LETTERS
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JONESIN’ FOR JAMES Many thanks to Tom Irwin for the great article on our new Springfield resident, Mr. James Armstrong. (“At home with the blues,” Dec. 11.)
After reading the article, I decided to browse through the Pub Crawl segment of the Times and was surprised to see James was scheduled to play at the Curve Inn on Saturday evening. I had never heard of James Armstrong, but I am a fan of all varieties of music. So my wife and I decided to go see Mr. Armstrong because we have seen some surprisingly great artist at venues like the Blues and Barbecues Festival in downtown Springfield. Listen up Springfield: If you get the chance to see James Armstrong perform, do so! His music is great and he is a class act you would expect to see in Chicago or St. Louis.
We had the privilege to meet and talk with James personally that night because of the Curve Inn atmosphere and his desire to mingle in the crowd during breaks. We wonder if we’ll have that opportunity again because we are sure once the word gets out, he may not play in such an intimate venue.
What a great bonus for our community to have this musician as our neighbor. After all, as James stated during his performance, Springfield has the oldest blues club in the USA. Great article Tom Irwin, as always. Richard DuPont Springfield
PETS ARE NOT “GIFTS” The holidays are “the most wonderful time of the year,” but they aren’t a wonderful time to add a new dog, cat, or other animal companion to the family. That’s why it’s important to resist the temptation to give a living, breathing animal as a “gift.”
Animals require plenty of time, attention, patience and money – all of which are scarce during this season. Adopting a cat or dog means making a 15-plus-year commitment to unconditionally love and care for the animal. It also means finding an animal who is a good match for one’s activity level, experience, abilities and personality. These aren’t decisions you can make for someone else.
Please don’t let the holidays end in heartbreak for an animal. If you are certain that your loved ones want an animal and are ready and able to provide a lifelong home, consider wrapping up a bowl, leash and a certificate for an adoption and spaying and neutering at a local animal shelter. That way, the recipient can choose an animal who is a good fit for their personality and lifestyle – after the hectic holiday season has passed. To learn more, visit http://peta.org Lindsay Pollard-Post The PETA Foundation
STOP COMPLAINING I recently read the article “Can you hear me now?” by Bruce Rushton (Dec. 11). He states there are new complaints regarding the noise from SHG’s stadium. What about the noise from Memorial Stadium or the State Fair? I’ve never heard anyone complain about that.
And how often do they have games at SHG? Perhaps 10 times and for no more than three hours each time.
The football games entertain thousands and what a positive activity for the players … I know a number of the neighbors of SHG and they say the noise doesn’t bother them.
Come now and let’s give up on all these complaints. Consider the good publicity generated by SHG’s success over the years. Donald Mroscak Springfi eld
CORREX The photo caption on page 15 of last week’s story on James Armstrong should have read, “The mother and father of James Armstrong,” not “Young James with his guitarplaying Dad.”
Also, on p. 34 of last week’s edition, in the calendar item “A truce for tradition, Dr. Chris MacDonald was identified as a political science professor at University of Illinois Springfield. He is a political science professor at Lincoln Land Community College.
