Explore St. Louis

It's time to celebrate America's birthday and here along the Mississippi River that means it's time for Fair St. Louis -- a party filled with free music, tasty food and spectacular fireworks shows.

Saturday, July 1, the annual celebration kicks off at 10 a.m. with the Veiled Prophet Parade -- a mysterious tradition found only in St. Louis. Who is the Veiled Prophet? Who knows? But he brings marching bands, floats and all manner of fun to the streets of downtown St. Louis. The parade, a tradition since 1878, begins at 4th Street and Washington Avenue and continues south on 4th Street and west on Market to end at 20th Street.

Also at 10 a.m., restaurants offering tastes of St. Louis-style cooking open on the deck of "Eats Bridge," (the historic Eads Bridge, renamed for the party). Other activities include the Family Fun Village, Buster Brown Kids Stage, National Park Service Exhibits and much more.

The Fair officially opens at 11 a.m. and a free performance by B5 from the hit TV movie, "High School Musical" takes place on the main stage at 1 p.m. St. Louis' best local bands continue the music all day with sets at 3:00, 4:30 and 6 p.m.

At 8 p.m., Jason Mraz hits the Budweiser Main Stage for a free concert featuring his unique blend of roots, rock, coffeehouse folk and jazz.

The evening ends with the U.S. Bank/Enterprise Rent-a-Car Fireworks under the Gateway Arch.

On Tuesday, July 4, restaurants again open at 10 a.m. on Eads Bridge and the Fair opens at 5:30 p.m. Hootie and the Blowfish perform on the Budweiser Main Stage at 8:00 p.m. Local bands open the show at 7:00 p.m.

Fireworks end the party at 9:00 p.m. (Free music, food and fireworks continue each Friday and Saturday night from July 14-15 through August 11-12 with Live on the Levee.)

Looking for something special to do with your friends and family this long holiday weekend? Check the interactive Calendar of Events for suggestions.

Fair St. Louis.
7/1/2006 & 7/4/2006
Check this blog for details on the music, food and fireworks at St. Louis' annual Independence Day weekend celebration.

St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Game
6/30/2006 - 7/2/2006
Busch Stadium
7:10 p.m. (30): 6:15 p.m. (1); 1:15 p.m. (2)
Tickets: (314) 421-2400
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Kansas City Royals.

A Patriotic Fourth of July Celebration
7/1/2006 - 7/4/2006
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Old Courthouse)
8:00 a.,m. - 5:00 p.m.
For more information call: (314) 655-1700
The Old Courthouse celebrates a Patriotic Fourth of July with interpreters in period clothing, Living History portrayals, patriotic music and speeches, historic vignettes, ranger programs and refreshments of the era.

Aida
6/26/2006 - 7/2/2006
The Muny in Forest Park
8:15 p.m.
Tickets: (314) 534-1111
Elton John meets Verdi in The Muny’s premiere production of AIDA, winner of 4 Tony® Awards. This timeless triangle entraps the would-be leader of ancient Egypt, the daughter of a pharaoh and an enslaved Nubian princess. Lovers struggling against extraordinary odds in an extraordinary situation is at its heart.

Right In My Own Backyard Exhibit
Ongoing
The Magic House, St. Louis Children's Museum [Map It]
(314) 822-8900
Massive mushrooms, enormous ants and colossal plants are sprouting up at The Magic House for its newest hands-on, interactive exhibit. In this oversized backyard, you and your family can enjoy outdoor play while getting exercise! From climbing inside an anthill and zipping down a tubular slide to tossing balls at super sized-spiders in their giant web, you will love playing in The Magic House backyard.

The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Presents Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World ExhibitOngoing
The History Museum in Forest Park [Map It]
Time: Daily 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. ; Tuesdays until 8:00 p.m.; Summer hours: Monday-Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. and Friday-Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Cost: $12.00 adult; $10.00 senior and student; $5.00 children 6-12; 5 and under Free; Free admission on Tuesdays
314) 746-4599
This engaging and memorable exhibition will convey the original genius, wit and imagination of Ben Franklin through a series of interactive multimedia exhibits combined with the largest collection of original Franklin materials ever assembled. Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World beings our most remarkable Founding Fathers to life.

