GODFREY - A sold-out crowd packed the Ahlmeyer Atrium at the Trimpe Building of Lewis and Clark Community College (LCCC) Thursday evening to celebrate, and poke a little fun at, Riverbend Growth Association (RBGA) Executive Director Monica Bristow.
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The good-spirited fun's "roastmaster" was chiropractor Frank Bemis, who introduced the impressive cast of characters gathered to roast Bristow. Those roasters included John Keller of Carrollton Bank (who himself was last year's roastee at the annual PRIDE, Inc. Roast), East Alton Mayor Joe Silkwood, Diane Schuette of OSF St. Anthony's Health Center, RBGA Board Chair Karen Wilson and Bristow's own sons, Dan and Nick Bristow. The evening began with a reception at 5 p.m., and its proceeds went to PRIDE, Inc., a beautification and improvement group for Alton and Godfrey.
Keller, the first of the evening's roasters, commented on Monica Bristow as a boss and driving force in the Riverbend area. He gave her good-natured jabs about her love of being in control and need for punctuality while at the same time painting a lovely portrait of a woman who deeply cares about her position in the community and those who serve with her.
Mayor Silkwood followed Keller. Silkwood started his segment by poking fun at the elected officials both in attendance and not in attendance, at times ribbing Godfrey Mayor Mike McCormick for not being able to attend due to an invitation he received to be in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration of President Donald Trump - even imitating mock tweets from McCormick in the style of Trump, using words such as "bigly."
When Silkwood turned his attention to Monica Bristow, he spoke of how she told him he was her "favorite mayor in the entire Riverbend," something he said he was sure she told all the other mayors as well. He also recalled an anecdote from a meeting at the Alton Marina during which Silkwood was East Alton's treasurer. He said Monica Bristow was introducing her "favorite area treasurer." When he was about to take a step forward, he said she called the name of Alton Treasurer Cindy Roth (who was also in attendance Thursday evening).
Schuette followed Silkwood and promised to keep her segment "PG-rated" while talking about antics in which she and Monica Bristow would find themselves during their time together at ALTON HIGH SCHOOL. Schuette spoke of Monica Bristow's love for both partying and her husband Melvin Bristow. She instructed Monica Bristow to do shots of Fireball whiskey during her part.
Wilson's roast of Monica Bristow involved the use of props. She dawned several hats including, a traditional stenographer's hat, a race car driver's helmet and even a party hat with straws and beer cans to illustrate Monica Bristow as a well-rounded person with a very active, and sometimes wild, social life.
The roast concluded with Monica Bristow's sons, Dan and Nick Bristow, who poked fun at their mother for claiming she taught their father "everything he knows" about cooking and taking embarrassing photographs of them and posting them on Facebook.
At the end of the evening, Monica Bristow took the stage herself for a rebuttal to each roaster. She took everything said of her in the spirit of good-natured fun and received a standing ovation for both her ability to take jokes and her continuing dedication to the Riverbend community. 
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