Giving Tuesday was earlier this week, which was created to encourage giving back to organizations in communities, especially in times like these. Former Smile Politely Music Editor John Steinbacher is the Membership Coordinator at WILL, …
C-U Folk & Roots Festival is currently shceduled for October 22-24 in Urbana, and in the interim, they’ll be paying homage to the late, great John Prine, who passed away a few weeks ago. They’ll be …
I picked up a fruit box from Central Illinois Produce at their latest curbside pickup. Photo by Alyssa Buckley. What’s included? Six red apples, six gold apples, one pound of strawberries, a pint of raspberries, …
The ramen restaurant on Sixth and Healey in Campustown is now open for carryout and delivery. You can place your order by calling (312) 730-0814. Additonal information, including the menu, is availble on the restaurant’s …
CU Adventures in Time and Space never ceases to amaze with their creativity. They’ve just launched a digital version of The Lost Temple, that you can play with the people in your household or with …
Art in a Time of Quarantine Youth Art Exhibit is a virtual exhibition of student artwork organized by Chambanamoms, Krannert Art Museum, the Urbana Arts and Culture Program, Museum of the Grand Prairie, and KOOP …
Governor J.B. Pritzker rolled out his new plan to reopen the state, appropriately titled Restore Illinois, today at his briefing which you can watch below. The plan lays out this public health approach to safely …
Artist/author and Nifty Nooker Judiee Lee has recently released a new coloring book. Monet and Friends Coloring Book follows Lee’s previous works Picasso Loves Shapes and Monet and the Waterlily Friends. Get more info or order …
According to a post made by John Paul on Facebook and Twitter, Zorba’s in Campustown has officially closed. The restaurant opened in 1971 1973, and caught on fire in 2011. The restaurant went up for sale twice …
The City of Champaign has rescheduled their dates for yard waste pickup; exciting news for those of us who have been out working in the yard these nice spring days. Here’s what you need to …
In case you have no idea what day it is, here is a gentle reminder that Mother’s Day is this Sunday, May 10th. Yeah, I forgot, too. If you celebrate, there are plenty of ways …
Beginning May 11th, all passengers on American Airlines flights, which is what you’ll be flying if you are at Willard Airport, will need to be wearing a face covering in order to board the plane. …
Mother’s Day is this Sunday, May 10th. If you haven’t made plans to cook Mom a gourmet dinner — or you can’t cook a gourmet meal, Baxter’s American Grill has you covered. This Mother’s Day, they’re …
Champaign Park District is re-opening their dog parks and some tennis courts today. Hessel, Lindsay, and Sunset Ridge courts will be open today, then Clark, Eisner, and Spalding will open as soon as the nets …
A ton of organizations helped make this CU Sing a Song Sing-Along possible, and there’s an amazing video montage featuring a ton of submissions from community members that was released today. I will reiterate what I …
Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting‘s article this morning has detailed an outbreak at Rantoul Foods, in which a company official confirmed that 21 cases of the virus have been linked to the meat processing plant …
This morning Facebook reminded me of what a great time I had at the 2019 Refashioned show, exactly one year ago today. But before I could get sad about missing the event this year, I …
After remaining closed for a while, Champaign County ReStore has opened an online store where you can purchase items for curbside pickup. They have both new and gently used items, and will continue to add …
I went to the Urbana Market in the Square this past Saturday for the market opening, and it was great. All the shoppers, volunteers, and vendors were in masks. It felt like everyone respected the …
Harvest Moon Drive-In has announced they will be opening for the season this Friday, May 8th. Our friends at Chambanamoms have outlined a bit more about pricing and such, so check out their post. Here’s …
Two weeks ago, I shared that you could watch Deke Weaver’s ELEPHANT for a limited time on Vimeo. ELEPHANT is still available for a few more days, and you can now watch WOLF. Both are …
Friday, May 8th and Friday, May 15th the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois is hosting virtual discussions about how poverty affects well-being. Each session takes place from 10 to 11 a.m., …
Pekara is opening their location at Springfield and Prospect from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for carryout or curbside pickup. Get your coffee drinks, sandwiches, soups, salads, quiche, pastries, croissants, cookies, danishes, and bread from Pekara …
While we’ve been under this stay-at-home order, Chambanamoms has had various members of the C-U community share bedtime stories on their Facebook page. They went just a bit outside that formula with last night’s storyteller, …
Flying Machine Avionics is bringing food back, though it’s a slightly more limited menu. The egg sandwich and avocado stack are still on there, so that makes me happy! You can call 217-600-7949 and place …
