FRIDAY, September 29th
Wine tasting, Sylvia’s Irish Inn, 5 to 7 p.m., $65
Sample wine for a good cause. Sylvia’s Irish Inn is hosting a wine tasting to benefit C4A’s Scholarship Fund and Cultural Exchange Project with the Sechura Youth Orchestra and the city of Sechura, Peru. The event will have door prizes, live music, and serious hors d’ouevres. It’s a classy, charitable way to kick off your Friday evening. (DT)
Allerton Park Barn Music Festival, various times throughout the weekend, $10-50
Allerton’s annaul Barn Music Festival is happening this weekend, and if you check out the website, you can see all of the ticketing options for the festival. This is one of the best ways to transition September into October. (PS)
DJ Shane Canfield, Cowboy Monkey, 10 p.m., $2 after 11 p.m.
If you haven’t heard DJ Shane Canfield spin yet, you should do yourself a favor and check out his set on Friday night at Cowboy Monkey. If you’re there early enough, it won’t cost you any dough, either — though a $2 cover charge after 11 p.m. ain’t so bad anyhow. (PS)
Fighting Illini Football, Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m., cost varies
Fighting Illini Football thunders into Memorial Stadium at 7 p.m. as the hometown team takes on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a Big Ten West showdown. This is Illinois’s first conference game and could be a sign of things to come for Lovie Smith’s Illinois squad. (DT)
SATURDAY, September 30th
Pudgy Pumpkin’s Fall Festival, Prairie Gardens (3000 W Springfield Ave, Champaign), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., free, but cash for pony rides
Prairie Gardens is hosting a fall festival stacked with pumpkin decorating, face painting, pony rides, and all sorts of other family friendly activities. The petting zoo is free, but $1 for creatures’ snacks; pony rides are $5 (all cash only). There will be food trucks on hand, too, and a straw maze. More info is available on Facebook. Photo from Facebook (JH)
Celebrate Oktoberfest, Crane Alley, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., free entry, plus cost of food + drink
Crane Alley is celebrating Oktoberfest with a bunch of different German beers (a bunch of Oktoberfest beers which are Marzen-style) and German food. Specials will include brats, obatzda, schnitzel, cabbage, potato salad, and Linzer torte. The weather forecast looks great, so arrive early to enjoy the food and drink in Crane Alley’s outdoor seating area. Photo from Facebook (JH)
Court Fees & Fines: Time to Stop Penalizing the Poor, Champaign Public Library, 4-5:30pm
First Followers will present their research on court fees and fines plus offer testimony from individuals who have faced loss of licenses or been blocked from accessing housing and employment because of court debts. This event will be moderated by Alderman Aaron Ammons. Light refreshments will be served. (CR)
Polyvinyl’s 21st birthday party, Bentley’s Pub, free, 7:30 p.m.
Polyvinyl Records is old enough to drink legally! Well, at least, in terms of their age as a company they are. They’re throwing a little party at Bentley’s Pub in Downtown Champaign to celebrate — they’ll have a DJ spinning old and new PV tunes, some giveaways, and good times. Go celebrate one of the best portions of culture in C-U. (PS)
Latin Dance Night, Krannert Center, 9:30-11:30 p.m., free
Krannert and La Casa Cultural Latina are co-hosting this recurring event, and it’s Hispanic Heritage Month so what better time to try it out? The event takes place in the lobby of Krannert and will introduce you to latin dances including reggaeton, bachata, cumbia, salsa, merengue, and more. The cash bar will be open (which might help some get out there and try some of these dances), and garage parking is free. (JM)
SUNDAY, October 1st
Vet Med Open House, 2001 S Lincoln Ave, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., free
I have always cited the University of Illinois one of the reasons that I love living here in C-U because of the experiences it has to offer, cultural and otherwise, and this is one of my favorites. We have this amazing school of veterinary medicine, and they open their doors wide for the public to check out the work that they do. It’s free, interactive, and an awesome learning opportunity. Plus you can put your hand inside a cow’s stomach. (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.