Ways you can join Earth Day's
All-Species Parade

One main feature of St. Louis' Earth Day 2002 celebration Sunday, April 21, will be the All-Species Parade. Here are a few ways kids can get "dressed up" for the parade.

(For a complete schedule of Earth Day activities, go to the website at: www.stlouisearthday.org)

The All-Species parade will be start at 2:30 p.m. in Forest Park. The route runs from the middle of the St. Louis Zoo to the World's Fair pavilion.

Earlier in the day, the Missouri Historical Museum and the Resource Recovery Project will help you make a parade mask or decorate your bike for parade participation.

The museum's mask-making activity will be from noon to 2 p.m. After you make your mask, it's only a short walk to the parade route.

The Resource Recovery Project will provide recycled materials so you can decorate your bike for the parade also. There will be valet parking for your bikes while you take part in other Earth Day activities on Sunday.

There's also a bike rodeo with some unusual races and competitions.

Another activity that uses recycled materials will be the Mini Boat Regatta, which will be held earlier Sunday in Forest Park. Recycled materials can be obtained from the St. Louis Teachers' Recycle Center.

Here's a rundown on participation events open to groups and individuals:

1. Mini Boat Regatta:

This activity has three age categories: Under 6, Grades 1-3 and Grades 4-8. The object is to create a floatable boat from recycled materials. Judging will be in four categories:

• Most patriotic
• Most unusual
• Most recyclable
• Most contributors to a single boat.

Susan Blandford of the St. Louis Teachers' Recycle Centers said "most contributors" is a new category this year. It's designed to encourage kids to cooperate in design and building of their boat.

Individuals and groups can obtain up to five pounds of recycled materials free of charge from any of the group's three recycle centers. The locations and telephone numbers of the three are:

• Harry S. Truman Elementary School
  (314) 729-2401
  
  
• Hoech School in the Ritenour School District
  (314) 493-6245
  
  
• University of Missouri-St. Louis'
  Ward E. Barnes Library
  (314) 516-6826

Blandford suggested calling for materials as soon as possible to give yourself more time to design and build your entry.

The boats can't be more than 3 feet in length and they don't have motors.

2. Mask making at the Missouri History Museum

The museum is sponsoring a personalized mask-making activity from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday. You'll have time to make your mask at the museum and still make it to the start of the All-Species parade at 2:30 p.m.

The museum will have mask-making kits. But the blank masks encourage individual creativity. You'll be able to decorate the mask to fit your individual parade theme.

For information, just call the museum's public information office at (314) 454-3150.

3. Bike Art

Leftovers, Etc. and the Resource Recovery Project will be on hand to help decorate your bike for the parade. For more information about this activity, check the Earth Day 2002 website for the latest contact information and schedule.

4. The DNR Park Ranger Bike Rodeo

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources will sponsor a Bike Rodeo with some unusual competitions.

There's the Dodge 'em Drive, where you check the roadway for hazards and then dodge them as needed. The object here is to avoid the hazards while making only small adjustments in direction.

This is good practice for riding where there is a lot of other traffic and veering sharply one way or another could cause a collision.

Then there is the Slow Race. In this, the bikers try to be the last to finish the race. You ride as slow as you can without having to put your foot down or falling over.

5. Valet Bicycle Parking

The St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation will provide a continuous bicycle guard when you are off doing other things during the Sunday Earth Day activities.

Parking attendants will wipe down your bikes and provide air for tires. There's even a place to get a refreshing drink and snack.

For additional details, you can contact Renee Duenow at (314) 647-4490 or e-mail her at reneeduenow@mindspring.com.

The Earth Day 2002 committee is continuing to add other activities and events. Check its website each week to find out about new things.