Down home music, old time baseball (July 11)

Maybe it’s the lingering Fourth of July nostalgia, but July always feels like a good month for history. As I considered events for this coming weekend, I kept returning to music and sports of bygone eras. Perhaps it’s also the influence of my 20th high school reunion this weekend (already!?!?). M. has several times expressed amazement that I lived most of my life in the 1900s — and when he puts it that way, I DO sound really old!

But we’re going back even further than that for Saturday’s (July 11) events. The first, Bluegrass at the Farm, showcases a style of music that’s been around for generation upon generation. Suson Park in St. Louis County hosts national fiddle champion George Portz and his band, along with an open jam for junior fiddlers and country music singer Marissa Harms. The grounds open at 6 p.m., and the cost is free for kids 11 and under, $5 for those 12 and older. What to bring: lawn chairs, coolers and snacks, bug spray, cash for concessions. What to leave home: glass containers of any kind. Music starts at 7 p.m. Call 314.894.3089 for details or take a look at the online flyer.

And in honor of the All-Star game this weekend in St. Louis, I’d be remiss not to include some old-time baseball too. The St. Louis Perfectos, a vintage club playing by the rules of 1860, usually takes the field in Lafayette Square — but this weekend they’re playing for free in front of the All-Star crowd under the Arch on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Going back still further, the Daniel Boone home in Defiance hosts a Saturday pick-up game of town ball, the predecessor to baseball (the field design, players and gear are all slightly different). There’ll be a one-hour demonstration at 11 a.m., and then visitors are invited to try their skill from noon to 3 p.m. There’s an admission charge of $7 for adults, $6 for seniors over 55 and $4 for kids 4 to 11. Those not playing ball can tour the Daniel Boone home and take part in the other activities on the grounds.

A lively look at Aesop (July 6-10)

Today marked the start of The Meramec Theatre’s free summer production of Bagful of Fables. In fact, there’s a show going on as I type this — daily performances are at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., with a special evening show tomorrow (July 7) at 7 p.m. The fables in the title are Aesop’s, so you’ll see some familiar ones like “The Tortoise and the Hare” and “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” done in a lively, interactive way that’ll appeal to kids.

The run ends on Friday (July 10) — and with a high in the upper 90s predicted, it sounds like a good day to enjoy an air-conditioned theater! If you come with a group of 10 or more, you’re asked to call two days ahead so arrangements can be made (314.984.7562). Otherwise, you’re welcome to find a seat as much as half an hour before showtime. There’s no grace period for late arrivals; the theater asks that you plan to be in your seats at least 10 minutes before curtain. The theater’s pretty much smack in the middle of the St. Louis Community College-Meramec campus in Kirkwood (click here for a campus map).

An eastern vantage point (July 4 and anytime)

Poor East St. Louis! It can’t catch a break. Earlier this year plans I read about the new Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park and Mississippi Viewing Platform directly across from the Gateway Arch. The park opened without a whole lot of fanfare in early June — or I should say, that was the opening of the new viewing platform, designed by the well-known St. Louis architecture firm. The huge fountain that’s the park’s centerpiece had been around since 1995. You’ve maybe seen it from the Arch … and probably not been over to see it in person. I haven’t.

The reason I’d expected to hear more about this new park is that it’s bound to be a great place to watch the fireworks tonight. No way you’re headed to East St. Louis after dark, you say? Well, the park has 24-hour security and it’s just two “doors” down from the Casino Queen, according to a nice little story the Beacon did on its opening.

So why does it rate a mere sliver of newsprint as a viewing location?  Because Citygarden opened in downtown St. Louis, maybe?  I’ll admit Citygarden is a fabulous park — my kids ADORE the little square of stepping chimes near the 9th and Market corner.  But aside from St. Louis Front Page, which did a helpful “if-you-go” story on its southwestern Illinois site,  and a tiny little blurb in the Post-Dispatch, I hardly saw the new east-side option mentioned anywhere.

And I’m probably posting this too late to be of much help … ! It looks like an attraction that could finally put East St. Louis on the family-friendly activities map. But it’s worth noting that the park exists, and one of these days we’ll get over to check it out too.

