Summer Family Fun in and around Clinton County (2025 Edition) 

1. Clinton County Showcase: The Little Mermaid Jr.

• When: June 26–29, 2025, 8:00 PM nightly
• Where: Northside Park, Breese, IL
• Details & Tickets: Clinton County Showcase – The Little Mermaid Jr.
• Photo Tip: Don't forget to get a picture with the members of the cast and tell them how awesome they did! Your kids will love a picture with the real life Ariel! 

2. Highland Summer Concert Series

• When: Every Friday, June 13 – August 8, 2025, 8:00–9:30 PM
• Where: Highland Square, Highland, IL
• Details: Highland Muny Band Concerts
• Photo Tip: Golden hour light is gorgeous for portraits! Don't forget to get a close up of some details! The square is a great place for pix! 

3. Albers Music in the Park

• When: Thursdays throughout the summer, 7:00 PM (e.g., June 12, July 31, August 7)
• Where: Lehrter/JC Park Stage, Albers, IL
• Details: Event Info on Facebook
• Photo Tip: Take action shots of the kids playing in the grass or dancing to the band. Don’t be afraid to get silly! Bring bubbles along for even more fun!

4. Toast & Table Kiddo & Keeper Cooking Class

• When: July 30, 2025, 6:00 PM
• Where: Toast & Table, 227 W 1st St, O’Fallon, IL
• Details & Registration: Toast & Table Cooking Classes
• Photo Tip: Snap close-ups of messy hands, floury faces, and the “proud chef” moment with their finished dish. Ask a fellow classmate to take a picture of the two of you together! 

5. Watershed Nature Center Summer Camps (Edwardsville, IL)

• When: June 23 – August 15, 2025 (various weekly camps)
• Where: 1591 Tower Ave, Edwardsville, IL
• Details: Watershed Nature Center Camp Info
• Photo Tip: Take photos of your kids exploring nature, looking for bugs, or holding up their nature “discoveries.” I love a dirty face picture. Dirty faces = fun days!

6. Clinton County Fair & Whippoorwill Rodeo

• Fair Dates: July 13–19, 2025
• Rodeo: Friday, July 18, 2025, 7:00 PM
• Where: Clinton County Fairgrounds, 1899 Methodist St, Carlyle, IL
• Details: Clinton County Fair Events | Rodeo Facebook Event
• Photo Tip: Capture the excitement of the rides, games, and livestock shows. The rodeo offers action shots. Try burst mode for catching those fast-moving moments! Make sure to grab candids of your kiddos expressions!

7. Breese Public Library Summer Reading Program

• When: July 1–31, 2025
• Where: Breese Public Library
• Details & Sign Up: Breese Library Summer Reading Info
• Photo Tip: Snap a pic of your child with their favorite book, or reading together under a tree. Pay attention to the types of stories they love and play dress up with them as their favorite characters. You can do an entire scrapbook of memories about their favorite stories. 

8. Summer Family Fun Day – Free Yoga with Moonbird Yoga

• When: Saturday, June 21, 2025, 10:00 AM
• Where: The Farm Stand, 610 N Madison St, Lebanon, IL
• Details: Event Details
• Photo Tip: Leave your phone in your bag! Be present with your kiddos and enjoy the peace of mind and giggles this fun yoga sesh will bring. 

9. Clinton County Showcase Summer Series: Hello, Dolly!

• When: July 31–August 3, 2025, 8:00 PM nightly
• Where: Northside Park, Breese, IL
• Details & Tickets: Hello, Dolly! Tickets
• Photo Tip: Dress up for the show! Make some fun period piece hats and use them as props for some fun pictures!

10. O’Fallon Family Sports Park Splash Pad & Summer Movie Nights

• Splash Pad: Open daily, Memorial Day–Labor Day
• Movie Nights: Select Fridays/Saturdays, June–August 2025 (check schedule)
• Where: 301 Obernuefemann Rd, O’Fallon, IL
• Details: O’Fallon Parks & Rec Events Calendar
• Photo Tip: WATER AND KIDS IS SO FUN! if you have a big camera, change the settings to practice stopping the water and the fun! Work with the sun to create fun candid shots of your tots playing. If you want to pose them for a smile pic, find the shade do not face them toward the sun. 

