Not every home improvement pays off
It was a house of mirrors. But this was the kind you had to live in. “No matter which way you turned, you saw yourself reflected back. It seemed like the entire house was covered in mirrors. Every wall, the ceilings, even the kitchen was mirrored,” says Allyn Rawling, a real-estate agent with Coldwell Banker…
Flyover country
In “Flyover Country” Is an Insult to Midwesterners Like Me. So Is “Heartland” Sentimentality,” journalist Matthew Wolfson offers a sober and perceptive assessment of the popular sentimental image of the region that “a broad swath of Americans — not least Midwesterners — have constructed together.” He writes The first time I registered the term…
Tonight in St Louis – Black Lips with King Khan & BBQ Show
Two of the great modern garage-rock bands are stopping at The Ready Room in St. Louis tonight. The Black Lips reputation as a wild face-melting act live act precedes them and only gets solidified with time. Check out the video for “Boys in the Wood” from their recent Underneath the Rainbow CD: In that rare…
Hey Rockers! It’s the American Music Show – Tonight & Tomorrow
The return of the American Music Show is just hours away! Check out the videos below and then head to Donnie’s homespun: Tonight at 6:30 – The Whistle Pigs Tonight at 7:45 – The Mastersons: Tonight at 9:30 – Chris Caselo Trio: Can’t seem to find any video of tomorrow’s openers, Big Storm, onstage at…
Art weekend! Tonight: DEMO Project, tomorrow night, The Pharmacy
It’s a big weekend for the visual arts in Springfield, with openings at the DEMO Project tonight and The Pharmacy’s 10th group exhibition on Saturday. The DEMO Project (732 North Fourth Street) is celebrating its one year anniversary with a unique and exciting exhibit by Carla Bengtson, head of the art department at University of…
Already in the know
My column next week will be about New York City, and the allure it has always had for the ambitious and the hopeful. Writing it, I was reminded of a something said in an interview by performance artist Laurie Anderson. She, like me, grew up in the Illinois of the 1950s and ‘60s. (Anderson was raised…
Bland
Being harshly critical of a movie like Charlie Martin Smith’s A Dolphin Tale 2 is akin to kicking a puppy that’s been chewing on your shoes in the teeth. Yes, corrective measures should be taken with the dog but that sort of overkill is criminal. Giving a lukewarm review to this harmless film won’t land…
Unraveling the mystery of Edwards Place
Erika Holst (second from right), curator of collections at the Springfield Art Association, shows visitors to Edwards Place a section of 1860s wallpaper that was uncovered during the mansion’s restoration. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE For three years, Erika Holst has been squirming into tight spaces that probably haven’t seen daylight in more than 100 years.…
Artists on the move
Artist credit: Janet Kueber Sgro Since its first group exhibit in November of 2011, the independent artist collective known as The Pharmacy has been a force to be reckoned with in the Springfield arts scene, providing affordable studio and gallery space for painters, sculptors and other artists as well as multiple well-attended exhibitions annually. In…
Illinois DNR revises fracking regulations
State regulators have released new regulations for a highly controversial oil and gas extraction technique. Environmental groups in the area that will be affected say the new protections aren’t enough, while energy companies say the new rules are too burdensome. The Illinois General Assembly in June 2013 passed a law allowing high-volume hydraulic fracturing, which…
Books in a box
The public is invited to a dedication of a new free library in Springfield on Sunday, Sept. 14. It is just north of McClernand Elementary School on Fifth Street at the home of Jacqueline D. Jackson, author and University of Illinois Springfield professor emerita of Creative Writing. Springfield School District 186 Superintendent Jennifer Gill will…
Jekyll & Hyde grapples with good and evil
D.J. Schultz as Edward Hyde. PHOTO BY DONNA LOUNSBERRY The mercurial weather on what would have been Jekyll & Hyde’s opening night at the Springfield Municipal Opera mirrored well the play itself. A violent, Hyde-like thunderstorm forced a cancellation of the Sept. 5 showing, but the following evening was calm and cool, with the nearly…
A la arte
PHOTO BY MICHELLE PAWLAK Two days of fine art, bell music and fun for kids takes place at Art Spectacular at Washington Park, Sept. 13-14. Founded by Rees Carillon Society Trustee Barb Walker, Art Spectacular is a professionally juried fine art and craft show featuring collector- and museum-quality works. The 50 participating artists are among…
Green tomatoes
Pickled green tomatoes will keep at least 6 months in the refrigerator allowing you to enjoy your fall harvest through the new year. PHOTO PETER GLATZ Of course, my childhood’s late summer/early fall biggest tradition was beginning school. But there were culinary traditions, too. The seasonal tomato flood reached its peak, and canning tomatoes either…
Dangerous propositions
Bruce Rauner, a Republican candidate for governor of Illinois. PHOTO BY TERRENCE ANTONIO JAMES/MCT It was sometime just after the new millennium, I think, that Illinois political leaders first started to resemble the first guy through the broken store window crying “Justice!” while looting a TV set. The thought occurred to me while reading about…
The Whistle Pigs
Named after a large rodent otherwise known as a groundhog or sometimes as a woodchuck, these fellers are a trio of dyed-in-the-wool, hillbilly honky-tonkers out to have fun and make music. Hailing from the hill country of Southern Illinois near Carbondale, they claim to be “one of the Midwest’s friendliest and most talented musical trios”…
Whoa is me
Last year, after I split up with my girlfriend, the law firm I worked for went belly up. I haven’t been on a date all year. Friends try to set me up, and I keep giving excuses for why I can’t go, but the truth is, I’ve totally lost my nerve. I’d like to change…
Sound advice to the Billionaire’s Club
I’ve noticed several CEOs, political pundits and so-called economic experts saying they’re confused as to why Americans are so down. Consumers should be out buying stuff, they say, for the economy is humming again. Just look at the key indicators: GDP is growing, corporate profits are high, the stock market is soaring, jobs are being…
Tax dollars at work
Curses, foiled again• Police charged Arthur Avery, 30, with setting fire to an apartment building in South Daytona, Fla., after they located the arson suspect at a hospital where he was being treated for burns. Witnesses said the suspect became angry when he couldn’t locate a resident and began pouring gasoline onto a discarded mattress…
Feet first
PHOTO BY CARYN BROOMBY Springfield Ballet Company presents a merging of ballet, modern jazz and other dance styles with classic rock from 1975-76 during Rockballet, Sept. 13-14, at Sangamon Auditorium UIS. Featuring live music by the eight-piece band Downstate, two productions showcase talent from the company and special guests. Guest choreographers include Hernan Justo and…
What good does Downtown Springfield, Inc., do?
