letters 6-2-05
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 MAKE HOLIDAYS MATTER It’s not so much that Casimir Pulaski was not…
flicks 6-2-05
Why are most celebrity biopics as flat as encyclopedia entries? They seldom rise above the level of name-dropping and cameos. It takes a director of the caliber of Martin Scorsese to transcend the normal genre limitations, and The Aviator, Scorsese’s biography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, is truly on fire. Nervous intensity is the hallmark…
Summer theater
Theater companies in Springfield and the region are scheduling some big shows this summer, as well as some intimate dramas. This year, there’s truly something for everyone. The Muni The season starts with another visit to The Sound of Music (June 3-5 and 8-12), always an audience favorite and a big ticket-seller. Next come Ragtime…
Jacqueline Jackson 6-2-05
wetlandspoem #1 the waters are returning with the waters the plants with the waters and plants the fish with the waters and plants and fish the birds from the east has come phyllis singing bird danny fire crow from the south from the west lionel little eagle chuck running elk from the north to spread…
A matter of respect
Rep. Eddie Washington, a freshman member of the Illinois General Assembly, is requesting a written apology from Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s office for what he describes as rude and unprofessional treatment after his May 16 court appearance. Washington, a Democrat representing District 60, just north of Chicago, appeared in court on a traffic ticket charging…
common sense 6-2-05
Is there something about being elected to a state legislature that automatically turns an otherwise normal person’s brain to Silly Putty? Medical science needs to study this. Wherever you live, if you take a look at your state legislative body, you’ll most likely gag and say to yourself: “What a parade of fools.” But let…
Frontier heritage
Fort Madison, Iowa, is a bit scruffy, a tad unkempt. There are downtown buildings with peeling paint and a cemetery on the main drag that manages to look haunted in broad daylight. A few cracked sidewalks spill out sandy soil and nurture the occasional robust weed. In essence, Fort Madison is not a beautiful town.…
Summer guide calendar 2005 pt. 2
AUGUST 1-2 Summer Festival of Films Free weekly children’s film series. Illinois State Museum, Mondays and Tuesdays, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (217-782-5993, www.museum.state.il.us) 2 Springfield Municipal Band Concert Marches, classical, jazz, contemporary. Douglas Park, 7:30-9 p.m. 2-6 Children of Eden Lincoln Community Theatre, Johnston Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln College 2-7 Logan…
earth talk 6-2-05
Dear “Earth Talk”: Many hotels now ask guests to reuse towels and not request new sheets every day as a way to save water and energy. What other eco-friendly trends, if any, are taking place in the hospitality industry? —Jenny Baker, Bozeman, Mont. Asking guests to reuse towels and keep sheets for more than one…
Summer Guide 2005
Welcome to the 22nd edition of the Illinois Times Summer Guide, highlighting hundreds of events and activities in Springfield and around the region. Our summer calendar lists hardy perennials, including area county fairs, outdoor theatrical performances, municipal-band concerts, art fairs, tractor pulls, cheese-eating competitions, lawn-mower racing, and cow-chip-throwing contests. We cast a pretty wide net, from…
By the numbers
If you’re wondering why Gov. Rod Blagojevich would flip-flop on his vow to reform the state’s massively underfunded pension system, you don’t have to look much farther than the most recent poll. A recent survey of 1,000 registered Illinois voters showed Republican state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka leading Democratic Blagojevich by almost 10 percentage points.…
Summer cinema
The summer months bring forth more quantity than quality from the movie industry. Entertainment, with a heavy emphasis on action and comedy, will dominate, leaving room for serious drama. This year’s crop of potential blockbusters includes a few that promise quality. Release dates are subject to change, and titles are listed under their scheduled wide…
now playing 6-2-05
Rod Lingo is a fortysomething Carlinville native who’s been jamming in these parts for years, both as a solo act and with too many bands to count. Now, after all these years of making music, he’s out with his first CD, Lingo. It’s an eclectic mix of work, showing the range of influences on Lingo’s…
capital voices 6-2-05
It’s that time of year again — time for local media to spend away its space rehashing the Cubs-versus-Cards argument. The dispute rages: Better team? Better fans? Better ballpark? Better peanut vendor? Better parking? Better neighborhood? Better scoreboard? As interesting, one supposes, as the always topical “What’s smarter, pig or dog?” Let us now settle…
End of the line
