Summer Fun 2024

Summer Fun Guide 2024

Alton Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market May 11 – October 19, 2024

(Every Saturday

The 2024 season of the Alton Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market will begin on Saturday, May 11th in the parking lot at the corner of Landmarks Blvd. & Henry Street in Downtown Alton, Illinois. The market will be in session, rain or shine, every Saturday morning from 8:00 a.m. until Noon through Oct 19th.

Please note that on June 22nd our event is being displaced to accommodate the Powerboat Championship Race on the Mississippi. On 6/22 the Market will be relocated to the parking lot at the corner of Broadway & Ridge Street (next to FLOCK Food Truck Park).

Shoppers will find a wide selection of locally-grown seasonal fruit and vegetables including heirloom varieties

from 8am-Noon)

and organically grown crops, along with grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, farm fresh eggs, local honey, hot and iced coffee, fresh bread and other baked goods. In addition, fresh cut flowers, potted plants, and a large assortment of hand-crafted artwork such as pottery, stained glass, soap, candles, and woodworking items will be sold. We are now allowed to welcome vendors who will be serving meals that are ready to eat on-site, so we expect an abundance of delicious new breakfast and lunch items to be available!

Live entertainment, artist demonstrations and other special activities have been scheduled every week. To receive reminders for what produce is in season as well as

upcoming entertainment and activities, follow the page: Facebook.com/ AltonFarmersMarket.

This year marks the 32nd season of the Alton Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market, organized by Alton Main Street as part of the organization’s efforts to revitalize the Downtown Alton historic district.

Alton Main Street has received a LinkUP Illinois grant to help us improve access to healthy food. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are accepted by most vendors, and recipients can receive an unlimited dollar for dollar match. Simply visit the information booth to swipe your card and double your buying power for fresh fruits and vegetables!

Alton Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market

Ever y Saturday morning through October 19th

Night Market on Broadway

Ever y Thursday evening in June & July

All-Wheels Drive-In Car Show

Sun, June 9th

Mississippi Earthtones Festival Sat, September 21st

Spend Your Summer on the Trails

Spend Your Summer on the Trails

Night Market on Broadway June 6th – July 25th, 2024

Join us every Thursday night from 7-10pm, June 6th through July 25th for the Night Market ~ an awesome summer series where you can enjoy live music in an outdoor setting, plus artwork and other handmade/homegrown products, as well as vintage & hip thrift items!

The event will take place both

indoors in the gallery of Jacoby Arts Center (627 E. Broadway) as well as outdoors in the neighboring pocket park which bring the 600 block of Broadway to life. Walk next door to have dinner at FLOCK food truck park! Vendors wanted – only $10 per week to set up a booth, and you can register for either an outdoor or indoor space.

2024 Band Schedule!

June 6 – Fleetwood & Family

June 13 – Hamilton Band

June 20 – Hideous Gentlemen

June 27 – Crystal Lady

July 4 – Red White and Floyd

July 11 – The Grand Arson

July 18 – Olive

July 25 – HOOKiE

New pickleball, golf facilities coming to Edwardsville after council gives the OK

Restaurants, a new gas station with a convenience store, hotels, an apartment complex and golfing and pickleball complexes may all be coming to the eastern edge of Edwardsville as part of the Park North development.

These and more are all part of a redevelopment agreement approved May 6 by the city council. The development is bordered by Route 143, Interstate 55, and is just north of Plummer Family Park.

Park North, which encompasses about 94 acres, has multiple facets. Currently, some trees have been removed while earthmoving and grading is underway and has been for at least a few months. Sewer piping is gathered on the site in stacks, awaiting installation.

The original pond on the north end was drained but will remain in some form near Route 143.

The total estimated project cost for this work is almost $12.8 million.

Meanwhile, city public works crews have been busy extending Sports Park Drive north from its present terminus at Plummer Family Park to the park’s border with Park North. Construction crews with Plocher and Byron, the co-developers, will take the road all the way to Route 143, where it will meet Blackburn Road. A new intersection with traffic signals will be established at 143, Blackburn and Sports Park, eliminating the “lanes to nowhere” on 143 in both directions on the west side of Interstate 55.

Extending Sports Park Drive will also fulfill one of the city’s promises to area residents around the park: to reduce the traffic loads on Goshen and

Ridge View roads. It will also provide direct access to the park from I-55, creating an eastern gateway for the city. At some point, the Illinois Department of Transportation will enhance the adjacent 143-55 interchange to handle the additional traffic load.

