All Entries Tagged With: "unincorporated North County"
NoCo Catholic schools hosting an Open House
Though I’m neither a parent nor a particularly religious person, I do know one thing without a doubt: North County’s Catholic schools play an incredibly vital role in our community. Without them, we will definitely lose more families to other areas. We will also lose the foundational glue that holds many local neighborhoods together.
In the past few years, facing closures, consolidations and declining enrollment, the eight schools within the Northeast Deanery finally figured out that they’re stronger if they work together. And despite some setbacks – including the recent decision to move Blessed Teresa School to the old Good Shepherd location, which upset a good number of folks here in Ferguson – the “Federation” has certainly made positive strides.
Not only did they launch a new marketing campaign this month, but they’re hosting a Community Open House on January 29. And if you have school-age kids or know someone who does, I heartily encourage you to attend. You don’t even need to be Catholic.
“We invite parishioners, families of all faiths, community leaders and all members of the North County community to celebrate Catholic Schools Week with us by visiting one or more of the schools located in our neighborhoods,” says Cara Koen, Director of Advancement for the Federation of Catholic Schools in the Northeast Deanery. “Come and see our facilities, meet families and students who attend our schools, and learn about the positive ways Catholic schools impact North County.”
The Federation includes the following parish-sponsored elementary schools, which will all be open to the public on January 29, 2012 between 1:00-3:00 pm. Why not stop by and say hello…
- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, 314-522-3888, 150 N. Elizabeth Avenue, Ferguson
- Christ, Light of the Nations, 314-741-0400, 1650 Redman Road, Spanish Lake
Sponsored by Holy Name of Jesus and Our Lady of the Rosary Parishes - Our Lady of Guadalupe, 314-524-1948, 1115 South Florissant Road, Cool Valley
- Sacred Heart, 314-831-3372, 501 St. Louis Street, Florissant
- St. Angela Merici, 314-831-8012, 3860 N. Highway 67, Florissant
- St. Ferdinand, 314-921-2201, 1735 Charbonier, Florissant
Serves parishioners of St. Ferdinand and St. Martin de Porres - St. Norbert, 314-839-0948, 16475 New Halls Ferry Road, Florissant;
and St. Norbert Early Childhood Center, 314-420-9773, 1625 Swallow Lane, Florissant
Serves parishioners of St. Norbert and St. Sabina Parishes - St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, 314-921-3023, 3500 St. Catherine Street, Florissant
Eagle Days returns to Chain of Rocks this weekend
FROM THE NEWS WIRE:
Eagle Days 2012, January 14 and 15
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
View eagles in your own backyard!
Residents of the bi-state area are invited to view bald eagles this January at Eagle Days – a free public program at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge. During the winter, the Mississippi River hosts one of North America’s largest concentrations of bald eagles, who are drawn to areas of open water in search of fish, their preferred food. The Chain of Rocks rapids to the south of the Bridge are ideal fishing grounds.
From the Bridge, an ideal viewing platform, visitors can watch eagles fishing, riding ice floes, soaring overhead or roosting in nearby trees.
Additional Eagle Days Programming Includes:
Live Eagle Educational Program
By the Wild Bird Sanctuary, repeated every 20 minutes from 10:00 a.m. until 2:40 p.m.
Eagle Viewing
Scopes at the center of the bridge are staffed by trained volunteers to help you view eagles diving for fish, roosting in the trees along the banks of the Mississippi, and soaring over the bridge.
Eagle Nest Replica
This full-size eagle’s nest is a great photo opportunity!
Warming Tent Activities
Hands-on art activities for children facilitated by Green Center (Saturday) and the EarthWays Center of the Missouri Botanical Garden (Sunday).
Living History Demonstrations
Lewis and Clark re-enactors from the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles, Missouri and the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site. Don’t miss the raising and lowering of the flag at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. at the Missouri Bridge entrance!
St. Louis Audubon Display
Featuring hands-on exhibits of local birds courtesy of the St. Louis Audubon Society.
The Confluence Partnership Display
Learn about the history and importance of The Confluence region and America’s Great Rivers.
Refreshments
Ed’s Food will be serving hot dogs, chicken strips, shish kabobs, egg rolls, crab rangoon, hot cocoa, lemonade, soda, and water.
Things to Bring:
- Binoculars
- Very warm clothes including a hat and gloves
- Camera
- Comfortable Shoes (It is about a 1/2-mile walk to the eagle scopes and additional Eagle Days programming, both located at the middle of the Bridge.)
- Cash (Eagle Days is free but select parking lots and food vendors will only accept cash)
- Curiosity
Please Leave at Home:
- Your dog Fluffy or any other pets
Parking:
Free parking is available at two satellite lots in Missouri, the St. Louis Welcome Center at Riverview Drive and I-270 and North Riverfront Park, off of Riverview Drive south of the waterworks. A free shuttle will be available from both locations. Free parking is also available at the Illinois Bridge entrance. Parking at the Missouri Bridge entrance costs $5.
