Mark your calendars: Edwardsville’s Route 66 centennial celebration fall lineup announced

Edwardsville’s Route 66 centennial celebration is continuing this fall with a new round of events, including a three-day festival featuring concerts and events that put Illinois in the spotlight, a documentary premiere, and an interactive Route 66-themed adventure, courtesy of Madison County Transit.

Beginning Friday, Oct. 9, Edwardsville will host “A Weekend of Songs and Stories: Celebrating 100 Years of Route 66 in Illinois” as part of the Great Rivers & Routes’ Last 100 Miles Festival taking place in communities throughout southern Illinois.

In Edwardsville, the weekend will include two nationally known acts at the Wildey Theatre, two free nights of concerts in City Park, and a speaking appearance by the Illinois Poet Laureate at the Wildey, with more events in the works.

“What better way to celebrate Illinois’ last 100 miles of Route 66 during this centennial year, than to spotlight some Illinois legends,” said Edwardsville Ward 4 Alderman SJ Morrison. “We’re excited about the diverse array of performances in Edwardsville that weekend and encourage residents and visitors to celebrate with us!”

Events scheduled so far:

Friday, Oct. 9:

• The Buckinghams will perform at 8 p.m. at the Wildey Theatre (252 N. Main St.). This Chicago group helped define ‘60s pop rock and was considered America’s answer to the British music invasion. The band’s biggest hit, which spent two weeks at the No. 1 spot on the billboard charts, was “Kind of a Drag.” Tickets are now on sale for $66 each (fees included) on the Wildey website (www.wildeytheatre.com).
• Singer Mike Sonderegger will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. for a free outdoor concert in City Park (101 S. Buchanan St.). Bring a chair or blanket, snacks and beverages and prepare to rock out to this local fan favorite in downtown Edwardsville.

Saturday, Oct. 10:

• At 7 p.m. at the Wildey Theatre, enjoy a free evening of poetry and reflection with Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte. This award-winning poet and author (Turtle Mountain Band Anishinaabe) spent his early years on North Dakota’s Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation; his family later moved to Michigan. He is Illinois’ sixth Poet Laureate to date and also serves as a distinguished writer in residence in the English Department of DePaul University in Chicago.
• At 7:30 p.m. the Blooze Brothers will perform a free outdoor concert in City Park. This Chicago band fuses rhythm and blues, soul and horn-driven rock in faithful fashion to the John Belushi-Dan Akroyd duo known as the Blues Brothers. Bring a chair or blanket, snacks and beverages and prepare to rock out to this high-energy act in downtown Edwardsville.

Sunday, 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. Ides of March music, including the hit song “Vehicle,” has been featured on radio, movie soundtracks and more. Tickets are now on sale for $66 each (fees included) at the Wildey website (www.wildeytheatre.com).

Thanks to a partnership between the Agency for Community Transit (ACT) and Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau, Madison County Transit (MCT) will launch an interactive Route 66-themed adventure known as the “MCT Trails Creature Quest,” which introduces six new custom steel sculptures located at sites where the MCT Trails meet various alignments of Route 66.

Each sculpture, which depicts six different woodland creatures, stands atop a large stone boulder and is accompanied by an original poem that tells the story of the Mother Road, Trailgoers are challenged to complete an interactive task, and create an impression from a raised puzzle piece at the site.

In October, after the new sculptures have been installed, participants will be able to pick up a free “Creature Quest Atlas” at the West End Service Station in order to locate each Creature and record notes about the encounter. Details will also be available at www.MCTtrails.org.

“Route 66: The Main Street of America” will also make its Wildey Theatre premiere on Thursday, Sept. 10. This documentary by acclaimed filmmaker and Route 66 historian John Paget is making its worldwide premiere in Illinois, with multiple stops (including the Wildey Theatre) in the state. It will be featured during 40 stops in total spanning all eight Route 66 states.

Following the screening at the Wildey, stay for a live Q&A with filmmaker John Paget and featured participants from the film. Tickets are NOT yet on sale for this event, but will be soon. An official U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission documentary, it’s making its worldwide premiere in several cities in Illinois, with 40 stops overall spanning all eight Route 66 states.

The West End Service Station, the City’s Route 66 visitor center at 620 St. Louis Street, also will host an activity that weekend, but details are still being finalized.

More October weekend events are also expected to be announced soon.

Learn more about the festival and other events, and watch for new announcements by visiting www.cityofedwardsville.com/route66fallfun.