ALTON - The fourth annual Ice Jam at the Dam winter festival, to be held at the National Great Rivers Museum on Feb. 15, 2025, will highlight winter experiences that can be had along the river, along with winter-themed movies, live music, animal shows, and more.
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From 10 a.m.-2 p.m., the public is invited to visit the National Great Rivers Museum for a wide array of winter activities. In a change from years past, this will now be a primarily indoors event, with education tables throughout the museum gallery, as well as outdoors in front of the museum. Local organizations will have educational booths where visitors can learn about winter recreation, try their hand at a winter-related science experiment, and hear about the Lewis and Clark over-wintering at Camp Dubois alongside a replica of the White Pirogue boat used on their expedition.
Children who visit at least six stations will receive a goody bag of prizes, as well as a s’mores kit. In front of the museum, families can roast their s’mores at campfires and enjoy food and hot beverages provided by Pig on a Wing food truck and Travelin’ Tom’s coffee truck while listening to live music by Chris Cahill, who will be returning for this year’s event.
Treehouse Wildlife Center, of Dow, IL, will return this year with a live animal meet-and-greet experience in the museum classroom from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. In a change from past years, this will no longer be a ticketed event, but rather a free interactive experience that will allow visitors to come and go at their leisure, meeting the animals and asking any questions that they would like.
“Thanks to support from the Meeting of the Rivers Foundation, we have been able to change the animal shows from a paid, ticketed event, to a free experience,” said Natural Resources Specialist and Museum Director Allison Kennington. “We are happy to be able to offer this show free-of-charge, making it more accessible to a wider number of our visitors.”
After grabbing a bite to eat, families should stick around for a special lunchtime appearance by Louie, the beloved mascot of the St. Louis Blues, who is no stranger to embracing the ice. Louie will be joined by two other mascots: Blazer of Lewis and Clark Community College, and Bobber the Water Safety Dog, who represents the Army Corps of Engineers.
No special event at the National Great Rivers Museum would be complete without free tours of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam, adjoining the museum. Tours of 25 people will run every 20-30 minutes, with sign-in sheets available inside the museum on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors waiting for their tour are welcome to stop into the museum theater, where they can catch a showing of Frozen and Frozen II.
“Our intention for Ice Jam at the Dam is to encourage visitors to learn ways to continue recreating outdoors throughout the winter season,” said Kennington. “We’re so excited that we’re able to continue to grow this event into a keystone winter experience for the entire region.”
The National Great Rivers Museum is located at 2 Locks and Dam Way in Alton, Illinois and is open from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, please contact a Park Ranger at 618-462-6979 or visit www.mtrf.org.
