All Entries in the "Outdoor Fun" Category
No MOre Trash! Bash hits NoCo on Friday
At last year's No MOre Trash! Bash, 18,000 volunteers hauled in more than 157,000 bags of trash and tons of other debris from Missouri's roadways.
Every single time I drive the Airport Road/170 exit ramp near Boeing, I’m appalled at the volume of litter. It never seems to go away, and I always promise myself that I’ll come back and clean it up, which of course I never do. That’s why I have high hopes for this Saturday, when MoDOT and the Missouri Department of Conservation are teaming up for their annual No MOre Trash! Bash event. MoDOT’s Kara Price has all the details about this month-long litter prevention celebration…
On behalf of MoDOT St. Louis City and North County area teams, we would like to invite you to take a few hours to make these important areas beautiful this spring during the annual No MOre Trash! Bash. We encourage you to join efforts to pick up litter on Friday, April 6 starting at 10 a.m., along Interstate 70 at Cypress near Lambert Airport. Participants will meet at 10 a.m., at Terminal 1′s Cell Phone Lot.
MoDOT, community leaders and Adopt-A-Highway volunteers will all be participating in this event. We will provide safety vests, gloves, litter pickers and trash bags. Please wear safe and comfortable walking shoes.
The goal of the annual No MOre Trash! Bash is to spread awareness of Missouri’s litter problem and work toward a litter-free state. We need your help this year to help make Missouri more beautiful and keep it that way. Keeping litter off the roadways and out of the water is an important step in beautifying Missouri for another beautiful spring and summer.
Last year, more than 18,000 volunteers and other participants collected more than 157,000 bags of trash and tons of other debris throughout Missouri. Each year, MoDOT spends more than $5 million to clear litter along highways throughout the state.
MoDOT and the Missouri Department of Conservation wants to do more than just pick up trash by getting Missouri residents and tourists to stop littering, realize it is unhealthy and understand that it is against the law!
To register for No MOre Trash! Bash, call (314) 453-1810. All ages welcome. You can also learn more about the event here.
Directions to Terminal 1′s cell phone lot, where volunteers will meet at 10am on Friday, April 6:
Eastbound I-70 – Exit at Cypress and make a right. Make a right at Natural Bridge Road. Make another right at Lambert International Blvd. The Cell Phone Lot is on the left. Westbound I-70 – Exit at Natural Bridge Road and make a right. Make another right on Natural Bridge Road. The Cell Phone Lot is on the left.
Valley of Flowers Festival celebrates 50 years
Here's me and my Rambler in the 2010 Valley of Flowers parade, with Stonehenge on the roof. Just wait 'til you see what's in store for 2012!
Several readers have asked me if I plan to participate in the Valley of Flowers parade again this year, and my answer has always been the same: Let’s wait and see what the theme is. Well, the theme has been announced – Valley of Flowers Celebrates 50 Years of Festivals – and I can’t tell you how excited I am!
Why? Because the event committee is letting parade participants choose from all the previous themes of the past 39 years!
Valley of Flowers has actually been celebrated every year since 1963, making this the 50th anniversary, but themes weren’t introduced until 1973. So check out this list of gems to choose from. I have it narrowed down to two for my parade entry, but how about you? What creative masterpiece can you dream up?
- 1973 That Wonderful Year -
Remember? - 1974 Happiness Is…..
- 1975 Freedom
- 1976 1776, A Past to Remember, A Future to Mold
- 1977 Love is…..
- 1978 Florissant Sings
- 1979 A Child’s World
- 1980 Family Life in Florissant
- 1981 Friendship
- 1982 Festival of Nations
- 1983 Mother’s Day in Florissant
- 1984 Where Rivers Meet
- 1985 Florissant Salutes International Youth
- 1986 Florissant Celebrates 200 Years
- 1987 Silver Jubilee
- 1988 Mothers are Special
- 1989 Holidays in Florissant
- 1990 Wake Up to Missouri, Wake Up to Florissant
- 1991 My Favorite Book
- 1992 Florissant Travels Around the World
- 1993 Famous Mothers -
Real or Fiction - 1994 Florissant Salutes Competitive Sports
- 1995 America the Beautiful
- 1996 Florissant…Past, Present and Future
- 1997 Valley of Flowers…35 Years and Still Growing
- 1998 My Favorite Nursery Rhyme
- 1999 Florissant Salutes the 1900’s
- 2000 Valley of Flowers Celebrates 2000
- 2001 Favorite Cartoon Characters
- 2002 Valley of Flowers Festival Celebrates Its 40th Year
- 2003 Florissant Salutes America’s Heroes
- 2004 Valley of Flowers Celebrates the Lewis & Clark Expedition
- 2005 A Dream Vacation
- 2006 My Favorite Decade
- 2007 My Favorite State
- 2009 Florissant Goes to the Movies
- 2010 Florissant Salutes Landmarks of the World
- 2011 Valley of Flowers Mothers Love…..
