From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST attempt at suppressing the spread of COVID-19: U of I’s testing program To say that I was skeptical of the U of I’s plans to welcome back tens of …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST months in 2020: January and February Remember January and February? Boy, those were great months. Usually the worst months of the year here in Central Illinois — the holidays are …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST political campaign: Champaign County Forest Preserves Tax Referendum Look, when you win every voting district in Mahomet on a referendum to raise taxes to better fund the preservation of …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST hidden gem: Blacklight Box UV art gallery Nestled within the quiet, tree-lined streets of Urbana resides the makings of an art revolution — in a box. Blacklight Box celebrates the power …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST new restaurant concept: Cocktails to go The new option to order cocktails to go has changed carryout this year. The best cocktails are right here in C-U: so many …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST at creating lemonade from lemons: Rose Bowl’s patio programming Music venues and the hospitality industry have been turned upside down during the pandemic. Most of the music venues in …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST pandemic pivot that will hopefully stick around: Virtual games at CU Adventures I love a good escape room. There just aren’t that many opportunities to challenge your brain in …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST initial response to the pandemic: Champaign Mayor Deb Feinen’s Emergency Order It has been nine months and two days since I wrote this article about the value of Mayor Feinen and …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST way to know which neighbors to avoid: Election 2020 signs The last five years have been stressful. Are your neighbors secret Trump supporters? Do they believe that All Lives …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST beer release: AJ’s Stout by Triptych Every year, Triptych celebrates Festivus on December 23rd. A staple of every Festivus celebration, beside the Feats of Strength and Airing of Grievances, is the …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST art business pivot: Art Coop One of the remaining independent art supply stores, Art Coop has been evolving and surviving since 1971. And that legacy seems safe in the …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST necessary adaptation: Options for eating at restaurants Restaurants have been through a lot this year, having to adjust their entire business to include better carryout processes and COVID prevention …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST place to walk and clear your head: Busey Woods Back in April, just as things were becoming clear to some of us that this was going to be a …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST album: Hum’s Inlet By now, if you want to read about how well received Hum’s first album in over 22 years was, there are plenty of places for you to do that. …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST party HQ: GOP headquarters at Hooters I initially wrote something about this that was not what you are currently reading. I decided to delete it and start over. …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST way to support local producers: Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) I’ve been doing a summer CSA for a few years now, like so many others in this community, so it’s …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST community collaborations: Bucket Brigade and Solidarity Gardens CU When our worlds slammed to a halt in March, it was amazing to see how quickly organizations kicked things into high …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST new art programming: 40 North’s The GreatARTdoors With so many art festivals canceled, C-U artists and art fans were definitely in need of a boost. And 40 North’s new …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST entertainment option: Harvest Moon Drive-In While I’ve long appreciated having a drive-in movie theater nearby (it’s possible I was involved in some high school hijinks that involved putting a …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST outdoor music venues: Krannert Center amphitheater + Loose Cobra Oh, how I dream of simply watching some human perform some piece of art for me and the rest of …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST new food truck: Los Hidalguense Opened this year, Los Hidalguense taco truck is legit. I reviewed the truck in July, and since then, I’ve been back at least twice a …
We have a celebrity in town: Julianna Jung is the champion of The Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship. We’ve been rooting for her to win, and she did it on Monday night. A home baker …
