Famous homes tour in a book
This is the lovely cover of Dan Guillory’s new poetry book titled HousePoems. More than a poetry book, this is an interesting collection of poems, histories (short essays) and photos of central Illinois homes and structures and the folks who inhabited them. There’s also a section on the White House and various presidents and first ladies who…
So Much Water (and music!) so Close To Home
It may be raining cats and dogs (or any other less cliched species) but there are still three – count ’em – music festivals happening in the Springfield area today. The Black Sheep (S. Grand & 11th) is playing host to DumbFest from 1-10PM featuring twenty (!) punk and alternative bands, including Tenement, Big Eyes,…
How many poets does it take to pack a parlor?
If you’re a poetry, literature, art, film, history or architecture buff, or someone just looking for a few magical moments in a magical place this weekend, the Vachel Lindsay Home State Historic Site, directly south of the governor’s mansion, hosts Poets in the Parlor at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 15. Poets reading are a handful…
Teen heaven
In “White elephant,” I speculated about the fate of White Oaks Mall in a future in which bricks-and-mortar retailing seems doomed by the internet. Jordan Weissman — who looks younger than some of the store displays at WOM – tells us in a recent Atlantic post not to worry. “The investment bankers at Piper Jaffray…
Slam-dunk social
The 20th Annual Juneteenth Celebration takes to Comer Cox Park, June 15-16. New this year is a gospel fest on Sunday from 2-4 p.m. featuring local church and area gospel groups. A new splash fountain at the newly renovated playground will prove to be a welcome addition, too. Back is the Gus Macker Tourney starting…
Gay marriage bill failure and the Black Caucus
There’s more than enough blame to go around regarding the failure of the gay marriage bill during the final days of the General Assembly’s spring session, which ended May 31. Gov. Pat Quinn knew that African-American House members were reluctant to support the bill, mainly because of pressure from their churches. So, why did he…
Planning a better Springfield
No little girl tells her parents she wants to be a zoning analyst when she grows up. The job is figuring out whether a local government should allow proposed changes to a piece of property, which sounds about as exciting as being a tollbooth operator. But for Molly Berns, a senior planner with the Springfield-Sangamon…
State goes easy on coal mines
What do you get if you’re facing millions of dollars in fines for water pollution over the course of a decade? If you’re the Springfield Coal Company, you get your permit renewed by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, much to the chagrin of environmentalists and residents who live near the company’s strip mine five miles…
John Byrne brings on the Irish
From centuries-old songs and tunes performed in traditional ways to the adaptation of instruments and melodies to the new land, Irish music certainly infused itself into the American consciousness throughout our history and seems even stronger today than ever before. In central Illinois we have at several Irish-influenced groups playing out regularly, numerous public events…
Fatherless Day
While many dads celebrate Fathers Day, many others are struggling to develop and maintain a relationship with their children. Illinois Fathers is a network of non-custodial parents and grandparents encouraging co-parenting in separated and divorced families. The group held a gathering outside the Capitol June 10 to observe “Fatherless Day.” This day is recognized by…
It’s the time of the season for summer seasonings
For me, summer cooking is about taking it easy – at least until I begin preserving some of the season’s bounty by canning, freezing, etc. Beautiful local produce, locally raised meats and seasonally available fish (think wild salmon) are at their best simply grilled or lightly sautéed to showcase their deliciousness. That said, I like…
Letters to the Editor 6/13/13
HAPPY MEALSChris Britt does a great job of creating cartoons that promote discussion. I support that even when he creates a cartoon as silly as the one in the June 6 issue of Illinois Times which slams McDonald’s. I have been a health/fitness advocate for over 30 years. I would like to see more nutritious…
IRS should ban pretend welfare groups
If you’re covered in political stink, it might be prudent to avoid yelling “dirty politics” at others. Lately, a mess of right-wing tea party groups have been wailing nonstop that they have been targeted, harassed and denied their civic rights by partisan, out-of-control, Obamanistic IRS thugs (no adjective too extreme when assailing Obama or the…
Bill Price
Based out of the Indianapolis area, Bill Price discovered early on a fascination and respect for the songwriting of both Bob Dylan and the Beatles that led to a lifetime of chasing the song muse. After decades of performance, songwriting and recording, his goal is the same, “I was inspired by certain music to try…
brewpoem #1
here are the brews we drank in englandpiddle from the nearby village of piddlethere’s a cluster of piddles includingpiddle in the hole we drank hobgoblindark ale from the wychwood brewery inwitney. heligan honey, roosters elderflowerrecommended in the spit or swallow beerreview. crop circle from hop back breweryabout those circles our farmer host saysI could make…
Both Smiths end up marooned on Earth
Much has been written in the last week pertaining to how awful Will Smith’s After Earth is. It’s been referred to as the Battlefield Earth for a new generation, described as “cheesy,” “horrible” and “uneven” while one critic has stated that one of the main characters “has all the likability of an anal fissure.” (Yep,…
SUMMER FOOD
School’s out for summer, and that means kids from low-income households across the city may not get enough to eat. But thanks to federal aid, public schools around the nation can offer summer food programs to ensure kids stay nourished during the summer months. Six Springfield public schools will host breakfast and lunch this summer.…
HOW ABOUT A HOME?
