Places to Go,
Things to Do
Festivals and concerts set for August
A number of ethnic festivals and free concerts provide kids
and their families with plenty of fun destinations during
August.
But, there are also such unique events as the Cahokia Mounds
Archeology Day and ice grass sledding in a St. Louis County
Park.
Of course, the Missouri Department of Conservation and the
St. Louis County Parks have special events. And Trailnet has
a lot of August bike rides.
(Young Saint Louis.com creates a list of free
or inexpensive things you and your parents might like to do
in the current month. Oftentimes, the emphasis is on outdoor
things, especially in the summer months.)
Festival of Nations
The annual Festival of Nations celebration will be Saturday
and Sunday, Aug. 23-24, in Tower Grove Park at Arsenal and
Grand in south St. Louis.
Hours for the multi-ethnic celebration are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
There will be music, exhibits, folk art and crafts.
For information, call (314) 773-9090 or visit www.iistl.org.
Japanese Festival
The 32nd annual Japanese Festival will be held at the Missouri
Botanical Garden during the Labor Day weekend, Aug. 30, 31,
and Sept. 1.
Hours for the festival will be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the
30th and 31st and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 1. An admission
is charged.
There is a whole range of activities, including Japanese
art, tea ceremonies, martial arts, theatrical shows and cooking.
For information, call (314) 577-5400 or visit www.mobot.org.
St. Nicholas Greek Festival
The St. Nicholas Greek Festival also will be held on the
Labor Day Weekend Aug. 30, 31, and Sept. 1. It is sponsored
by St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.
The church is located on Forest Park Parkway, just east
of Kingshighway. Hours for the festival will be 11 a.m. to
9 p.m. on Aug. 30-31 and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sept. 1.
For information, call (314)361-6924.Or visit: www.saintnicholas.mo.goarch.org/GreekFest/default.htm
And lots of concerts:
Live OFF the Levee: The Live OFF the Levee series
will conclude with concerts on Aug. 1-2. The series of concerts
were moved to Soldier's Memorial because of the flooding on
the Mississippi.
The concerts are free. The concert area is bounded by Tucker
Blvd., Market, Olive and 15th streets.
On Friday, Aug. 1, The Fabulous Motown Revue will open at
6 p.m. with BoyzIIMen coming on at 8 p.m. Fireworks will start
about 9:15 p.m.
On Saturday, Aug. 2, Bockman will open at 6 p.m., followed
by Rusted Root at 8 p.m. Fireworks will be about 9:15 p.m.
For information, call (314) 434-3434 or visit www.celebratestlouis.org.
Jungle Boogie: The St. Louis Zoo has five Jungle Boogie
concerts during August.
The free concerts will be on Fridays from 5-8 p.m. The concerts
and entertainers are:
Aug. 1: Charles Glenn, jazz; Aug. 8: Lamar Harris, country;
Aug. 15: Bob Case, rhythm and blues; Aug. 22: Mighty Big Band,
blues and jazz, and Aug. 29: Charlie B Group, jazz and swing.
For information, call (314) 781-0900 or visit www.stlzoo.org.
Chesterfield Chamber Concert: The Chesterfield Chamber
will sponsor two concerts during August at Faust County Park.
The concerts are free and run from 7-9 p.m.
On Tuesday, Aug. 5, Trilogy will be the featured attractions.
On Tuesday, Aug. 12, Cornet and Chop Suey will be featured.
For information, call (636) 532-3399 or visit www.stlouisco.com/parks.
Twilight Tuesdays: The Missouri History Museum in
Forest Park will have Twilight Tuesdays concerts on Aug. 19
and 26. The concerts are free and held on the front lawn of
the museum from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
On Aug. 19, the concert will feature Honeyvox. This high-energy
group will play hip-hop, rock n' roll and everything in between.
Even including some country.
On Aug. 26, The Liverpool Legends will perform songs from
the entire Beatles era. With attention to musical detail,
costume changes and vintage instruments, you'll think you
are seeing and hearing the real thing.
For information, call the Twilight Tuesdays Hotline at (800)
916-8212.
Washington Concert in the Park: The concert will be
held Friday from 7-10 p.m. at the Rennick Riverfront Park
in Washington, MO, on the banks of the Missouri River.
Music for the free concert will be by 8 Track.
For information, call (636) 390-1080.
Movies Around St. Louis
There are a dozen neighborhood movie venues where you can
see films in August in the unique Movies Around St. Louis
program.
You can call for information at (314) 664-4330. Or
an easy way to get the whole range of August films is to go
to www.fyfstl.com.
From the home page, click on the calendar line and then
select the See St. Louis icon for a list of the movies in
the metro area. The list includes the date, the movie and
where the movie will be shown.
Ice Grass Sledding
One of the more unusual kids activities is ice grass sledding.
It involves a block of ice, a square of carpet, a steep grass
slope and your sense of adventure.
The St. Louis Parks Department is sponsoring a grass sledding
event on Saturday, Aug. 23, at Sioux Passage Park. The party
is open to kids ages 8 and up. Admission is $8 per person.
The hours are 1 to 3 p.m.
The county provides the ice and the long, steep, grassy slope.
You bring a patch of carpet to keep your bottom from getting
too cold from sitting on the ice.
Be sure to wear old clothes because a tumble off your block
of ice is likely.
Advance registration is required so call (314) 355-7374.
You can also visit www.stlouisco.com/parks.
Cahokia Mounds Archeology Day
Cahokia Mounds Archeology Day will be Sunday, Aug. 2, from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The celebration will be at the Cahokia Mounds park near
Collinsville, IL. There is something for the whole family
at this historic area that was built by native Americans long
before the white settlers moved into the Mississippi River
valley.
There will be demonstrations of bow and pottery making. You
can examine excavations and process artifacts. You can even
throw Indian spears and listen to storytellers explain the
area's history.
For directions, call (618) 3246-5160 or visit www.cahokiamounds.com.
The site has a locator map and precise directions.
MDC's Conservation Frontiers' program
Summer is a good time for kids to join the Missouri Department
of Conservation's Frontiers program. Frontiers helps you experience
all facets of the outdoors.
One of the study areas is forests.
A Forestkeepers class will be held Wednesday, Aug. 11, at
the Busch Memorial Conservation area. The two-hour class will
be from 2-4 p.m. at the area in St. Charles County.
Kids will get an overview of how forests help clean the air
we breathe and supply things we need. For kids already in
the Frontiers' program, this class will count toward the point
totals you need.
(If you aren't a Frontiers' member but would like to know
more, visit www.mdc.mo.gov,
keyword Frontiers. Being a member will help you understand
how the outdoors figures in the quality of life in Missouri.)
Trailnet August Rides
Trailnet is sponsoring five bike rides during August. They
are:
