ALTON - Alton Main Street, the Sierra Club Illinois’ Three Rivers Project and Jacoby Arts Center are announcing the return of the Mississippi Earthtones Festival to Alton’s Riverfront Amphitheater on Saturday, September 19th from 12:00 until 10:00 p.m. This 20th annual event is free to attend and features 30 environmental education exhibits, 60 eco-friendly artists and makers, and 17 culinary vendors. The popular festival attracts approximately 5,000 community members and tourists to Downtown Alton to celebrate our river through art, music, and conservation every third Saturday in September.
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The theme of this year’s MEF is Rooted in Rhythm, and Alton’s riverfront will be filled with art that reflects this message. Local artists have been commissioned to create large interactive installations that will enhance the festival grounds and delight the crowd. Michael Snider aka Kooliverse has built an 8-foot drum made from recycled and natural materials, with ample seating for participants to play together. Make sure to also check out his beautiful water wheel sculpture which spins a record player and driftwood dancer. Alton Music Exchange will host an opportunity for you to make your mark on their Sounds of Alton street piano! Festival-goers will help paint a fresh coat of décor which will extend the piano’s longevity for musicians to showcase their talent; the instrument lives on the sidewalk at 556 E. Broadway for anyone to play. Kids can visit the Sierra Club booth to create a percussion instrument and then join two rhythm parades throughout the grounds at 3:15 pm and 6:15 led by the Alton Youth Symphony.
The Riverbend Yarn Bombers will display their intricately crocheted canoe and flowing river of textile art; you can sit inside for a perfect photo opportunity! Enjoy a live nautical flag performance at 3:45pm titled “100 Rivers: Signals of Repair”. Plus, art students from SIUE will decorate the festival grounds with beautiful chalk art.
Live music will fill the air throughout the day; the entertainment lineup on the main stage will feature: the Matt Taul Band (Americana singer-songwriter) from 12:00-2:30, Master Blaster (Stevie Wonder tribute, led by The Urge frontman Steve Ewing) from 4:00-6:00, Jake’s Leg (Grateful Dead tribute celebrating 50 years of St. Louis Deadication) from 7:00-10:00, and between each act will be a performance by Jason “Gordo” Gordon (1-Man, 10-Piece Band) from 2:30-3:30 and 6:00-7:00. Musical performances are part of this free festival and no additional ticketing is required to enjoy the shows. 3A’s Sign Language Interpreting Services will be on the main stage to interpret the Jake's Leg performance.
Jacoby Arts Center has cultivated an amazing art playground featuring performances and interactive experiences for all ages, including live clay wheel throwing and metalsmithing demonstrations from 12:00-2:00; a whimsical ukulele performance by Noel Schriber from 2:30-3:30, Monkey Noodle Theatrics will host an Improv Hour from 4:00-5:00, and enjoy a Creative Dance Studio student dance performance from 5:00-5:30. Throughout the day visitors can unwind beneath the trees to create their own upcycled flags and spinners, and take advantage of free face painting!
A big top tent will serve as the “Zen Zone” with programming coordinated by Josephine Van Deusen from In Safe Hands Massage Therapy. From 12:00-12:45 enjoy a grounding meditation with Stella Webb using the rhythm of the heartbeat; from 1:00-1:45 Flora Van Koten from Illinois Satsang Society will host a discussion on Relationships Rooted in God's Love, enhancing your connection with all life. From 2:00-2:45 there will be a yoga class and sound bowls with Andrea Chancey, and from 3:00-3:45 Nicole Gaither will host an Intention Ceremony. Throughout the day and evening, everyone is welcome to enjoy the shade, fans and seating areas in the Zen Zone, plus you can get a donation based chair massage nearby with Mads LMT.
You can learn about and visit with many animals at this year’s MEF! From 12:00-3:00 Treehouse Wildlife Center will be on hand with Crackerjack the corn snake, Maddie the groundhog, and Billy the American kestrel. From 12:30-2:30 you can pet a highland calf with Highland Acres Farm. Learn about our region’s birds and their importance to local ecosystems at The Audubon Center at Riverlands booth. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources will offer a fishing game for kids, and you can drop by the popular Legendary Mustang Sanctuary booth to meet horses and feed them carrots while learning all about the organization’s efforts to rescue wild mustangs and burros.
Come hungry because there will be a large selection of delicious local eats and treats available for purchase from The Old Bakery Beer Company, Gentelin’s on Broadway, Big Boys Q, Taqueria Maya, Bri’s Fish, Zelicious Plant-Based Soul Food, Team Honduras, Fruity Pineapple, Taqueria Los Toros, Byrdies Food Truck, The Brown Bag Bistro, Boba Bae, Baked-Sweet Creations, Frosty Flavors, Bubba Grump's Smoked Pretzels, and The Perfect Pop Gourmet Popcorn. Friendly, leashed dogs are welcome at the event, and we even have snacks for them too from Dee's Bark-ery treats. Illinois American Water will provide their trailer of spigots offering free chilled water; our guests are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle.
Local artists will offer nature-inspired, hand-made, and environmentally friendly wares for sale throughout the entirety of the festival. A variety of fun and educational activities are planned for families from Noon until 6:00 p.m. Kids can complete their passport to be entered to win a gift certificate for Funky Planet Toys & Gifts! There will be several agencies on hand to teach festivalgoers how to incorporate more sustainable practices into their daily lives. Conservation-based organizations will offer exhibits to showcase their missions, and environmentally-conscious businesses will have booths to promote their products while also supporting our community’s commitment to protect our region’s most important natural resource - the Mississippi River.
Visit the Piasa Palisades Group of the Sierra Club’s booth for information about their local chapter and how you can get involved in their educational series and fun outdoor activities in the region. Learn about the POWER Act and how you can make a difference in how and when data centers come on line in Illinois. The Sierra Club will also teach kids how to use natural materials on a spinning wheel, and thread native plants into a re-purposed loom.
Visit with Heartlands Conservancy as they collect public input on parks and more for the City of Alton's Comprehensive Plan! The Hayner Public Library District will highlight items from their various collections, including a Library of Things and a Seed Library. At the Madison County Building & Zoning booth you can spin the recycling wheel to win a prize, and the RideFinders booth will highlight the benefits of riding together instead of making solo commutes for air quality improvement.
Play water safety games to win prizes and learn about the National Great Rivers Museum at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers booth. Missouri Prairie Foundation’s “Grow Native!” Program will offer information and free literature on native gardening. Then be sure to stop by Sam’s Native Nursery for local plants and free native seeds for kids to take home!
Check out the Principia Solar Car, a solar powered electric vehicle used in competitions at colleges across North America. The SIU Office of Community Engagement / Institute for Rural Health will share about its clean energy incubators in Alton and East St. Louis and other clean energy initiatives. At the University of Illinois Extension booth you can ride a smoothie bike – that’s right, your pedaling will blend a smoothie!
Stop by Funky Planet Toys & Gifts for a fun kids craft, and then take your passport to visit The Nature Institute to play Match-a-Skeleton to its animal and check our furs and skulls of native animals. You can also make your own beads while learning about education programs at the Center for American Archeology in Kampsville. Trinity’s Way will offer information on their monthly litter clean ups and discuss the negative effects of littering on our ecosystem. The United Congregations of the Metro East will share about their efforts to support environmental justice.
Dozens of local artisans will offer nature-inspired, hand-made, and environmentally-friendly wares. You’ll find wearable art such as tie dyes and batiks, knit and crocheted items, leatherwork, and upcycled jewelry. A variety of handmade all-natural soap and handcrafted body care products will be available, and you’ll also find unique home décor, pottery, candles, bird feeders, nature themed artwork, sustainably sourced insect taxidermy, photography, paintings, products made with local honey, driftwood and woodworking items, thrifted clothing, hemp products, books from local authors and native plants!
