PRINTHot fun in the summertime
Joshua A. Bickel
May 22, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Out of all the excitement, entertainment and eating available this summer, Vox found some options you won’t want to pass up.
Stephens Spray Grounds
Run through fountains in the park
Few little ones can fight the temptation on a hot summer afternoon to dash through the sprinkler invading the sidewalk or watering a nearby lawn. This summer, Stephens Lake Park Spray Grounds provides all the water sprinkling, shooting and spraying a kid could
ask for.
The spray grounds opened May 1. This concrete “splash pad” includes bolts of water that shoot randomly out of the ground in the form of geysers, rings and fountains. Senior park planner Mike Snyder believes Stephens Lake is ready to embrace the influx of children expected with the addition of the spray grounds. When planning the park, Snyder and his colleagues knew it needed to be more than just a lake or the goose-infested swimming hole it was when owned by the college. “We had to build larger parking lots and allow for a lot of people to use the park because it’s so central to Columbia and such a beautiful area,” Snyder says.
Although the spray ground isn’t expected to be extremely crowded at first, Tammy Miller, public information specialist for Columbia Parks and Recreation, thinks popularity will grow as more families discover the newly opened grounds and as temperatures rise this summer.
For those who would like to submerge themselves completely, there is an unguarded 11-acre lake with swimming and fishing areas at the park as well. But with water only inches deep and a non-slip concrete surface, the spray grounds are a no-water-wings-required spot for children (and the young at heart) to get wet without diving in this summer.
Stephens Lake Park Spray Grounds
Dates: May 1- Sept. 30
Times: Dawn to dusk
Cost: Free
Call: 874-7460
Visit: gocolumbiamo.com/ParksandRec/
Aquatics/
Redneck Games
Dates and Time: Events begin Fri. June 20 at 4 p.m. and Sat. June 21at noon.
Cost: $5 - 15 for adults.
Visit: missouriredneckgames.com
Musical lineup: Renegade Rail, Fri. 9 p.m., Sat. 8 p.m. Richochet, Sat. 9 p.m.
A Taste for the Arts
Dates: June 7 – 8
Outdoor Art Exhibit: Open Saturday 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Judging at Friday 5 p.m., reception at 7 p.m.
Concerts (rain or shine)
Saturday:
10 a.m. Coffee Concert and the Arianna String Quartet
11:30 a.m. “Four Hundred Years of Love Songs”
12:30 p.m. Paul DeMarinis Quintet with Debby Lennon
2 p.m. Javier Mendoza Band
3:30 p.m. Sounds from Argentina
4:30 p.m. Nuclear Percussion Ensemble
7:30 p.m. Pops Concert
Sunday:
11 a.m. The Grass Pack
1 p.m. Steve Schenkel Sextet
Call: (636) 583-5195, Ext. 2415,
info@tasteforthearts.org
Visit: tasteforthearts.org
Cost: Free
Hot patio in the city
Columbia’s premier patios
Perhaps the only thing hotter than a summer day is a summer night. With the stars twinkling and the moon on the rise, the outdoors provide the perfect background for evening adventures. Maybe that’s why restaurant patios are hoppin’ in the summer heat. Vox hit Columbia’s restaurant scene to bring you the city’s hottest patios.
For a Sky-High View: The Forge & Vine, 119 S. Seventh St.
Feel the rooftop breeze on the patio of this rustic-meets-trendy restaurant. Featuring a full-service bar and nightly drink specials, The Forge & Vine also provides live music Wednesday through Saturday from 9:30 p.m. to close. Cool off with a Bailey’s Banana Colada or one of Forge’s cocktails with fresh-squeezed juices.
The Place to Play: Deuce Pub & Pit, 3700 Monterey Drive
Like an amusement park for drunken adults, it seems as if the only thing you can’t do at the Deuce is get bored. From darts to pool to shuffleboard, this place has it all — including an oversized patio with two sand volleyball courts and three washers courts. Feeling competitive? Form a team and join one of the Deuce’s multiple volleyball leagues. Between sets, recharge with the Hawaiian Fruit Salad made, with pineapple and mandarin oranges on a bed a lettuce.
Splendid Specials: Gaucho’s Steakhouse-Churrascaria, 10 Southhampton Drive (pictured above)
Enjoy pitchers of sangria and cups of gazpacho this summer while taking in the view from this Brazilian steakhouse’s wrap-around deck, which overlooks the scenic Corporate Lake. Specials vary night to night and include free wings, free nachos, cheap domestic pitchers and reduced-price shots.
Eatin’ good
What to eat in the heat
As the seasons change, our taste buds begin craving new flavors. With the start of summer, we push away those comfort foods we’ve indulged in and sate your appetite for those summer specialties including barbecue, watermelon and iced tea.
