The original Declaration of Independence is on permanent display in Washington, D.C.  It’s faded and discolored and looks its age, but St. Louisans will have a chance on Saturday (Jul. 26) to see a less-worn copy that was hidden behind a painting until 1989, when it was discovered by a lucky flea market shopper.   Thanks to marketing for the new wireless service Cricket and a voter registration drive by Declare Yourself, the copy is touring the U.S. this summer.  Its St. Louis stop is a the downtown public library, where it will be well-guarded but viewable from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. To see details on the event, click here and select the date from the calendar. For more on the original Declaration of Independence — including info about the popular mystery of what’s on the back — click here.

One of St. Louis’ most noted philanthropists, Henry Shaw, was born 208 years ago tomorrow.  You’ve probably heard of him — even 208 years later, he still has a way with PR — either for founding the Missouri Botanical Garden or for Tower Grove Park, two of the city’s gems.  (You probably haven’t heard of his retribution toward a runaway slave, but that’s a story I’ve already touched on here.)  To commemorate an imperfect life where the balance tilts toward the public good, the botanical garden is offering free admission all day tomorrow.  From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. there will be old-fashioned games and refreshments (while supplies last). Visitors can also tour Shaw’s residence, Tower Grove House.  Cyclists are welcome to participate in the Petal Pedal, a 5-mile ride through the garden.  Registration for that is from 10 to 11 a.m. in the garden’s east parking lot.

Just FYI, this will be a peak day and the main lots will fill quickly.  While some spaces are  always reserved for cars ferrying handicapped or elderly visitors, most likely you’ll have to park at one of the off-site lots to the west and either walk or hop a shuttle to the main entrance.

Yeah, we’re crazy enough to buy tickets for a day game in the middle of July! Here’s the trick: Buy waaaaay at the top, like six rows from the top. Those seats are in the shade, and they’re high enough to catch the breeze (if there is one). So we were hot, but not as hot as the folks in the sun. Most of them were gone by the time the game got really exciting in the last couple of innings.

What we didn’t know when we bought the tickets was that it was a Family Sunday, which means fans who buy in the cheap seats get a coupon for a free hot dog and soda. This saved us approximately $40 at the concession stand — a nice bonus for our $20-a-seat tickets (we bought late so all the sections with kids’ pricing were full already). If you’re interested in the next ones, they’re Aug. 3 vs. Philly, Aug. 24 vs. Atlanta and Sept. 7 vs. Florida. You’ll get the coupons when you buy the tickets.

The other nice bonus for braving the heat yesterday was the option after the game for kids to run the bases. From the size of the line, evidently every child who stayed to the end of the game also stayed to run the bases — by the time we found the line, it stretched halfway around the stadium on the lower level (for future reference, it starts over on the east side, where there’s a ramp descending to the “basement.”) Eventually the line got moving and we were funneled through various utilitarian hallways and out onto the field through a vehicle access doorway near the bullpen. We hustled down the first base line and entered the field at first base, where those 15 and under had to part from their parents — unless they were 2 years old and reluctant to run because, in the hurry to leave the house before the game, their mom had forgotten their shoes!! S. wasn’t particularly sad about the lack of footwear — he hates shoes anyway — but he didn’t want to run so they let me jog the bases with him. I’ve gotta tell you, it was a rush! The opportunity only comes after 1:15 games on a few dates; the two remaining for this season are Aug. 24 vs. Atlanta and Sept. 7 vs. Florida. (Yes, those are the same dates as the free hot dog/soda deal above.) In the photo, M. is racing toward the bases, and I’m on deck.

Finally, I learned only yesterday that there are half-price nights scattered throughout the schedule. The offer’s only good for the cheap seats, but hey, half price is half price! The only game remaining for this season is Sept. 5 vs. Florida, but keep it in mind for next year, because April and May have the bulk of the half-price nights.

For details on the giveaways and other promotions, including the freebies before the game (ice cream for two hours prior to every Sunday home game) or to buy tickets and get those free hotdogs, visit the Cardinals’ homepage.

Did you know that no matter how hot it seems, it has to be really, really blazing to actually fry an egg on the sidewalk?  We’ve been experimenting with eggs and frying pans and Plexiglas and aluminum foil this summer, and we’ve yet to successfully fry an egg on our sidewalk, sizzling-hot though it may seem.  We’ve been reading up on the Internet about techniques and tricks, but it seems to come down to this:  The temp needs to be above 95 degrees and the UV index needs to be very high … like today, when the temp will be in the mid-90s and the UV index will be 9.

Tomorrow, the quasi-official Fry an Egg on the Sidewalk Day, should also be prime egg-frying weather.  And for more similarly useless-but-fun data, check out the calendar on the HiCards homepage, where everything from Amelia Earhart to caviar gets its day in July.

