Haunted Halloween fun
A favorite fall haunting event is back and spookier than ever. Don’t miss Riverside Stables’ Extreme Haunted Hayrides and Zombie Paintball Rides every Friday and Saturday night through Oct. 28. During the zombie paintball ride, guests board a double-decker trailer and travel deep into the woods to shoot at live zombie characters and targets. (Guests…
Ending Mars “Mountain”
I sometimes wonder why actors and actresses chose to appear in the movies they do. I’m sure some choices are made because of the size of the paycheck they’re getting, others are done in the hopes of vying for an Oscar, while some are done to increase their brand or name recognition. And then there…
“Victoria and Abdul” An Entertaining, History-Lite Exercise
In 1887, as part of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubliee, the monarch received two Indian servants to honor the occasion. One of them was Hafiz Mohammed Abdul Karim, a 14 year old who was the son of a hospital assistant. Over time, Victoria came to like and trust this young man, going so far as to…
Cruise Makes American Made Soar
A couple of years ago, an article appeared that claimed that there were no more movies stars. The contention was that putting any actor or actress’ name above the title didn’t sell tickets anymore, but that franchises and pop culture roles, superheroes in particular, were the real draw. The author felt that it didn’t matter…
Wet Bar may become dry bar
Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder has reduced hours at the Wet Bar, a downtown watering hole that’s known as much for fights and disturbances as drinking. Effective immediately, the bar at 221 South Fifth Street must close at 1 a.m. instead of 3 a.m., according to the mayoral order issued Thursday. The mayor’s action came shortly…
Robert P. Howard on tape
In “Gathering nuts,” I tried to pay tribute to that a string of Springfield men who played a surprising large role in the acceptance of oral history as a means of research into the past, beginning with William Herndon, Lincoln’s last law partner. When I wrote that column I was not aware that Robert P. Howard,…
What would Willis do?
For years the Sierra Club has played the conscience of City Water, Light and Power in the absence of mayors and aldermen capable of the role. Most people can agree that having a conscience is a good thing, but no one likes be nagged by one, and CWLP is doubtless fed up with the Sierra…
Do better than a rip-off health care system
News flash: Republican congressional leaders have come up with yet another grand scheme to fix America’s health care system. So, look out – because when they say “fix,” they mean it in the same sense as your veterinarian uses the word. For the gazillionth time, GOP lawmakers have put a shiny new ribbon on their…
The governor’s credibility problem
One reason why Gov. Bruce Rauner promised to veto HB40 last spring was to prevent a House Republican revolt on the state budget. The bill deletes a so-called “trigger” provision in current law which states that if the Roe v. Wade case is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, Illinois would automatically revert to outlawing…
Letters to the Editor 10/5/17
TOWNSHIP SUCCESSESAs the executive director of the Township Officials of Illinois, I would like to comment on the story by Bruce Rushton (“Outdated?,” Illinois Times, Sept. 21). In his piece, he examines the topic of township consolidation at length. The fact of the matter is, cherry-picking townships as a unit of government that should…
Ovarian cancer awareness grows
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum was lit up in teal last month in honor of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. The month was dedicated to raising awareness about ovarian cancer and honoring those women who have lost their lives and who are still fighting this deadly disease. This was the first time a community in…
Historical brews, tours and tunes
On Saturday, Oct. 7, from 11 a.m. through 4 p.m., join Rolling Meadows Farm Brewery for an event in support of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Foundation. In addition to offering delicious Rolling Meadows brews, food for purchase from Coopers StrEATside Bistro and live music by Casey Cantrall and Lowder and Manning, the…
The role of photojournalists and reporters
This October, Hoogland Productions presents six performances of Time Stands Still, the Tony-nominated play written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donald Margulies. The fictional love story focuses on Sarah Goodwin, a photojournalist, and her partner, James Dodd, a freelance reporter, as they attempt to make sense of a world seemingly gone mad. When Sarah is injured…
Kingdom Brothers
Based out of St. Louis while reaching out across the Midwest, Kingdom Brothers are achieving their stated goal “to do something really different on the St. Louis music scene,” as professed by founding member Bob Walther. Since 2005, Walther plus bandmates Stan Gill (keyboard), Ron Roskowske (lead guitar), Joe Warmbrodt (drums) and Chris Shepherd (guitar,…
