Xes is a popular club that offers chic atmosphere, connected to the Drunken Fish sushi restaurant.

See Victorian carolers, a Las Posadas celebration, authentically costumed Santas from around the world, and a Santa Parade each weekend.  Candlelight shopping and dining on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday evenings till 9 p.m.  Call 800-366-2427 for more information.

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Stroll through the Saint Louis Zoo's enchanting holiday wonderland and enjoy thousands of colorful lights, animated light displays and seasonal sounds. Step into the sub-Antarctic and go nose to beak with the animals at Penguin & Puffin Coast.  Enjoy kids’ crafts, fireside storytellers and other entertainment.

December 7-30, 2007 (Closed December 24 and 25)
5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

$5/non-members; $4/Zoo Friends members; free for children under age two.  Groups of 15 or more may call in advance for special rate.  Parking is free on the South Lot adjacent to Hwy. 40.  Enter through the South Entrance at the Z-O-O pylon.  Reservations are not required.  

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Choir of Christ Church Cathedral
Friday, December 21, 6:30–8:30 p.m.
Grigg Gallery, Free

This festive evening celebrates winter, light and the holidays. Enjoy a performance by the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral led by William Partridge.

Drinks and light fare will be available for purchase in Sculpture Hall from Puck's Restaurant.

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Pedal the Bike St. Louis route on this ride brought to you by The Great Rivers Greenway District on Sunday, July 20.  This urban ride features some of St. Louis’ distinct destinations and includes a stop at the Velodrome; take a spin if you dare! Registration is 7:30 – 9 a.m. at Anheuser-Busch, 2800 S 12th St., St. Louis, MO 63118. Choose routes of 16, 24 or 35 miles.  The routes are mostly flat with some rolling hills.
 
In May, The Great Rivers Greenway District announced the addition of 57-miles of on-street Bike St. Louis routes through St. Louis County and St. Louis City. The Bike St. Louis system now totals 77 miles of dedicated bike lanes and shared traffic lanes. All Bike St. Louis routes feature highly visible customized designation signage, standard federal bicycle route signage and on-street pavement markings. Bike St. Louis maps are available online at the Bike St. Louis website.

This free event is brought to you by The Great Rivers Greenway District. Riders still need to register and sign a waiver before receiving a route map and beginning the ride. Services provided by Trailnet include SAG (service and gear) support until 3 p.m., route markings and map. Mechanical support is provided by Maplewood Bicycle.

Directions to the start: From downtown St. Louis take I-55 south and exit at Arsenal Street (exit #206C) and go left. At S. Broadway turn left and then another left onto Lynch Street. The parking lot will be on the left.  
 
For a FREE 2008 Calendar of Bicycle Rides check your local bike shop or the Trailnet website.

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Through photographs, film clips and interviews with the artist, his family, colleagues and associates, this engaging documentary looks at the life and work of Gordon Parks. It is a revealing portrait of Parks as an artist, a family man and as an observer and participant on the front lines of American history in the 20th century. Produced by Denzel Washington for HBO, the film was made to complement the traveling exhibition Half Past Autumn: The Art of Gordon Parks, a retrospective of Parks’ photography. Narrated by Alfre Woodard.

Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance by calling 314.655.5299. The film will be shown in the Museum Auditorium. Doors open 30 minutes before showtime.

FREE

Imagine a race across the entire state of Missouri, just you and your boat thrown against 340 miles of wind, heat, bugs and rain. This ain’t no mama’s boy float trip.

This race promises to test your mettle from the first stroke in Kansas City to the last gasp in St. Charles. Just entering it will impress your friends. Finishing it will astound them… and winning it? Well, you always thought you were sort of a legend anyway, didn’t you? It’s time to prove it.

The Missouri 340 is an endurance race across the state of Missouri. Competitors will start in Kansas City and finish, some of them anyway, in St. Charles. With numerous towns and hamlets, the course offers plenty of opportunity for resupply while enroute. The Missouri River is also incredibly scenic and isolated in some stretches, with wildlife and beautiful vistas to rival any river in North America. But if you're trying to win this race, you won't have time to enjoy  any of it.

Participants are allowed exactly 100 hours to complete the course.  There are nine checkpoints along the route where paddlers are required to sign in and sign out. Cutoff times will be associated with these checkpoints based on the 100 hour pace. Failure to miss two consecutive deadlines is grounds for disqualification. To finish this race in 100 hours is a huge accomplishment. Only 2/3 of the teams were able to do that last year.

There are no dams, locks or portages on this stretch of the Missouri. You could, conceivably, finish this race without ever having left your  boat. (We don't recommend it.) This doesn't mean that the race is without danger. Any time you put yourself on the water, especially  moving water, you assume a certain amount of risk. The Missouri 340 course is all on Class I water. The current is about 3 mph and there are no rapids. The biggest hazard to paddlers would be motorboats, mostly fisherman, and the occasional towboat pushing barges. In river obstacles would include wing dikes, buoys and bridge pilings.

Thanks to the United States Coast Guard, the river is marked over the entire course with mileage and channel markers. It is almost impossible not to know, within a mile or less, your exact location. At the pre-race meeting and safety check, racers will be briefed on how to read these markers, how to handle a tow and barge passage and what constitutes public property on the river. Paddlers will also be provided with a racing guide that includes available services in towns, emergency phone numbers, etc.

For registration or further information, click here. 

The Foundry Art Centre celebrates the skill and patience of artists who, in an age of seductive high speed solutions, still prefer to work up a sweat and get their hands dirty.

Come explore the conservation efforts that have transformed Ruth Park Woods on a one-mile hike through the shaded woods. The 26-acre woods are the largest stand of oak-hickory forest of its size and quality in the area. It is also an oasis for resident and migratory birds. The Green Center is in the midst of a two-year effort to remove invasive honeysuckle and wintercreeper and replant trees along the riparian corridor.

The hike is being held in partnership with the Sierra Club-Eastern Missouri Group. For more information, email outing leader Ted Slap at slpacentral-sierra@yahoo.com

Learn more about the engineer who made a living salvaging cargo and steamboats at the bottom of the river to building the first ironclads on the river during the Civil War. After the war, he overcame many engineering and man-made obstacles to build the bridge at St. Louis that still bears his name.

This program is free.

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Come celebrate National Night Out in the outdoors with your family, friends and neighbors! Enjoy a canoe ride on the 34-acre lake or a hayride around the park. All safety equipment is provided.

Call 314-355-7374. Admission is free.

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Before vehicles were equipped with GPS units, early explorers used a compass. Learn how to use this navigational tool through games and activities to help you find your way.

This program is recommended for ages 8 and older. Reservations begin July 30.

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This urban bicycle ride, recommended for experienced cyclists, climbs the “little hills” of St. Charles. After the ride, visit the fine arts gallery in the Foundry Arts Centre that hosts juried exhibitions and features 20 working artists' studios. Choose route lengths of 27, 44 or 62 miles.

This is a free event thanks to support from the Great Rivers Greenway District.

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Come see these magnificent “always on the go” birds up-close as they migrate through the area. The Illinois Audubon Society will be banding birds and they are available for adoption too!

ABC's #1 rated reality show, Dancing With The Stars, is coming to the Gateway City on January 16th. Renowned celebrities and professional dancers will be competing for the title of best dancing pair among their peers, with tickets on sale November 10, so head over to the Scottrade Center website and snag a pair.

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