training sessions, “Pilates for a Purpose” classes and fundraising efforts, Team PALM invites the community to ride, spin, volunteer or donate—because every contribution helps create more birthdays, more celebrations and more time with the people we love.
Summer may be winding down, but St. Louis is just getting started. In his welcome to the September/October issue, Grayling Holmes looks ahead to the city’s bustling fall gala season and the philanthropists, civic leaders and tastemakers who make it one of the most exciting times of the year. This issue celebrates the people, places and ideas shaping St. Louis, while also taking readers beyond our borders into the worlds of travel, automobiles, wine, fashion, food and luxury living. Look back on summer through the always-popular Celebrations pages, then discover stories ranging from a moving remembrance of philanthropist John Ferring and the fascinating St. Louis origins of the iconic Eames Lounge Chair to our cover story on restaurateur Ben Poremba and his ambitious vision for Maker’s Yard on Delmar. Consider it your invitation to savor fall in St. Louis—before the holidays arrive and 2027 is suddenly at our doorstep.
One of St. Louis’ most beloved traditions returns September 16, when Music Director Stéphane Denève and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra launch the SLSO’s 147th season with a free concert on Forest Park’s iconic Art Hill. For Sophisticated Living’s Grayling Holmes, who has enjoyed the tradition many times, there is nothing quite like settling onto the hill with a picnic, a glass of wine and hundreds of fellow symphony and St. Louis lovers as magnificent music fills the park. The evening features favorites from Beethoven, Bernstein, Gershwin, Copland, John Williams and others, along with members of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and IN UNISON Chorus, before culminating with The Stars and Stripes Forever and fireworks over the Grand Basin. It’s a uniquely St. Louis celebration—two enduring city institutions coming together for an unforgettable evening of music, community and civic pride under the stars.
Celebrating its 45th anniversary, Girls Inc. of St. Louis marked a historic milestone by hosting the organization’s first-ever national summit at Washington University, bringing together more than 250 young women from over 30 affiliates across the United States and Canada. During four transformative days, participants strengthened leadership skills, built confidence, explored emotional intelligence and critical thinking, and formed relationships with peers and community leaders. For Girls Inc. of St. Louis President and CEO Cheryl Jones, hosting the inaugural summit was a full-circle moment, reflecting the organization’s decades-long commitment to inspiring young women to be strong, smart and bold. Participants arrived from communities across North America as strangers but departed as part of a powerful new leadership network—equipped with greater confidence, meaningful connections and the encouragement to use their voices to shape a better future.
Just a short drive from St. Louis, OxFest returns to the Washington Fairgrounds on September 20 with three stages of live music, family-friendly entertainment, local food vendors, and special guest Sarah Kraffty, the viral food creator with more than 2.3 million followers. More importantly, the festival continues its mission of transforming young lives in Franklin County and surrounding communities. Since 2017, OxFest Charities has donated more than $400,000 to organizations that provide scholarships, classroom grants, healthcare, advocacy, and opportunities for children in need. Whether spending the day enjoying great music or making a tax-deductible donation, Sophisticated Living readers have the opportunity to help children and families in this rural corner of the St. Louis region build brighter futures through the power of community philanthropy.
Don't miss one of the most significant theater events St. Louis has hosted in years. The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis welcomes two-time Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins—widely regarded as the artistic heir to Tennessee Williams—for a free public conversation on Saturday, September 19, at the Clark Family Branch of the St. Louis County Library. Coinciding with the Festival's groundbreaking production of Appropriate and this year's theme, "The Tennessee Effect," the event offers a rare opportunity to hear one of America's most celebrated contemporary playwrights discuss Williams' enduring influence on his work. Seating is limited, making this a must-attend event for theater lovers, Festival patrons, and anyone passionate about the living legacy of Tennessee Williams. Visit TWSTL.org for details.
Experience one of Lafayette Square's most beautiful private homes while supporting the future of one of America's oldest urban parks at A Soiree for the Park on September 18. Guests will enjoy an elegant evening of outdoor dining, music, and garden tours, while meeting Jerry Ehrlich, the Lafayette Park Conservancy's newly appointed Executive Director. With all proceeds benefiting tree care and preservation efforts, this signature fundraiser offers a unique opportunity to celebrate historic architecture, exceptional gardens, and the enduring legacy of Lafayette Park.
The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum is proud to announce the opening of its newest original exhibition, Nazis Next Door: St. Louis Faces Nazism in the 1930s, a powerful new exploration of how Nazi ideology and antisemitism took root locally, and how members of the St. Louis community chose either to support or resist extremism during one of history’s darkest periods. Opening to the public on June 12, 2026 in the Museum’s Karpati Gallery, Nazis Next Door examines the ways Missourians, particularly St. Louisans, made the choice to support or resist Nazi ideas of extremism and antisemitism right here at home.
On any given day, thousands of residents and visitors experience public art, see the Arch illuminated at night, enjoy a playground with their family, or attend a theater performance. Many of those experiences are supported or led by the Gateway Foundation. This year, the Foundation celebrates 40 years of enriching life and culture in the St. Louis area through supporting efforts to acquire, create, and improve tangible, durable, public art and urban design.
