Places to Go, Things to Do

Mighty Mud Mania, Festival of Nations in July

Mighty Mud Mania is an annual opportunity for kids to do what many like to do: get totally dirty. The 22nd annual event will be Saturday, July 29, at Jefferson Barracks Park.

The annual Festival of Nations celebration is a wonderful opportunity for families to get a flavor of the diverse population of the metro area. The festival will be Saturday and Sunday, July 22-23, at Tower Grove Park.

In addition, various area institutions and organizations have regular July programming of special interest for kids and their families.

One of the events-the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase-is featured in a full-length story listed on this home page. It has been given special attention because young area filmmakers will have their work shown.

For shorter write-ups of Places to Go; Things to Do, read below.

Mighty Mud Mania July 29

When Mighty Mud Mania started in 1984, Dan Griffard was one of the kids who enjoyed getting dirty. This year, Griffard is the designer of the Mud Mania T-shirts that will be on sale at the event.

In 1984, Lindsey Swanick was the recreational supervisor who set up the first Mud Mania. Now, she's the director of all the county parks.

The main attraction at Mud Mania is the 200-foot obstacle course. This year, Brian Schaeffer is the recreation supervisor in charge of the preparing the grounds. The obstacle course is build with 400 bales of hay, a plastic liner and 18 truckloads of dirt.

The course includes eight different obstacles and a final "pig pen" for a final wallow.

A crew of about 30 area high school students help park workers build the grounds. They also help supervise the event.

There are 10 other fun areas for kids to explore.

Mud Mania is for kids 5 to 15. Advance tickets are on sale for $8. The charge is $10 at the gate. Advance registration is recommended because Mania officials limit attendance to about 3,000 and assign times so each kid gets plenty of time to play.

Call (314) 638-2100 or visit www.stlouisco.com/parks to register.

There will be waste barrels available if the clothes or shoes get too dirty to be cleaned.

2006 Festival of Nations July 22-23

The Festival of Nations is an outdoor, multi-ethnic celebration of traditional dance and music, ethnic food and cultural and educational exhibits.

Hours on Saturday, July 22, are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Sunday, July 23, hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free.

A new feature this year is the Worldways Village. Children and parents can get an in-depth look at meanings behind customs in foreign lands. Also, Sidewalk Artistry gives a look at henna art, Japanese tops and Athahualpa, which is Andean flute music.

The festival opens with a Friday Night South Grand preview party from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, July 21.

During the festival, there are three stages featuring non-stop music and dance acts.

There are over 60 food and gift booths. There is also a children's area where kids can experience face painting, storytelling and other hands-on activities.

For complete festival information, visit www.iistl.org/events/festival.asp.

Ben Franklin Exhibit at History Museum

Benjamin Franklin was possibly the most intriguing of this country's founding fathers. In addition to being a signer of all the nation's key early documents, Franklin was a diplomat, an inventor and a scientist.

The Missouri History Museum is hosting a traveling exhibit about Franklin. A number of special events about the exhibit will happen in July. For a lineup of upcoming events and activities, visit www.mohistory.org

Another series of July events at the museum is "Storytelling in the Galleries." The storytelling has a different theme on each of the five Saturdays in the month. For this schedule, visit www.mohistory.org

The Franklin and storytelling events continue in August.

Free admission at Missouri Botanical Garden

On Monday, July 24, the Missouri Botanical Garden will celebrate founder Henry Shaw's 206th birthday. Kids and families will get free admission to the Garden, Tower Grove House and the Schnuck Children's Garden.

The Garden also announced free evening hours on Wednesdays through Labor Day.

Among the July events at the Garden are four Whitaker Music Festival concerts. The free evening outdoor concerts are on Wednesdays, July 5, 12, 19 and 26.

And, at the Garden's Sachs Butterfly House at Faust Park in Chesterfield, there will be a "BUZZ: Bug Hunt Challenge" on Saturday, July 22. The Butterfly House has been challenged by other butterfly houses and zoos across the country to a bug-collecting competition.

The event is open to kids 8 and older when accompanied by a parent. For information, visit www.butterflyhouse.org.

Missouri Department of Conservation events in July

The Missouri Department of Conservation areas in the metro area feature a variety of activities and classes for kids in July.

For instance, at the Busch Memorial Conservation Area, there are special "Painting the Birds" classes on Wednesday, July 19.

At the Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area in north county, there are cooking classes to show how to prepare edible wild fruits, nuts and plants for meals. The class will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

At the Henges Education Center at Antire Road off I-44, you can learn the Japanese art of Gyotaku, or fish printing. Those classes will be Monday, July 17, at 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

For a list of classes and activities at all MDC areas, visit www.mdc.mo.gov.

County Parks have "mad science,"
historic village open house

The St. Louis County Parks have two "mad science" camps during July. Also, the Faust Historic Village will hold an open house on Saturday and Sunday, July 22-23.

The first "mad science" camp will be Monday through Friday, July 10-14, at the Kennedy Recreation Center. Hours are 9 a.m. to noon each day. Cost is $135. The second "mad science" camp will be at the Affton Community Center Monday through Friday, July 17-20. Hours are 2-5 p.m. Cost is also $135.

The Faust Historic Village open house will be Saturday and Sunday, July 22-23. Hours are 1 to 5 p.m. The open house includes tours of a 1850s home, an 1848 log cabin, a dye and insect repellant garden, a German vegetable garden as well as a smokehouse and washhouse. Admission is free.

You can get a complete schedule of July events at www.stlouisco.com/parks.

Two Trailnet Bicycle Fun Rides in July

Trailnet will sponsor two kid-friendly Bicycle Fun Rides in July. Both will be tied to community activities for extra fun.

The Big Bottle Bicycle Ride and Summerfest will be Sunday, July 9. It's linked with the festival in Collinsville, Ill. The 9 a.m. start will be at the American Legion Post in Collinsville. Registration is from 7:30 to 9 a.m.

The Joie de Vivre Bicycle Ride is on Sunday, July 16. The "joy of life" ride is through French-Colonial areas in southeast Illinois. The start is at Fort de Chartres in Prairie du Rocher, Ill. Registration is from 7:30 to 9 a.m.

For complete details, visit www.trailnet.org.