Located at 5th & Washington Streets; features 20+ downtown restaurants presenting ethnic, classic and eclectic cuisine, the American Music Show and children’s entertainment and activities.
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600 women and 200 children made the 31st Annual Women's Distance Festival a great success! SpringfieldMoms.org was proud to be a headline sponsor of this event for the second year. Join us next year and visit www.womensdistance.com to register! A fun, healthy tradition that was pretty in pink in 2010.
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We would love for you to send us your family photos at any time! Send to dawn.springfieldmoms@gmail.com
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Families filled the Studio Theater at Sangamon Auditorium to enjoy Ralph Covert and his gang "Ralph's World" whose kid-friendly records are equally loved by the grown ups. Ralph also plays for the Bad Examples and performed in Springfield in years past. The youngsters created their own "mosh pit" of jumping around and the adults got involved as well. Thank you to UIS/Sangamon Auditorium for bringing this fun performance. SpringfieldMoms.org is proud to be a Family Series Sponsor. Next show, Feb. 26 2010 Junie B Jones!
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We hosted a reception for our sponsors to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of SpringfieldMoms.org! Held at the Mahogany Grill at the Crowne Plaza, we toasted our sponsors, our staff and our advisory board of volunteers. Who knew that an initial email to 30 area moms five years ago would now be a thriving website entrenched in our community! We've worked hard to become the "go-to" website for area events, resources and coupons! We are so grateful to everyone who has helped us along the way and continues to support our vision. Our readers and our sponsors are the fuel that keep us going...and going...thank you!
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First Night Springfield, coordinated by the Springfield Area Arts Council, is a wonderful family-friendly New Year's Eve tradition. Springfield Moms was proud to once again be part of the free Kid's Area activities from 1-4 p.m. at Springfield High School. Families enjoyed free crafts and an afternoon full of music, magic, puppeteers, dance, and other entertainers.
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Wow! What a beautiful (and brisk) morning we had for the SpringfieldMoms.org 4th Annual Kids Costume Contest in Downtown Springfield. More than 200 kids ages 0-12 participated this year, which is our largest crowd to date! The creativity of costumes provided many "oohs and ahs" and lots of smiles from the crowd. Congrats to our winners who each received gift cards to Toys R Us, compliments of St. John's Children's Hospital. The complete list of 2009 winners: Age Group: 0-2 1. Dakota Ballow, a port-a potty., 2. Caleb Guthrie, a tractor., 3. Evelyn Hale, the prisoner . Age Group: 3-6 1. Alexa Austin, Special Edition Holiday Barbie in a Box., 2. Lindsey Madonia, Marie Antoinette., 3. Carson Blaney, a bag of popcorn. Age Group: 7-12 1. Mabel Cass, a scarecrow complete with a fence., 2. Thomas Williams, the cereal killer., 3. Korde Gardner, Michael Jackson (complete with the dance moves!).
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We greeted over a thousand visitors at the 23rd Annual "Where Are the Wild Things" Halloween Event at the Illinois State Museum. In the spirit of showing kids that Halloween isn't just about treats and candy, this event provided many educational activities, healthy snack alternatives, and lots of entertainment. The kids costumes were adorable! Many thanks to WDBR 103.7 FM, St. John's Children's Hospital and all of the sponsors who provided healthy treats for the goodie bags. Thanks to Teresa Heisel-Smoot, Dawn Diveley, and Kim Little for working at the Springfield Moms booth!
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Springfield Urban League, Inc. 13th Annual "Doing the Right Thing" celebration. On September 19th, the League, along with over 100 Urban League affiliates across the country, honored youth, parents and caretakers who are doing the right thing. This event was part of the National Urban League's "Achievement Matters" Campaign designed to negate the anti-achievement messages in low-income communities across the nation. The Springfield Urban League, Inc. also uses this occasion to recognize local community leaders, organizations and sponsors who support the achievement of youth. The theme was "Best of the League". This event is a (non-violent, drug/alcohol free) Community Festival.
