What's Up Downtown?
World-destroying AI, expanding art galleries, book clubs, a church capital campaign, and words from the crowd paint a picture of progress in Downtown Alton.
Presented at the Wedge building by Alton Main Street (AMS), What’s Up Downtown is a quarterly information exchange featuring new businesses, events, and community stakeholders to share news from their slice of the city. It also operates as a networking event for local Alton businesses. Last night was the spring event.
AMS presented their success of the first farmers’ market with 182 vendors and thousands of customers last weekend. AMS Executive Director Sara McGibany also presented fun summer events her organization is bringing to town, including the Night Market in Downtown Alton on every Thursday evening in June and July.
Stephanie Schrage, Community Manager of the Wedge and former AMS president, shared some of the news from The Wedge, a technology and business incubator located in the former Wedge Bank building, rehabbed by AltonWorks. She reminded folks that The Wedge is a community space, a work space, and an event space. She said they are constantly changing things to better fit the needs of the community, and the latest news can be found on their website.
Wedge CEO J. Scot Heathman introduced a June 5 AI “Learnathon,” which he said he used AI to understand. The Learnathon is for beginners to AI. It’s sponsored by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) and can get folks certified by Google. The Wedge also agreed to provide free co-working to folks who utilize the three-month program.
Folks would learn AI fundamentals, AI research, AI content creation, AI for writing, AI for brainstorming, and AI for app creation. Heathman said that the Wedge’s potential future CRM program was designed by AI in “five minutes.” He also encouraged folks to bring children to the event, which he said was at a high school level.
Stacy Felt of a new business, Terra Cota, at 219 Williams Street, spoke of her work with Three Charming Chicks, a pop-up boutique retailer. One of the charming chicks is retiring; however, the business model of weekend pop-ups will continue. Felt promised to be more connected to the community, adding that some women travel as far as three hours to their one weekend a month pop-up, and she tells her customers of other places to shop and eat while they are in the city.
June 5-7 will be their first open weekend in their new location.
Jeff Bonhart of Elysian Gallery spoke next. Elysian Gallery is expanding from 500 square feet in Mineral Springs to 2,400 square feet on Broadway across from Bluff City Grill. Bonhart said that a larger space will create better events, and even an evening cafe for coffee to serve as a third space without alcohol, as well as workshops and book clubs.
Bonhart wants Elysian to be an anchor for Broadway to create a cultural area for Alton. While they are expanding to be more of a “cultural hub,” they are still most focused on being an art gallery, adding that he wanted the space to feel alive and accessible for everyone. He also announced an upcoming book club with Persnickety, a neighboring business run by Jen Farley.
During the Pup Crawl, sponsored by AMS, Bonhart said that Elysian will be a stop (hopefully with coffee) and will host Hope Animal Rescue.
Farley spoke next to promote an event similar to Antiques Roadshow. Farley will be joined by vintage dealers. Folks can bring up to three pieces for $5 each, and have them appraised “just for funzies.” After that, Persnickety will bring a “Smooch Your Pooch Booth” at the Pup Crawl with a donation cup for 5A’s Animal Shelter, which is also the charity of the month for Farley during the course of May, meaning the organization gets a percentage of her profits.
She is also working toward building a Mahjong group of as many as 16 people for $65 a person, and hyped the book club hosted by Farley and Bonhart featuring local writers. Because of the number of events she has coming up, that book club will take place in mid-July.
Father Garron Daniels of the Episcopal Parish of Alton spoke next. This year marks 190 years of the church being established in Alton. He said there’s a lot of revitalization and growth that has occurred during the past year. In July, there will be multiple services and jazz bands.
He also introduced a capital campaign called a Legacy of Faith. He showcased the historical significance of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church to the City of Alton. Daniels said the church is trying to raise a quarter of a million dollars to prepare for the future and also tend to the aging brick-and-mortar church. He said they have raised nearly the full amount at $230,000. He invited business owners and community leaders to support the effort.
He also announced a free gravestone workshop to restore gravestones at Alton City Cemetery on June 19, as well as a community garden being planted to support the Crisis Food Center.
McGibany added that Daniels’s church will also be a stop on the Pup Crawl, as it operates a pet food pantry for our neighbors in need.
The new chair of the Alton Amphitheater Commission hyped the future of the amphitheater, adding that a rising tide raises all boats, and invited the people in attendance to tell her what they want.
Melissa Bland of Honeybee Vintage then took the mic and invited everyone to come to her business.
Linze Laird of Great Rivers and Routes had the schedule of cruise ships docking at the Port of Alton this year, starting on June 19, going into October. She invited business owners to send their emails. Grace Sakry of Great Rivers and Routes seconded that call for emails and announced that several events celebrating the 250th birthday of the U.S.
A man named Bill, who is a coworker at the Wedge, hyped the Wedge. He said the most important room in the building is the kitchen, where everyone gathers and exchanges ideas. He described himself as an AI designer before inviting everyone to come check out the Wedge. He’s a vice president at Bank of America who does cybersecurity.
He said Alton may be one of the first places in the world to develop Artificial General Intelligence, which he plans to help launch at the Wedge.
Craig Sherman, who works with Homefield Energy, described his business as an energy supplier. He wanted folks to present their electricity bills to see if they could provide cheaper energy.
Matty Adams, who does massages at Riverbend Yoga, promoted his work, adding he will be at the farmer’s market.
Jacoby Arts Center Board Vice President Bennett Felton promoted upcoming events at Jacoby, including a June River Reach Photo Gallery in collaboration with Mooneyham Art Gallery. Photos submitted will be on display at Jacoby through August, and the top ones will be featured across the street at Mooneyham from September through October.
Hope Mader of Rock the Hops took the mic next to promote the craft beer and music festival’s 11th year on Aug. 8. Tickets are on sale online for the event. Mader called for folks who make their own original music and art to apply to be featured at the event this year.
McGibany then closed the event by celebrating the good news that everyone brought. Duke Bakery and Bossanova goodies were available for the post-event networking.
The Lovejoy Desk is anti-AI due to the environmental and economic impacts the emerging technology has on humanity and the world outside of us. Any use of generative AI is something that we stand against in principle. Future energy sources coming outside of fossil fuels, as well as regulation on tech, capitalism, surveillance, and water usage, may one day change this stance, as the technology does have some positive aspects if used responsibly. However, when we split the atom, we didn’t just use that energy to power cities; we used it to create the atomic bomb. While human nature is based on material conditions more than anything, The Lovejoy Desk believes that current material conditions support AI as an act against humanity and the planet until the structures of energy and power are drastically redone.
THAT BEING SAID, WE ALSO SUPPORT ALTON MAIN STREET AND ALL THE HARD WORK THEY PUT INTO BUILDING OUR COMMUNITY AND NETWORKING OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. WE WOULDN’T HAVE THE CULTURE WE HAVE OR THE FARMERS’ MARKET WITHOUT THEM.