Downtown Springfield is the place to go on four Friday nights this summer to enjoy food, drinks, entertainment, shopping and family fun at local businesses. Friday Night Live is a collaboration among downtown businesses and community supporters to bring people downtown and experience all those local businesses have to offer. It was born from a grassroots […]
Community & Lifestyle
Visit Illinois Beach State Park
East from Illinois Beach State Park, Lake Michigan glistens and beckons anyone seeking summer fun in the sun. Plenty of beach lovers answer the call, if packed parking lots on the weekends are any indication. Tucked into the far northeastern part of the state, the park offers a variety of outdoor activities four hours from […]
A redneck ruckus
Below its muddy banks, the water is as quiet as the village of Bath itself, which is just how the easily spooked invasive Asian silver carp that pour down from the chutes of the Illinois River like it. Normally, the voracious carp that plague the ecosystem of the rivers and lakes of the Midwest would […]
Criteria for divine blessings
Some may remember Kate Smith singing the lyrics to a song written by Irving berlin in the early 1940s entitled, “God Bless America.” Birthed in the days of World War II, those lyrics and their resulting impact energize millions of Americans for years to come. God bless America, land that I love. Stand beside her […]
Look to modern manufacturing for high-paying, high-impact careers
Did you know that manufacturing plays a significant role in our local, central Illinois economy? From small- and medium-sized local businesses to national brands employing almost 1,000 people, the effect of these businesses is critical for our area. However, after spending much time talking with these employers, I know they struggle to maintain a full […]
Stumbling toward unity
More than 150 years ago, Baha’u’llah proclaimed the oneness of humanity. Addressing mankind, he said, “The tabernacle of unity hath been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the leaves of one tree and the fruits of one branch.” In another place he says, “O children of men! Know ye not why […]
Healing of body and of spirit
Mortality, illness and suffering are an inescapable part of the human condition. When we are afflicted by disease, pain, injury or loss of bodily function, we seek healing and restoration to health. We enlist the skill of the physician to lessen our pain, to arrest or reverse the course of our disease, to repair injuries […]
Celebrate Juneteenth with these community activities
Since 2021, when Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill to commemorate June 19, 1865, the date when the last enslaved Black people in the U.S. learned that they were free, the annual Juneteenth holiday in Springfield has continued to grow. With each passing year, new participating organizations join the festivities. Activities during the weeklong celebration […]
Preserving Black history
The Allen Chapel African American Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Lincoln is on the Landmarks Illinois 2025 list of most endangered historic sites in the state. The church has a storied history from the formation of a congregation in 1868 to the construction of a building in 1881 until the chapel’s closure in 2012. The […]
A new way to experience culture
The Culture Experience was founded two years ago by the mother-daughter duo of Alice Ivy-Wilson and Haley Williams as an initiative that invites you to connect with others and embark on a journey that demystifies cultural experiences. Earlier this year, TCE entered into a residency contract with the Pasfield House in Springfield, a historic venue […]
217 BUY BLACK DIRECTORY
5th Street Gem 221 S. Fifth St. Lakeisha Purchase Event space 217-652-3531 710 Rippy G’s 2501 Wabash Ave. Jenita Harris Restaurant 217-572-1500 1221 Photography Zach Adams Photography 217-303-2264 A Taste of Seoul 406 E. Adams St. Kimsimone Manning Restaurant 217-970-0810 A’Shay Kreations Online Shayla Whitfield Retail 217-553-4721 The Academic Consulting Agency Online Kazim Abbot Education […]
