Ivan Johnson Classic in Marble Hill, MO

Disclosure:  This article originally ran in The Banner Press - please pick up a copy to read more! 

Growing up a Marble local I have many fond memories of the Marble Hill/ Lutesville Ballpark.  Like

many other local youth, and now my own children, I spent several hours down there every summer watching, playing, and cheering for the other teams. 

I never once thought how did our local ball leagues get started - guess like every other youth I thought it all just magically happened. 

As many other long time traditions in Marble HIll there is a story behind them, and recently I found out Ivan Johnson played a huge part in developing our ball leagues.  

 

Ivan’s Story - 

 

Ivan Johnson, a 1943 graduate of Lutesville High School, was known for his love of sports, especially baseball!  During his high school career, Ivan was an outstanding pitcher for many baseball teams and leagues.  At the age of 17, he was called by the Oilers, minor team of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and signed a contract.  When Ivan was 18 years old, he enlisted in the Marine Corp and served during WWII.  He loved his country and was proud to be a Marine.  During his three years in the military, Ivan played a vital role on the Marine Corp Baseball Team.  After Ivan's time in the service, he spent four more years playing professional baseball.

In 1952, Ivan got a job at Lutesville High School and started the first baseball team.  In 1986, he was inducted into the Southeast Missouri Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame.  

Ivan spent many years volunteering for the  American Legion teams, Little League teams, and Babe Ruth teams of the area.  Ivan's love for the game even continued later in his life as he spent his time coaching men's softball.  

The family says if you ever got a chance to talk to Ivan you knew immediately he truly loved the game and sharing his expertise with everyone.  

Recently, Charles Hutchings came before the park/city board and suggested they change the name “Lutesville Ballpark” to “Ivan Johnson Ballpark”.

 

From the suggestion of changing the park name; the family, the optimist, and local sports enthusiast started thinking how they could honor Johnson in a fun way.  

The Ivan Johnson Classic has been pulled together by Ivan’s family and the Marble Hill Optimist Club.  Together they invite people to come down to the tournament and support the teams.  There is a total of 10 teams in the tournament from surrounding areas: Patton, Advance, Oak Ridge, Leopold, and Cape Girardeau.  

Games begin Saturday, June 21st at 8:00 am and final game is scheduled 7:30 pm.  Tournament finals will be held Sunday, June 22nd at 2:00 pm; championship game is scheduled for 7:30 pm.  

The dedication ceremony for Ivan Johnson Ballpark is Sunday at 1:30 pm on ball field #1.  There will be an informational booth at the tournament which will contain: tournament t-shirts, tournament programs, raffle tickets, and city maps.  

 There is no admission to ballgames and no team entry fee was charged.  Profit from t-shirts and raffle will be used to purchase medals for each ballplayer receiving 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place in tournament. 

Travel Tuesday at the Missouri History Museum in St Louis MO

Today is Travel Tuesday…woot! Woot!  I have decided that I am going to share one place each Tuesday that the kiddos and I have found worth traveling to!

Today’s Travel Tuesday Destination is The Missouri History Museum in St Louis MO.  I know blah right this is a museum full of history, nope that is a negative!  I was blown away with the Missouri History Museum when I visited! 

While the Missouri History Museum is loaded with Missouri History, Missouri information, and well all the good stuff about Missouri.  The museum is also loaded with fun for kids; we found the museum to be very interactive, colorful, and fun for our whole family.

D could not get enough of the audio tour, while I am not sure he remembers anything the they told him, he sure looked mighty cute standing there so intrigued by the presentation. 

Lesse being that she is a bit older and could put together pieces of Missouri History with stuff she had learned in school.  Lesse recognized the exhibits on the St Louis Cardinals, loved learning about how houses use to look, and I caught here intrigued by the exhibit on the Great Fire of 1849. 

For me, of course I loved the exhibit on the 1904 World’s Fair, but my favorite part was that my kids had the opportunity to touch, learn, and feel at home in the Missouri History Museum.  

These are the things that I wish I would have known a long time ago about the Missouri History Museum.

