Alton hosted its classic Riverbend Earth Day Festival on April 11 this year and the event drew hundreds. The event featured live music, food and eco-friendly vendors, plant sellers and artisans. Many local businesses, musicians and restaurants were highlighted with an emphasis on eco-conscious shopping. A portion of the proceeds went to the Piasa Palisades Sierra Club, whose work includes supporting native pollinators and local ecosystems. 

The community on the river has been committed to protecting the Mississippi River watershed, managing forests and restoring native prairies. National Great Rivers conducts research, education and outreach on wetland protection. The Nature Institute manages and maintains prairie land in the Alton area through the Heartland Prairie Project and the Great Rivers Land Trust promotes the preservation and improvement of natural resources in the watershed of the Mississippi for the benefit of the general public.

To learn more about conservation, hunting, Illinois investments in parks and historic sites click here.

Illinois is home to a wide variety of fish species. At present, 34 families of fishes are represented in the state's waters.

Illinois’ official state fish is the bluegill. Illinois school children selected the bluegill as the state fish in 1986. The bluegill is a very common fish throughout Illinois. It is the most common member of the sunfish family and is recognized by its stripy olive to yellow colors and its distinctive black spot behind the gills. It grows to about nine inches in length. Bluegill are most abundant in clear lakes with large amounts of aquatic vegetation, but they also occur in a variety of habitats, such as pools, overflow ponds, oxbows, swamps and man-made impoundments. In the summer bluegills build nests in water less than about two feet deep.

Midway Village Museum in Rockford is hosting its 21st Sock Monkey Madness, which will include a Make-a-Monkey Workshop, sock monkey-themed crafts and games, and tours of The Missing Link Sock Monkey History Exhibit. Don’t worry if your sock monkey needs repair: the Sockford General Hospital can fix it up for you.

Believe it or not, the sock monkey’s creation can be traced to Rockford. John Nelson, a Swedish immigrant, patented an automatic knitting machine in 1868 that could mass-produce socks, which had not been done before. He then started the Nelson Knitting Company in 1880 and introduced “Nelson Socks,” which were brown socks and also called “Celebrated Rockford Hosiery.”

Attention all Illinois foodies, this week is Chicago’s 19^th annual restaurant week! Between now and Feb. 28, over 500 restaurants across the city are participating in the event.

Highlighting international and local cuisine, participating restaurants are offering prix fixe (fixed price) menus to give diners a curated experience. These fixed menus will be available for brunch and lunch at a $30 price points, and dinner offerings at $45 or $60. With over 500 restaurants participating there is a very broad range of cuisines including; Italian, Mexican, Indian, American steakhouses, and much more. You can view the full list here.

Choose Chicago is hosting Chicago Restaurant Week as a, “celebration of the city’s award-winning culinary scene.” Whether you are taking lunch on Wednesday or going out for a night on the city Friday, make sure to take advantage of this culinary event. Chicago is full of flavor, and the Chicago Restaurant Week is a great way to get a taste of the city.

Illinois now ranks as the number one state for workforce development in the Midwest and number three in the country for 2026, according to a new report by Site Selection magazine.

The report highlights Illinois’ continued job and economic growth, innovative workforce programs and employment services. The state’s ranking improved from number two regionally and number four nationally.