DSI is not just another nonprofit that puts on street festivals and holds fundraisers. It is the only entity working exclusively on initiatives to lift up the central business district. We have a comprehensive, incremental approach to revitalization of downtown through public/private partnerships, identifying existing assets, and thoughtful implementation of the Main Street four-point approach.…
Letters to the Editor 9/11/14
A mural in progress in 2013 by Michael Mayosky on the north wall of the Alamo, 115 N. Fifth St. was the first of four planned murals in Downtown Springfield, Inc.’s Artification project. PHOTO BY DAVID HINE THE ARTIST’S SIDEI am writing to state my point of view that was not included in your article…
An unlikely OK for Kay
The Illinois Education Association has always leaned more Republican than its Illinois Federation of Teachers counterpart, but at least one of the IEA’s endorsements raised a few eyebrows this year. Conservative state Rep. Dwight Kay, R-Glen Carbon, was endorsed by the IEA last month. The Illinois AFL-CIO assigns the Metro East legislator a rating of…
Sound giving
PHOTO BY JANE WOOLDRIDGE/MCT Cochlear Implant Awareness Foundation’s HumpFest takes place Wednesday, Sept. 17. Activities will include live camel rides, kids’ carnival activities, a fashion show and live music by 2nd Chance Band. HumpFest 2014 is family friendly between the hours of 4:30-6:30 and will take place rain or shine. Tickets are available at HyVee…
PARK AND DINE
Michael Higgins, owner of Maldaner’s Restaurant, 222 S. Sixth St. in downtown Springfield, received city approval this week to convert two parking spaces in front of his restaurant into a “parklette” – essentially a space for outdoor dining. Scheduled for construction Sept. 12, it will be a raised wooden platform with seating for up to…
Editor’s Note 9/11/14
Last week’s NAACP-sponsored community forum on race relations has started a healthy discussion in Springfield. Once again it has raised the subject of minority hiring in the police department. Mayor Mike Houston promised to tackle the issue when he was elected three years ago, but it has proven too difficult for this administration. It is…
September selections
The Bottle Rockets close out the American Music Show at Donnie’s Homespun on Sat., Sept. 13. Here we go again, sailing off into the wild blue music yonder. This week we offer you a fantastic and fabulous, veritable cornucopia of live music choices for the middle of September making this world more of a loving…
Cops and robbers
Dennis Kendall PHOTO COURTESY MACON COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT Dennis Kendall didn’t finish high school, but at 32, he was a homeowner in Decatur before his world came crashing down. He began roofing at the age of 13, his family says, and was once employed by the same company for nine years. He didn’t have a…
dairystate poem #2
our area of wisconsin has lovelylively names afton avalon tiffanycarvers rock beckmans mill dariendelavan elkhorn hog hollow I wentwith my grandfather to a townshipmeeting of some sort in emerald grovethe little white church where they allmet was spare in decoration but hadmany tall clear windows it was as fullof sunset light as san chapelle a…
Boyhood: Subtle, powerful meditation on life
Lorelei Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Ellar Coltrane in Boyhood. PHOTO COURTESY IFC FILMS On the surface, Richard Linklater’s Boyhood seems to be nothing more than a gimmick. Filmed for a week to 10 days over the course of 12 summers using the same cast, the movie serves not only as a time capsule of the…
Torn asunder
Plans for apartments, shops and a cultural center at an empty downtown church in Springfield are on the rocks. Former Ward 8 Ald. Irv Smith has sued his partner in the project, developer Dan Mulcahy, claiming that Mulcahy has inappropriately written checks and applied for a credit card in the name of the company the…
DIGGING DEEP
Plagued by low ratings, Al Jazeera America, the cable television network owned by the government of Qatar and launched last year, isn’t on the radar screen of most Americans. But the quality of the programming is top notch in an age when talking heads spouting opinions passes for news on other networks. On Tuesday, a…
