FREE “INCREDIBLES 2” FAMILY PARTIES

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On June 16-17 from 10 a.m. to noon, celebrate the opening of “Incredibles 2” at participating Marcus Theatres’ and Marcus Wehrenberg Theatres’ locations! Dress like your favorite superhero (no masks or face coverings, please) for a variety of games and crafts, including make-your-own superhero mask* and coloring stations, plus complimentary snacks. Attendees are encouraged to stay for the movie, with admission sold separately. Visit MarcusTheatres.com for a list of participating locations and showtimes:http://www.marcustheatres.com/marcus-specials/family-friendly-films/free-incredibles-2-party.

*Although masks are not allowed in the theatre per Marcus Theatres’ admittance policy, participants will be able to make a superhero mask as part of this activity.

Kids Dream Summer Film Series Presented by American Family Insurance, Value Programs and Kids Parties Provide Options All Season Long

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OVERVIEW:

With summer break in session and blockbuster season in full swing, Marcus Theatres® and Marcus Wehrenberg Theatres are turning up the heat at the box office with a variety of family-friendly offerings including value programs, free family parties and the highly anticipated Kids Dream Summer Film Series.

VALUE PROGRAMS:

See this summer’s hottest blockbusters on the big screen, without breaking the bank:

  • Movie Tuesdays: At all locations, see any movie for just $5 every Tuesday. Plus, Magical Movie Rewards (MMR) members receive free complimentary-size popcorn.
  • Student Thursdays: At participating locations, students and faculty can show their ID to see any movie for $6. They can also receive free complimentary-size popcorn.
  • Young at Heart®: At all locations, seniors ages 60 and up can catch any movie for $6 every Friday before 5:30 p.m.
  • Early Bird Movies: At participating locations, early risers can see any movie for $6 before 11 a.m.

With the exception of Movie Tuesdays, an additional charge for 3D, 4DX, SuperScreen DLX®UltraScreen DLX® and IMAX® applies. Visit MarcusTheatres.com for a list of participating locations: http://www.marcustheatres.com/marcus-specials/value-pricing/super-saver-.

There’s no better way to escape the heat than the Kids Dream Summer Film Series presented by American Family Insurance! Between June 24 and August 29, moviegoers can see family-favorite films on the big screen at participating Marcus Theatres’ and Marcus Wehrenberg Theatres’ locations on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. — plus Saturdays in August.
Admission for all showtimes is just $3. Attendees can also enjoy concessions specials, including popcorn and fountain drinks for $2.75 each. Titles, dates and showtimes are subject to change. All titles will be shown in standard 2D only and rated PG in accordance with standard MPAA guidelines.

While the Kids Dream Summer Film Series has a cost of admission, guests can visit their American Family Insurance agent or the series’ website for free tickets courtesy of American Family Insurance. Visit MarcusTheatres.com for more information, showtimes and free tickets: www.marcustheatres.com/kidsdream. The film schedule and participating locations follow.

KIDS DREAM SCHEDULE:

June 24, 25 and 27: “Ferdinand” – Rated PG

After Ferdinand, a bull with a big heart, is mistaken for a dangerous beast, he is captured and torn from his home. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit team on the ultimate adventure.

July 1, 2 and 4: “Wonder” – Rated PG

Based on the New York Times bestseller, “Wonder” tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman, a boy born with facial differences who enters mainstream school for the first time.

July 8, 9 and 11: “Trolls” – Rated PG

After the Bergens invade Troll Village, Poppy, the happiest Troll ever born, and the curmudgeonly Branch set off on a journey full of adventure and mishaps to rescue her friends.

July 15, 16 and 18: “The Lego Ninjago Movie”– Rated PG

Shunned by everyone for being the son of an evil warlord, a teenager seeks to defeat his father with the help of his fellow ninjas.

July 22, 23 and 25: “Paddington 2” – Rated PG
Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.

July 29, 30 and August 1: “Early Man” – Rated PG
A cave man named Dug, his sidekick Hognob and the rest of their tribe face a grave threat to their simple existence when Lord Nooth plans to take over their land and turn it into a giant mine.

“Despicable Me 3:” August 4, 5, 6 and 8 – Rated PG

Gru meets his long-lost charming, cheerful and more successful twin brother Dru who wants to team up with him for one last criminal heist.

“My Little Pony: The Movie:” August 11, 12, 13 and 15 – Rated PG

When a dark force threatens Ponyville, the Mane 6 embark on an unforgettable journey beyond Equestria where they meet new friends and exciting challenges on a quest to save their home.

“Peter Rabbit:” August 18, 19, 20 and 22 – Rated PG

Peter Rabbit enjoys spending his days in Mr. McGregor’s vegetable garden. When one of McGregor’s relatives suddenly moves in, he discovers a family of new rabbits in his home and a battle of wits ensues.

