Councilman Mike Klinghammer's Blog

I am excited to congratulate the St. Charles County Parks and Recreation Department on celebrating 20 remarkable years in 2017. It is amazing to see how our parks system has grown. There is a park for everyone – and there is always something to do! I hope you saw the article earlier in this newsletter about the Daniel Boone Home Brew Fest and Total Eclipse in the Park - I’d also like to share with you some other exciting events coming up this spring and summer:

• Ride the River with a Ranger is a new program led by St. Charles County Park Rangers that combines recreation with water safety lessons. Participants ages 12 and older will learn how to safely canoe down the beautiful rivers in our county. Participants must first attend a mandatory training seminar on April 15 at Broemmelsiek Park before going on one or two float trips. The first trip is Saturday, April 29, on the Mississippi River, leaving from Hideaway Harbor Park near Portage des Sioux and heading to West Alton. The second is Saturday, May 13, on the Missouri River, leaving from Klondike Park near Augusta and canoeing to St. Charles.
  
  
• It’s not too late to sign children up for summer camps in County parks. There are skateboard, scooter and biking camps at the Youth Activity Park in Dardenne Prairie and a frontier day Camp at The Historic Daniel Boone Home. There are also a number of fantastic nature, fishing and explorer camps throughout the parks that are both educational and fun.

• If you’re an experienced cyclist, you won’t want to miss Friday Mountain Bike Night Rides. There is a mountain bike ride through a different St. Charles County Park each month! Rides last from 8–11 p.m. Bikers must wear a helmet and have a 600 lumen light. There are also bike races coming up – the Broemmelsiek Challenge on April 23 and the Sunset Sizzler and the Dark 2 Dawn race on June 10 and 11.
  
  
• The Artisans in Residence program at The Historic Daniel Boone Home is another monthly event and a unique opportunity to see how arts and crafts were made on the American frontier. Artisans for various media will be on hand to conduct demonstrations and answer questions. Upcoming programs include pottery April 22, fiber art May 27, woodworking June 10 and 24, and gunsmithing July 22.

Our parks preserve the beauty and history of the County and make recreation accessible for all. I encourage you to visit the Parks online reservation site for more event listings and information, and to learn more about our County parks in 2017!