This Chair Rocks – A Manifesto Against Ageism by Ashton Applewhite. $17.99, Celadon Books The recent headline, “Age Issue Dogs Biden as He Turns 80,” may be one the author of This Chair Rocks – A Manifesto Against Ageism would probably call out as unfair. “Chronological age is an increasingly unreliable benchmark of pretty much […]
Cinda Ackerman Klickna
Cinda Klickna is a former teacher from Springfield and past president of the Illinois Education Association.
Posted inNews
Springfield’s Caring Corner
The section along South Grand between Seventh and Eighth streets could be called the Caring Corner. Since the 1860s this area has been the site of a complex of buildings that housed many organizations, which often changed names but with the same mission – to care for orphans, children, families in need, and to provide […]
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Rock Creek Presbyterian celebrates 200th anniversary
The day I ventured out to Tallula, Illinois, turning off Route 97 onto Rock Creek Road near Petersburg, I was awed by the brilliant oranges and reds of the leaves in the trees lining the road. I arrived at the Rock Creek Presbyterian Church to meet with some members of the congregation. When I was […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Visit Midwest history
As the weather turns chilly and the leaves start turning, there is still time to get in one or two last outings before cold weather hits. Cynthia Clampitt’s book Destination Heartland – A Guide to Discovering the Midwest’s Remarkable Past offers ideas. Destinations include historic towns and inns, museums and living-history venues, forts and lighthouses, […]
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Echoes of yesteryear
First there was the pandemic in 2020, then inclement weather in 2021, causing the Sangamon County Historical Society to cancel its Oak Ridge Cemetery Walk. But, this year, plans are set to once again welcome visitors on Sunday, Oct. 2. Actors, in period costumes, will portray eight Springfield citizens who made a difference to Springfield. […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Business with heart and soul
How often, since the pandemic, do we hear of individuals who are reexamining their jobs, determining that they want more out of life or that the work they have been doing is not giving them satisfaction? Workers leave; employers must find new employees. Jack Uldrich and Camille Kolles, Re Generation – Sowing Seeds for a […]
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Death of the Dome Building, 1893-1917
The Dome Building was the focus of the Illinois State Fair for over 20 years before it met its fiery end on Aug. 17, 1917. Originally the Horticulture Building at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, known as the Columbian Exposition, the structure was purchased by the Illinois State Fair board in 1894 for $69,000. It […]
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Ham operators “radio up” for Field Day
Roger Whitaker, a member of the Sangamon Valley Radio Club (SVRC), has been a ham radio operator for 64 years, having earned his license when he was only 11. The SVRC, one of the oldest clubs in Illinois and an affiliate of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), will celebrate its 75th anniversary next March. […]
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Donations to make a difference
Margaret Herath, formerly of Springfield, now of Indiana, has fond childhood memories of going with her father, the late Guerry Suggs, to the Illinois State Museum. “He would take me to the Saturday movies and then we would walk around and see the dioramas. I loved seeing the diorama with the bobcat and wanted a […]
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STEM UP brings STEM careers to young adults
State senator Doris Turner, D-Springfield, and Gina Lathan, president of the Route History museum and souvenir shop, 737 Cook St., have a keen interest in helping young people of color learn about the history of Springfield, as well as explore possible careers. Their interests have led to a new program administered through the Route History […]
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Meet me at Southtown
The block between 11th and 12th streets along South Grand Avenue, known as Southtown (often spelled as two words), appears run-down, with empty buildings and lack of upkeep. There are a few businesses still going strong. According to John Stremsterfer of the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln and Dominic Watson of the Springfield […]
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Thousand-Year Statehouse
David L. Finnigan, originally from Lincoln, now of Springfield, was a graduate student in architecture at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 2018 and was reading a book about English palaces. He says, “My first thought was that it is too bad we don’t have something like that here. Then, it dawned on me – we do. […]
