Lovers Canyon will kick off the season on Music in Knudson Park The Event is free to the public. "Pack up the babies and bring the old ladies" Neil Diamond, but really bring the whole family and enjoy a night out in this beautiful park downtown Marseilles IL.
Fox & Bones House Concert:
Fox and Bones has toured tirelessly in their career, sharing stages with the likes of Rayland Baxter, The Dead South, ZZ Ward, Fantastic Cat, ALO and Glitterfox among others and have been awarded first place at the 2023 Tucson Folk Festival songwriting contest and second place in the International Acoustic Music Awards along with earning the Best Folk/Americana Album of 2024 by the PNW Music Awards. In their spare moments they’ve founded and run Portland’s Folk Festival, an annual celebration of folk and roots music hosted by the iconic Crystal Ballroom in their hometown of Portland, Oregon.
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Illini State Park Bandshell, 2660 East 2350th Rd, Marseilles, IL 61341
The Illini State Park Hope Festival is a day of Peace, Love, and Hope. Donations from this event will benefit the Illini State Park Foundation Hope Fund. This concert is presented by “WRWO 94.5 FM LP Community Radio” This station is a project of “Here and Again, Inc.” an Illinois 501 C3 non-profit. ENTRY TO THIS CONCERT IS FREE! A PERCENTAGE OF ON-SITE VENDOR PROCEEDS WILL GO TO FUTURE PARK UPGRADES.
A focused, urgent call to artists and arts institutions across all sectors to make art, music, plays, exhibitions, comedy, and beautiful protests foregrounding artistic labor and aligned with immigrants' rights organizing, to amplify all struggles against repression and state violence.
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Sweet Megg is a dynamic vocalist and songwriter originally from New York City, now based in Nashville. She began her career at just 16 as a songwriter and has worn many hats since: whitewater raft guide, DIY anti-folk artist, Parisian and New York jazz singer, honky-tonk angel, and circus ring leader. Her diverse travels and experiences have imbued her music with rich history and boundless innovation. Her vocals are both expertly trained and refreshingly raw, making her sound relatable and captivating. Megg’s music weaves together many threads of the American story—her Irish heritage, early blues training in high school, years immersed in the jazz world, explorations through the American South, inspiration from East Village poets, and the honky-tonk traditions of Nashville. The result is a sound that feels both timeless and refreshingly modern, offering a unique blend of old and new.
.the trip here is that Sweet Megg pulls it off with the jubilance of the old days with class, heart, gives it a good, distinguished vibe & unleashes it in a wonderfully happy voice." - Americana HighwaysNominated for Western Swing Female of the Year at Ameripolitan Awards Festivals: Americanafest, Merlefest, Ole Front Porch Fest, Albino Skunk Fest Direct Support: Toured with Cirque du Soleil as singer/lead act; Chuck Mead; Hannah Juanita, The Cowpokes Sold Out Shows: Regularly brings a line out of the door to Honky Tonk Tuesdays, Nashville; L'Olympia in Paris with Postmodern Jukebox; Joe's Pub NYC
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Rock Around the Park Illini State Park - Marseilles, Illinois December 13, 2025 1:00 to 4:00 PM Celebrate with friends, music, and holiday fun by the fireplace at Marasottawa Shelter. Musicians from LaSalle County are invited to play holiday tunes. Public is invited.
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Knudson Park Marseilles, IL , 135 Lincoln St, Marseilles, IL
Bucky Halker will entertain from the band shell at Knudson Park.
Come enjoy the Merry Marie Market. Come one, come all. Bring the whole family.
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Knudson Park Marseilles, IL , 135 Lincoln St, Marseilles, IL
Craig Gerdes will entertain from the band shell at Knudson Park.
Gerdes brings such a raw and real mix to a genre that has taken on some new beats over the years. A natural-born storyteller with a stage presence that not only engages with the crowd but ebbs and flows with the rhythm of the true beats of Country music. Gerdes brings his struggles into his songs, signaling a value of the greats as “he pays tribute to his Honky-tonk Heroes putting a spin on the original classics.” American Songwriters says he is “...a phenomenal modern rendition of an ageless sound”. Check out more by visiting his website at www.craiggerdesmusic.com
Shopping begins an hour before music at the Merry Marie Market.
Come one, come all. Bring the whole family.
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Knudson Park Marseilles, IL , 135 Lincoln St, Marseilles, IL 61341
Chris Farrell will entertain from the band shell at Knudson Park.
Come enjoy the Merry Marie Market. Come one, come all. Bring the whole family.
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Knudson Park Marseilles, IL , 135 Lincoln St, Marseilles, IL 61341
Henry Torpedo Boys will entertain from the band shell at Knudson Park.
Come enjoy the Merry Marie Market. Come one, come all. Bring the whole family.
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Knudson Park Marseilles, IL , 135 Lincoln St, Marseilles, IL 61341
Tailgate Confessions will entertain from the band shell at Knudson Park.
Come enjoy the Merry Marie Market. Come one, come all. Bring the whole family.
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Knudson Park Marseilles, IL , 135 Lincoln St, Marseilles, IL 61341
Written Warning will entertain from the band shell at Knudson Park.
Come enjoy the Merry Marie Market. Come one, come all. Bring the whole family.
