Holy Mackerel! This is a great weekend to get out and about all over the St. Louis area! With so much to do in the next few days, how do you choose? There’s something for everyone here, so FIRE UP for the weekend!

April 25  Pick Your Own Strawberries at Eckert’s

 

April 26 – 28 – FIRST Championship at Edward Jones Dome & America’s Center

Come get inspired by more than 11,000 kids ages 6 to 18 from all over the world, along with their mentors and coaches, as they compete head to head at the Edward Jones Dome with robots and research projects they’ve created themselves.  It’s amazing to watch, and all events are open and free to the public so plan to attend and see which team takes top honors in design excellence, competitive play & sportsmanship.  For exact times, see the web site at www.stlouisfirst.org.

 

April 27 – Annie Malone Kickoff Barbeque Benefit, Kiener Plaza

The Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center will host its Annual Kickoff Barbeque this Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Kiener Plaza, Broadway and Market Street in Downtown St. Louis.  Annie Malone promises to provide patrons with delicious, mouth-watering barbecue sandwiches, jumbo chicken wings, and side dishes.  The event will feature talented youth and other artists, a bouncy playground, along with informational booths and community resources.  From 4 – 7 p.m. the event will include the McDonald’s May Day Blues Fest, featuring the McDonald’s Music Fest and a variety of musical entertainment . 

April 27 – 29 – Shakespeare in the Streets, Cherokee Street

Shakespeare Festival St. Louis wants to bring Shakespeare and Shakespeare adaptations to every part of the City of St. Louis, and it is starting with the Gravois Park neighborhood (Cherokee Street Business District).  The talented artists at Shakespeare Festival St. Louis have written a new adaptation of a Shakespeare play by, with and for the people of Cherokee Street, and they will be performing it on the streets and parks of the neighborhood this Friday & Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.  The show will run about an hour.

April 28 & 29 – Brightside St. Louis’ Blitz 2012 Continues

Project Blitz, Brightside St. Louis’ annual campaign to clean up city neighborhoods continues this weekend.  Blitz is a great time to join your neighbors to clean up the streets, alleys and vacant lots on your block and in your immediate neighborhood.  The focus for this weekend will be Region 2 North (bound by Natural Bridge on the north; Mississippi River on the east; I-64 & Metrolink on the south, & Taylor on the west) and Region 2 South (bound by I-64 on the north; Mississippi River on the east; Meramec on the south, & Grand on the west).  To learn more, call (314) 772-4646.

April 28 – Downtown Home Tour, The Laurel Apartments

“The Art of Downtown Living” is the theme for this year’s Downtown Home Tour being held Saturday, April 28 from Noon to 6 p.m.  The self-guided tour will showcase 10 to 12 unique homes of our Downtown residents illustrating the variety of Downtown living from condominiums to apartments, and penthouses to one-bedrooms.  The tour is $14 with online registration and $20 day of the event at The Laurel Apartments, 616 N. 7^th Street.  A tour booklet, tour map, free parking and shuttles will be provided.  For more information, check out www.downtownstl.org/.

April 28 – Vintage Baseball, Gateway Arch Grounds

Local teams will play baseball games under the Gateway Arch this Saturday as they were played during the game’s formative years in the 19^th century.  Stop by from Noon to 6 p.m. to see the Vintage Baseball games as well as hands-on-displays of vintage uniforms and equipment, logo tracing and coloring plates of past and present St. Louis Cardinals team logos.  For more information, phone (314) 655-1700 or visit www.nps.gov/jeff .

April 28 – Disaster Preparedness Training, Buder Branch Library

Map Your Neighborhood is an all-hazards program designed to help neighbors prepare for disasters.  In a disaster, your neighbors are your most immediate source of help.  Knowing what to do in the first hour of a disaster response may save a life, reduce the severity of injuries, and reduce the amount of damage that you, your family, and neighbors sustain.   To that end, the St. Louis Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers is hosting a free, one-hour training class at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Buder Branch Library, 4401 Hampton in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood.  Learn what to do for your family and neighbors if a disaster occurs.

April 28 – Happy 190^th! Soulard Market

A representative from the Superintendent for the National Park Service will speak at Soulard Market this Saturday at 11 a.m. in honor of the 190^th birthday of Ulysses S. Grant.  President Grant was once a vendor at the Market.  You are cordially invited to come to the Market to learn more about President Grant, then visit the many current vendors at the Market.

May 1 – Twilight Tuesday Concert Series

A favorite of many St. Louisans, the Twilight Tuesday Concert Series at the Missouri History Museum in the beautiful Forest Park will kick off on Tuesday, May 1 with a concert by Nikko Smith.  All concerts will begin at 6 p.m. on the museum’s front lawn.  Admission is free.  The series will run through June 12. Food and drink are available. Make sure to bring your own blanket or lawn chair.

May 2 – Wednesday Night Out (Downtown-wide Happy Hour)

GET OUT AND ENJOY!

Information compliments of the City of St. Louis, Director of Public Safety Office and The Partnership for Downtown St. Louis.  All the photos are from the web sites listed.

Happily brought to you by this “Everybody’s-Working-For-The-Weekend” Mills Apartments blogger!