“Sherlock Gnomes:” August 25, 26, 27 and 29 – Rated PG

After a string of garden gnome disappearances in London, Gnomeo and Juliet look to legendary detective Sherlock Gnomes to solve the case of their missing friends and family.

The St. Louis Gateway Arch is #YourArch This Summer

The St. Louis Gateway Arch Park Foundation invited my family and I down to get an exclusive tour of the new St. Louis Arch Museum before it opens to the public on July 3rd this summer. Getting a sneak peek of the new museum was something that I could not say no to, so I agreed and patiently waited for the details to arrive.

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Once the details were sent we began scheduling and planning our day. First up was some yoga down at Kiener Plaza for #KienerKids! Several kids and adults participated in an early morning yoga session in beautiful downtown St. Louis. With a fantastic view of the Gateway Arch and some yoga getting us ready and focused for the day ahead of us we were ready for our tour. But first we finished up the awesome #KienerKids activities. A long with yoga, there were a few games, the Kiener Plaza playground, and an awesome story teller that was just fantastic at keeping the kids attention with his stories and songs.

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After story time we took a quick restroom break and took a quick walk from Kiener Plaza to the entrance of the museum. A quick introduction from our tour guide and we were in! A really cool feature to the new museum that we did not try out because, well, we didn’t bring extra clothes and we didn’t think it was “open” yet was this little pond like feature right in front of the museum doors. It isn’t a fountain so much as it’s a water feature that kids can play in and view the amazing light reflections that you will see at various times of the day. It was very interesting to hear about and I cannot wait to see it in action.

Upon entering the museum you are immediately able to see it’s open design. There’s so much space AND light!!! Before when entering the museum you felt as though you were entering a bunker and the sunshine stays behind and never entered, that is no longer the case. The new layout and construction now allows for natural light to spread all through-out the museum, removing that claustrophobic feel that was once there. Check out St. Louis Dad on Instagram or search #YourArch to see more photos!

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Wide open spaces, class rooms, and more, the new St. Louis Gateway Arch Museum is worth visiting again and again. There are many great photo opportunities within the museum as well as from the top of the arch.

The St. Louis Gateway Arch Park Foundation has done a terrific job with everything! The path you take to get to the Arch from Kiener is as simple as a walk in the park, no longer are you needing to cross an interstate to get from one spot to the next! The displays within the museum are all up to date and incredible. Kids and adults will have a blast learning about St. Louis, Missouri, and the rest of the mid-west while exploring the numerous interactive features and displays.

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When you’re done learning and playing with all of those awesome features you can easily grab some tickets to the top of the arch and get that 653 feet view of St. Louis. It is breathtaking looking out over the city, or even spinning around and looking across the river and at all of the action happening everywhere. Maybe you can even see my house!

Our experience of the sneak peek tour was worth every second of time spent at the arch. The kids are already asking to go back, especially my little monument fan. She is so fascinated by our nations monuments that she wants to see them all! We can at least cross the Gateway Arch off of her list. She loved it and so did the other kids. I have a feeling my blogger buddies over at AndHattieMakesThree.com, SippyCupMom.com, and STLMotherhood.com all had a great time as well!

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We always have a blast downtown. From Cardinal games to trips to Kiener Plaza and the various parks all around the city. We even got lucky and were able to stop the ice cream man on our way back to our car. The kids devoured popsicles in the likenesses of their favorite cartoons. That left us with just a few more awesome picture opportunities that we totally took advantage of. So not only does St. Louis have some great parks, great museums, we also have some amazing photo spots all over the city. So come on down and check it all out!

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Last but not least, St. Louis Dad and the St. Louis Gateway Arch Park Foundation wants your help!

The Gateway Arch Park Foundation invites the public to participate in the #YourArch campaign, a one-of-a-kind collaborative photo montage to celebrate the grand opening of the Museum at the Gateway Arch and new West Entrance on July 3. Images will be sourced through social media, Instagram and Twitter, using the hashtag #YourArch. Photos can also be uploaded through the campaign’s website, www.YourArch.org.

The crowd-sourced and Arch-inspired masterpiece will be unveiled at the Museum at the Gateway Arch grand opening celebration on July 3. The #YourArch photo call is open to lovers of Gateway Arch National Park near and far, and can include both newly-snapped selfies and vintage throwbacks of people with the Arch and the surrounding Gateway Arch Park. A new #YourArch inspired video launches May 4 as part of the campaign, and captures the connection visitors and St. Louisans have with the monument.

