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My hope for downtown
For too many aspiring downtown revitalizers, the path to its resurrection and consequent vibrancy is to follow the mantra of car preservation as opposed to building preservation.

Springfield is no good at gateways
The now-stalled beautification project to transform Capitol Avenue into a ceremonial gateway to the Statehouse and Lincoln sites confirms what longtime residents already know, which is that Springfield is not especially good at gateways.

Look out! The circus has come to town
Who doesn’t love a parade? And here comes a big one! You can feel the beat of the drums, hear the trumpeting of elephants and the melodious call of the calliope — all of which announce that the circus is back in town.

wednesday july 29 poem
things can change so fast at nine this morning I picked sweet corn in a sunny field at eleven in the ICU I laid my hand and lips on the cooling forehead of my dearest friend may you find peace carol you who brought so much laughter wit wisdom and...

LETTERS
Open space initiatives protect urban stream corridors as part of a network of larger natural areas and wildlife corridors. The result: people are outside more, are more physically fit, live in beautiful neighborhoods, use less fossil fuels and enjoy a closer relationship to nature.

Clayborne would be a different sort of candidate for governor
While fellow Democrats Gov. Pat Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes were hurling insults about the state budget at each other several days ago, I picked up the phone and called Illinois Senate Majority Leader James Clayborne of Belleville. Were the rumors true? I asked.

State hikes ‘sin’ tax
When MacArthur Frazier, the owner of Mac’s Lounge, 1231 E. Cook St., first heard last week about the state’s new tax increase on beer, wine and hard alcohol — included as a funding source for the $31 billion capital construction plan signed by Gov. Pat Quinn on July 13 — he wasn’t surprised.

TOP DOGS
Man’s best friend doesn’t always equal school superintendent’s best friend, as we’ve discovered in the Kaleb Drew.

BOOKS OF A FEATHER
But even though you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can get a pretty good idea by checking out some of the other — and equally outrageous — Phoenix titles due out around the same time as the erstwhile governor’s (notice a pattern?):.

Vegetarianism pays
The Vegetarian Resource Group, a Baltimore-based nonprofit that promotes vegetarianism, awarded Ryne a $5,000 scholarship for “his hard work in organizing and taking part in food drives, events and demonstrations related to vegetarianism.

Pickle juice
It should be easy to write about Carol Manley, there’s so much material; instead it’s incredibly difficult. Were she at my shoulder (as she is?) she’d be saying, “You guys are Carol’d out, let it go!” except her remark would be witty and make me laugh.

Goat invasion
Like an art critic judging a sculpture, Mike Earles leans back and places the end of his goateed chin between the raised thumb and forefinger of his left hand. His eyes narrow as he leans forward. Meanwhile, his brother, Drew, pauses and steps back, too.

The growing U.S. goat market
The South African Boer goat quietly invaded the United States via Texas about 15 years ago – and has been nibbling its way north ever since.

A show of haunting beauty
Being sedated in a darkness that is so disturbing and beautiful that it makes the viewer comatose is a unique experience. Welcome to the complex mind of Felicia Olin. Her creations will be showing at the Robert Morris Gallery until Sept. 4. Hours of operation for the gallery are Tues-Fri 10 a.

Shadows of the Motherland
The trained eye rarely misses them: three-barred crosses and primitive, colorful icons, occasionally spotted in roadside cemeteries and out-ofthe-way chapels from Chicago to Carbondale.

Fair market value
I had mixed feelings when I learned that another farmers’ market was opening on the state fairgrounds across from the grandstand. On one hand, I’m always excited to see increasing availability of local food. On the other, the Old Capitol Farmers’ Market has been expanding since its rebirth in 1999.

RealCuisine Recipe
Swiss chard is a close relative of the beet — so close that their botanical name is the same, Beta vulgaris. Swiss chard has other names, including silver beet and spinach beet. Those are more logical monikers than calling chard “Swiss,” according to Elizabeth Schneider, author of Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini.

Julie and Julia cooks up a tasty dual biography
At first glance, it would appear that Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and Julie Powell (Amy Adams) have nothing in common. The former was an OSS agent during World War II who, upon being stationed in Paris with her husband Paul (the wonderful Stanley Tucci) after the war, finds herself adrift and without purpose.

Movie times
Kerasotes listings are for Friday, August 7 through Thursday, August 13. All times are subject to change. For updates on Kerasotes films, call 1-800-FANDANGO. For reviews of other films, visit www.illinoistimes.com..

Hodgepodge of hot August entertainment
This Friday, Aug. 7, from 6 to 8, visit the Three Legged Dog on the south side of the plaza in Jacksonville when Jeff Davidsmeyer hosts a Songwriter Showcase with Ken Carlyle, Eva Hunter and myself.

BAND SPOTLIGHT
Let’s just dispense with all the female blues guitar player business and forget the tall California blonde girl stuff and get to the heart of the matter right now. Laurie Morvan can play the blues. Go check out some YouTube cuts of her singing and playing and listen to the killer tone she gets on her classic Fender Stratocaster.

PUB CRAWL
The Rave’s Brandy Kristin

THE CALENDAR
Calendar P.O. Box 5256 Springfield, IL 62705.

FESTIVAL
Get together with another 299,999 ready-for-fun people at this free family street festival recognized as one of the top 100 events in North America.

AGRICULTURE
Learn from the past Saturday at this family-friendly gathering about how things used to be done at the time of Abraham Lincoln. Some of the demonstrations include: gardening, food dehydration, Civil War food ways, canning, corn shelling and grinding, corn cob pipe, broom and barrel making.

NATURE
Join the Sangamon Paddlers of Central Illinois, and become a canoe-sseur. This group promotes conservation of local water resources, recreation and education. On Friday they sponsor a potluck at 7:30 p.m. before a paddle around 9 p.m. Night air, insect song, moonlight and water.

NATURE
This is your opportunity to see the hummingbird up close during capture and banding by Vernon Kleen, Master Permit Bander. New Salem hosts this Illinois Audubon Society family festival on Saturday, celebrating one of the smallest and unique birds whose ability to hover in mid-air captures the hearts of bird lovers and others alike.

PUBLIC NOTICES
NOTICE UNDER ASSUMED BUSINESS NAME ACT STATE OF ILLINOIS COUNTY OF SANGAMON TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Notice is hereby given that on the 13th day of July, 2009 a Certificate of Ownership of business was filed in the Office of the County Clerk of...

NEWSQUIRKS
Authorities investigating a home invasion in Riverview, Fla., had no trouble identifying one of the suspects after the victims told them he had an outline of the state of Florida tattooed on his face and the words “Crazy Cracker” either tattooed or written on his head.

THEADVICEGODDESS
I’ve often had a woman sit across from me on some form of a date and tell me she just broke up with her boyfriend and isn’t interested in getting involved. That’s usually followed by how she’s too busy with work, lacks the emotional energy for a relationship, etc.