A Second Chance at Life – Part One
Here’s a story from Tauna King in our advertising department. Tauna is going to share the story of her boyfriend Jim Burke’s experiences with congestive heart failure and his subsequent recovery. We’ll break it up into a couple of posts, so be sure and come back each day. Most people are capable of going through…
Ed Martin’s new studio
It was a nice surprise to get an email from my old friend Ed Martin letting me know that he and several other local artisans have recently opened a new studio/gallery (cleverly called Ed Martin Fine Art ) at 1515 South Fifth Street in Springfield. Ed has been selling his beautiful jewelry and glass work…
Who is going to win the $1000???
This holiday season we each have a special opportunity to do some extra good – by buying all our holiday gifts at local stores, restaurants and such. Our local independent merchants have had one heckuva hard year – a successful Christmas season could make all the difference for them. That’s why the Capital Area Independent…
Color your holiday classy
The inventor of the standard holiday red-and-green color scheme was probably colorblind – no one with good vision would want to decorate with two colors opposite each other on the color wheel. Escaping color condemnation is tough when aisles are stuffed with fake green boughs and gleaming red plastic berries. “People don’t decorate because it…
Seasonal stroll
Want to see Christmas lights? Forget the car. Get lit up with holiday joy as you take a seasonal stroll through the zoo during December evening hours. Thousands of lights have been strung and the zoo’s paths are decorated in holiday splendor. Find unique Christmas presents at the gift shop or get a cup of…
Vocal pieces
As the cold descends on Springfield, step inside one of two churches, on one of two dates, to hear the Springfield Choral Society perform music of peace from around the world. Warm yourself by inviting the sounds and sense of voice and language to grow a calm spirit within you. Marion van der Loo conducts.…
Maldaner’s pork braised in milk
The main components of this Italian classic might seem like an unlikely pairing – pork cooked in milk – but once you taste it, you’ll realize it’s a marriage made in heaven. The recipe below calls for a boneless loin, but other pork cuts work equally well. It’s one of the ways that Michael Higgins…
Going ’round and ’round:
For years the noise of vehicles colliding has been making the cats nervous around the intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Lawrence Avenue. And for years the City of Springfield and residents on Springfield’s near west side have disputed how best to reduce the number of accidents. The city’s traffic engineers, like most of their guild,…
Swine dining
What’s the new foodstuff that America’s best chefs are swooning over, and putting on their menus in an astonishing array of variations? It’s not some newly discovered sea creature. It’s not some obscure vegetable or rare fruit. It’s something so old that it’s new again: pork. For decades chefs in fancy French or “continental” restaurants…
Great adaptations
This year, give them a great story told two ways. First, let them dive into a great read. Then, let them sit back and enjoy the show. Here are six of the best book/film adaptations of the past year that will have all the bookworms and movie buffs on your list thanking you twice. Harry…
Yuletide enchantment
Not many spaces remain for the candlelight service at St. John the Baptist Chapel on Elkhart Hill, but if you call now you may become a lucky ticket holder. The privately owned 1890 chapel, boasting one of three oldest working pipe organs in the state, is a magical stone building located in a magical gated…
Killer flu hits Springfield
A few weeks ago, as I nursed my son through swine flu, I frequently thought about my great-grandmother. She had lived in Athens, northwest of Springfield, and nursed her son during another flu pandemic 91 years ago. I felt such sympathy for her. Although the challenges of caring for our sons must have been similar,…
Jolly procession
Chillin’ with Jack Frost is the theme of this year’s holiday parade that will stride west on Jefferson Street from the Horace Mann parking lot, south on Fifth Street, east on Capitol Avenue and then north on Sixth Street. Grab a slab of sidewalk along the parade’s path to plant your feet or chair. Then…
Building peace at St. Agnes
Too many people overlook the word peace, says Audrey Lanzotti, an eighth-grader and president of the student council at St. Agnes School in Springfield. “Everyone talks about kindness, but no one really talks about peace,” Lanzotti says. “But when we brought peace into our school, everything changed.” Since October, 440 students in preschool through eighth…
Just extra money
For a day or two in late November, it was just like the old days on Wall Street — well, like 2008, anyway. The National Association of Realtors had reported that house sales had risen 10.1 percent in October, several times higher than predicted, and that sent stock prices up. Only a few days before…
Springfield Choral Society sings for peace
