Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet began with Suzie Stephens’ desire for a live band at her birthday party. For Suzie it just so happened she wanted to be the singer in the band so she started her own and played the party. That was a few years back and personnel has changed some with the current lineup listing Stephens…
Julianne on Julie and Julia
Who would have guessed that Meryl Streep could be a dead ringer for Julia Child? Not me. But watching Streep channel Child is a major part of the fun in the movie Julie and Julia. As Sangamo Club manager David Radwine, said, “I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn’t Julia herself up there.”…
for carol manley
at four o’clock the birds in the gardenattend to their psalmsit is that sort of daybeginning with a consecrated hour overcast perhaps a weekend saturdaywe will go to the farmers’ marketthis morning later what to find thereall that our far flung neighborshave drawn from this rich black earthour central illinois legacy what am I sayingall…
License to profile
On what should have been a routine visit a local driver’s license station, Huong V. Nguyen unwittingly found himself in the middle of an international criminal conspiracy On June 30, Nguyen, a Springfield resident who was born in Vietnam, entered the office to update his driver’s license and get his yearly sticker. He took along…
Non-organic organic food
When it comes to a healthy diet, I am not a purist. Too late for that because I grew up eating such culinary concoctions as toasted sandwiches constructed of Spam, white bread and that oddly orange, oddly spongy cheeselike stuff known as Velveeta. As an adult, I even have been irresponsible enough to serve as…
Letters to the Editor 8/13/09
RUSSIAN IMMIGRANTThis is a fascinating topic to a third generation Russian-origin immigrant. [See “Shadows of the Motherland: Russian Orthodoxy in downstate Illinois,” by William Furry, Aug. 6.] Thank you. From illinoistimes.com GOAT LOVERSWoohoo! Love Thornridge and love our goats! [See “Goat invasion: A growing breed of livestock preserves an old way of life on a…
500 Days of Summer: A genuine look at love and loss
If you were to tell a young filmgoer that Marc Webb’s 500 Days of Summer is their generation’s Annie Hall, they’d likely say, “Annie who?” Yet, there’s no mistaking the similarities between this charming new romance and Woody Allen’s classic film. Both follow the arc of a doomed love affair in inventive, charming and ultimately…
CWLP’s culture of hostility
As far as government workers in Springfield go, Mike Williams has been surprisingly candid. He has described the gamut of emotions raised in him when he returned from vacation to find a noose hanging near his shared workstation at City Water, Light and Power’s water purification facility in late July. And he has described a…
Bangin’ in Springfield
Although groups of kids fighting is all too commonplace, it’s tough to say whether Springfield has a gang problem. On the one hand, like other downstate Illinois towns, the capital city hasn’t been immune to the effects of the demolition of Chicago’s infamous high-rise housing developments in the 1990s, which dispersed the projects’ former inhabitants,…
The pause that regresses
The kids at District 186’s Southern View elementary school began classes in July again this year. The school is one of two in the district that operate what is almost always called year-round school, even though “year-round” school it isn’t. What is also known as the balanced or all-year schedule is merely the same part-time…
Prizewinner
Any time the state faces a financial crisis, the demands begin. Stop the sky glide. Melt the butter cow. Put the prize-winning Jersey heifer out to pasture. The Illinois State Fair is too expensive, and we just don’t need it. Naturally, fair organizers disagree. The Illinois State Fair has been a free-standing institution since 1853,…
Dollars, quarters and cents
Springfield writer Bud Bartlett, author of the 2009 book Dollars, talks about the dollar coin and bill with Illinois quarter designer Thom Cicchelli, who shares his experiences with coin design following Bartlett’s presentation. Doors open 9:30 a.m. for free coffee and rolls. Tours of the poet’s home follow. This program coincides with the U.S. Mint’s…
The Time Traveler’s Wife
“The Time Traveler’s Wife” is based on the best-selling book about a love that transcends time. Clare (Rachel McAdams) has been in love with Henry (Eric Bana) her entire life. She believes they are destined to be together, even though she never knows when they will be separated: Henry is a time traveler—cursed with a…
Top tunes
Southern rock legend Lynyrd Skynyrd opens the Grandstand on Friday night with special guest Bo Bice, who isn’t the only American Idol to shake the stage. Pop sensation Kelly Clarkson hits the arena with her huge pipes on Saturday night with guest Eric Hutchinson. Country acts Josh Turner, Jamey Johnson and Chuck Wicks perform on…
State fair beer tent bands
I’ve never been sure why, since it is the Illinois State Fair, that most all the bands playing at the beer tents come from the ranks of Springfield cover bands, but that’s the norm at the ISF and has been for years. This is no complaint mind you just an observation on the situation. In…
FRIED PEPSI HITS STANDS
If you think Kurt and Jean-Ann Miller’s pork parfait — pulled pork, barbecue sauce and mashed potatoes served in a sundae dish — sounds strangely appealing, you’re gonna dig their fried Pepsi. The Millers, natives of Indiana and new to the Illinois State Fair, spent a month developing fried Pepsi after seeing something similar at…
Unemployment 101
At first you will want to cry. That was my experience each time I heard the “We have to let you go” bomb at 3 o’clock on Friday afternoon. Being laid off is always a shock. Your emotions will be running high as your mind tries to find a way out of this mess. There…
A fair start, 156 years in the making
The Illinois State Fair began in 1853 as a salute to agriculture. The founders of the newly-created Illinois State Agricultural Society wanted to give farmers an arena to discuss and advance their profession, so they decided to host a state fair. The first was held that October in Springfield on the near-west side grounds where…
PEASE’S PLEASE
You’ve probably been craving peanut butter melt-a-ways, chocolate pecan fudge or white chocolate almond cluster truffles for months, but in the midst of swimsuit season, haven’t surrendered to the little, tasty temptations. Well, we’re going to give you the perfect excuse. In August, Pease’s Candy will feature its Month of Charity event, taking 20 percent…
Choice days
Each day of the fair is tagged with a theme. Here are a couple you might want to attend. Veterans Day, Sunday, August 16, allows veterans and their families free admission to the grounds. A veteran’s parade and activities are highlights of the day. Futures for Kids Day takes place Friday, August 21. Many of…
Fair flowers
Among the tents, livestock buildings, corndog and lemonade stands at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, fairgoers can see a wide variety of colorful plants. Just inside gate 2, visitors are greeted by chartreuse colored sweet potato vines, ice-cream (orange) salvia, banana plants, red flowering bougainvillea, dark opal basil, cotton candy lantana and orange marigolds. These are…
A 19th century pop star finds Springfield bad news
It’s never easy being a star, but if you believe a superstar concert pianist from that time, it was especially difficult in Springfield in the 1860s. The New Orleans-born Louis Moreau Gottschalk was a “hugely celebrated” concert pianist with a “tremendous following,” according to WUIS-FM music director and musician Karl Scroggin. “He was called ‘the…
