Today is National Coffee Day, so maybe it’s a good day to try a new brew created out of a local collab. The folks at Collective Pour offered up an Old Scout Bourbon Barrel, which Columbia …
This year’s C-U Women’s March will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 2nd. The march will begin at the Alma Mater (1409 W Green St, Urbana) and continue east to the Champaign County …
An ice cream and cereal bar called Heavy Spoon Co will take over the spot in Downtown Champaign where Aroma Cafe used to be. At this time, the new bar has no website or social …
After being closed for more than a year, The Neighbors @ The Ice House has now reopened. The subject came up in Kathy’s Mailbag in The News-Gazette last week. There was a soft opening a …
Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County hosted their annual Raise the Woof fundraiser a couple of weeks ago, and some really amazing pet houses came out of it. Right now, you can vote on your …
Sponsored by Developmental Services Center (DSC), C-U Oktoberfest returned on Saturday with beer, Bavarian pretzels, live music, games, and food by Watson’s food truck + Smith Burger Co. Photo by Alyssa Buckley. The event took over …
Have you been to a Toast to Taylor Street block party yet? There is one more chance this season to experience it. Toast to Taylor brings local makers and a lineup of local musicians to …
On Wednesday, September 28th, the Bread and Puppet Theatre will be coming to Cannonball Hill in Urbana’s Crystal Lake Park. A recent release from the School for Designing a Society noted that “believing theater is …
October 6th and 7th is the Chancellor’s Call to Action to Address Racism and Social Injustice Research Symposium, part of a “commitment by our university to put the need to address systemic racism and generationally embedded …
Flying Machine Coffee, perhaps now best known to everyone as Flying Machine Avionics, turns nine today, September 22nd. Once upon a time, nine years ago, Flying Machine opened in Downtown Urbana. For a brief time, …
A recent press release from the University Y shared the following preview of this new exhibit from Kofi Bazzell-Smith, which opens at the Murphy Gallery on Thursday, September 22nd. “The exhibit is an action-comedy about …
This Friday is the last chance to buy tickets for the annual Artisan Cup & Fork. Hosted by The Land Connection, this year’s Artisan Cup & Fork will be Saturday, October 1st at the Orpheum in …
Perkins Home Improvement just posted some photos of the stage at Rose Bowl Tavern during their renovation of it a year ago. As someone who doesn’t know the first thing about woodworking or construction, it’s …
The Humanities Research Institute research theme for this year is Un/Doing, “un/doing the status quo that threatens us all — to abolish and defund, to decolonize, divest, decriminalize, dismantle, and de-center.” There are a few …
You still have time to submit your artwork for consideration by Busey Wealth Management. They are looking for pieces to be featured at their headquarters in Urbana from October 2022 to July 2023. The deadline …
Open houses at U of I give us an opportunity to peek behind the scenes at all of the amazing work and research that is happening on campus. There’s a new one added to the …
If you can handle the heat, you can sign up to be a contestant in Flannel Fest’s hot pepper eating contest. The Champaign Parks District have opened the sign-ups online. The hot pepper contest will be …
The Arthouse Experience film series will partner with Illinois Public Media and the Virginia Theater for the 2022-23 season. This series features artistic films and post-screening discussions with directors, producers, and other special guests. The …
The U.S. Department of Energy just committed $25 million over five years to the Argonne National Laboratory and community and academic leaders to study the effects of climate change in urban settings. Steve Nesbitt, associate head …
If you knew Aaron “A-Rock” Davidson, you knew what he was all about. Suddently passing away at the age of 48, A-Rock was considered to be the heart and soul of the live music scene …
The 2022 midterm election is coming up soon, so now is the time to check your voter registration status, whether you are a first time voter, have moved since the last time you voted, or …
The annual Parkland Art & Design Faculty Exhibition is a great opportunity to get to know the faculty as artists. If you haven’t been to Giertz Gallery to see it yet, you have until September …
Nick Holonyak Jr., John Bardeen Endowed Chair Emeritus in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics at the University of Illinois, passed away this week. He is credited with the first LED light in in 1962, …
Señores Tacos opened last summer with a taco truck parked on Bradley Avenue and now has a second truck — and it’s pretty. The new purple truck is parked at the original Bradley Avenue location, and …
Mark your calendars for the leaf collection days in Urbana. You’ve got a solid month to get your yard cleaned up. There will be three weeks of pickups: October 31 – November 4 November 14 …