Marion van der Loo was already thinking about Christmas back in June. As the music director of the Springfield Choral Society listened to “Jul, Jul, Strlande Jul,” a song from Sweden that means “Christmas, Christmas, Beautiful Christmas,” she became mesmerized by its meaning. “The text says point-blank, ‘Christmas take away from the blood and the…
The Stone and Biscuit Band
Making a splash into the local music market for the first time, The Stone and Biscuit Band debuts this weekend with a three-hour show at Broadway Nights, the former On Broadway night club. The sextet, comprised of Joe O’Neill (bass), Chris O’Neill (vocals), Shelley Mulvaney (vocals, flute), Matt Ellis (guitar, vocals), Ed Boyd (keyboards/guitar) and…
McKenna’s latest “hair” ad is clever, but false
Four years ago during the last Republican gubernatorial primary, dairy magnate Jim Oberweis was sharply and widely criticized for running false newspaper headlines in his TV ads. Now, it’s happening again with a different wealthy gubernatorial hopeful. Republican Andy McKenna’s latest TV ad stays with his original theme of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s hair. The…
A few things to do
As the heady holiday times approach and the days and nights become filled with whatnots and whyfors please remember that good live music shows increase during the season. So rather than settle for one show a week, here’s a handy list. On Thursday, be sure to schedule in a moment for a stroll through lovely…
Comcast may cede public access channel to city
As Comcast seeks to cut ties with public access television across the nation, the City of Springfield prepares to take the reigns locally, angering producers who say they were not consulted on the deal. Cable company Comcast announced in late November that it would stop providing management services for Access 4 public television channel, telling…
Sly Fox one of the year’s best films
It’s easy to become jaded about the sort of product Hollywood churns out. Just when I’m about to give up hope that anything innovative or exciting can emerge from Tinseltown, my faith is restored by something like Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. Based on the book by Roald Dahl, this dynamic film utilizes stop-motion animation,…
Illinois sixth in power plant CO2
Illinois ranks sixth among the states for carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, according to an environmental group calling for a shift toward cleaner energy. Environment Illinois, a Chicago-based environmental, released a report last week blasting America’s aging fleet of fossil fuel-burning power plants. The report focuses on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, advocating…
Letters to the Editor 12/03/2009
LET WOMEN DECIDEWhen Planned Parenthood attended the very first health care reform discussion at the White House in March, President Obama made it clear that, under health reform, Americans will not lose the benefits they currently have. Unfortunately, hours before the U.S. House of Representatives was set to vote on the health care reform bill…
Giving thanks for America’s good food movement
What better season than Thanksgiving and harvest to celebrate our country’s food rebels! I’m talking about the growing movement of small farmers, food artisans, local retailers, co-ops, community organizers, restaurateurs, environmentalists, consumers and others — perhaps including you. This movement has spread the rich ideas of sustainability, organic, local control and the Common Good from…
ALL ABOARD!
We’re willing to bet our fruitcake that nowhere else in Springfield features a model train display quite like the one at the Korean War National Museum. This week, Lynn Raney, creator of Tis’ Trains!, unveils a 17-by-30-foot display showcasing two Garden Gauge, scale 1:29 model trains that chug along together on a bi-level platform. One…
SPREADING CHRISTMAS HOPE
Imagine a toy store where everything is free. That’s exactly what Springfield Catholic Charities has provided at holiday hope for more than a decade, bringing Christmas to the less fortunate in the community. Each year, Catholic Charities holds its Christmas store and food basket giveaway, allowing parents to pick out free toys for their kids…
Community Wish List for 12/03/2009
{image-6790} Lend a hand to these central Illinois organizations this holiday season. Check Illinois Times next week for more local wish lists. Send lists to holidaywishlist@illinoistimes.com Habitat for Humanity of Sangamon County1514 West Jefferson, 523-2710 Habitat for Humanity of Sangamon County is a community-driven nonprofit organization that develops working partnerships with local businesses, churches, community…
Decorated dwellings
View the magnificent architecture of six huge Springfield homes, built in the1800s and early 1900s, decorated for the holiday season. Begin this year’s Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association Historic Home Tour at the Brinkerhoff House, an 1859 Victorian Italianate mansion located at 1500 N. Fifth Street on the campus of Springfield College – Benedictine University. Or…
