Edwardsville Parks and Recreation

09/30/2026

Fall fun and concerts in City Park and at The Wildey Theatre? Yes, please! (And bring on the pumpkin spice everything!)

✅ Pumpkin spice drinks. ✅ Chunky sweaters. ✅ Flannel "shackets."
Yep! We're ready for fall! And what better way to "fall" into fun than with some high-energy performances and spirited Illinois-tinged events in downtown Edwardsville? Save the dates -- Friday, Saturday and Sunday (October 9-11) -- for our Weekend of Songs & Stories, a Route 66 centennial celebration featuring great performers, poets and more at either The Wildey Theatre, 252 N. Main Street, or City Park, 101 S. Buchanan Street. It's a good opportunity to grab a bite or a drink or shop at one of our terrific restaurants and retailers (particularly downtown between City Park and the Wildey)!
FRIDAY, October 9: Local favorite Mike Sonderegger will rock the night away for free at 7:30 p.m. in City Park; The Buckinghams will take the stage at the Wildey at 8 p.m. ($66 per ticket, all fees included).
SATURDAY, October 10: Don't miss a FREE afternoon appearance by Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte, with local poets Kirk Schlueter (EHS teacher) and Lauren Ge**er (SIUE instructor), from 2:30-4 p.m. at the Wildey Theatre (general admission seating, no ticket needed!); Then, head to City Park at 7:30 p.m. for the horn-driven rock of the Chicago-based Blooze Brothers in a FREE concert.
SUNDAY, October 11: If you're already missing the Edwardsville Municipal Band, you can hear some swingin' selections in a free concert at 2 p.m. in City Park; Round out this fun weekend with the Ides of March (featuring "Eye of the Tiger" co-author Jim Peterik!) at 7 p.m. at the Wildey ($66 per ticket, all fees included).
Get details at: www.cityofedwardsville.com/route66fallfun
Nobody does fall weekends better than Edwardsville!

09/29/2026

It was a high-flying weekend on the sand volleyball courts for the AVP Midwest Open professional volleyball tournament! We can't wait to do it again next year!

09/28/2026

Our youth basketball program is just around the corner! Registration has been extended to Sunday October 11, so act fast and secure your spot. Our program includes:
🏀 Rookies : Kindergarten - 1st graders
🏀Rising Stars: 2nd-3rd graders
🏀All Stars Co-Ed Basketball: 4th-5th graders
Games will be hosted at the new 618 facility located at Plummer Family Park starting on Monday, October 19! For registration and more information visit: https://secure.rec1.com/IL/edwardsville-il/catalog.

09/28/2026

Thank you to our friends at the Metro East Humane Society, Whisker Bones Supply Co. and Rae’s Cafe for being part of the Dog Days adoption event at the West End Service Station on Saturday, September 26!
We enjoyed a wonderful couple of hours with an adorable trio of puppies available for adoption and one VERY lovable adult dog!
Rae's Cafe offered some delicious human treats, while Whisker Bones provide some great dog treats! Our friends at Great Rivers & Routes organized and hosted this great event!
If you didn't know, the West End Service Station once had its own dog during its Route 66 heyday, so seeing our furry friends find a forever home is near and dear to us! Visit the Metro East Humane Society on Facebook or its webpage to learn more about that. You can learn about the station's dog, Hank, plus the history of Route 66 across the nation and in Edwardsville, at our free visitor center, which is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday at 620 St. Louis Street. Parking is available on site ONLY on Friday through Sunday. There are a few nearby parking spots, including a fully accessible space for those with special needs, at Hadley House, 708 St. Louis Street. Learn more at: www.cityofedwardsville.com/westend

09/27/2026

You don’t have to be a volleyball player to enjoy the bumps, sets, spikes and incredible athleticism, plus the food trucks, music, and overall fun vibe at the Midwest Open professional volleyball tournament! This two-day AVP tournament wraps up later TODAY (Sunday, September 27) at Plummer Family Park, 3501 Sports Park Drive.
It’s FREE to attend, so come check it out!
🏐 Women’s semifinal: noon
🏐 Women’s championship match: 2 p.m.
🏐 Men’s semifinal: 1 p.m.
🏐 Men’s championship match: 3 p.m.
Find brackets, details on the players and more at: www.themidwestopen.com
Thanks to all of our sponsors, particularly presenting sponsor S. M. Wilson & Co - Construction Managers, along with organizers VOLLIS and Kongz, the athletes, food vendors, fans!

