SPlog

STARGAZERS is a poetry and graphic illustration exhibit on display at the Urbana Free Library — part of the Artists of the Corridor Exhibition Series and a collaboration between Stacey and Shaya Robinson. You can …

The Celebration Company at the Station Theatre is seeking play proposals for fall 2021 and 2022. With their 50th season coming up, they are “taking steps to tell stories that truly reflect the diversity of …

Champaign Center Partnership is offering free trolley rides through Campustown tomorrow between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The trolley will depart every 15-20 minutes from the North entrance of the Illini Union. There are no …

Over the next few years, the Undergraduate Library will be transformed into a new home for the University Archives, Illinois History and Lincoln Collections, and Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Many of the services now …

Two recent University of Illinois graduates, Taylor Tucker and Nicole Dowling, have written and illustrated a children’s booked called Jenny Saves a Convertible. The book introduces kids to engineering concepts through a story about a …

Common Ground’s next virtual cooking class will feature French cuisine: a savory buckwheat galette, and sweet crêpes Suzette. The class will be on July 18th from 4 to 6 p.m. To register, you will purchase a …

Sal Nudo‘s latest work of flash fiction is perfect for your summer reading list. Mailbox Metal‘s blurb teases “Drunk and coked, a famous heavy metal drummer and his sidekick hurl down a country road with the …

I saw local artist Judy Lee’s post on Facebook about the pink coverted school bus in front of Analog, and I got excited. There are no markings on the bus, but I’m assuming there’s something fun …

David Palmer, a Democrat, is running to unseat Rodney Davis in IL-13. Palmer “is a retirement planning advisor with Bloomington-based Country Financial. After retiring from his professional basketball career, David spent time with his wife, …

On Bradley Avenue in between Mattis and Country Fair Drive in Champaign, there is a new taco truck slinging tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, and nachos. The white taco truck is parked in a good spot …

Our next installment in our Instagram Story Takeover series takes place tomorrow, Tuesday, June 29th. Champaign Farmers Market will be taking over all day tomorrow to take us through their process ahead of their Tuesday …

With the ongoing construction happening at Edison Middle School, a bit of history has been uncovered. Having two kids that attended EMS, both of whom were in band, I’d heard that the band room was …

If you fancy yourself a bit of an actor, Carle College of Medicine is ready to pay you to help their students make diagnoses. They are looking for more “patients” for their simulated patient program. …

C-U Folk & Roots Festival is back for an in-person festival October 21-23, and they’ve released their initial lineup this morning. Dom Flemons is once again headlining after doing so in 2019 (and in 2020 …

The Axe Bar opened just two weeks ago, and you can throw axes, grab a bite, or have a drink at the new Downtown Champaign bar. I tried the Hatchet cocktail ($11.99) — because when …

Jo Birdwell and Viktoria Ford, two artists from the current Giertz Gallery at Parkland College online exhibition Around the Block III, will be discussing their work at an online lecture on Wednesday, June 30th, at …

Even though students are away from Champaign-Urbana for the most part this summer, that doesn’t mean the Sustainable Student Farm doesn’t have work to do. The U of I’s Instagram account posted this piece of …

Urbana Poet Laureate Ashanti Files will be hosting an event showcasing the work of selected local poets. Featured artists include: A+, Adeyinka Alasade, Cielo Jones, Dawn Blackman, Ja Nelle Davenport-Pleasure, Jazmine Summerville, Marva Nelson, Ruby Mendenhall, Sandrea Flows, Shaya Robinson AKA Chocolate Star, and …

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts has announced they will return to in-person performances this fall, after recieving approval from leadership at the Univeristy of Illinois to do so.  This is a boon to the …

There’s a new Japanese restaurant opening in Downtown Urbana at some point in the future: Sakura Japanese Cuisine. The restaurant exists in the 136 W. Main Street building next to Weaver & Kearns Law Office …

If you’ve visited Kim Curtis’ Harvest installation at Weaver Park, you know how powerfully art can speak to the issue of climate change.  At 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 24th, Curtis will join artist Eric …

NAYA announced on Facebook that they are open for brunch now. I have missed brunch, and after a long year of no brunching, it felt like it was time to brunch. I took my husband, and …

If you haven’t taken a little day trip to Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, it’s a great little zoo where you can see quite a few animals, but it’s also very manageable.  They also have …

Sugga Shaii Sweets, the delicious bakery and confectionary, appears to be working on a food truck. It’s still in progress, but you can follow along on Facebook for updates. In the meantime, find these incredible …