All my friends know that I’m a wimp when it comes to St. Louis heat. I try to be good-natured about it, but really, it’s hard to laugh when sweat is dripping off the ends of your hair, trickling down the back of your underwear and pooling in your bra. My North Dakota-bred sweat glands just can’t reprogram themselves!

Consequently, instead of doing much-needed yard work, I’d rather surf the Web in the coolness of my office, which is how I found a couple random, useful sites I thought I’d share in lieu of an event — because really, who wants to even venture outdoors today???

• Epicurious, the Conde Nast site affiliated with Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines, caters to a fairly upscale market, so I was pleasantly surprised to find its list of 25 budget-friendly ideas for cooking and shopping.
• Soles United is a new arm of Crocs dedicated to recycling its proprietary material into new shoes for needy areas of the world. You buy a pair, they donate a pair.
• This may not be the right time of year for planting, but it’s definitely a good time to make “seed bombs,” a mix of native seeds, compost, clay and water that can be dropped later this fall into urban spots in need of flowers. For specific instructions and advice on other guerilla gardening methods, check out this site from the U.K.
• And while we’re breaking rules, I want to throw in the idea of urban golf. I think St. Louis would be perfect for this, but I’m having a little trouble convincing my neighbors.

I read this week that fewer Americans are playing in the great outdoors — 18 to 25 percent fewer than in the 1980s, depending on the activity (those studied included hunting, fishing, camping and trips to national and state parks).  The only category that was up, according to the study published last winter in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was day hikes, and increase was very slight (from once every 12.5 years to once every 10 years).  The authors’ contention was not that we’ve grown lazy in the past 20 years, but that we’re losing touch with nature.  And it’s not only Americans; they also studied trends in Japan and Spain and found much the same result. That, they say, could have implications for conservation and environmental policy in the future. For details, read this link to Scientific American.

So in light of this, I’d like to share a few snapshots from our trip to the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois two weeks ago.  We camped three of the nights and “decompressed” with nights in motels bookending the trip.  It was a great experience all around, and although it wasn’t technically free — we stayed at the Lake Glendale campground, where rates start at $12 for a single campsite without electricity — we saved money over a hotel and eating in restaurants.  Heck, even if your idea of cooking over a campfire is heating water to add to the packaged meals at REI (and I can vouch that some of them are pretty tasty and worth the $6-a-bag price for the  sake of convenience).

A big perk to staying at Lake Glendale is that there are two nice swimming areas close by:  the lake’s own beach and a nearby state park with a swimming pool.  We spent quite a bit of time at each, which had the benefit of wearing the kids out to the point where they crashed in the tent at night instead of spending an hour treating it like a bouncy house (which is what I had expected they’d do).  The only two pieces of equipment I consider essential for camping are a good-quality tent and and air mattress.  Especially in summer, it’s totally unnecessary to have sleeping bags.  I’d read online that the national forest won’t allow campers to bring in their own firewood, so we arrived without any only to find that the campground was out and there was only one other place nearby to stock up.  But other facilities (toilets and showers) were widely available and in good condition.

Many other moms have since told met there’s no way they’d ever go camping with little kids, but I found that in some ways it was easier to have young kids who didn’t stress out about “washing” with baby wipes before bed or hauling water 50 feet from the nearest hydrant.  To them, it was all a big game.  It reminds me of another study I read recently, that if kids aren’t exposed to the great outdoors before age 11, they’re much less likely to adapt and embrace the experience.

To be more precise, this festival in Collinsville is a tribute to the world’s largest ketchup bottle, a landmark on the site where Brooks ketchup used to be made.  (The extra-tangy brand is still around, though it’s now bottled up in Canada.)  The 10-year-old festival is a testament to how much Americana can be squeezed out of an oddly shaped red tower: There’s hot dog eating contests for kids and adults, hula hoop challenges, clowns and magicians, dancers, karate demos, a car show and cruise, an Elvis impersonator, ketchup tastings (can you pick out the Brooks brand?), Little Miss Tomato and King Catsup crownings, a visit from the St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders … you get the idea.  Kitsch at every turn, but all in the name of good, old-fashioned fun.

The shindig happens Saturday and Sunday (July 12 and 13) at the VFW Post on Illinois Route 159 through Collinsville, about 20 minutes from downtown (for those of you who don’t venture over to the east side of the river very often).  A schedule is posted online; events run from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.  Kids’ activities and vendor stalls will be up and running throughout.

Have I mentioned here before that M. has been a self-proclaimed vegetarian since age 3? He actually has disdained meat all his life, but we threw in the towel when he came home from preschool with the revelation that some of the kids and one of the teachers choose not to eat meat. He even had a word for them: vegetarians. That’s what I am! he proclaimed.

