PEORIA COUNTY, Ill. — Most communities across the area have their own festivals and celebrations unique to others.
When the first ever Bridge-to-Bridge River Drive Festival kicks off on Sept. 18, it will connect four communities for a weekend of events.
Peoria Heights, Chillicothe, Lacon and Spring Bay are all participating in the festival, which is intended to showcase the fun that can be had in these river communities, as well as the natural landscape in the area.
Jane Johnson, co-chair of the festival, says the inspiration came from the Riverview Coalition, which aims to market the communities by working together.
Julie Bielfeldt, co-chair for the event, says it was a natural connection between all the communities.
“There’s so much more in common with these small river communities,” said Bielfeldt. “It became a real interest to me to see all the things we have in common — and then you start to see these subtle breakouts.”
“We already have so much going on that our communities do. It was a pleasure to start looking at how to pull together this event.”
Some events happening over the Sept. 18-19 weekend include a craft show and sidewalk sale in Peoria Heights, live music and a disc golf tournament in Chillicothe, a lumberjack market and competition and an antique car show in Lacon, and an antique boat show and pancake breakfast in Spring Bay.
The organizers of the event hope the festival encourages more people to visit the communities year round.
“We know these places are great places to live, but they’re great places to stay and play as well,” said Mike Bailey with KDB Group. “This is a chance to re-familiarize yourself with these communities.”
The festival comes at a great time for many area businesses as they continue to recover from losses related to the pandemic.
“We realize how tough the last couple years have been for our businesses,” said Bielfeldt. “It was a concerted effort not to ask for participation fees from businesses who are participating.
“A huge thank you goes out to each of the towns, because they all stepped up and supported this with some dollars to help market.”
Hometown Community Banks and Stratus Networks are also sponsoring the event to help make it possible.
The festival will be held in all four communities, Chillicothe, Peoria Heights, Lacon and Spring Bay, the weekend of Sept. 18-19.
A full list of events and other information can be found on the Bridge-to-Bridge Facebook page and website.
Full interview with Bailey, Bielfeldt, and Johnson:
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