Fort Massac celebrating 100th anniversary of guarding frontier history in southern Illinois

Above: Civil War re-enactors firing a cannon at one of the living history events. Below: The reconstructed fort looks as it did in 1802. Clyde Wills/Metropolis Planet photos

For some hot and cold fun this winter, head to the Delmar Loop neighborhood just west of downtown St. Louis where you can embrace winter or escape from it.

The Loop, which was recently selected by the American Planning Association as one of 10 Great Streets in America, is heralding the winter with its third annual Ice Carnival. But if fire is your antidote to wintry weather, the community also is home to the only glass art center where glowing furnaces turn molten globs of glass into dazzling works of art within a 300-mile radius of St. Louis.

The Ice Carnival, which will be held on Jan. 19, will be a chilly celebration filled with arctic activities. The day kicks off with the Frozen Buns Run, a 5K race coordinated by the St. Louis Track Club. Then throughout the day along Delmar Boulevard there will be ice sculpting demonstrations during which artists will wield chain saws and chisels to create their art. There will even be small slides made from ice on which children can play.

Other cold weather fun will include extreme snowboard demonstrations, a human dog sled race, a winter hat contest and a chili cook-off. And visitors can enjoy more than 140 boutiques, shops, restaurants, galleries and bars in the area.

One spot not to miss is the Third Degree Glass Factory, located at 5200 Delmar between University City and the Central West End. The factory promotes contemporary glass art by offering educational programs, studio rental and work for sale by local artists. Visitors often can see artists forming colorful vases, bowls and more.

Yet perhaps the best time to visit is on the third Friday of every month from 6–10 p.m. Upcoming dates are Jan. 18, the night before the Ice Carnival, and Feb. 15. Third Degree started the event to raise awareness of glass art. Visitors can watch as artists use blow torches and blast furnaces to make glass pliable enough to twist and spin into wondrous shapes.

In addition to the glass- blowing demonstrations, the evenings also feature live music, a cash bar and art exhibitions. Visitors also can browse the HotShop Gift Gallery for traditional and experimental glass art.

For details about the Ice Carnival, click on www.visittheloop.com or call (314) 727-8000. For information about Third Degree, call (314) 367-4527 or visit www.stlglass.com.

Collect a basketful of automotive memories at Easter show

A 1928 Diana, built in St. Louis, on display at the show. Gerald Perschbacher photo

The Concours d’Elegance car show in St. Louis annually showcases gleaming vintage cars, many of which were the best vehicles that money could buy almost a century ago, but this year’s show will focus on a model that was designed for every pocketbook: the Model T.

In conjunction with the 100th anniversary of Henry Ford’s Model T, the antique car show on Easter will celebrate the vehicle that was made for the common man. Among the more than 500 cars that will be on display at the show on March 23, located in the upper Muny parking lot in St. Louis’ Forest Park, Model Ts will be featured.

Ford introduced the Model T in 1908 as an affordable option to the cars on the market then, which were generally built by hand with painstaking care and few interchangeable parts. By perfecting the moveable assembly line, it was easy to produce cars economically as they rolled down the line. Each worker performed a specialized task and did it repetitively, which increased production and lowered the cost of each vehicle.

In its 47th year, the Concours d’Elegance is a St. Louis tradition that recalls the days when motorists drove through Forest Park to show off their Easter attire and shiny automobiles. Organized by the Horseless Carriage Club of Missouri and sponsored by AAA, the show will feature classic cars of various eras that are at least 25 years old and lovingly restored.

Among the models on display will be such names as Packard, Studebaker, Pierce-Arrow, Moon and Cadillac. Visitors can walk among the vehicles from 11:30 a.m.–4 p.m., and awards will be presented in several categories.

For more information, click on www.hccmo.com or leave a message at (314) 991-HONK (4665).

