IT Picks

Don’t miss Theatre in the Park’s dazzling presentation of High School Musical, the contemporary musical comedy based on the 2006 Disney Channel Original Movie penned by Peter Barsocchini. The story centers on Troy, a popular high school basketball player, and Gabrielle, a shy transfer student who excels in science and mathematics. After a chance meeting […]

On Thursday, July 13, enjoy the award-winning sounds of Celtic-Americana duo Switchback during July’s “Music at the Museum” concert, a monthly concert series that showcases all styles of music. The concerts are produced by Chris Vallillo and held the second Thursday of each month. Switchback, which features Chicago and Lansing, Iowa-based musicians Brian FitzGerald and […]

Enjoy a revitalization of Springfield’s premiere downtown food and music festival this weekend during the Amaranth Apple Festival, whose name is a nod to Springfield’s most famous poet Vachel Lindsay, who wrote of the mystical fruit called the “Amaranth Apple” in his 1920 novel titled The Golden Book of Springfield. The food aspect of the […]

On Tuesday, July 18, enjoy a presentation and book signing by New York Times reporter Peter Baker in honor of his new book, an Obama biography titled Obama: The Call of History. Baker was hired by the New York Times in 2008 as chief White House correspondent. Baker covered the entirety of the Obama presidency […]

Central Illinois theater lovers are in for a treat this July, as Springfield’s Legacy Theatre has been selected as one of 12 regional theater groups across the United States to receive licensing rights for Disney’s hit Broadway musical titled Newsies: The Musical. The show, based on the real-life newsboy strike of summer 1899, follows charismatic […]

Join the Illinois State Museum and the Organization for Bat Conservation on Saturday, July 8, for the Illinois Bat Festival, a division of the Great Lakes Bat Festival, which celebrates bats and their unique role as insect-eaters in ecosystems. The festival is geared towards children, families, educators and ecology professionals, and will feature presentations, speakers, […]

Agriculture is at the forefront of the 2017 Assumption Fest, the annual small town festival hosted by the Assumption Fest committee that grows bigger and better every year. One new feature at this year’s Fest is the Farm Extravaganza, which showcases agricultural-related machinery and educational and informational displays created by the farming community along with […]

The fun begins bright and early this Fourth of July in Jacksonville. Nichols Park will once again be the site of the annual Fourth of July Blast, a family-friendly celebration featuring fitness activities, live entertainment, kids’ attractions, fireworks and much more. The kids’ fishing tournament will kick off the festivities at 7 a.m., followed by […]

As part of their mission to offer programs and spaces where teens and children can explore and engage with history in a fun way, the Springfield and Central Illinois African-American History Museum’s education committee is hosting a Teen Poetry Slam Friday, June 23, from 6-10 p.m. All area teens are encouraged to compose and perform […]

On Friday, June 23, the Elijah Iles House kicks off its annual “Summer Porch Chat” series with a roundtable discussion centering on Abraham Lincoln’s father, Thomas Lincoln. Two conflicting schools of thought regarding Thomas Lincoln’s character have been laid out by scholars since the first Abraham Lincoln biography was penned in 1865. The first describes […]

Don’t miss War Games, a one-day event organized by Lizzie Roehrs, a junior communication major at the University of Illinois at Springfield and current intern at the Illinois State Military Museum. War Games is an interactive event where attendees can talk with reenactors and historians, examine historical equipment popularized in video games such as “Call […]

Step back in time on Saturday, June 17, and take in an afternoon of America’s pastime in accordance with 1860s rules and uniforms. The Vintage Baseball Festival will begin at noon and features three old-school baseball games played by three local teams. Game one begins at noon and features the Springfield Long Nine versus the […]