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More than 1,000 people came to Washington Park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to enjoy FREE crafts, activities and entertainment for families. Many thanks to Jerissa McCracken for coordinating this event. Numerous family-friendly vendors were on hand to provide free family fun. Of course, Springfield Moms was on hand registering many new readers, providing free family goodie bags and providing make your own pasta necklaces (recipe on our Kids Corner). Thanks to Maya Borksi, Carrie Sluga and Kim Leistner Little for working the booth. As always, many of our readers stopped by to say hello and to say thank you. We appreciate you and always enjoy seeing your families out having fun! Thanks to WDBR 103.7 FM, Child Rite Development, Springfield Park District and the Moms Club for your sponsorship support!
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It was the highest turnout ever for the 30th Annual Women's Distance Festival Run & Health Fair in Washington Park. Weather was perfect, and hundreds of women of all ages enjoyed the two mile race/walk through the park followed by the Kid's Fun Run where everyone was a winner! Each child received an Abe Lincoln Medal, T-shirt from St. John's Children's Hospital, backpack from Robert Morris College and other goodies! After the face, everyone enjoyed healthy snacks and cupcakes from Cafe Moxo. Springfield Moms was proud to be a sponsor of this fantastic tradition. Enjoy our gallery and join us next year! For more information visit: www.womensdistance.com
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Springfield Moms was proud to be part of the July 4th festivities throughout Downtown Springfield. We provided free kids' crafts on the lawn of the Old State Capitol. Despite the rainy weather all day, we had FUN! Festivities included a wide variety of fun filled and educational Lincoln-era and contemporary family entertainment, games and activities, a visit from Radio Disney, period artisan demonstrations (from our friends at Lincoln's Home & New Salem Historic Sites), a children's Abe-Look-A-Like Contest sponsored by Marine Bank & St. John's Children's Hospital, Children's Discovery Museum activities, and spectacular fireworks presented in cooperation by the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, Downtown Springfield Incorporated, Springfield Jaycees, City of Springfield, Springfield Convention & Visitor's Bureau, and the Illinois Secretary of State. Thank you Maya Borski for coordinating our crafts, and to Suzanne Borland, Amale Wardani, Megan Moore, Stephanie, Michael Little, and Becky Aud-Jennison for your help at our booth!
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SpringfieldMoms.org was proud to be nominated for the second year in a row as a Finalist in the Home-Based Business of the Year Award by the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce. This award recognizes small business owners who run their operations from their home." As we enter our fifth year serving area families and showcasing local businesses, we are thrilled with the support and positive response from the Chamber, our readers and our sponsors." says owner Kim Leistner Little. "Our success would not be possible without the countless hours of hard work and creative ideas that stem from our staff and volunteers." Staff and Advisory Board members Dawn Diveley, Julie Kaiser, Lisa Whelpley and volunteers Erica Christell and Kari Thevenot attended the luncheon.
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A beloved Springfield tradition, the Washington Street Jazz and Blues festival gathers six bands sharin two stages for an unforgettable evening of music with proceeds benefiting the Community Arts Access grant program of the Arts Council. In the spirit of increasing awareness of and access to live music for children, a special Family Activity Time was offered from 4:30-5:30PM with free crafts from SpringfieldMoms.org and a special performance by the Springfield Area Youth Jazz Band. The weather was flawless which made the event a perfect summer evening of fun and music. Thanks to Dawn Diveley, Lisa & Rodd Whelpley and Michael Little for volunteering at our booth.
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Capitol Radio Group and Springfield Moms hosted family fun at the State Farm Classic at Panther Creek Saturday on June 6th from 12:00 - 4:00 p.m. It was the first year for the Family Fun Zone to give the kids a chance to be a kid after watching the lady pros! Noonan's Grand Rental Station provided a bounce house, Game Crazy had Wii and Guitar Hero, Jim Percy the Magician did magic shows every hour, Beads N' More had a keychain bead craft and Springfield Moms had a free craft activity, putting practice compliments of Four Seasons, and the Baggo bag toss game. Parents who registered for our free e-updates received a free SpringfieldMoms.org reusable tote bag.
