RiverBender Blog: I Spent Thursday Night at the Night Market in Downtown Alton

Anyone who knows Alton knows it’s the place to be on a Thursday night in the summertime. Last week, I walked from the RiverBender.com office across the street to Mac’s Time Out for some dinner in their new space, then browsed the shops along 3rd Street until it was time for the Night Market in its new spot in Sugar Alley.

I’ll say right now, I don’t spend as much time in downtown Alton as I want to. I work on 3rd Street every day, and I’ve had my share of lazy summer days sipping iced coffee and walking through the shops on East Broadway and 3rd Street. I love downtown Alton, and if it were up to me, I’d spend every weekend listening to music in a bar or chowing down at a local restaurant or shopping for gifts at one of the indie stores.

Unfortunately, those things cost money, and I have other obligations, so I can’t spend all of my time downtown. But it’s a total treat on evenings where I can hang out and wander around the downtown district and enjoy all that Alton has to offer. So that’s what I did last Thursday, and it was awesome.

I started in Mac’s new space on 3rd Street, enjoying the breeze through the biergarten and chilling with a couple of buddies. As we ate, we could see the vendors setting up for the Night Market across the street in the greenspace between Catdaddy’s and Chez Marilyn.

There was a buzz of excitement in the air. The first Night Market of the season always has this energy, and I was eager to be a part of it.

I wandered the street and poked my head into Coco + Oak and Olive Oil Marketplace, then made my way down to the evening’s big draw: the new Jacoby Arts Center space at 208 State Street. I’ve taken a few classes before at their previous location, and I was dying from curiosity to see what their State Street Studios location looks like.

Unsurprisingly, it was gorgeous. I loved the huge windows and the pieces of art tucked in corners and hanging on walls. There was a long table set up for a clay class, as Jacoby will be offering crafts every Thursday during the Night Market for people who want to pay a few dollars to try out new mediums. I didn’t get the chance to do that this time around, but I will definitely be back to give it a shot.

And then, it was 7 p.m. and time for the Night Market. The Sugar Alley space is a hidden gem in Alton, tucked between 3rd Street and West Broadway. On Thursday night, it was filled to the brim with tents and crafters, showing off all of their homemade jewelry, paintings, t-shirts and more art for noncreatives like me to fall in love with and cherish forever.

It was tempting to drop a few hundred dollars right then and there, because all of this art was so frickin’ cool. I’m forever inspired by Alton’s creativity. I debated between spoon rings and tie-dye dresses and beaded earrings and colorful candy prints, trying to decide where I’d spend my few allotted bucks for the evening and making mental notes of the tents I’ll have to visit again later in the summer.

HOOKie played through the evening, and I ran into about a million people that I know. Chatting and admiring the art and enjoying the weather (last week’s rain finally gave way to blue skies right as the sun began to set), I felt a rush of affection for this adopted town of mine. What a cool space, filled with such cool people. I’m honored to be a part of it.

I’m counting down the days until this week’s Night Market so I can come out again and check out all the cool things going on in downtown Alton. There are still shops I want to visit, artists’ booths I didn’t properly admire, and people I’m hoping to meet. I want to do the craft at Jacoby Arts Center and jam to the band on the Catdaddy’s patio and vibe with my friends, old and new, who love downtown Alton as much as I do.

Alton has a ton of great events and fun things happening throughout the summer, and I encourage you to keep up with RiverBender.com for updates as the season continues. But you can always count on fun Thursday nights to kick off the weekend a little early. If you see me there, say hi! I’ll be the woman with stars in my eyes, totally in awe of this special piece of Alton.

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