ALTON - The Mississippi Earthtones Festival offers free entertainment and art for community members to enjoy.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
From 12–10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, at the Alton Amphitheater, people can enjoy the 18th annual Mississippi Earthtones Festival (MEF), complete with art exhibits, vendors, live music and environmental education. This year’s theme is “Emerge and Be Heard.”
“It is absolutely at its heart about celebrating being a river community,” said Sara McGibany. “The Mississippi is our biggest natural asset. We use it for everything from recreation and commerce to everything in between. It just runs through our entire lives. So this is our opportunity to get everybody together. It’s really concerned about protecting our waterways and making sure that we’re all living our most environmentally-friendly lives that we can.”
McGibany is the executive director of Alton Main Street, one of the organizations that sponsors the MEF alongside the Sierra Club and Jacoby Arts Center. She said this year is “our biggest and best event yet,” and she can’t wait to enjoy the festival with the rest of the Riverbend community.
There will be 130 vendors at the MEF, including crafters and artisans with eco-friendly wares. Local organizations will be onsite to teach people about their missions to conserve and protect the environment. There will also be a “huge collection” of local food and beverage vendors, McGibany said.
Art and environmentalism go hand-in-hand at the MEF. The Riverbend Yarn Bombers will complete their art installation throughout the festival, and Michael Snyder, also known as Kooliverse, will be sharing his art with the community.
Jules Fair and several other local artists will be present to offer interactive art experiences. Attendees can complete hands-on art activities, including decorating a street piano with the Alton Music Exchange. McGibany looks forward to seeing how people participate in the art exhibits.
“We have an awesome culture full of creatives here in Alton, and it’s just amazing what happens when we give people a blank canvas and a little bit of resources,” she said. “We have all kinds of things for people to express their creativity that day…There’s a space for everybody who wants to be involved in our Earthtones, and we invite everybody in to be a part of it.”
There will be live music throughout the event. Ahna & the Couch Burners will play from 12–2 p.m., followed by Jason “Gordo” Gordon from 2–3 p.m. There will be a brief pause for the Confluence Conservation Awards at 3 p.m., and then Aaron Kamm & The One Drops play until 6 p.m. Jason “Gordo” Gordon” will take the stage again for another one-hour set, then the festival will conclude with Jake’s Leg from 7–10 p.m.
Alton Main Street, the Sierra Club and Jacoby Arts Center are still looking for volunteers to help throughout the event. They also need volunteers for their MEF River Cleanup, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. For more information about volunteering or to learn more about the Mississippi Earthtones Festival, visit the official Alton Main Street website at DowntownAlton.com.
“We really haven’t had too much of an issue having to incorporate fun and education all at the same time. You really can’t tell one from the other when you’re down at the Earthtones Festival,” McGibany added. “We are just thrilled to be able to highlight how eco-conscious of a community Alton is and bring everybody who’s interested in the river together to learn from each other and also have a great day of fun, listening to live music and seeing a bunch of awesome art.”
More like this:
