SPlog

Black Voices Theatre Production is launching a new steppers club starting on Friday, August 13th. Led by instructor Ja’nelle Davenport-Pleasure, the live, online classes run 90 minutes and cost $9.99. Get all the details here. …

The Illinois Department of Public Health is offering all K-12 schools in the state free SHIELD tests, the saliva-based COVID-19 tests developed at the University of Illinois. The tests will be free. As an alternative …

On Friday August 6th, the newly re-opened Greenhouse Café at Allerton will be adding art to the menu. The opening evening reception, scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m., will feature work by Cris Hughes, Kathy …

Strive is an intiative of the YWCA that gets Chromebooks (in those lovely carrying cases) to women who lack access to technology, then leads a cohort through a several week program to teach digital and …

Cloud Mountain Kombucha is a kombucha brewery opening soon in Lincoln Square Mall. What’s kombucha, you ask? It’s fermented tea (usually green or black). It’s effervescent, so there’s some bubbly action, and it’s often flavored. …

I love a seasonal drink menu, whether it’s a cocktails or tea/lemonade/coffee. I’ve tried a couple of the beverages on Cafe Kopi’s summer drink menu, both delicious. The Tropical Palmer puts a new spin on …

Our culture section attempts to capture the essence of C-U. We write about the people, places, and events that make this community a pretty awesome place to live. That looks a little different right now, …

The Perseid meteor shower will hit its peak between August 11th and 13th, and you can join other stargazers at Middle Fork River Forest Preserve on the 11th to view it from an official Dark …

United Way of Champaign County partners with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health Department to run the Bottom Line Diaper Bank. The goal is to inform the community about diaper needs, and make sure low income families have …

The Japanese bakery in Downtown Champaign is now serving sofuto kurimu, or soft cream. The dessert is available in vanilla, matcha, or a twist containing both flavors. Enjoyed in a cup or waffle cone, the …

A new community engagement campaign created by the Neighborhood Services Department, Champaign County Community Coalition, and the Hip-Hop Express aims to bring neighborhoods together through block parties.  The campaign started on Monday, August 2nd and …

A few weeks ago we shared a list of opportunities for you to share your thoughts about how the City of Champaign should spend the $25 million it received from the American Rescue Plan. The …

Champaign County Safe has been a great resource for helping businesses and the community navigate COVID, and now they’ve added another layer of information to their site. Among the list of businesses that have committed …

Are you looking for a way to enjoy and support local theatre behind the scenes? The Station Theatre is currently seeking nominations for 2021 board members with experience or interest in the following areas: non-profit …

After being closed to the public since the beginning of the pandemic, the U of I Ice Arena is going to be back in action on August 23rd. Here are the public skate times: Mondays …

Last summer, Buy Black Chambana hosted an Urban Market for several weeks, featuring local Black owned businesses and vendors. The market will be back this fall, beginning Saturday, August 28th and continuing every Saturday through …

This past weekend, the Illini Solar Car team from the College of Engineering competed in the Formula Sun Grand Prix in Topeka, placing third overall and qualifying for the American Solar Challenge. The challenge takes …

Comedian Hasan Minhaj is returning to C-U on March 26th. The Virginia Theatre performance starts at 7:30 p.m.; tickets range in price from $30 to $96. Tickets go on sale this Friday, August 6th at …

Kids age 4-10 are invited to design their bus to help MTD welcome their new fleet of zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell buses to C-U. Coloring pages and entry forms are available at the Champaign Public …

As we slide into the last month of summer, don’t miss the last Quad movie, happening this Thursday at 9 p.m. The August 5th screening will be Godzilla vs. Kong. If you want to do a little …

In Mahomet, Weird Meat Boyz has taken over the Chop Truck outside Champaign County Brewing Company to serve up some hot food and sell bottles of their sauces. Check out our review of all the WMB …

This Sunday night on August 8th, The Axe Bar in Downtown Champaign will host a drag show in memory of Chester Street Bar. The show is called The Reunion, and it will start at 10 …

We’ll miss having him as an Illini, but at least he won’t be far. Check out this reaction after he was picked by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the NBA draft. Ayo …

Beckman researchers Michelle Rodrigues and Si On Yoon published their study “What are friends for? The impact of friendship on communicative efficiency and cortisol response during collaborative problem solving among younger and older women,”  in the Journal …

