Couples are mixing it up this year when it comes to wedding cakes. Some want cakes with new designs or elements, like cupcakes, while others are going back to classic styles. There are many options to suit a variety of preferences. Julie Shuler, owner of The Cake Shoppe in Springfield, has received multiple requests for […]
Tara McClellan McAndrew
Tara McClellan McAndrew is a freelance writer in Springfield.
Posted inSpecial Issues
Cooking with kids
Winter is a great time to teach kids about cooking. When everyone is stuck inside during inclement weather, why not gather in the kitchen to make cookies or dinner together? As a bonus, kids are invested in the result. “Children enjoy getting hands-on with chopping and prepping vegetables. I’ve noticed kids are more likely to […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Give unique holiday gifts
Springfield is fortunate to have more than a dozen brick-and-mortar stores that sell primarily handmade and often unique gifts. Some feature works from area artists, others have items by artists around the world, and some have both. You can find jewelry, pottery, hand-painted clothing and much more. While many of these stores are located downtown, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Centennial of shame
One hundred years ago, East St. Louis surpassed Springfield for the most ignoble reason – it had race riots worse than the Springfield riots of 1908. Springfield’s riots became known for helping establish the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. East St. Louis’ 1917 riots became known for their deaths and brutality. Prior […]
Posted inNews
The vanishing Statehouse press corps
In the 1980s and 90s, when state government coffers appeared to be overflowing and the political parties worked together, the Statehouse press corps numbered in the 40s. Its size made “Illinois State Government one of the most comprehensively reported in the nation,” according to the 1991/1992 Illinois Blue Book. Today, the coffers are broke, the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Slavery in the Land of Lincoln
This article is reprinted with permission from Illinois Issues, where it first was published last October. Illinois Issues is produced by NPR Illinois in Springfield. Because Illinois is a northern state and the former home of Abraham Lincoln, it isn’t typically associated with slavery. But there was slavery in Illinois for more than 100 years. […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Creating family stories
PHOTO FROM METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION When our son was a baby, my husband and I tried to instill in him a love of the written word. At first we would just read to him each day. But when he was able to talk and develop ideas of his own, we started telling and then writing […]
Posted inNews
Urban pioneers
Men from the Urban League’s Male Involvement Program are getting construction training while rehabbing this home on North Fifth Street in the Enos Park neighborhood. Back row, from left to right, are Joseph Yeley, Montrell Isom, Troy Sullivan and S PHOTO BY DAVID HINE In the 1000 block of North Fifth Street, a tall, former […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Historic Christmas
This Saturday, Dec. 15, six downtown historic sites are combining efforts and welcoming visitors to celebrate the holidays, a bit like the hospitable ol’ Fezziwig in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, who threw open his business to host a joyous holiday celebration for Scrooge and much of the town. Visitors will see decorations at some […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Lincoln’s Election Day in Springfield
Election Day, 1860, started with a boom for Republican presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln. According to Harold Holzer’s book, Lincoln: President-Elect, local Republicans (not including Lincoln) set off a cannon in Springfield that morning to get supporters to the polls. It was a noisy day: wagons carrying loud bands roved through town as well, according to […]
Posted inArts & Culture
How sick was Lincoln?
The theories are plentiful: Abraham Lincoln was gay, or had Marfan’s syndrome, or syphilis or mercury poisoning; Mary Lincoln was insane, and on and on. But, are they true? It’s been 80 years since someone wrote a book addressing questions about Lincoln and his mental and physical health. A lot of new information and speculation […]
Posted inArts & Culture
When Springfield’s competing streetcars came to blows
Corporate arrogance and malfeasance seem like modern phenomena, but they’re not. Take the story of Springfield’s 1890 “streetcar wars,” for example. Shortly after the Civil War, Springfield got its first “modern” transportation – horse-drawn trolleys. A company organized in 1861 by some local bigwigs, including several of Abraham Lincoln’s friends and peers, established a trolley […]
