 A Publication of the St. Charles County Parks and Recreation Department - Nov./Dec. 2018
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Veterans Tribute Park Opens to Rave Reviews!The wait is over! Veterans Tribute Park near Weldon Spring is open and has quickly become a popular destination in the County. During the first 10 days the park was open, the park had 52,600 visitors! Thanks to all who joined us to celebrate the opening of our 15 th County park. If you haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy the park, you'll want to make time to do so! Veterans Tribute Park is open from 7 a.m. until 30 minutes past sunset every day. Park features include a raised boardwalk that elevates into the tree canopies and overlooks two lakes for catch-and-release fishing; a destination playground designed for children of all abilities; open-play fields; a 3-acre dog park; more than 1.5 miles of paved trails; and three reservable shelters. The Veterans Memorial Garden is being planned and will be open in 2019. Guests can reserve the shelters by calling the parks department at 636-949-7535 or by making a reservation online. The signature, lakeside Sammelmann Shelter accommodates up to 100 guests and rents for $120, the other two shelters accommodate up to 50 guests each and can be reserved for $60 a day. Shelter reservations can be made one year in advance and are available for use from 9 a.m. until 30 minutes after sunset. Please note: The playground's interactive water feature and water fountains have been winterized and will be shut off until spring. Select restrooms in the park are open year-round.
To view pictures taken during the ribbon cutting and opening celebration of Veterans Tribute Park, heck out the photo album on Facebook.
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Another Award for Volunteer Pecoraro! St. Charles County Parks volunteer does it again! Colonel Robert Pecoraro will receive the 2018 Outstanding Interpretive Volunteer Award from the National Association of Interpretation (NAI) at the group's National Conference this month. Pecoraro recevied the NAI's regional interpretative volunteer award last year along wtih fellow parks volunteer Colonel Barney Combs.
For more than 30 years, Pecoraro, a certified interpretive volunteer, has been an active park volunteer donating thousands of hours to serve as an advocate for historic and cultural preservation at The Historic Daniel Boone Home near Defiance. As a volunteer, he brings the legacy of Daniel Boone to life by bridging the past to the future through first-person interpretation of John Filson. Filson was Boone’s biographer, a Revolutionary War veteran, surveyor and the first official historian for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Earlier this year, Pecoraro and Combs were recognized with a proclamation by the Governor of Missouri and in 2017, both received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Parks Department.
Catch Pecoraro and Combs in action during the Christmas Candlelight Walks on Dec. 7-8 and Dec. 14-15 at the Boone Home. For more information on home tours, programs and special events, call 636-798-2005 or visit stccparks.org.
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Big League Players Showcased A “homegrown” Major League Baseball exhibit is coming soon to the Heritage Museum. The new display will feature 18 professional players from St. Charles County. Former professional baseball pitcher Mark Buehrle of St. Charles and father and son duo, Ken and Tom Heintzelman of St. Peters, are among the big league names featured. The baseball exhibit will showcase memorabilia from players and is expected to open with a FREE reception just in time for Cardinals Opening Day 2019.
The new exhibit will enhance the museum's "Our Sporting Heritage" exhibit which celebrates recreation by showcasing the history of hunting and fishing in St. Charles County and Missouri, from prehistoric times to the modern era. The sporting exhibit features a Marksman Training Simulator, an interactive digital hunting simulator that has the largest video shooting surface in the world and is one of only three of its kind in the United States. The simulator allows visitors to experience the thrill of hunting duck, deer, bear, and boar, as well as clay targets, and was donated to the Parks Department by hunting enthusiast August A. Busch III.
There is no charge to tour the museum or use the training simulator. Open from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Wednesday–Saturday and 12–5 p.m. on Sunday, the museum is a great place to visit for a family outing or school field trip. For more information, call the museum at 636-255-6000.
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Bluebird Population Grows Thanks to a group of dedicated park volunteers and Missouri Master Naturalists from the Confluence Chapter, the Eastern Bluebird population continues to grow in St. Charles County Parks.
After installing 20 bluebird nest boxes at Quail Ridge Park near Wentzville and 14 boxes at Broemmelsiek Park near Defiance/Wentzville, these volunteers have been able to monitor and record 144 fledglings (baby birds that have left the nest boxes) from the parks this year! This valuable data collected by these citizen scientists was submitted to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a world leader in the study, appreciation, and conservation of birds. The data will assist scientists with understanding changes in the bluebird population in Missouri.
The volunteers plan to continue to monitor and collect data from bluebird boxes at both parks again next year. If you are interested in assisting with the bluebird monitoring program at either park, email the parks department at parks@sccmo.org or call 636-949-7535. Monitors will receive training, a small bluebird monitoring kit and need to be able to monitor bluebird boxes along a trail in the park at least once a week from March to August.