Bonus: General Summer Photo Tips

• Golden Hour is Your Friend: Aim for photos in the hour after sunrise or before sunset for the prettiest light.
• Get in the Picture: Don’t forget to ask someone else to snap a shot with you in it!
• Candid is Best:  My favorite memories are the unposed. Capture the laughter, the mess, and the in-between moments. 
• Don't Forget a Detail or Two: Get close! Zoom in! Get pictures of their little fingers, their eyelashes, their noses and toes! You can never have too many of those!
• For the Tween Parents: Ask your tween to be the photographer and take goofy pictures of you. Give them a chance to pick the location. Let them check the camera, BUT don't let them be too critical. Coach them to see the positives not all the negatives about themselves! 
• For the Teen Parents: Our days with them all the time are numbered so grab those selfies. Go on a mural hunt this summer! St Louis, Belleville and Edwardsville all have fun murals to find. 

A couple of years ago I had the idea that friendships need to be celebrated and schools always need a little extra. The Friends Forever Fundraiser was born!

First step: get the friends together! You all don't need to go to the same school, heck, you don't even need to be IN school anymore! 

Second step: Fill out the form! Friends Forever Sign Up

Third Step: I will contact you! After the form is filled out, I will contact each group and set up a time to get together in the studio so we can plan your session. I want to create an experience that everyone is going to love and I need to get to know each friend first! Last year we had slip and slide sessions, pillow fight sleep overs (I literally took down my daughters bed and brought it to the studio) Softball rivals, silly string, bubbles, water gun fights, a lemonade stand an aunt and her nieces! It was so fun!

It is so easy and fun! Each kiddo will receive a magnet to put in their locker to remember their experience and each school receives a 4x6 print along with a check so they know who to thank! 

Each person will pay $25 (cash or check) and that will be donated back to the school of their choice. 

I cannot wait to see what we dream up this year! 

I am so excited to be helping an extraordinary group of parents that help other parents!! The Share Group of Clinton County is a group of parents who help other parents dealing with pregnancy and infant loss. So many people have suffered from the loss of a pregnancy, infant or young child and this group is vital to help them heal. The group offers support through monthly meetings, one on one counseling, and fundraising. Share Group has provided funds for grief brochures at St. Joseph's hospital in Breese, as well as books, angel gowns, blankets, sleep sacks and an Angel of Hope statue for the Reflecting Garden at St. Joseph's hospital. Every year the group's primary fundraiser is a Share Walk which they began in October 2017. 

I have been so moved by the work these families do that I wanted to lend a helping hand. For the next week, I will be scheduling relationship sessions. These sessions focus on families and their children. We will be cuddling, playing and celebrating parenthood. Each session will be $75 and include a framed 5x7 print of your choice. 100% of the session fee will be donated to the Share Group who this year would like to start helping grieving families with funeral expenses. I have had very dear friends lose children as infants and during pregnancy. I am amazed by their strength, their ability to always keep their baby in their family and how willing they are to share their stories. To know that such great compassion can come from such immense pain is truly inspiring. 

There is no minimum purchase after the session. ZERO PRESSURE. All you need to do is fill out the form and book an appointment. Then we get to hang out for an evening and cuddle with your babies. I LOVE LOVE LOVE everything about parenthood and I am so excited to share this with some pretty freaking phenomenal parents. 

I hope to see you soon!!

Much LOVE!

Jill

Mother's Day is here! 

We have been celebrating Mother's Day with Mommy & Me Sessions for five years! Taking the perfect selfie of you and your ever changing brood is never easy so let Jill take the work out of it! Each Mommy & Me Session is 30 minutes long and includes a framed 5x7 print. Each session is $125. All sessions will be photographed in studio this year on a seamless backdrop that goes great with the clean and elegant frames we have picked out for you! Message today to schedule your appointment. 

Super excited about how beautiful this spring has been already! Can't wait for Mother's Day!! If you are still struggling on what to get mom, shoot us a message! We have gift certificates available!