For Brian James, head chef at Hemingway’s Wine & Bistro, summertime is the ideal season to stock up at the produce section. “You can’t get away from fresh vegetables,” he explains as he stands behind the black granite counter in his bar. “(During the summer) they are as ripe as they can get.”
“People like pastas in the summer time,” James continues as he flattens bread dough with a long wooden rolling pin, thus completing the morning’s prep-work before the restaurant opens for lunch. “People love seafood. Smoking meats is also good to do in the summer.”
Hemingway’s menu offers seasonal items with fresh and appropriate flavors. Hemingway’s is currently adjusting its menu to the warming weather outside. “I just added a rabbit dish to the menu — mustard-marinated rabbit,” James explains. “And grilled lamb loin and veal chop. In the winter, people want heavy, hearty dishes. In the summer, they don’t want to eat like that. They want something lighter.”
Chef James’ summer favorites:
Panzanella: “Heirloom tomatoes, sautéed bread, marinated red onions, fresh basil and a little raspberry vinaigrette,” James says. “Just throw it all together.” Homegrown tomatoes are easy to find in the summer and make this dish a perfect and healthy poolside snack.
Ratatouille: “All of the vegetables are in season. Zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, peppers, all the fresh herbs.” The fresh vegetable and basil and parsley included in this dish give it a fresh, light taste. Pair it with a toasted baguette and serve as an appetizer.
Rosé: “I’m putting a big rosé selection together on my wine list,” James says. “Rosé is a wine that many people don’t understand, but it’s great summer wine.” Between $10-50 a bottle, rosé is a light-pink, slightly sweet wine (not to be confused with white zinfandel) that is served chilled. Already popular in Europe, rosé is the current summertime wine of choice.
Show me rednecks
Missouri hosts Redneck Games
Redneck can be an elusive term, even if images of burned necks and buckteeth (or no teeth) come to mind. So what is a redneck? “If you have to ask that question, then you’re not a redneck,” says Joe Bechtold, manager of this summer’s Redneck Games. Founded in Georgia in 1996, the games make their first Missouri appearance at the Sandbar at Midway on June 20 and 21.
At these games, either nothing is as it seems or everything is the way it sounds. Redneck horseshoes, for instance, are toilet seats. The hubcap hurl though, is exactly that. The Redneck Games were founded in East Dublin, Ga., by Mac Davis the summer Atlanta hosted the Olympic Games.
Since then, the Redneck Games have been adopted by other states, with Texas and California hosting the biggest games behind Georgia. Bechtold says there was a big demand for the games to begin in Missouri. “We felt like we could host one as well, or better,” he says. “There are a lot of talented rednecks in Missouri.” Bechtold expects 2,000 people to attend the games.
But it might not be a good idea to pretend to be a redneck if you’re not one. Beware of the “Best Redneck Vehicle” contest if you only think your car might do well. “If somebody enters a vehicle that isn’t a redneck vehicle, we have bats and tools,” Bechtold says. “We can convert it to a redneck vehicle.”
The official Redneck Games conclude on Sunday with a redneck wedding giveaway by KCLR 99.3 FM. The winning couple will arrive in a haywagon and then say their vows with “a thousand other drunk rednecks,” Bechtold says. They’ll dance their first dance to the night’s headlining band, Ricochet. It doesn’t end there. The couple can invite 50 of their family members and friends to the ceremony. Afterward, the couples’ personal guests can treat themselves under a V.I.P. tent to fried turkey testicles and Rocky Mountain oysters that come with a Miller Lite to wash it all down.
A Taste for the Arts
Hermann festival combines it all
Known for its historic, German-influenced attractions, wineries and beautiful countryside, Hermann brings together fine art, concerts and German cuisine for the second annual A Taste for the Arts, June 7 – 8. As part of his lofty goals to get Hermann beyond the grape-stomp, Jim Dierberg has refurbished the corner of First Street and Gutenberg over the past few years. This easily accessible corner — called The Garten — is where the action will take place.
This two-day celebration includes nine concerts, with performances by the nationally recognized Arianna Quartet, the Javier Mendoza Band and the Saint Louis Chamber Orchestra. Near the concert tent are art exhibits and food, wine and beer venues. The food, mostly provided by Hermannhof Winery, includes a selection of traditional German items — bratwurst, sauerkraut and German potato salad. Vendors will also sell traditional festival snacks, including roasted cinnamon nuts and homemade ice cream.
Another part of the festival is a juried outdoor art exhibit. Artists from Missouri and the surrounding states entered, and the exhibit features various mediums including painting, metalworking and jewelry.
Of course, there’s no shortage of wine or beer in this part of Missouri, which is home to seven wineries. The Tin Mill, a microbrewery in The Garten, offers authentic German beer made with ingredients and brewing technology imported from Germany. The highlight of the festival is expected to be the Pops concert on Saturday night, when Dr. James Richards and the orchestra perform Broadway hits in the Clara Eitman Messmer Amphitheatre.
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