Steve Summers has represented County Board District 9 since 2016, and previously served on the Urbana School Board for 16 years. He will be running to replace current County Executive Darlene Kloeppel. She has not …

CU Skateboarding is inviting skaters out to Spalding Park the last Sunday of every month at noon for “tunes, skate goods, grub”. Check out their recent Instagram post:         View this post …

The Champaign Police Department and Champaign Unit 4 Schools announced today that they will be temporarily suspending the School Resource Officer Program due to staffing issues within the police department. Here is the press release: …

Are you a mural artist? The City of Urbana Arts and Culture Program has opened calls for both Utility Box Murals and Murals on Glass submissions with deadlines in mid-August.  Get all the details here.  Good …

To all who celebrate the holiday of National Chicken Wing Day, may the wings be with you. Where do you get your favorite chicken wings in Champaign-Urbana? I recently tried Black Dog’s wings (pictured above), …

Common Ground‘s next virtual cooking class will feature Chinese cuisine: tomato egg drop soup, Sichuan-style blistered green beans, smashed cucumber salad, fish-fragrant eggplant, and white rice (vegetarian option available). The class is Sunday, August 29th …

Get ready to reconnect. The Rec Club, downtown Champaign’s new arts collective and hip event hotspot, will be hosting The Mothership Experience on August 13th. Featuring sound bath practitioner Amanda Wallace and musician William Gold, …

It’s finally here! Late July is peak produce time at the Champaign and Urbana markets and I am here for it. Sweet corn, peaches, tomatoes, green beans…so much goodness to behold. I throw some CI …

There are a bunch of COVID-19 vaccination clinics happening across Champaign-Urbana and in Mahomet. Specific details are on the poster below, or visit the Champaign Urbana Public Health District website for more information. Image courtesy …

The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics is keeping everyone updated on the progress of Illini at the Tokyo Olympics on this website. There are nine Illini in Tokyo right now, both competing in …

Bring your young eco-warriors to the Museum of the Grand Prairie’s August 9th Museum Monday where they’ll learn to how to reduce, reuse, recycle, and repurpose trash into treasure.  Find out more about this event …

Analog is hosting Wine Together, a two day wine and food event on July 30th and 31st. There will be four different food and wine experiences across the two days. You can purchase an all …

Krannert Art Museum and yoga instructor Jodi Adams are taking KAM’s free yoga session up a notch by incorporating art appreciation into the practice. Move with Art will begin each session with a prompt or …

Every weekend, Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery is open for a nice time on the farm. They have a newly renovated farm store and bar with a food menu. Photo from Prairie Fruits Farm and …

Habitat for Humanity’s 3rd annual doghouse building event is expanding this year to include cat abodes. Teams that sign up to compete can choose either a dog or cat house to build for the competition, …

Today there were three more $100,000 lottery winners selected in the State of Illinois, and they are from Vernon Hills, Bolingbrook, and Champaign County.  Could it be you? The Illinois Department of Health will be …

Audiofeed, the annual music festival held at the Champaign County Fairgrounds, has announced its lineup. The festival, which began in 2013, will run this year from September 3-5 and host 75+ bands, with bonus shows …

After taking a year off, the Y’s Dump and Run collection and sale is returning. Beginning August 2nd from 12 to 4 p.m., they will begin collecting items at the U of I Stock Pavillion. …

Urbana Park District and the CU Folk and Roots Festival are bringing Folk and Roots Fridays back to Crystal Lake Park in August and September for your lunch hour enjoyment. The free concerts will take …

The line was long yesterday for the mash up event for Baldarotta’s Porketta & Sicilian Sausage and Smith Burger food truck. In the parking lot of Riggs, people waited to try the one of a kind …

Smith Burger Co. and Baldarotta’s are joining up this Sunday, July 25th for a (s)mash up at Riggs. From noon to 2 p.m., bring your cash to Riggs for the following: The Etta Smith Burger …

Clearview Farms is sporting a gorgeous field of sunflowers for you to enjoy. With no set hours and free admission, you can visit the farm any time and enjoy the beautiful sight. Be sure to …

Remember way back when in March 2019 when it was announced there’d be a new hotel going into Downtown Champaign, right across the street from the Orpheum and just south of Sticky Rice and Bentley’s? …

Local DJ Janaea Modest — aka DJ Silkee — will be hosting SheSpins, a free summer camp over the weekend of August 9-12. The camp will aim to teach young girls ages 10-17 about the basics of …