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“The Arch is part of so many shared memories – grade school field trips, an iconic backdrop for stunning wedding photos and those first futuristic tram rides to the top revealing a spectacular view of St. Louis,” says Eric Moraczewski, executive director of the Gateway Arch Park Foundation. “We see millions of visitors, from St. Louis and around the world, taking their photos with the Arch. The #YourArch campaign celebrates that shared pride and awe of the monument and reminds us that the Arch belongs to everyone.”

To enter photos, use #YourArch on Instagram or Twitter (profiles must be public), or visit www.YourArch.org to upload them directly to the campaign. For more information, visit archmosaic.yourarch.org.

About Gateway Arch Park Foundation: The Gateway Arch Park Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to ensure that the Gateway Arch, its grounds, neighboring public space, and attractions are a vital, active, welcoming, well-supported resource to the community and nation for generations to come. The Foundation is part of an alliance that helps meet this mission, which includes the National Park Service, Bi-State Development, Great Rivers Greenway, Jefferson National Parks Association and the City of St. Louis. For more information, visit www.ArchPark.org.

Making History Cool In Your Kids’ Eyes

As you can probably tell from the rather obvious and blatant domain name (not to mention the massive logo on the home page), we live in St. Louis. It’s amazing. It really is. There is so much to do and see and explore and learn about. But despite all the hot contenders vying for the top spot of what makes this city so great, nothing beats the history of this place.

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Founded a quarter millennia ago, St. Louis, Missouri, has so much to make your jaw hit the floor. The city is absolutely riddled with caves, it’s where ice cream cones were reportedly introduced to the world, it used to be coffee’s major coffee hub, it’s home to one of America’s first skyscrapers (The Wainwright Building) and so much more. It’s a fascinating place.

The problem is, none of this stuff really appeals to a child. Sure, they may have a small interest in the drama of the past, but we live in a technological world and that means the future is far more fascinating. As my child said to me the other day, “there is a reason why our eyes are in the front of our head, dad.”

If you’re facing the same battle, don’t despair just yet because we’ve pulled together some genius ways to get your children interested in history, especially your local history. Enjoy.

1. Research To Blow Minds

We mentioned the caves that wind their way under the city, but what we didn’t mention is how these caves have been used for the 10,000 years, in which they have helped slave escape and bootleggers store their bits in hidden vaults. They were even turned into hidden taverns, underground churches, warehouses, nightclubs, roller rinks and, yes, a 300-seater theatre too. There is even rumour that one family used an underground river below their home as a swimming pool. We’re telling you this because these types of folklore stories have an incredible way of grabbing children by the brain and filling their imaginations with incredible possibilities. So, before you do anything else, do some research and, if you feel you need to, make up some stories to make it even more entertaining.

2. Bring Tech Into It

I find the iconic and futuristic arch in St Louis absolutely breathtaking, not least because the two sides had to be accurate within 1/64th of an inch during construction. That’s incredible. The problem is, my kid doesn’t really care about that sort of thing. But that all changed when we got a drone from this drone review site. It gave him an entirely new perspective, allowed him to get up close and personal with the arch and not relinquish his love for all things tech. I guess, what we did was embrace the past and the future in order to make both things work together in harmony and, wow, did it work.

3. Re-Enact The Past

We kind of get why kids may not be interested in looking at a scroll from a certain point in time that was written by someone they don’t really care about. As infuriating as it can be, it’s not as engaging as Angry Birds. However, no one can ignore the power of some kinesthetic learning. That’s the ‘learning by doing’ approach to you and me. So, with that in mind, why not take your child to a historical re-enactment day? There are many societies around the country covering all eras in history, so find a good event that’s close to where you live, take a picnic along and enjoy seeing your kids get overwhelmed by how cool history is.

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.

Southeastern Rodeo Association presents the 2nd Annual St. Louis Open Black Rodeo

Southeastern Rodeo Association returns to STL, bringing the 2nd Annual St Louis Open Black Rodeo to Chaifetz Arena.  Phenomenal feats of skill will be on display as cowboys and cowgirls will compete for prize money across various competition categories.

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TICKET PROMO CODE

Use promo code GDAD for discounted tickets! http://bit.ly/2GfP6R9

The discounted tickets are only $19.50 per ticket!

Cowboys and Cowgirls will be heading to #STL on May 5th for the 2nd Annual STL Open Black Rodeo at Chaifetz Arena!

The Southeastern Rodeo Association Black Rodeo will be in St. Louis at the Chaifetz Arena on May 5th! The Open Black Rodeo’s role is to educate the public on the importance of African-American cowboys’ work in the “Old West”. Professional cowboys and cowgirls will be competing for prize money!

The rodeo showcases professional cowboys and cowgirls in events including bronco riding, steer wrestling, calf roping, barrel racing, team roping and bull riding.

Expect a lot of action at the 2nd Annual St. Louis Open Black Rodeo!

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