IT Picks

Feast your eyes on the Fourth of July night sky as it fills with explosions of color and light. The Capital City Bicentennial Celebration concludes with fireworks above the Capitol building at 9:30 p.m. simulcast to music on radio station ABE 93.9. Knight’s Action Park puts on its display of skyart, called Fireworks Extravaganza, at […]

Cassie Poe and Rick Dunham, of Springfield, star as Milly and Adam in the musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Set in the 1800s Oregon wilderness, Milly marries Adam only to discover that life with Adam includes living with his six rowdy brothers. When the brothers kidnap six women to be their brides who become […]

A parade at 10 a.m. along Martin Luther King Drive kicks off this community-wide celebration and party. Besides good music and food, a variety of vendors participate and a basketball tourney takes place. Saturday, Jagged Edge takes the stage at 5 p.m., with Kapitol Sound Band performing at the same time on Sunday. Juneteenth is […]

Only 14 percent of U.S. men, ages15-49, make a sexual health visit annually, according to a 2002 Guttmacher Institute study. A 2007 report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that chlamydia cases between 2003 and 2007 increased by 42.9 percent among men compared to a 17.3 percent increase among women. Planned […]

Fasten your harnesses. This horse show will capture your breath, even if your tastes toward horses are expressed in sentences such as, “They walk in parades,” rather than “I love them.” The display of animal beauty and grace is stunning, as is the skill displayed by old and young equestrians alike. Sit back in the […]

ART | Masterpieces and more Each Saturday in June, the MacArthur Boulevard Business Association’s Artists Market touts 35 artists displaying their handcrafted wares including fine crafts, original art work, photography, painted furniture, jewelry and ceramics outdoors at the Town and Country Shopping Center on MacArthur Boulevard. The market also features a magician, a caricature artist, […]

THEATER | Outdoor performances If you visit or work downtown, here’s a free noon hour program you should catch at some point during your daily dallying or labor. The Springfield Arts Council hosts several musical, theatrical and performance artists on the Old State Capitol Plaza at various dates during the summer time. Tuesday, the cast […]

MUSIC | Big beautiful bells The Carillon Festival fills the late spring air with the sounds of 67 cast bronze bells in a mixture combining the ambiance of church, heaven and nature. Each night the warm air welcomes in a different musician, visiting from somewhere in the world, who sits atop the tower and plays […]

FESTIVALS |Illinois homegrown Here’s a festival you’ll want to explore if you love vino, bluegrass or country music. For a small admission fee, Hill Prairie Winery will give you a free glass you can take with you in the winery sample room and a full day of music outside under the pavilion. Sunday is slated […]

ART | Street fair with flair Three of Springfield’s downtown streets will be blocked off this weekend to make way for booths of art surrounding the Old Capitol building, featuring more than 150 artists. Their original works, in the form of jewelry, sculpture, photography, glassware, pottery, wood, metalwork, oils, watercolors and other media, are available […]

FEASTIVAL |Run? and fun!raiser Here’s the most enjoyable race you’ll ever enter. Whether you run or walk, stations along the route include donuts, ice cream and beer, as well as other surprises. If you tucker out and cannot complete the entire course, there’s a detour to reduce your route from 3.1 miles into a doable […]

DANCE | Enthusiastic amateurs What does a realtor, a programmer, a banker, a disc jockey, a doctor and a manager have in common? They wear tights and dance ballet Friday night at the Hoogland Center for the Arts for the hilarious production titled “Men in Tights” to raise money for the Springfield Ballet Company. The […]