While eating and drinking on New Year’s eve and day are going to look a bit different this year given the pandemic, Watson’s Shack & Rail has something to serve up that’s not Watson’s, but …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST ex-pat story: Kamala Harris becoming Vice President-elect The story of Sen. Kamala Harris having connections to Champaign-Urbana was a surprise to most. Even though there are so many human …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST human: Julie Pryde Julie Pryde is an incredible human who has been so poised and organized during this shit storm of a pandemic. Pryde for President. Or Mayor?? (Jessica …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST retail spots now gone forever: Dallas & Co + Skins N’ Tins That both of these legendary spots in Downtown and Midtown Champaign survived as long as they did …
Ashanti Files has been named the newest Poet Laureate of the City of Urbana, per the announcement by the city today. Files is the city’s second poet to hold the honor, following the inaugural Poet …
Andrew Prichard, one of our longtime contributors here at SP, posted this update about the space formerly occupied by Sitara in Downtown Urbana as it appears to have transitioned into a Mexican restaurant. Tres Nopales, …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST food philanthropy: Maize kids lunches and Siam Terrace free face masks with orders One amazing thing to come out of this year is the response some have chosen. Like …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST pandemic side effect: Appreciation for our outdoor spaces “Outside” has taken on new significance this year. As we slog our way through a pandemic where being indoors in spaces …
From our BEST 2020 feature: BEST response to racial justice movement: C-U’s anti-racist organizations Most of C-U’s response to the ongoing extrajudicial murders of Black people has been swift and unequivocal. (Sadly, we cannot say …
Not even a week has passed since the announcement that Lovie Smith would not be returning as head coach of Illinois’ football program and we have a new coach installed. Illinois Football announced this morning …
I guess I just want to eat doughnuts? Or, I’m a sucker for faces on my desserts. Perhaps it’s a combination of both. Regardless, you can find these Grinch doughnuts at Harvest Market. How fun …
If you are an Urbana resident with a live Christmas tree this year, pick up will be the week of January 4-8. Your pick up day is the same as your usual U-cycle day. Here …
If you need to grab a few last minute gifts, Page Bazaar, at Flying Machine Avionics (202 S. 1st Street), is a solid option. Today through Saturday, from 4:30 p.m., you can stop by Avionics …
Dining domes and huts have popped up all over Downtown Champaign, it’s an interesting landscape to drive through these days. I’ve spotted them at Hamilton Walker’s, Guido’s, Ko Fusion, and Cowboy Monkey/Aroma Cafe, to name …
Artist Jason Mack has completed his project to build the world’s tallest glass Christmas tree, and you can visit it at the corner of Neil and Washington in Champaign. Check out the video below: …
The Bike Project of Urbana-Champaign and U of I Campus Bike Center are partnering for a kid’s bike giveaway on December 19th. The giveaway is happening between 1 and 3 p.m. (or until bikes are …
Cafe Kopi just put out a new winter drink menu, and it looks kind of amazing: View this post on Instagram …
The COVID-19 dashboard for Champaign County now has even more data, and their overall COVID website is now much easier to navigate. If you haven’t looked at the dashboard in awhile, you might want to …
I was today years old when I learned Black Dog has a huge selection of cocktails for carryout. There are 24 cocktails available to go including the Snowbird ($7) which has Songbird coffee liqueur, Field vodka, …
Ye Olde Donuts has had these Santas for the last two days, and I don’t know why, but I am tickled by their coconut beards, their googly eyes all askew, and the tiny little marshmallow …
This amazing portrait of Rudy Guiliani by Joan Stoltz is everything. “Rudy” is a part of Stoltz’s series “Skin the Game.” This series includes 25 paintings so far, each 6 x 6 inches, and completed …
The Urbana Park District and Champaign County Forest Preserve District are partnering to get science kit into the hands of students in Champaign County. Their endeavor is possible because of a $6500 Community Foundation Grant …
University of Illinois Research Park is hosting Illinois Reboot, a free virtual course focused on data science, with the aim of encouraging the pursuit of tech careers in Central Illinois. From the press release: “The …
On December 21st at 7 p.m., WILL-TV will air “American Portrait Central Illinois: Lift Every Voice.” This installment of their documentary series will feature how musicians and artists in our region have had to find …
Columbia Street Roastery wants to know if you’ve been naughty or nice this year. They’re selling naughty boxes which include black velvet coffee, a box of lump of coal cookies, and three packets of flavored …
Baldarotta’s is now offering a grande size for the Guido and cold cut classic sandwiches. The grande size sandwich is 21 inches long. It would be a perfect size if your family can agree on …
The State of Illinois officially has doses of the first COVID-19 vaccine approved and distributed in the United States in its possession. Per a tweet by Governor JB Pritzker, the doses arrived earlier today, and …
