CSI: Pie Pantry

Does your fascination with forensic science approach obsession? Has the thrill gone out of mystery dinner theater for you? Court TV's Mobile Investigation Unit will be at the St. Louis Science Center (5050 Oakland Avenue; 314-289-4444) this Saturday, June 12, and Sunday, June 13, with a mystery that needs solving. Grandma Kloos (hardy-har) baked one of her famous blueberry pies for the neighborhood bake sale and left it to cool on the windowsill. You should have heard her screaming bloody murder when she returned to box the pie and found a huge slice missing (this should immediately signify an unintelligent thief -- we would have pilfered the whole thing). The only people home were her son, Mike, his wife, Anita, and their two children, Suzie and Billy, so it had to be one of them. Or was it that pesky neighbor, Leo? If you were shocked when the kishka went missing from the butcher shop, this whodunit should fire up your forensic curiosity. Court TV wants you to help unbunch Grandma's bloomers by learning about and applying forensic techniques and technology to locate the pie thief. Bring the kids for interactive edu-tainment, included with regular admission, from noon to 5 p.m. both days. -- John Goddard

What's More American
Than American Indians?

SUN 6/13

While the Missouri History Museum (Lindell Boulevard and DeBaliviere Avenue; www.mohistory.org or 314-454-3150) is hard-core celebrating Lewis & Clark, the museum isn't forgetting about the American Indians. Or their food. Fry bread is deliciously simplistic, but you'll learn much more than that at the free lecture and tasting at 2 p.m. in the Lee Auditorium. At 6:30 p.m. you can really indulge your learning buds at a three-course American Indian dinner at Meriwether's Restaurant ($31 to $43; call 314-361-7229 to reserve a space). Loretta Barrett Oden (American Indian chef and food historian) and Dale Carson (food columnist for Indian Country Today; www.indiancountry.com) will be assisted at both events by local chef Robert Openbrau. Two events and three courses by these three? Mmmm! -- Alison Sieloff

Back to the Fair
Filipinos return to Forest Park

Saturday, June 12, is Philippine Independence Day, first celebrated on that day in 1962. Prior to that Philippine Independence Day was July 4, same as America. Coincidence? Not hardly. From 1898 to 1935, the Philippines were an unwilling U.S. territory. This led to guerrilla warfare against the U.S. invaders and some lingering ill will. These bad feelings were not helped by the display of native Filipino people as oddities at the 1904 World's Fair.

Now it's 100 years later, and while America still dabbles in running other countries from afar, U.S.-Filipino relations are vastly improved. This Friday, June 11, and Saturday, June 12, the St. Louis Philippine-American Society (www.stlphilam.com) and the Missouri History Museum (Lindell Boulevard and DeBaliviere Avenue; 314-746-4599) celebrate the Philippines' culture as well as its unique contribution to the World's Fair. With performances by the Philippine Art Foundation Festival Dancers and shows by the Sampaguita Choir of Kansas City, this is a chance to see much more of the Philippines than was on display in 1904. Most events are free, and the full schedule is available at www.mohistory.org. -- Paul Friswold

Flower of Manhood

What could possibly improve ur-chick flick Steel Magnolias? Exactly: if it were a little more Shakespearean and if some the roles were played by men in drag. Olympus Theatre presents the story of women pulling together with a heartwarming sense of, shall we say, fraternal love (tee-hee!). See local superstar Dieta Pepsi and other handsome women at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday (June 11 through June 19) and at 3 p.m. Sunday (June 13 and June 20) at the SPOT Nightclub (4146 Manchester Road; 314-371-1330 or www.spotbar.net). Tickets are $12 to $15. -- Paul Friswold