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This annual event at Southern View Park provides more than 1,000 FREE bicycle helmets properly sized for each child. Families enjoyed a variety of child safety activities and games as well. A visit from Smokey the Bear, the safety fire house, Saints Flight Helicopter, the search and rescue dogs and much more! It was a beautiful day to be out. Sponsored by the American Red Cross, St. John's Children's Hospital, FitClub, Pepsi and WalMart. Springfield Moms met a lot of new families and registered many new readers. Thanks to Maya Borski, Jen Dillman and Christina Race for working our booth!
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Parents attended a seminar about healthy food choices and cooking by Chef Denise from LLCC and Emily Grigsby, Registered Pediatric Dietician, from St. John's Children's Hospital while the kids did activities and some cooking of their own! Kids dressed in attire appropriate for physical fitness activities. The Junior League of Springfield held approximately 100 kids through 12 learning stations. Kids tested at variety of food items, learn about food safety and learn about correct portion sizes, among other topics, through a variety of hands-on activities. Staff from the YMCA led kids in a short and fun exercise session. “Every child will go home feeling empowered to create their own healthy meals!” said Brandy Moore, who is coordinating the event for JLS. Parents enjoyed the adult sessions with Emily Grigsby, RD, LDN from St. John’s Children’s Hospital and Chef Denise Hanson with Lincoln Land Community College’s Culinary Arts Program, who will educate them on the importance of nutrition and fitness in a child’s life. Plus, they demonstrated how to sneak nutrient-rich food in to everyday meals to keep the nutrition education continuing at home. St. Johns Children’s Hospital, Lincoln Land Community College, the YMCA, Springfieldmoms.org, 5 Flavors Catering, the American Heart Association, 103.7 WDBR and 93.9 ABE-FM are helping to sponsor the Kids in the Kitchen event.
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We were so thrilled to receive the Best of Show award at the 2009 Business Connections hosted by the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce. Our theme was our "Extreme Website Makeover" bringing the vibrant new colors and layout of the website mixed in with spring flowers, butterflies and hand-painted office chairs and white shag carpeting to welcome visitors to check out the NEW website! Current sponsors and new sponsors were very interested in learning more about us. Our web redesign company, MSF&W Information Consulting had a booth just across the way. Attendees enjoyed free food samples through the lunch hour, a fun mix of music from Steven's DJ Service, a virtual roller-coaster ride from Illinois National Bank, and appetizers and more compliments of Sikich Professional Services and Express Employment Professionals. Thanks to Bob Parrish from WDBR for the "free-plug" promo onsite! Terry Farmer Photography offered a photo-op with President Obama or Abraham Lincoln, cut-outs of course! It was a long, but fun day!
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Thank you to all of the families for joining us at the 4th Annual Kids Costume Contest at the popular Halloween at the Market in Downtown Springfield. The weather was brisk but manageable, and we all had a great time. We had more than 150 entrants into the kids costume contest this year! Springfield Moms also provided free crafts, registered new readers for our E-Updates and provided entertainment from Jewel the Pirate (also see around town as Twinkles the Clown.) Many thanks to St. John’s Children’s Hospital our prize sponsor. We had nine winners in all; three per age group. They each received a gift card to Toys R’ Us (1st place $40, 2nd place $20, 3rd place $15). We also thank Ann Frescura from Downtown Springfield, Inc. for all of her help and for providing our tables and tents. Illinois Humane sponsored the dog costume contest after the kids; what a show!
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We met numerous new families and several happy readers of SpringfieldMoms.org at the first annual Children's Arts in the Park sponsored by Babies R' Us. Jerissa McCracken, Marketing Coordinator at Babies R' Us, and a Springfield Mom, did an amazing job coordinating this event. We all had a great time. Springfield Moms gave away coloring pages, crayons, coupons and a make your own bookmark station. County Market had yummy apples and cookies for all. St. John's Hospital provided an assortment of activities. There were numerous other exhibitors there and even a visit from Mother Goose. This event was aimed at the babies to 5 year-olds, but it's clear that all of the kids had fun! Thank you to Jen Madair for working the booth with us this year!
