Tonight at The Pharmacy! Open Format Open Mic!
Are you a singer? A stand-up comedian? A poet? A sumo wrestler? A yo-yo champion? Or do you just like to get up in front of a group of people and try to freak them out? Boy, oh boy, does The Pharmacy have a deal for you. The Pharmacy’s open mic night has a completely…
Carefully crafted poems of imagery
Judging from his new book of poetry From Delancey West (forthcoming by BlazeVOX [books]), Springfield poet Brian Jackson will not be poetry slamming any time soon. This is no insult. This is just to say that Jackson’s work situates him squarely as an Imagist and a worthy follower of Guillaume Apollinaire and Ezra Pound. That’s…
Letters to the Editor 3/28/13
FOLLOWING FRANCISSeeing as how a significant majority of Springfield’s Catholics oppose the destruction of Griffin Woods, I’m curious as to why a coalition of progressive Sacred-Heart Griffin students, faculty and parents haven’t organized to oppose the radical transformation of their campus from being located next to what is essentially a 20-acre nature preserve to being…
Neotraditional country
Traditional Country music’s new-guy-in-town debuted in 2009. And he’s coming to our town to show you what he’s got at the Prairie Capital Convention Center on Saturday, March 30. Is there a twang of Buck Owens in there, Mr. Easton Corbin? Whether or not, after just one album, Corbin has secured two No. 1 singles,…
In This Moment
From an introduction through friends, Maria Brink (lead vocals, piano) and Chris Howorth (lead guitar, vocals) got together in August of 2005 and immediately formed a common bond of music through songwriting. After starting a band called Dying Star with drummer Jeff Fabb, they soon changed musical direction and In This Moment became a reality…
Star bards
Two local college writing professors, one retired and one not, playfully post on their book-signing invitation “Two Poets Journey to The Holy Land.” You’re invited to this journey where you can get one of John Knoepfle’s books, Shadows and Starlight, and a signature, or Brian Jackson’s newly published, From Delancey West, and a signature. The…
Ham or lamb it up
For many Americans, ham is the traditional centerpiece of their Easter dinner. In other homes – ours included – it’s roast leg of lamb. Lamb’s natural association with spring makes it a favorite this time of year with people of many beliefs and cultures. Sadly, many folks have only experienced roast lamb that’s overdone and…
funnybiz poem #6
how about a joke in this spacemy daughter #2 reports shegot a t-shirt for her son had agroup of marshmallows sittingaround a campfire with terroron their faces the marshmallowstoryteller was saying “andthen they took the chocolateand then graham crackers . . . ”
Park board campaigns short on substance
Candidates for public office are prone to saying lots of things. “The park district needs to be run like a business, not a political organization.” That’s what Leslie Sgro said way back in 1991 when she first ran for president of the Springfield Park District board. Twenty-three years later, no one is accusing her or…
Four-legged fun
Ani-mall Pet Expo and Mega Adoption is being held at the Expo Building within the Illinois State Fairgrounds Saturday, March 30. This is a packed four-hour event with adoptions by the Animal Protective League, vendors with pet-related products and services, contests for owners and their animal friends, a Children’s Fun Zone with three bounce houses,…
It’s time for a Lake Springfield maintenance plan
Lake Springfield is the crown jewel of the City of Springfield. It is the most valuable and most important asset the city owns. It is our only water supply, the coolant for the power plant and host to more than 600,000 annual visitors who fish, boat, swim and use the parks. Lake Springfield is vital…
Blanket of PR to make you want to hug a drone
In a recent senatorial dustup, Sen. John McCain called Republican colleague Rand Paul one of “the wacko birds” of Congress. McCain was giving Sen. Paul a tongue-lashing for having mounted a 13-hour, old-fashioned, stand-alone filibuster over the possibility that murderous drones could be used for targeted assassinations of Americans right here at home. McCain said…
The trustee fight fumes onward
A recent meeting between Metro East legislators and Gov. Quinn’s staff turned heated at times, and as a result nothing was accomplished in the standoff over Quinn’s appointments to the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees. The governor’s three appointments to SIU’s board were unanimously rejected by the Senate in late February – the first…
The sounds of spring
Oh, I can close my eyes and hear those wonderful sounds of music played out-of-doors as the weather breaks and spring returns to take us into summer. I hear rock bands outside in beer gardens, festivals on the streets of Springfield echoing all day and late into the night, groups of all flavors playing in…
Unplugged
We all live in a brave new world, but the future is happening sooner in some places than in others. As you might expect, the planet is home to many nations where connections to the Internet, the highway to that future, are slow or costly compared to the advanced nations, if they are available at…
The Call not worth taking
If there’s one thing I realized while watching Brad Anderson’s The Call, it’s that a documentary on 911 call centers and the people who work there would probably make for a fascinating film. A look at the triumphs and tragedies they experience, the stress they deal with and how the system works would probably help…
Stammer time
I can’t talk to really pretty girls. If I’m talking to a girl I’m not that interested in or a dude, I’m golden. But if I’m attracted to a girl, my thoughts get totally scrambled. After a party, I walked this sweet, gorgeous girl to her car. She said some funny or cute thing about…
Sweet search
Brought to you by Springfield’s downtown merchants and Downtown Springfield, Inc., the first annual Old State Capitol Easter Egg Hunt promises to be a fun place to bring the youngsters, ages 1-12, Saturday, March 30. The hunt will take place on the Old State Capitol lawn. Also, bring your children’s most beautifully painted egg and…
Shortchanging Illinois children is a choice
Although times are difficult for social services in Illinois, a statewide advocacy group thinks that it is still possible to positively affect the lives of children. Voices for Illinois Children, a nonpartisan advocacy group which uses policy analysis and research to advance the lives of children, families and communities in Illinois, hosted its annual Illinois…
Man featured in 2006 story wanted for Mattoon killing
Once a poster boy for drug treatment and reform, Thomas O’Dell is now wanted for the killing of a Mattoon bartender on March 18. Authorities in Coles County on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for O’Dell, who was the subject of a 2006 Illinois Times story after he was released from prison after suing the…
Change is good in The Croods
While Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders’ The Croods shows you can teach an old caveman new tricks, it also drives home the point that some things never change, namely that teenagers will rebel and that fathers have had a hard time letting go of their little girls for time immemorial. Clever and at times a…
The cost of fracking
Nearly a mile below the surface of southern Illinois, a vast reserve of oil and natural gas sits locked in thick shale rock. While Illinois has a long history of tapping into its enormous fossil fuel resources, unlocking the shale reserve takes a new approach that could bring both economic windfall and potential for environmental…