Ralph Harris’s promotion to sergeant in the Springfield Police Department didn’t happen as quietly as he had hoped, and neither did his retirement. Harris became a sergeant last fall after the Springfield Civil Service Commission extended the police promotional list one year past its expiration date. The action, challenged unsuccessfully in court by 21 white…
gardening 6-2-05
This week, while visiting my grandmother, I made the mistake of standing near a hummingbird feeder. Ruby-throated hummingbirds buzzed around my head on their way to the feeder. My initial reaction was to run for cover, but once I realized that they weren’t after me, I was able to enjoy these amazing birds. The smallest…
Back to Earth
Until the last decade or so, most of us had a relative who lived on a farm. Many of our genealogical roots are sunk deep into the land. This connection to the soil has become a little more tenuous as farms have dwindled in number and fewer workers turn the soil for a living. If…
Vacations in a bubble
SAN FRANCISCO — Want a relaxing, safe, good-value vacation? Then an all-inclusive resort, with your room, food, drinks and activities included in one pre-paid price, is just the ticket. But if you seek adventure, immersion in a foreign country, a new experience, then you should probably steer clear. In a twist on what it means…
Summer books
AloftBy Chang-rae Lee (Riverhead Trade, 384 pages, paperback edition, 2005, $14) At one point in his life Jerry Battle may have been a daring young man in his flying machine, but now he’s run smack into that cloud called middle age. A dead wife, an estranged girlfriend, two problem kids, and an ailing father make…
people’s poetry
To Dance We have not danced and may never though I can imagine it Standing at first just holding for a time that would be enough Till music and mood finds your other self intensity goes out of you I know by your…
quick takes 6-2-05
RACE UNITY RALLY SUNDAY The eighth annual “Vision of Race Unity” rally will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 5, in the Capitol Rotunda. Featured speakers include Luanner Peters, the governor’s deputy chief of staff for social services, and Ken Bowers, deputy secretary-general, Spiritual Assembly, Baha’is of the U.S. Winners of a student art…
Walk this way
The most satisfying journey you take this summer could be an inward one, courtesy of the labyrinth at Jubilee Farm. A center for ecology and spirituality operated by Benincasa Ministries, the farm can be found just west of Springfield on Old Jacksonville Road. There, in a picturesque setting among gently rolling hills, the prairie grass…
Summer food
Nothing says summertime like firing up the coals, cooking meat and vegetables in the outdoors, and enjoying the taste and aroma of freshly grilled food. The primeval technique of using fire and smoke to cook your food is nothing new — it’s still as American as apple pie and flying the flag. It’s also quite…
Summer guide calendar 2005 pt. 1
Unless otherwise noted, events are in Springfield and Sangamon County. Information for some events was incomplete at press time; check upcoming editions of Illinois Times for details. JUNE 2 AmerenCILCO Summer Serenade Elvis Presley tribute by Al Hull and Spectors. Washington Street between Fifth and Sixth streets (217-535-5111, www.ameren.com) 2 Vision Quest Concert benefits Illinois Council…
movie review
Ron Howard’s best films focus on everyday heroes, men who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances yet can summon enough strength to conquer seemingly insurmountable challenges. These exemplars of the ideal American man have included fathers struggling to get through the day (Parenthood), firefighters battling ravaging flames (Backdraft), reporters striving to tell the truth (The Paper),…
sound patrol 6-2-05
No singer/songwriter bums out more beautifully than Aimee Mann. Since her early days fronting ’Til Tuesday, she’s lanced every painful carbuncle on the dark side of romance while administering megadoses of pop narcotic. With each new batch of transcendent downers, she manages to become more and more herself, an unabashed classicist and classic depressive who…
Tinker’s toys
Looking for a day trip that offers history, a love story with a boy-gets-girl ending, and a self-made man who makes good — along with some Lincoln lore? The Tinker Swiss Cottage has it all: the story of John Manny, who invented the Manny Reaper, was sued for patent infringement, died young, and left a…
An architectural wonderland
It’s only a three-hour drive to the other side of the looking glass. Just 40 miles south of Indianapolis is the small (36,000) manufacturing town of Columbus, Ind. Just like Springfield, this lovely town is set amid fields of corn and soybeans, but in terms of its art and architecture, it might as well be…
What I learned in elementary school this year
Last week the faculty and staff at McClernand Elementary School held a breakfast to show appreciation for its volunteers. A lot was said about how we mentors plant seeds of hope in the kids we come to see once a week. Though we may not think we’re making much progress with our child, just the…
