December, Already Wanting Summer in Carondelet

Winter sucks in St. Louis. December's here and that cutthroat Jack Frost is getting ready to exhale on the Gateway City. There may be a few more days to get out to the parks and enjoy some activities, but they're going quick. And forget about the evenings. It gets dark at 5 p.m. and colder as the sun goes down. With the St. Louis winter breathing down my neck, I am reminded of summertime activities in some of the area parks.

HORSESHOES: Carondelet Park offers 10 horseshoe pits with wooden backstops. The pits are well lit so you can play until the park closes at 10 p.m. or the cops kick you out. Make sure to bring your own shoes to toss and a shovel to loosen the dirt pits.

FISHING: There are two great lakes to cast lines in Carondelet Park, Boathouse Lake and Horseshoe Lake. I prefer Boathouse Lake for trying to catch catfish. Two summers ago a little old lady pulled out a 17-pounder. Horseshoe Lake is where I prefer to drop nets for crawdads. But no matter what you like to fish for, both lakes are stocked once a month with a variety of different fish.

CARONDELET CONCERT SERIES: There is a variety of free music offered through the parks in the Carondelet neighborhood. This past summer, South St. Louis Square Park had free music on Monday evenings in June. Bellerive Park, over-looking the Mississippi River, presented bluegrass concerts Monday evenings in July. Sunday evenings, throughout the entire summer, Carondelet Park featured artists ranging from polka to an Elvis impersonator. Next summer’s concert schedules have not been posted yet…so check back closer to summer.

Summer in South St. Louis is great. Sure, this winter we might get some snow for sledding, but I'll trade a couple days of sledding for a summer night in Carondelet any day.

Check out the Carondelet Community Betterment Federation