Sparks and recreation
I am a 32-year-old woman who has never been in a relationship with a man I’m actually attracted to. The men I’ve ended up with really pursued me, and they were all smart, funny and kind, so I thought it was shallow not to date them because I wasn’t that into their looks. Depressingly, each…
Evolving Benedictine
Bram Stoker would have liked this school. “Just drive by at night,” said Benedictine University Springfield Campus Director Janet Kirby. “It has taken time for the community to understand that we are still here, we are teaching students, we are alive and creating great stories.” Kirby was among the 25 of Benedictine’s 100 employees who…
Celebrating the CCC
In 1831, Abraham Lincoln arrived in New Salem as a penniless young laborer who took on a variety of odd jobs, including manual labor, to support himself. His experience in the village gave him the confidence, social connections, and work experience necessary to climb out of poverty and become a successful, professional gentleman. Just over…
African-American heritage explored
“You, as individuals, are very significant to the success of a project like this,” said Floyd Mansberger of Fever River Research, addressing a group at Union Baptist Church Sept. 18. The project being discussed was an architectural survey to create a record of the African-American experience in the Springfield area beginning with the city’s initial…
Enos Park gets an artistic makeover
“People keep pulling up and then immediately driving away,” said a bemused Allison Lacher, one of the local organizers of the Terrain Biennial, which held its preview night Saturday in Enos Park, with festivities spread throughout the neighborhood. “That’s not usually the way things go at art openings – it’s a little disconcerting.” The Terrain…
Check, please
With no election on the horizon, Springfield aldermen gathered last week at Saputo’s restaurant to snack on hors d’oeuvres and collect checks from labor and construction interests. Seven aldermen attended, according to Brad Schaive, business manager for Laborers Local 477, which handed out at least $4,000. No city business was discussed, and so there was…
No green for turf project
The Springfield High School Booster Club owes more than $300,000 for artificial turf that’s already been installed, according to the club’s financial statements and documents filed with the Internal Revenue Service. The note, held by Bank of Springfield came due on Sept. 1, according to Todd Knox, booster club president. The financial crunch came after…
DO YOU HAVE A PENCIL?
Brittany Wagner, star of the Netflix documentary series Last Chance U and academic adviser to East Mississippi Community College Lions football team, will speak at noon Saturday, Oct. 7, at Springfield High School’s Schnirring Auditorium. Wagner will elaborate on her “Do you have a pencil?” catchphrase as a method of motivating student athletes to put…
MILK ILLINOIS
The Illinois Department of Agriculture hosted 32 international dairy producers and veterinarians from seven countries in an effort to increase export sales for the Illinois dairy industry. Individuals from Guatemala, Mexico, Myanmar, Peru, South Korea, Thailand and the Dominican Republic visited farms and agribusinesses throughout Illinois over a three-day tour Oct. 2-4. Since its inception…
Blade Runner 2049 a worthy continuation
Going where many filmmakers would fear to tread, director Denis Villeneuve has ventured into dangerous territory by making a sequel to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner with Blade Runner 2049, a lavish continuation of the cult sci-fi classic that manages to be an improvement on the original. I know this opinion will be seen as heresy…
The BassBerg lowdown and Moore
As I started writing my column, the news went from bad to worse with mass shootings and Tom Petty’s untimely passing. No telling what else will happen before I finish this and we go to press, but condolences go out as a feeble exercise in combating the sadness and grief. As the show goes on,…
Bread 101
Bread and I have always had a tenuous relationship. I had dreams of crusty artisan loaves and soft, pillowy rolls, but at a certain point, every attempt produced leaden bricks. It wasn’t until late one night, when I couldn’t sleep and I decided to watch old Baking with Julia Episodes on PBS that I seemed…
Editor’s Note 10/5/17
While many politicians were saying it’s too soon to talk about gun control, our Sen. Richard Durbin said it’s lawmakers’ job to answer tough questions. “Congress is complicit if it continues its course of inaction,” Durbin said this week. “Can we protect the Second Amendment rights of every American, yet draw reasonable lines at the…
family story #23
back in the days when planeswere being hijacked to cubarecall? – my brother-in-law’smother refused to fly becauseshe was afraid of being hijackedto cuba eventually she moved toa nursing home in wisconsin viafamily transportation after a bitshe died her body was flownfrom madison to ohio for burialbut missed the service becausethe plane was hijacked to cuba