Ron Kitchens came home to lead Greater St. Louis, Inc. — and to reimagine what the region can become. As the newly appointed CEO of Greater St. Louis, Inc., he arrives with a national reputation as a builder of momentum, as someone who doesn’t just attract investment, but reshapes how communities see themselves. Clear-eyed about the scale of the challenge, he is leading by getting rid of the notion of St. Louis competing with where it has been — but with the fastest-growing regions in the country. Read here about his strategy to get us there.
Utilizing a the concept is called holistic defense, for 15 years ArchCity Defenders has started with a simple but radical premise: poor people don't have one problem. They have overlapping problems, and you can't solve one without addressing the others. Lead by Executive Director Blake Stode, the firm has three legal teams — municipal defense, housing and civil rights litigation — along with a social services team, a partnerships and organizing team and a communications team. Learn more about what they do and how they do it here.
The 2026 ALTBALL was the third outing for the alternative music, fashion, drag, and eclectic performance event. Thirty designers created avant-garde, eye-and-soul catching garments that kept the audience mesmerized. The sold-out event packed the Sovereign in the Grand Arts Center District, and raised an impressive $100,000 for an event of its size. All proceeds go to Doorways, a non-profit which provides housing and supportive services for those in our community affected by HIV, illness and poverty.
“On this 250th anniversary of our nation’s independence, we invite the community to come together in remembrance of those who lost their lives while serving our country,” said Mark Sundlov, Managing Director of Soldiers Memorial Military Museum. Soldiers Memorial Military Museum will hold its annual Memorial Day Observance on Monday, May 25 at 10:00 AM. This event is free and open to the public. This powerful event honors the memory of America’s fallen service members and includes a wreath-laying ceremony and musical tribute.
On April 26, inside the dignified halls of the Missouri History Museum, approximately 150 figures from the arts and cultural community gathered not simply to honor Joan Lipkin, but to affirm the scope of a career that has long extended beyond any single stage, city, or discipline. The occasion: her receipt of the 2026 Margo Jones Medal—an honor bestowed annually upon one citizen-of-the-theatre nationwide. In its 65-year history, it had never before been presented in St. Louis.
Each day in America, 12 children die from gun violence. Local photographer Lou Bopp recently reverently entered the rooms of some of those children and took hundreds of photos that were made into an Academy Award winning documentary. The piece, “All the Empty Rooms” is now playing on Netflix. Here, we tell the story of how the documentary came to be.
If you are reading this, you are the FIRST to see our May/June 2026 issue. In it, we explore how St. Louis continues to leave its imprint on the world stage. Our cover story, “The Rooms That Speak: Lou Bopp and the Art of Photographing Absence,” is a deeply moving piece that will leave a lasting impression on you. It is a poignant look at the creation of a 2026 Oscar-winning documentary by a St. Louis photographer. It is, quite simply, unforgettable. We also take a deep dive into two other St. Louis institutions, the 101-year-old Al’s Restaurant, which was the very definition of fine dining in yesteryear and carries the torch today in St. Louis and beyond. Also read about how Stifel Financial Corporation Chairman and CEO Ronald J. Kruszewski ensures that their brand is carried throughout the nation and the world.
Hundreds of dog lovers will gather at Gateway Arch National Park on Saturday, April 18, 2026, for Gateway Arch Park Foundation’s annual Arch Bark presented by Purina to celebrate sustainability in action and the ongoing mission to nurture thriving spaces where pets and people flourish together. The annual event is the ideal place for St. Louis dog lovers to explore the Foundation’s mission to preserve 91 acres of parkland in the heart of downtown from 10am - 2pm.
Missouri History Museum in Forest Park will host St. Louis’ largest celebration to mark the 100th anniversary of Route 66 with a four-day festival April 30 through May 3 featuring live music, classic car displays, family activities, film screenings and talks exploring the complex history of the Mother Road, which has multiple historic routes across the region. The festival reflects the Museum’s broader civic storytelling initiative, I Am St. Louis, which invites residents to explore the history that connects the region’s past with its present. The long weekend celebration kicks off on Thursday, April 30 - Sunday, May 3.
The STL Jewish Light presents the 3rd Annual Passover Project at City Winery St. Louis on Wednesday, April 8th at 7pm. The Passover Project is an annual interactive, musical alternative seder. It features the Brothers Lazaroff and various local artists. Created by St. Louis Jewish Light Editor-in-Chief Ellen Futterman, it blends traditional seder elements with music, poetry, and special menu items, acting as a "friend raiser" for Jewish journalism.
Bill Edwards — a civil engineer turned teacher — and his students have been constructing a tiny home since last year. It is a two-year project funded by the Ladue Education Foundation. Students from the Ladue Horton Watkins High School expect to complete the micro-home this May. The goal of the program is not just building, and performing tasks that in bygone years would have been called “shop class,” but to also teach teenagers critical thinking skills, peer, collaboration, and facilitate social and emotional development.
