By Karyn Bowman

When Exploration Station has their Grand re-opening night a month ago, we went as a family. One of the reasons was we do have a membership to this fun museum.

But another was that over the years we have enjoyed coming to this museum with our kids. Our age range is 5 years to 17 years. We have had a child at the right age for the exploration station for the last 15 years.

When we first moved in the area, we came and conquered the castle. I use to climb up and down with the kids. Plus the grocery store was always great fun. I was sad when that went away.

But now with the new hands-on areas upfront I am happy to say Exploration Station has done a great job of re-inventing itself. We have been to the museum a couple of times since that grand opening night and we are loving what we see.

The old gift shop area is now a diner. Right next to it is a new auto repair shop. My boys think this is a really cool area; my five-year-old grabs tools and starts fixing cars. All of my kids love the new inventor’s workshop area.

Plus the grocery store is back with a flower wagon. I love how the new area is smaller with canvas shopping bags to encourage green behavior.

Overall, I love the slightly smaller play areas that encourage a lot of fun and imagination. The art table and dinosaur bones are still there as well as a wonderful dress up area and the waterworks.

Most important though is the castle. We could have spent an hour in that room going up and down the stairs or hiding in the dungeon or playing with the puppets.

Bravo, Exploration Station! You have enhanced what worked well, brought back old favorites and created some wonderful new areas. This is one family that is loving it!

Karyn Bowman is also known as Mom Goes to the Movies and wrote for the Daily Journal as their movie reviewer for over seven years. She lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children.

By Karyn Bowman

Hoo-Hoo, the sweet corn is in!!!!!

“Yeah, we know” you are all saying to the computer. But have you gone out and bought some yet?

Oh, baby, this is what summer eating is all about. There is nothing like an ear of corn that has been cooked to perfection so that it is crunchy and sweet without being over-cooked and soggy. Slather that ear in salted butter and you never have to reach for the salt shaker.

How good is it? When we pick some up we make sure there is enough for everyone in our family to have three ears because that is all my kids will eat for supper.

We all have our favorite places to buy it. Mine are on the east end of the county because that is where we live. Perhaps some of you can share your favorite places. One place we go is Reitveld’s on the corner of 4000 North Road (Larry Power Road to some) and 4000 East Road (Skyline Road to others). They have more than corn but that is what we always get.

Another place we go to is a farmstand on Rt. 17 east of Exline Road but west of the River. What makes this place unique is the owners trust you to put in the right amount of money in the box for the number of ears you take. It is the country, it is what we do. They will do the same with tomatoes as well.

Both places have good corn and when it is done for the day it is done. So you take your ears home, clean them and throw them in the pot. The husband and I have debated the number of minutes to leave the ears in our favorite tall stock pot over the years. I put the timer on for 12 minutes and have had great results.

I am open to hearing how people do it on the grill since I have never tried that method.

I assume you would take off the outside tassels but I wonder if you should completely clean the corn and put it in foil or can you leave the husk on?

Now should you have leftover ears that have not been eaten I have a great corn pudding recipe to use them in. But you are going to have to tune in another day for that.

Karyn Bowman is also known as Mom Goes to the Movies and wrote for the Daily Journal as their movie reviewer for over seven years. She lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children.

One of the brightest spots of the summer has arrived and that is the county fair.

You may have read about the history of the county fair in the paper and you may have thought about getting over there. But what I also hope you do if you go is to visit the Creative Arts building that shows off many of the projects done by the various 4H groups in our area.

When I was growing up, 4H was for the country kids. Many of the projects focused on what people considered the skills needed for a farm – canning, sewing, and livestock. But there are other projects that you may not think about as being farm related. Woodworking, photography and leadership kills are just a few of the projects.

Let me give full disclosure. I had a cousin in 4H and I am the mom of two 4H members. My kids have done photography, drawings, rocketry, woodworking, forestry, guinea pigs (in the small pet category), rabbits and dog training for projects.

Other kids I know have done veterinarian projects, horticulture, basket weaving, public speaking, electricity, aerospace and quilting. There are myriad other topics that including clothing construction and nutrition. When our son took in his baking project, my husband watched another 4H member bring in a steak they had cooked. You heard me right, a steak.

What I like most about 4H is that it gives kids the opportunity to try a number of different projects. Maybe it fails one year and the next they get it right. Sometimes it can work the other way around; the first year is a great success and the next doesn’t go so good. Or they can find a different project better suited for their skills. The point is kids get to try out different things to see what they like and don’t like.

Plus some of the projects offer scholarships if you plan on sticking with it for several years. That is something a lot of parents look for. Another plus? For each ribbon, kids can get a premium check, the amount varying with the color. It may not be a lot cash-wise but what a boost it can be to the self-esteem.

Enjoy the fair while it is here, take the time to admire the hard work of these kids in the creative arts building and in the livestock barns. But also remember to stop at the 4H foodstand by the Grandstand to help fund this worthy organization that helps our kids learn to be better.

