Most people of a certain age can probably say they’ve at least heard of, if not watched many popular disaster films of the 1970s such as Airport, The Towering Inferno, Earthquake and The Poseidon Adventure. Personally, I couldn’t get enough when I was a kid. They were epic. These films boasted major special effects for […]
Arts & Culture
Posted inSpring Guide
“Seam to Shining Seam” Quilt Show
More than 400 colorful quilts, along with other quilt-related items, will fill the Orr Building at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on March 20 and 21. The 2026 “Seam to Shining Seam” show features quilts made by Springfield-area quilters who are part of Q.U.I.L.T.S – Quilters United in Learning, Teaching and Self-Improvement. Now held every two […]
Posted inIT Picks
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
St. Patrick’s Day Parade | Sat., March 14, noon | Downtown Springfield | stpatsdayparade.com HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS | Conns to lead 42nd annual parade This weekend, thousands of green-clad revelers are expected to turn out for this popular event to celebrate everything Irish. Court and Karen Conn are the grand marshals. This year’s theme is “A […]
Posted inPoetry
Chicken S— Bingo
At a country crossroads pub far far from our fair city the long bar was marked with a pattern of grids. Patrons bet on squares. When all were claimed a chicken was released onto an overhead mesh. She picked her way around until the inevitable happened and a plop fell on the grid below. The […]
Posted inFilm
Slanted a pointed social satire, message of Hoppers is off the mark
Slanted provides a level-eyed look at race Hobbled by a modest budget, Amy Wang still manages to effectively deliver a pointed social satire with Slanted, a hybrid of The Substance and Mean Girls that examines the pitfalls of cultural assimilation. Through the eyes of its sympathetic protagonist, the film manages to address not only the […]
Posted inCommunity & Lifestyle
Illinois Innocence Project marks 25 years of fighting wrongful convictions
The Illinois Innocence Project has come a long way since it began as the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project in 2001 at the University of Illinois Springfield. What started with a couple of professors, an investigator, a few UIS undergraduates and a handful of supporters intent on exonerating one innocent man has grown into an organization […]
Posted inCommunity & Lifestyle
Reading the Bible through Jesus’ eyes
You may often hear how important it is for U.S. citizens to return to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights so we don’t lose sight of the wise but imperfect aspirations that birthed our nation into being. Equally for Christians, reading and praying with scripture keeps us grounded in the […]
Posted inFilm
Messy Bride never finds its footing, Protector a waste of time, money and talent
Bride a shambling mess of a movie In the interest of full disclosure, I need to say upfront that I’ve seen James Whale’s The Bride of Frankenstein more than any other movie. It never ceases to entertain, the filmmaker’s inventive combination of gothic horror, dark humor and fairy tale elements are as fresh today as […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Ansar Shrine to bring back SOB Feztival
The annual Springfield Oyster & Beer Feztival will be returning this year at a new location and with a slightly different name, thanks to its new sponsor. Ansar Shrine, a Springfield-based fraternal organization, has announced plans to continue the traditional Labor Day weekend celebration. It will now be hosted at the Ansar Shrine Center in […]
Posted inIT Picks
New exhibit features Pillsbury artifacts
The old Pillsbury Mills plant is being razed on the north end. Meanwhile, artifacts from the plant have gone on display in a new exhibit at the ALPLM. Moving Pillsbury Forward, in conjunction with the ALPLM, developed this exhibit focused on the early years of the plant. “The exhibit represents an era in local manufacturing […]
Posted inPoetry
Bed Mates
Sows produce huge litters The runt pig is often too weak to force its way amongst its jostling siblings to reach a tit Without milk, the runt perishes Sometimes though the runt is brought into the Big House and kept warm in a box behind grandma’s wood stove. Once, my sister Pat was sleeping in […]
Posted inBooks
A life well written
It is a rare male who, having achieved some success of the usual sort, can resist the conclusion that it must be because he is very intelligent or very virtuous. And being public-spirited, such a man is eager to make his wisdom available to family and friends. He thus develops a reputation as a dull […]