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Knudson Park Marseilles, IL , 135 Lincoln St, Marseilles, IL 61341
Steve Sharp Band will entertain from the band shell at Knudson Park.
Come enjoy the Merry Marie Market. Come one, come all. Bring the whole family.
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Knudson Park Marseilles, IL , 135 Lincoln St, Marseilles, IL 61341
Chris Farrell will entertain from the band shell at Knudson Park.
Fun Days in Marseilles, IL
Come one, come all. Bring the whole family.
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Knudson Park Marseilles, IL , 135 Lincoln St, Marseilles, IL 61341
Jaik Willis - will entertain from the band shell at Knudson Park.
Fun Days in Marseilles, Illinois
Come one, come all. Bring the whole family.
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Knudson Park Marseilles, IL , 135 Lincoln St, Marseilles, IL 61341
Dan Rub & Steve Porter will entertain from the band shell at Knudson Park.
Come enjoy the Merry Marie Market. Come one, come all. Bring the whole family.
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Knudson Park Marseilles, IL , 135 Lincoln St, Marseilles, IL 61341
Radium City Rebels will entertain from the band shell at Knudson Park.
Come enjoy the Merry Marie Market. Come one, come all. Bring the whole family.
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Knudson Park Marseilles, IL , 135 Lincoln St, Marseilles, IL 61341
Gaffney Davis Band will entertain from the band shell at Knudson Park.
Come enjoy the Merry Marie Market. Come one, come all. Bring the whole family.
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Open Mic hosted by Radio DJ Peter Hall at Illini State Park Marseilles, IL - All are welcome. Bring your music, family and friends to enjoy a fun filled lazy music filled picnic at Illini State Park.
Knudson Park Marseilles, IL, 135 Washington St, Marseilles, IL 61341
Chris Farrell - Music in Knudson Park Marseilles IL Home grown talent from Marseilles, IL Great Guitarist - Original Music - Rock and Roll - Some covers.
Come enjoy our Farmers Market, Food Vendors, & Artists Market
Marseilles council hears tourism, city identity suggestions
Not-for-profit Here and Again provides council food for thought
December 21, 2023 at 2:34 am CST
If you theme it, they will come.
The Marseilles City Council on Wednesday heard a presentation from the non-profit group Here and Again Inc. and received plenty of suggestions, examples and food for thought in regard to helping create the city’s identity and to make it a tourism destination.
Here and Again founder Katie Troccoli and director DeAnna Carlson provided a power point presentation that highlighted things done in other communities to help them attract tourists, businesses and jobs to their cities and their regions and suggestions of how Marseilles could do the same
In it, they drew attention to the city’s assets, such as access to Interstate 80, the downtown business district, the lock and dam, Illini State Park, the Illinois and Michigan Canal, the Illinois River access and the Middle East Conflicts Memorial Wall. It also touched on the amenities available and strong community organizations.
They also cited the need for a central theme around which to build an identity. Carlson cited several examples of what she called “big art,” first showing photos of murals that have enhanced the attraction of storefronts in Streator, Lincoln and other communities.
That moved into even bigger art on grain silos around the state, including the corn mural that painted on the grain elevator bin in Mendota. Others depicted a patriotic theme with the Statue of Liberty and Abraham Lincoln, while others showed an Indian chief and even a droid from “Star Wars,” leading to a chat about a potential outer space theme.
Carlson added being so close to the intersection of Interstates 80 and 39 brings 1.4 million people to the area and that the proximity to Starved Rock means access to 2.2 million people annually.
In all, it provided the commissioners with quite a bit to mull over in the coming months.
“I liked it. I saw the presentation for the first time like we all did and I was impressed,” said Marseilles Mayor Jim Hollenbeck. “I think we need to develop a long-term plan, lay out the guidelines and work towards it. I also like the idea of a theme. As we’ve been known as ‘A City of Remembrance,’ I like the patriotic theme idea.
“There were some very good thoughts and ideas and it’s something we can work towards, knowing there are grants available. Now it’s up to the council to kick those ideas around and decide what direction to go.”
Hollenbeck, who also noted the city has already taken several steps toward improving facades in the downtown area, added the Middle East Conflicts Memorial wall has been somewhat under utilized as an attraction.
“We do need tourism. We do need to market the Middle East Conflicts memorial better. There are a lot of people who just don’t know it’s there,” Hollenbeck said. “Part of my plan for that is to reach out to the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars magazines to try and get some articles and pictures of the wall displayed regionally, if not nationally … In my opinion, that would be a very good place to start.”
Oct 31, 2023
When we read together, we broaden our imaginations and understanding of our world, our neighbors, and ourselves. Join a book group and read alongside other NEA Big Read groups across Illinois and the nation.
JOIN A BOOK GROUPUPCOMING EVENTS
Illinois Humanities is proud to partner with the National Endowment for the Arts and Arts Midwest to present this year’s statewide book group series, The NEA Big Read: Reconsidering the American Dream. Free book groups and events will be centered around two books: Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh, and Infinite Country by Patricia Engel. Receive these titles for free by signing up with Here And Again Inc 501c3 – WRWO 94.5 FM Ottawa Community Radio.
Contact DeAnna Carlson 815-488-6611 or Katie Troccoli 815-228-2058
