Come join The Doe Run Company (Doe Run) and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources from 5-8 p.m. Oct. 28 for an evening filled with fun activities that teach children about Missouri’s natural resources. The 13th annual Fall Rocks celebration will be returning to the Missouri Mines State Historic Site Powerhouse Museum in Park Hills. The family-friendly event is free and open to the public.
“More than 30 Doe Run employees and 25 family members volunteer at Fall Rocks every year because we want to show our community more about what we do,” said Rhonda Reed, administrative assistant for the Metals Division at Doe Run. “Fall Rocks gives us an opportunity to show children how important mining and minerals are to our everyday lives.”
Missouri minerals, including lead, are crucial to a modern society. Everyday activities, like starting a car, require lead. Lead batteries store energy from solar panels and wind farms, and provide backup power during storms and other disasters that impact the power grid.
“This annual event helps us share information about a variety of minerals and how they are the building blocks to our modern society,” said Steve Batts, vice president – Southeast Missouri Operations of Doe Run. “The mining industry is growing to meet an expanding global population. It will need approximately 50,000 new employees in the next several years to fill open positions, so we hope that early education will help prepare children to pursue these types of jobs in the future.”
Hard hat decorating, cookie mining, toothpaste making, and minerals trivia are just a few of the activities that kids and parents can both look forward to this year. Free refreshments will also be provided throughout the event. Additionally, the Powerhouse Museum will be open for guests to explore exhibits that teach about the history of mining technology. Missouri geological samples will also be on display, along with a short film that shows how mining operations work.
The Missouri Mines State Historic Site is located at 4000 State Highway 32 in Park Hills, which is on the south side of Highway 32 at the Flat River Drive overpass, 1.5 miles west of U.S. Highway 67.
