In November of 2023, the Citizens Club of Springfield convened for the presentation titled “Putting the Power in Destination Marketing – A Conversation with Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau Leader Scott Dahl.” The event was moderated by Judy Wagenblast and covered various topics including which changes to Springfield's landscape would help draw the most visitors to the downtown.

Sheila Walk began volunteering at the Springfield Area Arts Council in 2008 for the program Poetry Out Loud. In 2017, she took on the duties of Executive Director and now plans to leave the position in January 2024 after the completion of the Arts Council’s annual New Year’s Eve event, First Night. She spoke to Community Voices about her time at the Arts Council and what she’s looking forward to next.

The former Pillsbury plant in Springfield has been a sore spot for residents for many years. President of Moving Pillsbury Forward, Chris Richmond, spoke to Community Voices about the plans for the future as well as the stories he’s collected from former factory workers and their families. He also explained how the organization has helped the community heal by providing walk throughs of the property and an art exhibit that attracted more than a thousand visitors.

Angela Funk is the new Executive Director of the Friends of the Sangamon Valley, which recently celebrated 25 years. Funk spoke to Community Voices about what’s in store for the next 25 years and how the newly acquired Gudmundson Wildlife Sanctuary is helping the organization preserve Illinois natural habitat.

Within a polarized U.S. is there enough credible media to bring audiences to a middle ground? NPR Illinois General Manager Randy Eccles, Director of UIS Public Affairs Reporting Program Jason Piscia and editorial writer for the Chicago Sun-Times Suzanne McBride discuss the state of media in a summit hosted by UIS and the University of Illinois System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

In the home of Lincoln, it may seem as though we know all there is to know about Honest Abe. Recently, The Center for Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield held the 2023 Beaumont Endowed Lincoln Legacy Lecture: Abraham Lincoln and Digital Humanities, which discussed mysteries of Lincoln’s time. The lecture featured Dr. Michelle Krowl, a Civil War and Reconstruction specialist at the Library of Congress, and Christopher Oakley, professor of animation at the University of North Carolina Asheville as well as former Disney and DreamWorks animator.

Dennis Rendleman is a local lawyer concentrating on legal, judicial and governmental ethics. He is also well known in the Springfield theatre community, appearing in shows such as "Evita" and "Godspell." Dennis spoke to Community Voices about his work as a lawyer and the most memorable shows he's participated in. He also shared his experience voicing Ebenezer Scrooge in the Hoogland Center for the Arts 2020 virtual presentation of "A Christmas Carol."

Sean Crawford is the news director for NPR Illinois. He also anchors All Things Considered, which won the award for “Best Drive-time radio show” in the Illinois Times “Best Of Springfield” readers poll. Crawford sat down with Bea Bonner from Community Voices to talk about his career and the mentorship he received along the way.

General Manager of NPR Illinois Randy Eccles sat down with student Christian Nix to talk about his start in radio broadcasting. He shared how a high school class on radio broadcasting ignited his early interest in the career. He also shared what he finds to be the most rewarding part of working at NPR Illinois.

The Illinois Symphony Orchestra will perform its annual holiday concert Friday Dec. 15 in Springfield and Dec. 16 in Bloomington-Normal. Taichi Fukumura returns to conduct the concert which features several community organizations and soloist Megan Koch. Fukumura and Jacobsen Woollen spoke to Community Voices about the concert and how it will all come together. For more information visit: https://www.ilsymphony.org/