Places to Go, Things to Do

Labor Day weekend, balloon
and bike races and more

September fun events and activities for kids and families always start with the Labor Day weekend. But, there's much more later in the month.

Among the Labor Day activities are the St. Louis County Fair and Air Show, the Big Muddy Blues Festival and the Missouri Botanical Garden's Japanese Festival.

Later in the month are the Great Forest Park Balloon Race and the first Tour of Missouri professional bike race.

All of these have plenty of things for kids.

(Each month, Young Saint Louis.com finds a group of activities that will make good places to go and things to do for you and your family. YSL.com' listings usually involve events that are free or are inexpensive.)

Big Muddy Blues Festival

The 10th annual Big Muddy Blues Festival will be held in the LaClede Landing's historic district in downtown St. Louis Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 1-2.

One of the featured performers will be Ike Turner, formerly of East St. Louis. He's in the national Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the former husband of singer Tina Turner.

A total of three dozen groups will perform on five stages. The event runs 3 to 11 p.m. both days. Admission is free.

For more information, call (314) 214-5875 or visit www.lacledeslanding.com.

Botanical Garden's Japanese Festival

The 31st annual Japanese Festival will be held at the Missouri Botanical Garden on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Sept. 1-3.

The festival has a whole lot of activities and events that depict the Japanese culture.

Two of the big hits are sumo wrestling and taiko drumming. Other attractions include a kimono fashion show and demonstrations of ikebana flower arranging and bonsai ornamental tree pruning.

Of course, one of the Garden's most popular areas is the formal Japanese gardens, with lakes and fish. (For more, visit www.mobot.org.)

St. Louis County Fair and Air Show

The St. Louis County Fair and Air Show runs four days, Friday, Aug. 31, through Monday, Sept. 3 at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport.

The big event includes air shows, concerts, special events and nighttime fireworks.

For information, call (636) 530-9386 or visit www.stlcofair.org.

(This event also was showcased in the Places to Go; Things to Do feature in the August edition of YSL.com.)

Great Forest Park Balloon Race

The 35th annual Great Forest Park Balloon Race will be in Forest Park on Sept. 14-16.

Friday night, the 14th, the colorful Balloon Glow is set up on the park's golf course. All the balloons are anchored and have their burners aflame. The light from inside the balloons shows off their colors brilliantly. You get to see the balloons up close.

The race itself is held on Saturday, Sept. 15, starting from Central Field. There's a special kids' entertainment area set up with pony rides, games and other activities.

The Energizer Bunny balloon is set to launch at 4:30 p.m. The "chasing" balloons start launching in pursuit 15 minutes later. (If there's rain on Saturday, the race is run Sunday, Sept. 16.)

(For complete information, visit www.greatforestparkballoonrace.com.)

Tour of Missouri Bike Race, and more

(For a full description of the first Tour of Missouri pro bicycle race, Sept. 11-16, see the featured article on the YSL.com home page. There are kids activities as well as an activities booklet associated with the event.)

Trailnet is holding a "fun" bike ride on the Kathy Trail from St. Charles to Augusta on Sunday, Sept. 16. Trailnet also has two other "fun" rides scheduled.

For the latest on the Tour of Missouri and other rides, visit www.trailnet.org.

Department of Conservation activities

One of the featured Missouri Department of Conservation activities is watching the return of the Monarch butterflies to Missouri. They usually return late in September but the MDC gives you chances to do some advance investigation.

Here are three websites that can give you information about this fascinating creature: www.monarchwatch.org, www.naba.org and www.grownative.org.

Besides being beautiful, the Monarchs attract attention with their 2,500-mile migration pattern. They know where to go even though they've never been to their destination.

The MDC also sponsors special classes and activities at its St. Louis area centers. For more information these events, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/areas. Then, look up the Busch Memorial Conservation Area, the Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area, the Forest Park office, the Rockwoods Reservation or the Powder Valley Nature Center.

St. Louis County Park activities

The St. Louis County Parks Department's September schedule includes catch and release fishing at Lone Elk Park and "full moon" bike ride/walk and canoe paddling at Creve Coeur Park.

The catch and release fishing starts Friday, Sept. 7, and runs through October 29. You might like to couple a fishing trip with a Legends of Lone Elk presentation, Sept. 16.

The "full moon" bike ride and walk and the "full moon" paddle are both set for Sept. 21.

For more details on county park activities, visit www.stlouisco.com.

Last month for outdoor film series

A summer-long series of neighborhood outdoor movies shown on portable screens will end in September. The series of 40 free outdoor movies has been moving around the City of St. Louis to give entertainment to 20 revitalized neighborhoods.

The movies are a diverse grouping including "Meet Me In St. Louis," "Finding Neverland" with Johnny Depp and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."

For remaining schedule and titles, visit www.fyfstl.com/schedule.html.

MoHistory's Thursday nights and storytelling

The Missouri History Museum in Forest Park has announced its "Thursdays at the Museum" and "Storytelling in the Galleries" series that begin in September.

Both series are free.

The Thursdays series opens with a Kickoff Party on Thursday, Sept. 20. Hours are 6 to 10 p.m.

The Storytelling series is weekly on Saturdays. Each program starts at 1 p.m.

For details, visit www.mohistory.org or pickup a brochure at the Museum.