It's getting closer…soon, St. Louis will be hosting the top senior professional golfers in the world.

We applaud this year’s GRAND CENTER INC. Visionary Awards honorees, who are being recognized for their commitment to the arts in St. Louis. They are: CAROL VOSS (Major Contributor to the Arts), ANDREA PURNELL (Emerging Artist), LYNN RUBRIGHT (Outstanding Arts Educator), LYDIA RUFFIN (Successful Working Artist), AGNES WILCOX (Outstanding Arts Professional) and JOANNE KOHN (Lifetime Achievement). The awards ceremony will be held Monday, May 13, from 5:45 to 8:30 p.m. at The Sheldon. Tickets, which include admission, pre-event cocktails and a dessert reception, will go on sale April 5. Visit grandcenter.org for more information.

Surprise! That was the word of the day at Clay Elementary School in North St. Louis, the site of KIDSMART’s 11th birthday party. The organization, which equips underserved students and their classrooms with basic school items, surprised 200 students last week with backpacks filled with supplies, balloons, cupcakes, and appearances by Rampage the Ram and Louie of the St. Louis Blues.

Families can explore educational, recreational, leadership, employment and volunteer activities at the annual Summer Opportunities Fair on Jan. 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at John Burroughs School.

From weeding out flower beds to brightening rooms with a fresh coat of paint, the Veiled Prophet Organization is doing what it can to make a difference in the community. Its Maids of Honor Project is a community service initiative that encourages girls and their families to participate in volunteer projects with local nonprofits before they are presented at the annual ball. We asked four young women who walked this year to share how they gave back.

Oh, bring us a figgy pudding…’Tis almost here: LN’s HOLIDAY DESSERT RECIPE CONTEST! Our expert panel of food-testers is searching for the best holiday treat. The winner receives BAGELS FOR A YEAR from ST. LOUIS BREAD CO. Bring your favorite pie, cake or a batch of cookies (or other smaller treats) and the recipe on Monday, Nov. 19, between 8:30 a.m. and noon to our office, 8811 Ladue Road, Suite D. Come ready to be photographed, along with your creation. Winners will be announced in our Nov. 30 issue.

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.

Chesterfield Montessori School

Out with the fried foods, fatty meats and sugary sweets and in with the whole grains, lean fish and fresh fruit. Local schools have overhauled their lunch menus in an effort to make healthy food accessible—and enjoyable—for students.

CITY ACADEMY

Merrily, merrily, Ellen Port just keeps rolling along. At 51, she continues to defy Father Time. Port won a record eighth Missouri Women’s Amateur Championship in a two-hole playoff with defending champion Catherine Dolan at Shadow Glen Golf Club in Olathe, Kan.

Actor WILLIAM HOLDEN is the latest star to be inducted in the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Holden, a native of O’Fallon, Ill., made his mark in 1939’s Golden Boy—and the film’s title stuck as Holden’s nickname. Considered one of the greatest movie stars of the 20th century, Holden earned Academy Award nominations for his roles in Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Network (1976); and won the Best Actor Oscar for 1953’s Stalag 17. Other classic starring roles include Sabrina, Picnic, The Bridge on the River Kwai and The Wild Bunch.

The summer golf season is filled with tournaments, championships and qualifiers. Here are the latest achievements and news coming out of our local golf scene.

Anne Wolfson of Town & Country and Robert and Beth Novak of Agoura Hills, Calif., are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Suzanne Marketa Wolfson, to Bryant Nolan Campbell, son of Dr. Dante and Betty Garrido of St. Louis and Harold and Tina Campbell of Lanesville, Ind.

Tammie and Keith O’Leary of St. Louis are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Lauren O’Leary, to Andrew Finefield, son of Nancy and Hal Finefield, also of St. Louis.

St. Louisan TIM BURKE is on a mission: Next month, he plans to complete a 146-mile ultramarathon in California’s Death Valley to raise money for a new school for SouthSide Early Childhood Center (SSECC). Burke, who describes himself as ‘an average runner,’ is the secretary of SSECC’s board of directors and works as a principal in the Insurance Marketing division of Edward Jones. He’s hoping to raise $140,000—or $1,000 for each of the 140 children the Center serves every year—through pledges. For more information, or to find out how you can help, visit southside-ecc.org.

Ezekiel Elliott’s junior year at John Burroughs was almost perfect. The key word in that sentence is ‘almost.’ As in the Bombers ‘almost’ won the Class 3 state football championship in the fall, but Elliott was stripped as he was headed for the game-winning score in the waning moments.

Hats off to the Whitfield Warriors and senior Mitch Rutledge for capturing the Class 2 boys golf tournament at Twin Oaks Country Club in Springfield. Whitfield shot a two-day total of 622 to win by 26 strokes on the par-71 track. It was Whitfield’s third consecutive state championship.

Congratulations to the LN Charity Awards winners: City Academy, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Food Outreach Inc., along with  finalists Covenant House, Friends of Kids with Cancer, H.I.S. Kids, Our M.O.M., Shriners Hospitals and Saint Louis Crisis Nursery.