
Our Daily Show Interview! Last Open House & Brick Fundraiser for Haskell Playhouse
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ALTON - You have the chance to customize a brick at the Lucy Haskell Playhouse.
From now until Oct. 15, 2025, the Haskell Playhouse Association is selling bricks to be customized and installed around the perimeter of the playhouse. This annual brick sale aims to landscape the property and engage Riverbend residents in the playhouse’s history and upkeep.
“You can do it in memory, in honor, just a special date or anniversary, a wedding, anything like that to make it special for someone or yourself or your family,” said Margaret Hopkins. “When I take my grandchildren to the park, they always like to look for their brick with their initials on it.”
The forms for the bricks must be submitted by Oct. 15. Hopkins said they aim to install the bricks by Christmas. You can pick up the forms at an upcoming open house on Sept. 13, 2025, or you can contact the Haskell Playhouse Association for more information.
The playhouse was built by Dr. William A. and Florence Hayner Haskell for their daughter Lucy’s fifth birthday in 1884. After Lucy’s death at age 9, her mother donated the playhouse to the City of Alton to be preserved.
It’s important to Hopkins and others on the association to commemorate Lucy’s legacy and share it with community members. They invite Riverbend residents to be a part of that history by customizing their own brick.
Hopkins added that the community can support the playhouse by making a one-time donation or becoming a Playhouse Patron for $25 a year. These funds go toward restoration and maintenance, “the big bucks,” Hopkins said. The brick sale proceeds will go toward event and program expenses throughout the year.
For more information about the Lucy Haskell Playhouse, including how to support them, visit their official website at HaskellPlayhouse.org or their official Facebook page.