IT Picks

Don’t miss the Vachel Lindsay Association and Springfield Youth Performance Group Foundation’s “VOLTA: Animal Kingdom” show. VOLTA is an annual performance that showcases Springfield’s talented youth in the arenas of poetry, music and dance, this year featuring animal-themed vignettes. The show incorporates well-known poems from the past with the current writing of local high school […]

Step back in time to a fabled world of kings, queens and medieval sword-fighting during The Lion in Winter, the first production of 2017 from Springfield’s Legacy Theatre. Although The Lion in Winter can be described as an intriguing medieval soap opera featuring three sons, one crown, and the question of who will inherit the […]

On Friday, join the University of Illinois Springfield’s Institute for Legal, Legislative and Policy Studies for a seminar on how to effectively lobby the Illinois General Assembly. The program will impart information and tips relating to practical lobbying skills and resources, strategies and tactics, state budget insights and information, as well as winning efforts from […]

As our world increasingly turns to digital media, it is easy to underestimate and overvalue the role of libraries as cultural and community centers. But according to Lincoln Library director Nancy Huntley, “The library is much more than a place with books. We are a community space where people from all backgrounds come in person […]

Attention artists of all skill and experience levels: Are you interested in honing your figure-drawing skills? Come to the The Pharmacy Gallery and Art Space on Monday and Tuesday nights for a series of non-instructed, figure drawing sessions featuring a live model. The Monday night sessions will feature clothed or costumed models; the Tuesday night […]

The 2016 election has shaken longstanding assumptions about American politics, leaving many people with more questions than answers. On Inauguration Day, the Springfield Art Association and University of Illinois Springfield will host a panel discussion on the second floor of Innovate Springfield to answer questions surrounding the history of presidential elections, politics and presidential inaugurations. […]

The Springfield Race Unity Committee presents eight local small conversation groups (including Springfield police officers) reporting on past, present and future efforts to promote unity, interracial understanding and empathy in Springfield. The two-hour program, which will take place on Jan. 21, from 12:30-2:30 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church, is open to all who […]

On Saturday, Jan. 14, bring your little monster to the downtown YMCA for a “Cookies and Canvas”-themed “Kids Night Out” event. Under the guidance of the YMCA’s art staff, kids will paint and draw a monster from their own imagination. The fun will continue at a later date (to be determined) when the children’s artworks […]

On Wednesday, Jan. 18, treat the family to a performance of Pippin, the high-flying, death-defying Broadway musical that features choreography in the style of Bob Fosse, amazing acrobatics by Les 7 doigts de la main, and stunning songs derived from the mastermind of Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz. Pippin is the magical story of a young […]

In 1987, a U.S. District Court determined that Springfield’s city government was not representative of its citizens. Judge Harold Baker ruled that the city’s at-large system of electing council members diluted the voting power of blacks, which directly violated the Voting Rights Act. This decision resulted in the institution of Springfield’s aldermanic system of governance […]

Exercise your creative side by auditioning for Historical Fiction, a production that showcases the quirks of community theater. Set backstage during a local production about the life of Abraham Lincoln, director Mitch is determined to keep the performance on track despite costume malfunctions and questions regarding attention to detail and method acting. This comedy is […]

If your new year’s resolution is to take charge of your nutrition, this “Winter Nutrition Retreat” hosted by AnnaNutrition might be the resource you need. Split into three sessions, the retreat is geared towards women healing from food struggles. The morning session runs from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. It is titled “Mindful Eating” and […]