Places to Go, Things to Do

Lots of "one-of-kind" fun for August

August marks the end of the summer as far as kids are concerned. But, the month provides some unique events for kids and families before school starts.

And the flood of summer-time music concerts continues.

(Every month, Young Saint Louis.com looks for events and activities going on in the month that would provide fun for kids and their families. During the summer-vacation months, lots of those things happen outdoors.

(And, as often as possible, YSL.com mentions places and things that are free or have low-cost admission charges.)

First, let's look at some events that are unique to the St. Louis and Missouri/Illinois area:

Stone Hill Grape Stomp

With the start of the grape harvest, the Stone Hill Winery in Herman, MO, holds a "grape stomp" that helps present-day kids get a look and feel of what it was like to make wine in the old days.

One of those old-time activities was to pile harvested grapes in big vats and then have workers stomp the grapes with their bare feet to free up the juice.

This year's Great Stone Hill Grape Stomp will be held Saturday, Aug. 8, at the winery in Herman, MO. Registration is at 11 a.m. and the stomping starts at 1 p.m.

Since this is a fun time, the stomping will be done to music of the Bony Goat Band.

In addition, winery tours are scheduled. Stone Hill Winery claims it has the largest series of underground wine cellars in North America.

For information, call 1-800-909-9463 or visit www.stonehillwinery.com

Ice Sledding

The St. Louis County Parks Department has figured out how to go sledding when the weather is hot and there's no snow. The answer: use a block of ice that can slip right down a grassy hill.

Sioux Passage Park will be the site for the Ice Grass Sledding party on Saturday, Aug. 15. The event runs from 1 to 3 p.m. and admission is $8 per person.

Be sure to wear old clothes and bring a carpet square or a large bath towel. That will help your bottom stay warm when you sit on the block of ice on your way down one of the park's steep slopes.

For information, you can call (314) 615-8840 or visit www.stlouisco.com/parks.

Illinois Archeology Day

The Cahokia Mounds Historic Site in Illinois will hold its annual Archeology Day on Saturday, Aug. 1. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Experts will demonstrate such old-time crafts as bow and arrow making, flintknapping, pottery making, finger weaving and bone, shell and gourd carving.

Spectators will be able to participate in washing 1,000-year-old artifacts, tour historic excavations and listen to hear story-telling.

The information, call (618) 346-5160 or visit www.cahokiamounds.com.

Cave walks and exploration

The Missouri Department of Conservation will offer cave exploration for kids 7 and up at its Rockwood Reservation on Thursday, Aug. 20, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

For reservations and info, call (636) 458-2236. Or you can visit the website at www.mdc.mo.gov/areas/stlouis.

In addition, the Rockwood Reservation will offer another cave exploration event later that day for Boy and Girl Scouts. Hours are 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Organizers point out the exploration involves crawling on your stomach for several feet so be sure to dress accordingly.

Moonlight Ramble Bike Ride

The 46th annual Moonlight Ramble bike ride will be held through downtown St. Louis on Saturday-Sunday, Aug.29-30. Signup starts Saturday evening and the ride is scheduled to start at one minute after midnight.

The ride is billed as the world's largest nighttime bike ride, with usually thousands of riders. There are 9- and 18-mile routes.

An after-party is scheduled at the Solder's Memorial.

For information, call (314) 644-4660 or visit www.moonlightramble.org/ramble/.

A typical county fair

A unique summer event in many rural counties is the county fair. The St. Louis metro area includes a lot of areas that are still primarily rural. One of those is Franklin County to the west of St. Louis.

The Washington (MO) Town and County Fair provides a good example of a county fair and it is close enough for "city folks" to take in the festivities. This year's fair will be Wednesday-Sunday, Aug. 5-9.

This is the 80th county fair and features music, motor sports, livestock, an auction and tractor-pull competition.

For information and directions, call (636) 239-2715 or visit www.washmofair.com.

Then, there were a number of outdoor music concerts.

Live on the Levee

The Live on the Levee series of summer outdoor concerts in downtown St. Louis will wind up on Saturday, Aug. 1, with music by Lupe Fiasco.

The concert is held on the grounds of the Memorial Arch. Admission is free.

There's a Kid's Zone for youngsters and there will be fireworks after the concert.

For information, call (314) 434-3434 or visit www.celebratestlouis.org.

Faust Park concert

The Faust Park Summer Concert series will conclude Tuesday, Aug. 4, with music by Yessir. Hours are 7-9 p.m. and admission is free.

For information, call (636) 532-3399 or visit www.stlouisco.com/parks.

Botanical Garden concert

The Missouri Botanical Garden Music Festival concludes with a concert by Anita Rosamond on Wednesday, Aug. 5. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

There is free admission to the Gardens after 5 p.m.

For information, call (314) 577-5100 or visit www.mobot.org.

St. Louis Zoo concerts

There will be four August concerts in the St. Louis Zoo's Jungle Boogie Friday Night series. Admission is free and the concerts are from 5 to 8 p.m.

The dates and attractions are:

August 7: Hudson and HooDoo Cats.
August 14: Usual Suspects.
August 21: Indecisive Band.
August 28: Tiny Cows.

For information, call (314) 781-0900 or visit www.stlzoo.org.

History Museum concert

The Missouri History Museum's Tuesday Night series ends on Tuesday. Aug. 25, with music by Gumbohead. The admission is free and the concert is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

There are pre-concert activities for kids.

For info, call (314) 746-4599 or visit www.mohistory.org.

Some other interesting activities:

Busch Shooting Range now open

The shooting ranges at the Busch Conservation Area in St. Charles County are now open. The ranges had been closed during July for renovation.

The re-opening was scheduled for Aug. 1 for both the rifle and pistol ranges.

For information, call (636) 441-4554.

Trailnet Rides

The Trailnet organization has a large number of bike rides scheduled for August.

For a complete schedule, visit www.trailnet.org or stop into your neighborhood bike shop for a printed schedule for the whole 2009 season.

Sample of some of the August rides include:

The I Scream for Ice Cream Ride on Sunday, Aug. 16, starting from the Cycling and Fitness Center in Edwardsville, IL. This ride includes routes of 22, 34 and 43 miles and each has a stop at Anna's Frozen Custard for a frosty treat.

The Hike It, Bike It or Cave It event will be on Wednesday, Aug. 19, starting from Cliff Cave Park in St. Louis. Participants can take part in hiking, bike riding or cave exploration. (One of the new additions to Trailnet's program this year is a number of foot hiking events.)