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It’s that glorious
time of year when central Illinoisans whip out the sunscreen, find the bug
spray, dig up the flip-flops, dust off the portable chair, and otherwise
prepare for a delightfully fun-filled summer, complete with an abundance of
outdoor live music activities. Downtown Springfield is one hopping place these days,
and things really heat up during the warmer months. Every Tuesday and
Thursday at noon, on the south side of the Old State Capitol Plaza, listen
for performances by a wide variety of local artists. On Washington Street
between Fifth and Sixth, the SoHo Music Fest kicks off the festival season
with more than 20 performers, 4 p.m.-midnight June 1 and 2. The 21st Annual Washington Street Jazz and Blues
takes the same location on June 23 to showcase area jazz and blues bands in
one of the finest festivals of its kind in these here parts. Just around the corner, on July 7, is
Springfield’s very own Taste of Downtown. Not that long ago, a
festival of this size and gist was only seen in faraway burgs. Now a
Springfield summer is not complete if you don’t sample the cuisine
from 25 downtown restaurants and dance in the streets to bands on the
American Music Stage. The Old Capitol Blues & BBQs, the final official
summer downtown whoop-de-do, on Aug. 25, features a baby-back-rib cook-off,
plus a mix of local, regional, and national blues acts. Get away from the asphalt jungle and head for greener
pastures when the world-renowned Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon gets those
bells a-ringing June 3-9 at the International Carillon Festival, in
Washington Park. It’s so easy to take the mighty bell tower for
granted and forget how lucky we are to be the proud custodians of this
precious instrument — or at least that’s what all those
out-of-towners that come each year for the festival say. Don’t forget the Music in the Park series,
featuring concerts on the third Sunday of each month through September.
Each show pairs a couple of our finer area bands by genre in the bucolic
surroundings of a city park for your entertainment pleasure. Thought you’d get through the summer without a
visit to a beer tent? Hah! It’s not likely to happen around here,
buddy. In fact, it’s considered unpatriotic, uncivilized, and
unthinkable. The Illinois State Fair, obviously the big daddy of beer tents
in our neck of the woods, continues its history of libation stations
staffed by local bands. Feel free to locate and patronize your favorite music
group at various and sundry county fairs, homecomings, festivals, shindigs,
burgoos, summerfests, chautauquas, bashes, outings, gatherings, and
celebrations in every central Illinois village, hamlet, burg, parish,
township, and rural community worth its weight in Roundup Ready soybeans.
Contact Tom Irwin at tirwin@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in May 24-30, 2007.
