For everyone looking for free summer fun for all ages, there’s a packed lineup of concerts and events happening in City Park in downtown Edwardsville this spring and summer. On tap are ongoing performances by the Edwardsville Symphony and the Edwardsville Municipal Band, an evening with Opera Edwardsville, a fun mix of rock, pop, Motown and other sounds for the Friday night concerts, movies, children’s crafts and more. And it all kicks off this Memorial Day weekend.
“The many summer events in City Park are a wonderful tradition in Edwardsville, offering something for the whole family to enjoy for free,” Mayor Art Risavy said. “Our Parks & Recreation staff partner with our fantastic community groups to present a fun assortment of great events.”
The Edwardsville Symphony gets the fun rolling on Sunday, May 24, with its first outdoor concert of the season. The season is dedicated to celebrating the Route 66 centennial. Sunday’s concert explores the “Childhood Road-trip,” and features Edwardsville High School orchestra members and a special introduction by Route 66 author Cheryl Eichar Jett. The Symphony performs at 7 p.m. on the City Park bandstand, preceded at 6:30 p.m. by a pre-concert performance by the Southern Illinois University Cello Studio. Monthly free Symphony concerts continue in City Park through September.
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On Memorial Day, Woodlawn Cemetery will host its long-running tribute to fallen military members. The event begins at 10 a.m. at 1400 St. Louis Street on Monday, May 25, and will include the first performance of the spring by the Edwardsville Municipal Band. The band can then be enjoyed at its free concerts in City Park every Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. from June 4 through August 20. Additional performances include an August concert in Leclaire Park and two the week of the Fourth of July in celebration of that holiday and America’s 250th birthday. “We’re honored to be part of that, and we hope to make this one extra special with some newer selections to celebrate the 250th birthday,” said Municipal Band member Steve Wehling.
The Edwardsville Parks & Recreation free Friday night concert lineup gets underway in City Park on June 19, with retro rock, Motown classics, folk and blues and more. Featured bands include RetroNerds (June 19), J-Rob (June 26), the Steve Ewing Band (July 10), the Steven Wooley Band (July 17) and Mike Sonderegger’s Dueling Pianos (July 24). A free Friday night concert also will take place in City Park in conjunction with the Rotary Criterium on August 14 and feature the 80’s Band. The concerts all begin at 8 p.m. in City Park.
Opera Edwardsville returns to City Park for one magnificent evening of performances on Friday, July 31. More details about the event will be available on Opera Edwardsville’s Facebook page.
Other Arts in the Park activities include monthly free Saturday night movies on June 27 (“Shrek”), July 25 (“Jurassic Park”), August 29 (“Wild Robot”) and September 19 (“Wicked: For Good”). Shakespeare in the Park will present “Two Gentlemen of Verona” for free on August 21 in City Park, and numerous festivals also are planned: the Edwardsville Route 66 Festival (June 13) and America 250 (June 28-July 4), the Rotary Criterium (festival, August 14; race day, August 15). Children’s free Arts in the Park activities also will be led by the Edwardsville Arts Center in City Park from 9-10:30 a.m. on June 6, 20 and 27 and July 11, 18 and 25.
