Recreation & Activities Calendar
Click Here to see Calendar
For articles and ideas on fun things to do for recreation and outdoor activities, Click Here
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Click Here to see Calendar
For articles and ideas on fun things to do for recreation and outdoor activities, Click Here
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Missouri Special Olympics State Outdoor Championships
Missouri Special Olympics State Outdoor ChampionshipsCape Girardeau?August 13-15, 2010
2010 State Outdoor Championships will bring more than 700 athletes to Cape Girardeau from all over the state.
Our Mission is...to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with mental disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.
S.C.O.R.E with Special Olympics Missouri!
Through 21 year-round SPORTS, Special Olympics Missouri offers children and adults with mental disabilities training and competition divisioned by age and ability. We're more than sports, however; our program gives athletes the CONFIDENCE and skills to hold jobs, get better grades and earn respect. We provide an OPPORTUNITY for every individual to feel accepted and appreciated. Whether you coach, volunteer or donate, you can see REWARDS immediately. EXPERIENCE the true spirit of sport today.
FEATURED SPORTS:
?GOLF (18-hole, 9-hole, Alternate Shot, Individual Skills) SOFTBALL (Regulation, Unified Sports‚ Coach Pitch, Tee Ball, Individual Skills, Team Skills) ?TENNIS (Regulation, Unified Sports, Doubles, Individual Skills)
COMPETITION VENUES: ?
Golf competition will take place at JC Golf Course?. Softball competition will take place at Shawnee Softball Fields. ?Tennis competition, dinner, Bingo and the Dance will take place at Southeast Missouri State University. ?Victory Village will take place at the Osage Center.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:?
Friday, Aug. 13
Golf Competition (9:30 am-4:30 pm)?
Tennis Competition (10:00 am - 4:00 pm)?
Opening Ceremonies (6:30 - 7:30 pm)
Saturday, Aug. 14?
Softball Tournament Play (7:30 am-3:00 pm)?
Softball Individual Skills Finals (9:30 am)?
Victory Village (1:00 - 4:00 pm)
Sunday, Aug. 15
Softball Tournament Play (8:00 am - 12:00 pm)
For more information on Missouri Special Olympics, Click Here
Where Black River Meets Amazing
by Mark Cozart
I have many favorite places in Southeast Missouri, but I can honestly say that Markham Springs in Williamsville Missouri is my absolute favorite destination.
The main reason I like Markham
Springs is the river views. I grew up near the southern portion of
Black River, which is a truly black river that looks like a glorified
ditch. There is nothing special about this "river" and most people will
speak of it passingly, if at all. However, Black River in the southern
Butler County and NE Arkansas is completely different from the
immaculate Black River of Wayne County. It should not even be referred
to Black River at all in this area. No, it should be referred to as the
blue or green hue river (I would issue a decree but my powers
of persuasion and influence are tethered to the inner sanctum of my
mind). It is the most gorgeous hue of green (or blue depending on
weather conditions and time of year) in Wayne County and it meanders the
area like flowing poetry. The Eagle Bluff Trail, named because Chief Eagle and his tribe camped here during the trail of tear, is my favorite trail in all the world. Perhaps it is my trail because it was the first real trail that I hiked when I started to enjoying hiking and the natural world. It is also the most unkempt trail in Missouri, but the views of the river, the nearby hills, mountains, and valley make it worth the hassle.
Here is a link to the US Park Service page on the Camp ground: Click Here . A notice on the page indicates you can not book a campsite. That is because the camping sites are available on a first come basis. The electrical sites would be the ones you might be concerned about on a busy weekend. Tent camping typically does not sell out.