• Admission to the museum is FREE…that is right parents, a majority of the museum is free to visit.  A few special exhibits do cost, and you can find more information here.   
• Plan PLENTY of TIME…I was a fail at this and thought we would only spend an hour at the Missouri History Museum.  Shortly after I arrived at the museum, I realized my kiddos could spend hours and was mad that we were leaving so soon. 
• The downstairs of the museum is geared more towards a little older crowd than, my gang, but the upstairs watch out as it is full of FUN FUN FUN! 
• The Missouri History Museum has been active in the St Louis community since 1866….doesn’t that mean they are part of history and experts at presenting history!
• You can DINE at the museum!  Okay, so had I been thinking researching, and knowledgeable prior to our visit I would have planned to arrive at the museum mid morning monkey’d around for a while then grabbed a lunch break  at Bixby's inside the museum then off to discovery some more Missouri History!

The Missouri History Museum is located in the Forest Park Area of St Louis Mo, near the St Louis Zoo. 

Have an Adventurous Day! 

~Becky 

Part of the Audio Tour

A camera exhibit that catches you by suprise

Kids area with Puzzles

what would you look like 100 years ago

Punching the Time Clock

Hallmark Kaleidoscope Kansas City Missouri

So I am on an Art Kick this week, no not really, but I am thinking of the fact that the weather is changing and if you are like me you are beginning to think of things do with kids indoors again.  Let me throw in a big BOOO here, because we all know that I prefer (and NEED) to be out outside! 

Okay this last summer when the kiddos and I made our road trip to Kansas City, MO we had the opportunity to attend a Family Art Session at Hallmark’s Kaleidoscope.  I am never good at describing places like this, because there is no real way to describe this place.  Kaleidoscope’s Family Art Session is a 40-minute session of coloring, gluing, painting, beading, sticking, discovering, and well anything you can put into art terms fun....note our favorites were the glow in the dark station, and making the face mask     

Basically I walked into the room, we discovered all the art supplies we needed, and we went to work creating priceless masterpieces….of course every piece of art work my kiddos create is priceless, or non-price-able!   

Kaleidoscope’s Family Art Session is open children of all ages and their adults, the sessions run throughout the summer months, and during the school year depending on school schedules.  The session is free, but on a first come basis, reservations are available for groups of 15 or more.  Visit their website for more information or call 816-274-8300.  Kaleidoscope is located in the Crown Center Area of Kansas City, Mo, other nearby family friendly attractions include LEGOLAND Discovery Center, Sea Life Kansas City, and the Hallmark Visitors Center.    

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Shop Amazon - 2012 Holiday Toy List

11 Things to do in Cape Girardeau for September 2012

Tunes at Twilight
Date: Friday Nights at 6:30 PM to at 7:30 PM
Location/Venue: The Gazebo at the Common Pleas Courthouse (Lorimier and Broadway)
Cost: Free
Description: Tunes at Twilight is an award winning outdoor concert series held on Friday nights at the Common Pleas Courthouse Gazebo (Lorimier and Broadway) in Cape Girardeau. The series provides a free hour long concert for 6 weeks in the spring and 6 weeks in the fall. For a complete line up visit www.oldtowncape.org/events. In case of rain, the concert will be held at Rose Theater on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. Grace Askew will perform!
Contact Information: Old Town Cape at 573-334-8085or www.oldtowncape.org 

Old St. Vincent Church
Date: Saturday, 9-8-2012 at 12:00 PM to Saturday, 9-8-2012 at 4:00 PM Location: Old St. Vincent Church, 629 William St. 

Cost: $3.00 for adults and $1.00 for children.

Description: Built in 1853, Old St. Vincent's Church, is right across the street from the Red House. The architecture, English Gothic Revival, is breathtaking and rare; very few churches of this style exist in America. Take in a tour and learn all of the stories behind the unique architectural details. Open for tours every Saturday, April through September.

