Text from our SGF Sunday email newsletter, written by Rance Burger
Dashing 'round south Springfield
In your beat-up Chevrolet
Slowly we will drive
No turn signals today
Turn up the radio
Your in-laws are uptight
What fun it is to take the fam
To see the Christmas lights
Hey!
If your mother-in-law, grumpy grandpa or Cousin Eddie is in town and you’ve got fuel to burn, Sony Hocklander drops some serious KNOWLEDGE and STRATEGY for how to see holiday light displays in Springfield (and some in Ozark and Nixa).
Dress in layers, pack some water and some snacks, load up on patience (and maybe some earplugs) and enjoy the time-honored tradition of driving around to look at other people’s neighborhoods.
Speaking of serious knowledge, the Dickerson Park Zoo’s “Snake” Mike Crocker is the subject on an in-depth profile by Steve Pokin that drew serious interest from curious readers. Zoo directors generally aim to stay out of the news, but Crocker opens up about a career that spans five decades.
In a city full of basketball teams, Lyndal Scranton puts the spotlight on the college basketball team you might have forgotten about, the Evangel Valor. The Valor are scoring buckets, they’re playing loud and they’re on an eight-game winning streak. You can see them for five bucks on Dec. 17, or any other home game at the Ashcroft Center.
IN-DEPTH
True adventures of Dickerson Park Zoo chief Mike ‘Snake' Crocker, who will retire soon
IN-DEPTH | The older boys held the twisting, 5½-foot snake. Black rat snakes are not venomous and not aggressive by nature, although being snatched by […]
MOST READ THIS WEEK
Springfield area's ultimate holiday lights guide
Nearly 30 festive spots around Springfield, Mo. to see Christmas lights for little or no cost
STEVE POKIN
Answer Man: What is an inmate's cost for medical care in Greene County Jail?
Answer Man: You recently discussed what happens to the funds that Greene County Jail inmates […]
Pokin Around: What's the story behind I-44 billboards in a foreign language?
OPINION | As you drive Interstate 44 and near Greene County, you often see without […]
SPORTS
Evangel's men a hidden gem in Springfield's basketball scene
While they may not get the headlines of larger programs, the Evangel Valor men’s team is a hidden gem in the Ozarks hoops scene, with […]
Bears Basketball Network connects Missouri State's present to its past
As Dana Ford builds his program at Missouri State University, the Bears Basketball Network is helping him connect the program’s present with its past.
VOICES
Letter: State rules unneeded —librarians can assess which books are appropriate
OPINION | by Kathleen Murnan, Springfield We have a terrific library system that is very responsive to the needs of the reading public. There are many […]
LIVES REMEMBERED
Nellie Jersak: ‘She had a real fighting spirit. She faced adversity head-on'
A horrific tragedy befell Nellie Jersak when she was 5 years old, but she refused to let it define her and instead spent the next […]
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