“An interesting and mysterious void”
To many, Springfield is a one-war town. One needs only to consider the internationally venerated Lincoln Tomb to understand why. This is, after all, the home of the leader who preserved the Union during the nation’s darkest conflict. In recent years, memorials to Illinoisans who died in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, as well as…
Many tiffs
By now you have undoubtedly heard that North Dirksen Parkway is poised to become Springfield’s next retail mecca, thanks to City Council’s Tuesday night passage of a special incentive for developers. The Council voted 6-5 to designate a 62-acre tract on the west side of Dirksen as a tax-increment financing district, or TIF. This perk…
Now playing 12-4-03
Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, and all our Christmas shopping, decorating, and preparing is underway, we can concentrate our energies on the finer things in life, like heading to the tavern and checking out a band. If you’re in a holiday hurry and need a quick dose of food and music, give Dempsey’s and…
Angels in America lands on the small screen
Something pretty rare takes place on television this weekend when a landmark American play makes it to the small screen, thanks to HBO’s adaptation of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. This two-part ‘morality play’ about life, death, survival and faith, arrived on Broadway ten years ago (its premiere productions took place in Los Angeles and…
For swashbuckling adventures, what’s old is new again
The success this year of Pirates of the Caribbean and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World have made period adventures fashionable again. This should breathe new life into some classics from the past. • Alexander Nevsky (1938). The great Russian director Sergei Eisenstein is so lauded as a silent film artist his…
Soup’s on
No matter the season, the soup’s always on at the Feed Store. For nearly three decades, the restaurant has been serving up bowls of mushroom bisque and Wisconsin cheese soup for lunchtime crowds. The restaurant keeps it simple: soup, sandwiches, and desserts. Many of the sandwich options are standard fare, such as turkey, ham, and…
Tips for selecting and protecting a fresh Christmas tree
A freshly cut Christmas tree can be a beautiful sight. With proper selection and care you can safely enjoy a fresh tree throughout the holidays. Before you leave home, measure the height and width of the available space where the tree will be placed. Make sure that you don’t choose a tree bigger than the…
A day in Whoville
Growing up in Springfield, Mike Wallace remembers going to see Santa every Christmas season at Kmart. He may have also seen Santa downtown a time or two, in some store off the plaza. But Kmart was the annual tradition. Wherever Wallace went, though, the Santa Clauses he saw looked like the same jolly old elf…
Bards of the Sangamo
For Want of Better Dreams For want of better dreams the plainest things elude our closest scrutiny — take flight. DaVinci, though his notes were erudite, slighted the kite that might have led to wings. Nor did he windsurf, though a sail that swings upon a board seems simple — in the light of hindsight.…
Movie reviews
Dancing with wolves, Japanese-style A disillusioned Civil War veteran sets out to a foreign land where he encounters an ancient culture. Its values of honor, loyalty and courage prove a revelation. Though sheltered by the tribe’s leader, he meets with resistance from others. He eventually joins this culture and marries a young widow. Though it…
Lend a hand
Illinois Times invites area non-profit organizations to tell our readers what your special needs are this holiday season. To participate, send us a description of your organization and a summary of your holiday wish list. Fax the information to 217-753-3958 or e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com This feature appears weekly through the end of the year. Prior “Lend…
What we learned at the School of Rock
How do you know you’ve “made it” in the music business? “When you’ve had a good show, you feel good, and everyone has had a good time,” says Rob Bell, lead vocalist for area band Roxschool. Using that as its measure, the group “made it” years ago and continues to do so two or three…
Your turn. . . 12-4-03
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 Everybody to the table The Springfield Race Relations Task Force welcomes the…
Mr. Jones Delivers
Rod Blagojevich inherited a $5 billion budget deficit when he became governor in January. Ten thousand state employees had already opted for early retirement; more than 1,000 had been laid off. For the Democrat governor and the Democrat-controlled legislature, there seemingly wasn’t much left to cut. The challenge in the spring session became finding new…
Miner turns curator to share coal’s story
You could say William Stone has coal in his veins. After more than three decades working for Mr. Peabody’s coal company and more than a decade in retirement, Stone opened a museum devoted to — what else? — Illinois solid black gold. Located off of the Taylorville town square, the Christian County Coal Mine Museum…
H.C. Latham came to the prairies of Illinois, and saw opportunity
Springfield’s West Side Christian Church, home to a large and thriving community of faithful worshipers, has been located on Cider Mill Lane since 1996. The capacious multi-wing facility stands like a lone sentinel at its new address, surrounded by greensward and asphalt, without a close neighbor to call its own. That is a stark contrast…
Grace about town
Not many days left till Christmas, have you bought anything yet? Way back in September, my friend Pam was talking about gifts she’d already purchased. Christmas was nowhere on my radar back then. But I’m starting to panic a little bit. It didn’t used to be like this. When I was a kid, I’d make…
This time, no Rat
About this time last year, Duke Tumatoe and his Indianapolis-based blues band, The Power Trio, gave a free concert at Jazz Central Station atop the Springfield Hilton. Tumatoe didn’t know he was playing for free. Nobody knew, except the local promoter who allegedly ran off with Tumatoe’s money. A few months earlier, a man using…
Ready, set, commence!
Senior boys on District 186 track and field teams will have to run pretty fast to make graduation and the statewide finals in Charleston next year. Both events take place on the same day, Saturday, May 29, 2004. “There will definitely be a concern among parents,” says Tammy Bolden, athletic director for Southeast High School,…
Where are the Illinois ideas?
More people with ideas are checking in at the Capitol Complex these days, but the ideas Patrick McGuckin and his associates chart are not legislative initiatives. McGuckin, director of communications at the Illinois State Library, says the library’s campaign to promote its Patent and Trademark Depository Library is generating considerable interest from area inventors. The…
Knoepfle 12-4-03
back of the pharmacy talk of the miners here the farmers ex-school teachers telephone linemen the road grader the druggist kicking it around on a snow driven morning december complaints old as the first pain anyone thought about in a cave they worry about one another and there is survival in this beyond the need…