Trouble Chasin’ has a new song and music video out, titled “10 & 2.” A reference to the method of keeping your hands at 10 & 2 o’ clock when driving, the song tackles the …
Like probably most of C-U, I was awake at 1:30 a.m. as a pretty intense lightening/wind/hail storm slammed through the area. We turned on WCIA to see if we needed to see what we were …
H3, a coalition of organizations working with with people impacted by violence in our community, is hosting a discussion in the City View room at Illinois Terminal from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. H3 stands …
Regardless of the calendar, fall unofficially begins when 710 Mart serves their grab-and-go sushi. After a long summer hiatus, the convenience store on Goodwin has their fridges stocked with affordable rolls. Apart from sushi, they …
The University of Illinois has reopened a community COVID-19 testing location at Campus Recreation Center East (CRCE). The saliva-based test will be available to anyone who needs one — U of I faculty, student, staff …
We know the C-U is pretty great, and at Smile Politely, at least, we do our best to highlight the best (and sometimes the worst) of what this area has on offer. The Thrillist article …
The City of Urbana has about $10 million in America Rescue Plan Funds to address the impacts of the pandemic. After working with the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission to develop a plan for the …
What’s better than a hamburger? A cheeseburger. This Sunday, September 18th is — I’m sure you already know — National Cheeseburger Day. At Smile Politely, we love burgers, and we even wrote a list of the BEST burgers …
The Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company’s Penguin Project makes community theatre accessible to special-needs youth. Opening this weekend, Pure Imagination, is a family-friendly musical revue featuring music from Seussical, Shrek :The Musical, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen and more. Come out …
Back in March, we shared that the previous home of the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum was going to become an event space. There have been some renovations and restorations happening, and now the Orpheum Champaign …
Planned Parenthood’s Champaign Health Center has upgraded their facilities and expanded their staff to be able to provide in-clinic, or surgical, abortions. Surgical abortions can be performed until 22 weeks into pregnancy. Last year we …
In a Facebook post on Monday, Matt Talbott of Hum announced that he is going on tour in October. The majority of the dates are on the West Coast/Southwest, with some shows in the Midwest …
The Champaign Urbana Public Health District has the new bivalent COVID booster, targeting the BA.4 and BA.5 versions of the Omicron strain, for anyone 12 and up. You can schedule your appointment online. If CUPHD’s …
The Inman, formerly known as Inman Place and originally The Inman Hotel, is now owned by Royse + Brinkmeyer Apartments. Since the early nineties, it has been an independent living facility for senior citizens, with …
The question of whether or not to allow for a varsity football game to be played at McKinley Field was answered by the Champaign City Council last night: Yes. In a 5-3 vote, the City …
This year’s Artisan Cup & Fork will be a culinary competition not to miss. It is the seventh year that The Land Connection has hosted the Artisan Cup & Fork. The annual event features chef …
Champaign Center Partnership is joining with Uniting Pride to host a Community Crawl in Downtown Champaign on October 2nd from 3 to 5 p.m. This is a way that you can get exclusive Pride-related items …
Add fall seasonal menus to my list of favorite fall things. I am here for more cozy comfort foods and cocktails that bring in cinnamon and other spices. Everyday Kitchen just launched their fall seasonal …
Leah Marlene is set to return back home to Bloomington-Normal for a concert at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts on November 18th at 7:30 p.m. The singer-songwriter placed in the top three on …
YWCA of the University of Illinois has an ongoing program, Strive, which equips women with the digital skills needed to advance in the workforce. The next session begins next week, with classes in Rantoul on …
There is one contested judicial race in this election cycle, for the seat vacated by Heidi Ladd, who retired in 2020. The Republican candidate, Sam Limentato, was appointed to fill her seat for the remainder …
The University of Illinois Rare Book and Manuscript Library’s fall exhibit will feature letters from its extensive Conde de Montemar collection, along with other books about the Spanish conquest and colonization of Perú. If you …
The Literary is hosting movie nights one Friday a month, featuring book-ish and adjacent films. This Friday, September 16th, you can watch one of the greatest movies of all time, The Princess Bride. The 1987 …
It’s that time of year, time to gather up the random electronics in your house and get ready to bring them to the biannual collection event. The collection is October 15th at Parkland College from …
