Celebrate the Leclaire Parkfest in Edwardsville Oct. 17

The 29th Leclaire Parkfest will take place on Sunday, October 17, from noon to 5 p.m. at Leclaire Park, on Hale Avenue in Edwardsville. The festival features three bands: Dixieland and ragtime jazz by the Gaslight Squares (noon-2:30 p.m.), followed by Bluegrass and other old-time folk music from the Lodge Brothers (2:30-5 p.m.) at the bandstand. On the east side of the park, Cousin Mike and the Hoopties will play Americana music (1-3:30 p.m). Bin 51 will sell a variety of beer and wines to compliment a wide variety of delicious festival food provided by local non-profit organizations and food vendors. Local artisans and crafters will have their work on display and available for purchase. Games, pet adoptions, vintage cars and tractors and other family activities provide something for every age. The St. Andrew’s Relay for Life Team will host the annual Leclaire Parkfest book sale to benefit the American Cancer Society with thousands of books available at bargain prices.

Leclaire Parkfest celebrates the history and heritage of this unique neighborhood of over 400 homes, a Victorian era park, children’s museum and community college campus. At the festival, exhibits of historic photos and narrated walking tours show visitors the story behind the Leclaire National Historic District.

The festival, like many events, was cancelled last year due to COVID, but all indications are that it will be back in full swing this year. Vendor coordinator Theresa Morrison halted vendor applications in mid-September when the festival reached capacity. The only changes required to accommodate the “new normal” were additional handwashing stations, spacing picnic tables farther apart and changing trolley tours to walking tours this year.

No admission is charged for the festival which, in the tradition of the former Village of Leclaire, is free and open to all. For additional information, call 618-656-1294, visit the Friends of Leclaire website at historic-leclaire.org/ or visit the festival’s Facebook page at facebook.com/LeclaireParkfest/. Sponsors for the 2021 festival include the City of Edwardsville, CNB Bank, 222 Artisan Bakery, Attorney Keith Short, Cassens (Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ram), Creative Options Graphic Design, Krause Properties, and Taqueria Z.