ALTON - All eyes are on the sky as the Great Rivers & Routes region prepares for the annual winter migration of the American Bald Eagle. Every January, experts anticipate as many as 1,000 bald eagles will migrate to the area reclaiming their winter roosts along the Meeting of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway just outside St. Louis in Illinois.
To celebrate the return of this majestic bird, the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau along with the Audubon Center at Riverlands will host the Alton Eagle Ice Festival, Saturday, Jan. 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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Free family-friendly activities and a live American Bald Eagle will be on hand at the Alton Visitors Center, 200 Piasa St. The Audubon Center at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, 301 Riverlands Way, West Alton will feature a live raptor, educational booths, eagle watching shuttle tours sponsored by Argosy Casino and the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau, crafts, viewing stations, eagle trails and more.
Start your day of eagle activities in downtown Alton by watching ice carvers create an eagle from a frozen block of ice. Or enjoy Itchy Brothers Chainsaw Art show off their carving skills as they create a bald eagle from a block of wood. Both carving events take place behind the Alton Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