At 3:30, three local champions for the environment will be presented with this year’s Confluence Conservation Leadership Award: Lauren Pattan, Co-Founder and Operating Partner of The Old Bakery Beer Company - a certified organic craft brewery which exclusively uses North American grown malts, raw grains, & hops, Craig Heaton, a Mississippi River paddling enthusiast who has been instrumental in the success of the Mississippi Water Trail Association, and Robyn Stranquist, a University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener and local food advocate who has utilized her skills to inspire and educate our community.
Volunteer slots are still available for short shifts at the festival. Anyone who pitches in will receive a free festival t-shirt, which are exclusive for volunteers. All 70 volunteer slots have been filled for the MEF River Clean Up which will take place the following Saturday, Sept. 26th; to date over 54 tons of trash have been removed from the river at MEF clean ups.
To make our 20th anniversary extra special, we are re-releasing all prior 19 years of MEF staff shirt designs for only $20 each! A link to order will be live through the end of the year for holiday gift-giving on the homepage of DowntownAlton.com. Pick up more information and a festival program at the information booth near the fountain.
Festival-goers will have the opportunity to engage with various non-profit organizations during the event, taking action for both people and the planet while enjoying a festive atmosphere. Christine Favilla, Three Rivers Project Co-coordinator, emphasized, “Attendees can feel assured that we are taking significant steps to minimize the environmental footprint related to the lights, sounds, hotel stays, and transportation to and from the festival.” The Sierra Club will purchase carbon credits to offset the carbon emissions associated with the festival’s footprint, ensuring that we maximize our positive impact on the environment.
“We look forward to filling the riverfront with a celebration of our beautiful Mississippi River,” said Sara McGibany, Executive Director of Alton Main Street, adding “This event attracts the most wonderful artists, agencies and attendees who are passionate about protecting Alton’s greatest natural asset.”
This event is held annually on the third Saturday in September as part of the State of Illinois’ “It’s Our River Day” initiative to celebrate Illinois watersheds through education, recreation and conservation activities. Alton’s free community river celebration would not be possible without the generosity of our community. Alton Main Street, the Sierra Club, and Jacoby Arts Center express their sincere appreciation to the following local businesses and organizations for sponsoring the event: City of Alton, Village of Godfrey, Madison County Resource Management, American Rivers, Simmons Hanly Conroy, AltonWorks, Citizens Equity First Credit Union, Imperial Manufacturing, Chiro One Wellness Centers, Kooliverse, Midwest Members Credit Union, Audubon Center at Riverlands, The Old Bakery Beer Company, Illinois American Water, Jacob Sunrooms Exteriors and Baths, Lewis & Clark Community College, Principia College, Busey Bank, Beautë Boutique, Illinois Environmental Council, BKJ Solar, The Telegraph, Riverbender.com, WBGZ Radio, and AdVantage with support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. For more information, please visit www.DowntownAlton.com/Events. To stay up-to-date on announcements, please visit: www.facebook.com/EarthtonesFestival.
About Alton Main Street
Alton Main Street is a community based, not-for-profit, volunteer-led organization dedicated to securing the economic vitality and aesthetic quality of Alton’s historic downtown district. Since 1994, Alton Main Street has led volunteer efforts to transform Downtown Alton into a thriving commercial and residential center through education, historic preservation, and coordination of social, economic, and beautification activities. To learn more, visit www.DowntownAlton.com.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.8 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
About Jacoby Arts Center
The mission of Jacoby Arts Center is to nurture and promote the practice and appreciation of the arts through education, exhibits, cultural programs, and community outreach initiatives. For details on upcoming classes, events and programming, please visit www.JacobyArtsCenter.org.
Mississippi Earthtones Festival
Celebrating our river through art, music, and conservation
