As a Beacon newbie I was especially pleased when my first bright idea several weeks ago received a green light.
I was working on my laptop one morning at Cafe Ventana when it hit me.
"Hey," I thought to myself "most of the people at the Beacon have wireless capacity. Why do we have to stay holed up in our office? We could all be here right now working away, and our readers could join us!"
And so Beacon & Eggs was born. We go for our first test-drive on Friday Sept. 10.
I hope that you, as a dedicated reader, already know that the Beacon is much more than an online newspaper. Central to our mission is the idea of engagement through live events.
Beacon & Eggs will be a monthly opportunity to put you in touch with the people behind the Beacon and give you a chance to participate in a relevant public forum with community leaders. The forum will be recorded and excerpts will be used as an audio podcast available on our website. Each month we'll move to a new WiFi hotspot.
Our first Beacon & Eggs will be at Cafe Ventana near SLU. Known for its New Orleans-inspired beignets and serving locally roasted coffees, Cafe Ventana has quickly become a hangout for SLU students, area residents and the rest of us working in the Grand Center/midtown area.
Associate Editor Bob Duffy will moderate a conversation with key community leaders and you, our readers and donors, on "Growing Grand - The Future Development of Grand Center/Midtown." We hope to learn about projects in progress and those still on the drawing board. Guests will include business, academic and government leaders.
We're excited to meet you and we hope you'll be excited to join us at Cafe Ventana on Friday Sept. 10. A meet-and-greet over coffee and beignets begins at 8 a.m., and the forum begins at 9 a.m. There will be plenty of room because Ventana is about to open 80 additional seats in a new expansion, but feel free to shoot me an email and let me know you're coming.
Contact Beacon Development Director Peter Franzen.
This article originally appeared in the St. Louis Beacon.