Cover Story
Sumerguide 2021
There wasn’t much to celebrate last summer, with most fairs, festivals and annual events canceled. However, this year’s 68-page Summerguide shows that summer activities have returned. We have a three-month calendar to help you plan your leisure time, plus a round up of live music and art exhibits. There are ideas for day trips, and…
Jailers tased inmate at least five times, records show
A man who died a month ago after a struggle with Sangamon County jailers was shocked by a Taser at least five times times, according to jail records. Jaimeson Cody, who was 39, died 20 hours after entering the jail when Divernon police arrested him on suspicion of domestic violence. About 10 hours after he…
Editor’s Note 5/27/21
For many years Illinois Times has welcomed summer with the “summerlong” Summerguide, including a big calendar of events so you can plan your leisure, because summer is a terrible thing to waste. Last year our SG was a shutdown shadow of its usual self, but here we are back, 68 pages with ads aplenty, ready…
Celebrating Black lives through art
Springfield natives Micki Smith and KAS King have joined together to guest curate an exhibition featuring talented artists of color from Illinois, Missouri and Texas. The artists bring together a collection of 33 works of art celebrating Black lives – past, present and future. The Illinois State Museum (ISM) is presenting the exhibition in collaboration…
A remembrance of Peg Knoepfle
Margaret “Peg” Knoepfle, 86, of Springfield, died Sunday, May, 23, as the result of a single-car auto crash. Deborah Brothers writes: “Today, I lost one of my oldest friends and mentors, Peggy Sower Knoepfle. Peg was extraordinary. From the yellow Auburn house to the senior living apartment where she lived with her husband, John, until…
Rollin’ by the rivers
Some visitors flock to the Grafton area for outdoor adventures – hiking, biking, water sliding, boating and zip-lining. Others make a beeline to the bars, wineries and party patios overlooking the river. Still others content themselves with sitting on the porch of a state park lodge, watching the river and life roll by. Whatever your…
State improves fiscally
If I had told you during the brief legislative session last May, while the state was still under a stay-at-home order and everything appeared to be collapsing, that Illinois would have an extra $2 billion laying around to pay off the remainder of a $3.2 billion federal loan, you might have thought I was insane.…
A trip down Route 4 (Old Route 66)
Whether you want to learn some history or play golf, dig for treasures in an antique shop or bookstore, drive the old brick section of Route 66, walk across a covered bridge, see vintage cars or an old-fashioned drugstore, eat home-cooked meals or sample beers at a pub, you can get all your desires satisfied…
Children’s Day Poem #1
Archival find: Ron Dougan writes his grown (and absent) kids. “I’m sitting in the cool office 7 am listening to the milk house hum below me clanging of pipes steam brawling into water and once in a while a shout above the hubbub. A dickcissel is whistling without. Fifteen boys will be here at 8…
Creative Reuse Marketplace store opens June 2
The Creative Reuse Marketplace (CRM) store, opening June 2 in downtown Springfield, is not your typical store. If you’re an artist, teacher, scrapbooker, hobbyist, creative individual or enjoy making things with your kids or grandkids, this place is for you. Yarn, fabric, colorful plastic pieces, metal parts, ribbon, jewelry, cards, bottle caps, leftover widgets and…
Letters to the Editor 5/27/21
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to letters@illinoistimes.com. —- FORGET APPEAL I went to the Lake Springfield beach frequently with my daughter (“City hit with six-figure verdict,” May 20). The lifeguards rarely paid any attention to the water. I was there the day…
“The Next Ten” visioning plan
Months in the making and based on extensive grass-roots community input, the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln is releasing the next 10 – a community visioning plan for greater Springfield. The plan will be unveiled at the May 28 Citizen’s Club meeting (8 a.m. Hoogland Center for the Arts). It identifies 10 broad…
Auditor general’s committee violated election law
