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Posted by Behind the Curtain 1 year ago.
Evolution in firefighting technology is a good thing, Springfield firefighters would surely agree. Today’s equipment is not only much safer, but it’s also a whole lot better looking. On June 4, 1940, firefighters discovered some old air masks stashed ...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 1 year ago.
Cliff Thompson was a likable fellow, normal in every way except for his size, according to the Illinois State Journal, which published a short article on the giant man when he called on Springfield Feb. 27, 1940 as a salesman for the Blatz Brewing Co. He ...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 1 year ago.
When Muhammad Ali visited Springfield thirty-two years ago on Feb. 25, 1978 , the cover of Time magazine showed a picture of Ali slumped in his corner of the ring after being beaten up by Leon Spinks a week earlier.  A headline declared, “The Greatest ...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 1 year ago.
A truck hauling debris from the old state arsenal at Second and Monroe Streets crashed through a sidewalk near the site on March 17, 1936. Angelo LaFiora, driver of the one-half-ton truck, escaped injury. Dirt under the sidewalk had been washed away by a ...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 1 year ago.
Back in the good old days, this newspaper sent me to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden to do a feature on local dogs who made it to America’s top show.  I had a great time, but remember it more for taking a series of pho...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 1 year ago.
Back in the good old days, this newspaper sent me to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden to do a feature on local dogs who made it to America’s top show.  I had a great time, but remember it more for taking a series of pho...

Posted by Behind the Curtain 1 year ago.
Well the Illini weren’t the only ones not shooting well at Assembly Hall on Sunday afternoon. After getting to the arena three hours early and spending a lot of time setting up three different remote cameras, I came away with zero useable photos. Wh...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 1 year ago.
This is the second year since returning to The State Journal Register photo staff that I have taken on a winter-themed photographic essay. Coincidentally, they have both been Lincoln related.  This year’s installment, strategically coinciding with ...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 1 year ago.
If you had visited Lincoln’s Tomb during the 1920s through the 1940s, you most likely would have been warmly greeted by Herbert Wells Fay who was as much a fixture at the tomb as the massive granite marker which bore Lincoln’s name. For 28 years, Fay ...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 1 year ago.
I spent part of a snowy Tuesday morning checking out the local wildlife: some captive (and not)  at Henson Robinson Zoo and a flock of Canada Geese who apparantly don’t  like strangers approaching with a telephoto lens.  Snow brought out some hij...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 1 year ago.
Prior to the start of the Michigan State game on Saturday, Illinois head coach Bruce Weber allowed the team to go out and have some fun with the Orange Krush and ESPN’s Game Day. What ensued was an impromptu dunking session in front of the Orange Kr...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 2 years ago.
As much as people wished really, really hard, Lincoln Library’s  two remaining branches, the west branch at 1251 W. Washington St. and the Southeast branch at 2500 South Grand Ave. E., have now closed due to city of Springfield budget cuts.  State...

Posted by Behind the Curtain 2 years ago.
As much as people wished really, really hard, Lincoln Library’s  two remaining branches, the West Branch, 1251 W. Washington St., and the Southeast Branch, 2500 South Grand Ave. E., have now closed due to city budget cuts. State Journal-Register re...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 2 years ago.
The Elvi, or Elvis Tribute Artists, made up the invited talent portion of this year’s 14th Annual Midwest Tribute to the King Competition, a sold out affair at the Hilton in downtown Springfield this past weekend.  I made the acquaintance of  the...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 2 years ago.
The Elvi, or Elvis tribute artists, made up the invited talent portion of this year’s 14th Annual Midwest Tribute to the King Competition, a sold out affair at the Hilton in downtown Springfield this past weekend. I made the acquaintance of the Kin...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 2 years ago.
The 51st annual Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Pageant kicked off at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield on Thursday-I showed up because I found out that one of the first orders of business was to do a group photograph.  This is when I  spied current...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 2 years ago.
On Wednesday I attended a wonderful program at Jacksonville’s Illinois School for the Visually Impaired.  This year, the school is celebrating its’ 160th anniversary.  Assistive technology teacher Dan Thompson, a blind teacher at the school ...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 2 years ago.
We all know what a pain it can be to drive when the streets are icy. State Sen. Peter Miller of Chicago made the most of a bad situation when he put on his ice skates to navigate Capitol Avenue, which was covered with ice from a winter storm January 19, 1...

Posted by Behind the Curtain 2 years ago.
We started Behind The Curtain back in March of this year as a way to give our viewers a behind the scenes look at the photography you find in the pages of The State Journal-Register and on SJ-R.com. It’s also become a showcase for Springfield’...
Posted by Behind the Curtain 2 years ago.
We pulled some of our favorite videos this year produced by the photography staff at The State Journal-Register. From Air Force One landing in Springfield to a high speed tour of the Illinois State Fairgrounds there is a little bit of everything to watch....
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