Submitted by Amy Guthrie

Art’s Alive is Trenton’s community arts organization that seeks to both educate, entertain, and celebrate the arts in our surrounding area. Our newest venture is A SEASON MEMBERSHIP with a FULL SEASON of events!

Art’s Alive is going to be presenting four concerts at the Trenton Performing Arts Center and one community theatre show at Hoover Theatre at the Jewett Norris Library. Our season membership is currently on sale, with tickets for $40 each. This one season membership covers the cost for ALL of the events of the season. Buying a season membership allows you to save several dollars (as compared to the individual ticket cost of $15 per event). Moreover, your season membership price helps to support the entire venture of our season. Since our first event is September 20, please pick up your ticket SOON!

Our tickets are currently on sale at the Trenton Hy-Vee Customer Service desk, as well as at Dynamic Tax & Accounting.

Below is an overview of each of the events.

RIKER band

Riker, a regional band, will open the Art’s Alive 2025-2026 season. Performing at 7pm on Saturday, September 20 at the Trenton Performing Arts Center, Riker promises to start the season off with a BANG!

Twin brothers Seth and Stephen Riker have been performing together since childhood, forming the band Riker with their father Steve in 2000. Over the years, the brothers have shared the stage with artists such as Night Ranger, 38 Special, Florida Georgia Line, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. When not performing as Riker, they back up numerous artists, including Grammy winning vocalist John Schlitt, original lead singer for the Classic Rock band Head East and Christian Rock group Petra. In 2018, the brothers released an EP of original material entitled ‘12:34,’ which is available anywhere music is sold or streamed. Riker is an energetic live band that plays a wide variety of music, including Rock, Pop, Country, and Oldies, making them popular with audiences of all ages.

Gilly & The Girl

Gilly & The Girl is an engaging contemporary acoustic duo coming to the Trenton Performing Arts Center on Monday, October 6 at 7pm as a part of the Art’s Alive 2025-2026 season.

Gilly & The Girl showcases the synergy of Mike Gill on guitar/vocals, and his wife, Charity, on lead vocals and hand percussion. They offer a heartfelt and enchanting musical experience featuring seamless harmonies and soulful performance.

With a repertoire that spans genres and eras, they bring a unique blend of timeless classics and contemporary hits, ensuring there’s something for everyone. Charity has a musical career spanning decades and showcased her vocal prowess as “Elphaba” in the production of “Wicked” at Universal Studios Japan. Mike is a seasoned actor with over 10 years of experience in more than 30 professional productions.

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap

Join us for THREE performances of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap at the Hoover Theatre on the third floor of the Grundy Country Jewett Norris Library the weekend of October 24th and 25th. The production is the third of the events in the Art’s Alive 2025-2026 season line-up.

Actors from our local community share their talents in Agatha Christie’s well-known classic: “The Mousetrap.” Directed by Elizabeth Hackathorn, the story follows a group of strangers who are snowed in at Monkswell Manor, and one of them is revealed to be a murderer. As the guests and the owners, the Ralstons, become increasingly suspicious of one another, a police detective arrives to investigate a recent murder with a connection to the manor. The play unravels the pasts of the characters, revealing hidden connections and motives, ultimately leading to the unmasking of the killer.

You’ll see some familiar faces in the cast, as well as some new faces. Joining the cast this year are Ashlen Busick and Caleb Campbell.

It is especially important for season ticketholders to pick up a TICKET for their preferred time. As there are only 130 seats in the Hoover Theatre, we want to make sure that our audience is spread across all three performances. The times are listed below:

French Family Band

The French Family Band takes the stage of Trenton Performing Arts Center on Saturday, February 28th at 7PM as the next concert in the Art’s Alive 2025-2026 concert series.

Nashville-based but hailing from Australia/New Zealand, this family band features Stuie & Camille French on guitars/vocals, and son Sonny on guitars/vocals. Taking inspiration from the country and western swing icons of decades past, one can hear echoes of Chet Atkins, Anne Murray, and Merle Haggard in the covers and originals they perform. When Covid hit, the French Family pivoted to Facebook Live concerts from home and developed a following of nearly 180,000. Since then, the band has appeared on stage at the Grand Ole Opry several times and won 4 Australian Golden Guitar Awards. The uncommon gifts of Camille, Stuie and Sonny rival the stars of country’s Golden Age.

Winsome & Friends

Local band, Winsome & Friends, takes the stage at Trenton Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, March 17th for a St. Patrick’s day show at 7pm as part of the Art’s Alive 2025-2026 concert season.

“Winsome” not to be confused with Ya win some, Ya lose some. Winsome comes from Old English Wynn, meaning “ joy” or “pleasure.” Their music is cheerful, lighthearted, generally pleasing and engaging. Join in the singing and even a dance if you’d like. Sonja Wimer, Jane Cotton, Levi Oneal, Luanne Oneal form the core of the band. But as the “and friends” part of their band name implies, they desire to play music with others. Several local Friends plan to join in as guests throughout the evening. Of course they’ll have a keyboard and acoustic guitar. But also plan on hearing a banjo, accordion, flute, recorder, violin, mandolin, and resonator guitar. Maybe even more.