Hoobellatoo Hurrah

Okay, so those cool cats over at Hoobellatoo, the St. Louis-based arts collective are putting on a Happening this weekend at the Royale. Sunday night (8/27) from 6-9pm at the Royale (3132 S. Kingshighway), the Hoobellatoo-ers are throwin' an Experiential Auction. This is not your momma's PTA school auction where you go home with some golf package or a basket of muffins. This is an auction for all of us.

Entry is $10, which goes to help fund Hoobelletoo and all their cool endeavors. (Your entry also goes towards your first bid). It's okay: what's an experiential auction, you ask? Well, the organizers hooked up all sorts of St. Louis specific ways to have fun. There are private meals or outings with the likes of Joe Edwards and Bill Christman-- two U. City visionaries, as well as private Schlafly tours with the head-brewer, a sound recording done by Jason Hutto, or performance pieces done by several great artists in different mediums. There's stuff for kids, couples, entreprenuers. Ultimately, the way I see it, for a donation, you get to experience this city the way the movers and shakers do. If you ask me, that's pretty f-ing cool, and fairly priceless.

My two favorites:

*Despite my hating Bukowski, I think it's pretty awesome that KDHX No-Show host Brett Underwood loves him so much. Brett will record a bit of Bukowski for your outgoing message on your voicemail. (And if you've never heard Brett before, there is some spirit of Bukowski in him-- luckily not the womanizing part though...)

*A tour o' the city with Steve Smith. I've had a lot of travels with Steve. If you want to see this city like you never have before (and he's likely to give you the historical as well as the seedy underbelly-ful trivia), bid on this one. And the bigt bonus, you get to ride in the Caddy. I know, it might seem like show, but I guarantee you someone you know will see you while you're out, and I promise you it's almost like being the star of your own parade (with some great narration).

So help out the Hoobellatoo folks. None of us need more crap, but we do still crave genuine and creative experiences. Those sorts of things are the kind you can't put a price on (so instead, bid a huge donation).

For more info, check out their website at:

www.hoobellatoo.org