There is live music throughout the day during the annual Taste of
Downtown event in Springfield. This year’s event is July 3 & 4.
New Salem Music Festival Sept 12-13, 10am-5pm, Bluegrass and country music performances highlight the New Salem Music Festival. Banjo players and dancers come to enjoy music unique to the prairie state. Lincoln’s New Salem National Historic Site. For more info, call 632- 4000 or go to www.lincolnsnewsalem.com.
Art Spectacular at the Carillon Sept 12-13, 10am-5pm Sat, 10am- 4pm Sun, Juried Fine Art and Craft Fair featuring up to 50 artists selling original artwork. Washington Park Carillon, 1740 W. Fayette Ave. For more info, call 753-6219 or go to www.carillon-rees.org.
Rockballet Sept 12-13, 8pm Sat, 2pm Sun. The Springfield Ballet Company’s annual Rockballet featuring the SBC dancers and well known choreographers.
Sangamon Auditorium, UIS Campus. For more info, call 544-1967.
Route 66 Film Festival Sept 19-20, Can’t get to Cannes or
Sundance? See some of the world’s best independent films and meet the filmmakers. Program includes short and feature-length comedies, dramas, documentaries and action adventure.
A must for film buffs. Hoogland Center for the Arts, 420 S. 6th St. For more info, go to www.route66filmfestival.net.
Edwards Place Fine Art Fair Sept 19- 20, 10am-5pm Sat, 10am-4pm Sun, Fine art and craft artists from throughout the US display and sell their unique art works on the historic grounds of Edwards Place. Free. Springfield Art Association, 700 N. Fourth St. For more info, all 523-2631.
Prairie Festival Sept 23- Oct 4, 5pm, The Exhibit Hall will be transformed into a simulated prairie environment featuring animals and a large assortment of plants.
Washington Park Botanical Garden Exhibit Hall, 1740 W. Fayette Ave. For more info, call 753-6228.
Route 66 Mother Road Festival Sept 25-27, Thousands of car enthusiasts from around the U.S. descend upon Springfield to show off their chrome classics. The festival includes food, live music and car show awards. Visit www.visit-springfieldillinois.com.
Broom Orchard Apple Festival Sept 26-27, 9am-6pm, Annual Apple Festival featuring a corn maze, straw maze, apple pie, apple cider, pork sandwiches, kettle corn, pony rides and more. Broom Orchard, Carlinville.
For more info, call 854-3514.
October
New Salem Candlelight Tours Oct 2-3, 7-9pm. Interpreters in period clothing will welcome you into the reconstructed log homes of the historic village where Abraham Lincoln lived for six years. Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site, Petersburg.
For more info, call 632-4000, www.lincolnsnewsalem.com.
Fur, Feather, Fin Fall Fling Oct 3, The day features, crafts, puppet plays, food and more. Henson Robinson Zoo, 1100 E. Lake Dr. For more info, call 753-6217 or go to www.hensonrobinsonzoo.org.
Indian Summer Festival Oct 10-11, 10am-5-pm, Festivities include pumpkin decorating, caramel apples, Bluegrass and Celtic music, butterfly pork chop sandwiches, storytelling, fresh popped caramel corn, fall colors, chilli, turtle races, fresh cider, home made baked goodies and face painters. Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center, 2301 E. Lake Dr. For more info, call 529-1111.
Broom Orchard Pumpkin Festival Oct 10-11, 9am-6pm, the Nineteenth Annual Pumpkin Festival. Pick a jack o’lantern or pick your own apples. The fest features a straw maze, corn maze, children’s play area and more. Broom Orchard, Carlinville. For more info, call 854-3514.
Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular Oct 16-17, 6-9pm, View more