Plocher and Byron provided a summary about the golf complex for the aldermen, which was the first verified piece of Park North. “A group of local and national investors in conjunction with Scott Plocher, president of Plocher Construction Company, Inc. and Christopher Byron, managing partner for the Edwardsville-based law firm Byron Carlson Petri & Kalb, LLC, have formed North Park Development, LLC to bring a premier golf and entertainment complex to Edwardsville.

“The complex will have an upscale restaurant featuring a local chefinspired menu, a sports bar and an expansive outdoor patio area. The complex will center around an 18-hole mini golf course inspired by PGA venues and two levels with 40 to 50 climatecontrolled hitting bays offering the newest in gaming/golfing technology and will welcome every level of golfer. The complex will be located (in the southwest section of Park North) directly adjacent to the Edwardsville’s Plummer Family Park and will be the first of many new developments at the Park North development.”

Park North will cater to what city officials have long desired for Plummer Family Park; nearby facilities like restaurants, hotels and a gas station that will cater to those who use Plummer for tournaments, league championships and other visits without going to other cities for food, gas, lodging and entertainment.

Golf complex details include a 12acre site with 210 parking slots, a 6,000-square-foot restaurant and 90 seats, a 5,560-square-foot patio/terrace with 60 to 80 seats, a 1,200-square-foot kitchen and more. The golf complex will comprise about 30,000-square-feet total.

A rendering shows about 10 parking spaces and chargers for electric vehicles. The pair of hotels in a previous rendering have been changed to multi-family residential and retail just north of the golf complex. The gas/convenience store in the northwest corner remains the same. The two hotels moved to the east side of Sports Park Drive, north of the pickleball courts. The anchor retail store layout is unchanged.

The former multi-family portion changed to a pickleball complex with 28 courts. Those would align with 25 other pickleball courts at Plummer after its second phase of construction completes in March 2025.

According to Sean P. Goding with Pangea Development, which also plays a role in Park North, the pickleball court facility will be called

the SmashHouse and is to be located in the SE quadrant of the new Park North.

“It will be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, pickleball facility in the country,” he said in an email on May 7. “It will be a nice permanent job(s) creator, revenue generator and a major national and regional sports tourist attraction.” When at full capacity, the facility will be able to host almost 10,000 athletes and visitors.

Park North is the first of two planned developments at 143 and 55. Later in this decade, The Pointe will start construction. Four years ago, the project received a surprise boost when an adjacent landowner agreed to sell acreage, which nearly tripled the size of the project, from 54 to 149 acres.

The project now extends into Edwardsville and would offer 13 lots, ranging from 5.6 to 18 acres. Many of the lots outside city limits are designated as mixed-use commercial, while much of what is within city limits is marked office or flex industrial space.

Pickleball courts:

Alton-Gordon Moore Park

4555 College Ave, Alton 618-463-3580 https://www.cityofaltonil. gov/park-and-recreation/gordon-moore-park/

Godfrey-Glazebrook Community Park

1401 Stamper Lane, Godfrey 618-466-3324 https://visitgodfrey. com/places/robert-e-glazebrook-community-park/

Wood River-Wood River Recreation Center

655 N. Wood River Ave., Wood River, 618-251-3130 https://wrparks.org/pickleball/

Grafton – Red Hawk Park

Open daily: 7:00 am - 11:00 pm City Hall: +1 (618) 786-3344

East Alton-Keasler Recreation Complex 615 3rd St., East Alton 618-259-7615 www.eastaltonvillage.org

Edwardsville – Plummer Family Park

3501 Sports, Park Dr, Edwardsville, 618-692-7538 https://www.cityofedwardsville.com/508/Plummer-Family-Park

Waterparks/Splash pads:

Riverfront Park Splash Pad 1 Riverfront Drive Alton, IL

Season:

Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day

Hours of Operation:

Everyday, 10:00am-5:00pm

Leon Corlew Park and Splash Pad

337 S Main St. Edwardsville, IL

Season:

Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day

Hours:

9 a.m. to 8 p.m. during season

Concessions:

10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day during season and while District 7 is not in session; weekends only once school resumes

Parking:

Please park in areas marked “visitor parking” only

Bethalto Arboretum and Splash Pad

325 E. Central St. Bethalto, IL

The Bethalto Splash Pad will open the 2024 season on Saturday, May 25th and will be open daily from 10am-5pm through August 11th. From August 12th through August 25th, the park will be open Saturdays and Sundays only. The last day of the 2024 season will be August 25th. There is no fee for admission.

Alton L ittle Theater presents...

Princes s es & Company

Cabaret Concert