FRIDAY, July 17th
Stories and Beer, 5 p.m., Blind Pig on Walnut, free
Stories and Beer is one of the best ways to kick off a C-U weekend. This month’s Stories and Beer features local and U of I writers along with Ryan Werner, who is current on tour for his novella Soft. Roya Khatiblou, Luke Bergkoetter, and Laney Ontiveros join him. (RP)
Third Friday Pop-Up, Prairie Fruits Farm, 5:30-7:30 p.m., prices vary
This month’s menu is “All American,” so it’s bound to be delicious. Ryan Groff will be the entertainment. These events are no longer BYOB — PFF now has a liquor license! Check out the food: Burnt Spring Onion Dip with Flat Bread Crackers; All American Cheeseburger — with Old Heritage Creamery Cheddar, caramelized onion, lettuce, tomato, on a house-made bun; Blueberry BBQ Burger — chevre, pickled red onion, lettuce, on a house made bun; **both burgers are made with beef from Central Lean, and is ground in-house!**; Triple S Farms Bratwurst on a house-made rye bun, spicy beer mustard, and summer “kraut”; Black Bean Burger — pickled jalapeno, feta, salsa, and house-made bun; Potato Salad – made from freshly dug, ‘new’ potatoes from PFF&C, herbs (vinegar based); Garden Salad with Green Goddess Dressing — organic greens, cherry tomatoes, carrots, cucumber; Root Beer Float — Vanilla gelato with Root Beer from the Homer Soda Company; Peanut Butter & Jelly Gelato Cookie Sandwich (rosemary peanut butter cookies with blackberry jam swirl gelato); Chocolate Sugar Cookie Sandwich with Dragon’s Milk Caramel Swirl Gelato. #murica (JH)
Outside at the Research Park: Kilborn Alley Blues Band with James Jones Trio, 6:30 p.m., 1816 South Oak Street, Champaign, free
Catch two of the best live acts in town together at this month’s Research Park series: Kilborn Alley and James Jones Trio. Tons of tasty food vendors will be on site, and attendees are also welcome to bring their own food. (RP)
Minions Fun Event, 7-8 p.m., Barnes and Noble, 65 E. Marketview Drive, Champaign, contact your local store for pricing info
Do you want to be a minion? Don’t even try to lie. Of course you do. Too bad, though, this event is for your kids. So live vicariously through them. Sign them up now to learn some Minion gibberish and find a cool villain to mercilessly stalk. Contact a local store at 217-355-2045 for information on signing up. (AH)
Amy Screening, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., The Art Theatre, $9.75/Adult and $8.75/Student tickets.
There may be no story more tragic in modern popular music than the rise and fall of Amy Winehouse, one of the best voices of our generation. Asif Kapadia’s new film chronicles that rise and fall, and from the looks of the trailer and the critical reception of the film, it’s not to be missed. If you’re a fan of popular music in any way, this documentary is for you. It also plays at 7 p.m. on Saturday and 7 and 10 p.m. on Sunday. (BH)
Sun Stereo’s EP release show, Mike N Molly’s, 9 p.m., $7
Sun Stereo is releasing their new EP Give It All Away tonight, complete with live art, raffles, and all the bells and whistles of a Sun Stereo live show. Not only that, but the band iwll be donating all of the proceeds from the raffle and the profits from the EP release to benefit the late Bart Tredway. (PS)
SATURDAY, July 18th
Visit Strawberry Fields, 306 W Springfield, Urbana, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
Strawberry Fields has officially reopened, so you go check it out. The cafe has been expanded, and now you can pick up Sugar by Sarah‘s tasty macarons. (JH)
Go see a guy play the “nose flute,” Champaign Public Library, 3-3:45 p.m., free
Dubbed the “dulcimer” guy, Mike Anderson is going to be bringing some funky instruments to play at the Champaign Public Library along with some humorous stories to tell. Anderson has won a Parent’s Choice award and a Children’s Music Award for best children’s song in 2003. This is an all ages event so bring the whole family. Read more about Anderson here. Watch a video of some of his performance here. (SL)
Bonesstock 2015, doors at 3 p.m., music at 4 p.m., Mike N Molly’s, $12 advance, $15 at the door
Local jug band Bones Jugs N Harmony is hosting its own day-long music festival at Mike N Molly’s. True to its title, Bonesstock takes stock of all kinds of local music: Abnormous, Chicago Farmer, The Fights, Grandkids, Jaik Willis, Kenna Mae, Klevah and Samuel Payne all perform, as well as the hosts themselves. (MR)
Craft Night with Sue Kay Lee, 6-8 p.m., Figure One Gallery, 116 N. Walnut, Champaign, free
Artist-in-residence Sue Kay Lee has an interactive and experimental postcard project aiming to challenge public perceptions of identity and authority, which she will then translates into painted and upholstered wall hangings. This craft night offers an opportunity to be directly involved in the creation of Sue’s work. (RK)
Urbanalove Summer Movie Night, 7 p.m., 129 N. Race Street, Downtown Urbana, free
Spirited Away will show at an outdoor screening in Downtown Urbana on Saturday night. It’s a nostalgic childhood favorite for some, and also a genuinely good movie by renowned director Hayao Miyazaki. If you haven’t seen it (or even if you have) and you’ve if you’ve got nothing to do, grab a blanket and some bug spray because this film is worth watching. Lucid provides live musical entertainment before the movie. (MR)
PechaKucha19, 8:20 p.m., Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S Goodwin Ave, Urbana, free.
A pole dancer, a news anchor, and a folk musician walk into a theatre. The punchline will probably be different than you imagine, but those are just three of the presenters from our community who will talk about 20 images for 20 seconds each. (RK)
SUNDAY, July 19th
Take a hike, Turkey Run 870 IN-47 Bloomingdale, IN, free
Hiking is just one of the many activities you can participate in at Turkey Run, a huge park just over an hour away from CU. Go to Turkey run for hiking, picnic, horseback riding, a nature center, canoeing, fishing, swimming, and historical sites. You can stay the night in a cabin, a tent or at the Turkey Run Inn. It will make a fantastic day or afternoon trip. Read more here. (SL)
Le Jardin Community Arts Festival, 5 p.m., U of I Arboretum, free
Music? Check. Dance? Check. Visual arts? Check. Spoken word? Yep, even that. Come out to the Arboretum and celebrate C-U’s cultural diversity through the arts. Admission is free, but you will want to bring your own treats and furniture. (AH)
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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.