09/26/2026

Sure, there’s volleyball, but there’s great food too! Grab a bite and catch some action at the second annual Midwest Open professional volleyball tournament at Plummer Family Park, 3501 Sports Park Drive. The games are going on until about 4 p.m. Saturday, and then the action resumes about 8 a.m. Sunday, September 27. Championship matches for this AVP Heritage Contender event get underway midday Sunday! Don’t miss it! special thanks to our presenting sponsor, S.M. Wilson and our other phenomenal supporters!

09/25/2026

We're pumped up for a great weekend of professional volleyball at Plummer Family Park!! Check out the details in the accompanying post!

Are you heading to the Midwest Open on Saturday and Sunday (September 26-27) at Plummer Family Park? 🏐 Here's what you need to know about our second annual FREE professional volleyball tournament:
📍 WHAT: 26 professional men's and women's volleyball duos from 12 states plus Nova Scotia and Saipan, part of the Northern Mariana Islands. They'll vie for a piece of $20,000 in prizes up for grabs by the winning teams!
📍 WHERE: The six-court sand volleyball complex at Plummer Family Park, 3501 Sports Park Drive in Edwardsville
📍 WHEN: Saturday's matches get underway at 9 a.m. and run through about 4 p.m.; Sunday's action begins at 8 a.m., with championship games getting underway about noon. (See bracket links below)
🎉 EXTRA SPECIAL: We've got a DJ, professional announcer, the Edwardsville Municipal Band performing the national anthem each morning, the GIGANTIC Wilson volleyball for photo-ops, between-match games and MORE!
🍕 GRAB A BITE: Enjoy Awesome Sauce (burgers, fries & sauces); City Scoops Creamery (ice cream); Cousins Maine Lobster (Saturday only); Narwhal's Crafted and Bacardi (alcoholic beverages); Tacos La Jefa STL (Mexican cuisine); and The Toasty Goat (wood-fired pizza)
🏐 WHO'S PLAYING: Keep tabs on game times and matchups at:
Men's: https://volleyballlife.com/event/36228/division/132561/round/277627/brackets
Women's: https://volleyballlife.com/event/36228/division/132560/round/277626/brackets
🙌 HUGE THANKS to our presenting sponsor S. M. Wilson & Co - Construction Managers; MVP sponsors Busey Bank and Bacardi; DJ sponsor GMB; Court sponsors Brown - A Legacy of Home Lending, Byrne & Jones Construction, Gameday Men's Health, Great Rivers & Routes, Narwhal's Crafted; Community sponsors Byron Carlson Petri & Kalb, LLC, Edwardsville Bank, FASTSIGNS, Republic Services, The Gori Law Firm! And thanks to tournament organizer VOLLIS!

09/21/2026

Hmmm ... we're trying to conjure the perfect way to describe Saturday's presentation of "Wicked: For Good" in City Park and the appearance by none other than Glinda. We've got it: "Popular" (you probably guessed that, of course)!
Thank you to everyone who came out for this free movie, the final flick of Edwardsville Parks and Recreation's summer Movies in the Park series.
👏 We owe a huge thanks to our "Wicked" sponsor, KML Remodeling, who also brought free popcorn!
👏 And we were blown away by the talented artistry of Petaled Pail & Co. Design House, who provided the spellbinding photo backdrop representing Elphaba and Glinda!
We can't resist sharing some photos of the smiling, happy kiddos who got to snap photos, sit, sing, dance and laugh with Glinda before watching the movie under the stars! (Feel free to drop a few of your own photos from Saturday night in the comments!)