Chatham’s big summer event celebrating that delicious, golden food staple just keeps going strong. The festival is celebrating its 50th year. The fun starts at 4:30 p.m. Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the honoring of past event chairs. Then it’s on to the Little Miss Sweet Corn pageant, games for children, more than 70 […]
Newsletter – Event
Posted inArts & Culture
Ari Aster: Searching for an olive branch in Eddington
On the basis of his films Hereditary and Midsommer, it would be tempting to pigeonhole Ari Aster as a director of horror films. However, his third movie, Beau is Afraid, was an indication that his primary focus is human behavior, which is at times more inexplicable and terrifying than anything that might go bump in […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Teaching antiracism is a practice of freedom
In June, the Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network finished its last 2025 Healing Illinois funded antiracism trainings –this is an initiative of the Illinois Department of Human Services in partnership with The Field Foundation of Illinois and United Way of Central Illinois. Our workshops focused on learning how to identify and interrupt anti-Black, anti-Immigrant prejudice, bias, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What good is prayer if we still suffer?
As of this writing, the nation keeps vigil with the Texas families whose loved ones were swept away by flood waters, the death toll north of 100 and climbing. According to media reports, over the Fourth of July weekend gun violence killed 189 people and injured 500 in our country. Last week I traveled out […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Flawed Superman still soars
There’s a great deal riding on James Gunn’s Superman. Not only is this the initial entry of what promises to be a revitalized, expansive cinematic universe featuring the DC Comics’ characters, but it is also an opportunity to remind people what the Man of Steel represents. Gunn has stated the timing couldn’t be better for […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Grease at The Legacy: It’s electrifying!
The current run of Grease at The Legacy Theatre glows with happy memories and non-stop grins. Director and producer Scott Richardson said, “I only saw Grease once, at the 1994 London production with Debbie Gibson, and it was a trip.” The show is brightly entertaining with resounding energy, especially in its iconic song-and-dance numbers choreographed […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Morgan County Fair
Need to get to a county fair? The Morgan County Fair in Jacksonville will fill the bill. Enjoy some of what Morgan County has to offer from thrilling carnival rides and games to livestock shows and agricultural exhibits. Savor delicious fair food, watch exciting events at the grandstand such as the demolition derby and tractor […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Cool beans for warm days
Growing up in the Midwest, I had to attend many potlucks. These communal gatherings often featured dishes that, to modern tastes, seem pretty bewildering. My mother, by her own admission a poor cook, regularly contributed a solid block of Philadelphia cream cheese, generously blanketed with Sau-See Shrimp Cocktail – tiny shrimp swimming in a bland, […]
Posted inMusic
Jumpin’ July music
Bring it on, I say, as we power on through July with more music happening than you could shake several sticks at, if that was something you wanted to do. We’re right in the thick of it, so let’s go find something to keep us rocking and a-rolling along. First up, since it’s the second […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Jurassic World; Rebirth and M3GAN 2.0 both solid sequels, Heads of State all action, no plot
Rebirth may be familiar, but it still has bite Do we need another Jurassic Park movie? I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’d reply in the affirmative to that question, other than the executives at Universal Pictures. While the studio has had their share of misses at the box office over the last year, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Capital City Celebration, Lucky Horseshoes and fireworks
This Friday, the Capital City Celebration returns thanks to a partnership between the Springfield Jaycees and Springfield Lucky Horseshoes. The event begins at 2 p.m. at Robin Roberts Stadium with a dog pageant, inflatable zone for children and music by local band Astrofix. All of the activities are within the stadium’s gates, which requires a […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A redneck ruckus
Below its muddy banks, the water is as quiet as the village of Bath itself, which is just how the easily spooked invasive Asian silver carp that pour down from the chutes of the Illinois River like it. Normally, the voracious carp that plague the ecosystem of the rivers and lakes of the Midwest would […]
