SPlog

The Celebration Company at the Station Theatre will be holding auditions for two new staged readings during March and April. March auditions will cast for Ben F. Locke’s Following, and, April auditions will cast for …

The Latex Figure has just released their new song “Spiders In Your Head.” The track blends acoustic guitar with metal and it’s kind of unlike anything I’ve heard before — and I mean that in a …

This will be the third year for The Great ARTdoors, a collaboration between 40 North, Spurlock Museum, Champaign Park District, Urbana Park District, and Urbana Arts and Culture Program. Eleven local artists will be awarded …

This Saturday, February 26th, the entomology graduate students at the University of Illinois will be hosting a virtual 39th annual Insect Fear Film Festival. The event will include a virtual tour of the Illinois Natural …

Happy National Margarita Day! I love margaritas, and C-U has lots of tasty margs.  Maize has amazing margaritas, and you can customize them to be spicy or not. I like to get the cucumber lime …

It has long been a music industry practice to use science to create the catchiest melodies or the most appealing tones, but now, members of the University of Illinois Biophysics Sonification Group are flipping the …

You can celebrate the accomplishments of women in academia at the International Women’s Day Celebration at Levis Faculty Center on March 8th from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Humanities Research …

Did you know that Japan House has a Flickr account? I didn’t until a couple days ago, either, when I discovered these beautiful photos of the garden in winter.  Like most people I talk to …

Seven Saints recently shared this decades-old photo of E Chester Street — decades old meaning probably from the early 1990s, based on the cars. (Yes, I gasped a little when I realized that the 1990s …

It was just announced that the Illinois Marathon, now Illinois Race Weekend, will not be holding a marathon race in 2022. The half-marathon, 10K, 5K, Green Street Mile, and Youth Run will still go on, …

There’s a dessert shop called La Cocina Delicia inside Strawberry Fields in Urbana making artisitic gelatin sweets with hand-crafted flowers. The desserts are described online as “flavorful, sweet, fruity, creamy, and gluten free.”  Take a …

Ted Sanders, Director of the University of Illinois’ Creative Writing program and author of the beloved fantasy series The Keepers, will be offering a free fantasy writing workshop via the Champaign Public Library’s writer’s workshop …

Jai Chakrabarti, award winning author of the novel A Play for the End of the World, will be doing a reading at the Asian American Cultural Center on March 3rd at 4 p.m. It will be a hybrid …

Per reporting at WCIA.com, University of Illinois will drop its mask and vaccination/negative tests mandates for sporting and other events, but not for instructional spaces. It follows the state-wide mask mandate drop recently announced by …

Champaign-Urbana native Cade Whitt has just released his self-produced, debut album People in Places.  Whitt is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, mixing and mastering the album himself. The album blends rock, indie, and alternative, reminiscent of …

As another winter storm barrels down on us today, let’s remember that spring, and outdoor farmers markets, will come again. Applications to be a vendor at Urbana’s Market at the Square opened this week, so …

The City of Urbana is looking to help fund programs that serve young people from PreK through age 22 through their Youth Services Grants. Grant applicants need to demonstrate that the money would be used …

If you’re an artist looking for a community space to show your work, the Common Ground Food Co-op’s art gallery might be just the spot. Find out more about the application process here. Top photo …

Madelyn Witruk, artist, designer, and owner of OHOK Things, announced that her business will be coming to Downtown Champaign. The shop will be at 14 E Washington Street.         View this post …

Attention artists and makers. At 7 p.m. on Monday, February 21st, 40 North and the Champaign Public Library will be co-hosting a virtual workshop designed to bring your art business to the next level. You’ll …

Serving Chinese takeout and bento boxes, Rice Bowl is now open in the space that used to be Howdy Burger. The new restaurant is located in Campustown between Shawarma Joint and Mid Summer Lounge. Photo …

Blending rich history with a brutal reality, Ezzat Goushegir’s play My Name is Inanna explores what it means to live in “the land of the free” while many consider you to be a second class …

Jameatris Rimkus, a reference archivist at the University of Illinois uncovered a 1957 recording of Langston Hughes, when he visited the campus and gave a poetry reading at Gregory Hall. WILL recorded the event, where …

I am a sucker for a seasonal cocktail menu. I love to see how bars and restaurants put a seasonal spin on classics. My spouse and I sampled a couple of the winter cocktails at …

