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Summerguide 2024
Whether you’re looking for affordable ideas for summer day trips or plan to stay close to home, we have suggestions for fun family activities. Plus, find out where to see classic cars this summer and enjoy an upcoming concert performed by the Capital Area Concert Band, 50 volunteer musicians who are celebrating the organization’s 50th…
Letters to the editor 5-23-24
TEACH RESPECT I was shocked to read about students at our local schools attacking and threatening teachers (“Not ready to learn,” May 16). While students in my day, 70 years ago, sometimes got into fights between themselves, never was any teacher physically attacked. Respect for authority in today’s world seems to have taken one large…
Frito-Lay distribution center slated to be built in Springfield
A distribution center employing 150 to 200 full-time workers at a warehouse the size of almost four football fields would be built along Interstate 55 near the Chatham exit, based on a proposal Springfield zoning officials will consider June 20. Local economic development officials told Illinois Times they don’t yet know who would operate the…
Much debate over data privacy bill
I’m not sure I’ve seen a stranger roll call than last week’s House vote on Senate Bill 2978. The data privacy bill is an initiative of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, and he was on the House floor during the debate. The far-right ginned up social media opposition to the bill by claiming that…
United Way works to empower families, create pathways to prosperity
In a concerted effort to uplift ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families across the state, United Way of Illinois, the Association of United Ways across the state, convened stakeholders and policymakers for a lobby day at the state Capitol earlier this month. UWI’s programs and initiatives are instrumental in empowering ALICE families and creating…
Lawsuits for Lincoln Tower Apartments
Structural problems have festered for years at Springfield’s tallest apartment building, but court action to fix at least one of the issues at Lincoln Tower Apartments could be coming in the next few months. The situation – including an inadequate number of working elevators and the city-mandated closure of the deteriorating underground parking garage –…
Motivation to move
Some people will soon be paid $5,000 to move to Jacksonville, Illinois. The Jacksonville Regional Economic Development Corporation is offering the bounty as part of its ongoing effort to lure professionals to the community of 17,600 and surrounding Morgan and Scott counties. According to the U.S. Census, during the second decade of this century Jacksonville…
Airport seeks rezoning to facilitate future redevelopment
Residents of the Val-E-Vue subdivision near Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport say they are relieved the airport altered a plan to change about 92 acres from residential to industrial zoning. The proposed rezoning for the land, which acts as a buffer between the subdivision to the south and the developed part of the airport, “could potentially…
Downtown Springfield should take a page from Detroit’s playbook
You are probably thinking to yourself, surely that headline is a misprint, right? Ten years ago, the city of Detroit had an empty downtown, high crime, had lost half its population to outward migration and capped off its downward spiral with the declaration of bankruptcy. The city was effectively dead. Last month, the Wall Street…
U.S. Postal Service delays decision
While delays within the U.S. Postal Service are not usually applauded, one made this month by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was celebrated in Springfield. The Postal Service has chosen to pause until January moving some functions of Springfield’s packaging and distribution center to St. Louis. This is part of a national endeavor to consolidate processing…
Expanding access to mental health care
In the middle of Mental Health Awareness Month, Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton hosted a panel in Springfield May 15 at which he pledged to expand the state’s behavioral health services. With several dozen services providers from around the state in attendance, Pritzker and panelists floated ideas to improve access to mental…
The sound of community
The number 50 holds special significance for The Capital Area Concert Band. Not only has it been a fully formed orchestral ensemble for half a century, it also has performed at 50 venues in Springfield. With 50 dedicated volunteer musicians spanning 75 years from ages 17 to 92, the CACB continues to resonate with the…
Classic cars and cruise-ins
Three area events this summer include a theme involving classic cars, including an awareness-raising cruise-in at Habitat for Humanity, a 100th birthday party for Maid Rite and the 11th Annual Powerlight Abe Lincoln Car Show. Here are brief summaries of each: Spring Cleaning Cruise-In Wednesday, May 29 5:30-8:30 p.m. Habitat for Humanity 2744 S. Sixth…
