Events Calendar

Come enjoy beautiful Lake Argyle while taking a relaxing morning pontoon boat ride on the lake as we watch for wildlife. Life jackets, binoculars, and field guides will be available, or you’re welcome to bring your own.
**Pre-registration is required, and space is limited to 6 participants. ** 
Please email Bridget.Hinchee@illinois.gov or call (309) 776-3422 for more information or to register.

Mark your calendar for November 6, 2026!
At Great Tastes, you can enjoy a fun night out while raising money for an important cause.

Enjoy a wide variety of wines, beer, and ales and fill your plate with mouth-watering dishes.

Bid on fun silent and live auction items, win big, and leave the event knowing you've made a major difference in students' lives, just by having fun.

Net proceeds fund scholarships, instructional mini-grants, and other important SCC initiatives.

Jazz nights at the Western Illinois Museum (WiM), in partnership with the Western Illinois University (WIU) School of Music, return Friday, November 6, featuring dynamic performer and composer, saxophonist Chris Merz. Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Northern Iowa, Merz brings a vibrant, forward-thinking approach to contemporary jazz composition and a sense of humor to his performances, presenting an evening that will be both entertaining and delightful. He will perform on WiM’s Our Front Porch stage with the HAT Trio for two sets at 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm, with doors and the bar opening at 4:30 pm. The audience is invited to stay for an after-party at 7:30 pm as WIU jazz students perform. A $5 suggested donation supports the WiM’s community programming.
Christopher Merz is an accomplished composer/arranger, performer, and highly sought-after guest soloist. His recording credits include Steve McCraven, Darius Brubeck, John Rapson and Jon Snell, as well as his own projects: Counterculture, the Chris Merz/Bob Washut Duo, The X-tet, and Equilateral. These days he can be heard with the Iowa Jazz Composers’ Orchestra led by colleague Mike Conrad, the soul jazz sextet Big Fun led by Iowa jazz legend Steve Grismore, and his own current bands, Christopher’s Very Happy Band and Shorter Stories, which celebrates the music of master composer Wayne Shorter. He has received commissions from university and high school big bands throughout the country, and is published through iJazzmusic, UNC Jazz Press and ejazzlines/Walrus.

Joining Merz is the HAT Trio: WIU jazz faculty Matt Hughes (bass), George Turner (guitar), and Whitney Ashe (piano). This performance is part of the Music on Our Front Porch series, which presents world-class jazz and classical musicians in WiM’s cozy, one-of-a-kind garage space, offering a rare chance to experience locally accomplished musicians up close.

Jerome Mirza Jazz Residency Concert:
Jenny Scheinman’s All Species Parade!
Jenny Scheinman - Violin
Carmen Staaf - Piano
Tony Scherr - Bass Kenny
Wollesen - Drums
Keith Ganz - Guitar

Free and open to the public
The fourteenth annual Jerome Mirza Jazz Residency culminates in a concert at the historic Orpheum Theatre, featuring the Mirza Resident artists Jenny Scheinman’s All Species Parade, the Knox Jazz Ensemble, and the Cherry St Combo.

About the artist: Jenny Scheinman is an acclaimed violinist, fiddler, singer, composer, and songwriter whose music bridges jazz, Americana, folk, and contemporary improvised music. A longtime collaborator with some of the most innovative artists in jazz, she has performed and recorded extensively with Bill Frisell, Julian Lage, Jason Moran, Brian Blade, Allison Miller, Nels Cline, and Marc Ribot, as well as songwriting legends including Joni Mitchell, Lucinda Williams, Lou Reed, Bruce Cockburn, Rodney Crowell, Robbie Fulks, and Ani DiFranco.

We're bringing back the live band!!

Gather your friends, grab some snacks, and join the Performing Arts Society for an evening of testing your music trivia knowledge!
A cash bar will be available!

Individual Registration: $25 per person (tables of 8)
Corporate Tables: $225 per table of 8 (includes signage/logo on table and premier seating!)

Open Now Saturdays 9:00 am- 12:00pm for shopping and youth Equipment drop off

The Mount Sterling Farmers Market began in 2017 as a grassroots effort led by community members with the goal of promoting local food access, small businesses, and community gathering, laying the foundation for the market we know today.

Explore the wonders of nature and discuss how wildlife and plants prepare for the cold winter months to come on this afternoon hike on one of Argyle's most popular trails.
Hike will begin at 10 am at the visitor center and conclude by noon.
For more information, please call (309) 776-3422 or email Bridget.Hinchee@illinois.gov

This four-part monthly craft club introduces adult makers to diamond painting and faux stained-glass art. Each session includes make-and-take projects:

Session 2 - 1 diamond art framed mandala, 1 faux stained glass mandala suncatcher

Looking for some mid-week excitement? We got you covered EVERY Tuesday from 6:30-8:30