The symphony season
The upcoming season upholds the standard of excellence the Illinois Symphony Orchestra has made a Springfield tradition. One of ISO’s most popular events is the Pops in the Park outdoor concert at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 30 in Springfield at Douglas Park and Aug. 31 at Miller Park in Bloomington. Cheryl Snyder, executive director of…
Autumn amusement
If you’re looking to get into the maze craze this fall, we have great news — Springfield will host its very own 10-acre corn creation. If that’s not enough, it’s even cut into the shape of Abraham Lincoln’s face to tie in the capital city’s Bicentennial celebration. Eric Hansen, pastor of the iWorshipCenter, came up…
Haunted hot spots
No kids allowed. It’s a strict requirement of Garret Moffett’s new October tour, “R-Rated Springfield.” “If you enjoy TV shows like ‘The Sopranos,’ then you will enjoy this,” says Moffett, the owner of Springfield Walks. “It’ll be fairly mature subject matter — we’ll be talking about murder and some rapes.” Moffett wanted something new for…
The convention center’s bold new plans
The Prairie Capital Convention Center is the sleeping giant of downtown Springfield. Now 30 years old and showing signs of wear, the big gray box is about to wake up and make itself known in a couple ways. A big “entertainment initiative” has the convention center itself bringing lots of shows and concerts to Springfield.…
RealCuisine
Untitled Document Q. Why can’t a decent steak be found in either store or restaurant in Springfield at any price? Springfield businesses are fond of complaining about locals shopping out of town, but no one listens when it is explained that I would rather buy my dry-aged USDA Prime beef locally, but I can’t find…
Letters to the Editor
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address, and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. PROSTITUTION TIMES TEN Fletcher Farrar’s recent column (“Going to the Johns,” IT, Aug. 21-27) highlights the issue we face due to prostitution activity…
Fall classics
While there is no shortage of great prep gridiron action or NFL team spirit in Springfield, the capital city’s offering of college football leaves something to be desired. Sure, Urbana-Champaign and Memorial Stadium are a quick jaunt, but after last year’s trip to the Rose Bowl, Illini tickets are at a premium. If you’re ready…
Letters to the Editor
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address, and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. PROSTITUTION TIMES TEN Fletcher Farrar’s recent column (“Going to the Johns,” IT, Aug. 21-27) highlights the issue we face due to prostitution activity…
Fall concerts
The fall season is upon us, and for bands across the country it’s the perfect time to tour. Hopping in the bus — musicians from David Crosby and Graham Nash to Talib Kweli and Nas, will hit the road this fall — is never easier than when the weather is temperate, and rocker-types don’t have…
Fighting developers’ sweet deals
There’s an old saying: “You can’t fight city hall.” And nowhere has that adage proved more true than on the issue of Tax Increment Financing districts, or TIFs — an eye-glazingly complicated concept that most taxpayers don’t understand well enough to know whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing when one comes to…
Struck a chord
On a sunny, summer Saturday presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama returned to the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield to announce to a crowd of thousands why he believed U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., fit the bill for vice president. Obama told the crowd that Biden exuded the characteristics of…
IT Picks
The days of Abe Experience the life and times of Abraham Lincoln at the 10th Prairieland Chautauqua “The Age of Lincoln.” The four-day bicentennial celebration will include everything from the music to the food that pleased the palate of “Honest Abe.” Stories and poetry about Lincoln’s life will retell the trials and victories Lincoln faced…
Emil Jones, larger than life
Illinois Senate President Emil Jones has never been fully appreciated as a legislative leader. Jones, who announced his retirement last week after years at the helm, has a manner of speaking which leads far too many people to assume that he is not intelligent. Nothing could be further from the truth. He has been a…
‘Thought leader’ offers seminars here
