See some of the Midwest’s top comedians this Saturday during the Best of the Midwest Comedy Showcase. The show features up-and-coming comedians from central Illinois, Chicago and St. Louis. Located just 45 minutes from Springfield, Mason City Limits Comedy Club offers a full bar and routinely hosts top comedians from Comedy Central, “The Tonight Show,” […]
Illinois Times
Posted inArts & Culture
Reflections on creative spaces
Stop by The Pharmacy Gallery and Art Space for a peek at their current gallery show, Neo-Surrealism: Third Eye Exhibit. The show features a variety of work from Pharmacy member artists including Wendy Allen, Bill Crook, Jim Edgecomb, Felicia Olin, Diane Schleyhahn, Jeff Williams and more, plus a contemporary installation by Peoria-based installation artist Jessica […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Sisters a ribald treat
Amy Poehler as Maura Ellis and Tina Fey as Kate Ellis in Sisters. PHOTO COURTESY Universal Pictures What with their comedy Sisters being released on the same day as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, you can’t help but wonder what its stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler did to doom their film to such a […]
Posted inMusic
Christmas music
James Armstrong plays his blues at the Alamo on Monday, Dec.28. Here we are full of holiday spirit, and hopefully spirits too, ready to finish off the holiday season with Christmas and next week’s New Year’s Eve. This year our weekend is a bit off as the big day occurs on a Friday, but there […]
Posted inMusic
Lowder & Manning
Considered by many as one of our area’s music-making treasures, Jaigh Lowder and Jill Manning play original songs at an exceptional level of composition and performance. Jaigh’s guitar prowess is nothing short of masterful and Jill’s voice reaches into your chest and touches the heart. That combined with a keen sense of the human spirit […]
Posted inArts & Culture
christmas lullaby
christmas lullaby (My mother wrote this lullaby for myoldest sister, on her first Christmas,1925. You may remember this; I’ve printed it before. Music on request.)Sleep, little baby, the daylight is fading;Dim yellow stars the dark heavens adorn;Once, long ago, in a Bethlehem mangerThe little Lord Jesus was born.Lullaby, lullaby, sleep, little baby, sleep.Sleep, little baby, […]
Posted inOpinion
Madigan’s tax-hike gaffe
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS One of the concepts used so effectively by Gov. Bruce Rauner’s campaign last year was what are called “OODA Loops.” I’m going to oversimplify because of space, but the idea, developed by a military strategist and adopted by business leaders, is to essentially introduce rapid changes to a battle with the […]
Posted inOpinion
Exxon’s weapons of mass confusion
Jim Hightower PHOTO BY LARRY D. MOORE InsideClimate News revealed in an investigative series released this fall that the oil superpower Exxon was briefly a paragon of scientific integrity. From 1978 through the ‘80s the corporation’s research headquarters were a buzzing hive of farsighted inquiry into the “greenhouse effect,” as the process of climate change […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Spirited holiday desserts
Meyers rum. Desserts that include infusions of alcohol have been traditional for centuries. Perhaps because historically, celebrations were rare occasions for bountiful food, especially sweets and strong drinks. These days, for better or worse, celebratory occasions aren’t the only times many of us have the opportunity to overindulge. Regardless, the holidays (including but not limited […]
Posted inOpinion
The state must step up
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS Here’s what the Chicago Police Department told the media after Laquan McDonald was killed by a police officer 13 months ago: A drug-addled black kid lunged at a cop with a knife and was then shot in the chest. Six months later and a week after Chicago’s mayoral election, the city […]
Posted inArts & Culture
remembering poem # 23
remembering poem # 23 my daughter demiknew how to takesmall pleasures small treatswhen we drove to wisconsin she alwaysstopped midway fora bag of popcornwhen we swam at lola and kevin’s pool we stopped on the way homefor ice cream conesand licked themwhile we sat on aledge swinging ourfeet like little kids ©2015 Jacqueline Jackson
Posted inArts & Culture
A 26-year tradition
Memorial Medical Center’s Festival of Trees is celebrating its 26th season as a central Illinois holiday highlight. The goal of the festival is twofold: to bring holiday cheer to all ages and to raise money for community programs and outreach. Since 1989, Memorial’s Festival of Trees has raised more than $3.9 million dollars for community […]
