Fried okra, collard greens and fresh salsa have become favorite food dishes of junior gardeners from the 21st Century Program, Graham Elementary School. This summer these students nurtured a 484-square-foot vegetable garden at the Illinois Executive Mansion. The garden was started on April 22 by six youth and nine Master Gardener volunteers. The students were […]
Community & Lifestyle
Posted inArts & Culture
When central Illinois was king of ceramics and pottery
We may be the land of Lincoln and prairies, but at one time we were the land of pottery, too. Greene County is celebrating that fact during its Greene County Days next weekend. Illinois was a major player in the country’s ceramic industry, according to archaeologist Floyd Mansberger with Springfield’s Fever River Research. (His article, […]
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Goodbye, Kerasotes
“Frankly, it’s not the end of the world for me,” asserts Tony Kerasotes when queried about the January 2010 sale of all but three of his family’s 96-theater empire — including all Springfield locations — to cinematic behemoth AMC this past January. “My family hadn’t owned a controlling interest in the company since 2004 anyway.” […]
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The fair is a family affair
After more than 150 years, many Illinois State Fair traditions remain. Since its beginning in 1853, the Illinois State Fair has encouraged the production of high-quality agricultural livestock and commodities through the award of cash premiums. Contests include livestock, agriculture and vegetable products, flowers, Christmas trees, culinary products, textiles, hobbies, dairy products, bee culture, arts, […]
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Fighting like crazy
On June 18, 1860, Elizabeth Packard, a mother of six and wife of a Calvinist minister in Manteno, Ill., was carried from her home and admitted to the Illinois Hospital for the Insane in Jacksonville against her will. Her husband, Rev. Theophilus Packard, thought she was insane and, according to state law at the time, […]
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A grand tradition at the Grandstand
It wasn’t too long ago that the popular rock band Hootie and the Blowfish sold out the Grandstand at the Illinois State Fair. In 1995, the year after late author David Foster Wallace wrote about the fair in Harper’s Magazine, more than 13,350 people from around the state packed the venue to see the band […]
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Grandstand timeline
1958 Louis Armstrong Jane Russell/James Garner/Jonathan Winters WLS National Bam Dance 1959 Grand Ole Opry Edd “Kookie” Byrnes/Alan King/ Les Brown & the Band of Renown 1960 Grand Ole Opry (w/ Roy Acuff, Patsy Cline and Ray Price) The Three Stooges Bob Hope 1961 Anita Bryant Neil Sedaka The Three Stooges Grand Ole Opry 1962 […]
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The capital city is bloomin’ beautiful
Spring rains, sweltering summer heat and those dang Japanese beetles made this yet another challenging year to be a flower gardener in central Illinois. And yet nearly 80 individuals and organizations stepped up and entered a project in the 2010 Springfield in Bloom competition. This is the sixth year of this friendly beautification contest originated […]
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The makeup of yesteryear
I recently learned a new reason why I’m glad I didn’t live in the 1800s — 19th century cosmetics. I became enlightened about this topic after attending an interesting 3½-hour seminar during the Old State Capitol’s Civil War Encampment weekend on June 12, which drew about 75 reenactors here, according to site manager Justin Blandford. […]
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A family farm’s market
Just a short 15-minute drive northwest of Springfield is a unique roadside market that offers freshly picked sweet corn, a variety of garden-fresh produce and Illinois agriculture products. Seaney Farms, at 10544 State Highway 97, Tallula, is owned and operated by Roy and Beth Seaney. In 1985, Roy moved from Newfield, N.Y., to a 325-acre […]
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What to do about Japanese beetles
Sightings of adult Japanese beetles began in mid-June. Since then they have been seen munching on roses, crabapples, lindens, raspberries, apple trees, basil and much more. Feeding on plants generally lasts from mid-June until mid-August. The Japanese beetle, Popilia japonica Newman, is approximately 1/2 inch long and is metallic green with coppery wing covers. The […]
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The demise of child labor in Springfield
In the late 1800s reformers in Illinois became concerned about child labor in manufacturing, especially in the state’s larger cities. They had good reason to be. In some shops young children worked long hours at dangerous jobs that left them deformed or ill. Others worked at safer jobs, but the never-ending workdays (14-plus hours in […]
