All Entries in the "Indoor Fun" Category
Rock On! Treasures of the Earth returns to Bridgeton
This may surprise some of you who know me, but I am a total rock hound. Though my creative brain tends to repel anything dealing with science, I’ve always loved collecting unusual stones. And when I attended my first gem and mineral show several years ago, I was hooked! The Machinists Hall in Bridgeton hosts [...]
The Emporium: a North County salon like no other
I can’t remember exactly where I met Suz Pratt for the first time, but I do know that I liked her immediately. Suz is just one of those people who radiates positive energy, and as soon as we started talking, I felt like I had reconnected with a long lost friend. A petite redhead and [...]
The Metropolitan Opera comes to St. Louis Mills
If your summer plans don’t include a trip to New York’s famed Metropolitan Opera, don’t worry. The Met is coming to you! This July, the Regal 18 Cinema at St. Louis Mills is screening encore presentations from the Met’s 2009-2010 season, featuring lush, riveting productions in digital high-def. Two world-famous operas will be shown, each [...]
Chamber sponsors Scholarship Bowling Tournament
Whip up some “pin action” while raising money for local students at the fifth annual Scholarship Bowling Tournament sponsored by the Greater North County Chamber of Commerce. Scheduled for August 11 at Dick Weber Lanes in Florissant, the event costs $25 per bowler and is open to both individuals and teams. Proceeds benefit the chamber’s [...]
Northern Arts Council offers Art Journaling workshop
Looking for a creative way to express yourself or a fun method for dealing with life’s challenges? Why not try art journaling? This Saturday, July 10, the Northern Arts Council (NAC) is welcoming art therapist Kelley Brown for an afternoon workshop on how to make an art journal. A graduate of the SIUE Art Therapy [...]
EarthDance Fresh Ideas returns on July 11
In case you missed it, the initial EarthDance Fresh Ideas was a huge success in May, with more than 100 people packing St. Stephen’s Church in Ferguson to watch the documentary Dirt and hear a lecture from author Temra Costa. This month, the film series and “green” discussion forum returns with Homegrown: The Movie, an [...]
Ritenour hosting Baseball Card Show on May 15
Want to get autographs from St. Louis Cardinals players and peruse an enormous selection of baseball cards? Then come to Ritenour High School this Saturday for the athletic program’s 21st annual Baseball Card Show! Dozens of dealers will be on hand to sell sports and non-sports cards as well as memorabilia. There will also be [...]
Post-Dispatch cartoonist featured in Mercantile Library exhibit
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Perhaps that’s why Tom Engelhardt enjoyed such a successful career. An editorial cartoonist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for 35 years, he, like many others in his profession, often played an influential role in shaping the narrative of important local and national issues. Engelhardt worked at [...]
Mercantile Library hosts Rare Paper Arts Fair
An undiscovered gem to many area residents, the Mercantile Library at UMSL is an absolute goldmine of historic artifacts. Free and open to the public, it’s a museum, library, archive and research center all rolled into one, and I can’t wait to do a full feature article on it. But for now, I’m pleased to [...]
EarthDance launches Fresh Ideas film series
Happy Earth Day, NOCO fans! As you all must know by now, Ferguson is home to the oldest organic farm in Missouri, which the Mueller family started working in 1883. Today, the farm’s 14 acres are under the care of EarthDance, a fabulous nonprofit that’s currently training 30 apprentices in the ways of organic farming. [...]
State Champion Pattonville Drill Team offers free training
February was a busy month for the talented ladies of Pattonville High School’s varsity drill team. Not only did they become Missouri state champions in the 5A division, but they also placed fourth nationwide in the large school hip-hop category at the 2010 National Dance Team Championships in Orlando, Florida. Now, Pattonville School District is [...]
St. Louis Fencers Club: the swordsmen of NoCo
If you ever find yourself in a church basement in Charlack, surrounded by sword-wielding men in masks and tight white pants, don’t worry. It’s only the St. Louis Fencers Club. Since 1904, when legend has it that athletes training for the St. Louis Olympics first formed the group, it has attracted fencing enthusiasts from all [...]
Starry Eyed Surprise: NoCo’s TWO Observatories
You may already know that North County played a huge role in the history of the US space program and that all of the Gemini and Mercury space capsules were built right here, at the former McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. But did you realize that NoCo is also home to two of the three public observatories [...]
Ice Skating evolves (but still thrives) in North County
Like me and many other NoCo natives of a certain age, Ferguson resident Becky Kern-Ryan grew up ice skating at the North County Recreation Complex on Redman Road. She got her first pair of ice skates for Christmas when she was 11, and before long, she had far surpassed us “casual skaters” (who showed up [...]
The Challenger Center: an out-of-this-world experience
The space shuttle Endeavor launched successfully this morning, carrying North County native Robert Behnken. But did you realize that NoCo also has another astronaut claim to fame? The Challenger Learning Center in Ferguson is a hands-on space education facility for both kids and adults, where visitors can take a simulated trip to the space shuttle [...]
North County’s Magic House of Math
It’s a simple phrase, uttered by countless people every day, but for Vicki Adams, it’s a call to action: “I’m terrible at math.” Research shows that nearly two-thirds of American adults have math anxiety. In fact, studies by the American Mathematical Society reveal that the U.S. lags substantially behind other countries in math comprehension, largely [...]
Kwanzaa Celebration this Saturday
Like many people who grew up celebrating Christmas, Kwanzaa has always been sort of a mystery holiday to me. I knew that it’s an African-American event and that it was created relatively recently, but I was surprised to learn that this week-long holiday is actually a celebration of family values and personal integrity, and that [...]
25 Ways to Shop NoCo for the Holidays, pt 2
Judging from the emails I’ve gotten this week, many folks were both surprised and elated to read about so many great North County retailers. Hooray! Mission accomplished. So without further ado, here’s the second half of my 25 ways to shop NoCo for the holidays: 13) Generations Antique Mall, 729 rue St. Francois, 63031, (314) [...]
25 Ways to Shop NoCo for the Holidays, pt 1
Nearly every time I visit St. Charles County, I run into former North County residents who tell me (whether I want to hear it or not) exactly why they had to “get out.” Things were getting bad, they’ll say. So much had changed. And besides, there was nowhere to shop! Of course, if what you’re [...]
A Mid-century gem: Lewis and Clark library
Yesterday I wrote about St. Louis County Library’s efforts to modernize its North County branches, and I mentioned the fact that the Lewis and Clark branch has been recommended for demolition. Like many of you who emailed me in response, I was shocked to hear that the library would consider tearing down this one-of-a-kind architectural [...]
Locations in Florissant,
Chesterfield & West Port
Sept 4 "R" Pizza Farm Grilled Pizza Demo 10am, Buy a Bag For the Hungry Day 8am - 12pm, to benefit Operation Food Search, a St. Louis food bank that distributes food to poor & hungry. While you're shopping, buy an extra bag for this worthy cause. Live Music - Dixie Rhythm Kings 9-11am. ALSO 45+ vendors!
Saturdays 8am-2pm in the 2500 block of Woodson Road