From the land of the Gullah
You may only be “haa’dly’kin” (barely able) to understand Anita Singleton-Prather and the Gullah Kinfolk, but you won’t want to “tek’e foot een ‘e han” (to run, or to leave quickly) once you hear them. We won’t leave you “dry ‘long so” (without a reason or explanation), so here is the scoop on all this…
Letters 4-8-04
Letters policy We welcome letters, but please include your full name, address and a daytime telephone number. We edit all letters for libel, length and clarity. Send letters to: Letters, Illinois Times. P.O. Box 5256. Springfield, Illinois 62705. Fax: (217) 753-3958. E-mail: editor@illinoistimes.com A NEED FOR VIGILENCE After reading Dusty Rhodes’ article “The Incident” [March…
An ill wind
Reports circulated recently saying that a “special skills” military draft — aimed at people with computer and language skills — was on the table. It was just one of several options being considered by the Selective Service, the federal agency charged with managing a draft if it’s reinstated. Selective Service administrators were quick to point…
People’s Poetry 4-8-04
Out of Context I perfect the fake half-smile disguise buying a minute — to recall if I know your name or you just look like someone whose name I know begins with M, or maybe Z? or where I should know you from . . . Soon I add the nodding non-committal ear accepting our…
Quick takes 4-8-04
SQUEAL LIKE A PIG They’re known for in-your-face tactics, but People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ latest pro-vegetarian campaign may do as good a job of arousing Christians as it does meat-eaters. This week, just in time for the Easter holiday, PETA says it purchased billboard advertising at Stevenson Drive and South Sixth with…
Now Playing 4-8-04
I hope everyone recovered from last week’s flight of fancy column and realized what day it was (April 1) and that it was what is called in polite circles “a bunch of baloney.” To prove my point, let us head to the Hilton where they proudly continue their wonderful tradition of bringing Springfield the finest…
Banking on change
Springfield NAACP President Rudy Davenport will travel to Chicago later this month to testify against the $58 billion merger of Bank One Corp. and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Davenport plans to urge the Federal Reserve Board to force the banking giants into an agreement to curb discriminatory lending practices in low-income and minority communities.…
Lawn joy
Spring rains and warmer temperatures have brought beauty to our yards — bright-yellow daffodils and, for most of us, lush green lawns. Of course, a few folks are happy with anything that’s green, but most prefer a lawn free of weeds. What’s the best way to defend against weeds, insects, and disease? The answer’s simple:…
Made by God, delivered by Rechner’s
At the corner of 12th and Reynolds, hard by what was once the site of the John Hay Homes, stands the former residence and business of August Rechner Sr., a native of Baden, Germany, who emigrated from that place to Springfield in 1895 as a 17-year-old boy. The two buildings have borne witness to so…
Words of tribute
From the earliest of times, people have thought, worried or even obsessed about the way they will be remembered. Some have attempted to build monuments or ornate gravestones; others have been satisfied with more modest means of leaving their marks on this earth. A visitor to the University of Illinois campus at Urbana-Champaign might be…
To the rescue
Jerry Jacobson enters the battered old mansion at 12th Street and Cass Avenue through a makeshift side door of bent nails and corkboard. He drops his head and stoops low, steps up over piles of broken rubble and caked mud, then unfolds his lanky body in an expansive kitchen dating back to the days of…
All you can eat
To me, “All you can eat” usually means “You won’t want to eat this stuff.” With the exception of elegant Sunday brunches, the places that promote overindulgence in trip after trip to the buffet offer food that just isn’t worth the effort. Buffet City proves that every rule has an exception. Located at 1774 Wabash…
Movie review
Girl rise above the typical teen flick Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch) has done well in high school and hopes to enter a prestigious university. Asked what he’ll remember about school, Matthew realizes that he’s done nothing but hit the books. Everything changes when a freewheeling heartbreaker moves in next door. Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert), in town…
Lincoln Land lessons
Eleven Ukrainian mayors recently came to Springfield to see the future, and for the most part, they decided it works. The delegation, in town March 15-28 as part of a program underwritten by the U.S. government, say they liked the cleanliness of our city, the friendliness of its residents, and the efficiency of local government.…
Knoepfle 4-8-04
sister miriams poem now a dark matter our perfumed space polished with light a woman combing her long hair beyond existence beyond our coming and going where his sandals were a scent lingering from compassion the blast of crude nails cannot change this the old sister will tell you martha did her part she expects…
The mission
By my count, there are more than 170 churches in Springfield. In the city we have downtown churches, neighborhood churches, mainline churches, independent churches, historic churches and recently formed churches. They’re diverse in size — and in theology, organization, and style of worship. And yet all of these churches grapple with the same questions: How…
Grace about town 4-8-04
Last week I wrote about my Springfield Municipal Opera experiences and the fact that I just auditioned for A Chorus Line. I wanted the part of Kristine, the role I played when it was produced at the Theatre Centre a while back. Kristine sings a funny song about the fact that she can’t sing. My…
A few hidden gems at the video store
As usual, there’s not much of great interest in the local cinemas at this time of the year, so it’s a good time to visit the video store. Here are some odds and ends I found recently: • All the Real Girls (2003). David Gordon Green may be the least-known great new American director. Given…
