Since the Apollo Moon Landing on July 20, 1969, Joe Edwards has been moonstruck – and that’s a good thing, especially for St. Louis.
Edwards has utilized his fascination and obsession for all things lunar, including the NASA moon missions, to create the Moonrise Hotel. The Delmar Loop boutique hotel and attached eatery, Eclipse, pays homage to the moon.
This Saturday, the Moonrise will be the epicenter of St. Louis’ largest party celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. The event promises to be out of this world.
“We’re the prime place to celebrate in the United States,” said Edwards, who also celebrates the hotel’s 10th anniversary. “It’s a time to come together again, like we all did 50 years ago to celebrate this unparalleled achievement. It was incredible; the greatest achievement of the 20th century. What better place to celebrate than here, at the Moonrise, home of the world’s largest (3,000 pounds and 10 feet in diameter) rotating rooftop garden moon?”
Edwards dreams to have everyone come together and party – party like it’s 1969.
“We all stopped and came together and took pride in this marvelous achievement,” Edwards said. “The entire earth was united, and watched Neil Armstrong take that first step on the moon surface, and watched Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, the pilots of the Lunar and Command Modules. What these men did was crazy amazing.”
The Moonrise holds an eclectic moon collection of artifacts related to Apollo 11 and all things lunar. Lobby display cases are filled with the unexpected from Edwards’ personal collection: a tiny moon rock and a patch taken on the Apollo 11 mission signed by all three astronauts. Look closer and you’ll find a telegram signed by both Orville and Wilbur Wright, and a letter from aviator Charles Lindbergh of Spirit of St. Louis fame.
Check out the toys and pop culture lunar memorabilia, like the Buzz Lightyear doll, which, by the way, was named in honor of Buzz Aldrin. There’s a sculpture of cartoon pinup girl Betty Boop resting on the moon, tin space robots and, of course, a cow jumping over the moon. Anyone can drop in and view the displays anytime the lobby is open.
“My collections range anywhere from rare items and toys to things I’ve picked up for just a few pennies,” Edwards said. “Some of the items I have had since I was a child, and some I bought at space auctions to display in the hotel.”
While the Moonrise’s displays will remain in their cases, and the rooftop moon will continue to turn, time for celebrating the moon landing is waning. The Moonrise’s 50th Anniversary Moon Landing Party is from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday, July 20. It’s free to attend, and will feature lunar-themed drink specials and a special moon-themed small plates menu.
Guests are encouraged to wear their best moon- and space-themed clothes to take part in the costume contest. First prize isn’t a trip to the moon, rather, winners get an overnight stay in the hotel.
In honor of Apollo 11 Moon Landing, I’m inspired to bake Moon Pies – something I wouldn’t be surprised to find at the Moonrise. If you can’t make it over to the Delmar Loop, bake a moon pie instead. Here’s one of my picks for Full Moon Pies, a recipe shared courtesy of Betty Crocker.
Full Moon Pies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist white cake mix
1 box (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
Heat oven to 350 F. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add cake mix, pudding mix, 1/2 cup milk and the eggs; beat on medium-high speed until blended. Using 1 1/2-inch scoop, drop slightly mounded scoops of dough about 1 inch apart onto cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until set (do not overbake). Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
Filling:
1/2 cup Betty Crocker Whipped fluffy white frosting (from 12-oz. container)
3/4 cup marshmallow crème (from 7-oz. jar)
In medium bowl, mix filling ingredients until well blended. For each pie, spread about 1 tablespoon filling on bottom of one cooled cookie. Top with second cookie, bottom side down; gently press cookies together.
Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoon milk
Orange edible sugar
In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and 4 teaspoons milk with spoon, until smooth. Drizzle icing over sandwich cookies. Sprinkle with edible glitter.