Affordable family outings
From outdoor festivals to a night out under the lights, having a fun-filled summer in the capital city doesn’t have to break the bank. Mark these free events on your calendar and take advantage of discounted activities for both kids and grownups. The 2024 Levitt AMP Springfield Music Series kicks off May 30. Located across…
Tips for an ideal picnic
Is there anything more summery than a picnic? Whether you’re sitting at a bench with a deli sandwich or spread out on a blanket with a basket of homemade treats, food always tastes better outdoors. While it may seem to be the epitome of leisure, pulling off a perfect picnic does require some planning. Keep…
Make the best of cicadas
They’re coming! If the idea of our region’s massive cicada emergence gives you the creeps, you aren’t alone. I am definitely (ahem) bugged at the thought of so many airborne crawlies, but I am doing my best to put on a brave face. Since the only way out is through, why not turn up the…
Raw seafood dish perfect for a hot day
I’ve been hearing that Panama is one of the best places in the world for Americans to retire. It’s a tropical destination with incredibly beautiful scenery and is less than a three-hour flight from Miami. Panama is warm and humid at sea level and cool in the mountains. It lies southwest of the hurricane belt,…
A collection from a legendary baseball writer
Carved on the fourth-floor frieze of the Illinois State Library are the names of 35 Illinois authors selected by a committee to recognize the contributions of writers associated with Illinois. Some names, Hemingway, Bellow and Lincoln, are easily recognizable. Others require slightly more thought. Ringgold Wilmer Lardner came to Chicago by way of Niles, Michigan.…
Memorable Memorial Day weekend
We are now into the last full weekend of May and that means it’s Memorial Day weekend, commonly known as the beginning of the summer season. Time is flying by, and I guess that means we’re having fun. Let’s see what fun we can get into during this holiday weekend. We’ve been pushing the Thursday…
Musical chronicling Springfield’s favorite couple returns
This musical about Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln will return to the Hoogland Center for the Arts for a second season. The Lincolns of Springfield was the culmination of a dream for creators Terrence and Rebecca Powers Cranert, who moved to Springfield from California. According to the Cranerts, the musical tells the story of “how…
Furiosa a solid action epic, Sight does a disservice to its subject
Miller’s Furiosa hums along in a different gear George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a solid action epic that, while it manages to deliver a twisted story and the kinetic aesthetic we’ve come to expect from him, falls short of the ground-breaking effort the filmmaker delivered with Mad Max: Fury Road. To be…
Editors note 5/23/24
Despite changes in culture and technology, summer for Americans still has a romantic, open feel, with visions of long days filled with possibility and freedom. Even when listings are digitized and at our fingertips at illinoistimes.com, our paper Summerguide is a favorite for the same reason as summer. In these 80 pages you can leisurely…
Love’s Seasons
This poem, signed KB, was in response to one of my radio programs broadcast over public radio in WI and IL. In spring we find clover and wild strawberries, even wild asparagus – and if we search closely, mushrooms hiding in the moss. Summer brings blackberries and raspberries in the fence rows and in the…
Summerguide events
ONGOING Friday Night Jazz Every Friday, 5:30-7:30pm. Listen to some of Springfield’s finest jazz musicians with a different act every week. Sponsored by the Springfield Area Arts Council. Free, family friendly and accessible. springfieldartsco.org. Boone’s, 301 Edwards St., 217-679-3752. Kidzeum Sensory-Friendly Visit Times First Sunday of every month through Dec. 1, 9-11am. Lights and noises…
Summer in Chicago
Chicago can be a pricey destination any time of the year, but summer is a swell time to seek some savings. Just concentrate on outdoor fun with the family or friends. “As families plan their summer outings, Chicago offers a vibrant array of fun and oftentimes free activities,” says Rich Gamble, interim president and CEO…
Listen to live music this summer
Outdoor music on a Midwestern summer day or night is always worth the winter’s wait. Any self-respecting community festival will have live music, and almost every day, bars and restaurants open their patios for local musicians to showcase their talents. Of course, music festivals are the powerhouse entertainment sources around here, and the perennial local…
So many shows
Something about an al fresco theater performance changes everything – the spatial relationship between the actors and the audience, the unpredictable lighting, the sound or how a slight breeze can be worked into an ad lib moment. For those passionate about theater, it all adds to the experience. We in the Springfield area are fortunate…
