IT Picks

This musical about Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln will return to the Hoogland Center for the Arts for a second season. The Lincolns of Springfield was the culmination of a dream for creators Terrence and Rebecca Powers Cranert, who moved to Springfield from California. According to the Cranerts, the musical tells the story of “how […]

Springfield’s popular, annual Fat Ass 5K & Street Party for Charity was born on a napkin at the Celtic Mist Pub on St. Patrick’s Day, 2008. Since then, this hilarious downtown spectacle has only gotten better, donating more than $2 million to area charities. The event begins Friday with the Craft Beer and Cigar Festival […]

Preeminent Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer will speak May 7 about his new book, Brought Forth on this Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration, during an event at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site.  According to Holzer, the book “charts Lincoln’s political career through the lens of immigration, from his role as a member of an […]

Fans of Alfred Hitchcock, Monty Python or Mel Brooks – or any combination of the three – will surely enjoy this comedy opening tomorrow night at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. The 39 Steps, written by Patrick Marlow, is a spoof of the 1935 Hitchcock spy thriller of the same name which itself was […]

Lady Frederick Fri.-Sat., April 26-27, 7 p.m. and Sun., April 28, 2 pm Edwards Place, Springfield Art Association, 700 N. Fourth St. 217-523-2631 THEATER | William Somerset Maugham play scheduled at Edwards Place This romantic comedy by acclaimed British writer William Somerset Maugham was first performed in London in 1907. It later moved to Broadway […]

Haven’t toured the old Pillsbury Mill plant yet? Well, this Saturday offers a last chance to take a guided tour of the abandoned plant. Tours at noon and 2 p.m. last about one hour and include stops and photo opportunities at several of the plant’s buildings. The tours are on a level surface but “sturdy […]

Light the Way Celebration Sat., April 6, 6-9 p.m., program begins at 7 p.m. BOS Center, North Terrace, downtown Springfield 217-726-9808 gotrcentralillinois.org FUNDRAISERS AND GALAS | Girls on the Run event to feature founder In 1996, Molly Barker founded Girls on the Run in Charlotte, North Carolina, with 13 girls. The group has expanded to […]

In this dinner event and program, master storyteller Timothy Totten “will weave a tale of love, loss and the emperor of Japan” as he recounts the triumphs and tragedies of famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Totten, of Eustis, Florida, has been studying the life and works of Wright – the designer of Springfield’s Dana-Thomas […]

Springfield writer and director Courtney Wick’s hilarious murder mystery, Nightmare at the Hot Mess Salon, which debuts Friday, is a sequel to her successful previous effort during the 2021-2022 Springfield Theatre Centre season. And like its predecessor, Nightmare at the Sweet Dreams Inn, which was set in 1997, the new play (set in 2003) promises […]

SPECIAL MUSIC EVENTS | Singer-songwriter to play music Lincoln loved Central Illinois’ own Chris Vallillo, an acclaimed singer-songwriter, will present this family-oriented program which takes listeners on a journey through the life of Abraham Lincoln via the music he loved. Part of Illinois College’s Fine Arts Series, the event “is sure to delight both adults […]

This weekend is a milestone for the Illinois Product Expo. The Expo, a family-friendly event showcasing Illinois food and agriculture industries, is marking its 25th year. State officials say the event is going to be as big as ever, too, with more than 70 vendors offering samples and products including cheese, baked goods, sauces, meats, […]