Phone Park for More Information: Project Office: (573)785-1475
Markam Springs is located North West of Poplar Bluff and west of Lake Wappapello just outside Williamsville, Missouri
GPS Info. (Latitude, Longitude): 36.97333, -90.60167
View Larger Map
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Cape Splash Family Aquatic Center
Scheduled To Open May 29th. Cape's Water Park is set to open next week just in time for Memorial Day Week End. This place looks fabulous at night under the lights and appears to be great fun just waiting to happen. Kids and adults alike are sure to enjoy the various water activities and especially so as the summer heat arrives. The construction of the facility cost $8.7 million and includes a 700-foot-long lazy river, four water slides, a six-lane lap pool and a landscaped picnic area. Scroll down to see some pictures taken at night under the lights of the water park and some video of the water in action.   |
Make this your Summer of Local Outdoor Adventure!By JD Tanner & Emily Ressler
Missouri and Illinois are full of outdoor adventures just waiting to
happen, and we are going to provide you with a series of some of our
favorite places to visit and things to do. We’re not going to mess
around either, so let’s start things off with a classic. The Whispering
Pines Trail in Hawn State Park is a must do for your Summer of Outdoor
Adventure.
 The hike: You have three hiking options here. The 6-mile North Loop (well marked with red arrows) begins at the trailhead. The 4-mile South Loop (actually totals about 6 miles after hiking the connector trail that gets you there and back) is marked with blue arrows and requires a connecting trail that you come across after a short hike on the North Loop. The third option is a 10-mile North to South Loop combination. All three of the trails offer hikes along bluffs, strolls through beautiful pine forests, and amazing views of the Ozarks. The North Loop hikes along Pickle Creek for a few miles, which offers plenty of places to take a break and cool off. The South Loop parallels the River Aux Vases for a short distance and offers the same as Pickle Creek. Both trails are well signed and maintained. There are a few rocky sections of trail and a few areas where the trail can be steep, but nothing too dangerous or physically demanding.   Tips: 1) Most people average about 2 miles per hour on trail. Doing the math, figure about 3 to 4 hours for either loop and 7 to 8 hours for the 10-mile loop. 2) Always hike with the 10 essentials; map, compass, sunglasses/sunscreen, extra food and water, extra clothes, headlamp/flashlight, first aid kit, fire starter, matches, and knife. 3) An ideal amount of water for these hikes is NO LESS than 2 liters per person. 4) As is always the case in Missouri, be aware of poisonous snakes, mosquitoes, ticks, and poison ivy. Getting there: from Cape Girardeau, take I-55 north to exit 150. Turn left onto MO-32 towards Farmington. After about 12 miles, turn left again onto MO-144 (you will see a sign for Hawn State Park). Drive about 3 miles until you reach the end of MO-144 and turn left onto Park Drive. Follow Park Drive into the park, past the park office (on your right), and down a semi-steep hill. Reach a Y in the road and stay right towards the signed hiking trailheads. Whispering Pines Trail parking is on the right. |
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People for Bikes Unite! The letter below was taken from the CYCLEWERX website and we wanted to share it with you. Cycling is a great sport and healthy activity that is fun to do. The problem is, there are not a lot of safe and close places to ride. If more people and more of our government officials would work to create a safer environment for riding, then more people would do it. How much could we better ourselves and our environment (exercise, energy savings and pollution output) by biking places rather than driving. Here is the letter from John Dodd: "Hello friends of CYCLEWERX, We want to tell you about brand new effort to unite one million voices to improve bicycling in the United States by asking people to sign a pledge in support of biking. It's called peopleforbikes.org, and the goal is to make our country a better place to ride by sending a unified message to our elected leaders, the media, and the public that bicycling is important and should be promoted. More than 30,000 people have already signed the pledge, including Lance Armstrong! Please take a moment to check out the website and add your name. It is quick and easy, and it will help the future of biking. All they need is your name: peopleforbikes.org Whatever your background, whatever your bike, and wherever you ride -- everyone has a stake in building more bike lanes and trails, securing more funding, and influencing local and national policies to better support bicycling. Right now peopleforbikes.org is in its earliest stages, so let's help the campaign get off to a strong start. After all, life is better when it's experienced on two wheels. Please sign the pledge, and share the message with other riders you know. Thank you, John Dodd" Thanks John and keep up the good work! |