The campaign committee of former state Rep. Frank Mautino, who is now the Illinois auditor general, violated state law when it spent campaign funds on gas and car repairs for personal vehicles, the Illinois Supreme Court decided Thursday, May 20. But the court did not find Mautino’s committee violated a separate section of state election…
The music is back
Springfield got its first awesome taste of the Levitt AMP Music Series back in 2019 before we were cruelly denied a second act in 2020. Our patience has paid off, however, and the corner of Fifth and Jackson streets is ready to welcome back the crowds. This year’s lineup kicks off on June 3 with…
Fighting a life sentence
“I used to say that I wanted to be a lawyer so that I could get him out of jail,” Lieutenant LaSheda Brooks said about her father, Antonio House. Brooks, 30, is now a judge advocate for the U.S. Navy. She has spent her adult life fighting for her father’s freedom. House, 47, has a…
Mental health disorders leading cause of maternal mortality
Vaccinations mean hope for an end to the pandemic is on the horizon. But in Springfield, the number of infected and ill pregnant women actually went up after vaccinations became available. That’s according to Dr. Robert Abrams, head of the maternal-fetal medicine division at SIU School of Medicine and director of obstetrics for the South-Central…
Kidzeum on road to reopen
The city’s only children’s museum is planning its return. The Kidzeum of Health and Science was forced to shutter early on in the pandemic. Children’s museums in particular were hit hard by COVID-19, as the exhibits are hands-on. The museum has remained closed. But it will reopen with weekend hours, beginning in July, with an…
Summerguide 2021 events calendar
May “STATE OF SOUND: A World of Music from Illinois” Through Jan. 23, 2022. Open during museum hours. From Muddy Waters to REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick to Earth Wind and Fire and Chance the Rapper, the Land of Lincoln has produced some of the most highly celebrated music in rock. PresidentLincoln.Illinois.gov. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum,…
The new Springfield art scene
The relatively new kid on the visual arts block, DIM Art House, has pushed through this rough year and come out strong. Its three creative founders, Joey Wallace, Christy Freeman Stark and Jeff Williams, have been making things happen and they have some lively plans for the summer. The studio is open each week for…
Walk, Hike and Bike History
When it comes to learning about Springfield’s rich and diverse history, Justin Blandford, superintendent of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and his incredible team want to offer an experience that will exceed your expectations. That’s why they recently developed Walk, Hike and Bike History, a series of six outdoor experiences that focus on encouraging…
Sides make the meal
The culinary centerpiece of Memorial Day cookouts is often the meat on the grill, yet sides are typically what really make the meal. The start of summer celebrations are a perfect opportunity to celebrate fresh produce and create sides delicious enough to stand on their own. Today we examine two cookout staples: potato and pasta…
Something’s fishy in St. Louis
Plunging my hand into a shallow tank of doctor fish and having dozens swarm it tickled my fingers and my psyche. I giggled as they nibbled away any dead skin, the tank’s attendant assuring me it was a perfectly safe pseudo-manicure. Such a tactile experience is an integral part of enjoying the St. Louis Aquarium…
Three movies worth watching
Cruella a dark surprise Containing one surprise after another, Craig Gillespie’s Cruella is, despite its Disney label and the Mouse House’s aggressive campaigning to the contrary, not for young viewers. Dark, and at times all to befitting of its title, the film takes a page from Todd Phillips’ Joker to provide an origin story that…
Snoozing and cruising
Pandemic, for me, is over. Never mind the New York Times, which warns that Sangamon County remains at high risk – there’s a neat-o gizmo on the home page, updated daily, that lets you check out disease danger, county by county, nationwide. Two months after getting my second shot, I felt guilty, then giddy, when…
Memorable Memorial Day weekend music
Let’s kick off the summer fun and jump on into this holiday weekend, where special time is given to commemorate our loved ones, as well as an extra bump of live music shows, before the work week commences. May I suggest using this opportunity to your fullest advantage by getting out and experiencing the wide…
