Our Daily Show Interview! REC Fest is May 16th at National Great River's Museum
ALTON - From food trucks and a rock-climbing wall to archery and information booths, you can enjoy it all at REC Fest.
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From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, 2026, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rivers Project will host REC Fest at the National Great Rivers Museum in Alton. This free festival invites families to come out and enjoy several recreation, education and conservation activities.
“There’s something there for everybody,” said Allison with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “We’ve got outdoor activities. We have archery. We’ve got indoor activities where you can go inside a star dome and learn the different constellations. There's really something for everybody. There’s lock and dam tours. There’s animal shows. There’s a mascot parade. A whole laundry list of stuff. It gets bigger every year.”
Throughout the day, you can check out over 25 partnering organizations that will provide hands-on learning opportunities and activities. Visitors are encouraged to grab a passport and get it stamped at 10 stations to receive a prize. The first 200 visitors to complete the passport will receive a free River Dragons ticket or a Gateway Grizzlies ticket.
The National Weather Service, the Swim On Foundation, the Girl Scouts, and plenty of other organizations will be present with information about how to safely recreate. The Alton Police Department K9 unit will make an appearance, and you can check out the Alton Fire Department’s firetruck. Allison promises a full day of activities with a variety of organizations.
There are a few additional fun experiences planned. The Nature Institute will have their mobile planetarium available for 10-minute shows every 20 minutes. Upper Limits Rock Gym & Pro Shop will have a rock-climbing wall for people of all ages to enjoy. The National Park Service is bringing an archery range for guests to try out.
The museum will offer tours of the Melvin Price Lock and Dam every 20 minutes. Animology has live animal shows, featuring a few animal friends, at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2 p.m. A mascot parade will hit the deck at 12 p.m. with Bobber the Water Safety Dog, Smokey the Bear and other familiar favorites.
Allison noted that REC Fest is an opportunity to encourage safe recreation. They want to see people spend time outside, but to stay safe while doing so, especially during National Water Safety Month in May.
“It’s an event where we really hit a lot of different facets of the Army Corps mission, one of which is safety. Another is recreation,” she explained. “We kind of marry the two and teach people how to kick off the recreation season safely in a variety of different ways.”
Fourth-grade students also have a unique opportunity through America the Beautiful. All fourth graders will receive a free “Every Kid Outdoors Pass,” which provides free admission to national parks and public lands throughout the summer. REC Fest is officially registered with the National Park Service’s Kids to Parks Day initiative, making it even more exciting.
The event will have several food trucks onsite, and Allison encourages people to come by with lunch in mind. She noted that the museum is right on the river, making it a pleasant place to be on a sunny Saturday.
She thanked the Meeting of the Rivers Foundation and several other partners for their collaboration to make REC Fest happen. As the event continues to grow, Allison and the rest of the team at the National Great Rivers Museum and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are hopeful that this year’s REC Fest will be the best yet.
“REC Fest stands for Recreation, Education and Conservation,” Allison added. “It’s our mission to teach people how to recreate in the area and how to be safe up and down the river.”
For more information, visit the official Facebook event page.
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