Yesterday, I returned from my fifth trip to St. Louis, Missouri for Sigma Pi Fraternity’s 8th Annual Mid-Year Leadership Conference. This is a conference focused on training the new undergraduate leadership in the fraternity for their coming year of operating their chapters. There is also a separate track for training alumni volunteers, which is the track that I normally take when I go out there.

This time was a little bit different, though, as I was present at the event not as a chapter or regional volunteer, but rather as a member of the Board of Trustees for our fraternity’s Foundation. I’ve really enjoyed my short stint as a Trustee for the Foundation and I thought we had some great meetings in St. Louis. But there was more that I noticed out there this time around…

My favorite burger joint and bar were both closed! There used to be a place called Skeeter’s Eatery down by Laclede’s Landing (near the Arch) which is where we all used to go to each February. The place was gone! That was a bit upsetting – I assume the crappy economy had something to do with the decision for that place to close up. My fellow conference attendees and I went to the Morgan Street Brewery instead.

The Brewery is right down the block from where Skeeter’s used to be, but it’s a little bit different of a place for me the fifth time around. I remember the first time I went out there with two of my fraternity brothers – Booey and Gummo. We were shocked at the 22 ounce beers and we got completely hammered in the second building of the complex, which is more like a club/dance type of place. This time around I sat down in the main restaurant area and had a bite to eat with some of my fellow alumni and our undergraduates.

After dinner at the Brewery I was all amped up to go across the street to a bar called Study Hall, but they were closed and gone, too! That was pretty upsetting because I really enjoyed going there last time I was in town. The bar was set up with a schoolhouse theme and the waitresses were all dressed in the schoolgirl outfits. You can understand why someone would miss that place…

Anyway, my latest trip to St. Louis was fun, but I’m glad to be back and busy at work. Oh, and my undergraduates and alumni volunteers in New Jersey are awesome! They got me this beautiful engraved waistcoat watch thanking me for my time serving as their Province Archon (regional volunteer). That was really nice and I really appreciated it – New Jersey is the best!