Actor, comedian and star banjo player Steve Martin wowed a sold-out crowd during a performance at last weekend’s Illumination Gala.

Former First Daughter JENNA BUSH HAGER is coming to St. Louis next week. She’ll be the featured guest at MARIAN MIDDLE SCHOOL’s inaugural fundraising event, Marian Inspires!, to be held Thursday, Feb. 7, at the Busch Mansion. Hager, the daughter of President GEORGE W. BUSH and First Lady LAURA BUSH and a TODAY Show correspondent, will discuss the valuable role education plays in the future success of young women in today’s society.

Old Hollywood glamour will be front and center this week at The Sheldon for 'Notes from Hollywood,' the Jan. 14 concert featuring Maestro LEONARD SLATKIN to benefit CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF ST. LOUIS. The concert will feature an evening of chamber music from some of Hollywood’s most notable film composers like John Williams, Ennio Morricone and Leonard Bernstein. The event host committee includes honorary chair PRIS MCDONNELL and co-chairs MIRAN HALEN and MARY STRAUSS. For tickets, call the Chamber at 941-6309 or MetroTix, 534-1111.

In a few days, the city of Clayton will kick off its centennial year, and it’s only fitting that we, as a community, join in on the celebration. For the past 100 years, Clayton had led St. Louis in many ways, including being designated a Green Power Community (the first in Missouri and one of only 38 in the U.S.), and being among the first in St. Louis County to adopt a smoking ban in public areas.

While Clayton was incorporated into a city in 1913, its presence was established long before it became official. Born out of the separation between St. Louis city and county and the need for a new county seat, the city took roots in 1877, when Ralph Clayton donated 100 acres of farmland and the Hanley family added four more. The fact that 36 years passed before Clayton became an official city was especially intriguing to Mary Delach Leonard when she wrote Clayton, Missouri: An Urban Story, just in time for the centennial anniversary. “You look at that, and wonder why it took so long for Clayton to become a city. But when you learn about the history, you discover that there was this group of people who just knew how to get things done, so they didn’t feel the need to establish an actual city with a mayor, etc.”

As Clayton celebrates its centennial anniversary, LN asked some longtime Clayton business leaders about their hopes for the city's next 100 years.

On April 7, 2013, 100 years will have passed since St. Louis County Court granted Clayton a city charter. In those 100 years, the city has grown and flourished as the county seat where homes are in demand and businesses find success. As Clayton nears its centennial year, LN spoke with Mayor Linda Goldstein about the upcoming celebrations, the city’s reputation and plan for the next century.

HELEN FLETCHER, currently the pastry chef at Tony's downtown and formerly of the beloved Truffles, as well as and a longtime fixture on the local culinary scene, has released a new cookbook, European Tarts: Divinely Doable Desserts With Little Or No Baking, and an accompanying blog, europeantarts.com. The tome is available at Amazon.com and on Kindle, and features photographs by the author’s husband, T. MIKE FLETCHER.

2013 Charitable Events & Fundraisers

Ambassador Nancy Brinker was named Person of the Year at the George Herbert Walker School of Business at Webster University. Brinker is the founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer organization and a former U.S. Ambassador. Pictured: Walker School of Business dean Benjamin Akande, Webster president Elizabeth Stroble, Ambassador Nancy Brinker and Webster provost and senior VP Julian Schuster.

Grammy Award-winning musicians, Tony Award-winning theater and never-before-seen art will highlight St. Louis’ fall season. Here’s a first look:

Local residents don’t have to leave the city to take in top-notch art, music and theatrical entertainment. Find out which of the past year’s productions wowed some of our town’s most prominent names.

Just hours after the last float ventures down Market Street and the last booth closes on the Arch grounds, preparations for the next year’s Veiled Prophet Parade and Fair Saint Louis begin anew. The timeline is no exaggeration says Fair spokesperson Bob Schenk. “Planning starts all over again, from budgets to themes, etc. It really doesn’t stop.”

Mayor Linda Goldstein feels honored to have served the city of Clayton for five years now. Originally from Chicago, she relocated to St. Louis many years ago and was delighted to discover all the great things Clayton had to offer.

It is hard to believe that April 15 marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the R. M. S. Titanic. The ship was unlike anything the world had ever seen.

 April

On April 14, one of the most authentic, large-scale recreations of the last first class meal served aboard the R.M.S. Titanic will be served on the stage of The Fabulous Fox Theatre. Consisting of 11 courses and nine wines, the epic scope of this meal is part of what keeps interest in the Titanic story alive. According to Thom Johnson, director of food and beverage for Fox Associates, in today’s dollars, this feast, along with other first-class meals, would have constituted a $124,000 up-charge per person. Here are just some highlights of that fateful last meal:

On May 17, 10 exemplary St. Louis-area women will be honored at the annual Women of Achievement Luncheon at The Ritz-Carlton. With the help of LN fashion editor Katie Yeadon and photographer Wesley Law, the honorees grace our fashion pages in chic, spring-inspired luncheon wear.