If your schedule allows a weekend trip to Springfield, and your stomach is ready for an experience, consider this weekend’s Illinois Product Expo.

The Department of Agriculture’s event, running for nearly 30 years, is now too big for its former digs and will take over the Expo Building at the state fairgrounds Saturday and Sunday. More than 100 vendors will be present, many offering free samples of their locally produced food and beverages. Tickets are just $5, but admission is free for kids 10 and younger, as well as veterans and active-duty military members, teachers and first responders.

Patrons who buy five items worth $20 will get an extra $5 coupon. LINK users can get vouchers to be spent on eligible food items. Adults also can partake of the Illinois Wine Experience, which carries a cost of $10 for six tasting tickets (additional tickets cost $1 each) and a commemorative tumbler. Some 14 Illinois wineries are participating this year.

For a full list of participating vendors – including those who offer pet or home goods – visit illinoisproductsexpo.com.

It’s understandably difficult to get all these producers together in one space, but put me down as interested in exploring the plausibility of a traveling Taste Of Illinois showcase offering opportunities for those who live farther from Springfield.

TRANSIT ALTERNATIVES: In covering the state’s bungled attempts at reforming Chicagoland public transportation, I frequently reminded that there are needs throughout Illinois, and that different concerns require directed solutions. So what works? Last month, the Ford County Chronicle reported on Futures Connections, which started in Pontiac in October and has since expanded. Vehicles operate from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, offering round-trips for $2 inside the county and $5 for longer rides. Patrons must schedule from 24 to 48 hours in advance if the trip isn’t related to health care; medical visits require 72 hours of advance notice.

According to the Chronicle’s Will Brumleve, the service already has 36 wheelchair-accessible buses and minivans with a state grant to secure another vehicle for just Ford County. Livingston County residents booked nearly 10,000 rides in five months. This is a fine example of public service and a good reminder that mass transit is about more than trains and city buses.

ILLINOIS OLYMPIANS: The Winter Olympics concluded Sunday, but the 2026 Paralympics are set to begin March 6, also based in Milan and Cortina. As space allows, I’ll spotlight Illinois natives competing for the United States. Today’s feature is Kendall Gretsch, a Downers Grove native born with spina bifida. She has competed in triathlon in the Summer Games as well as Nordic skiing and biathlon in winter events, earning four gold, two silver and one bronze medal since 2018.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.