SerpApi.Org
The Route 66 Festival wasn’t the last of Edwardsville’s celebrations of the iconic highway.
The city has another full slate of centennial activities this fall, including concerts, poetry, films and trail quests. More events are in the works, but the main feature is “A Weekend of Songs and Stories: Celebrating 100 Years of Route 66 in Illinois.”
“What better way to celebrate Illinois’ last 100 miles of Route 66 during this centennial year than to spotlight some Illinois legends,” Alderman SJ Morrison said in a statement. “We’re excited about the diverse array of performances in Edwardsville that weekend and encourage residents and visitors to celebrate with us!”
Additional events and activities will precede the weekend. New announcements will be made at cityofedwardsville.com/route66fallfun.
Sept. 10
The Wildey Theatre will screen “Route 66: The Main Street of America.” This film is an official U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission documentary and is making its worldwide premiere in several Illinois cities. Tickets are available now.
October
The MCT Trails Creature Quest will begin in October. The Agency for Community Transit and Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau are partnering with Madison County Transit on this interactive Route 66-themed quest. The quest will introduce six steel sculptures, each depicting a different woodland creature paired with an original poem about the Mother Road. Trail visitors will be able to pick up a free Creature Quest Atlas at the West End Service Station to help locate the sculptures. At each creature, visitors can complete an interactive task and create an impression from a raised puzzle piece. More details will be available at MCTtrails.org.
Oct. 9
- The Buckinghams will perform at the Wildey Theatre at 8 p.m. This Chicago group helped define ‘60s pop rock and was considered America’s answer to the British music invasion. Tickets are on sale now for $66 each.
- Singer Mike Sonderegger will perform a free concert in City Park at 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 10
- At 7 p.m., Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte will be at the Wildey Theatre for a free evening of poetry and reflection. Turcotte is an award-winning poet and author, as well as a writer-in-residence at DePaul University in Chicago.
- At 7:30 p.m., the Blooze Brothers will perform a free concert in City Park. This Chicago band fuses rhythm and blues, soul and horn-driven rock in a tribute to the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd duo known as the Blues Brothers.
Oct. 11
- The Ides of March will perform at 7 p.m. at the Wildey Theatre. This Chicago act is powered by the unforgettable songs of Grammy winner Jim Peterik, also a founding member of the band Survivor. Tickets are on sale now for $66 each.
