MUSIC |Local legends Two of Springfield’s finest folk musicians, Tom Irwin and Ben Bedford, strum, pick and sing
Saturday night at 7:30 for a Prairie Grapevine Folklore Society concert at the
Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation. These two beloved
singer/songwriters are the acoustic kings of the capital city. Tom has opened
for well-known crooners Willie Nelson, Ryan Adams and Hank Williams III, and
has eight full-length original recordings to his credit. After only four years
as a full-time artist, Ben has played at WFMT’s Folkstage and Folklore Centrum in Sweden, had his music featured on National
Public Radio’s Car Talk, saw his debut and current sophomore albums reach the top ten on the
Folk-DJ charts and is currently the number one artist.
Tom Irwin and Ben Bedford
Saturday, Mar 21
7pm
Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation
745 Woodside Rd.
585-9550
Donation: $10 adults, $9 seniors, $8 members, $5 students (6-18)
DANCE |Grace and beauty The Springfield Ballet Company performs the most popular ballet in the world, SwanLake, this weekend at Sangamon Auditorium. Not only does this dance exemplify the
purest classical ballet technique and choreography, but it is beautiful in its
presentation. Swan Lake involves the old story of the frog and the princess, but in Swan Lake, the beautiful princess, Odette, is a swan by day and a princess at night. Her
passionate prince, Siegfried, must overcome obstacles and the evil sorcerer Von
Rothbart to lay the kiss on her lips that will remove the evil spell and allow
them eternal happiness together.
Springfield Ballet
Company’s Swan Lake
Saturday, Mar 21
Sunday, Mar 22
2pm
UIS Sangamon Auditorium
206-6160
$15-$25
FILM |Critical thinking The University of Illinois at Springfield series Political Art and the Public
Sphere continues with a screening of the film, War Made Easy, Monday at 6 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium, on the lower level of Brookens
Library. Based on the best-selling book of the same title by Norman Solomon, the film exposes various strategies used by administrations to promote agendas
from Vietnam to Iraq and offers an analysis of the role of media in producing
popular support. It encourages viewers to think critically about the techniques
of persuasion used to promote and prolong the option of war. Dr. Richard
Gilman-Opalsky, professor of political philosophy at UIS, coordinates the
series and leads an open discussion that follows the film.
War Made Easy
Monday, Mar 23
6-10pm
UIS Brookens Auditorium
206-8328
Free
NATURE |Water conservation CWLP’s Energy Conservation Manager Bob Croteau speaks on ways to reduce and reuse
water in the urban environment during the lunch hour at Lincoln Library,
Seventh and Capitol. This is one of the continuing community education
workshops put on by Food Not Lawns, a local organization with national roots
striving for ecological living through gardening, reuse, permaculture,
community building and shared resources.
Food Not Lawns Workshop:
Water Use
Wednesday, Mar 25
12pm
Lincoln Library
Seventh and Capitol
753-0057
Free
BAND SPOTLIGHT | Still Kick’n When it comes to doing modern country music on the local scene, no one does it
quite like Still Kick’n. Since the band’s conception many years ago, various personnel changes altered the face of the
group but the concept of delivering exciting entertainment remains the same.
The most recent addition to the combo, Kelsey Hickman, a Sherman native who
signed on as female lead singer, brings a fresh and vibrant feel to the band.
Over the years Still Kick’n has shared the stage with Nashville stars like Rhett Akins, Neal McCoy, Joe
Diffie and Montgomery Gentry. This summer they continue their performance
tradition with shows at the Illinois State Fair, area county fairs, festivals,
burgoos, homecomings, nightclubs and most anywhere live music fans of
contemporary country music congregate.
Still Kick’n
Friday, March 20
10pm-2am
Bar Oasis
411 E Washington St
www.stillkickn.com
www.myspace.com/stillkickncountry
This article appears in Mar 12-18, 2009.
