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Happy birthday!
Light up a sparkler and help celebrate America’s
birthday at Springfield Jaycees’ annual patriotic party, the Capital
City Celebration. At the two-day shindig you can partake of such popular
events as the Little Wagon Parade, an ice-cream social hosted by Secretary
State Jesse White, and a bicycle rodeo, plus an entertainment lineup
featuring Broken Stone on Friday and the Springfield Municipal Band and the
Lost Boys on Saturday. New additions to the party include the opening of
Capitol Avenue to revelers and a type of fireworks suitable for close
viewing. Get downtown early July 4 for a good spot on the lawn, or
you’ll miss the action in the sky at 9:30 p.m.
Thu. & Fri. July 3 & 4
Capital City Celebration Illinois State Capitol www.springfieldjaycees.org 7 p.m.-midnight Thu.,
3:30 p.m.-midnight Fri. Free-$5
Artistic Abe The Springfield Art Association presents an
exhibition in honor of the capital city’s favorite son, The Many Faces of Abe: The Jim and Carole Shay Collection. Among the 150 Lincoln-themed fine-art pieces are works by
such local artists as Mike Manning and Chris Britt, as well as paintings by
internationally known talents like Norman Rockwell. The Many Faces of Abe also features
advertisements, political campaign posters, and magazine covers. On July 19
and 23 the Shays will host a free tour of their collection. All work on
display is for sale; a percentage of proceeds will benefit the SAA’s
programs. The exhibition closes Sept. 21.
Through Sept. 21
The Many Faces of Abe
Springfield Art Association,
700 N. Fourth
St. www.springfieldart.org 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. Free
Fire starter
Fair Saint Louis, a two-day Fourth of July
celebration, is usually held on the grounds of the Gateway Arch,
overlooking the Mississippi River, but flooding has necessitated a change
of location. This year the fair will be held in the area of the Soldiers
Memorial, a few blocks west of the river. Named one of the top 10 fireworks
destinations in the country, the celebration also features a kids’
zone and performances by Drake Bell (1 p.m.) and Joss Stone (8 p.m.) on
Friday and Anthony Hamilton (8 p.m.) on Saturday. The Live Off the Levee
concert series (usually called Live on the Levee, the series is another
casualty of the flooding) continues throughout the summer with performances
by Boyz II Men, Rusted Root, War, Umphrey’s McGee, and Lonestar,
among other acts.
Fri. & Sat. July 4
& 5
Fair Saint Louis Downtown St. Louis Celebratestlouis.org 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.,
6-10 p.m. Sat. Free
Jet all the way
Gangs, New York streets, and toe-tapping musical
numbers — that’s West Side Story. This week, Little Theatre on the Square opens the classic
tale of the forbidden love between Maria, a Puerto Rican girl, and Tony, a
former member of a white Upper West Side gang. In a plot nabbed from
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the star-crossed lovers risk gang rivalries and violence
to be together. Leonard Bernstein’s music for the show includes such
popular tunes as “Maria,” “America,” and “Jet
Song.” Jennifer Nobel portrays Maria; Travis Taylor is Tony.
Opening Wed. July 9 (Through July 20) West Side Story
Little Theatre on the Square, Sullivan www.thelittletheatre.org $28
This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 2, 2008.
