Events for Saturday, June 7, 2008

Kids are out of school (at least mine are) and summer programs really begin to rev-up this weekend. There are a lot of great events happening around the state and here are a just a few that have got me excited. For more, check out the "Things To Do, Utah" calendar.

The Museum of Anthropology at Utah State University in Logan is holding an "Indiana Jones" marathon. All three movies will be shown and you can also see an exhibit of Petra, one of the locations in "Indiana Jones
and the Last Crusade" (it's where the Knight Templar was hiding).
Movies start at 10:00 a.m. Old Main, Room 252, Utah State University,
Logan, Utah. Admission is FREE.

Cottonwood Heights Parks and Recreation will be holding their movie in the park night. Festivities begin at 7:00 p.m. with inflatable bouncy rides (there is a small fee for these). At 8:00 p.m., a reptile show, "Scales and Tales" will begin. Then at dusk (about 9:00 p.m.), "Shrek the Third" will be shown on a giant 30 foot inflatable movie screen. 1651 East Fort Union Boulevard, Cottonwood Heights. Admission to the reptile show and movie is FREE.

Join the Ogden Astronomical Society and Weber State University on Antelope Island for an evening under the stars. Participants can expect to enjoy beautiful celestial views (weather permitting), and stellar conversation with local astronomers. Meet at White Rock Bay at 9 p.m. If you bring a
flashlight, please make it a red-colored lens. For more information
please call (801) 721-9569. Admission to Antelope Island is $9.00 per car (go earlier and make a day trip out of Antelope Island).

A Park Somewhere In Time

If there is a public park in Utah that is my sentimental favorite, it has to be Copperton Park. It is not nearly as large as Murray Park or have the interactive playground that Discovery Park has, but it has that old fashioned feel of lazy summer days, sipping lemonade in the shade of a large tree. It's like a park from somewhere back in time.

The park is in the center of the township of Copperton at the mouth of Bingham Canyon. It was a town built by Kennecott Copper in the early twentieth century for the employees of the mine. The town is on the National Historic Register and is filled with homes that make you feel that you've walked into another era. At one time, Copperton used to be the gateway to the Kennecott Copper mine visitors center, but, no more. The entrance moved several miles south of town.

I remember as a kid going to Copperton Park with my parents on family outings, numerous parties with different organizations (church, Boy Scouts, etc.) and later on as a teenager, just hanging out with friends on summer evenings.

The park has tennis courts, playgrounds, horseshoe pits, and restroom facilities at the south end of the park. The playground has swings and big slides to play on and includes massive tires from the large dump trucks that work in the mine. My own kids love to play here.

There is a more or less circular path that winds through the park, making its way through and around groves of large trees that are fifty to eighty years old. South of the playgrounds and in the center of the pathway are large grassy areas for kids to run and play. I used to play tag, hide and seek and Frisbee, among other games.

The park has a very quiet and relaxed nature, and I don't think I have ever seen the park overly crowded.

If there was one park I would ever want to own a house next to, it would be Copperton Park. So, if you're planning a picnic, a family get together or a church outing, check out Copperton Park. Just don't forget the lemonade.

Place: Copperton Park
Location: 8731 W 10305 South, Copperton
Phone: 801.483.5473 (Salt Lake County Park and Recreation)
Hours: Dawn to Dark
Cost: FREE



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Salt Lake City: 24.0 miles
Ogden: 56.7 miles
Provo: 41.7 miles
Logan: 101 miles

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Event of the Day for June 6, 2008

Do you like creepy, cheesy old movies? Then you'll love the showings of "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," and its sequel, "Revenge of the Creature" at the Varsity Theatre at BYU. What's better, the movies will be shown in the original 3-D! There will be trivia contests, prizes and a special guest appearance by the Creature himself. Admission for this event is $3.00 per person, but includes both movies, 3-D glasses and popcorn. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., movies begin at 7:30 p.m.

Event: Creature from the Black Lagoon, 3-D marathon
Location: Varsity Theatre, Wilkinson Center, Brigham Young University, Provo
Phone: 801.422.5371
Time: Doors open at 7:00 p.m.
Cost: $3.00 per person




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Distance from:

Salt Lake City: 46.5 miles
Ogden: 81.9 miles
Provo (downtown): 2.3 miles
Logan: 127 miles

Free Events of the Day for June 5, 2008

There are a few things going on tonight that should be mentioned and all of the events are free to attend:

Tonight at the King's English Bookshop, Heather B. Armstrong, blogger and creator of Dooce.com will be talking about her book, "Things I Learned About My Dad (In Therapy): Humorous and Heartfelt Essays." This will be a chance to hear from and meet Utah's own blogger extraordinaire, currently ranked as one of the top 50 bloggers in the world. That's right- the WORLD! 7:00 p.m. at the King's English, 1511 South 1500 East, Salt Lake City. Admission is FREE.

