Friday, October 28th
Attend a traditional barn-raising, Illinois Amish Heritage Center, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., $10 (free for kids 14 and under)
A 143 year old barn near Arthur was dismantled last spring, and will be reconstructed at the Illinois Amish Heritage Center with a traditional barn-raising. Check out it Friday or Saturday. In addition to the raising, there will be food vendors and family friendly activities. You can purchase tickets online. (JM)
Photo by Alyssa Buckley.
Eat a Frankensandwich, Cheese & Crackers, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. $8.99
Celebrate the Halloween weekend with this scary good sandwich from Cheese & Crackers called Frankensandwich ($8.99). On a crusty Italian baguette from TriBeCa Bakery, the sandwich has smoky ham, garlic-mascarpone spread, vinaigrette, mozzarella cheese, and onion. If the Frankensandwich doesn’t appeal to you, go for my Cheese & Crackers favorite: the Blue Ox which has rare roast beef, gooey blue cheese, grilled onions, and a vinaigrette on sliced sourdough bread grilled in butter. If you pick up a Cheese & Crackers sando, get me one, too, okay? (AB)
Photo from the University of Illinois Graphic Design Department Instagram.
Shop the University of Illinois Graphic Design Student Pop-Up Shop, Link Gallery, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
You don’t have to wait for the end of year student show to see what the University of Illinois graphic design students have been creating. Stop by the Link Gallery (between KAM and the School of Art & Design) to shop cleverly designed items like the one pictured above. Ten points if you know what these numbers mean. (DD)
Image from Facebook event page.
Catch the return of PechaKucha, Broadway Food Hall, 7 p.m., free
Hear some spooky stories from nine community members, including “fictional horror, real-life hauntings, and everyday nightmares.” Based on a concept that originated in Toyko, each presenter has 20 images and 20 seconds per image to share their stories. Costumes are encouraged! (JM)
Hear some killer rock and indie, Rose Bowl Tavern, 9 p.m., $12
Mightmare, the solo project of River Shook (of Sarah Shook and the Disarmers, who recently performed in Urbana), is a “riff-centric wading in the indie rock dark pop shallows.” Opening up the evening is singer-songwriter Sweetmelk who I caught with their full band during PYGMALION, and they absolutely killed it. This is set to be an awesome show. (SW)
Saturday, October 29th
Photo by Alyssa Buckley.
Stop by the last outdoor market of the year, Urbana Market at the Square, 7 a.m. to noon, free
Visit the Urbana farmers’ market one last time before the outdoor market season ends. There will be farmers selling the last of the season’s harvest, and you know you want to eat it. Look for pumpkins, squash, apples, and more. Go see Central Illinois Bakehouse for croughnuts, Prairie Fruits Farm for goat cheese, and Stango Cuisine for savory handpies. Read Wednesday’s interview with Molly Oberg, farmer and co-owner of Meyer Produce, and stop by her stand to check out raspberries, apples, and more. There will be food trucks, artists, and organizations in addition to farmers, bakers, and sauce-makers. (AB)
Visit a new art market: All Together Now CU, Lincoln Square Mall, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free
The folks behind Norden, Johann Rischau and Anna Gutsch, have organized yet another way to celebrate and show off the maker community in Champaign-Urbana. This new market is indoors, and will feature vendors selling arts, crafts, food, and more. Get a preview of what to expect on the event’s Facebook page. (JH)
Shop and check out a fashion show, Circular Fashion Expo, Siebel Center for Design, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (fashion show at 6 p.m.), free
The Circular Fashion Expo is all day, with shopping, people watching, and workshops. Earlier this week I chatted with organizer Joshua Jay James; read our interview for more info about this event. (JH)
Photo from the Urbana Park District Facebook page.
Join the Champaign County Camera Club’s Fall Photo Outing, Meadowbrook Park, 3 to 6 p.m., free
The foliage in Urbana is definitely camera ready. Pack your camera and meet at the Garden Pavilion on Race Street. If you’re a newbie, this is a great way to get some pro tips and tricks and learn more about the Champaign County Camera Club. (DD)
Sunday, October 30th
Have a tasty brunch with some tasty jazz, Neil Street Blues, 11 a.m., $25
To close out the eighth annual C-U Jazz Festival, Neil Street Blues is hosting a jazz brunch on Sunday. Come and have some great food and enjoy some tunes from the Leon Lewis-Nicol Duo. Brunch is already the best meal of the day, and to pair that with some jazz music? Sounds like a dream. Tickets are $25, and you can find those on the Eventbrite page here. (SW)
Photo from Prairie Fruits Farm Facebook page.
Have a goaty Halloween, Prairie Fruits Farm, 1 to 4 p.m., free to visit the farm, but bring money for yummy things
Get in the Halloween spirit with some goats in costume, as well as hay rides, pumpkin decorating, and a sorghum maze. And you know PFF always has some tasty treats on hand. (JM)
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All event information is accurate to the best of our abilities, but sometimes we make mistakes and sometimes event information, times, prices, etc., change after we look them up. Whenever possible, we’ve provided a link to the original event page; you should always double-check the source before you make any firm plans. Thanks for your understanding.