IT Picks

On Tuesday, Sept. 25, take in a panel discussion regarding the Displaced Persons Act of 1948, an act that directly impacted the ethnic composition of Illinois with the influx of a large Lithuanian population in Chicago and Springfield. The panel features Robert Vitas, Sandy Baksys, Devin Hunter and Heather Bailey, and will examine the ways […]

On Saturday, September 15 and Sunday, September 16, join the Springfield Art Association for the 30th annual Edwards Place Fine Art Fair. Both days of this family-friendly celebration (dogs are welcome, too!) feature more than 60 national and regional artists as well as artist demos, a used art book and art supply sale, live musical […]

Celebrate all things German on Saturday, September 15 during the Jacksonville Rotary Club Oktoberfest. This fabulous festival, originally began in October but is now moved to September in order to take advance of the mild, late-summer weather, offers a jam-packed schedule of events, including live music from the Heidelberg German Band and Captain Geech and […]

Calling all cycling enthusiasts! The Capital City Century has expanded to provide a whole weekend of fun, including the first-ever Loops-A-Palooza, a community cycling festival featuring music by popular local band The Loops. In addition to offering cyclists packet pickup services as well as a last-minute chance to register for the 46th Annual Capital City […]

On Saturday, September 8, show your support for Prevent Child Abuse Illinois by attending the first-ever Downtown Springfield Family FunFest. The outdoor festival is specifically geared towards children and their families, and features inflatable obstacle courses and bounce houses, games, activities, food trucks, special character appearances, and a main stage packed with a full day […]

During the daytime, A Likely Story looks just like any other book store, but at night the characters in the books come to life. During this presentation by M.A.S.S. Media, six characters from various stories band together to help Margie, the scatterbrained owner of a A Likely Story, save her store. The Enchanted Bookshop is […]

The 20th Annual Prairieland Chautauqua, an official Illinois Bicentennial event hosted by the Morgan County Historical Society, will take place on Saturday, Sept. 1, through Monday, Sept. 3, from 4-9 p.m. nightly in the Jacksonville High School auditorium. The Prairieland Chautauqua consists of 12 independent, hour-long history programs (four per evening) that reflect on 200 […]

A cast of local actors and musicians is bringing Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology to New Salem’s Theater in the Park. Blending the voices of the cemetery “residents” with Americana folk music from local father-daughter duo Mark and Molly Mathewson, Spoon River Anthology is a poignant, breathtaking presentation of life in early 20th century […]

Enjoy a weekend full of blues music and BBQ during the Old Capitol Blues & BBQ festival Friday, August 24 and Saturday, August 25. Friday night performers are Mary Jo Curry at 5:30 p.m., Brandon Santini at 7 p.m. and Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers at 9 p.m. Saturday’s lineup features the Illinois Central […]

On Saturday, Aug. 25, take in the Springfield Micro Con, a comic book convention hosted by STL Comics at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This traveling convention features regional comic book vendors offering all types of comics for all ages as well as toy vendors and other talented artists […]

Why wait until November for the next Route 66 International Film Festival when you can attend these special screenings Thursday, August 23 and Thursday, August 30? First, check out Before I Do, a full-length movie filmed on location in Springfield by director Kim Conner, which tells the story of a 40-year-old Midwesterner caught between pursuing […]

Catch the opening weekend of Big River, Mark Twain’s timeless tale of Huck Finn, who helps his friend, Jim, a slave, escape to freedom near the mouth of the Ohio River. Big River is driven by an award-winning score written by Roger Miller, the king of country music, and the resulting production is a brilliant […]