May 2026 Escape to Elsah Newsletter: 

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We are happy to officially announce the completion of our garden renovation at the Green Tree Inn! 

What used to be a rocky, uneven plot of land (filled with lots of beautiful plants for wildlife to enjoy) has been transformed into a human-friendly and welcoming area for everyone to enjoy. The garden now features a tiered layout with level ground throughout, two lighted walkways, and a 20' x 20' pavilion—perfect for relaxing, gathering, or just spending some time outside. 

Now that the construction is finished, we’re excited to start rebuilding the garden with a variety of native plants and many pollinator-friendly flowers.  

• The new pavilion is available to rent for small private events. Contact the Green Tree Inn to book your next event.  

• This month are the final days of site work for Grafton’s NMMA (National Memorial of Military Ascent in Grafton at the Visitor Center. The installation of 12 life-size Ranger statues on the cliff face along the River Road bluffs, the viewing area and the installation of the wall of valor. The dedication date is set for Saturday June 6^th. For details about this event please check out the NMMA website at www.graftonmemorial.com. More information will be shared in our next newsletter.  

Elsah Museum News: 

• Last month, the Village opened its museum to the public for the new season (April-October). The museum has many vital functions; it acts as an open door to the village for the public and as an ambassador of Elsah's history! Many beautiful artifacts of history and development reside there.

This season (now thru October) we have a need for a Saturday attendant in the Museum. In the past it has been a volunteer position, but the village board feels it is so important, they've allocated funds to make it a paid position, however volunteers are still welcome.

The Elsah Museum minimum wage position involves opening the museum at 1pm, putting out the flag and open sign, pulling up the shades, and then manning its space. The person would greet visitors and sell gifts from the counter until 4pm. Finally, the position would be responsible for closing, locking doors and activating the alarm.

Filling the need on Saturdays could be split between several residents... 1st Saturday of the month, 2nd Saturday, 3rd, etc. To function fully, we also need a pool of substitutes for both Saturdays and Sundays. Please specify if you'd like to help on an occasional/on call basis. Training for the position can happen at your convenience and should take 15-20 minutes.

It is a sincere way you can contribute to our wonderful village! We hope you will give it careful consideration. Please contact by return email (danne.rhaesa@yahoo.com) if it feels like something you can contribute. Also, if someone in your household or among your friends might be interested in this type of effort, please let them know.

• This season, the museum has new items for sale: lovely hand-colored cards by Sun Smith-Forest; Elsah and Alton Coloring Books by Sun and Marty McKay; a new shipment of Elsah Mugs, and the usual various historical publications. Please consider these when looking for gifts for friends or loved ones; it will greatly help with the upkeep of the museum! 

• The 2026 Historic Elsah Museum’s Photography Competition and Exhibit opened on Saturday, April 4^th. These photographers were honored for the excellent photography works entered. 

Best of Show- Jeffrey Vaughn

First Place- Dan Kistler

Second Place-Rosa Renner,

Third Place- Marty McKay

Honorable Mentions were attained by the following:  

Cynthia Gallo Callan, Mary Odhiambo, and Carolyn Schlueter.  

The Youth award was given to Samuel Odhiambo. 

The exhibit will remain open to the public during regular weekend Museum Hours 1-4, Saturdays and Sundays, until June 28th.  All are always welcome! 

 Are you resilient?  

Everyone is invited to attend the talk and reception, May 7th at 7pm, about the new stone and steel sculpture, Resilient!  Farley’s Music Hall will host a 45-minute artist’s talk and refreshments for the community. Then, we’ll walk across the creek to see the sculpture, made entirely from locally harvested creek stone.  

Last year, resident sculptor, Danne Rhaesa, applied for a grant from the Illinois Arts Council and received it!  Hear all about the inspiration and the process of building this public sculpture that celebrates the resilience of the Elsah community!   

Feel free to bring friends and enjoy a Spring evening with the Village of Elsah. It will have just gotten dark, so bring your flashlights and some bug spray! 

• Hosmer Williams Lectures sponsored by HEF at Farley’s Music Hall this month and next: 

*All HEF lectures are open to the public and free. 

• Title: “Cahokia: America’s First City”             

• Speaker: Bill Egan 

• Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 7pm 

• Place: Farley Music Hall, 37 Mill Street, Elsah, IL 

Refreshments following the event.

Coming in June: 

• Title: Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis- An Illustrated Timeline 

• Speaker: John C. Gunther, Architect LLC 

• Date: Thursday, June 18, 2026, 7pm 

• Place: Farley Music Hall, 37 Mill Street, Elsah, IL 

• Refreshments following the event 

Elsah’s Farley Music Hall is the ideal venue for your next celebration occasion. Whether for a wedding, shower, or gathering, it is an inviting atmosphere. Warm and cozy with historic charm. 
Go to www.historicelsah.org to find out about rentals and availability.

