Our Daily Show Interview! Dean & Craig: Mississippi Meanderings on 1-25!
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ALTON - There are several opportunities for Mississippi River enthusiasts to learn more about the river and its relationship to Alton.
At 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, Hayner Public Library District will present “Plotting a Future for Historic River Towns with Dean Klinkenberg—Reimagining Places of the Past: Historic Preservation Lecture Series” at the Genealogy and Local History Library. One week later, community members are invited to join Klinkenberg, Craig Heaton and the rest of the Mississippi River Water Trail Association for their annual “Mississippi Meanderings” event on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at the National Great Rivers Museum.
“Alton and other river towns, we have the Mississippi as a natural asset that other communities might not have,” Klinkenberg said. “We’ve always got that in our backyard.”
During his talk on Jan. 18, Klinkenberg will discuss how river towns develop and where they struggle. He will speak for 45 minutes and then take questions from attendees, and he hopes to start a dialogue about how to improve Alton and surrounding communities.
“I put together this whole talk to offer my observations about our river communities, what things we’re doing right, what our assets are, where we’re really struggling, and maybe offer a few ideas on what we can start doing to bend the curve,” he explained. “I’m really invested in their fortunes, and this talk allows me to go a little deeper into some of my observations about river towns, what I’ve seen in communities that are doing well, communities that are struggling.”
Klinkenberg looks forward to sharing his observations and hearing from the community. The event is free, but Hayner asks people to register by calling 1-800-613-3163.
Next Saturday, Jan. 25, is another opportunity to engage with the river. From 12–5 p.m. at the National Great Rivers Museum in Alton, community members can come out to the “Mississippi Meanderings” event and learn more about the Mississippi River Water Trail Association. This organization takes care of a 121-mile trail along the Mississippi River, providing paddling/kayaking training and collaborating with the Army Corps of Engineers to clean up campsites at all the local access points.
“We’ve grown quite a bit,” Heaton said. “We do more than just maintain the trail. We have a lot of events throughout the year.”
At Mississippi Meanderings, people can listen to Klinkenberg speak on this year’s theme, “The Music of the Mississippi Valley,” before a presentation by Kevin Belford about St. Louis’s blues history. This will be followed by a speech by Trapper Haskins about his experience paddling from source to sea on the Mississippi River. The evening will end with an acoustic performance by Haskins and an optional dinner at The Old Bakery Beer Co.
Admission to the event costs $15 or $25 if you want to become a member of the Mississippi River Water Trail Association. Attendees are asked to pre-register here.
Klinkenberg and Heaton look forward to seeing many new and familiar faces at the upcoming events. They encourage you to visit MississippiRiverWaterTrail.org for more information about the organization’s work, events and volunteer opportunities.
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