One of the lesser-known legacies of Ronald Reagan’s years in the White House is a band comprising citizens of the Czech and Slovak republics, formerly Czechoslovakia. It’s probably fair to say that without Reagan’s efforts to end the Cold War, Fragment would not have come together. The band, which formed in 1983, has performed here […]
Job Conger
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Riding the tide
As a tide of great expectations, created by the splash of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, sweeps through downtown Springfield, Mike Sigler, owner of the Jewelry Service Center, is treading water. A part of downtown at 219 S. Sixth St. since opening his shop in 1996, the goldsmith hopes the influx of new […]
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Grape expectations
So many, Illinois is to wine what Nevada is to tuna — the connection doesn’t seem natural. But as Illinois farmers, especially families who can’t compete with corporate-owned agribusiness, seek alternative land use options, grape and wine production grows more popular by the year. Road warriors in search of a great two-day getaway will discover […]
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Freedom’s fabric
In a one-man shop at South Grand Avenue at Spring Street, a convivial 45-year-old immigrant turned outspoken American is contributing to the cause of freedom, one stitch at a time. Mario Ingoglia was 6 years old when his family left his native soil of Castel Vetrano, Sicily, to come to the United States. When the […]
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Upping the ante
Crime Stoppers says it will double the reward for tips leading to the arrest of people who carry guns illegally, a move applauded by community activists who are concerned about gun violence in Springfield. Since 2002, the program has paid $250 for information about illegal guns, but there were few takers, says Springfield police officer […]
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Guitar Society’s season ends with return of Javier Calderón
When Springfield Classical Guitar Society founder Russel Brazzel calls Bolivian Javier Calderón “one of the deepest musicians to play Springfield,” he’s referring to the artist’s success not only as a performer of classical music but also as an arranger, publisher, and program director (at the University of Wisconsin-Madison). Calderón’s credits include concerts in Buenos Aires, […]
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Lincoln Land lessons
Eleven Ukrainian mayors recently came to Springfield to see the future, and for the most part, they decided it works. The delegation, in town March 15-28 as part of a program underwritten by the U.S. government, say they liked the cleanliness of our city, the friendliness of its residents, and the efficiency of local government. […]
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The shape of things to come
When she was 9, Teri Zucksworth entered a papier mâché horse in an art competition at the Illinois State Fair. She still has the gold ribbon she won. That recognition fueled a lifelong passion for art, especially the depiction of animals. At age 16, she produced her first commissioned piece: a colored-pencil drawing of a […]
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Developing picture
When Ervin Hill moved to Springfield in the late 1960s to live in his new bride’s hometown, his future as one of several local camera-repair technicians seemed secure. Today, the 62-year-old Vermont native operates one of the area’s last camera-repair businesses along with his wife, Dianne, who keeps the books, and their son, Jason, who […]
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A fast-fingered hotshot, but classy to the core
When Johan Fostier performs Friday in Springfield, the young Belgian will be filling in for scheduled artist Dimitri Illarinov, a Russian who found himself waylaid by an immigration glitch this year. Imprecise wording on Illarinov’s passport, it seems, stopped the performer “in his treks.” “Dimitri’s papers didn’t state he was coming to the U.S. to […]
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Happy rails
More people are riding the rails in Illinois and across the country, a sign that things are looking up for the government’s money-losing passenger rail service. “We’ve had several months of record ridership, dating back to September,” Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari tells Illinois Times. He credits an improving economy and better service and marketing for […]
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Cool, sexy, guilty pleasures – who could ask for more?
The Springfield Classical Guitar Society features Russel Brazzel in its second concert of the 2003-04 season. The evening, Brazzel says, promises to be “strictly Spanish,’ featuring music never previously included in the artist’s repertoire. “The Serenata Andaluza [by Joaquin Malats], Variations on ‘La Folia’ [Fernando Sor], and the Torre Bermeja [Isaac Albeniz] are new, though […]
