St. Louis Front Page - Not Just For KIDS!

Not Just For Kids!
features news, fun activities and places to visit in the Metro St. Louis area for the entire family.

City Library's Pageturners Reading Club Teams with Cardinals Baseball
ST. LOUIS, MO (SLFP.com), June 5, 2005 - The St. Louis Public Library's reading club for adult and high school readers, Pageturners, is off to a great start and will continue through Saturday, August 6, 2005 at all St. Louis Public Library locations.

To take part in Pageturners, readers should stop by any Library location and pick up a reading log to record the books, magazines, or audio books that they complete. Participants could earn a FlashCard (a credit card size size flashlight), Science Center coupons, and a chance to win two tickets to a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game.

Those who complete the Club are entered into a Grand Prize drawing for a laptop computer and printer. Participants must be high school age or older and current St. Louis Public Library cardholders. Drawings for the tickets begin July 26. Prizes will be awarded after August 6. For more information, call 341-539-0340.

Fossil Day at Mastodon State Historic Site
IMPERIAL, MO (SLFP.com), May 31, 2005 - Enjoy a family outing looking for and learning about fossils. Mastodon State Historic Site in Imperial will host Fossil Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 11. Sponsored by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the event is free and open to the public.

Bring the entire family to hunt through fossil-bearing gravel piles, donated by Martin Marietta Aggregates, in search of fossils. Or you can bring fossils with you to have them identified. Exhibits on Missouri fossils and a display of fossils by the Eastern Missouri Society of Paleontology spanning the geologic history of Missouri will be available to view. The event also will feature free admission to the site's museum, which displays ancient artifacts, fossils and a mastodon skeleton replica, and hourly tours to the former excavation site.

Mastodon State Historic Site contains the Kimmswick Bone Bed, a paleontological site listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Archaeological excavations established that Paleo-Indians hunted the American mastodon and other animals here during the ice age. The historic site is located 20 miles south of St. Louis, off Interstate 55 at the Imperial Main Street Exit (#186).

For more information about the event, contact the historic site at (636) 464-2976 or the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 1-800-334-6946 (voice) or 1-800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf). For additional family activities, see Mastodon State Historic Site.

Unique Youth Activity Park Opens in Dardenne Prairie
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MO (SLFP.com), May 15, 2005 - The Youth Activity Park, a new 25-acre park located in Dardenne Prairie constructed primarily for youth ages 12-18, is now open. This state-of-the-art addition to the St. Charles County Park system provides an array of recreational opportunities from extreme sports like skateboarding and rock climbing, to video arcades and study areas.

The park and its variety of recreational opportunities is a result of survey answers from area junior high and high school students which indicated a desire among youth for a park that they can call their own.

"We are excited about this park because it's unique - we asked our youth what kind of recreation they wanted, they answered, and we listened. This park provides a safe place for our youth to gather outside of school and home," said Bettie Yahn-Kramer, Director of St. Charles County Parks and Recreation. "We want youth off the street and off the couch - get them active and having fun."

Park amenities include a 33,000 square foot skate park, a BMX trick track, an indoor/outdoor rock climbing wall, half-court basketball, sand volleyball, open play fields, and an activity center housing a video arcade, pro shop, and concessions. Covered park benches can be spotted throughout the 25-acre park, some near a pond that is home to giant goldfish. Video cameras located throughout the park will soon allow visitors to view the park on-line to check weather or see who else is visiting the park. Satellite radio systems will play music throughout the park and big screens adorn the activity center walls to show live shots of the skaters and BMX riders in action.

The skate area of the park has been open since October of 2003 and brings in regular visitors. Over 1,000 youth have registered for the skate park, including some from surrounding states and as far as Texas, New Hampshire, and Georgia who drop by the unique park during road trips or visits to area friends and family.

During the week, no one under 12 or over 18 will be allowed into the park other than qualified parks staff. Extended hours on Saturday mornings will allow visitors of all ages to enjoy the park together, but children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult. All park users, regardless of age, will be required to have a membership card that is swiped to enter and exit the park, allowing computers to track visitors and help monitor the park for appropriate usage. When registering for a photo-identification membership card, all patrons will be required to show a legal form of identification that includes their birth date.

There is a low-cost, annual membership card fee of $24 and an additional daily fee of $3. A one day pass is also available for $10. Park hours vary by season, with longer hours in the summer to accommodate school breaks.

The Youth Activity Park is located at 7801 Highway N in Dardenne Prairie. Visit the St. Charles County Parks website at www.stccparks.org for a monthly calendar indicating park hours and age restrictions. Call the Youth Activity Park hotline at 636-949-7475 for park hours, weather-related closures and general information.

Archived Not Just For Kids Page:

Volkswagen Challenges Teens to Generate a Positive Vibe for Seat Belt Use, Save Lives

High-Stakes Tests for Students Often Fail to Make the Grade

Kids' Bedrooms Have Become Multi-Media Centers

Safe Surfin' Foundation Drafts NBA All-Star Shaquille O'Neal

Kansas City Schools Accentuate the Positive: Stop Name-Calling

Educators Say It's Important To Help Children When They Get a Low Grade

Students Are Encouraged to Apply Early for Student Financial Assistance

12th Annual Paper Airplane Flyoff at the Public Library

St. Louis Science Center Takes Education to the Classroom and Beyond

What Parents Should Know About Financing College

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