Glen Carbon's "Glentennial" to Celebrate 100th Homecoming with Carnival, Fireworks, Parade and More

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GLEN CARBON - The Village of Glen Carbon will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its homecoming with the Glentennial, complete with a parade, carnival, live music and plenty of fun.

On Friday, June 19, and Saturday, June 20, 2026, community members can join the festivities by parking at Village Hall and taking the free shuttle to The Wooden Nickel, which serves as the entrance to the event. The Glentennial runs from 5–11 p.m. on Friday night and 3–11 p.m. on Saturday. The parade is planned for 5 p.m. on Saturday and promises to bring the entire village together.

“This is 100 years of homecoming,” said Samantha, an organizer. “It has always been outside music, it has always been rides and games in the street, it’s always been this chance to get the community together and have a good time.”

On Friday, June 19, the carnival opens at 5 p.m. There will be several food vendors available. Well Hungarians will provide live music starting at 7 p.m.

On Saturday morning, June 20, community members can participate in the Covered Bridge 5K. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the homecoming 5K. Sign up here.

The Glen Carbon Fire District is also celebrating its 125th anniversary with an open house from 1–3 p.m. on Saturday, complete with a touch-a-truck, bounce house, refreshments and more.

From 3–5 p.m. on June 20, you can enjoy the carnival rides for $1 a ticket. Normal pricing resumes at 5 p.m. You can purchase tickets at the event or ahead of time at Glen Carbon Village Hall during normal operating hours until 3 p.m. on Friday, June 19.

The parade kicks off at 5 p.m. on June 20. They are still accepting participants, and it’s free to join the parade.

After the parade, community members are encouraged to enjoy the carnival, food vendors and live music. Matt Heaton performs from 4–6 p.m., followed by Just in Time at 7:30 p.m. The Glentennial celebrations conclude with fireworks at 9:30 p.m. on June 20.

Shelly, chair of the volunteer committee that organizes the Glen Carbon homecoming, noted that this year’s fireworks show will be “even bigger” than before. She is excited to welcome the community to come together and celebrate the village, and she expressed her appreciation for the people who have worked hard to make this event possible.

“The men and women that we work with, they are so great at coming up with ideas and thinking outside the box and finding connections. We have a great partnership with the Village of Glen Carbon, too,” she said. “We really appreciate that collaboration with them.”

Samantha has also put together an exhibit to honor 100 years of Glen Carbon’s homecoming and the town’s history. She looks forward to sharing these banners with the community in the week leading up to the event. She encourages people to stop by the Glen Carbon Heritage Museum, which she oversees, to learn more.

Shelly and Samantha are both excited for the Glentennial, and they can’t wait to celebrate with their neighbors. They encourage people from Glen Carbon and beyond to come join the festivities on June 19 and 20.

“I think it’s great when people can get together and visit. I love seeing groups of people together on the street just hanging out and seeing people that they haven’t seen for a while coming together,” Shelly added. “It takes a village. That’s not just a hashtag that we use. That’s the reality. It takes a village to put all that together.”

To learn more about the Glentennial, visit the official webpage or the official Village of Glen Carbon Facebook page.

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