SPlog

Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, May 19th, there will be a community-based COVID-19 testing site at Market Place Mall. If you are interested in getting tested, you can go there and get a free, self-administered test. There …

Samantha Coon, the owner of Greenhouse Café at Allerton, is doing a virtual cooking class on Sunday, May 24th from 11 a.m. to noon to show you how to recreate her popular Farmers Market Salad …

Japan House is selling matcha tea, Spring Cherry Sencha green tea, matcha candies, and bamboo whisks so that you can enjoy a taste of tea at home.  Just fill out the form on their website, …

One of the things that most surprised me when I moved to C-U was the abundance of public parks. Between the Champaign and Urbana Park Districts, we have dozens of options for walking, biking, playing …

You can order pizza from Baldarotta’s Porketta & Sicilian Sausage for carryout. They’re offering take-and-bake Sicilian style pizza that is 11 inches by 17 inches. The pizza will come with cooking instructions.  Place your order by …

Jay Goldberg Events & Entertainment’s Summer Camp Music Festival is scheduled for August 21-23 in Chillcothe, where they hope to be able to celebrate their 20 year anniversary. While it’s typically taken place this coming weekend, …

The Public i published this in-depth story about the recent incident involving the use of excessive force by Urbana Police Department on April 10th against Aleyah Lewis. Author Jane McClintock goes into incredible detail about …

The 1868 Collection, a recurring art exhibit at the Busey Wealth Management headquarters in Urbana, has been without viewers since the COVID-19 shutdown, until now. Thanks to a new online gallery, art fans can enjoy …

If you’ve driven by Farren’s recently, you’ve surely noticed their windows filled with colorful hearts. If you follow them on social media, you’ve surely noticed their amazing positivity and community cheerleading during this kind of …

If you’re looking for another option to grab some coffee or tea to go, Espresso Royale on Neil Street is now open. Bonus: they have a drive thru which makes pickup super easy.  They will …

In this time that’s stressful for all, it’s hardest on those already dealing with substance abuse and mental health issues. Rosecrance is offering several free virtual resources to all who need them.  A virtual library …

Back in April, Krannert Art Museum announced they would be hosting the curated lineup of artists to perform as a part of their virtual Remastered from Home series. Remastered typically takes place in the museum …

Beginning today, Urbana Free Library will do curbside pickup for reserved items. Pickup hours will be Monday through Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m., and Friday through Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. When you …

The Land Connection’s Farmers Market opens this Tuesday, May 19th. It will run every Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at University in the parking lot outside of Busey Bank at the intersection of Neil …

Yesterday, both Champaign and Urbana Park Districts announced the inevitable: pools will not open this summer, and events and summer programming are canceled. Urbana has set a date of July 31st to reevaluate, but Champaign …

In March, the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon, which normally happens in late April, was tentatively postponed for later this year. Organizers have just announced that the marathon is cancelled, and will not happen in 2020. …

Champaign Public Library will begin curbside delivery for hold request items beginning May 15th. If you’ve requested items and they are available, you will be able to pick them up Monday through Thursday between 3 …

Cafeteria & Company reopened this week and is now open for carryout Wednesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can place orders in person or online.   Cafeteria & Co. 208 W Main …

After remaining closed for a while now, the Illini Union Bookstore has opened up their online store.  You can order gifts, souvenirs, and graduation items and either have them shipped or you can pick them …

Image: Photo of brick wall with exhibit information and list of participating artists and poets. Image from Instagram. Her Creative Collective will be launching a virtual art exhibit on Friday, May 15th, featuring works that …

We all have them, don’t we? The drawers in the kitchen or in a desk that are full of random collections of whatnot — though you’ll always find a rubber band, a thumb tack, and …

With at least the first week of summer youth programming canceled, Champaign Park District has developed a Summer Adventures @ Home program for the week of May 26-29.  They have options for ages 6-8 and …

Dance at Illinois MFA candidate Evvie Allison will make a virtual studio visit to MCA Chicago on May 19th via their Instagram. The visit will run from noon to 12:30 p.m. CST.  Top image: Illustrated text …

Every week, Urbana Public Television posts a video update hosted by Elizabeth Hess, where she talks to C-U Public Health Director about the latest COVID-19 updates. They are short, factual, and give small bites of …

The U of I Men’s and Women’s Glee Clubs came together virtually to sing the Illinois state song. You should probably take a listen. Screenshot from Illinois Music YouTube page.  