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YAP Season Pass Sale 2019 Season Passes to the Youth Activity Park are on sale and make great holiday gifts! Current Season Pass holders can purchase a discounted pass now through the end of the year. When you renew your family, individual or youth season pass before Dec. 31, 2018, you’ll get 10 percent off the regular price! Costs for the discounted rate are as follows: - Ages 17 and under: $90
- Ages 18 and over: $103.50
- Family: $166.50 for two adults and three children under age 22 living at home; additional family members are $25.
Individual passes can be purchased online at stccparks.org or at the park. Family passes must be purchased at the park. For more information, call the park at 636-561-4964. Season passes purchased in 2018 are activated immediately.
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Holiday Happenings and Events‘Tis the season to visit a St. Charles County Park for family fun and an extra dose of holiday cheer! Join the Parks Department for this exciting lineup of holiday events:
Holiday Toy Train Display:
Saturday, Dec. 1 through Thursday, Jan. 31 at the
Heritage Museum, 1630 Heritage Landing near St. Charles.
Bring the family out to marvel over the museum’s popular Holiday Toy Train Display from December through January. This year’s display features exteneded train tracks, a new Santa Freight Lines Train and scenes that highlight landmark buildings in St. Charles County along with the Polar Express and Frosty’s Winter Wonderland. Join us to kick things off on Dec. 1 with a hot chocolate and cookie decorating reception. Admission is free; hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday and noon –5 p.m., Sunday. Call the museum at 636-255-6000 for more information.
Toys for Tots Dropoff:
The Heritage Museum is a donation site for the Marine Toys for Tots Program. You can bring new unwrapped toys to the musume now through Dec. 21 to help spread holiday cheer for less fortunate children.
Christmas Candlelight Walks:
6, 7 and 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7-8 and 14-15 at The Historic Daniel Boone Home, 1868 Highway F near Defiance.
Experience a night of warmth and beauty this holiday season at the Boone Home. Step back in time to observe Christmas traditions of the past, while strolling through the enchanting village illuminated with thousands of candles. Along the way, visit with "Daniel Boone" as he reminisces about winters past, and enjoy holiday cookies, apple cider, and traditional carols. This year’s musical performances will be held inside the Old Peace Chapel and include selections by Duchesne High School Royal Impressions, Timberland High School Choir, Holt High School Choir, the Greenleaf Singers, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Choir, Winfield High School Choir, the Nicole Jonas group and soloist Bethany Coad. Tickets are limited; admission is $10 in advance and $15 at the park. Call the Boone Home at 636-798-2005 or visit us online to pre-register.
Santa’s Search Party:
9:30-11:30 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 15 at Indian Camp Creek Park,
2679 Dietrich Road near Wentzville.
Join Santa's Search Party in the park! The object of this game is to find as many elves, presents and other characters hidden along the trails as you can. We provide a park map with clues; all you need is a cell phone or a camera to take a picture of each character you find. Cost is $1 per person. Pre-registration is required. Children 10 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
For more information about St. Charles County Parks holiday happenings, call 636-949-7535 or visit stccparks.org.
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FREE Fitness CampGet your fitness on and burn unwanted holiday calories with FREE pop up camps at the Youth Activity Park on select Wednesday evenings in November and December! The camps are led by Burn Boot Camp, a new gym opening in December in O'Fallon. These high intensity, 45-minute circuit style workouts begin at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, Nov. 14 and 28 and Dec. 5, 12 and 19, and focus on empowering participants of all fitness levels! Feel the burn as you experience a combination of burst and strength training, as well as body weight movements using a variety of equipment. The Youth Activity Park is located at 7801 Highway N near Dardenne Prairie. For more information, email ofallonmo@burnbootcamp.com. Arrive early–a liability waiver must be signed at the park prior to participation.
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2019 Park Guide to Fun!Mark your calendar! Your guide to 2019 park fun will be available soon! The new 2019 Park Activity Guide, which features information about programs, classes and special events planned in the parks from January through April, is filled with exciting events you won’t want to miss! Total Eclipse of the Moon, Winter Trails Day hike, and the Great Backyard Bird Count are just a few of the FREE family-friendly programs the parks department will offer in 2019. To learn more, check back at the end of the year to view the digital version of the guide on our website at stccpark.org.
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Stay Up-To-Date on County News!View and subscribe to St. Charles County's e-newsletters - Active by Nature,
the Connection, and Health e-News - by visiting Notify Me at sccmo.org! |
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