Volunteers:
If you are interested in volunteering for Eagle Days, please contact Jamilia Harris at 314-877-1309 or jamilia.harris@mdc.mo.gov.
Sponsors:
Dana Brown Charitable Trust
Trio Foundation of St. Louis
Edward Jones
Great Rivers Greenway
Illinois Conservation Foundation
Metro East Parks and Recreation District
Pettus Foundation
Missouri American Water
Cargill
America’s Central Port
ConocoPhillips
Additional Support:
Chipotle
City of Madison, IL
Discovery Expedition of St. Charles, MO
EarthWays Center of the Missouri Botanical Garden
Katy Bike Rental
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Lewis & Clark State Historic Site
Marshall Scott Enterprises
Mostly Bikes, LLS
Pei Wei Asian Diner (Ladue & Creve Coeur)
St. Louis Audubon Society
Starbucks
Sweet Tomatoes (Creve Coeur & Crestwood)
The Green Center
The Pasta House Company
World Bird Sanctuary
A big thank you to all our volunteers. This event would not be possible without your help.
Produced by:
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For more information on Eagle Days call 314.436.1324 x117 or e-mail charles@trailnet.org.
Photo Essay: Dave Naumann’s Native NoCo
An adventurer at heart, local attorney Dave Naumann likes going off the beaten path to explore the hidden natural areas of North County.
As the year closes out and I look back at all the reasons I’ve had to be grateful in 2011, I can’t help but think of you, dear NOCO readers. Since I launched this blog two years ago, I’ve gotten to meet so many amazing people, both here in North County and throughout St. Louis. Hundreds of you have emailed with story ideas or insightful comments, and quite a few have even offered to help. Thank you!
One of those generous “helpers” is David Naumann, a Florissant attorney and lifelong NoCo resident whose passion is hiking and biking North County’s many unspoiled pockets of wilderness. Dave knows the area’s trails and hidden pathways probably better than anyone, and lucky for us, he always brings a camera along.
He has been offering to share his images for months now, and I finally got a chance to pull them all together. I have to admit, some of them are so gorgeous, they even made me wonder if they’re really in North County. But of course they are!
Many thanks to Dave Naumann for these beautiful photos, and to everyone who read NOCO and supported North County this year! You are truly appreciated!! Enjoy…
Save our North County parks from closing!
A budget dispute at St. Louis County has threatened to close a number of North County's finest recreational gems, including Sioux Passage Park and its popular disc golf course. Photo: flickr/GuyFuNGo
Some call it a political game. Others say it’s a genuine crisis resulting from a bad economy. Whichever way you feel, one fact remains: Following St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley’s recommendation for significant budget cuts in 2012, some of North County’s most beautiful parks are scheduled to be closed.
Dooley’s plan to save $10 million and achieve a balanced budget calls for closing 23 of the county’s 50 parks, including several of the most exceptional and historically significant parks in the area. In NoCo, the closure list is outright brutal, and especially disappointing given that Dooley is a North County resident. On it are some of our most valuable local treasures…
- Fort Belle Fontaine – the site of the first U.S. military post west of the Mississippi, where Lewis & Clark camped both before and after their epic journey. Also home to unique WPA structures from the 1930s and incredible walking trails by the Missouri River.
- Larimore, Kinloch, Castle Point and Bon Oak – These smaller parks provide the only public recreation area in their respective neighborhoods.
- Sioux Passage Park – A 188-acre natural wonderland where you can fish, ski, hike, ice sled, play frisbee golf, and launch your boat into the Missouri River.
- St. Vincent Community Center & Park – This Normandy-area landmark sits in the shadow of one St. Louis’ most striking historical buildings. It’s also a vibrant community hub, offering swimming, playgrounds, bike trails and a rec center.
- North County Recreation Complex – St. Louis County recently spent $1.8 million upgrading the facilities here and the place has never looked better. Countless NoCo residents enjoy the Olympic-sized swimming pool, fishing lake and indoor basketball and volleyball courts.
If you agree that closing these parks would be a great detriment to our North County community, make sure your voice is heard! You have two options:
1) Attend the public hearing tomorrow, November 15, 6:30pm, in the St. Louis County Council Chamber, Administrative Building, 41 S. Central Ave., Clayton, 63105.
2) Contact your council reps directly……..Charlie Dooley: (314) 615-7016 or cdooley@stlouisco.com, District 1′s Hazel Erby: (314) 615-5436 or HErby@stlouisco.com, District 2′s Kathleen Burkett: (314) 615-5437 or KBurkett@stlouisco.com, District 4′s Mike O’Mara: (314) 615-5439 or MOmara@stlouisco.com.
In case you’re interested, there’s also an online petition to save the county parks. And here’s a list of other links (Facebook pages, etc) where you can support the parks as well.
