See St. Joseph: Ringing in the spring

Kendra Simpson, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·4 min read

Mar. 21—With spring finally here, warmer temperatures, longer days and more activities have arrived in St. Joseph. There are plenty of activities to welcome the season in this week's edition of See St. Joseph.

Get ready to make unforgettable memories and soak up the spring break sunshine with Mega Gymnastics' Spring Break Camp. From games to tie-dye crafts, a field trip to the Vault Ninja Academy, delicious pizza, tons of free play, parachute fun and more. This day is packed with non-stop fun for ages 5 and up. For those who need extra play time, they're offering extended hours for an additional fee. Space is limited so be sure to secure a spot. The fun goes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, March 22, at 5802 Corporate Drive. To reserve a spot, visit Mega's website at app.iclasspro.com/portal/megastjoe/dashboard.

Pickleball is on the rise, and Ricky Dean's wants to help St. Joseph residents learn the basics with a special clinic. A one-hour session will orient participants to the game's fundamentals and scoring. Whether you've never played the game or are just getting started, Haggard and Larry Olinger promise to be friendly and not judge anyone's pickleball skills. The clinic's two sessions are at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, and go for an hour each at Ricky Dean's, 3620 N. Village Drive. To register, visit Ricky Dean's website at www.rickydeans.com/events.

The Bluffwood Renaissance Festival will be holding its second round of cast auditions for its upcoming event. No costumes are needed. In fact, it is recommended those auditioning dress comfortably and be ready to move, dance and act their heart out. Anyone is welcome to audition, but minors must be accompanied by an adult.

"It's not like a movie where you have certain people that say certain things at certain times," Jonathan McClain, the Renaissance Festival founder, said. "So it's a lot of almost improv acting. You become a character for the weekend and then you learn the other characters who are on your cast and how to interact with them and their different personalities, and so it kind of builds immersion for the entire event."

The auditions go from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 23, at the East Hills Library, 502 N. Woodbine Road.

To celebrate the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship, East Hills Shopping Center will be transforming its center court into a basketball court for the Hoop City Tip-Off. Participants can take part in contests, skills and mini-clinics to win prizes and swag. The event is free with no pre-registration required, so everyone can feel free to come and go as they please. The event is open to children of all ages but is geared toward those in fourth through eighth grades. Participants are required to be accompanied by an adult. Hoop City goes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, at East Hills, 3702 Frederick Ave.

Despite the weather, this spring is heating up with the Pyro Flow March Fire and Flow Show. Every month, the group welcomes a variety of performers of all ages and abilities. Grab a blanket or chair to sit on and head to Coleman Hawkins Park at Eighth and Felix streets for a hot performance. Come early for the "wheel jam" where everyone can roller skate, hoverboard, longboard or skateboard for an hour before sunset.

"We like to highlight different places in St. Joe," Christine Ziemer, a Pyro Flow member, said. "There's a lot of really cool performance spaces that we like to use. We usually start out our season Downtown at Coleman Hawkins, which is where we'll be Saturday. We like to perform at City Hall, Krug Park, Hyde Park. So yeah, we like to move it around to different locations. It gets different parts of the community involved and highlights the different beautiful parts of our city."

The free pyro show begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 23, at the gazebo in the park.

Be sure to get out and enjoy St. Joseph's several events and performances that will be opening this spring. For more activities and entertainment, tune into News-Press NOW every Thursday for more See St. Joseph.