Karyn Bowman is also known as Mom Goes to the Movies and wrote for the Daily Journal as their movie reviewer for over seven years. She lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children.

One of the great things about spring is the return of church rummage sales.

I love going over rows of forgotten treasures that others realize they no longer need. Last week I hit the Wesley Methodist Church sale and found many good items. A small lamp, a hanging quilt rack, a hot wheels carrier. But the best was a book – The Secret of the Old Clock. A Nancy Drew mystery.

My own collection had been given to some organization or another for their own sale. I thought it was appropriate at the time.

I nearly squealed with joy when I saw the blue and yellow cover. There was Nancy in a field trying to pry open the clock face. I collected these books as a child and loved them. I wanted to be Nancy although I was never going to be slim and blond with a roadster or a boyfriend like Ned.

As delighted as I was with my find, it was doubled when my 7-year-old daughter saw the book and became excited. Guess we will have to start looking for Nancy Drew books all over again.

I had better look up which churches are having sales this weekend.

~ By Karyn Bowman

Karyn Bowman is also known as Mom Goes to the Movies and wrote for The Daily Journal as their movie reviewer for over seven years. She lives in Kankakee County with her husband and four children.

By Karyn Bowman

As March moves closer and closer to spring, I have to report that I saw a robin today as I walked the kids to school.

My far-away vision is not good so my daughter looked and reported it indeed was a robin. That is when the bird turned towards me and I saw the bright red-orange chest. Spring cannot be too far away now.

This has been a long winter filled with too few breaks in the weather. One came early on around Valentine’s Day. It was a break that saw temperatures in the 30s without a whipping wind. When a person can call a day like that a break in the weather, you know we have had a hard winter.

Well, on that day my husband and I took our Valentine’s celebration. We made plans to have a lunch at One Sixty Four North in downtown Kankakee. However, our first stop was at Gar Prairie over be KCC. We decided to have a walk first to get our appetite stirring.

As much as we wanted to do the prairie path, it was much too wet and soggy that day so we stayed on the main trail. There is a babbling brook on the east side of the road that became louder as we went farther down hill. However that disappeared as the road curved to the right.

Then we picked up the sound of fast moving water again but this time to our left. There the creek was moving rapidly over stones in the creek bed. As we moved further down the path we saw this huge tree that looked to be six feet wide. I am not sure what type of tree it is and would appreciate someone telling me. There were no leaves or seed pods left on the branches to give a clue. Whatever it is, that tree is a beaut. My husband wondered if it is on a list of great trees. Perhaps someone else knows and would like to share.

We went all the way to the river bank and back again. That is when we headed over to One Sixty Four North on Schuyler Avenue. What a meal! Perhaps because we were hungry everything on the menu looked wonderful. The bread that was brought to the table was soft and wonderful, especially after spread with the lightly garlic-flavored butter.

We choose the wild mushroom soup, which was incredibly creamy and tasty. Larger than normal pieces of mushrooms were in the soup and I loved it. Then there were our entrees. I had the veal picatta, which was sprinkled with capers and absolutely worked with the red skinned potatoes that were mashed with garlic. The two flavors balanced nicely without being overwhelming. Plus, the asparagus was the right amount of steamed so the stalks were crisp but not woody. My glass of house Pinot Grigio worked wonderfully with the meal.

My husband had the chopped steak that was served with mushrooms and a bordelaise sauce. The rich dark color was matched only in its rich dark flavor. The meat was tender and cooked to perfection. Again the garlic mashed potatoes was a good match. My husband went with a house Pinot Noir and was pleased with its hardiness.

We finished the meal off with Key Lime Pie for myself and cheesecake for my husband. The Key Lime was presented with a lime sauce and strawberry sauce drizzled on the plate. While both were nice compliments, I preferred the dessert just as it was – creamy, sweet and a touch of sour lime. You don’t pucker from it but it is enjoyable. The cheese cake was perfect for my husband – rich and smooth.

It was a great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. We easily spent $50, not hard when you consider we ordered wine, desserts and an appetizer. We plan to return, especially when my parents come to town looking for a good meal. You can read the menus for lunch and dinner on the website at www.164north.com as well as find times and look at the picture gallery.

~ Karyn Bowman is also known as Mom Goes to the Movies and wrote for The Daily Journal as their movie reviewer for over seven years. She lives in Kankakee County with her husband and four children.

Do you have an opinion or story to share? Email it to me at drenckens@daily-journal.com.

Tempted to contribute but not sure what to write about? Here are some timely topics that might spark your opinionated side:

• Today’s Golden Globe nominations.

• Britney Spears’ new album, “Circus”, debuts at No. 1.

• Monday’s final episode of “Boston Legal.”

• Anticipation for the new season of “24.”

• The lesbian plot twist — and untwist — on “Grey’s Anatomy”

• “The Dark Knight” is released on DVD.

– Denise

Welcome to My 2 Cents, a blog for your opinions on music, movies, TV shows, books, and (just about) anything else you want to spout off about.

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