Mississipi Earthtones Festival
09/18/2010 12 - 9pm
FREE Event

The 4th Annual Mississippi Earthtones Festival will be held from 12pm-9pm on Sat, Sept 18th at Alton Riverfront Amphitheater. Festival-goers at this free & family-friendly event will find countless ways to celebrate the Mississippi River through art, music, and conservation. Come and learn more about our area's conservation-based programs and local businesses that are working to help us all "green" our lives. Organizations such as the Sierra Club, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, and the McCully Heritage Project will teach consumers how to incorporate more sustainable practices into their daily lives. Educational exhibits will be presented byThe Nature Institute, American Water, & Alton's Cool Cities Committee.

Wind power credits will be purchased to offset the energy used at this sustainable event, and festival-goers will have many chances to have other positive effects on the environment throughout the day. The MEF committee is organizing a 3-hour river clean up that will depart from the Alton Marina at 9am to remove litter from the riverbanks and islands (please call 462-6802 to RSVP). Also, the public can bring plastic gardening pots, garden tools, and old cell phones to the festival to be recycled. Many fun outdoor activities are planned for families, such as nature-related arts & crafts projects and solar-power experiments. Two organized bike rides along the levee and country roads will depart from the festival grounds at 9am & 11am (helmets required).

Various nature crafters and artists will be on hand-vote for your favorite river-related painting and photograph! Kids 6th-12th grade can enter their design for a chance at having their artwork published in a coloring book that will be given away at the festival - but hurry, the deadline is Sept 10th! (For more info on entering the art contests, please call 463-1016). Vendors will be serving lunch & dinner, and great music will fill the air throughout the day! New this year: a beer tent will start serving at 4:30pm, just in time to switch from family-oriented to a more adult crowd.

MEF Musical Guests:

Jake's Leg (6pm - 9pm) a jam band based out of St. Louis that has been interpreting the music of the Grateful Dead for over 30 years

River Ramblers (3:40pm-5:40pm) a traditional bluegrass band featuring some of the area's favorite pickers in a brand new incarnation: Jason Gordon - guitar & vocals, Kris Shewmake - banjo, Matt McGibany - fiddle & Will Miskall - stand-up bass & vocals

Jonathon McCammon (1:20-3:20) very talented one-man-band, acoustic guitar, soulful voice, and well developed lyrics to please any audience

Irony Rains (12pm-1pm) a wonderful alternative pop band featuring Josh Davis on guitar /vocals & Alicia Clayton on violin

Schedule:

9:00am-12pm River Clean Up
9:00am 45-mile Bike Ride through the RiverBend commences
12 Festival Opens
12 Passport stamp collecting commences
12:00-1:00 *Irony Rains (music)*
1:00 Coloring book contest winners announced - MAIN STAGE
1:20-3:20 *Jonathan McCammon (music)*
3:20 Fetch and Fish Dog Show - SE CORNER OF GROUNDS
3:40-5:40 *River Ramblers (music)*
4:30 Catfish Tournament Weigh In - RIVER SIDE
4:30 Beer sales commence
5:40 Recycled Fashion Show - MAIN STAGE
6:00-9:00 *Jakes Leg (music)*
9:00 Festival ends

To volunteer, contact:
Sara McGibany at 618-463-1016 or info@altonmarketplace.com
Christine Favilla at 618.462.6802 or cfavilla10@sbcglobal.net

More information:
Vendor and Exhibitor GREEN Rules and Regulations
Vendor and Exhibitor Registration Form