Ready to rock: a once-popular music festival lives again at Edwardsville, IL's Sunset Hills Country Club.

For one magical evening this past September, the sounds of high-energy rock 'n roll once again filled the air in the southern Illinois town of Edwardsville, just as it did several decades earlier in the era of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, back during the glory days of an event known as the Mississippi River Festival (MRF), a singular musical event that lasted for 12 summers from its birth in 1969 through 1980. At Edwardsville's Sunset Hills Country Club, however, the MRF breathed life once again, reborn on the club's 10th green for one electrifying night on September 16, 2006--the result of many months of careful planning from the club's general manager and the enthusiastic support of membership.

History of the MRF

The original MRF began as a joint effort between Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) and the St. Louis Symphony Society. Launched in 1969, in the midst of a turbulent time in our cultural history, the MRF was a unique performing arts series that featured a large number of musical acts across a variety of styles--everything from modern rock and blues to country, folk, barbershop, and classical--as well as the best in contemporary drama, dance, and film. As mentioned, the MRF lasted for a total of 12 summers, and in that time hosted 353 separate events attracting more than one million total visitors. The names of the performers who visited the MRF reads as a veritable who's who of rock history, including Judy Collins, Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson, Dan Fogelberg, the Grateful Dead, Rod Stewart, Ike and Photos courtesy of Sunset Hills Country Club Tina Turner, the Pointer Sisters, B.B. King ... and many, many more.

The critically popular festival, however, was beset by financial difficulties throughout its existence, and its rock concerts often received negative publicity due to reported instances of thefts, drug abuse, and sometimes violent behavior during the 1970s. Funding was eventually cut off from the state of Illinois, and MRF management's relationship with the St. Louis Symphony Society also deteriorated. After several more years of trying to maintain solvency, the MRF finally ceased its existence in 1980, much to the disappointment of the legions of fans who had faithfully enjoyed the various programs over the years.

Return of the MRF

According to Sunset Hills Country Club General Manager Christian Dziadek, CCM, the road to reviving the MRF began "with our member-guest event that we hosted earlier this year," he said. "The band we invited to perform was nothing but pure rock." As Dziadek explained, once the group started to play, their music threatened to--literally--bring the (club)house down. "They had their amps turned down to zero volume, but even still, the windows were shaking."

In spite of this--or perhaps because of it--Sunset Hills' members "were acting like they were in their 20s; and these are people who are in their 40s, 50s, and 60s." he added. "When the party was over, everybody loved it. And that's when I had my epiphany: We had to have them back." For the band's return engagement, however, it would have to be done as an outdoor event, "because we could hold no more than 300 people in the ballroom."

With that, as the general manager noted, the planning for the event proceeded from modest beginnings. "We were searching around for a theme for the event, and that's when one of the board members asked, 'Have you ever heard of the MRF?' As it turned out, one of Sunset Hills' members owns the rights to the name 'MRF.' So, that was very fortuitous," Dziadek explained. "And, as soon as I was able to pair the band with the name MRF, this thing really took off. It wasn't just going to be another event for the club, but it was also going to hit upon the members' young adult memories, giving them recollections of their school days."

After being submitted to the social committee, Dziadek and his team received approval from the board as well as the golf committee. The golf committee was of particular importance to the success of the MRF event, because it was planned to have the entire event take place on the 10th hole and fairway. At the spot where the stage was to be located, "there is a natural 40- to 50-foot rise," the general manager said. "That particular fairway is also made of a very rugged Bermudagrass, which is resistant to damage."

According to Plan

To make sure that this event was to go off without a hitch, Dziadek left nothing to chance, creating a massive file of documentation at every stage of the planning process. "We put together a business plan and compiled about 50 pages worth of material. We maintained a record of everything, since we felt like we were pushing the limit with this event. We sent letters to nearby residents telling them of our plans, and we recorded all of those address in a log to show that they were informed." Amazingly, though, no special permits were required from the local government. Also, concerns about the weather led Dziadek to purchase cancellation insurance. "We obtained $10,000 worth of coverage at an $1,100 cost."

The most important part of the planning process, though, focused on how members were to be accommodated on the night of the event, particularly in regard to transportation. Since around 20 percent of Sunset's members live within 1.5 miles of the club, Dziadek made the decision to rent out three shuttle buses for the function. "We got creative and established the fictional 'Sunset Hills Metro Company' to provide transportation for the evening. We made up these real estate-type signs and placed them along the shuttle route, so members would know where our pickup locations were. We ended up moving over 150 people this way."

The shuttles also helped to alleviate the potential problem of available parking, as the club was simultaneously hosting a class reunion in the ballroom that was unrelated to the MRF. "The parking spots closest to the clubhouse were reserved for this gathering," Dziadek said. Nonetheless, surrounding churches and businesses granted use of their lots for the evening. Though the MRF event itself did not include dinner, the club offered a meal from 5-7 p.m.--set up for speed service with a limited menu--that concluded before the start of the concert at 7:30.

Dziadek estimates that 40 percent of the club's 490 members attended the MRF event, with 575 total in attendance (as some of the tickets were made available to the public). Also, around 240 of those people elected to take part in the pre-show dinner. Out on the event ground itself, "there was a Miller and a Budweiser beer trailer, along with a full bar and a grill selling hamburgers and bratwursts." Commemorative t-shirts were also being sold for between $9-$15.

"Everyone had a great time," Dziadek said. "Too often we've lost the threads that bring everyone in the club together as a community, but this night was so much fun. We took all of the spousal volunteers who wanted to help out that night and let them pitch in. Also, my daughter, her husband, and two of their friends even flew in to attend."

And, with a 20 percent portion of the proceeds from the night's festivities, Sunset Hills Country Club donated a gift of $525 to Glen-Ed Food Pantry, a local charitable organization that distributes food, clothing, school supplies, smoke detectors, and other necessities year-round to those in need.

So, will the MRF be back yet again? "The MRF is absolutely happening again," Dziadek said. If so, the members of Sunset Hills better be ready to rock.