For almost a decade, the Springfield Figure Skating Club has been ringing in the holidays with an evening of skating set to seasonal songs. Skaters of all ages and skill levels don their best Christmas spandex and choreograph moves to music that matches their festive mood. For the skaters, it’s a chance to let their […]
Community & Lifestyle
Posted inArts & Culture
Last minute gift ideas
Many of us have at least one person who is hard to buy for on our holiday gift list. I know, because I’ve been told that I fit into this category. Gardening items could be your rescue. Most of us don’t think about gardening during the winter, but with gardening being America’s No. 1 hobby, […]
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Complete your decorating with a cuetlaxochitl or two
The red poinsettia is a traditional Christmas plant, but its origins are decidedly non-Christian. Europeans discovered the colorful Euphorbia pulcherrima in Mexico, near the present-day city of Taxco and the valleys surrounding Cuernavaca. We know poinsettias as indoor plants, but in Mexico, they’re large, woody shrubs, often reaching 10 feet in height. The Aztecs cultivated […]
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Hippie’s calendar salutes 40 years of Mustangs
Everyone has his contradictions. Bob Waldmire, for example, is an unreconstructed hippie, as green as Ralph Nader. “Small is beautiful. Slow is beautiful. Old is beautiful,” the itinerant artist intones. Let a hot Mustang drive by, though, and Waldmire’s eyes light up. It’s a reflex that goes back 40 years. Before he embraced and helped […]
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Tips for selecting and protecting a fresh Christmas tree
A freshly cut Christmas tree can be a beautiful sight. With proper selection and care you can safely enjoy a fresh tree throughout the holidays. Before you leave home, measure the height and width of the available space where the tree will be placed. Make sure that you don’t choose a tree bigger than the […]
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Miner turns curator to share coal’s story
You could say William Stone has coal in his veins. After more than three decades working for Mr. Peabody’s coal company and more than a decade in retirement, Stone opened a museum devoted to — what else? — Illinois solid black gold. Located off of the Taylorville town square, the Christian County Coal Mine Museum […]
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H.C. Latham came to the prairies of Illinois, and saw opportunity
Springfield’s West Side Christian Church, home to a large and thriving community of faithful worshipers, has been located on Cider Mill Lane since 1996. The capacious multi-wing facility stands like a lone sentinel at its new address, surrounded by greensward and asphalt, without a close neighbor to call its own. That is a stark contrast […]
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Do something environmental: Buy a real tree this year
If you haven’t already started a Christmas tradition of purchasing a real tree, this is the year to begin. Real evergreen trees are renewable resources, making them a more ecologically sound choice than artificial trees. And an artificial tree can’t match a real evergreen for beauty, warmth, and fragrance. But what type of tree should […]
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Georg captured a time when soda salesmen went door-to-door
Herbert Georg, one of the finest photographers Springfield has ever known, began his career in his father’s studio, which had been established in Springfield around the turn of the last century. In 1923, Georg launched his own studio and began building a sterling reputation based on the diversity of his subjects, the high and uncompromising […]
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Decatur celebrates the Emancipator
Abraham Lincoln, as a strapping young man earning his keep, split many a rail near Decatur, working for Macon County landowners such as Sheriff William Warnick. One day, Lincoln fell through the ice while walking on the frozen Sangamon River, and he was forced to nurse his frostbitten feet at the sheriff’s home. As he […]
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It’s beginning to look a lot like holiday-plant-buying time
The holidays are fast approaching, and poinsettias no doubt again will be the most popular seasonal houseplant sold in the United States. There’s good reason: With their rich colors and variety, poinsettias add a festive touch to any home. In addition to the traditional red bracts (modified leaves), poinsettias are available in white, pink, peach, […]
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If he shows, he’ll have to blow out 124 candles
In 1908, in his poem “On the Building of Springfield,” the celebrated poet Vachel Lindsay wrote: Let every street be made a reverent aisle, Where music grows and beauty is unchained. At the time of his death 23 years later, Lindsay’s star had faded — and his hope for a Springfield where “beauty is unchained” […]
