SHOWCASE STAGE
Showcase Stage
Saturday, September 12
Noon-6:00 PM
Sunday, September 13
9:00 AM-4:30 PM
Showcase Stage Lineup
Steven D. Skinner Perforing Arts Venue
NOON – 1:30 PM
THE ORIGINAL SKAZZ BAND
1:30 – 2:30 PM
MISS MARIGOLD PAGEANT CONTESTANTS
2:30 – 3:30 PM
PEKIN CIVIC CHORUS & THE NOTEABLES: PAST & PRESENT
3:30 – 4:15 PM
PEKIN 108 STRINGS
4:30 – 6:00 PM
GOOD ‘N ROWDY BAND
9:00 – 10:30 AM
COMMUNITY WORSHIP
9:00-9:30 AM Gathering Music
930-10:30 AM Service
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
CATERPILLAR EMPLOYEES BIG BAND
1:00 – 1:45 PM
LEE HALL as “ELVIS”
2:00 – 3:00 PM
JASON BUTTON’S “NOT JUST COUNTRY” LINE DANCING
3:00 – 4:30 PM
HARMONY GRITS
Meet Our Performers
The Original Skazz Band
The Original Skazz Band
The Original Skazz Band started in 2011 from students at ICC and Washington High School. Over the years the band has played everything from Sinatra to Bruno Mars, and have their own original music. The band blends traditional big band with punk, metal, ska, and country all together to make an experience all lovers of music will enjoy.
Pekin Civic Chorus
Pekin Civic Chorus
Pekin Civic Chorus, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1953, is dedicated to keeping the arts alive in our area. They do a show every-other- year and give their profits back to the surrounding community. They have proudly donated items such as choral room chairs, risers, headsets for the theater, and even a piano! Over the years, they have given back over $290,000 to the community.
The 2026 show was a big success, and they are already looking forward to the 2028 show (yes, it’s already in the works!) If you are interested in reading more about PCC, see their website at www.pekincivicchorus.org for information and announcements regarding upcoming events and especially auditions that will be held January, 2028. If you like to sing, meet new people, and have fun onstage, PCC would love to see you then!
The Noteables: Past & Present
The Noteables: Past & Present
After learning that the PCHS Noteables Show Choir would be taking its final bow, a dedicated group of alumni came together to create The Noteables: Past and Present. This special ensemble was formed to celebrate and honor the choir’s incredible 50-year legacy and is open to anyone who participated in the PCHS Noteables Show Choir, from its founding in 1976 through its final 2026 season. Over 50 singer/dancers, combo musicians, and stage crew have reunited for this project, including alumni from the Class of 1978 all the way to current PCHS freshmen! Noteables: Past and Present is led and music directed by Paige Calvert (Class of 2019), with choreography by Halle Brockamp (Class of 2018) and Sue Venturi-Johnson (Class of 1978), and music arrangements by Nick Brockamp (Class of 2012). The ensemble would like to thank the Pekin Civic Chorus and Pekin Marigold Festival for the opportunity to perform as part of their 2026 showcases, and to the Pekin Community for 50 years of unwavering support.
Pekin 108 Strings
Pekin 108 Strings
Music is thriving in Pekin! The District 108 Orchestra Program is a vibrant community of more than 150 young musicians from grades 4 through 8. This program celebrates the incredible growth that happens when students pick up an instrument in elementary school and develop into the confident ensemble leaders of middle school. Their performance will be a reflection of hard work, creativity, and passion. They are also thrilled to highlight students in their performance who went above and beyond by participating in this year’s Summer Orchestra Camp under the direction of Leslie Koons, Lowell Koons, Owen Lowe and Laurel Wilson.
Good 'N Rowdy Band
Good 'N Rowdy Band
The Good N’ Rowdy Band is a country and southern rock group formed in Farmington, IL in early 2025 after local musicians Jon Schmidgall and Alex Clark began playing open mics and small-town shows together. What started as a side project quickly turned into a full band built around country music, southern rock, and guitar-driven live performances.
As the project grew, Chance Whisenand helped shape the band’s sound behind the drums, bringing a driving style and stage presence that became a major part of the group’s live identity. In early 2026, Kaiden Leezer joined on bass guitar and vocals, adding another strong musician to the lineup while helping expand the band’s range both instrumentally and vocally. Together, the four members built a live set rooted in artists like Zach Top, Waylon Jennings, David Allen Coe, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and many more blending outlaw country, southern rock, 90s country, newer country releases, and original music into a sound that is distinctly their own.
Since forming last year, Good N’ Rowdy has performed more than 40 live sets across Central Illinois, including performances at the East Peoria Veterans Day Parade, where they became the first band to perform at the new Levee Park Amphitheatre, as well as their debut at Crusens earlier this year. The band continues performing throughout the region while working toward releasing original music. More information, upcoming shows, and media can be found at goodnrowdy.com
Community Worship Service
Community Worship Service
The Pekin Marigold Festival is proud to once again unite our community in worship! Let us gather from every denomination to sing, praise, and celebrate the God who makes us one. We are the body of Christ in Pekin, Illinois — rooted in faith and ready to rejoice. Join us as we celebrate this year’s theme, “Marigold Roots and Country Boots!”
Caterpillar Employees Big Band
Caterpillar Employees Big Band
Founded in 1978 with Peoria area employees, retirees and family members of Caterpillar Inc., the Caterpillar Employees Big Band performs music in the traditional big band style. A repertoire of original arrangements made famous by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and others during the big band heyday of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, is supplemented with contemporary jazz and popular tunes arranged for big band. As one of very few groups performing with a full jazz ensemble of saxophones, trumpets, trombones and rhythm section, the Caterpillar Employees Big Band has 17 multi-talented instrumentalists and a crowd-pleasing vocalist. The band has been featured at concerts, dances, festivals, and private functions throughout Illinois, and in FORTUNE magazine and Peoria Journal Star articles about the musical exploits of large company employees. From regular engagements in Peoria and Metamora, to recent appearances in East Peoria, Benson, Princeville, Morton, Toluca, Canton, Kewanee, Bartonville, Macomb, Monmouth, Lacon, Yates City, Eureka, Pontiac and a corporate function in Las Vegas, the Caterpillar Employees Big Band continues to bring an exciting big band sound to a new generation of enthusiastic fans.
Lee Hall as "ELVIS"
Lee Hall as "ELVIS"
A crowd favorite, former Sports Anchor, LEE HALL, will make you reminisce of the old days with his fun and energetic impersonation of the “The King,” Elvis Presley.
Harmony GRITS
Harmony GRITS
Harmony GRITS, formed in 2018, brings a high‑energy, crowd‑pleasing blend of country, southern rock, classic rock, and Motown favorites to the Pekin Marigold Festival. The band features Everett Bugg on fiddle, guitar, and vocals; Pam Kilmer and Nicole Bugg on lead vocals; Polly Bugg on bass guitar and vocals; Scott Bugg on drums; Simon Webb on keyboard, saxophone, and vocals; and Randy Stone on pedal steel guitar. Together, they deliver powerful harmonies, standout musicianship, and an engaging live show designed to keep festival audiences entertained from the first note to the last.
Performing throughout the Midwest at fairs, festivals, music venues, and special events, Harmony GRITS has shared stages with a lineup of national artists that reads like a who’s who of country music. Their seasoned performers bring decades of live entertainment experience to every show, blending traditional country roots, southern rock energy, and soulful classics into a performance that connects with audiences of all ages. Whether you’re dancing in front of the stage or enjoying the festival atmosphere with family and friends, Harmony GRITS offers an authentic, high‑powered live music experience that keeps crowds coming back.
