Comings and Goings

Park Central Rebirth Continues

It’s been almost two years since the last amp was unplugged at The Rockwell, and finally things are beginning to hop again at the corner of Park Central South and McDaniel Street. The December 7 First Friday Art Walk will mark the Grand Opening of Susan Sommer-Luarca’s new gallery (her old one was above Tradewinds just a few doors south). It might be your last chance to chat with Susan for a while—in 2008 you’ll have better luck seeing her on network television, as she’ll be doing “official artist” stuff in Arizona (Super Bowl XLII), Louisville (Kentucky Derby) and China (Summer Olympics) among other places.

• Just around the corner, Jim Hamilton, co-owner of The Coffee Ethic, has his fingers crossed that Art Walk will also mark the first night of business for the new coffee shop at 124 Park Central Square. At press time Hamilton’s confidence was “high” that the permit process would be complete and The Coffee Ethic would be serving customers by December 7. “[The menu] may be a little limited, but we’re hoping to hit the pavement with everything going,” Hamilton, who owns the shop along with Tom Billionis, said.

On Saturday morning, December 8, a representative of Clover, a manufacturer or single-cup brewing equipment, is scheduled to be at The Coffee Ethic trying out the shop’s new brewing system—only the 210th made in the world, Hamilton says. Samples, along with other menu options, will be available to the public.

Raise Your Glass With the Springfield Symphony

It’s a never-ending challenge to bring young people’s attention to the arts, but the Springfield Symphony Orchestra is going about it in a tried-and-true fashion—with a networking group that promises parties and hobnobbing before and after select symphony shows.

The group is called Crescendo, and the next chance to check it out is December 8, when the group will meet at Ophelia’s Tapas & Wine Bar from 5 to 7 p.m. prior to the Symphony’s 7:30 p.m. “Home for the Holidays” pops concert at Juanita K. Hammons Hall. Crescendo membership is $50, and benefits include admission to these pre- and post-concert mixers (after-parties are usually attended by both members of the orchestra and conductor Ron Spiegelman), discounted tickets to Symphony concerts, and invitations to exclusive year-round events.

The December 8 Crescendo event is also an outing for the Chamber of Commerce’s The Network group—if you’re a member of The Network, you can attend the event at Ophelia’s for free (you must still pay for your symphony ticket). Additional Crescendo events follow on March 1 and May 10. For more information contact Kristi Fulnecky at 417-459-1710.

Springfieldgo.com: It’s Classified

Technical guru Kevin O’Riley has been hard at work getting our classifieds page at springfieldgo.com souped up and ready for the new year. Lucky for you, he’s ahead of schedule—our page (accessible by clicking on GO Classifieds on our nav bar at springfieldgo.com) now features Springfield-centric ads in tons of categories pulled from all over the Internet. If you have classifieds success—be it in the form of a new job, car or sex buddy—let us know about it by e-mailing editor@springfieldgo.com.

GO Fashion Icons: Nominate Now!

Now through January 30, you can nominate your most stylish friends and co-workers to be a GO Fashion Icon. Winning nominees will have a distinct, individual style, and will have the opportunity to outfit themselves at a local boutique and walk in our second-annual Fashion Icons Fashion Show, scheduled for early March at Icon Nightclub. To nominate, go to springfieldgo.com, click on the “Nominate” button, and fill out the form. You must include contact information and a photo of your nominee (clothed, since this is a style award). Winners will be unveiled and featured in the February 27 issue of GO Magazine.