Contact Information: Website or 573-335-9347 

The Glenn House
Date: Saturday, 9-8-2012 at 1:00 PM to Saturday, 9-8-2012 at 4:00 PM
Location: The Glenn House, 325 S. Spanish St.
Description: A true jewel in the City of Cape Girardeau, the historic Glenn House allows visitors to follow a pathway back in time. Restored rooms depict life circa 1900, reflecting an earlier Cape Girardeau society. In 1883, Edwin Branch Deane designed the Glenn House for his daughter, Lulu Deane, and her husband, David A. Glenn. Mr. Glenn, a Cape Girardeau merchant and banker, occupied the home with his family until 1915. The Glenn House is proud to be included in the National Register of Historic Places. Tour this lovely restored Victorian home from 1-4 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday from May-October. 
Cost: $5 for adults, $2 for children
Contact Information: Website

American Queen 
Date: Wednesday, 9-12-2012 at 10:00 AM to Wednesday, 9-12-2012 at 5:00 PM
Location: Riverfront
Description: The paddleboat will be docked at the riverfront for public viewing.
 

Family Fun Night at the Cape Public Library
Date: Friday, 9-14-2012 at 6:00 PM to Friday, 9-14-2012 at 8:00 PM
Location:  Cape Public Library, 711 North Clar

Cost:  Free
Description:  Recommended for ages 5 and up. Kinect, Wii, Xbox 360 games plus board, card and other games for families to play. Come find out why it's all fun and games at the Cape Public Library!
Contact Information:  Website or 573-334-5279

Sensory Saturday at Cape West 14 Cine
Date: Saturday, 9-15-2012 at 10:00 AM to Saturday, 9-15-2012 at 12:00 PM
Location/Venue: Cape West 14 Cine
Cost: $5
Description: Sensory Saturdays take place the 3rd Saturday of every month; these special features are aimed toward families touched by Autism and different abilities so that they may enjoy films in a comfortable and accepting setting. 
Contact: hopperl@missouri.edu or james.sciortino@yahoo.com

35th Annual River Tales Classic Car Show
Date: Sunday, 9-16-2012
Location/Venue:  Historic Downtown Cape Girardeau
Cost:  Spectators enjoy free admission
Description:  Take in exceptional classic cars set up for display in downtown Cape Girardeau.  Cars will be on display from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. with awards taking place at 3 p.m.
Contact Information:  River City Rodders, 573-335-1704 or RiverTalesClassic.com. 

Day on the River
Date: Saturday, 9-22-2012 at 9:00 AM to Saturday, 9-22-2012 at 4:00 PM
Location/Venue:  Red Star Access
Cost:  Free
Description:  Seize this opportunity to revel the river's mysteries and transformation through time.  Hands-on activities will teach you the importance of wetlands.  Fun for the entire family featuring crafts, live animals and boat rides on the Mississippi.  Boat rides take place very half hour, except from noon-1, at Red Star access.  Pick up your ticket at the registration table during the event.  All ages, youth and adult groups welcome, no registration required.  
Contact Information:  The Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center at 573-290-5218or their website. 

 “Grease” 
Date: Wednesday, 9-26-2012 at 7:30 PM to Wednesday, 9-26-2012 at 10:00 PM Location: Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall 

Cost: varies 

Description:  One of the most popular and long-running Broadway musicals of all time, “Grease” is the word. The Tony Award-winning high school musical rocks with charm and sheer energy and features such hit songs as “Summer Nights,” “Beauty School Dropout” and “Greased Lightnin’.” It is based on music, lyrics and a book by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.

Contact: The River Campus Box Office is located in the Cultural Arts Center, 518 S. Fountain Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo. The River Campus Box Office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and can be reached by phone at (573) 651-2265.RiverCampusEvents.com

Fall Frolic at the Red House Interpretive Center
Date: Saturday, 9-29-2012
Location/Veune:  Red House Interpretive Center
Cost:  N/A
Description:  Fall Frolic
Contact Information:  Website or Facebook

First-Ever 7th Annual Louis J. Lorimier Memorial Downtown Golf Tournament and A-Y-C-E Catfish Buffet
Date: Sunday, 9-30-2012 at 12:00 PM to Sunday, 9-30-2012 at 3:00 PM
Details: 
The downtown golf tournament will begin with noon registration at the Courthouse Gazebo and will conclude with a lip-smackin' catfish buffet.  A fun event that will raise money for the Red House Interpretive Center . For additional information, contact Joe Sullivan 573-335-0097or Charlie Herbst 573-243-6430.