Places to Go, Things to Do

Free things for kids at Final 4 weekend

Tickets for the NCAA Men's Final 4 basketball games are all sold out. But, lots of basketball-related events-many of them free-are available for kids during the Arch Madness weekend in St. Louis April 1-4.

One really neat event is on Friday, April 1. Final practice sessions for the four tournament teams will be open and free to the public. Each team will conduct an hour-long practice on the same Edward Jones Dome floor where games will be played.

The NCAA's Championship Weekend activities are just some of the Places to Go, Things to Do for kids in the St. Louis area.

Each month, Young Saint Louis.com looks ahead for participation opportunities for kids and their families. Be sure to check this space every month.

Kids and their families will find plenty of other good activities and programs at the following places: St. Louis Science Center, St. Louis Art Museum, Missouri Department of Conservation areas and the St. Louis County Parks.

In addition, there will be two Lewis&Clark video-conferences in March.

Also, in this article, YSL.com will continue to give advance notice of outstanding, upcoming summer camp opportunities for area kids. This month, we focus on the Gifted Resource Council's "summer academies" lineup.

 

NCAA's Arch Madness Weekend

Among events open to the public during the NCAA Final 4 weekend are:

NCAA Hoop City, Taste of St. Louis, Final 4 Band and Cheerleader Pep Rally, NABC All-Star Games, YES sports clinics, the March to the Arch and a Desani Festival of music and food.

The NCAA Hoop City will be held Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday in the America's Center. Events include lots of interactive activities and you can meet NCAA coaches, participate in clinics and attend a party hosted by NCAA mascot, J.J. Jumper.

Hours for the events are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. There is an attendance fee of $3 for kids 3-11, college kids and seniors. General admission is $5. Kids 2 and under are free.

The Taste of St. Louis will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free but food and beverages will have charges.

There'll be music by local blues and jazz groups and food from St. Louis' top restaurants.

The Final 4 band and cheerleader pep rally will be Friday, April 1, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Kiener Plaza. There is no charge.

The NABC All Star games also will be held Friday, April 1, at the Savvis Center. The main game features college all-stars playing serious hoops against the Harlem Globetrotters. This game starts at 8 p.m.

Two preliminary games are at 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. The first preliminary matches alumni from DeSmet and Cardinal Ritter high schools. The second game pits alumni from University of Missouri and University of Illinois.

Ticket information is available from www.ticketmaster.com or by phone from (314) 241-1888. You can buy tickets also at the Savvis Center ticket office.

Youth Education through Sports (YES) clinics will be held Saturday, April 2, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at four different locations. Clinic sites are at Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, Saint Louis University, University of Missouri-St. Louis and Washington University.

Admission is free but preregistration is required. You can get registration materials online at www.stlloc.org.

Kids 10 to 18 are invited. There are clinics on sports, life and conditioning skills and cover a range of topics. In addition, there are clinics for parents covering such things as coaching, nutrition, sportsmanship and injury prevention.

The NCAA March to the Arch will be Sunday, April 3, starting at 11 a.m. The March to the Arch is for kids 18 and under and is free. The kids will dribble basketballs from St. Louis Union Station up Market Street to Kiener Plaza.

The first 3,000 kid participants receive a free basketball and T-shirt.

The final event open to the public is the Dasani Festival on Sunday, April 3, from noon to 7 p.m. The festival features national and regional musical acts such as Gavin DeGrew, Kelly Clarkson and Joss Stone. Also, Taste of St. Louis food will be available.

For complete details, visit www.stlloc.org.

 

St. Louis Science Center

A new Omnimax film will give kids and their families a big screen look at the training of American fighter pilots. "Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag" starts Friday, March 18.

The film follows the training of Capt. John Stratton who later flew in Afghanistan and Iraq. Stratton was the grandson of a World War II flying ace.

The "Friday Night Live" performance for March will feature a tap-dancing duo, "Four Feet of Rhythm," and drummers from Washington Middle and High School. The event is March 4, starting at 6 p.m.

For more information on other Science Center events in March, visit www.slsc.org.

 

St. Louis Art Museum

The St. Louis Art Museum's Ford Family Sundays programs for March have the theme of "Hero, Hawk and Open Hand." That goes along with the museum's exhibitions of American Indian arts.

The events are free. The dates are March 6, 20 and 27 from 2 to 4 p.m.

For more information about museum events, visit www.slam.org.

 

St. Louis County Parks February events

If you and your family are into frontier things, you'll like to attend the Frontier American Market sale, swap meet and auction. It's scheduled for the Jefferson Barracks Grant Shelter on Feb. 26.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $3 for those 13 and over; $2 for 12 and under.

Another special event is a Hunter Education Course at Queeny Park's Community Room on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 26-27. You must be 11 or older to attend and kids under 16 have to be with a paying adult.

Also, a Fossil Hunt is scheduled for the Greensfelder Park Learning Center Sunday, Feb. 27, from 1-3 p.m. Tickets are $3.

No registration is needed for the sale, swap meet and auction. Advance registrations for the hunter education and fossil hunt events can be called to (636) 391-3474.

For more information about museum events, visit www.stlouisco.com/parks.

 

Missouri Department of Conservation programs

In March, Missouri Department of Conservation areas have programs to help kids and families get a head start on aiding birds and other wildlife this spring.

"Purple Martin Time" programs will be held at the August Busch area in St. Charles County (March 8) and the Columbia Bottom area (March 10). At the Rockwoods Reservation area, there will be a "Bluebird Houses" workshop on March 12.

At the Powder Valley Nature Center, you can learn how to develop your backyard into haven for wildlife as well as wild plants. That workshop is March 26.

For information on these and other MDC programs, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/areas/.

 

St. Louis County parks

St. Louis County parks have a number of fishing events in March. These can help you get ready for the fishing seasons. One neat event is the Suson Park's Trout&Chili Feed.

The Suson event will be Friday, March 26.

For more details, visit http://www.stlouisco.com/parks/gf-2005/gf-2005.htm

 

Lewis&Clark videos

The Lewis&Clark reenactment tour will have two video-conferences during March. These are open for internet viewing by the public. But you'll need a high-speed internet connection in order to see the conference live and in sound and motion.

On Thursday, March 10, the broadcast is "Sacagawea Joins the Expedition." Then, on March 24, there is a conference on "Creation of a Lewis and Clark Opera."

For more information, call (314) 773-6934.

 

Summer Camp Preview

Gifted Resource Council "academies"

The Gifted Resource Council is a group that provides kids with enrichment experiences. Their summer day camps offer a variety of science, outer space and history topics.

A new camp for younger kids will explore what it would be like to make a trip across the country in a covered wagon.

The summer "academies" are for kids from 1st through 8th grades. The camps run daily, Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The camps will be at the Ronald E. McNair School in University City.

There are three different "academy" periods, June 20-July 1; July 5-15, and July 18-29. Kids can go to more than one camp.

All camp sessions include physical activity. The type of activity usually fits the camp subject. For instance, the outer space camp will include rigorous, astronaut-type training.

For complete details on GRC "summer academies," visit www.giftedresourcecouncil.org. Or you can call the GRC at (314) 962-5920. (There are some merit scholarships and financial assistance grants available.)

---