For Jack Pizziferro, being part of the Edwardsville Parks & Recreation team is a bit of a homecoming. He once played second-grade basketball at Woodland Elementary School through a Parks & Rec program; now, as the newest sports and recreation coordinator on the City’s Parks & Recreation team, he helps run the program.

“It’s fun to see that come full circle,” said Pizziferro, whose family moved to Edwardsville when he was 6 years old. “I love working with the community.”

Pizziferro joined the City’s Parks & Recreation Department through an internship while still a student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He accepted his full-time role last fall ahead of his December college graduation with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation Management.

“I like industries where people aren’t expected to spend a lot of money,” he said. “The whole idea of parks and recreation is lifting the standard for the community. It’s a job I sleep well at night doing.”

Throughout much of the year, Pizziferro, 23, can be found at Plummer Family Park, the sports complex on the eastern edge of Edwardsville. He helps the City’s sports team -- including Sports and Recreation Superintendent Canee’ Brown, fellow Sports and Recreation Coordinator Jeremy Dempsey and their staff -- offer and operate recreational and competitive activities for people of all ages.

He’s especially enjoyed overseeing activities geared toward athletes who are just starting to explore sports. “I love working with younger kids. The kindergartners are really cool. They’re just happy to be there,” he said. “There’s a competitive nature, but they’re much more focused on recreation.”

That makes sense for Pizziferro, who doesn’t consider himself as much of an athlete as simply an outdoorsy type, and particularly a fan of fishing. “I could talk for hours about carp; it’s the greatest sports fish, in my mind.”

While in college, Pizziferro spent a great deal of time focusing on conservation, nature and invasive species. He completed a Nature Works internship through St. Louis’ nonprofit conservancy Forest Park Forever. He’s passionate about green space efforts, in particular the conservation work and Nature Preserve Foundation programs taking place at the City’s Watershed Nature Center, and would like to eventually be able to create an interpretive walk there.

And when he’s not in a park or fishing somewhere? Well, he’s angling for a different kind of joy – derived from playing music, punk rock, no less – with some of his fishing buddies. “We do open mic events,” he said. “We jam out on the weekends when we’re all available.”

For several days beginning Monday, March 23, access to and from Main Street will be blocked at Vandalia Street as part of the ongoing water main replacement project. The closure is expected to last up to five days, weather permitting.

However, while eastbound and westbound access will not be possible, drivers already on Main Street will be able to continue north or south through the intersection while this work is underway. Drivers will be able to bypass the East Vandalia closure to or from Main Street by using South Buchanan and West Schwarz Street. To bypass the West Vandalia closure to or from Main Street, drivers can use West Street and West Schwarz Street.

The closure is part of the North Main Street water main replacement and streetscape improvement project, which got underway in early January to replace a more than 120-year-old water main in downtown Edwardsville and make other needed infrastructure and pedestrian accessibility and safety upgrades. The work is expected to wrap up later this summer, with landscaping and plantings along this section of North Main Street to follow in the fall.

Barricades will prohibit access to the Main Street intersection but there will be local access to Plaza Court and nearby businesses on the east side, and to the Walgreens parking lot and Mark Twain parking lot on the west side. Crosswalks at the intersection of Main and Vandalia streets will be closed while this work is underway, but access to the businesses will be maintained.

This portion of the water main replacement will be primarily along East Vandalia near Main Street, but once the intersection work is complete, construction crews will continue along West Vandalia as well as proceed with ongoing work along North Main Street. Drivers are asked to please be alert for construction crews in the work zone and occasional lane shifts and delays, as necessary throughout the project.

The City is working with Keller Construction to complete this project, which is partially funded by a Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Streets Capital Program grant. Find construction details, an expected timeline and the latest updates on this approximately $4.89 million improvement project by visiting: www.cityofedwardsville.com/cityprojects

A full-court press is underway at Edwardsville’s Plummer Family Park, as the City and Courthouse 618 LLC announced Thursday, February 19, that construction is beginning for a new indoor recreational field house featuring courts for basketball, volleyball, futsal and training opportunities.

The new sports facility was first announced in April 2025 as a partnership between the City of Edwardsville and Courthouse 618 LLC, owned by Edwardsville native Mark Thomas. The facility will be known as The Courthouse 618 and will include five high school regulation-size basketball courts that can transition into nine volleyball courts for games, training, open play and camps. The approximately 50,000-square-foot facility will be the new home of the Edwardsville Parks & Recreation Department’s youth and adult basketball leagues, offer public training and playing opportunities and host tournaments. It also will be the site of Shoot 360 Edwardsville, a cutting-edge, immersive, data-driven basketball training experience for athletes of all skill levels.

A celebratory groundbreaking will take place at the future site of The Courthouse 618 at 9 a.m. Thursday, February 26, weather permitting. The facility will be built on the southwest corner near the Goshen Road entrance of Plummer Family Park, the City’s 83-acre premiere sports complex. 

“This is a wonderful project for Edwardsville and for families and athletes throughout the area. We’re thrilled to expand the opportunities offered at Plummer Family Park and to bolster the varied types of sports programming that our community already enjoys,” Mayor Art Risavy said. “We’re excited to work with Mark Thomas and see his dream of supporting youth sports become a reality.”  

“I, along with other parents and young athletes in this community, have traveled miles away to access the kind of training and facilities they deserve right here at home. The Courthouse 618 changes that for every family in Edwardsville and the surrounding area,” Courthouse 618 founder Mark Thomas said. “We’re not just breaking ground on a building, we're investing in the future of this community and the next generation of athletes who will grow up right here.” 

The facility is a public-private collaboration; Mr. Thomas is facilitating financing for the building and the Shoot 360 franchise. The City is leasing the land in Plummer Family Park to Mr. Thomas’ company, Courthouse 618 LLC. In conjunction with the facility construction, the City also is proceeding with 200 public parking spaces adjacent to the proposed site.

An opening date is anticipated for fall of 2026. Courthouse 618 LLC is working with Contegra Construction Co. of Edwardsville on the facility, while First Mid Bank & Trust is the financial institution for the project.

(Photo credit: 618 Drone Service; The Courthouse 618 will be built in the upper right section of the park, as shown in the photo)

Tuesday, March 24 @7pm (lobby and seating starts at 6pm)

$3 tickets on sale starting at noon, day of movie at the Wildey Theatre.  Tickets are cash or check only.   Card and cash accepted for concessions.  Seating is general admission

Friday, March 27 @8:00pm (Doors open @ 7:00pm)

Saturday, March 28 @3:00pm (Doors open @ 2:00pm)

_{MATINEE SHOW ADDED BY DEMAND}

The Brooklyn Charmers return to the Wildey Theatre for a amazing night of Steely Dan favorites. With masterful precision and obsessive dedication to the music, Brooklyn Charmers injects a new energy into the beloved Steely Dan catalogue; bridging the gap between new and lifelong fans alike.