EDWARDSVILLE – The weekend of August 16-18, 2024, in Edwardsville will feature a tempting trio of activities sure to satisfy any interest: an enchanting Shakespearean performance; cyclists careening through the downtown streets amid a family-friendly festival; and an impressive fleet of classic cars supporting the Edwardsville D.A.R.E. Program.
The first of this fun series of events kicks off at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, August 16, in City Park, where St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s TourCo troupe will stage “The Tempest,” an enchanting comedic tale. TourCo’s free performances have become a summer staple in City Park, 101 S. Buchanan Street. Find details on the Edwardsville Parks & Recreation Facebook page: www.facebook.com/EdwardsvilleParksAndRec. Saturday, August 17, marks the 14th run of the exhilarating Edwardsville Rotary Criterium Festival, featuring thrilling high-speed bicycle races through the heart of downtown, free kids races, a children’s art area, live music, food and beverages. Start times for the races will run from 11:30 a.m. through 7:40 p.m., but the festival will continue through 11 p.m. The Rotary Criterium once again will serve as the final race in the Illinois Cup, a showcase of the best cycling races in Illinois and surrounding states, said Brian Mulhall, an Edwardsville Rotary member who serves as Criterium director.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
The youngest cyclists can get in on the Criterium action, too, with five free races that will begin at 4 p.m. Other activities for children include the Kids Zone, with an art tent, helmet fittings, games, free ice cream and more, from 1-5 p.m. in the parking lot next to the Wildey Theatre in the 200 block of North Main Street. To accommodate the races and festival, downtown portions of multiple streets will close to vehicular traffic by 8 a.m. Saturday, August 17. Detours will be marked. Street parking in the 100-300 blocks of North Main Street will be restricted beginning in the overnight hours late Friday, August 16. The impacted roads are:
Main Street will be closed from Union Street to Park Street. Union Street will serve as a detour on the north end of Main Street.
Vandalia Street (which turns into St. Louis Street) will be closed from Kansas Street to Coventry Place/Clay Street. Schwarz Street and Union Street will serve as detour roads.
St. Louis Street will be closed from the Busey Bank area, 330 W. Vandalia Street, to North Main Street.
North Second Street will be closed from St. Louis Street to High Street.
The City is a presenting sponsor of the event, which has been organized by the Edwardsville Rotary Club since 2010 as a fundraiser for community projects. More details on the event and additional sponsors are on the Rotary Criterium website, edwardsvillecriterium.page/, and Facebook page, www.facebook.com/EvilleCriterium. Because of the earlier start to the Criterium, the Land of Goshen Community Market will move from its usual downtown site to Lewis and Clark Community College’s N.O. Nelson Complex at 600 Troy Road.
The hours of operation are the same: 8 a.m. to noon. Check the Goshen Market’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/goshenmarket, for details.
More on D.A.R.E. Car Show in a separate story.
More like this:
