SPlog

Red Bicycle Ice Cream will host a monthly Gelato Fest, in which at least one flavor or type of ice cream is discounted. This month’s celebration is on Saturday, May 18th (noon to 9 p.m.) …

The Urbana Parks Foundation invites you to partake in an evening of food trucks, drinks, and music by The Boat Drunks at Hudson Farm in Urbana on May 17th. The event is happening from 6 …

Four times a year, Common Ground Co-op owners get to reap some added benefits of their yearly membership, and one of those times is happening this week. Make sure you save your shopping excursion for …

This year marks the 10th annual C-U Bike to Work Day. It will be held on Friday, May 3rd from 7-10 a.m. (Note: this is a change from the previously scheduled day, May 1st, due to weather). A …

Next time you’re stuck in traffic on Neil Street, stop and enjoy the art at Weiskamp Screen Printing’s Lightbox front window gallery. The latest installation features the infectiously bright and energetic work of Kelly Hieronymus …

Bayern Stube‘s spring festival, Maifest, will take place May 3rd and 4th, and May 10th and 11th. This very popular event will feature special dishes and beer. Read up on their other popular festival, Hunters …

Have you ever wanted to attempt that cool trick where you open a bottle of bubbly with a saber? Crudo is offering up that chance this Wednesday at their Bubbles & Blades event. With a …

New Ruins were active in the late 2000s here in C-U, and their sophomore record We Make Our Own Bad Luck was released 10 years ago today. The album was featured on our best albums of …

I caught a glimpse of this when it first started circulating, and now the Chicago Tribune/Naperville Sun has picked up the story.  I’ve witnessed how the lack of reliable child care can make pursuing work …

The Yards development project in Downtown Champaign continues to take shape, and this week, the City of Champaign’s City Council discussed the funding component from their end towards the project. Within the last couple of …

If you missed Small Press Fest! earlier this month, relax.  Just a few weeks after its premiere festival, SPF has produced its first compilation zine, containing sample work from all of this year’s participants. And …

The Celebration Company at the Station Theatre in Urbana has just announced its slate of summer offerings. First off, Laura Alcantara will direct William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Performances are June 6-22, and …

When was the last time you ate at San Maru? The Korean restaurant out at The Crossing is one I will make a special trip for — those dumplings are so delicious. I recently had lunch …

I keep walking around saying to everyone who will listen that Champaign Urbana is a veritable hotbed of musical diversity, and here’s a show that proves it.  On Saturday April 27th, the Robert E. Brown …

Back in August, Maize revealed that they had a food truck in addition to their two locations. That truck has been used in a variety of capacities for catering and pop-ups around C-U, and now …

Crazy as it seems, summer is upon us. University of Illinois finals week starts in just a week. Yes. A WEEK. And commencement is just over two weeks away. This means we are about to …

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is bringing a restored B-17 Flying Fortress, Aluminum Overcast on tour throughout the midwest this summer, and will stop at Willard Airport June 7-9. On each of those days, between 10 …

Broadway Food Hall has a new vendor: 83 Vietnamese Cuisine. The Vietnamese restaurant will replace Sunny’s (the salad vendor that never really took off). It’ll open for dinner tonight, Thursday, April 25th. The restaurant’s first …

Check out this striking new lettering at C-U Adventures‘ new location on Broadway, hand painted by artist and designer Madelyn Witruk. The transformation from what this old warehouse used to look like is astounding, inside …

Beginning this Friday at 10 a.m., you can take part in these free monthly meetup events at Lodgic Everyday Community. It’s happening in the Clever Moose Café; where you can set up your laptop, enjoy free …

There’s been a ton of change over the course of the last 10-20 years in Campustown at the University of Illinois. Even though we think a lot has happened over that stretch of time, there’s …

Yesterday I had lunch at La Mixteca and ordered the mole enchiladas. They were fantastic. It got me thinking about how I rarely order mole, and need to change that. Mole is a complex sauce …

Last week, news came that star guard Ayo Dosunmu would return to the Illinois hoops squad next season, and more news comes today, this time from the recruiting world. Four-star prospect Kofi Cockburn has signed …

Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC is observing this annual event by offering 13 free workshops and events throughout the week aimed at local small business owners (or perhaps future ones). While they are …

If you caught my picks for five things to do in arts this month, you know I think this is a definite don’t miss event. You can even pick up a copy of her book …

It’s Illinois Marathon weekend, and even if you are not running or volunteering or cheering for runners, it will impact your life. Both cities will be impacted by the events in terms of road closures, …

You’ll find mostly national brands when browsing the merchanside at Champaign Outdoors, but hidden in plain sight among the racks of The North Face, Patagonia, and such are some  created by local artisans. As the store …

Sipyard, the beer garden in Downtown Urbana, will open for the season on Thursday, April 25th. This is a little later than in years past, but as this promo says, yeah, indeed it was a …

After being closed for a long stretch of time (some of which due to this fire), Downtown Urbana’s Indian restaurant Sitara has officially reopened. Obviously, this is great news to hear. Unless their hours have changed, …

KCPA curates their schedule each year to appeal to a wide variety of audiences, and kids are no exception. They do a great job of bringing in performers across the arts spectrum to hook those …

John, the Shark Tank investor and founder and CEO of FUBU, will be imparting his motivational wisdom beginning at 8 p.m. in the I-rooms, and admission is free with an I-card.  The event is part …

Starting next week, Avionics will have a slightly smaller food menu, and the kitchen will only open until 2 p.m. Some of the tried and true favorites are still on the menu (egg sandwich and avocado stack, …

This year’s Audiofeed Music Festival lineup has been revealed. The festival takes place at Champaign County Fairgrounds, and you can read our preview of last year’s festival here. Tickets are on sale now.

We all know that Farren’s has a great burger. In fact, by our count, it’s the best. But Farren’s also makes other delicious items.  I’m partial to the fresh fried potato chips and the mac …

Champaign County Forest Preserve District is looking for some volunteers to do spring clean up of Kickapoo Rail Trail on April 22nd, Earth Day. There are two shifts, 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to …

Illinois Basketball standout guard Ayo Dosunmu has announced he will be returning for his sophomore year after rumblings that he would declare for the NBA draft after one year at Illinois. Check out his announcement …

Summer is approaching quickly, and if you are someone who has kids living under your roof that means they will be home. All the time. Complaining about how bored they are.  I feel like Parkland’s …

This weekend the folks at Champaign-Urbana Adventures in Time and Space are getting into the spirit of Easter weekend with their own style of Easter egg hunt.  Do any of the rooms Friday through Sunday …

Earlier this week at a Sneak Peek event, the Urbana Arts Program announced the winners of the 2019 Urbana Public Arts Grants.  Check out the illustrious list and stay tuned for lots of exciting events, …

The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics announced a couple of weeks ago that Memorial Stadium and State Farm Center will soon have beer for sale, and beginning this weekend you’ll be able to purchase it at Illinois …

Dancing Dog has recently started bottling its house made ketchup, and it’s now available to purchase at Harvest Market ($4.79). The ketchup is obviously vegan, because all ketchup is vegan (unless it’s made with honey, …

Our next installment in our Instagram Story Takeover series takes place this Saturday, April 20th. Japan House will be taking the controls during their Sakura Pop-Up. Follow us at @SmilePolitely on Instagram to follow along with this installment of …

The ALA is doing a video series on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in libraries, and this one feature University of Illinois librarian JJ Pionke. In it, he discusses his advocacy in the area of disability …

This Sunday, Crudo Wine Bar will be offering their own version of a Sunday brunch. With the purchase of $15 bottomless Mimosas (in a variety of flavors), you can enjoy their brunch bites buffet for …

Like millions of other people who grew up in the 90s, I love Nelly. Or, at least I love Nelly’s music. Or, at least I love Nelly’s singles. I’ve always been especially partial to Air …

The video was tweeted by a group of students with a YouTube channel called Crying Laughing, and it’s all at once hilarious and utterly embarrassing (and rather shameful). It’s clear that overall lack of education …

Yes, you read that correctly. The Yummy Future Robot Café is a startup created by U of I engineering graduate student Guangzhe Cui. The robot can make a few different types of espresso-based drinks; you select your …

Warmer weather is finally here! It has me craving something refreshing to drink, and in addition to Maize’s watermelon agua fresca, I often think about Cafe Kopi‘s Italian soda.  It’s carbonated water with flavoring in …