Midwest motorcycle mecca

Bikers embrace Illinois

If you ride fast and crash, you are a bad rider. If you go slow and crash, you are a bad rider. And if you are a bad rider, you should not ride motorcycles. – Hunter S. Thompson Each spri...

Thursday, June 1, 2017 12:08 am

Broken record

Rauner gropes for silver lining as state flounders amid gridlock

By Matt Dietrich, Better Government Association,

“How’s that working out for you?” That’s what Bruce Rauner, the 2014 Republican candidate, often asked in questioning why voters kept returning Democrats to run Springfield. Now he’s g...

Thursday, May 25, 2017 12:22 am

2017 Summerlong Summerguide calendar

By Nan Kording

MayIllinois Products Farmers MarketMay 25, Jun 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, Jul 6, 13, 20, 27, Aug 3, 10, 17, 24, 4-7pm. Every Thursday. Shopping, health and wellness information, special focuses and more in a s...

Thursday, May 25, 2017 12:21 am

Sangamon County Fair

By Nan Kording

The Sangamon County Fair has made some exciting changes in time for the 2017 season, which runs June 13-18. General admission pricing has been reduced and a new concert ticket price has been int...

Thursday, May 25, 2017 12:20 am

Pawnee Prairie Days

Small-town festival offers carnival, parade, pageants, fun

By Nan Kording

This June, cruise 20 minutes south down I-55 and enjoy a small-town festival among the cornfields in picturesque Pawnee. This year’s Pawnee Prairie Days will be observed June 22-24. The three-...

Thursday, May 25, 2017 12:19 am

Legacy of Giving Festival

Two nights, 70 bands, five stages, 10 charities

By Nan Kording

The SOHO (Service Organization for Humanitarian Opportunity) Music Festival was a highlight among the central Illinois summer festival scene for 12 years. But earlier this year SOHO’s founder...

Thursday, May 25, 2017 12:18 am

Wacky Wheelers Parades

Creatively decorate your bicycle for a group bike ride

By Nan Kording

The health benefits to riding a bike are numerous and include strengthening your hips, thighs and rear end. Because cycling is a low-impact activity, it is gentle on joints, making it an excelle...

Thursday, May 25, 2017 12:17 am

Amaranth Apple Festival

Food and music festival celebrates the eternal beauty of Springfield

By Nan Kording

Although the name “Amaranth Apple Festival” (Downtown Springfield Inc.’s revision of 2016’s Bacon Throwdown) may sound like a celebration of the late summer and early autumn deciduous fr...

Thursday, May 25, 2017 12:16 am

Powerlight Abraham Lincoln Super Cruise and Car Show Spectacular

Car show weekend features a seven-mile cruise, air and ground displays and more

By Nan Kording

The Powerlight Abraham Lincoln Super Cruise and Car Show Spectacular is one of the most anticipated car show weekends for automotive enthusiasts in central Illinois. Powerlight weekend presents...

Thursday, May 25, 2017 12:15 am

Zoo, Shakespeare and history

The summer mix for Bloomington-Normal

By Mary Bohlen

Holding my nose in the zoo building full of big cats and apes, sampling goodies from laden family reunion tables, anticipating the first July Fourth fireworks bursting over a small lake – that...