In a mass email, President Tim Killeen announced that all students returning to U of I campuses this fall will be required to receive a COVID vaccine. If a student has a medical exemption, they …

Where did you order food from this weekend? The 217 Black Restaurant Weekend was this past weekend celebrating Black-owned Champaign-Urbana restaurants, food trucks, a bakery, and more. Buy Black Chambana wrote: Black Restaurant Weekend is …

On Thursday, June 24th from 12 to 1 p.m., there will be live Q&A with Parkland College Financial Aid Advisor Dawn Kamphaus on “funding your future.” This is part of the EmpowHERment Series, helping women …

Next time you head over to CU Adventures in Time and Space to try your next escape room challenge, you will be greeted by a friendly triceratops, a.k.a Puzzlesaurus.  He’s not part of a game, …

Enjoy nature and music from area musicians on several Sundays this summer during the Champaign County Forest Preserve District and League of Women Voters Summer Concert series. There will be five events this summer, all …

In Champaign on University Avenue, Meet Fresh sells Taiwanese desserts like chocolate deluxe egg waffles, milk teas, mango milk shaved ice, and more. Take a peek at some of Meet Fresh’s desserts. Photo from Meet …

While they will still offering some hybrid and online learning options for those who would prefer to remain virtual, Parkland College will be offering a full range of in-person classes for the Fall 2021 semester. …

Probably not, if we’re being serious. But now that I’m fully vaccinated against COVID-19, I’m looking forward to heading to Jupiter’s on Tuesdays for half-price pool and half-price large pizzas. It’s something I used to …

The first Champaign Park District neighborhood party will be at Countrybrook Apartments on June 24th from 6 to 8 p.m. In addition to the usual food, music, and activities for kids, there will also be …

Last year, Royse + Brinkmeyer partnered with students inthe Metropolitan Food and Environmental Systems (MFST) program, part of the College of ACES, to design and create an urban farm at 611 W Healey in Champaign. …

Boneyard Arts Festival 2021 is almost here. And as you plan for this long-awaited event, consider events that are interactive. After 18+ months of virtual art experiences, make time for opportunities to do and do …

WILL Education has a portion of their website dedicated to social justice learning, and now through the fall it will be dedicated to “the experience of being LGBTQ+ in America. They will regularly update the …

Homemade with Love: More Living Room, the “year-long exhibition making space for Black girls’ creative lives with us,” will be saying farewell to Krannert Art Museum with a closing celebration on Saturday, July 3rd, from …

HV Neighborhood Transformation, an organization working on “disrupting cycles of violence” in Champaign-Urbana will begin their 40 days of peace and community building initiative with a Juneteenth celebration at West Side Park this Saturday. The …

And Riggs is turning five, so it’s an extra special celebration for the brewery. From the event page: Join us for our 5 year anniversary and annual brewery festival in the beergarden. Live music, food …

The University of Illinois’ saliva-based COVID-19 test is available through OSF for community members over eight years old. You will need the Safer Community app to receive your test results. Details about where and how …

In 2019, the Urbana Park District announced their plan to replace the beloved Prairie Play structure at Meadowbrook Park. We felt a lot of feelings about it, but the reasoning is solid. It’s difficult to …

Serving grilled meat on skewers or meaty sandos, Fyrefly Grill is open now. The restaurant has ample parking and lots of indoor seating available. I’m always down for a bánh mì, and this new Urbana …

In January, Abbie Frank and her husband Tim Voelker announced a major change for their wedding and event venue, Bluestem Hall. This will be the last wedding season, and the space will then become a …

Spindependence, the (normally) annual DJ marathon that previously look place in Downtown Urbana is moving back to Champaign. Of course, it didn’t happen last year. On July 2nd, Bentley’s will host dozens of DJs to …

As if we weren’t excited enough about the return of Boneyard Arts Festival, this weekend’s grand opening of The Recreation Club, a new arts collective and tattoo shop, definitely puts the cherry on the sundae.  The …

Last week we told you that the second annual 217 Black Restaurant Weekend will take place June 18-20. Here are the details, including which restaurants are participating: Buy Black Chambana announces 217 Black Restaurant Weekend …

C-U Oktoberfest will be back in all it’s glory on September 25th from 6 to 10 p.m. at The City Center. As a major fundraiser for Developmental Services Center, it went virtual last fall. Of …

The Castle Theatre in Bloomington has announced Wilco will be performing outside of their venue on Saturday, September 11th to celebrate the Castle’s 10 year anniversary. The band will perform alongside Backyard Tire Fire, Chciago …