This short video from the Beckman Institute and the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois features professor and vet Dr. Krista Keller discussing a study to create an atlas of bearded dragon …

In the fall, Alexander’s announced that they would be shutting their doors temporarily due to staffing issues. Today, they posted that they would be closing the Champaign location for good. The restaurants in Normal, Springfield, …

Parkland College’s record label Perimeter Road Sound Recordings has announced the date of their yearly fest, alongside the first 5 confirmed acts.  The festival will take place on April 30th, 2022, at noon in the …

GroUp, the indoor and outdoor gardening center and cannabis shop will be opening a new location in midtown Champaign. The shop will be located at 118 East University Avenue, taking the place of the old …

Every year, the Champaign County Forest Preserve District accepts Christmas tree donations, and they make use of them in the preserves. Many are mulched, but check out this video of how they use the trees …

Parkland Theatre has announced its 2022-2023 season and it’s a winner. With a variety of beloved classic musicals, dramas, and comedies, you’ll definitely want to check the list on their website. 

Aja Evans, who attended the University of Illinois from 2008 to 2010, was a prolific athlete for the track and field program in the shot put and in the 4×100 relay. In her three years …

The Champaign County Clerk and Recorder of Deed’s Office is hosting a cute and fun contest, soliciting a newly redesigned “I Voted” sticker. The theme for the contest is “This is what democracy looks like.” …

Hudson is known for creating a “sometimes beautiful but always melancholy portrait of human vulnerability in the epic tradition of oil painting,” which “foreshadows our current environmental annihilation,” and offers “stories of survival and transcendence amongst …

This Valentine’s day weekend, make the trip to Allerton Park for a Valentine’s themed walk through the Formal Gardens accompanied by illuminated artwork. If you want to warm up to a campfire, the park is …

UPDATE February 11th at 8:56 a.m.: It appears their menu is no longer listed online, registering a 404 error, which took place after publishing the original SPlog. Here’s a link to their Instagram in the …

*Update, 12:24 p.m.: This story has been refuted by Khan. He is not running for Congress. Tony Khan, who currently runs the Khan family’s professional wrestling organization, All Elite Wrestling, has filed to run for …

It’s National Pizza Day, and in C-U we have a lot of options for pizza. If we’re being honest, not all of the options are awesome; some are definitely superior.  For example: I’ve written too …

Roommates Jack Joshi (junior in journalism), Jackson Janes (junior in aerospace engineering) and Adam Aaronson (junior in computer science) met as freshman, have enjoyed a shared obsession with crossword puzzles, and began working on their own …

Comedian Janelle James got her start in comedy attending open mics while living in Champaign. A few years ago she performed for a PYGMALION audience at The Iron Post as her star was quickly rising, and …

Every year during Girl Scout cookie time, Jarling’s adds a few varieties of those delightfully addictive cookies to their mix-in and topping options. This year, from February 25-27 (while supplies last) you can add Tagalongs, …

The Red Herring, which is temporarily (fingers crossed) closed, is hosting Black Poetry Open Mic Night at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, February 16th.  This is a WetDreamz: A Queer Experience, hosted by local rapper Kaypaichi. …

Did you know that you can earn a certificate from the College of ACES without being an undergraduate or graduate student? The college offers several undergraduate and graduate level certificates that can be completed over …

A new multi-purpose Champaign Park District facility, an endeavor that was announced about four and a half years ago, will be completed in June at the Human Kinetics Park site. Significant funding came from the Rainer …

Maize at the Station’s Valentine’s Day menu is a prix fixe $49 menu for two, with a shared appetizer, two entrees (or one entree intended for two), and a shared dessert. There are several drink …

Japan House regularly puts together “Japan House Cares” boxes, filled with unique items to gift to someone. This month, their Ai no Hako (Box of Love) is a great option to share with someone you …

At the beginning of the school year, lawyer Thomas DeVore took up the case of a bunch of “patriot” parents who felt their children were being persecuted because they were being asked to wear a …

To celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Tiger, Suzu’s Japanese Bakery is offering a chiffon cake slice with citrus jam and vanilla custard topped with a hand-decorated meringue tiger. It is …

Snowpocalypse 2022 definitely put a damper on Restaurant Week. Thankfully, there are still two more nights to enjoy your favorite spots or try new things. And, in some cases, you have another week to take …