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Editor’s note
There was an air of inevitability at Tuesday’s rain-soaked marriage equality rally, as politician after politician took to the podium facing the Abraham Lincoln statue to declare, “It’s just the right thing to do.” Nobody was more adamant than Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, the best kind of Republican, who said it’s time to get ’er done.

Just give me a moment
The shutdown of both the government and the American spirit was still in full effect when U of I professor Robert McChesney addressed about 300 environmentalists at the annual fundraising banquet for Prairie Rivers Network in Urbana.

Life with baseball in my genes
My father died in 2004; my mother five years later. Anyone who has lost their parents knows one of the bittersweet tasks of grieving – going through all their stuff, deciding what to give away, throw away, keep.

J.P. Morgan – The man and the bank
Well, not a fine against John Pierpont Morgan, the man. This 19th century robber baron was born to a great banking fortune and, by hook and crook, leveraged it to become the “King of American Finance.” During the Gilded Age, Morgan cornered U.S.

LETTERS
GAME-LOVE Mr. Krohe seems a bit negative in this article. (“Courting new fans: The Velasco Tennis Center opens in Washington Park,” James Krohe Jr., Oct. 17). I’m a pretty average player and my wife is even more average.

Money matters
• Bill Brady – It goes without saying that the mere $66,104 Brady reported raising during the third quarter was beyond pathetic. But here’s how bad the Republican gubernatorial candidate’s performance really was: Even Sheila Simon outraised him. The notoriously poor fundraiser Simon pulled in over $106K during the quarter.

PIZZA PARTY
Vinod “Vinnie” Gupta of Springfi eld is turning 75 this year, but instead of throwing himself a party, he’s throwing a party for someone else.

FIRST BLACK FIREHOUSE
In 1902, Springfi eld created an all-black fi rehouse to segregate black fi refi ghters from their white counterparts. Located at what is now 1310 E. Adams, it was the only fi rehouse at which black fi refi ghters were allowed to work. Firefi ghters from that building responded to blazes torched in the infamous 1908 Springfi eld race riot.

Marching for marriage
People from all over Illinois attended the March On Springfield for Marriage Equality rally on Tuesday, despite cold, rainy weather.

Growl, woof, woof
Jobe’s idea, which he says is more concept that concrete, appears to have support from at least two colleagues on the council, Ward 1 Ald. Frank Edwards and Ward 3 Ald. Doris Turner. Jobe says that Ward 10 Ald. Tim Griffin, who could not be reached for comment, is also interested.

Judge fast-tracks lawsuit
Myerscough set the case for trial less than a week after a settlement conference bore no fruit. Like the trial date, Myerscough’s order for an Oct. 11 settlement conference hadn’t been expected by either side. The conference, overseen by U.S. District Court Judge Harold A.

Cure for the common blockbuster
For more than 10 years, the Route 66 Film Festival has been screening independent films from around the world for Springfield audiences. Not that local filmgoers have always been aware of it. “I wear my festival button all the time,” says Route 66 executive board member Lana Wildman, “and I almost always have to explain to people what it’s about.

Miles of nature, wild, scenic and close to home
You can hike around a scenic lake, gaze on fields of prairie grass, paddle your canoe, cast a fishing line, hunt for wildlife, ride your horse, pedal your mountain or road bike, try a hand at archery, spot dozens of bird species or unload the family and picnic basket at stone-and-wood shelters.

Journey of a lifetime
The first of the book’s five sections gives us a German girl’s survival through the Nazi years: Trudi’s separation from her family, her escape on a worn bicycle, sleeping in woods and abandoned houses, distrust of both American and Russian liberators.

Stars shine in Enough Said
Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a Los Angeles masseuse who has a steady stream of clients and has settled into a routine where her personal life is concerned. She socializes with her close friends (Toni Collette and Ben Falcone), enjoys her home and spends as much time with her daughter (Tracey Fairaway) who’s leaving for college soon.

Trick-or-treating country style
Trick-or-treating is different when you’re a country kid. But when I was very young, I wasn’t aware of any difference. After supper, I’d put on my costume and head out with my mom in the car.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Terri Clark
Terri Clark joined the prestigious Grand Ole Opry in 2004 as the only female Canadian on the show. She grew up in Montreal, where her maternal grandparents were well known country music performers. In 1987, her mom drove the aspiring artist to Nashville, dropped her off at the famed Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, and the rest, as they say, is history.

PUB CRAWL
NIL8, Soap Scum, Looming, Execution Techniques, Orange Soda.

Halloween happenings
Silly me, I was thinking of writing my column on Halloween stuff next week so it would come out on the day proper, but, as I should have remembered, all the goings on come the weekend before a holiday. Hence, as they used to say, I better get to writing about the frighteningly large number of bar parties coming right up.

THE CALENDAR
Oct 25-27, 31, 7-11pm. Mystifying illusions and ghostly holograms in 1930s funeral home. $9. West side of square. Petersburg Square, N. Seventh St. at W. Douglas Ave., Petersburg..

FESTIVAL | Fall fellowship
Looking for an awesome fall event for the family this weekend? Saturday, Oct. 26, Bomke’s Patch is hosting Old Barn Bash with an amazing lineup of fun attractions.

PARENTING | The hows of behavior
Friends of Funshop invite adults, Friday, Oct. 25, to an informative workshop about discipline for children of any age. The featured speaker, Kim Hughes of Wake Forest, N.C., is a nationally certified instructor with Conscious Discipline and an award-winning educator recognized by President Bill Clinton.

FILM | Food for thought
Join The Jewish Federation of Springfield, Ill., in partnership with Bread for the World, Central Illinois Food Bank, Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church, Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation and Slow Food to view A Place at the Table,.