2008 Illinois River Fest

Saturday, Oct. 18th, 2008

The OSRC's second Illinois River Fest, held on October 18th, was a wonderful success and a great day for the river. In addition to having booths with a message of river conservation and ecological awareness, this year the festival itself went green. By using compostable food containers, cups and utensils, the event left only a minimal environmental footprint. Aided by beautiful weather and a riverfront location, it was a perfect day for an eco-friendly celebration. The OSRC deeply appreciates the generous contributions from the festival's many participants and sponsors, who made it possible to provide such an event free of charge to the community.

Tent Booths

The 2008 Illinois River Fest grew by over 50% from the previous year, with 26 booths and 6 food vendors. These booths featured exciting activities and useful information on topics ranging from environmental conservation to outdoor recreation, and every river-related subject in between.

Blue Thumb

Cheryl Cheadle from the OK Conservation Commission's Blue Thumb program demonstrated the Enviroscape watershed model. This model shows how pollution tracks from our neighborhoods, factories and farms into our local creeks and rivers.

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Save the Illinois River

Save the Illinois River (STIR) was once again one of the River Fest's Gold sponsors, and was tremendously supportive throughout the event's development. In addition to showcasing several new projects, STIR had representatives on-hand encouraging others to get involved in protecting the Illinois River, its tributaries and Lake Tenkiller.

Walkabout Wildlife Sanctuary

Ben Sparks and his son Josh brought several wild animals from their animal sanctuary, including an iguana, a tortoise and a python.

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Okie Flyfishers

This recreational group set up a fly-tying station where they demonstrated some of their expert techniques.

Tahlequah Community Garden

Julie Gahn with the Tahlequah Community Garden showed some of the possibilities and benefits of local gardening.

Humane Society of Cherokee County Adoptathon

The local Humane Society brought approximately 15 dogs that were ready for adoption. One lucky Bassett Hound found a home that day!

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Tahlequah Rock and Mineral Society

Members of the Tahlequah Rock and Mineral Society displayed a variety of rocks found in the Illinois River Basin and in northeast Oklahoma dating back to 360 million years ago, along with several ancient Indian artifacts.

Sequoyah State Park

Naturalist Cyndie Short brought a snake and an oppossum, along with a natural history display of colorful posters and furs of native wildlife.

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Activities outside the Tent

With large, open areas and a readily-accessible river available to them, several of the festival participants made the most of the ideal setting with fun, hands-on activities around the festival grounds.

River Walk

Cheryl Cheadle with the OK Conservation Commission took festival-goers on a tour below the river's surface, sharing fascinating facts about the critters that call it home.

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Rock Wall

The National Guard brought an impressive 30-foot rock climbing wall so that festival attendees could put their climbing skills to the test.

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Casting with Trout Unlimited

Kayak Lessons

Lewis and Clark Outfitters brought several kayaks along with an assortment of life vests, and spent the day teaching the basics of kayaking to students of all ages.

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Stream Trailer

LaDonna McCowan with OSU Cooperative Extension Service set up the stream trailer, a model that simulates a river's behavior, including its natural tendency to meander, and how actions on one part of a stream can have effects both upstream and downstream.

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The Music Stage

Rounding out the festival atmosphere this year were 4 outstanding local acts, who donated their time and talents to providing the perfect accompaniment to the day's festivities.

Joe Mack

Joe Mack was the first performer to grace the stage at the 2008 Illinois River Fest. He brought his innovative and unique one-man band approach to the day's festivities.

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Franke Lee

Franke Lee performed second, with an infectious blend of reggae, classic rock and blues that provided a perfect tone for the festival.

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Mark Sweeney

Performing third was Mark Sweeney, whose skilled musicianship and folky tunes made his set a great crowd pleaser.

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Red Eye Gravy

Red Eye Gravy capped off the day with a bang, bringing their own brand of high-energy country punk.

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