Sometimes the evening news reminds me of a decades-old school incident when My Group was unkind to Their Group, to put it mildly. I have excuses about immaturity and adolescent angst, but the truth is, I went along with the crowd. I did not think for myself. I saw only Us and Them. The evening…
Memorial Music Mile
One of our first and foremost Labor Day Weekend events in Springfield is always the After the Mile Party or as it’s usually pronounced the “partaay” with a long “a” on the end. This glorious time celebrates the running of the “Springfield Mile” motorcycle race on the fastest mile dirt track in the good, old…
Fall Guide Calendar
Determined to put an end to the rumor that there’s nothing to do in central Illinois, we reached out across the region to identify a bevy of fairs, festivals, concerts, art exhibits and historic events sure to entertain, enlighten and educate. We hope you enjoy our 2008 Fall Guide Calendar and the hundreds of listings…
Italianate revival
Steven Kren knew he found a gem in the Decker Home, 303 S. Glenwood Ave., and after two years of renovations, he could get the ultimate seal of approval. Kren appealed to the Springfield Historic Sites Commission in November 2006, requesting designation of the Decker Home as a local historic landmark. The commission voted in…
Fall theatre preview
[image-2} There is so much theatre happening in the area these days, there doesn’t seem to be a spring/summer/fall/winter season anymore — it’s just ongoing all year long, which is good. Springfield Ballet Company always jump-starts the fall with its annual audience favorite, Rockballet, performing Sept. 6-7 at Sangamon Auditorium. For information, call 544-1967 or…
Visit Postville, where Lincoln argued cases
Despite local opposition, in 1929 Henry Ford bought and dismantled the courthouse in Postville and had it set up again at his Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Mich. The courthouse became more valuable to the community when they learned they were going to lose it, says Shirley Bartelmay, coordinator of the Postville Courthouse State Historic Site…
Fall… in love
By now, your summer fling is either nearing an end, you’re thinking about taking the relationship to the next level, or the thought of spending the holiday season alone is depressing the heck out of you. Luckily, Springfield and central Illinois host an array of autumn activities and locales that are perfect for one last…
The play’s the thing in Hamlet 2
The trailer and print ads for Andrew Fleming’s Hamlet 2 focus on its ridiculous premise and sense of the absurd, both of which are taken to wonderfully humorous heights, or depths, depending on your point of view. The film is, at times, outrageous, silly and downright crude. But what makes it worthwhile is Fleming’s love…
Pick your pleasure
Many days, Mother Nature locks you indoors and keeps you there with her sweltering heat or bone-chilling cold, soul-sapping humidity or ear-warping wind, rain, snow, sleet, thunder, lightning or hail. This time of year, though, she seems to lay down her weapons and summon us outdoors with her most alluring talents – temperatures that are…
The crude connection to Georgia
Here we go again, tumbling down the rabbit hole with George W. What a hoot to see the Bush Gang, which can’t ever seem to shoot straight, railing at Russia’s rough-up of the Republic of Georgia. Bush, Condi Rice, Robert Gates and others have wagged their fingers furiously at the Russkies in recent days, scolding…
Remembering Everett Dirksen
The colorful and raspy-voiced U. S. Sen. Everett McKinley Dirksen died in 1969, but his memory lives on at the Dirksen Congressional Center in Pekin, near Peoria. This is a research center, but a museum, too. The first thing that catches one’s eye is Sen. Everett Dirksen’s desk from his Capitol office. Dirksen, called the…
Appeals court affirms Frazier
Carl Madison, former president of the Springfield branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, has lost another round in his lawsuit against Renatta Frazier, the former Springfield Police officer who was falsely accused of failing to prevent a rape. Madison, who now lives in Ohio, sued Frazier in 2005 claiming defamation…
Cap City
Three smoking barrels Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn wants to make Illinois the rain barrel capital of the world (although he’d likely have to go 12 rounds with Gov. Rod Blagojevich over funding for a Water Receptacle Museum and Visitors Center and other barrel-related tourism budget items). To get the ball rolling, Quinn launched a contest…