• Announcements: 

*If you are interested in more events happening in the area, we recommend the Great Rivers and Routes website or mobile app for a complete listing. Events | Great Rivers & Routes  

• 3^rd & 4^th Sun & Mon, Plant sale at Three Rivers Community Farms, 9-4pm.  

• 7^th Thur, Resilient! An artist’s talk, Elsah, Farley’s, 7pm, Free 

• 9^th Sat, Elsah Spring Bird Census, all day 

• 9^th Sat, Lucy Haskell Playhouse (museum) Open House, Alton, 10am-noon.  

• 9^th Sat, Grafton’s Sip Sample & Stroll. $30 advanced tickets required. 11am-6pm.  

• 12^th-17^th, Grafton Bike Week, at the Hawg Pit BBQ. Begins Tue 7pm thru Sun 7pm. 

• 14^th Thur, HEF lecture “Cahokia: America’s First City”, Elsah, Farley’s, 7pm, Free 

• 16^th Sat, Piasa Trail Races at Pere Marquette State Park, 6am-2pm 

• 22^nd-25^th Fri-Mon, Pere Marquette Veteran’s Camp, (camp, hike, paddle- pre-registration required).  

• 23^rd & 24^th The Loading Dock’s Riverside flea market. Open Sat 9-5pm and Sun 9-4pm. 

• 30^th Sat, Downtown Alton PUP Crawl. Noon-4pm. $10 tickets  

• Reoccurring: Grafton’s Music in the Park (Grove Park). Every Thursday night, May thru Sept.  

• Reoccurring: Original artwork for sale by Ted Ostrowsky at The Artery, Elsah. Open Tue & Thur: 11-3, Sat: 11-4. 

• The Elsah Book Club: For May’s book selection and meeting date please contact Cecily or Alice for more information, contact cecilyellenlee@gmail.com or astanley128@gmail.com.  

• Principia College Events open to the public: 

• The Principia College website has more information about events and news on campus. See the “calendar” tab and a “news” tab at the top left of the page. You can also access the Athletics tab for sports schedules. Go to: https://www.principiacollege.edu/ 

For Sale within the village! Please see the status and details for these homes.

87 Mill St, Elsah, IL 62028 | MLS #26022550 | Zillow 

79 Mill St. *For Sale by Owner- contact: 617-391-7652 

0 Penn St, Elsah, IL 62028 | For Sale ($65,000) | MLS# 25062811 | Redfin 

Reminder to all Readers: 

• If you have any questions or ideas for featured stories or you would like more information about being a guest writer, please send an email addressed to “Mary” to escapetoelsah.news@gmail.com.

• For Elsah Residents: 

• The Spring Bird Census will be on May 9^th. For anyone wanting to participate in the count, you can contact Tom Fuller at Tom.Fuller@principia.edu. If you live in Elsah you can count at bird feeders that day and submit your count to Tom. All questions can be directed to Tom.

• A recycling center is now open in Jerseyville for any Jersey County residents. For an annual fee of $20, those of us living in Elsah can take our recycling to the Jerseyville trash site. Permit stickers are available at the Jerseyville City Hall. For more details go to the website.  

• The Grafton Ferry is now open for full-time service (year-round). The ferry takes you directly across the river to the Missouri side. Open M-Th 5am-9pm, Fri/Sat 5am-10pm, Cash or check only. Single-use (one-way) tickets are $10 each.  

• Repeated reminders for Residents:  

• The Clerk Office Hours (located in the civic center) is Mondays and Wednesdays 8:30am-12pm. Makenna can also be reached via email at elsah.clerk@gmail.com email.

• To make it easier to drop off/pick up paperwork, a new red mailbox on the front of the civic center has been installed. It is located to the left of the door (facing Mill St.). Please reach out to Makenna for details about this. 

• Reserve your Spot! A Sign-up sheet for using the community fireplace behind the Civic Center is a calendar hanging in the hallway outside of the restrooms (which is unlocked 24/7).  

• We are always picking up yard waste (leaves, shrubs, branches, etc) if it is on the curb and contained in a tarp or other types of containers.  

• Remember that our leaves from last fall are composting in the Wetlands. Feel free to load up a bucket or make arrangements with Randy or Tom, our go-to guys for all the hard work around the Village, for larger amounts. This is a great soil amendment or mulch for flower or vegetable beds. 

• FYI- It is important to know any pertinent information open to residents is oftentimes posted on the village Post Office Bulletin Board- this can include a variety of things including meeting announcements/agendas/recaps, events- parties/talks/clean up, etc.  You may also place your own or view other information intended for the village and/or guests to the Post Office.   

• Meetings open to the Village Residents: 

• Second Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm: The Elsah Board of Trustees meet 

• First Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm: The Zoning Board Committee meet.  

*Check times for specific Committees on the Civic Center bulletin board up to 48 hours prior to the meeting or call the Clerk for more information.  

 Civic Center: (618) 374-1568 / elsah.clerk@gmail.com

*All Monthly Meetings are open to Elsah Residents and may be canceled due to a lack of business to discuss.