Sunken steamboat’s relics astound visitors

More than 200,000 artifacts were unearthed. Arabia Steamboat Museum photo

When treasure hunters went looking for the steamboat Arabia 20 years ago, they looked in a Kansas farm field rather than the Missouri River bottom, and their search produced a harvest of artifacts and cargo that researchers are still cleaning and cataloging.

Called the King Tut’s Tomb of the Missouri River, what’s left of the steamboat and its impressive cargo are on diplay in Kansas City at the Arabia Steamboat Museum. In the 20th year since its discovery, the boat’s collection of thousands of frontier items and the story of how they were unearthed still amaze visitors.

When the Arabia struck a submerged tree on its fateful voyage up the Missouri River in 1856, the boat was packed with 200 tons of cargo and 130 people. The passengers and crew made it to the shore safely, but the cargo was lost with the boat.

Over the years, the river shifted, leaving the Arabia buried under a Kansas farmer’s crops. In late 1988, River Salvage Inc. broke ground where they believed the Arabia was buried, and about four months later they saw their dreams realized.

In the end, they recovered millions of pre-Civil War artifacts, including boots, calico buttons, tools, dishes, guns and more. Visitors can stop by a working lab to learn how materials are still being cleaned and preserved.

In addition to the artifacts, the museum features a full-scale replica of the Arabia’s 171-foot boat deck and a 28-foot working paddle wheel. The museum, located at 400 Grand Blvd., is open 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Monday– Saturday and noon–5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $12.50 for adults, $11.50 for seniors and $4.75 for children 4–12. Call (816) 471-1856 for details, or visit www.1856.com.

Huntingburg will burst with deals and daffodils

This spring when the daffodils bloom, Huntingburg– sometimes called the Hollywood of the Midwest–will be ready for its closeup.

Tucked in southwestern Indiana, Huntingburg has been the setting for several films, most notably “A League of Their Own,” but the town shines even when the cameras aren’t rolling. The charming community hosts several springtime events that showcase its small-town hospitality.

First up will be the Antique Car Show on March 29, featuring dozens of classic cars along historic Fourth Street from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. The brick buildings along the street date to the late 1800s and have been restored to house shops, restaurants and cafés.

Then visit Fourth Street for the Daffodil Stroll on April 4–6. With flowers blooming along the street, many shops will offer special sales, and there will be free carriage rides on Saturday. Festival hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday and noon–5 p.m. Sunday.

Finally, during the Garden Gate Weekend on April 25–26, visitors can shop for plants and garden accessories downtown and at surrounding landscape businesses from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday.

Huntingburg is at the intersection of Highway 64 and U.S. Route 231. Call (812) 683-0123 for details, or click on www.huntingburgchamber.org.

Boone Home recalls rigors of Oregon Trail

Re-enactors will examine what it took to survive the Trail. Daniel Boone Home photo

A trip to Oregon from Missouri can take a few hours by plane, and the only hassles are getting through airport security on time and making sure your iPod is charged for the trip.

But for early settlers, the trip could take upwards of five months and they were faced with a host of challenges from extreme weather to hostile Native Americans. To find out what it took to leave your home to cross the great “wilderness” for the promise of a new and better life, don’t miss the Oregon Trail Days event at the Daniel Boone Home and Boonesfield Village March 29–30.

At the village, located in Defiance just west of St. Louis, there will be about a dozen stations set up with re-enactors discussing a variety of aspects of the trail. Some will examine how women lived and worked on the trail, and others will relate what types of supplies were necessary. The trail ran approximately 2,000 miles from Missouri to Oregon, and a path branched off in Idaho to California.

Visitors to the event also will be able to explore the village, which features more than a dozen 19th-century buildings, including a chapel and schoolhouse. Tours of the Boone home will be offered for a fee.

The village is off Highway 94 at 1868 Highway F. Event admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $4 for children 4–11. Family passes are available. Call (636) 798-2005 for details, or visit online at www.lindenwood.edu/boone.