FRIDAY, October 3rd
Urbana High School 100th year homecoming parade, corner of Race and Iowa, 3 p.m.
UHS opened its doors to students in the year 1914! The parade should be special. I imagine the school will be going all out. If you’re an Urbana graduate, a current student, parent, or community member, this should be fun to go see. If you’re neither of the latter and are not interested, you’ll at least know to stear clear of this area of Urbana around 3 p.m. because streets will be blocked off. Find more about the event including its route by clicking here. (SL)
Polaroid Stories, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 7:30 p.m.
Directed by the great Lisa Gaye Dixon, this promises to be another great KCPA/Illinois Theatre presentation. From the KCPA website: “Inspired by tales from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Naomi Iizuka’s Polaroid Stories turns classical mythology on its head with this exploration of the dangers street kids face when mythmaking collides with reality. The characters’ journeys take them to an abandoned pier on the outskirts of town where they seek solace, comfort, community. What is real? Where lies the truth? Pushed to the outer edges of society, these young people fabricate life amid a vortex of anger and confusion. Based on interviews with young prostitutes and street youth, Polaroid Stories conveys a whirlwind of psychic disturbance, confusion, and longing. Similar to their mythic counterparts, these modern-day mortals are engulfed by needs that consume them. Iizuka’s language mixes poetry and profanity, giving the play theatrical drive and lyricism.” The show runs through October 12, but don’t wait. The best thing about seeing a show is telling other people to go see it, too. (MG)
A Kid Like Jake, The Station Theatre, 8 p.m.
Directed by Smile Politely’s own Katie Baldwin Prosise, A Kid Like Jake tells the story of an affluent New York couple and their hellish struggle to get their four-year-old into a prestigious preschool. As if this weren’t a dicey enough situation, there is another factor complicating matters: the fact that Jake has a penchant for dressing like Cinderella. Written by Daniel Pearle and acted by the impressive cast of Lindsey Gates-Markel, Mike Prosise, Kay Bohannon Holley, and Stefanie Senior, this is the first production of the Station’s 43rd season. (MG)
Hathaways, Curb Service, The Ex-Bombers, Cowboy Monkey, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., cover
Kick off your weekend with three great bands. Recently returned from South America, Hathaways will entertain you with Andean-inspired tunes. Locals Curb Service open for them at 11 p.m., and the Ex-Bombers, from Charleston, kick off the show at 10 p.m.. (RP)
SATURDAY, October 4th
Pick a pumpkin or some apples, Curtis Orchard, 3902 South Duncan Rd,Champaign, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Although the weather has been a bit warm, the leaves on the trees and cool mornings indicate that fall is here (technically, at least). Saturday will be cool and feel very fall-ish, so go pick some fall things. And drink hot cider. (JH)
Make some soup, ingredients available at Urbana’s Market at the Square, Common Ground Food Co-op, and/or Strawberry fields
It’s definitely time for soup, and it’s super easy and cheap to make. It can be as (un)complicated as you like. Pick up a butternut squash, an apple or two, an onion, and roast those bits before you puree into a butternut squash soup. Or pick up a whole chicken and make chicken noodle soup. Or grab all of the vegetables for a veggie soup. Possibilities are endless. Don’t forget some crusty bread. (JH)
Leading Ladies, Parkland College Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
Another fast-paced farce from the mind of Ken Ludwig (playwright of Lend Me a Tenor and Moon Over Buffalo), this comic offering is directed by Sandra Zielinski and features a mix of student and community actors. From the Parkland website: “Two English Shakespearean actors, Jack and Leo, find themselves so down on their luck that they are performing Scenes from Shakespeare on the Moose Lodge circuit in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. When they hear that an old lady in York, PA is about to die and leave her fortune to her two long lost English nephews, they resolve to pass themselves off as her beloved relatives and get the cash. The trouble is, when they get to York, they find out that the relatives aren’t nephews, but nieces! Romantic entanglements abound, especially when Leo falls head-over-petticoat in love with the old lady’s vivacious niece, Meg, who’s engaged to the local minister. Meg knows that there’s a wide world out there, but it’s not until she meets ‘Maxine and Stephanie’ that she finally gets a taste of it.” (MG)
Maps & Atlases, Capys, The Highdive, $12, 7:30 p.m.
Math/indie rock outfit out of Chicago — Maps & Atlases — will be taking over Highdive on Saturday night for an early-ish show. You still have time to catch this show and head over to MNM’s for my next recommendation in the same night. Tons of music happening all over Downtown Champaign this weekend worth your time and dollars. Plus, local outfit Capys sound pretty damn cool as well. (PS)
Tara Terra, Plains, Alex & The XO’s, Mike ‘N Molly’s, $7, 9 p.m.
You most likely recall Emily Otnes & The Weekdays — but that band is now called Tara Terra, and they are performing this weekend. They just released their record, Daughter, and it has been garnering some good attention. They’re joined by Plains and Bloomington’s Alex & The XOs, a crew that has been around C-U a time or three. (PS)
SUNDAY, October 5th
Love is Strange and The Skeleton Twins, The Art Theater Co-op
These two “smaller” films have received some of the best reviews of the fall, and I figured somebody ought to see them. (I myself will be unable to attend, dammit.) See the Art’s website for more details, but suffice it to say that these films feature some incomparable actors and stories well worth sharing. Love is Strange stars Alfred Molina and John Lithgow as a longtime couple, finally married, who find themselves without a home. The Skeleton Twins features Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader as siblings who have…issues. That’s insufficient, but I’m leaving it there. Like I said, people, check the website. Read up. Then go see a good movie. It’s Fall, for crying out loud. Expect quality. (MG)
Vet Med Open House, 2001 S. Lincoln, Urbana, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
The U of I’s veterinary college will hold its annual Open House this weekend. The event, which is run by students, includes 40+ exhibits and demonstrations. Plus, kids can bring their stuffed toys that need a little TLC to the Teddy Bear Repair station in the kids’ tent at Open House. Visitors are not allowed to bring their own animals. (RP)
Free movies for all ages, Savoy 16 movie theater, 10 a.m.
Savoy 16 movies theaters are offering free movies this fall to all ages. This Sunday they are showing Epic. Going to the movies is fun and spending time with your kids, little siblings, or a friend of a family lets you know that you love and care about them. And that is awesome. Find out more by clicking here. (SL)
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