Retro Via is a new project based in C-U, and they have a new record on the way, The Smoke & The Linger, which comes out this Saturday, May 16th. We’re debuting a track here on …

Krannert Center’s chamber orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera, is sharing some of their performances from the season on YouTube so the community can hear them either for the first time, or enjoy them again.  Here they …

Now available at ninthletter.com,  an excerpt from The Museum of Whales You’ll Never See, A. Kendra Greene’s newly published book of essays on the strange and wonderful museums of Iceland. Top image: Cropped photo of front …

Circles Boutique, which has been a downtown Champaign fixture for more than 25 years, is still hanging in there and selling through their new online store.  Owner Danelle Jameson is continually adding items to the site, …

Japanese restaurant Sushi Kame will be moving to 39 E. Green Street on May 30th, according to the signage posted in the front window of their current location at 132 W. Church Street in Champaign. …

Dance at Illinois has been sharing #distancedances on social media since late March, and they’ve been fantastic. To mark the end of their time in school, the 2020 University of Illinois Dance graduates put together …

From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, you can get barbecue carryout or delivery from Wood N’ Hog Barbecue. If you haven’t tried it, check out these photos and see if you aren’t …

The Champaign County Forest Preserve District is calling for volunteers to help rid their natural areas of garlic mustard. After about two weeks, the plants will begin to seed and further invade the preserves. From …

While we’re under this stay-at-home order, and campus at U of I is quiet, College of Fine + Applied Arts has been publishing a series of interviews with various faculty and staff. FAA Away has …

Recently we highlighted the need for internet-for-all in our community. That need, along with the need for reliable technology has become quite apparent in this time we’re living in. The Community Foundation of East Central …

Krannert Art Museum has been offering lots of great arts lessons plans for schooling-at-home kiddos and their parents. The last features “Kozangrodek III,” a geometric sculpture created by Frank Stella that was inspired by a …

Timpone’s is open with new hours and a new menu for carryout. There’s a special that includes free salad with any pizza or pasta purchase. I’m looking at the appetizer meatballs ($8) which is beef …

San Maru, the Korean restaurant in southwest Champaign, has a Friday family dinner package that will feed you for most of the week, and the restaurant will deliver it to you.  Packages “are a combination …

My husband and I celebrated 14 years together with a date night in. We ordered Kofusion on campus for dinner, and it was awesome. We ordered two orders of the spicy Korean chicken ($10)  and an …

The Intermezzo Cafe at Krannert has always had some pretty solid desserts, and now you can make and enjoy one of them at home. Pastry chef Kelly Darr shared the recipe for their giant chocolate …

International Prep Academy is one of the Unit 4 Schools getting a new building as part of the 2016 referendum. The district has created a video tour of the plans, so that the public can …

Maybe you love Mayor Marlin, maybe you don’t. Perhaps you didn’t like that one thing she did that one time, or the way she responded to another. Perhaps you feel she was the model of …

Months ago, when I visited the Complex Territory exhibition, Whitney Sage’s work fascinated me. I was struck by her take on the human and psychological aspects of changing residential landscapes. But I missed her artist …

Scott Cochrane is involved in a variety of bar/restaurants in C-U (past and present), including the former Chester Street space, the new brewery (and distillary) coming to Midtown, Red Lion, and others. In a report by The News-Gazette, …

The University of Illinois’ European Union Center has adapted to the state’s stay-at-home order by offering virtual events on a variety of topics. Videos of these virtual events are available on the European Union Center’s …

While we’ll miss the annual Parkland Graphic Design Student Show at Giertz Gallery this year, we can still enjoy seeing their work on the program’s Facebook page.  Top image: Catalog design by Alex Lutz for GDS …

Starting tomorrow, you can get Watson’s Shack and Rail’s famous adult slushies to-go. You can order the Protect Ya Nectar (my favorite) and Gorky Park Mule, each available for $7. I’ve been waiting for this …

Broadway Food Hall has reopened with a limited menu. You can order your favorites from La Royale and King Kuma; 83 Vietnamese Cuisine will remain closed at this time. Food from Muchacho will be available …