PHOTO BY METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION Gather the family for a day of fun during Chatham’s second annual family kite festival. The festival, hosted by Chatham Friends of the Parks and genH Kids Coalition, features kites of all sizes for all levels of experience, plus food and drink for purchase. Bring your own kites or purchase […]
Chatham
Posted inArts & Culture
Creation stories
Read up on your creation stories. Genesis, The Musical premiers Aug. 1 at Playhouse on the Square in Jacksonville. There are nine performances through Aug. 10. Written by playwrights Ken Bradbury of Arenzville and Roger Wainwright of Chatham, the musical is a rapid-fire synopsis of the first book of the Bible. Bradbury directs a 10-member […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Horseradish Festival
The International Horseradish Festival is June 6-8 in Collinsville. Some folks say Small Town America is dying. And in some cases, that’s true. But other small towns, such Homer, Illinois, have found ways to celebrate their uniqueness. For Homer, it’s their SodaFest featuring Homer Soda Company’s incredible variety of vintage and artisanal sodas. Chatham has […]
Posted inMusic
Making mid-May music
The Funky Butt Brass Band blows in from St. Louis for a show at The Creek in Chatham on Saturday night. As foretold and promised in recent accounts here in this column, May is heating up musically almost as much as the weather did last week. Even though the current outside temps seem to indicate […]
Posted inNews
Officials calming fears over Common Core standards
As schools across Illinois prepare to roll out new educational standards, officials are working to battle negative perceptions by the public. The state’s new Common Core learning standards are benchmarks for what students should be able to do at each grade level. Leaders from business, labor and education spoke to a gathering of parents and […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Pumpkin party
Rain or shine, meander through the Halloween splendor of 2,012 hand-carved, illuminated jack-o-lanterns surrounding the Carillon and Botanical Garden in Washington Park. This family-friendly event is a fundraiser for the Rees Carillon. Save $1 per ticket in advance at all Pease’s stores and Bank of Springfield locations. Food vendors will be on location. Organizers suggest taking […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Pick of the crop
The Chatham Jaycees always put on one of the most enjoyable festivals in central Illinois. This year’s two-day fest with corn and a host of other morsels, entertainment and games and nightly music takes place July 20-21 in Chatham’s Community Park located on the south edge of town. The Illinois Central Blues Club hosts an […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Strings of fire
Grab your hats for this Fast and Furious family concert at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS, featuring electrifying violinist Nicolas Kendall and music director candidate and guest conductor Alastair Willis. Hear John Adams’ popular “Short Ride in a Fast Machine,” Chris Brubeck’s “Spontaneous Combustion” and Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony.” Kendall is also a member of the genre-defying trio […]
Posted inNews
Honor Flight sends WW II vets to Washington, D.C., for a day
Springfield resident Bernard Carver, 89, remembers loading ammunition, refueling four-engine B-24 bombers and flying along with pilots in the Eighth Air Force, to pick up equipment during World War II. Early Tuesday morning, April 5, Carver, along with his son, Bernie Carver, boarded a plane, this time chartered by Land of Lincoln Honor Flight. The […]
Posted inNews
Methodist distribution center in Chatham sends relief to Japan
Five days a week volunteers bustle about the kitchen and heated warehouse inside the Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Chatham. Many are retired and some come from as far as North Dakota. All volunteers come to serve. The distribution center is one of seven distribution warehouses connected with the United Methodist Committee on Relief, an […]
Posted inNews
Patriot Guard watches over military funerals
About 100 somber men and women in black leather vests line every pathway in front of the cream-colored funeral home in Chatham. On every vest is a collection of colorful patches proclaiming the wearer’s religion, military service and other affiliations and creeds. Most arrived earlier that day on rumbling motorcycles, and each now holds an […]
Posted inNews
Burglary ring busted, but some escape punishment
A local burglary ring responsible for numerous break-ins during the past several months has been busted, but several people implicated in the crimes remain free. On July 23, the Springfield Police Department announced the arrest of five young men who were allegedly responsible for around 100 instances of theft from homes and cars in Springfield […]
