Everyone was a winner on Saturday, May 14, as 440 girls in 3rd-5th grades completed the Girls on the Run (GOTR) 5K at Lincoln Land Community College. Joining them were 150 coaches, 300 community and family members and 100 boys with YMCA STRIDE. The 5K race is a celebration and culmination of a 10-week program […]
Karen Ackerman Witter
Karen Ackerman Witter started freelance writing after a 35-year career in state government holding various senior leadership positions. Prior to retiring she was associate director of the Illinois State Museum for 14 years. She is the past president of the Kidzeum Board of Directors and is an active volunteer with the Rotary Club of Springfield Sunrise, Women for Women giving circle of the Community Foundation, NPR Illinois and other community organizations.
Posted inOpinion
girls@ART
More than 100 works of art created by Girl Scouts in all types of media will be on display in the H.D. Smith Gallery at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, May 18-22. Girl Scouts throughout central Illinois, from kindergarten through high school, were invited to participate in this first-time event. In addition to art […]
Posted inOpinion
Women for Women gives $58,000 in grants
Five local organizations are receiving a total of $58,000, thanks to the Women for Women giving circle at the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln. Since 2008, Women for Women members have pooled their resources to build an endowment topping $1 million and award more than $488,000 in grants to organizations that improve the […]
Posted inOpinion
Peace for Ukraine banners downtown
“Peace for Ukraine” banners are being installed throughout downtown to demonstrate Springfield’s friendship with Ukraine. The banners also feature a vibrant sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine. Sunflowers are a key component of the Ukrainian economy and a symbol of peace. The banners are an initiative of Mayor Jim Langfelder and Barb Malany of the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The art of faith
Inspiring and creative art, music, poetry, performances and more will be featured in Springfield May 6 -15. The biennial Liturgical Arts Festival is back after a hiatus due to COVID-19. This is an interfaith celebration of the liturgical arts, reflecting mutual appreciation of artistic expression. While the festival is inspired by the diversity of faith […]
Posted inOpinion
Walking tour for visually impaired at Lincoln Memorial Garden
Visually impaired individuals can now more fully enjoy Lincoln Memorial Garden (LMG). The Educational Center for the Visually Impaired (ECVI) partnered with LMG to install beacons that trigger highly descriptive audio narratives about the garden’s history and points of interest through an AWARE app developed by Sensible Innovations in Chatham. The technology works with smartphones; […]
Posted inOpinion
Springfield celebrates Earth Month
April is Earth Month, and April 22 marks the 52nd annual Earth Day. In celebration, the city of Springfield is cosponsoring two events: April 23, Earth Awareness Fair, Henson Robinson Zoo, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., 1100 E. Lake Shore Dr. Family-friendly educational event with hands-on activities, art, workshops, games and free admission to the zoo. Hosted […]
Posted inOpinion
These pear trees are pretty but problematic
Spring has sprung in Springfield. Redbud, dogwood, magnolia and other flowering trees are, or soon will be, in bloom. One flowering tree dominates the streetscape along many major streets and downtown. Although their prolific white blooms may appear pretty, ornamental pear trees have become a huge problem. They have been overplanted, spread easily and can […]
Posted inNews
Springfield-Ukraine connections run deep
Delegations of Ukrainians have visited Springfield over many years through a collaboration between the Springfield Commission on International Visitors and the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation. Typically, five to six delegates and a translator visit for seven days, staying with host families. In 2018 Barb and Lee Malany hosted Ivan Fedorov, who was a member of the Melitopol […]
Posted inNews
Fifty years of Doc Helm’s photos
Doc Helm was a legendary Springfield photographer, known as “One Shot Doc” due to his astute ability to compose a shot in his mind and capture it with just one exposure. Nevertheless, he took thousands of images over his 50-plus years behind a camera. More than 21,000 photographs taken during his long career as Illinois’ […]
Posted inNews
A huge collection, now digitized and accessible online
Thousands of Doc Helm’s photographic negatives from his long career as state photographer are housed at the Illinois State Archives’ Margaret Cross Norton Building in Springfield. To make these remarkable images spanning half a century more accessible to the public, the Illinois State Archives applied for and received a $60,178 “Access to Historical Records: Archival […]
