IT Picks

Political circus It’s politics as usual in Washington, D.C., until two brothers decide to change the game. Lincolnesque, a political satire written by John Strand, takes a poignant look at politics and what happens when delusion meets ambition. Leo writes speeches for a mediocre candidate and needs inspiration. Things get interesting when he begins to […]

Apple fest The 26th annual Broom Orchard Apple Festival marks the beginning of long cool nights and the Illinois harvest. The festival is a family friendly way to enjoy the pleasures of fall and the comfort of sweet apple cider. Take a wagon wide ride through Broom Orchard and breathe in the crisp country air. […]

Journey through film Compelling film takes you to another place and with 49 movies available at the Route 66 Film Festival the destinations are endless. The festival helps aspiring filmmakers gain recognition and the word has spread. This year the judges received entries from Paris to Little Rock, Ark. resulting in a film festival featuring […]

Sing his glory The Basuah Gospel Festival descends on Springfield to praise the Lord with song and dance. Smokie Norful and Vanessa Bell Armstrong, two of the biggest names in gospel, will come together to usher in the Holy Spirit with powerful vocals. The label mates will perform their hits, “He’s So Good to Me,” […]

The days of Abe Experience the life and times of Abraham Lincoln at the 10th Prairieland Chautauqua “The Age of Lincoln.” The four-day bicentennial celebration will include everything from the music to the food that pleased the palate of “Honest Abe.” Stories and poetry about Lincoln’s life will retell the trials and victories Lincoln faced […]

Rock it If you weren’t buying cassette tapes in the 1980s, then you probably only know the band Poison from lead singer Bret Michaels’ turn on Rock of Love, in which a gaggle of scantily clad liquor-guzzling “ladies”vie for his affections. But Michaels’ band was so much more. The quintessential glam-metal band of the decade, […]

OPPOSITES ATTRACT Since Felix Unger and Oscar Madison hit the boards in Neil Simon’s 1965 production of The Odd Couple, there’s been no better way to describe a friendship of polar opposites than to invoke neat freak Felix and slovenly Oscar. This Saturday, some of Springfield’s favorite actors present a reading of Oscar and Felix: […]

Joy City After retiring the Springfield-based Lincoln Fest, festival promoter Fred Puglia searched for a new location for a community festival. Our neighbor to the east took up the offer, and the Decatur Celebration was born. Considered Illinois’ largest free family street festival, the event — with the theme “Dancing in the Streets — hosts […]

Star treatment There really is no business like show business, and when you add an overly ambitious mother with a talented kid to the mix, well, things can get downright bizarre. Loosely based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, Gypsy chronicles Lee’s mother’s over-the-top efforts to push her children up […]

Untitled Document More than gore Titus Andronicus, one of William Shakespeare’s earliest and bloodiest tragedies, opens this weekend at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. Shakespeare paints a grisly picture of politics in this tale of revenge pitting Titus Andronicus, a Roman warrior, against his archenemy, Tamora, queen of the Goths. Titus kills one of Tamora’s sons […]

Untitled Document Taste test Whether you prefer scarfing down a burger or noshing on pecan-encrusted chicken, Downtown Springfield’s Taste of Downtown has the chow to fill the belly of any eater. The annual event features 17 downtown restaurants, including favorites such as Café Brio, Maldaner’s, and the Holy Land Diner, along with relatively new kids […]