Patriotic parades (July 4 weekend)

My impending 20-year class reunion has me thinking a lot about high school, and one of my absolute favorite activities was marching band. I was terrible at it — I could barely play the clarinet seated and reading music, let alone stepping down the street trying to stay in line and recall the memorized notes all at the same time. But it was so much fun to be in a parade! I hope the 16 marching bands at this year’s Veiled Prophet Parade have the time of their lives.

The bands and 80 or so other units step off at 10 a.m. Saturday (July 4) downtown, heading south on Fourth Street from Washington Avenue and turning west at Market. There are sneak preview videos of the floats on the homepage (under “Media only”), and there’s a nice historic overview video from KETC too.

But as fabulous as the VP Parade and Fair St. Louis are, they’re one of many great options for enjoying Americana this weekend. In fact, one of the hardest decisions of the weekend (aside from when to start the grill!)  will be whether to go downtown or head over to the Webster Groves Community Days parade, also scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday (July 4) and also featuring up to 100 units.  No sneak previews are available, but I can tell you that the Budweiser Clydesdales will be leading the parade. It starts at Lockwood and Selma, heads west to Gore, returns east for a couple of blocks along Big Bend, crosses under Interstate 44 on Elm, and finally ends at the fairgrounds in Memorial Park.

Out in O’Fallon, Mo., the parade starts at 9:30 a.m. on the Fourth, as part of the Heritage and Freedom Festival. The two-mile route starts at Third and Main, continues north along Main to Tom Ginnever Ave., and ends at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.

Whichever parade you attend, clap loudly for the bands and wave at the woodwinds in the back, paying no attention to the music and having a good old time watching you.

Fun sweepstakes for local families (now until July 31)

Just saw on Twitter that the Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis Zoo, Missouri History Museum, St. Louis Science Center and Drury Inn and Suites have come up with a staycation promotion. Lots of tickets and goodies go to the lucky winning family. Visit one of the institutions to register. Go online for more details.

Why traditional marionettes trump outdoor music (July 2)

One of my goals with this blog is to highlight quality family events brought to us by organizations without the budget or the staff to do a huge amount of publicity. That’s why I’m not going to do a big write-up on the start of the Whitaker Musical Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden tomorrow (July 1). Most everyone knows about it already, and my words of praise would just add to a cacophony. (Though I do have to mention that admission to everything, even the children’s garden, is free after 5 p.m., and the children’s garden doesn’t close until 7 p.m. — so it’s worth attending even if you have no intention of actually staying for the concert!)

The under-publicized event I’m going to write about today instead is the Elsenpeter Marionettes‘ production of Beauty and the Beast at the Tesson Ferry Branch of the St. Louis County Library on Thursday (July 2). The popular story is worth seeing in any form, but what makes this one special is the marionettes themselves. They’re 2-foot-tall, hand-carved wooden dolls animated by Richard B. Elsenpeter, whose company was started 139 years ago in Germany by his great-grandfather. This is a traditional form of puppetry that’s not seen very often — especially not at a free public event like this one.

The library’s not asking for advance registration. You can find out other details on the 2 p.m. performance online here. (You’ll have to scroll down to the right date.)

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Toddler time at St. Louis pools (through the end of summer)

It was brought to my attention that I haven’t yet come up with my annual listing of toddler times at local pools. I hereby rectify that omission!