Another local restaurant coming back to life today is Lodgic’s Everyday Kitchen and Bar. They have a wide range of offerings, including a full lunch and dinner menu and all day breakfast, coffee, tea, and …
Seven Saints has been closed since mid-March, and now they are ready to re-open for curbside carryout. Call the restaurant at 217-351-7775 to place your order, then you can pick it up curbside. They will …
The Champaign-Urbana Design Organization (CUDO) has announced a new monthly virtual climate-design meet-p to begin on May 4th. According to the announcement, the series comes out of a collaboration with Re-nourish and The Determined. The …
This seems relevant to a topic I wrote about earlier this week, DJs and the pandemic. On Saturday, May 2nd, a variety of DJs are lined up for this streaming event called Midwest Takeover, and …
Pad thai is a stir-fried Thai noodle dish that is delicious and found on many menus around town. When you get a hankering for pad thai, where do you like to order? Top image by Alyssa …
Nancy Blum, a Brooklyn-based artist born in Champaign, has an amazing portfolio of work to check out, including these incredible mosaics that exist in New York City’s subway stations. Pretty cool eh? In the wake …
Triptych released a new hazy IPA this week called All Together. It’s part of a worldwide brewery collaboration of the same name, that’s encouraging breweries to create a beer from a common recipe then give …
Hamilton Walker’s, with the help of BGP Business Solutions, is going to give away 1000 free meals Friday, May 1st from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bruce Povalish, C.E.O. of BGP Business Solutions is donating …
For the last six weeks, Urbana resident Julie Laut has been hosting a Friday night trivia game via Zoom. Starting with just a few close friends who have been playing trivia together for years, CU …
Yesterday, University of Illinois President Timothy Killeen made an announcement about the fall semester, which has been widely discussed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can read the entire note below, which showcases President Killeen’s …
Record Store Day was originally scheduled for April 18th, and after initially being rescheduled for June 20th, the annual celebration of indepdenent record stores will take place across three dates later this year. The new …
The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation, Visit Champaign County, and Chambanamoms are hosting their third interactive event this Saturday, May 2nd from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., and this time around they are focusing on the …
Allerton Park and Retreat Center announced today that they will be opening the remainder of their outdoor areas, with added guidelines. After closing for a short time, they opened trails on the South side of …
It’s hard to believe that we’re coming up on the close of Krannert Center for the Performing Arts’ 50th anniversary celebration. In lieu of an in-person gathering, KCPA director Mike Ross has invited members of …
It’s the little things, right? And those little things right now are very short Instagram stories and very little baby goats. I mentioned PFF’s IG feed in our last Weekender (we’re on hiatus, since, you …
Calamari fritti, orecchiette norcina, bomobolone, oh my! Chef has some delicious options for us. There are specials for antipasti, primi piatti, secondi piatti, and docli (dessert). The calamari fritti ($16) is golden crispy calamari with …
Crystal Lake Park is undergoing a major restoration this year, and the Urbana Park District is ready to tackle one of the obstacles to the improvements: the Canada goose population. We see them all over …
Looking for a new project while stuck at home? Preservation and Conservation at the University Library is hosting an hour long presentation on preserving your family’s heirlooms Thursday, April 30th at 12 p.m. From the …
If you’re a fan of live literary readings, you’ll be happy to learn that the Illinois graduate student reading will be happening on Zoom, Thursday, April 30th at 6 p.m. Log on and give these …
Instead of having a one day event, the Co-op will be doing their annual plant sale throughout the entire week: May 4-10. It’s a great way to get your garden started while also supported the …
Poets on a Park Bench has released a new segment featuring local poet, actor, and performer, Kevin Tajzea Hobbs, and it’s just in time to ring out National Poetry Month on a high note. The Poets …
Back in October, news surfaced that there would be a new Taiwanese bakery/dessert spot in Champaign on Neil Street, Tasty Tart. Though there doesn’t appear to be a menu available at this moment in time, …
The Independent Media Center’s is hosting a weekly web series, Sounds Like Community, every Wednesday at 7 p.m. via livestream. Here’s the lineup for this week: 7 to 7:45 p.m. Miriam Larson shares Irish, New …
Art Mart is selling a six bottles of wine in a Stay Sane, Not Sober pack. The pack includes Colossal Reserva, Tarrica Cabernet Sauvignon, Cantele Salice Salentino Riserva, Figuiere Le St. Andre Vermentino, Tenuta Cocci …
