Quiet Fest to return to La Salle, featuring kids program, open mics, live performances

The City of La Salle Foundation’s second annual Quiet Fest begins Thursday, Sept. 26, with an all-ages open mic at Sanctuary, 516 First St., La Salle.

The event from 6 to 9 p.m. will be hosted by local musicians Jeff Manfredini and Sadie Brzozowski. Manfredini is a longtime open mic host and Illinois Valley performer. Brzozowski has performed with Stage 212, Dimmick School and the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp.

The open mic is a free community event and welcomes individuals and groups of all ages who like to perform. Participants younger than 21 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Quiet Fest is an arts festival. The inaugural festival hosted 750 visitors, featured 35 artists, 26 sponsors, a Nerf obstacle course and balloon animals and also highlighted local businesses over two days throughout La Salle.

“Our first annual Quiet Fest was a huge success – we raised startup money for the foundation and learned a lot about what was missing from other community events,” foundation board member and Quiet Fest co-Chair Peyton Lamps said in a news release. “This year, we are excited to focus more on family-friendly programs like this open mic. Bringing families together is an important part of the foundation’s community development strategy. As a small-business owner, I know my success is best supported by a holistic approach to growth. Including kids and opening up programs to everyone is a key way the foundation is able to do this.”

Dani Piland, a foundation board member, Quiet Fest co-chair and owner of Sanctuary, said she is pleased to bring events like this to the community.

“The venue at 516 First St. has a lot of history, and it’s really important to me personally to be a good steward of the community by offering events and programs that really contribute to the city of La Salle,” Piland said in a news release. “Making music and the arts available to performers and audiences of all ages is a privilege, and we are deeply grateful to the city, the La Salle Police Department and all our supporters for helping us make sure events like this are possible and safe for everyone.”

The foundation can be found on Facebook at Facebook.com/cityoflasallefoundation. For questions, to make a donation or to get involved, email the committee at cityoflasallefoundation@gmail.com.

Saturday’s children’s programming 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the downtown mini park will include 10 craft/make-and-take stations in the Pocket Park between Petals by Peyton and Chaos and Curiosities. Volunteers will be running the stations. Each activity is free but will have a donation bucket. All donations go to the City of La Salle Foundation, which is a nonprofit and not affiliated with the city government. Stations include succulent painting, jewelry making, pumpkin frame painting, wooden pumpkin painting, a Nerf gun obstacle course and other activities.

Make-and-take activities will be moved indoors in the event of inclement weather. In that case, visitors should check Facebook for updates.

Quiet Fest schedule

7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26: All-ages open mic at Sanctuary

8 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27: DJ Greg at Detour Tap

10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, Sept. 27: Silent disco with DJ Famous at Sanctuary

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28: Kids program’s in Pocket Park, 340 First St.

7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28: Steve Cerqua Blues Band at Speakeasy on First

9 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28: Chris Feral at Rephils

11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28: Don’t Blink at Sanctuary