A truly great song can break and warm your heart simultaneously. Despite her age—or perhaps enhanced by it—7-year-old cancer patient Arianna has created just that while in the hospital. The opportunity wasn’t a musical miracle: It was Maryville University’s Kids Rock Cancer.

From trips to camps and days spent enjoying the sunshine, summer is the best time of year for kids. We asked the third-graders at Reed Elementary in Ladue what they’re doing this summer, and here are some of their responses. Good times ahead!

The high cost of raising a child is indisputable, and my wife and I are somewhat in denial about how much we spend on our children’s extra-curricular activities. Sure, we know what it costs to sign up for hockey, and we know the fee for each tennis lesson. It is those incidentals and unexpected opportunities that are difficult to determine. And to be honest, my parental enjoyment of these activities might be diminished if I paid too much attention to these financial expenditures.

Known by some as the St. Louis spring event, Friends of St. Louis Children’s Hospital recently held its 10th annual Table Tops event at The Ritz-Carlton. 

Smiling and giggling babies are a common sight at a Baby Boot Camp session in St. Louis. That’s because their moms are thrusting them into the air for shoulder presses, balancing them during yoga poses and swiftly pushing them in strollers through the park.

With warmer days upon us and the return of the ruby-throated hummingbird, it’s time to start thinking about creating an outdoor space that is not only pleasing to our feathered friends, but to us, as well. Fortunately, it’s also time for the Webster Groves Herb Society’s 40th annual herb sale, which takes place Saturday, April 20, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Webster Groves. With more than 10,000 plants and 320 different varieties of both culinary and ornamental herbs, as well as heirloom vegetables, there is sure to be something for everyone, including our friend, the hummingbird.

Well, it’s another dry week at the cineplex. So if you were hotly anticipating my review of the Evil Dead remake or Jurassic Park 3D I’m sorry to disappoint. Nevertheless, if you insist on getting out of the sunshine and hunkering down in a murky movie theater here are your options:

One in 88. That is the stunning statistic defining how many American children have autism, based on recent research.

He was on his way to sleep-away camp but was sent home upon arrival, says Janice Bailey, VP of St. Louis Children’s Hospital (SLCH) Foundation, of the boy who inspired one of the area’s most heartwarming summer camps. Bailey explains the youngster was sent home, gear in hand, because the facility was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of the boy's heart medication. This devastating rejection was crushing not only to the child, but also to his nurses, who felt inclined to create a solution for children in similar situations. These days, that solution is simply known as SLCH’s Camp Rhythm.

Although Wally and the Beaver might have rather been playing baseball, Ward and June insisted that their rambunctious sons come inside at dinnertime to share a meal and talk about the events of the day.

Caroline Kennedy will be in town next Wednesday, April 3, for the ninth annual Family Read Night at St. Louis County Library headquarters to discuss her new book.

Across

So, there’s a movie coming out this week called The Last Exorcism Part II (the sequel to The Last Exorcism). Now, one would think that a movie called The Last Exorcism would not have a sequel—presumably because that exorcism was the last one (still, a movie called The Second-to-Last Exorcism might not have had the same box office draw). In any event, apparently the ability to do a back bend is synonymous with demonic possession and we have another last case. A last, last exorcism, if you will.  Of course, if Weekend at Bernie’s II taught us anything, it’s that Hollywood can make a sequel out of anything.

The world-class luxury and glamour of international entertainment epicenter Macau, the Monte Carlo of the Orient, will take center stage at Peabody Opera House on April 6. Amid soft lighting, red velvet curtains and exquisite carvings, guests of the A Night at Macau: Betting for a Cure Gala will indulge in fine dining on the venue’s stage and enjoy entertainment in an upscale casino atmosphere reminiscent of the James Bond thriller, Skyfall. 

For 2013, Circle Of Concern elected new directors, officers and executive directors: president NANCY PARKER, VP DOUG SCHAEFFLER, treasurer ROD BISHOP, secretary CALVIN HOLDERBY. New directors are SUE HOFFMAN, HARRY LEMAY, JUNE SCHROEDER and GREG SHOEMAKER. CHRIS PALLOZOLA was promoted to executive director.

Story: Tick is an Australian drag queen who performs regularly in Sydney. One night he receives a call from his ex-wife, who says she needs a favor: She’d like him to perform at her casino in Alice Springs in the Outback . She also wants him to reconnect with his young son, Benji, who hasn’t seen his father in years and has been asking about him and his life in “show business.”

Jan Albus considers Variety the Childen’s Charity of St. Louis her 14,000-member family. As executive director and a national board member, she leads the nonprofit in helping children with physical and mental disabilities reach their full potential.

Parents have plenty to worry about when their kids go to school or away at camp, and illness is a major concern. Colds, flu, ear infections and strep throat are among the many potential illnesses shared by youngsters in close proximity. However, these infections are rarely life-threatening. Meningitis, on the other hand, is a potentially dangerous communicable disease that can spread through classrooms or dormitories.

Julie Elizabeth Meyers and Jason Andrew Shanker first said “I do” during the Sadie Hawkins dance at Camp Sabra in Rocky Mount, Mo., when Julie was 12 and Jason was 14. Unfortunately, as young love can be unpredictable, they went their separate ways after camp was over. But as fate would have it, the two reunited in their late teen years back at Camp Sabra, this time as camp counselors.

While the local theater scene felt less ‘busy’ than the last few years, a couple hundred productions were available to patrons in search of something new—or something familiar and beloved—to entertain them. Of the approximately 135 productions I viewed this year, dozens were splendidly presented. The following list ranks the 11 productions that made the most impact—in one reviewer’s opinion—in this fabulous year:

The year 2012 was tumultuous in many respects, so perhaps fittingly Wicked is the title of the production that brings down the curtain on the last 12 months. A record drought plagued the St. Louis area, temperatures sweltered in an elongated summer and the area’s economy staggered toward a slow but steady recovery. All of this took place in the face of impending doom predicted centuries ago by the Mayan calendar.