Cover Story
Winter Guide
Many holiday festivities are returning this year, and whether you’re looking for activities for the whole family or planning to do some grown-up entertaining, we have suggestions on how to make things as stress-free as possible. The ever-popular Memorial Festival of Trees has been reinvented this year as Memorial Holiday Fest, taking place throughout downtown…
Thanksgiving 1918 – Gratitude after so much loss
Americans have endured some tough years of late, which is nothing new in our history. One example is 1918, when people found plenty of reason to celebrate Thanksgiving. Seventeen days before the holiday, the Armistice had been signed, ending World War I. But the nation was still in the throes of the influenza epidemic, which…
Low-key but fun family offerings
Celebrating the holidays with children is magical, but let’s be honest, the lines and the crowds and the stores and whatnot can also be downright chaotic. For some of us, the slowness of 2020’s holiday season was a sort of reprieve from the hustle and bustle of all that merry-merry-merry. If you are apprehensive about…
A guide to planning holiday parties
If your entertaining skills are feeling a bit rusty after months of Zooming and streaming, we’ve got your back. Our guide will help you put on a festive soirée that you, the hard-working host, can actually enjoy too. Menu planning Whether you’re planning a multi-course dinner party or a casual afternoon with cookies and cocoa,…
Lighting up the holiday season
You may not be able to catch the twinkle in Santa’s eyes, but your eyes can see lots of twinkles at holiday light displays in central Illinois. A variety of places offer delight to driving or walking visitors with the bonus of being a safe activity during the pandemic. COVID-19 concerns and the cancellation of…
Celebrating the season
As increasing numbers of Americans abandon traditional churches and belief systems, many find themselves seeking something that provides meaning to their lives, but outside of the traditional religious purview. The idea that a person can be spiritual, but not necessarily religious, is drawing more adherents. Many people still desire the feeling of community, hope and…
Head downtown for holiday happenings
Downtown is a can’t-miss destination for the holidays, thanks to the organizers of this year’s Memorial Holiday Fest, presented by PNC Bank, and Downtown Springfield Inc.’s Old Capitol Holiday Walks, presented by INB. Both events are taking place in coordination over nearly four weeks in downtown Springfield starting the Saturday after Thanksgiving, celebrated nationwide as…
Editors note 11/25/21
It doesn’t detract from our Thanksgiving gratitude to include a prayer that life could get better for others. The 2021 Sangamon County Citizen Survey, conducted by University of Illinois Springfield, tells us 56% of respondents had at least one bad mental health day in the last month. Those of us grateful to be in the…
Thanksgiving leftovers
I love leftovers. Not simply microwaved on a plate, but as the basis for an entirely new dish. On weekends I’ll often make large batches of side dishes like rice pilaf and mashed potatoes to use later that week in quick dinners like fried rice or potato soup. If you find yourself laden with a…
County approves major solar power project
The Sangamon County Board approved what would be the largest solar project in Illinois earlier this month, moving forward with a plan to place solar panels on 3,250 acres of land in southwest Sangamon County over the span of a 35-year leasing agreement. The board voted 21-4 to approve the plan, which allows Swift Current…
Giving thanks fully
What a lovely sight it is to be at Thanksgiving for 2021. A glance backward at last year’s Now Playing lists mostly activities found only in the digital domain. We can certainly say the times have changed, and that’s something to be thankful for. Since Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday, and being reasonable and…
On the right path
A 10-foot-wide ribbon of asphalt now joins Williamsville and Sherman, enabling residents to bike, hike and run between the two communities. The bike path, which stretches 4.4 miles between the two villages, opened Nov. 20. A more formal opening will occur in 2022 after bike racks and park benches are added. “We want the interconnectivity…
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Downtown Springfield, Inc. (DSI) has teamed up with some great partners and sponsors, including the Memorial Holiday Fest, to celebrate the season in the heart of the community this year. Visit downtown Springfield to experience a winter wonderland with decorated trees and wreaths, visits with Santa, ice skating, arts and crafts and more. Stop by…
The Outlet socks it to them
Michael Phelon, founder of The Outlet in Springfield, believes in helping others. The Outlet serves fatherless boys and young men through mentoring and helps them make responsible life decisions and realize their dreams. Phelon is also teaching them to make helping others a part of their lives. For the past seven years the boys have…
Brown Bag Concert Series
Mezzo-soprano Emily Wheeler, who has frequented the operatic and choral stages, will open this year’s season of First Presbyterian Church’s annual Brown Bag Concert Series. The free lunchtime concerts are offered on Wednesdays during Advent. In addition to Wheeler, this year’s lineup includes vocalist Logan Campbell, organist Trevor Good and musician Chet Lord-Remmert. The First…
Bustos enters SHS Hall of Fame
Congresswoman Cheri Bustos stood on the Springfield High School stage addressing students as she accepted induction into the SHS Hall of Fame. She advised the group, “There will be so many opportunities for you. The foundation built through SHS will serve you well and lead to places you may never have thought of. The foundation…
Archival Memory Poem #42
When my first cousin got angry he’d shout to his mother, “I’m going to run away!” She’d calmly reply, “Tell me when you’re leaving and I’ll have a hard-boiled egg for you.” Eugene always reconsidered; never ran away. Older, drafted into WWII, he was kissing his mother goodbye. My aunt held out her hand. “Here’s…
Skip Bruised, Tammy Faye captivates, be patient with Kingstown
Berry flounders with Bruised I’ve noticed something with many of the first features actors direct – they run way too long. My theory is that they’re in love with every single scene they’ve shot and, as a result, resist leaving anything on the cutting room floor. Such is the case with Halle Berry’s Bruised, a…
Letters to the editor 11/25/21
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. —- A MONUMENTAL MISSION Karen Witter’s cover story truly captured the spirit and nature of what June and Edem Agamah are striving to deliver in Agbozume (“Changing lives in Ghana and Springfield,” Nov. 18). Thank…
Bad news for incumbent Democrats
Some Illinois House Democrats got a bit of a shock during a private caucus meeting held not long after the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund filed its proposed redistricting plan with a federal three-judge panel the other day. MALDEF is claiming the legislature’s district remap plan unconstitutionally discriminates against Latinos and has filed…
Giving thanks for family
There is no place more miserable to be on Thanksgiving Day than in a buffet line in a Las Vegas casino. Trust me. I’ve been there. Back when I was single and a reporter for the Las Vegas Sun, I found myself new in town and alone on the holiday in the middle of Sin…