The crash of the U.S. housing market was no fun for anyone. Foreclosures put millions of people out of their homes and the resulting economic crash was felt around the world. But the bright spot is that home ownership is within reach of more people. Housing prices fell and were followed by interest rates. In…
Memories of Old MacArthur
The coming of Hy-Vee and the happy prospect of MacArthur Boulevard being revitalized have triggered many pleasant memories of the old days on the street. Before the interstate, U.S.36, a major east-west highway, ran right through town. It turned north at “the curve” by Cherry Grove from Wabash Avenue and traveled up MacArthur till it…
Internship surprises as sincere summer sleeper
Every summer season produces a sleeper, a film that comes out of nowhere and exceeds expectations. Shawn Levy’s The Internship is that movie for 2013. It succeeds in not only delivering some solid laughs but also manages to provide a pleasant romantic subplot. Equally important is its vital, timely message that should be embraced by…
Beating them about the head with a shtick
I’ve always made people laugh with my self-deprecating humor, but I was complaining about not having much luck with the ladies recently, and my buddy told me that my humor is a problem. He said I come off as kind of a downer to women. Other guy friends told me not to listen to him;…
Certain-kind-of-family guy
When I want to learn what a politician thinks, I read what she writes. When I need only to learn what a politician says he thinks, I listen to him speak. Here’s why. Republican governor wanna-be Kirk Dillard ventured an opinion to a radio reporter last week about what kind of people ought to inhabit…
Masterful musical
The Muni opens its 2013 season with Les Miserables, June 14-16, 19-23 and 27-29. Directed by Stephan Kaplan, this musical follows Jean Valjean, an unfairly imprisoned man who upon release becomes a force for good but finds he cannot escape his past. Joshua Ratz plays Valjean. The Muni has been entertaining Springfield area audiences at…
TEST
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Prairie play
Learn about the past at the Grierson Days Celebration, June l4-l6, in Community Park, Jacksonville. The l8th annual Civil War reenactment features battles, camps, exhibits of veterans and World War I and II, and the Korean and Vietnam War, children’s learning stations, vendors and more. See a vintage baseball game on Saturday, go for a…
Home is where the heart is
HousePoems by Dan GuilloryMayhaven Publishing, 2013161 Pages, $19.95 HousePoems is the latest book by Dan Guillory, poet, essayist and historian of the central Illinois landscape and its people. He has presented his readers with a rich volume describing homesteads ranging from log cabins to central Illinois mansions to the White House itself – where he…
News Quirks 6/13/13
Curses, foiled againFederal agents tracking a man who claimed he was selling 700,000 stolen identities identified Nathaniel Troy Maye, 44, as their suspect after a witness informed them he received a flash drive containing 50 identities from a man named “Maye” during dinner at a Morton’s steak house. Using data on the flash drive, agents…
Haunted house
Republican Kirk Dillard recently raised the issue of which kind of family ought to be living in the Executive Mansion in Springfield. It is a question we ventilated in in 2009. (“Life in the Big House.) Clearly, it was not a question on the minds of the two most recent occupants of the house. Mr. Blagojevich…
