DO YOU REMEMBER?

(This article is from the 5-4 issue of the Edwardsville Intelligencer)
Mississippi River Festival remembered
The site at which the famed Mississippi River Festival took place on the campus of SIUE is about to get some due recognition.
No, the festival and its legion of high-profile acts will not be returning, the lingering desire of those old enough to have relished the experience notwithstanding.
But the site will get a marker — an official, expertly-crafted and significant one at that.
Adding to the MRF’s notoriety: its first season took place in the tumultuous year of 1969 at a time even before the famous Woodstock extravaganza occurred. And tapped to perform that first year were some of the burgeoning music industry’s biggest names — Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Arlo Guthrie and Janis Joplin.
In recognition of that year — and the MRF’s 40th anniversary — the plaque or marker is set to be installed this coming June at the precise spot off North University Drive where festival-goers had parked their cars.
The SIUE Alumni Association and SIUE Foundation collaborated on the project through the creation of an MRF Commemoration Committee, which succeeded in acquiring permission to have an official Illinois State Historical Society marker created.
Now under construction, the plaque will be 44 inches wide by 51 inches tall and be fastened to a pole-like structure.
They considered having the plaque attached to a large stone or rock, but the costs and logistics of the task were prohibitive, SIUE Director of Alumni Affairs Steve Jankowski said.
According to Jankowski, the marker will be similar to those seen at other historic sites around the state and will feature castings of the MRF logo, Historical Society logo and text that references the commencement ceremonies that were conducted at the site between the years 1963 and 1982.
Jankowski himself is a 1974 graduate of the university and keenly aware of just how popular the festival was.
“I attended quite a few,” Jankowski said. “From the summer of 1970 until 1975.”
Charlie Skaer of St. Louis, an SIUE grad from 1981 and 1985, remembers it well.
“The MRF was like a candy store for college students. All the great bands you had on 8-track were playing their tunes right in front of you. I am not sure anybody realized how special those memories would be. We were just too busy having fun,” Skaer said.
Knowing the extent of what took place helps to understand its significance.
From the first concert in 1969 to the last one in 1980, a whopping 450 performances took place at the site. These included some 100 St. Louis Symphony performances.
The list of musicians who graced the stage at MRF reads like a who’s who of top acts at the time. Among them were:
• Arlo Guthrie (1969, 1974, 1975, 1977)
• Joni Mitchell (1969, 1974, 1979)
• Bob Dylan (1969)
• Iron Butterfly (1969)
• The Grateful Dead (1970)
• Chicago (1970, 1973, 1974, 1978)
• Chuck Berry (1971, 1977)
• The Who (1971)
• John Denver 1972)
• Yes (1972, 1975, 1976)
• The Beach Boys (1972, 1977, 1979, 1980)
• The Fifth Dimension (1972)
• Jefferson Starship (1975)
• REO Speedwagon (1975)
• The Osmonds (1975, 1976)
• Pete Seeger (1975, 1977)
• Black Oak Arkansas (1974, 1978)
• The Eagles (1974, 1975, 1978)
• Allman Brothers (1979, 1980)
• Donna Summer (1979)
• Alice Cooper (1980)
• ZZ Top (1980)
Considered the largest was the 1971 concert by The Who.
But installation of the marker isn’t all that’s planned in recognition of one of the university’s defining movements.
To mark the occasion, an MRF commemoration cookout and monument dedication is scheduled for Saturday, June 13. Events will take place between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. near the southwest corner of the intersection of New Poag Road and North University Drive — the site of what had been the parking lot for those who attended the festival.
“It is not our intention to ‘resurrect the MRF.’ We simply want to pay tribute to a remarkable part of this university’s history,” Jankowski said in a press release about the event.
SIUE is currently in the midst of a 50-year anniversary celebration of its own.
Although the commemoration won’t involve any kind of official music performance, Jankowski said an informal invitation has been made to local musicians who may wish to bring along an instrument and their talents to celebrate the event. There also will be CD compilations playing of some of the groups who performed at the festival, as well as walking tours of the MRF site. T-shirts and books also will be for sale.
The university is planning to apply for tourism funds through the city of Edwardsville to help offset the cost, Jankowski said.
For the truly devoted MRF fan, the committee is planning a workday at the site to help clear brush along the paths leading to the “footprint” of the famous MRF tent.
A firm date for the workday has yet to be announced, but Jankoswki said it will most likely take place during the third week in May.
Persons looking for more information about the MRF can find a wealth of information in the book “Images of America: The Mississippi River Festival,” written by SIUE Special Collections Librarian Stephen Kerber and Archives Specialist Amanda Bahr-Evola.
The 128-page book was published in 2005 and includes approximately 200 photos.
Additional information and photos can be found at www.siue.com/lovejoylibrary/archives/mrf/index.shtml, or at www.siue.edu/~skerber/MRF.html.
The Lovejoy Library site contains a listing of the entire lineup of artists who participated in the festival, together with a historical slideshow and “virtual museum.”