Stocking up, just in case things go to hell in a handbasket
The little house was fairly bursting with good food stored away for the long winter. The pantry and the shed and the cellar were full, and so was the attic. The attic was a lovely place to play. The large, round, colored pumpkins made beautiful chairs and tables. The red peppers and onions dangled overhead.…
The Duchess: A portrait of strength under pressure
British historians have referred to Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, as the country’s first media star and it’s easy to see why. Having married the Duke of Devonshire at the age of 17, she soon showed that she was mature beyond her years in managing matters of the royal court, was not afraid to speak…
Best of Food & Drink
Best Chips and Salsa Xochimilco 2941 W. Iles Ave., 546-3116; 3210 Northfield Dr., 544-9206; 6901 Preston Dr., 483-1006 You can tell a lot about a Mexican restaurant by its chips. If they’re greasy, you can bet your chile relleno will be drowning in grasa. If they’re sparse, you’ll have to tackle a waiter to get…
Why unions oppose con-con, and why they’re wrong
I’m a member of a union. My father was a proud union member. His father was a union member and, for a time, a union organizer. I own a business. My maternal grandparents, whom I cherished more than anyone else when I was a kid, were farmers. My mother was a public school teacher for…
Best place for a fast cheap lunch
In a hurry and pinching pennies? Our readers didn’t deliver one clear winner so we decided to feature the top five vote getters. Here’s the skinny on some of your options for fast, cheap mid-day dining around the capital city. Café Moxo 411 E. Adams St., 788-8084 This charming downtown eatery offers an inventive (and…
Best of Recreation and Fitness
Best gym for weight training Fit Club all locations www.fitclub.net Though it’s not obvious to a casual observer, it’s true that weight training burns more calories when the muscles are at rest (during a workout) than when they’re in motion. Though there are exceptions to the rule, it’s also true that while group exercises are…
People’s Poetry
techno poem #6 (from my techno friend to the techno-challenged) here’s what you need to get your computer going while you’re gone —your keyboard, plug it into one of the usb connectors on the laptop —mouse, same instructions; plug itinto a jack on the right so the corddoesn’t wrap around the laptopyou are right-handed aren’t…
Best small town resturant outside of Springfield
Rather than name a winner in this out-of-town eatery category we thought it would be far more fun to challenge readers to eat their way around central Illinois. In alphabetical order here are nine eateries our readers recommended: Ariston Café 413 Old Route 66 North, Litchfield, 324-2023 This is a legendary establishment that has an…
Best of Arts and Entertainment
Best Original Band Best Local Band Likely to Make it Big The Station Over 10 years of constant touring across the U.S. took The Station a long way from its humble beginnings in Chatham, Ill. Every step of the way the quartet concentrated on being an original band, from live jams to recorded releases. Even…
The Grown-ups vs. the Webmasters
Here’s one of the most embarrassing moments of my life: My parents were visiting, and after dinner, we lingered around the table to chat. My son Milo, then 3, entertained himself with a footstool and a canister lid. Sitting on the footstool and holding the lid, he pretended to be driving a car. From his…
The real Mavericks are from Texas
If you watched the television coverage of John McCain’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, you might have noticed a delegate brandishing a hand-lettered sign proclaiming McCain to be: “THE MAVRICK.” Worse than the misspelling is the gross misapplication of the label. Far from a maverick, McCain is a 26-year Washington insider who is…
The “Best” and all the rest
What could be better than winning an Illinois Times Best of Springfield award? Being recognized by peers within your community is an honor and delight, to be accepted with dignity and respect. Unfortunately, under normal circumstances and within the parameters of voting and tallying the votes, there is only one number one, regardless of how…
Letters to the Editor
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address, and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. TOO LATE FOR MOM Thanks for your article about Dr. Alfrey and the transplants being stopped at Memorial [See ” Kidney failure,” by…
Best of People
Best school crossing guard Rosemary Thomas She starts her mornings as crossing guard at St. Aloysius school, then by 8:30 she’s on the job at Ridgely elementary. She’s back again at both schools in the afternoon. The children all know her as “Grandma,” a reminder that she got acquainted the Ridgely and the the importance…
The Making of the Best of Springfield
When we started working on this Best of Springfield edition many weeks ago, the world was a calmer place than it is today. Given the general craziness we’re all experiencing as Wall Street and Main Street figure out who’s on first, it was a joy to focus our attention on the positive and uplifting “bests”…
People’s Poetry
roundbarnpoem # 3 I trespassed yesterday found a way into the derelict barn on the farm I grew up on my dad grew up there too I took some plaster of paris cleaned out the handprints where when he was nine and his brother seven they’d made them in the wet cement I used to…
IT Picks
Rock fiends A cult following and hardcore lyrics are all The Misfits need to rock a show. Performing hits like “American Psycho” and “Monster Mash,” the classic three-chord progression of The Misfits is sure to set Springfield on fire. The band was formed in Lodi, N.J., in 1977. They resurrected from a 10-year breakup to…
