A little over 100 years ago Sinclair Lewis published his highly acclaimed novel Main Street. As some alert readers (ARs) will recall, it was a satirical critique of small-minded capitalism and materialism in the fictional small town of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota. Four decades later Neil Sedaka released his hit single “Next Door to an Angel” with the memorable stanza:

When I was in high school in the 1960s I read an essay by Robert Benchley titled “The Tooth, the Whole Tooth and Nothing but the Tooth,” a humorous account of going to a dentist in 1922. I was recently reminded of this essay while sitting in the office of an oral surgeon who was preparing to extract two of...

Some alert readers (ARs) may recall that back in March of this year I wrote in this space about driving to Eminence, Missouri to get my first COVID shot. I noted at the time that eligibility for the vaccine was one of the better perks of being a senior citizen. Eight months later I’m pleased to report that my advanced...

The long-awaited day is almost here. The Schlafly brewpub in Highland, IL will be opening soon. While we don’t yet know the precise date, we have chosen a name: Schlafly Highland Square. The rationale for this name is simple. We’ll be in a former bank building on Main Street on the north side of the Town Square in Downtown Highland.

Several years ago, while I was attending a conference in Palm Desert, CA, I had the afternoon off and decided to visit nearby Joshua Tree National Park. When I arrived at the gate I asked the park ranger what the admission charge was. “Twenty-five dollars for an individual for the day. Thirty-five dollars for an automobile for the day. Or...

As some alert readers (ARs) undoubtedly know, Missouri entered the Union 200 years ago, on August 10, 1821. For the next five years the State Capitol was on Main Street in St. Charles, a few blocks north of where Schlafly Bankside is today.

On June 17th my cousin David Schlafly and I were pleased to attend a gathering of the Highland, Illinois Chamber of Commerce at McGinley Jeep Chrysler Dodge on Shamrock Boulevard in Highland. It gave us an opportunity to talk about our plans to open our fourth Schlafly brewpub at 907 Main Street, on the Town Square, in the building that...