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We had a great time at the Taste of Downtown and met many families! Thanks to our busy moms who shared their time to work our booth and kid's area. Maya Borski, Dawn Diveley, Vicki Martin, Rosemary Leistner, Christina Race, Faye Neuman, Emily Rabin, Michele Tungett, and Julie Kaiser; we appreciate your time! A tribute to Maya Borski who has worked almost EVERY Springfield Moms event we have had the past few years, and she ALWAYS does with a smile and can-do attitude for anything. Special thanks to Ann Frescura and Downtown Springfield Inc.for partnering with us to co-sponsor the Kids Area along with with St. John's Children's Hospital and Marine Bank of Springfield. We also extend our thanks to Jim Allmon of UFM Livery, LLC for being our FREE kids craft area sponsor.
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We were so excited to accept the challenge from our local chapter of the American Red Cross to inspire our readers to raise money for their Junior Heroes campaign. Imagine your entire home filled with memories and mementos suddenly burned to the ground. Taking a little bit of time to raise funds and reach out to local families in need was absolutely something we could do to help. Through email promotions and the hard work of our team leaders who reached out to their friends and neighbors, we raised $1585!
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We enjoyed meeting over 1000 families who attended this event to receive complimentary bike helmets and rotate through numerous child safety stations, games and activities. At our booth, we provided a quick Bike Safety Quiz and had stickers and magnets for all who stopped by. Parents received a free Child ID Safety Kit courtesy of Halford Insurance Agency. Many thanks to Allison Klint, Maya Borksi and Rebecca Carter for volunteering at this FUN event!
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This first what we hope to be annual indoor kids event was a fun way to spend a dreary winter weekend day! Springfield Moms provided a free craft and provided area community information to all parents who stopped by. Kids enjoyed stickers and the chance to win a Family Fun Pack courtesy of Springfield Moms. Kids enjoyed a bounce house, snacks, reading corner, an American Girl fashion show and lots of informational stations.
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WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR FIRST ANNUAL CHILDREN’S ART CONTEST SPONSORED BY SPRINGFIELD MOMS AND JimiArt GALLERY Springfield, IL. – The winners of the first annual Children’s Art Contest were announced and honored at a reception held at JimiArt Gallery on November 14th. More than 100 participants from Springfield and the surrounding communities submitted artwork. The contest was open to children between the ages of 3 and 18, with separate categories broken down by age. JimiArt Gallery owner Jimi Adeniyi tailored the contest around the theme “What Makes You Happy?” and all participants received a special artist ribbon and a 10% discount off any purchase in the gallery.
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We partnered with Downtown Springfield, Inc. again to host the 3rd Annual Kids Costume Contest at the Farmer’s Market. We had over 110 entrants! Thank you to BABIES “R” Us Store Promotions Coordinator Jerissa McCracken for providing free pumpkin painting and coloring fun for the kids. Thank you to Babies R Us for donating gift cards to our winners in the 0-2 and 3-6 age group AND to Springfield Moms for the Toys R Us gift cards for the 7-12 age group. ALL age group winners also received an assortment of books from Barnes & Noble. Thank you to the wonderful volunteers of SpringfieldMoms for working our booth and registration area. Maya Borski, Jennifer Dillman, Dawn Diveley, Vicky Hall, Julie Kaiser, Melissa Rollins, Carrie Sluga, Michelle Villere. Thank you judges Bob Murray of WTAX NewsRadio, Victoria Clemons & Ann Frescura from Downtown Springfield Inc. There was so much creativity out there, it was very hard to choose! The canine contest sponsored by Illinois Humane followed our contest-- the furry friends were just as cute.
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We partnered with Downtown Springfield, Inc. again to host the 2nd Annual Kids Costume Contest at the very fun Halloween at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday October 28th, 2006. Thank you to DSI’s Megan Derrig-Green providing the tents, tables, registration materials and publicity posters and fliers for this event! Thank you to BABIES "R" Us Store Promotions Coordinator Jerissa McCracken for preparing over 100 of EACH of the following crafts for all kids who attended: pumpkin-shaped salt dough ornaments, paint your own mini-pumpkin and make your own spiders! Despite the chilly morning weather, the sun broke through and we had over 100 kids in the contest!
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