🌱 Patch AM: Which Springfield schools are getting brand-new principals this year?

Greetings Springfield! Your go-to source for what's happening in town is here. Stay in the loop and read on. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• Which Springfield schools are getting brand-new principals this year?
• See what's happening at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield this week.
• Why this family calls a quick Springfield getaway "10 out of 10."

Also on today's calendar: Springfield Oyster & Beer Festival and 1 more event.

Today's riddle: What is full of holes but still holds water? 🤔 (Answer below!)

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Weather forecast:

• Friday: Humid; a p.m. t-storm or two, with a high of 84 and low of 66 degrees.
• Saturday: A t-storm around in the p.m., temps: high: 82, low: 58.
• Sunday: Pleasant with periods of sun, with a high of 79 and low of 56 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Meet the new principals at Springfield schools this year (sj-r.com) — Springfield families will see several new principals leading District 186 schools when classes start Aug. 24, plus a familiar Montessori teacher has taken over and reopened Little Sprouts Montessori Schoolhouse on Rickard Road. The story introduces each new principal, notes who they're replacing, and highlights how the longtime Montessori program is continuing under new local ownership and planned expansion.
   

2. Photos: Illinois State Fair in Springfield (suntimes.com) — Springfield residents can still catch the Illinois State Fair, running through Aug. 26 and filling the fairgrounds with rides, livestock shows, and every fried treat imaginable. Photo highlights showcase everything from the Governor's Sale of Champions to butter cows, piglet births, and global food options, giving a vivid sense of the fair's energy and traditions.
   

3. Experience: Our 36-Hour Springfield Road Trip (macaronikid.com) — A suburban family squeezed a 36-hour getaway around Springfield into state fair food, a women's pro baseball game at Robin Roberts Stadium, and Route 66 stops that showcased central Illinois charm. Their trip highlights Springfield's role as the WPBL's single-season home, the Illinois State Fair's family-friendly draws, and nearby small-town museums that make the area an easy, high-impact weekend destination.
   

4. The face of fair fun (illinoistimes.com) — Springfield volunteers and nonprofits are reshaping how concessions and parking work at this year's Illinois State Fair, after a long‑time local club lost its grandstand contract. A Springfield-based caterer now runs the beer tents, channeling a share of sales to area nonprofits, while groups like WILD Canine Rescue mobilize large volunteer teams to earn significant donations.
   

5. 50 middle, high school students awarded scholarships from Illinois Sheriffs' Association (wandtv.com) — From Springfield, the Illinois Sheriffs' Association is spotlighting 50 middle and high school students statewide who earned scholarships after attending a leadership and substance-abuse-prevention institute. The teens spent a week at Eastern Illinois University and will reunite at a follow-up event in Bloomington-Normal in January 2027.
   

📸 Around Springfield

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Springfield

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Friday August 21
• Ella Langley →
  Illinois State Fairground, 801 E Sangamon Ave, Springfield
  8:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Wednesday August 26
• GMS Band Community Service Performance
  Glenwood Middle School Villas
  5:30 pm
• Board of Education Meeting
  Ball-Chatham CUSD 5 201 W. Mulberry, Chatham, IL 62629
  6:45 pm
Saturday September 5
• Springfield Oyster & Beer Festival →
  Inn At 835 Boutique Hotel, 835 S 2nd St, Springfield
  12:00 pm

📣 Springfield Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Friday August 21
• Teacher Inservice - No Student Attendance
  U S Grant Middle School Springfield, IL 62704
  8:00 am
• Meet the teacher and supply drop off
  Elizabeth Graham Elem School 900 W Edwards St, Springfield, IL 62704, USA
  4:00 pm
• Fairview Open House
  Fairview Elem School Gym and Classrooms
  4:15 pm
• Boys Middle School Baseball vs Riverton CUSD
  Lincoln Magnet School 300 S. 11th St., Springfield Illinois 62703
  4:30 pm
• Baseball at Dimmick
  John F Kennedy Elem School Dimmick Grade School
  4:30 pm
• Boys Middle School Baseball vs Riverton Middle School
  Lincoln Magnet School 300 S. 11th St., Springfield Illinois 62703
  4:30 pm
• Meet the Teacher Night
  Dubois Elem School Springfield, IL 62704
  5:00 pm
• Coed Middle School Cross Country @ Blessed Sacrament-Springfield
  U S Grant Middle School 748 West Laurel, Springfield Illinois 62702
  6:00 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Wear do you take the cats to get fixed?
  A lady I help take care of her daughter has like 30 cats. That's counting the babies also. But if she gets them fixed then they won't keep… (Nextdoor North-West Section)
• My Truck Was Makin This GodAwful Squeaky Noise...
  I Think Its Fixed But Now My Hat Is Makin The Same Noise (Nextdoor South Street)

• FBI Springfield's Citizens Academy kicked off its first week last week, bringing community leaders together to learn about the Bureau's mission,... (X: FBISpringfield)
• Justice Elizabeth Rochford of the Supreme Court of Illinois has begun an application process for a Resident Circuit Judge vacancy in the Nineteenth... (X: illinoiscourts)

• Villas of Holly Brook posted a job opening for Housekeeper in Springfield. Apply here.
• Red Lobster posted a job opening for Bartender in Springfield. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Springfield here.

Ok Springfield! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: A sponge (Thank you Netty W. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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