If you want to register for the parade, which takes place Sunday, May 6, you have until April 6 to get your application in. The online form is right here. You can also call (314) 837-0033 for more info.
Personally, I’d love to see some really fun entries this year. With so many options, we have no excuses. And besides, happiness really is a motorized sofa, right?
Got your gloves ready? It’s Trash Bash time!
Help to keep our local waterways clean. Volunteer at Trash Bash on March 24.
Let’s face it. This has not been a great year for North County’s waterways. First we learned that the Watkins Creek Watershed, which covers 6.7 square miles in the Spanish Lake area, is contaminated with toxic levels of salt and e-coli. Then it was reported that Coldwater Creek in Florissant may be responsible for health issues in local residents. Now we’re hearing that nuclear waste, long ago buried in a Bridgeton landfill, may actually be contaminating our groundwater.
Geez. How depressing.
It’s easy to read all of that and feel defeated, I know. But I’m here to tell you that you CAN make a difference! Maybe not with toxins or nuclear waste – that’s a bigger job than you and me. But with trash! You can have a huge impact on the health of our local ecosystem by helping to pull litter from our creeks and rivers. All you have to do is volunteer for Trash Bash…
Now in its fourth year, this annual event is one of the regions largest river clean-ups, with more than 800 volunteers of all ages expected to participate in 2012. If you want to lend a hand (and get free lunch in the process), all you have to do is register by March 21 then show up on March 24.
There are two starting locations to choose from: the old Chain of Rocks Bridge @ Riverview & 270 or Choteau Island in Madison, Illinois. And if you happen to discover the largest or most unusual trash find of the day, you might even win a prize!
The Confluence Trash Bash is scheduled for Saturday, March 24, from 8:30am to 12:30pm. For more info or to register, jump on over here.
By the way, if you want to learn more about efforts to clean up Watkins Creek, head to Trinity High School, 1720 Redman Road, on March 19. Starting at 6:30pm, an update on the Watkins Creek Watershed Management Plan will be given at the Spanish Lake Community Association’s town hall meeting.
Let’s go, North County! From couch to 5K…
Live Well Ferguson's annual Twilight 5K is coming up May 19, and it's not too late to get ready! These free local training programs can help you boost your fitness.
“Don’t let the mark you make on the world be a dent in the couch.”
I saw that in a magazine ad once, and it still makes me laugh. It also inspires me to want to get off my butt and finally compete in the Live Well Ferguson Twilight 5K, not just the fun run. NOCO is a sponsor, after all, and I know I can handle the 3.1 miles, even if I have to walk most of it. So what you say, NOCO fans? Are you ready to get off the sofa with me??
In years past, Ferguson had just one Couch to 5K training program, led by the wonderful Pat Shelton, who has turned dozens of local residents into happy, healthy runners. This year, not only is Pat back, but a second program led by Marius Johnson of Beyond Housing will be available as well. Both C25K programs focus on gradually developing endurance to complete a 5K within two months, and both are FREE.
Pat’s group meets Monday evenings, 6pm, at Forestwood Park in Ferguson. Marius & his Beyond Housing crew meet Saturday mornings, 9am, at St. Vincent Park near Bel-Nor. Runners and walkers of all fitness levels are welcome!
To sign up for the Ferguson Couch to 5K program, which starts March 19, contact Pat Shelton at patshelton60@yahoo.com. To sign up for the Beyond Housing program, which starts March 24, contact Marius Johnson at (314) 882-6550 or mjohnson@beyondhousing.org.
By the way, have you noticed all the healthy eating options around Ferguson lately? I knew Cork and the Brewhouse had healthy menu options as part of the Eat Well Ferguson initiative, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear that good ol’ Faraci Pizza has also jumped onboard. They’re now serving a fresh veggie pizza on a whole grain crust!
For more info about Eat Well Ferguson, Live Well Ferguson or the Twilight 5K, jump on over to the Live Well website. I would love to see you walking in the 5K beside me!
Are you getting ready for the big day? NOCO is a proud sponsor of the 3rd annual Live Well Ferguson 5K