• Little Splashers at Ballwin’s North Pointe Family Acquatic Center runs Tuesdays from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. until Aug. 11. Ages are 0-5, and admission is $5 per person. Note that many parents who want to stay longer to go back outside the gate around 11 a.m. and line up to pay for for re-admission. It’s not a bad idea to join them, especially on busy days when the wait can be substantial if you’re not in line early.
• Parent Tot Time at Collinsville’s Splash City happens Fridays from 9 to 10:15 a.m. through Aug. 7. Parents and kids 7 and under receive half-price admission (non-resident fees would be $6.50 for kids, $8 for adults). The sprayers on the slides, including Monsoon Mountain, don’t open until 10 a.m. — this is typical of toddler time, but somehow M. has a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that his beloved slides are not available to him every minute he’s there. Also note that if morning swimming’s not your thing, the pool has a Tuesday night family deal for half off from 5 to 9 p.m.
• Technically it’s not toddler time, but the Springdale Park and Pool in Fenton costs only $7 and it opens at 10 a.m. weekdays and 8:30 a.m. weekends — well before the older kids are up and about!  Note that they’re serious about the no-food-no-drink policy around the fabulous 1-acre pool; even babies have to go outside to drink from their bottles. But with the water to distract them, they may not even notice they’re late for a feeding.

Disappointingly, several public pools have ended their toddler and/or family swim times — or, like RiverChase in Fenton, they only offer them indoors during fall and winter. I’m not sure if it’s due to lack of attendance or the assumption that they’ll make more money from older kids. If you like the toddler time option, try to visit these remaining ones this summer and express your support financially!

Dinner and a movie AND a pool (Thursdays, now until Aug. 6)

A new twist to the now-familiar free outdoor movie/concert scene went on under my radar until just last week — but now I’m VERY happy to let you know about the Family Dinner Nights & Entertainment at the Watson Trail Park Pool. Yep, that’s right, at the pool. Maybe my kids will be so worn out they’ll actually fall asleep during these movies like they’re supposed to!

Here’s the deal: Starting at 6 p.m., the pool offers a decent meal ($5 adults, $4 kids) and a free movie screening (or concert on alternating weeks) at 7 p.m. Thursday (July 3) will be Rescue Band; the following week it’s Shrek The Third. Non-resident admission is $8 for adults and $6 for kids, so the whole package is pretty reasonable, considering what you’d normally pay for concessions alone. After 6 p.m. on Family Dinner nights, admission is FREE to everyone, whether you purchase the dinner or not.

The series ends on Aug. 6 with Curious George. For details, call 314.842.7265.

Fireworks for the Fourth (July 1-5)

Starting Wednesday, official public July 4 fireworks displays will be bursting out all over the metro area. These two Web sites have detailed lists and links, including when, where and what else is offered before the grand finales.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s list of 15 fireworks displays (plus a bit of other miscellaneous stuff  swept up by the filter).

Kids in St. Louis’ list of 20 fireworks displays.

After the total traffic chaos surrounding last year’s display at the Arch, we’re rethinking our annual tradition of going down there … and it looks like we have many more good options than I realized!

Towboats on the riverfront (June 28)

When it’s this hot, I love spending the day along the Mississippi. The wind picks up — if you’ve ever biked the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, you know what I’m talking about! — and the movement of the water works hypnotically on my overheated senses. Our house is only about half a mile from the river, but you can’t see it or feel that breeze. But if we drive three miles or so to the Arch grounds, voila! Invigoration.

Plenty has been written about how distant the city of St. Louis is from its own waterfront, and it’s true — there are very access points to the water. But up in Alton, Ill., river life is more a part of the day-to-day experience. And this weekend some of the boats that work the river are on display during the Great Rivers Towboat Festival, which started today and continues tomorrow (June 28) from noon to 4 p.m. The centerpiece is the opportunity for free tours of a working towboat from Columbia, Ill. The Great Rivers Tour Boat Company will be on hand too, offering half-hour tours ($10 for adults, $7 for kids 12 and under) along Alton’s shoreline.

And while you’re up that direction, head downriver a bit to the Alton Marina and check out the all-mahogany, 26-foot 1951Chris Craft Continental replica made in Godfrey, Ill. Even if you don’t know much about boats — and I don’t! — the craftsmanship on boats like this one is fascinating.  (One of my very first assignments as a journalism intern was covering a hand-made, all-mahogany boat, and I can still almost feel its buttery-smooth panels.) The Annual Antique and Classic Boat Festival features 70 such impressive vessels, all viewable for free, from noon to4 p.m. tomorrow (June 28). It’s hosted by the Mississippi Valley Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society.