GOOD PLAY, BAD JOKE
I saw the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee musical put on at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. I thought it was mostly terrific and that the cast did an excellent job. I had a good time watching it. I did, however, not love one joke made in reference to the casinos of Indigenous Americans. I won’t repeat it here, but suffice to say it referenced the fact that many reservations have casinos and implied that tribes have always planned it to be that way.
The fact of the matter is that much of Indigenous tribal behavior has been in response to the mass colonization and slaughter of Indigenous lands and their people. Indigenous people were often forced onto reservations with few resources and promised – but often denied – offers of self-governance and sustainability.
Indeed, this very region of the country has a history of indigenous mockery. I myself attended University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and while I am proud of graduating there, I cannot deny the harmful legacy of promoting an Indigenous figure as a mascot without true reparations and support for Indigenous Americans.
I know it is no fun to only hear the bad about a show you are in. I did overall very much enjoy the production and will continue to support Springfield Theatre Centre. I just hope that in the future, STC and all of us can be more sensitive to communities that we and our ancestors may have actively harmed – and try to make it right by them.
Editor’s note: Read the full review on p. 19. The production continues April 24-26.
Mike Gascoigne
Springfield
WONDERFUL EXHIBIT
As usual, Tara McClellan McAndrew has written a well-researched and informative article citing well-respected, current printed resources (“Mary Lincoln’s dress of defiance,” April 9). Quotes from authoritative staff at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum further enhance and add additional substance to the column. Readers should take time to see the dress, as it is quite fragile and not often on display; it will be well worth it. The cited exhibit is excellent as well.
Editor’s note: “Lincoln: a Life and Legacy that Defined a Nation” is on exhibit at the ALPLM through April 26.
Kathryn Harris
Via illinoistimes.com
OPENINGS ON URBAN FORESTRY COMMISSION
Springfield is fortunate to have a city arborist and Urban Forestry Commission to advocate for our beautiful trees. We feed birds that live in trees. We stand in their shade at outdoor gatherings. We take pictures of their vibrant foliage and flowers. We recreate around them in our parks. We employ companies that make a living from trees.
Wouldn’t you like to preserve this precious resource? If so, please consider serving on the Urban Forestry Commission. We currently need four members. If interested, submit an application on the city’s boards and commissions webpage or contact me at owl2810@protonmail.com.
Mary Frances
Springfield
NEED RESIDENTS
I’m skeptical that we actually need more hotel rooms when there is adequate capacity already (“A collaborative effort for downtown,” April 2). If you want to “save” downtown, then people have to live there, not just visit to shop. More affordable apartments and condos in walking range of the downtown core brings you people who consume goods and services right there, every day, year-round, instead of counting on transitory tourism income that grows and shrinks with the economy. Downtown relied on heavy state worker flow but those days are gone and not coming back. A base of residential in the downtown is going to sustain the shops, bars, restaurants and clubs. Convert the entire Wyndham to residential and see downtown respond.
Mark Suszko
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes
This article appears in April 23-29, 2026.