At 6:30 p.m. at the Olympic Legacy Plaza at the Gateway Mall is "Jazz on the Plaza." Tonight's performance will be by the Steve Lindeman Quintet. Hopefully the weather will have cleared up and it will be a pleasant evening to enjoy some great jazz. 6:30 p.m. at The Gateway, 400 West South Temple, Salt Lake City. Admission is FREE.

Also, don't forget the live animal shows at the Monte L. Bean Museum on the BYU Campus. Tonight's show will focus on Ecosystems. Kids always love these shows. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. at the museum at 645 East 1430 North, BYU Campus, Provo. Admission to both the museum and the live animal shows are FREE.

Utah Trivia Thursday for June 5, 2008

When it comes to transportation and communication in the United States, Utah has played a central role when linking the east and west coasts.

The transcontinental telegraph line was connected in Salt Lake City Utah. The telegraph line coming from Carson City, Nevada was completed on October 18, 1861 and the line coming from Omaha, Nebraska was completed on October 24, 1861. This finally connected the east and west coasts and made communication much faster and easier. In fact, two days after the telegraph line was completed, the Pony Express (which also traveled through Utah) went out of business.

The first transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869 at Promontory Point, Utah (northwest of Salt Lake City) The Union Pacific built their line coming from the east, starting at Council Bluffs, Iowa and laid 1,087 miles of track. The Central Pacific began in Sacramento, California and laid 690 miles of track. The ceremony to finalize the completion of the railroad at Promontory, Utah became known as the driving of the Golden Spike.

In 1914, on the Utah/Nevada border the Bell Telephone Company of Nevada and the Mountain State Telephone and Telegraph Company spliced together the final wires which finally connected the east and west coasts by telephone. The final telephone pole with a historical marker still stand today in the parking lot of the Silver Smith Casino in Wendover, Utah.

Event of the Day for Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Live jazz music performed by great bands at the Union Station in Ogden. "Jazz at the Station" begins at 7:30 p.m. and admission is FREE.

Event: Jazz at the Station
Location: Union Station, 2501 Wall Avenue, Ogden
Phone: 801.393.9890
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 37.2 miles
Ogden (downtown): 0.5 miles
Provo: 78.8 miles
Logan: 47.6 miles

See The Stars in Ogden

Brad Pitt?! Angelina Jolie?! Julia Roberts?! George Clooney?!

Wrong kind of stars. We're talking about those little points of light in the sky here. We're talking about the Ott Planetarium at Weber State University.

Many people in Utah think there is just the Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City, and while it is the most well known in Utah, it isn't the only one. The Ott Planetarium, on the campus of Weber State, offers a great selection of star shows and shows about clouds, the aurora, the Hubble Telescope and more.

It has a smaller theater (it holds just 60 people) than the Clark Planetarium, but by no means does this diminish the educational and entertainment factor. At $2.00 per show for adults and $1.00 per show for kids, it's hard to find a better planetarium value anywhere in the United States.

During the summer, the Ott Planetarium offers the public the "Summer Series," of shows every other Saturday from noon until 4:00 p.m. for FREE. Seating is limited. The planetarium also takes science to the parks in June and July. The "Science in the Parks" program gets kids involved in the "coolness" of science through the 5 different parts of the program- Hear It, See It, Fly It, Feel It, and Build It. These programs run weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and are FREE to kids of all ages.

When you visit the Ott Planetarium, don't forget to visit the Museum of Natural Science, located in the same building- the Lind Lecture Hall. For my money, this is one of the greatest little planetariums in the country.

Place: Ott Planetarium
Location: Lind Lecture Hall- Room 203, Weber State University, 1551 Edvalson Street, Ogden
Phone: 801.626.6871 (live Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Hours: Varies with season and available shows, see website for more information
Cost: Summer Series shows are FREE (see above, or see website), regular public shows are $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for students (Kindergarten to University), children under 5 are FREE.


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 33.8 miles
Ogden (downtown): 3.4 miles
Provo: 75.4 miles
Logan: 50.8 miles

Free Event of the Day for Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Do you like spiders? Do you hate spiders?

Either way, you'll enjoy seeing the 1953 movie, "Tarantula." The movie will be shown at the Salt Lake City Main Library as part of the Utah Museum of Natural History's "Science Movie Night." After the movie is over, Christy Bills, the museum's entomologist will discuss arachnids with the crowd. Come and see the movie and talk about spiders and have some fun creeping yourself out.

Event: Science Movie Night
Location: Salt Lake City Main Library, 210 East 400 South, Salt Lake City
Phone: 801.585.3948
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Cost: FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City (downtown): 0.2 miles
Ogden: 38.0 miles
Provo: 44.3 miles
Logan: 82.7 miles

Events This Week- June 2 through June 7, 2008

Summer events and activities really kick off this week. There is so much to do that I can't list them all here, so be sure to check the "Things To Do, Utah" calendar (right hand side of the page), or go here for the full calendar. The "Things To Do, Utah" calendar is constantly being updated.

