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Stanley and Cari Cluck's holiday display on Loughborough in South St. Louis features a life-size Santa Claus waving from an Army jeep being pulled by reindeer.
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Stanley and Cari Cluck's holiday features a life-size Santa Claus driving an Army jeep pulled by reindeer.
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Rudolph Leads the Way Pulling Santa in an Army Jeep
by Betty Moore, SLFP.com
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), December 20, 2009 - Recent results from a national survey revealed many Americans are less tolerant of elaborate Christmas decorations compared to previous years, citing less money and economic crisis as reasons for less holiday decorating.
For Stanley and Cari Cluck, decorating their corner lot in South St. Louis near the Loughborbough Commons has become a family tradition that has generated lots of positive comments from neighbors and from motorists passing by.
The display features a life-size Santa Claus driving an Army jeep and trailer with a Christmas tree. Rudolph with his red nose and four deer outlined in lights lead the way pulling the jeep. Behind Santa, a towering statue of armour known as 'Fred', is also decorated in a Santa suit.
While it only takes a couple of days to put the display together, the holiday memories are lasting. Stanley noted since the lights were turned on Thanksgiving evening, people have been stopping by to see the display and inquire if they could take pictures.
"Last year when we didn't do it, everybody wanted to know where it was and why it wasn't there," said Stanley. "We've centered the theme around the jeep for the last four years. My father and sister made the deer for us and we've worked it from there."
Cari, who served in the Marine Corps on the East Coast, said the concept actually came about as tribute to a family member. "We had the jeep when we first moved into the house and joked about putting it in the front yard. My uncle had been in the army and that's who Stanley bought the jeep from. He was in poor health and so the display became a tribute to him."
"It got positive feedback from the neighbors and from people passing by. So we did it a second year and a third year and now it has become sort of a tradition around here," Cari laughed.
Regardless of the economy, this family tradition has added a new twist on an old tradition that is sure to continue bringing joy and warmth to the holiday season.
Defense Appropriations Will Help Keep Military Prepared, Keep Thousands of St. Louisans at Work
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), December 20, 2009 - The Defense Appropriations Act provides the military with the weapons and equipment, and for the first time since the beginning of operations in Iraq, this bill also budgets for Overseas Deployments and Other Activities in Afghanistan and Iraq for the upcoming fiscal year.
"St. Louis plays a critical role for our military," said Congressman Russ Carnahan. "Our unmatched workforce has continued to have a major role in providing vital equipment to our brave men and women on-time and on budget."
The following St. Louis area projects were included in the funding bill:
- C-17s: $2.5 billion for 10 additional C-17 cargo planes keeping approximately
900 area employees on the job.
- F-18 Super Hornet: $1.5 billion for 18 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Tactical aircraft,
- EA-18G Growler: $1.6 billion for 22 EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft,
the Super Hornet and Growler lines employ approximately 3,200 St. Louis
area employees.
- Future Combat Systems: $2.2 billion for continued development of the restructured Future Combat Systems Program.
The Appropriations bill also includes a 3.4% pay raise for the military. To help Americans hit hardest by this recession, the bill also provides emergency relief
by extending unemployment insurance, helping with health insurance premiums through the COBRA program, and funding for nutrition assistance programs to help families in need put food on their table.
Carnahan, as co-chair of the Congressional Multiple Sclerosis Caucus, also worked to include $4.5 million to investigate and research possible causes of Multiple Sclerosis affecting Gulf War veterans.
Washington University in St. Louis to Establish Religion and Politics Center
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), December 20, 2009 - Washington University in St. Louis is establishing a scholarly and educational center that will focus on the role of religion in politics in the United States, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.
"The establishment of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics reflects the legacy of Jack Danforth and his belief in the importance of a civil discourse that treats differences with respect," Wrighton said in making the announcement Dec. 16 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
"The center will serve as an ideologically neutral place that will foster rigorous, unbiased scholarship and encourage conversations between diverse and even conflicting points of view," Wrighton said.
"Knowing that religious values and beliefs can either encourage or undermine civility, the center and its educational programs and scholarly research can provide a bridge between religious and political communities and will inform new kinds of academic explorations focusing on the relationships between the two. We think that's a worthy goal."
The creation of the center, which includes the recruitment of five new faculty members with endowed professorships, is being made possible by a $30 million endowment gift from the St. Louis-based Danforth Foundation. It is believed to be the largest gift of its kind made to a university to fund such an academic center.
The center opens January 2010 and will convene public conferences and lectures to address local, state and national issues related to religion and politics and also will offer an educational program in religion and politics, including an interdisciplinary undergraduate minor in religion and public life.
The new faculty appointments will be in the area of American religion and politics and will complement the work of scholars already on the Washington University faculty in the departments of history, anthropology, literatures and religious studies. The new faculty members will hold joint appointments between the new center and existing academic departments.
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Season's Greetings from the staff of Saint Louis Front Page. We would like to wish our readers a very Happy Holiday. We are looking forward to celebrating our 15th anniversary on the Internet providing news and information about the greater metropolitan St. Louis region.
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