Our Daily Show Interview! Charlie Rally Set for 9-12PM on Saturday
ALTON — A rally in memory of late conservative activist Charlie Kirk is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Alton Visitor’s Center, organizers said.
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Kirk, an American conservative political activist, was fatally shot while addressing an audience on the campus of Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.
Michelle Nitzsche, who helped organize the event alongside Matthew Morales, said the rally is not political.
“We went back and forth and started putting it together, and it just took off,” Nitzsche said. "Attendance estimates range from about 300 to 400 people."
The event is intended as a call for peace and a celebration of Kirk’s life.
“The rally is all about freedom of speech and being able to come together for a gathering and celebrate his life and mourn his death and keep his voice alive,” she said.
Nitzsche hopes attendees will be motivated to continue speaking out and to overcome mourning. “I hope people take away that will be motivated to speak up still and they still won’t be silenced and they will have hope and just overcome some of the mourning and continue to keep Charlie’s voice alive,” she said.
At 11 a.m., a group that protests weekly against President Donald Trump and his policies is scheduled to assemble at Lincoln-Douglas Square, located on the opposite side of the Piasa Street and Broadway intersection from the rally.
Alton Police Chief Jarrett Ford said organizers of both events have requested that participants remain respectful, kind and peaceful. “Those who choose otherwise are not welcome,” Ford said.
In addition to the rallies, the Miles for Meso race and the Mississippi Earthtones Festival at the Amphitheater are also scheduled to take place Saturday morning in Alton.