Monday, June 2, 2008
The Utah Museum of Natural History is holding its Free Family Monday. Admission to the museum is FREE all day long, from 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. From 5:30 to 7:30 there will be science demonstrations in the lobby. Get up to the University and check out an great museum for FREE. 1390 East Presidents Circle, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Live animals shows at the Monte L Bean Museum at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The subject for the show on Monday nights is: Reptiles. Admission to the museum and animal shows are FREE. 645 East 1430 North, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.

The Blue Sky Concert Series presents "The Sphincter Tones" playing oldies but goodies rock and roll music in Pioneer Park in Provo at 7:00 p.m. There will also be short mime and puppetry performances before the music. Admission is FREE. 500 West Center Street, Provo, Utah.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Canopy Capers, a family story time for children of all ages will be held at the Provo City Library on the south side of the building, under the canopy at 12:00 p.m. Admission is FREE. 550 North University Avenue, Provo, Utah.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Get to the Union Station in Ogden for "Jazz at the Station," for great jazz music by local artists starting at 7:30 p.m. Admission is FREE. Union Station Grand Lobby, 2501 Wall Avenue, Ogden, Utah.

Thursday, June 5, 2008
Head on over to The Gateway Mall in Salt Lake City for an evening of relaxing "Jazz on the Plaza." The Steve Lindeman Quintet will be performing starting at 6:30 p.m. Don't forget to let the kids play in Snowflake Fountain. Admission is FREE. 400 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Friday, June 6, 2008
Murray Park presents Children's Matinees at the Murray Park Gazebo at 2:00 p.m. This week's performance is by Moosebutter. Relax and play in the park and enjoy the fun performance. Admission is FREE. 5065 South State Street (to get to the Gazebo, enter Murray Park from State Street entrance), Murray, Utah.

Saturday, June 7, 2008
Cabela's in Lehi has a whole lot going on today. It is FREE Kids Fishing Day at their trout pond (call for details: 801.766.2500). The Flying High Bicycle Stunt Show will be performed in the parking lot at 10:00 a.m. and again at 3:00 p.m. At 5:00 p.m. Cabela's holds its neighborhood block party in the parking lot. Bring your barbecue and fire them up at 5:00 p.m. and let the kids play yard games. There will be drawings and giveaways for those who participate. Admission is FREE. 2502 West Grand Terrace Parkway, Lehi, Utah.

The Museum of Anthropology at Utah State University in Logan is holding an "Indiana Jones" marathon. All three movies will be shown and you can also see an exhibit of Petra, one of the locations in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (it's where the Knight Templar was hiding). Movies start at 10:00 a.m. Old Main, Room 252, Utah State University, Logan, Utah.

Cottonwood Heights Parks and Recreation will be holding their movie in the park night. Festivities begin at 7:00 p.m. with inflatable bouncy rides (there is a small fee for these). At 8:00 p.m., a reptile show, "Scales and Tales" will begin. Then at dusk (about 9:00 p.m.), "Shrek the Third" will be shown on a giant 30 foot inflatable movie screen. Admission to the reptile show and movie is FREE.

On A Hot Summer Day, An Olympic Sized Cooldown

When the heat is on in Utah, we all look for a little relief. Some of us retreat to our air conditioned homes, or to indoor shopping malls, or we head down to the local swimming pool.

One of my kids favorite cool down spots is the Gateway Mall in downtown Salt Lake. This is an open-air mall on the west side of downtown that has some of the cool, hip and trendy shops that are seen in a lot of major cities these days. But, the reason we like to visit in the summertime, is the Olympic Legacy Plaza's "Snowflake Fountain."

When the Winter Olympic Games came to Salt Lake in 2002, the Snowflake Fountain was one of its lasting legacies. The fountain is a flat surface at sidewalk level, which allows visitors to The Gateway to stroll right through it. But, beware! Unexpectedly, jets of water shoot up into the air at varying heights. The jets alternate shots of water, fountains and fog to provide a fun visual experience. Every 1/2 hour, music plays and the water fountain "dances" to different selections, including the 2002 Winter Olympic Theme.

The best part is that kids (and adults) are invited to play with the fountain- get involved. Try to make it across the plaza without getting wet, or just stand there and let the water soak you down and cool you off.

There are benches all around the plaza for parents who don't want to get wet, to sit and relax as the children play in the water. Be sure to bring a towel to dry the kids off with and a reason to get them to leave. Once my kids start playing in the water, they don't want to go.

Place: Snowflake Fountain, Olympic Legacy Plaza, Gateway Mall
Location: 400 West South Temple, Salt Lake City
Phone: 801.456.2000
Hours: Summer, Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Sunday, 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE


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Distance From:
Salt Lake City (downtown): 1.7 miles
Ogden: 37.7 miles
Provo: 44.1 miles
Logan: 82.4 miles