As the 250th anniversary of our country’s founding approaches, rather than celebratory peals, millions of Americans will be hearing alarm bells ringing as they witness the daily erosion of traditional American ideals such as freedom, justice and equality. Of course, this country has never fully lived up to these ideals; even so, they have served […]
United States
Posted inArts & Culture
Leadership through Adlai’s lens
Join former U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson III on Thursday, June 16, as he discusses modern politics through the multi-generational lens of his family’s political leadership. In additional to serving as a U.S. senator for 11 years, Adlai Stevenson III ran for governor of Illinois twice. His father, Adlai Stevenson II, served as Illinois governor from […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Bursting with Pride
Photo BY BRUCE RUSHTON Celebrate “the gayest day in central Illinois” by attending the sixth annual Springfield PrideFest on Saturday, May 21, from noon to 10 p.m., on Capitol Avenue between Fourth and Sixth streets. The free street festival contains something for everyone including a ribbon cutting ceremony, live music by some of Springfield’s most-loved […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Summer camp fun
PHOTO COURTESY CAMP ONDESSONK’s FACEBOOK PAGE Enjoy a full week of summer camp condensed into one fun evening during Camp Ondessonk’s Saturday Spectacular on Saturday, April 9, from 3:30 to 9 p.m., at St. Agnes School in Springfield. Some of Camp Ondessonk’s very own staff will supervise children ages 6-14 during the drop-off event which […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Step into tradition
Start Black History Month off on the right foot and enjoy a spirited dance performance by Step Afrika!, the first professional dance company dedicated to the tradition of stepping. Stepping became popular in the United States in the early 1900s thanks to song-and-dance rituals practiced by African-American fraternities and sororities. Stepping is performed widely today […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A classical concerto
This Saturday, relax and enjoy a solo concert by classical guitar virtuoso William Yelverton. His acclaims and accolades are large in scope, including being named a Prize Winner in the Guitar Foundation of America International Competition. His recent recording, Harpsichord Music on Guitar, has earned rave reviews by Guitar Review and Soundboard Magazine. Yelverton is […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Spies: intriguing but incomplete
Tom Hanks as James Donovan in Bridge of Spies. PHOTO COURTESY WALT DISNEY PICTURES In 1957, attorney James Donovan was given the unenviable task of representing accused Russian spy Rudolf Abel when he was charged with conspiracy against the United States. It was a duty he took on reluctantly but completed with a sense of […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Sniper’s aim is true
Kyle Gallner as Winston and Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle in American Sniper. PHOTOS COURTESY WARNER BROS. PICTURES His best and most-assured film since Invictus, Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper covers many themes the filmmaker has touched on over the course of his career. The devastating impact of violence, the importance of community and the irony […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Vistas and visions
PHOTO COURTESY ROSEMARY WILLIAMS An interesting installation called New Springfield, by Minnesota new media artist Rosemary Williams, is currently on display at University of Illinois Springfield UIS Visual Arts Gallery. The exhibit is literally about Springfield. The artist used as inspiration local poet Vachel Lindsay’s prediction of our 2018 capital city as a utopia (laid […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Big bells
Pack your chair or blanket and head to Washington Park for some fabulous sounds ringing out for six nights at the International Carillon Festival. Rain or shine, six of the world’s top carillonneurs from The Netherlands and United States will present concerts nightly. A large screen at the base of the carillon will show concert […]
Posted inNews
The new American
With eyes wide open, I traveled to the District of Columbia during inauguration weekend hoping to experience what our country has to offer. I never was patriotic or felt like I could identify with other Americans. So celebrating America was something I was hesitant to be a part of but my thoughts would later change. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Zero’s cold, efficient look at hunt for bin Laden
Very rarely is a film able to capture current events in the way Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty does. Chronicling the United States’ efforts to capture Osama bin Laden, the project was in production before the leader’s death at the hands of Navy SEALs, necessitating a complete restructuring of the movie’s plot. It continues to […]
