Highland Around Town - March 20 edition
Noon Friday, March 22, is the deadline to appear in next week’s “Around Town” listing. We must receive your event in writing with a contact phone number for questions. Submissions will be edited and appear in the week before the event date.
Send event info via email to lifestyle@bnd.com. Questions, call Jennifer Green at 618-239-2643.
Wednesday, March 20
▪ World Water Day Photo Contest 2024 Gallery Night — 5-7 p.m. Jerry F. Costello Field Station, 1 Confluence Way, Alton. Photographers of all skill levels from across the region submitted photos from October 2023 through February 2024, and the top-scoring photos will be on display for attendees. The exhibition is a platform for hobbyists and experts to share their captivating views of life along the river. The open-house style event will include a small reception at 5:30 p.m. There will be light refreshments, a cash bar with a selection of wines, and some light fare for visitors to enjoy while taking in the beauty of the exhibit. Free and open to the public. Event info and registration: https://bit.ly/NGRRECPhotoExhibit.
Thursday, March 21
▪ Evening Hours at the Botanical Garden — The Garden will stay open until 8 p.m., last entry at 7:30 p.m., on Thursdays starting March 21. Take a sunset stroll through the Garden and enjoy seasonal blooms in the evening hours. Sit down to dinner on the patio at Sassafras Restaurant or grab a drink and a bite to-go from Sassafras Cafe. The restaurant will take orders until 6:30 p.m., and the cafe will be open until 8 p.m. The Garden Gate Shop will remain open until 8 p.m. All indoor conservatories, including the Climatron, will be open during evening hours on Thursdays. mobot.org
Friday, March 22
▪ ImpactLife Blood Drive — 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital, 400 N. Pleasant Ave., Centralia. Masks optional. Appointments preferred. Walk-ins welcome. bloodcenter.org
▪ Ms. LOL Music Trivia Fundraiser — 6-10 p.m. Highland Masonic Lodge, 721 9th St., Highland. BYO beverages and snacks; raffle items and door prizes. Pre-register to enter into a Visa gift card raffle. Cost: $20 per person or $150 per table of eight; $25 per person at the door. https://form.jotform.com/240364607634052
▪ Aviston Legion Fish Fry — 4:30-7 p.m. American Legion Post 1239, 601 S. Clinton, Aviston. Cod (baked or fried), catfish, shrimp, hush puppies, chicken strips, fries, baked potato, slaw, applesauce. Dine-in and carryout. 618-228-7311 or avistonlegion.com.
Saturday, March 23
▪ Giordano Dance Chicago — 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 23. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, 400 N. Alton St., Lebanon. For 60 seasons, Giordano Dance Chicago has served as a prime example of a company that can simultaneously revel in the past and the present. Considered jazz dance royalty, the electrifying performers of America’s original jazz dance company invariably run on high-octane fuel and generate a similarly high-powered response from their audience. For tickets and info: thehett.com
Sunday, March 24
▪ 34th annual Spring Coin Show — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Northfield Center I, 3210 Northfield Drive, Springfield. Includes 70 dealer tables, U.S. and foreign coins, ancient and modern coins, gold and silver bullion, American Eagles, paper money. Open to the public. Early Bird Admission $20, 7-9 a.m. Admission: $1. Members and children under 16 enter free. 217-528-7634.
▪ Buzz’d Beer Festival — 1-5 p.m. The Old Bakery Beer Company, 400 Landmarks Blvd., Alton. Join us to raise money for the Piasa Palisades Sierra Club while getting to try over 50 beers, meads, ciders, and cocktails. You’ll also receive a super cute commemorative glass, shop from local insect-inspired producers, and enjoy music from Loftys Comet ... can it get any better than that?! A deliciously on-theme food menu will be available for purchase as well. Tickets are $35. Designated Driver tickets are available for $10. oldbakerybeer.com
Other area happenings
▪ ‘Solar Eclipses in North American Indian History & Prehistory’ — 1 p.m. Saturday, March 30. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Iseminger Auditorium, 30 Ramey St., Collinsville. Archaeologist Rusty Weisman will give a free lecture to discuss the upcoming solar eclipse as well as solar eclipses visible across the North American Landscape during the last 1,000 years. The lecture is by RSVP only due to space limitations: cahokiamounds.org/eclipselecture or 618-346-5160.
▪ 74th annual Belle-Scott Enlisted Dinner — 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 3. St. Clair Country Club, 100 S. 78th St., Belleville. Cash bar at 6 p.m.; dinner and program 6:30 p.m. The event is in honor of the men and women of Scott Air Force Base. Tickets: $125 - includes sponsoring dinner for attendees and one enlisted member; $50 for military members of the Belle-Scott Committee. Register by Thursday, March 21. 618-233-2015 or https://bit.ly/48op8GI
▪ Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site Trivia Night & Silent Auction — 7 p.m. Saturday, April 6. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Interpretive Center Lobby, 30 Ramey St., Collinsville. Doors open at 6 p.m. Evening includes the silent auction, mulligans, 50/50 raffle, used book sale. Cost: $20 per person or $150 for a table of up to 10. This event supports the Cahokia Mounds Museum Society (CMMS) and the Powell Archaeological Research Center (PARC). For reservations: 618-344-7316 or cahokiamounds.org/trivia24.