Cabaret
Through 7/2/2006
Location: Robert G. Reim Theatre at the Kirkwood Civic Center
Cost: $45.00; $42.00 seniors 65 and older
(314) 821-2407
www.stagesstlouis.org
Enter the world of Cabaret where nothing really matters as long as you're having fun. Here starry-eyed singer Sally Bowles invites you to join her on a glittering and frenzied tour through the decadent netherworld of pre-World War II Berlin as fantasy and reality collide in this most daring of musical creations.

SportsWorks Exhibit
5/27/2006 - 12/31/2006
The Saint Louis Science Center in Forest Park
(314) 289-4444 or (800) 456-SLSC
An ehxibit that promotes health and wellness through focus on sports, including extreme experience activities adapted from commercial sources, extensive video walls and local sports tie-ins.

Dreamgirls
Through 7/2/2006
St. Louis Black Repertory Company, The Grandel Theatre
Time: 7:00 p.m. Thursday; 8:00 p.m. Friday and Satruday; 3:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Cost: $17.00 - $40.00
Tickets: (314) 534-3810
www.stlouisblackrep.com
As quick as their rise to stardom, a singing sensation discovers the American Dream has its price.

Glass in the Garden: Chihuly at the Missouri Botanical Garden
Ongoing
Missouri Botanical Garden
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. daily and 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. during "Chihuly Nights" on Thursdays
Cost: Climatron admission $6.00 Monday-Thursday; $8.00 Friday-Sunday
314) 577-5100
www.mobot.org
Visitors can discover breathtaking views of colorful plantlike shapes at every turn at this custom-designed show of blown glass sculptures by Chihuly. The major installation will be inside the Climatron conservatory with sculptures placed among thousands of exotic tropical plants. Outdoors south of the Garden’s Ridgway Center main entrance building other blown glass installations will be showcased dramatically within the natural landscapes of the Garden.

Remote Viewing (Invented Worlds in Recent Painting and Drawing) Exhibit
6/18/2006 - 8/27/2006
Location: The Saint Louis Art Museum in Forest Park [Map It]
For more information call: (314) 721-0072
www.slam.org
This exhibition features a major overview of recent abstract paintings and drawings that explore themes of virtual reality, the deep unconscious, nomadic travels, and public space. Created by an international and intergenerational group of artists—Franz Ackermann, Steve DiBenedetto, Carroll Dunham, Ati Maier, Julie Mehretu, Matthew Ritchie, Alexander Ross, and Terry Winters—these new works embrace both an analytic and poetic approach to visual stimuli.

The jazz is hot, but the weather forecast is delightful for this weekend just in time for the annual U.S. Bank St. Louis Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Hear the best in national and local jazz talent at this two-day event. Tickets are available through Metrotix outlets and U.S. Bank ATMs.

This year's stars on Friday, June 23 are Denise Thimes from 5-6 p.m., Preservation Hall Jazz Band from 6:30-8 p.m., Dr. John from 8:30-10 p.m., and on Saturday, June 24 George Duke & Stanley Clarke take the stage from 4:30-6 p.m., Lizz Wright from 6:30-8 p.m. and St. Louis' own David Sanborn from 8:30-10 p.m.

Additional activities include an instrument petting zoo, great food and drink and much more.

NEW AT THE STL ZOO: KOMODO DRAGON

A modern-day “dragon” has moved into the Charles H. Hoessle Herpetarium at the St. Louis Zoo. A young male Komodo dragon named “Dua”(pronounced DOO-ah) is now on display daily in his habitat. He is almost three years old, is over four feet long and weighs about 40 pounds. Dua, which means “two” in Indonesian, was the second to hatch from a clutch at the Toronto Zoo.

Komodo dragons have not been on exhibit at the St. Louis Zoo since 2003.

The Komodo is one of the world’s largest lizards, averaging 8 to 10 feet in length and weighing more than 200 pounds. The Komodo is a member of a family of lizards called monitors. About 50 species of monitors are found in Africa, Asia and Australia. The Komodo dragon is confined to a few small Indonesian islands, including the namesake island of Komodo. They live in grasslands, savannas and monsoon forests at lower elevations. The species is considered threatened in the wild.

The Komodo is a very efficient predator. It can run as fast as a man for short spurts, is agile enough to climb trees and is also a good swimmer. Its saliva contains deadly bacteria, which allows the Komodo to bring down prey as large as pigs and deer.

The St. Louis Zoo participates in the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Species Survival Plan for the Komodo dragon.

The Zoo, located in historic Forest Park, is open daily in the summer from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission to the Zoo is free.

"Dua's" photo by Ray Meibaum.