St. Louis Zoo

Oktoberfest 2025

Time to look back at all of the Oktoberfests we attended this year! I had a great time wearing my favorite Rare Dirndls various places and celebrating my heritage!

First Chickadee and I went to Grant’s Farm in mid-September. This was a first (or at least the first time in a long time) for us. We were there pretty early, so we didn’t get to see the entertainment, but we did share a pretzel and it was top-tier…super buttery and one of the best we had!

Next was Belleville Oktoberfest, which is always something of a disappointment to me…the pretzels weren’t even very good! But it was an excuse to wear a dirndl and walk down Main Street.

Third was my favorite local Oktoberfest in St. Charles, MO. The music and dancing were amazing and the pretzels were delicious! Plus, it seems like the most authentic one in our area (says the woman who has never been to Munich…).

We always celebrate Oktoberfest at home. I made our standard German feast of schnitzel and spaetzle and red cabbage, with Black Forest cherry torte for dessert (not to mention fondue with pretzels, pickles, and brats for lunch), and not to brag, but the pretzels at our establishment are pretty good, too!

For the second year, we went to Soulard’s Oktoberfest, and I have to say, I really love this (relatively) small event! The pretzels were only so-so, but the cheese sauce was excellent, and the brass band was one of our favorites!

I was worried we weren’t going to make it to Zootoberfest at the St. Louis Zoo, but we managed to get there on the final day. As always, the pretzels are the best in the region (and the beer cheese they serve with them is outstanding), and I got to hear a polka band, complete with accordion!

This was a really fun season of festing…I’ll leave you with Brasshaufen Brass Band (a group we enjoyed both in St. Charles and Soulard) doing one of my favorite Oktoberfest numbers. Prost!

Lantern Before & After

I love seeing how the lanterns at Animals Aglow change as the light outside changes…there’s so much beauty to them in both the light and the dark!

2024-25 School Year–Week Thirty

We started the week off with a trip to the St. Louis Zoo!

It was a beautiful day, and most importantly, we got to see Jet, the baby elephant!

We also worked on wrapping more things up for the year. Ladybug completed her psychology course. She continued reading American Nations. Her term paper is coming along. She’s getting closer to the end of Jane Eyre.

Chickadee began her big review in pre-algebra. She finished the final chapter in science by learning about sight and hearing. We finished reading about the Oregon Trail, and she started an end-of-year project about what she learned. She also began working on her final writing assignment…not nearly as long as Ladybug’s, but a big paper for her!

Next week will be a short week for us, plus I have a field trip planned, and I’m really hoping the weather cooperates…just two weeks to go!

Chickadee Thursday

Chickadee loved the elephant lanterns at the lantern festival at the St. Louis Zoo:

But she loved seeing Jet, the Zoo’s new baby elephant, even more!

Introducing Jet!

Monday was a very exciting day, because we got to see the St. Louis Zoo’s baby elephant, Jet!

We usually visit the zoo at the end of the school year, but this time, we had a very specific purpose…we were hoping we’d be lucky enough to see Jet, who was born on November 23, 2024, in his outdoor habitat, a place he’d only been exploring for about a week. We weren’t disappointed…we got to watch his adorable antics, including some attempts at a dust bath!

Like all babies, though, he tired himself out and laid down by mama Jade and an auntie while they had lunch:

We are so excited about this addition to the St. Louis Zoo family!

Zodiac Lanterns

I think my favorite new addition to the Animals Aglow Lantern Festival at the St. Louis Zoo was a series of displays representing the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac Calendar…the designs are both colorful and whimsical!