I’m fine with it most of the time, but we tend to grill several times a week in the summer — steaks or chicken or meaty kabobs or hamburgers — and he usually winds up supping on a few pieces of cheese from the pack that we’re using to top the burgers. But last year we came up with a menu that includes him and still manages to please the rest of us. And it keeps me out away from the oven and the stove, which can’t be overrated!

Grilled Cheese

Prepare your favorite bread and filling, then toss the sandwiches on a grill brushed with oil (you do have a silicone basting brush, right??? They’re indispensable for grilling!) to achieve golden-brown deliciousness. They cook fairly quickly on our gas grill, less than five minutes per side, so you’ll probably want to do the corn first.

Microwaved Corn on the Cob

My mom showed me this trick: Shuck the outer couple layers of husk from each ear, leaving the kernels protected by at least one husk on all sides. Cut off the top bit of silk just to the top of the cob; don’t worry about the rest. Put four large or six small ears in the microwave at a time and nuke them four minutes per ear for large or three minutes per ear for small. When the timer beeps they should be slightly soft to the touch. Let them cool briefly (or use your silicone gloves and work while they’re hot for best results) and shuck them the rest of the way; the silk should come off easily too. Salt or butter to taste.

Grilled Peaches

I can attest that this year’s peach crop is on farmstands and ready to go — we bought a peck last week in southern Illinois and enjoyed every drip of juicy goodness.  They’re superb on the grill: Cut each peach in half and grill it cut-side down for a couple of minutes, just until it’s starting to brown. Turn it over and fill the indent from the pit with brown sugar. When it melts, the peach is ready to be served.

Grilled Banana Split

If you’re looking for a more impressive dessert, try this recipe for Grilled Banana Splits from Midwest Living. It calls for fresh pineapple, and that’s important — canned won’t work as well. Buy one of those handy corers from Bed, Bath and Beyond ($9.99) and the kids will clamor over themselves to help you with it.  Grilled pineapple is extremely versatile — try it with whipped cream and shortcake too.

Frozen Red Grapes

Some say these should be a dessert, akin to sorbet, but I like to have them as an appetizer because they cool the kids down but don’t fill their tummies right before supper. About.com has instructions here; it omits the step of dipping them in powdered sugar if you’re serving them as a dessert.

So there you have it — and easy, kid-friendly, vegetarian meal with no stove time!

Technically today’s featured activity isn’t free, but trust me, you can get cups and powdered mix for less than 5 bucks.  Along with ice from the freezer, a hand-painted sign on the flap from an old cardboard box, and that unused fold-up table from the attic, you’re good to go.

I did not expect to have much fun when M. wanted to set up a lemonade stand on a 90-plus-degree day.  The idea has been percolating in his little brain since he saw a stand on TV a few weeks ago, and I’d run out of excuses for putting it off.  I thought I was golden when yesterday started off rainy, but when the sun broke through the clouds, I agreed to the whole scheme and started lettering our sign so M. could paint it.  That paint was not yet dry when S. went off for a nap and M. and I hit the street corner (as we learned when one of our first customers leaned up against that still-wet sign!  Luckily it was a neighbor girl who accepted a turn behind the counter as restitution for her laundry bill).

To my utter surprise, the stand was lots of fun.  M. was delighted to call out and wave at passing cars, whether or not they stopped.  Everyone waved back, at least, which is fun for any kid.  He had wanted to give the lemonade away; I insisted on a sale. We settled for a very small fee (25 cents for a small cup, 50 for a large).  I stocked an empty lemonade mix container with quarters, not realizing that almost none of his customers would accept change back for their purchases.

We were lucky to have a primo location:  on the corner of two busy-but-not-dangerous streets where there probably had not been a stand for 15 years, and where a scraggy elm gave us enough shade to stay relatively comfortable during the heat of the day.  We sold out of lemonade after about two hours, just when the after-work traffic was starting to pick up, so perhaps next time we’ll go out later.  However, I enjoyed the entire two hours, both the commotion when we were busy and the lulls when we were not, during which M. and I had some great conversations about his “business” and about the people we’d met.

A few weeks ago I blogged about one freebie summer movie series, over at the Wehrenberg chain, and I’ve since discovered two more that bear mentioning:

One is at AMC Theatres in Chesterfield, Creve Coeur and Crestwood, where until Aug. 6 a buck buys admission to the 10 a.m. Wednesday Summer Movie Camp screenings (this week it’s Alvin and the Chipmunks on July 9; other movies are listed online at the chain’s homepage). Although the shows aren’t free, the profits from them go to charity. Single admission is available the day of the show, but groups need to call in advance (starting a week ahead) to reserve tickets.

The other is the Free Family Film Series from Regal Entertainment Group, with free movies both Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. The location is the St. Louis Mills Stadium 18; the movies start today (July 8 ) with Wallace and Grommit and run through Aug. 6 with Are We There Yet? Admission is first come, first served. For a complete schedule, visit the homepage.