IT Picks | Thursday, January 31,2013

Illinois tastings

The public is invited to the Winter Wine Festival at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 1-2. Friday admission includes five tasting tickets to sample Illinois wines, with specially pai

IT Picks | Thursday, January 31,2013

Bluesmen bash

By Anita Stienstra

Blues at the Crossroads returns to Sangamon Auditorium, UIS, Feb. 2, to honor two of the greatest musicians in blues music, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Both considered father of modern Chicag

IT Picks | Thursday, January 24,2013

Winning spaces

By Anita Stienstra

Installation Wars is a competition between Prairie Art Alliance artists at Gallery II to create the best three-dimensional work within a space in the gallery given to each artist. PAA Gallery II manag

IT Picks | Thursday, January 24,2013

Foot-stompin’ bluegrass

By Anita Stienstra

The Travelin’ McCourys bring their amazing pickin’ and foot-stompin’ bluegrass sounds to the Hoogland Center for the Arts. The group springs from the award-winning bluegrass Del McCo

IT Picks | Thursday, January 24,2013

Passion and fashion

By Anita Stienstra

Don’t miss attending one of three dinner-theater productions at the Hoogland Center for the Arts of Love, Loss and What I Wore. The show stars some of the most fabulous female talent in Springfi

IT Picks | Thursday, January 24,2013

Classical stirrings

By Anita Stienstra

The Illinois Chamber Orchestra’s next concert, Pure Passion, at First Presbyterian Church will warm you up for an approaching Valentine’s Day. Hear Elgar’s elegant and moving “

IT Picks | Thursday, January 17,2013

Cultural comparatives

By Anita Stienstra

Dr. Ali Nizamuddin, professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield will speak at Unity Church on Jan. 20, noon to 1 p.m. The public is invited to the talk on the comparati

IT Picks | Thursday, January 17,2013

Civil War artifacts

By Anita Stienstra

This week the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library opened its third installment of the Boys in Blue Civil War exhibit. Featured is the Battle of Vicksburg, Emancipation Proclamation, Civil War p

IT Picks | Thursday, January 17,2013

Rousing romance

By Anita Stienstra

Springfield Theatre Centre presents Couplings, a two-act play written and directed by Ken Bradbury. Love is in the air and in this production as audience members follow eight ways to have a relationsh

IT Picks | Thursday, January 17,2013

Super strings

By Anita Stienstra

The category-shattering string trio, Time for Three, plays at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS on Saturday, Jan. 19. Members Zachary De Pue, violin; Nicolas Kendall, violin; and Ranaan Meyer, double bass, car