ART | Street fair with flair Three of Springfield’s downtown streets will be blocked off this weekend to make way for booths of
art surrounding the Old Capitol building, featuring more than 150 artists.
Their original works, in the form of jewelry, sculpture, photography,
glassware, pottery, wood, metalwork, oils, watercolors and other media, are
available for purchase. The outdoor gallery plays on all the senses with an air
of artsy fun. Six local bands and musicians blend sound into the plethora of
sight, while your taste buds won’t suffer either. Food and drink are available for purchase. Also, for a small
fee, the kids can enter the children’s tent and purchase an original piece of artwork.
The Old Capitol Art Fair
Saturday, May 16
10am-5pm
Sunday, May 17
10am-4pm
Old State Capitol Square
www.socaf.org
Free
FESTIVALS |Bagpipes, dance and more The air stirs with the feeling of the isles and all things Celtic during the
Springfield Highland Games and Celtic Festival. Athletes from across the
country compete in the caber toss, rugby and other ancient games. Over a dozen
bagpipe and drum bands gather for competition, and you won’t want to miss the mass band performance at noon, when all the bands march and
play together. Scots and Irish dancers compete and there is a day full of
musical entertainment under the big tent. Other highlights include:
storytelling, animal exhibits, demonstrations and a free children’s area where kids can jump in the bounce castle, play miniature golf, fish for
prizes, make potato people or engage in other games and activities. Authentic
Irish and Scottish food is available for purchase.
Springfield Highland Games and Celtic Festival
Saturday, May 16
8am-10pm
Illinois State Fairgrounds
Track infield
793-8355
central-illinois-celts.org
$10 adults, $5 students/seniors
CHILDREN |Park play day The Springfield Park district hosts its Annual Summer Jamboree to kick off the
summer season at Lincoln Park this Saturday. For no cost, the entire family can
learn about the programs and facilities available to them throughout the
upcoming summer season and kids can participate in several fun activities.
These include: inflatable bounce houses, wind tunnel, gladiator joust, climbing
wall, Velcro wall, giant slide, face painting, balloon art and more. Former
Major League baseball player Jack Clark, “Jack the Ripper,” will be on site signing autographs from 11 a.m. until noon and the High School
Jazz Invitational Concert takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. Food will be available
for purchase. In addition, at dusk, families can view the film Wall-E.
Summer Jamboree
Saturday, May 16
11am-5pm
Lincoln Park
Fifth Street
753-2800
Free
FESTIVALS |Taste and buy local The Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association, Downtown Springfield Inc.
and the Old Capitol Foundation will showcase 20 wineries from across the state
at the Art of Illinois Wine Garden Festival in conjunction with the Old Capitol
Art Fair on Saturday and Sunday. Anyone 21 years of age and older will be
admitted for $10 and receive a wine glass and sample tickets, wherein they can
sample wines grown from grapes and bottled right here in the Midwest. Wine may
also be purchased by the glass, bottle and case. Organizers have also plugged
in a tweetup scheduled for Saturday, when people who tweet will gather and can
tweet while they sample wine. For a complete list of the wineries participating
in the festival, visit www.illinoiswine.com.
Art of Illinois
Wine Garden
Saturday, May 16
11am-6pm
Sunday, May 17
12-5pm
Fifth and Jefferson streets
793-8355
$10
BAND SPOTLIGHT | Enamel The band Enamel, formed around the songwriting of singer-guitarist Kevin Wasmer,
includes drummer Sam Ganci and the latest member, added in September of 2008,
bassist Nathan Fenoglio. Recent Enamel-related endeavors include concentrating
on building a fan base in the St. Louis area through live performances,
completing an upgraded band Web site, preparing to record a new CD this summer,
and the introduction of Wasmerwaves, a locally based recording and production
facility aimed at helping local bands, “get started off with good recordings at a cheap price.” Saturday’s show features Copperview, a St. Louis band receiving extensive hometown radio
airplay. Be sure to take a listen to Walk Across my Mind, an original song available only on the Enamel Web site, based on the
unfortunate death of band friend and U.S. soldier Jacob Palmatier.
Enamel w/Copperview
and Music for Big Kids
May 16
10pm-2am
Bar None
427 E Monroe St
www.enamelband.com
This article appears in May 7-13, 2009.
