Our Daily Show Interview! Lucy Haskell Playhouse: Open House, Birthday Party, & More!
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ALTON - The Lucy Haskell Playhouse has a few events lined up to celebrate Lucy’s legacy.
From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, July 12, 2025, community members can stop by the playhouse in Middletown for an open house. Families can play old-fashioned games and tour the playhouse. This will be followed by Lucy’s birthday party from 6:30–8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, where you can enjoy cake, ice cream, games, pony rides and more.
“It’s building that sense of community,” said Sarah, one of the volunteers. “I just love the legacy of the Haskell family, the fact that Florence Haskell donated this house and playhouse and land to the City of Alton for the education and recreation of children. It’s beautiful to be able to continue that legacy for the family. I just love the sense of community that it builds for all of us.”
All of the Lucy Haskell Playhouse events are completely free to attend. Organizers Sarah and Margaret noted that they rely on donations to host these activities. You can now donate online to support the playhouse, including a special $18.80 donation in honor of Lucy’s birth year.
In addition to the July 12 open house, you can stop by the playhouse on Aug. 9 and Sept. 13 for additional open house opportunities.
The birthday party is especially fun, Margaret and Sarah added. They try to recreate Lucy’s own birthday parties by bringing in the pony rides and games similar to what Lucy and her friends would have played in the 1880s.
“It’s reminiscent of Lucy’s 5th birthday when she had pony rides at her birthday party,” Margaret explained. “It’s really a Norman Rockwell moment.”
Lucy Haskell’s father commissioned the playhouse to be built for Lucy’s 5th birthday. Lucy died at age 9; a few years later, her mother Florence Haskell demolished the family’s home but donated the playhouse and the land to the City of Alton
“It’s just the love that built that little playhouse of the Haskells,” Margaret said. “For [Florence] to continue the memory of her daughter after she passed, it’s just remarkable to me that she wanted to share that with the community. That’s our responsibility, to keep it opened and keep it occupied and maintained and to continue that love that she had for Lucy.”
Margaret, Sarah and the other volunteers work hard to maintain the house and host fun events like the open houses and annual birthday party. They hope to see a lot of new and familiar faces come out to experience the playhouse this summer.
They also noted that they are always looking for volunteers and donations to keep the playhouse active in the community.
“It’s really just the generosity of our community,” Sarah added. “Especially when they are able to come and experience the wonderful events that we have, we hope that it inspires their hearts to be able to be generous with us so that we can continue these programs.”
For more information about the Lucy Haskell Playhouse, including how to donate online, visit the official Lucy Haskell Playhouse website at HaskellPlayhouse.org or their official Facebook page.
