Trekkers Take Root At Shaw's Garden

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• Publication: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
• Date: 1984-01-12
• Author: Ellen Futterman
• Page: 17C
• Language: English

Jane Bartoszkiewicz's addiction has cost her hundreds of dollars. But she sees no end to her craving.

Mrs. Bartoszkiewicz, 35, a housewife from Pacific, admits it openly — she's a science fiction junkie.

"I'm a little bit of a nut case when it comes to 'Star Trek,"Dr. Who' and 'Star Wars,'" said Mrs. Bartoszkiewicz, who first became hooked on 'Star Trek' three years ago. "My idea of heaven is to watch 'Star Trek' and 'Star War' movies constantly. For Mother's Day, I told my kids, 'To heck with pots and pans — just give me "Star Wars" toys.'"

Mrs. Bartoszkiewicz joined a few hundred other sci-fi enthusiasts at the opening Wednesday of Sci Fest '84 at Shaw's Garden. The five-day festival features continuous showings of the popular "Dr. Who" and "Star Trek" television shows, plus movies such as "2001: A Space Odyssey," "War of the Worlds" -and "Star Wars" and enough sci-fi memorabilia to fill the Starship Enterprise.

Inside an inflatable 12-foot high planetarium, a 15-minute sky show takes place.

John J. Camie, a filmmaker at West and Productions and coordinator of the event, said the festival was in celebration of the 100th birthday of the Garden and the opening of the St. Louis Science Center, both of which occur this year. The St. Louis Science Center is scheduled to open in the fall in the old Falstaff building across highway 40 from Forest Park; it is now known as the Museum of Science end Natural History and is housed in Oak Knoll Park in Clayton.

"We tried to initiate this first event with a balance between fun and education that spoke to the hope for a more hopeful future," said Camie. "Anything science-fiction oriented suggests we will indeed have a future."

The festival attracted sci-fi fans both young and old. Tim Roesslein, 12, and his friend, Steve Vastine, 12, said they had come to catch some of the "Dr. Who" episodes they had missed on TV. For Steve, the festival was a real treat. He usually misses the show because his bedtime is 10 p.m. — half an hour before "Dr. Who airs on KETC (Channel 9).

Ken McFeders, 35, a food technologist at Ralston Purina Co., shares the love of "Dr. Who." He started watching when he moved in October to St. Louis and has tried not to miss a show since, he says.

Members of the C.I.A. (the Celestial Intervention Agency), a club designed to promote appreciation of the British "Dr. Who" series, were on hand to discuss the show. Laura Kyro, the club's president, came dressed in garb reminiscent of the Doctor — an 18-foot long multi-colored scarf and a floppy fedora.

Plenty of Trekkers were also present, busily exchanging stories about Mr. Spock and Capt. Kirk. "Being involved in Star Trek offers me a chance to get away from the world; it's my retreat," said Mary Sparling, 29. "It's also a chance to meet the neatest people in the world of fandom."

The festival runs today and tomorrow from 3 to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Caption: Anthony Kramper, a member of the Celstial Intervention Agency, wears some of the buttons he collected at the Sci Fest '84 that opened Wednesday at Shaw's Garden. In foreground is some of the memorabilia on display. Behind him is a miniature planetarium. The event, which continues through Sunday, features science fiction movies.

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• APA 6th ed.: Futterman, Ellen (1984-01-12). Trekkers Take Root At Shaw's Garden. St. Louis Post-Dispatch p. 17C.
• MLA 7th ed.: Futterman, Ellen. "Trekkers Take Root At Shaw's Garden." St. Louis Post-Dispatch [add city] 1984-01-12, 17C. Print.
• Chicago 15th ed.: Futterman, Ellen. "Trekkers Take Root At Shaw's Garden." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, edition, sec., 1984-01-12
• Turabian: Futterman, Ellen. "Trekkers Take Root At Shaw's Garden." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1984-01-12, section, 17C edition.
• Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Trekkers Take Root At Shaw's Garden | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Trekkers_Take_Root_At_Shaw%27s_Garden | work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch | pages=17C | date=1984-01-12 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=4 May 2025 }}</ref>
• Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Trekkers Take Root At Shaw's Garden | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Trekkers_Take_Root_At_Shaw%27s_Garden | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=4 May 2025}}</ref>