SPlog

If you are a Pinot Noir person, this is the wine dinner for you. On August 10th, you can enjoy a five course dinner planned and prepared by Chef Zach, with a different Pinot for …

Earlier this year, Janelle James began appearing in the new sitcom Abbott Elementary, after several years on stage as a stand up comedian. Some of her first comedy stages were here in C-U. Now, she’s been …

Do you remember the Thai-Lao food truck? It had a relatively brief run here in C-U, pre-pandemic, but it was really quite good.  The truck may be no more, but the owners have opened a …

On July 23rd and 24th, Spurlock Museum is hosting Drag Weekend. The event will kick off Saturday night at 7 p.m. with And the Answer is….Fabulous — drag trivia hosted by CU Lockdown Trivia’s Julie …

On Wednesday, July 13th, the Visit Champaign County Foundation is hosting their annual Toast to Tourism awards at The Virginia Theatre. The ceremony will honor five business leaders in the hospitality industry in Champaign County. …

83 Vietnamese Cuisine is now open at The Crossing in the space where Rumbergers used to be. The restaurant’s menu offers egg rolls, noodles, bánh mì sandwiches, pork belly bowl, and a grilled bone-in pork …

If you are an artist or vendor who would like to be a part of The Made Fest on September 23rd and 24th, it’s time to submit your application. The marketplace will be set up …

The former J.T. Walker’s Restaurant and Sports Bar at 401 E Main in Mahomet is about to have new tenants. Chophouse on Main plans to offer two different dining experiences: “Our first floor offers a …

El Paraiso announced on Facebook that the Latin American restaurant located in Broadway Food Hall will close this August. The restaurant is not closing permanently; El Paraiso’s owners hope to find another location to lease …

The City of Urbana will be holding two public hearings to solicit comments and suggestions from the community regarding an amendment to the FY 20/21 Annual Action Plan. The discussion will involve the addition of …

Big Ten chancellors and presidents met Thursday night to vote on whether to allow the two California schools to join the 14 other schools in the conference. The vote was unanimous, so as of the …

Thanks to their new collab with Bow Tie Games, Prism Studios has begun offering a twice monthly Tuesday night “Paint Your Player on Canvas” class. Designed to help you “bring your player to life,” these …

Thank you to the Champaign Center Partnership for sharing these amazing images on their social media. The recent pics, taken outside Avionics, inspired a chorus of shout outs to these daymaking creatures and the mysterious …

Celebration Company at the Station Theatre will hold auditions for Jonathan Larson’s musical tick, tick…BOOM! on July 16th, with callbacks on July 17th. You may recall that this musical was recently made into a film …

That’s No Moon — the rock/electronic group who disbanded back in 2014 — recently updated their Facebook profile picture to a photo the band in Matt Talbott’s Earth Analog Studio. They also updated their bio, which now …

Naya announced yesterday that after July 2nd they would be closing to work on “new and exciting changes.” There’s no indication of how long they will be closed, but you can follow them on social media …

Featuring celebrity performers, live music, African food, and a celebration of independence, Best of Africa Food Store is hosting Festival Independence this weekend Friday, July 1st through Sunday, July 3rd. The event will be outside …

Since 2017, many have driven around town with Unseat Rodney Davis magnets on their cars. We’ve certainly devoted a bit of space to his nonsense here. From a “Smile Politely Rodney Davis” Google search: Screenshot …

Grammy award winner Melissa Etheridge has been added to the Virginia Theatre event schedule for this year. She’ll be performing with her band on October 2nd at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale this Thursday, …

Krannert Art Museum will open the exhibition Fake News & Lying Pictures: Political Prints in the Dutch Republic on September 1st (5 to 8 p.m.). The exhibition “explores the ways early modern Dutch printmakers used …

The summer season of Krannert Uncorked will begin July 14th, with music from 5 to 9 p.m. on Stage 5 in the lobby. The Stage Bar will be open and serving beverages and limited snacks. …

Dancing Dog, the vegan restaurant in Urbana, will close for good by the end of next week. It’s been open for nearly eight years.  Per the Facebook post (read text below; emphasis ours), the restaurant …

This upcoming Saturday and Sunday, July 2-3, sees the return of Spindependence happening at Pour Bros Craft Taproom in downtown Champaign.  The event is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a huge lineup of DJs, two stages, …

Today is primary election day. We are used to doing this in March, but a bill passed in Illinois last year moved the primary to June to accomodate the delayed Census data. There aren’t many …

After 23 years, A-Ri-Rang’s owners are retiring. The Campustown Korean restaurant is closed as of today, June 27th, but the restaurant will reopen under new ownership sometime in July. Read the paper announcement below. Photo …

Now students who are training as automotive technicians at Parkland will be able to add experience with electric vehicles and hybrids to their skill sets. The automotive program, with the help of a grant, recently …

Champaign Center Partnership is promoting 13 Thursdays again this summer, where you can take advantage of various deals at Campustown businesses. If you want to take things to the next level, you can also participate …

The market this Tuesday, June 28th will be a fun one. The Land Connection’s Champaign Farmers’ Market will have Uniting Pride at the Market, a rainbow scavenger hunt, free kids cooking kits, Lodgic Kids Camp, …

Due to a lack of continued funding, OSF Healthcare is closing its last two community testing sites, at Parkland College and Danville Area Community College. The DACC site closes today, and the Parkland site on …

Everyone who has been to Black Dog has a favorite sauce. I’ve had the same two favorite sauces since my first bite at the Urbana location in 2014: the Lexington and Georgia peach. I’ve stuck …

Trumpet, a very good boy from St. Joseph, just won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in Tarrytown, New York. He is the first bloodhound to ever win the top prize. …

The latest installation of Grant Thomas’ comic series My Life in Records is available for pre-order. In My Life in Records #7: Gemini Dreams, “Mark fights with his parents and Tom retreats into the music …

The Illini Solar Car team will be competing in the annual American Solar Challenge from July 1st to 16th. The race begins in Independence, Missouri and ends in Twin Falls, Idaho. After placing 4th last …

Champaign County Restore is hosting a drop-in bike clinic on June 25th from 10 to 12 p.m. Their bike expert will be on hand in the grassy knoll behind the store at 119 E University …

The Red Herring Vegetarian Restaurant posted on Facebook that it will reopen this August, and that is great news. The restaurant closed in December with no reopening date, but in that time, the radically inclusive …

Just announced, Petey is the first official act scheduled to perform at PYGMALION this year. With a large social media following — over one million followers and millions more views on his TikTok — he quickly grew in …

One of the best ways to celebrate Pride in C-U is to support local queer artists and makers. On June 25th, stop by the Pride After Market at the Rosebowl from 1 to 7 p.m. …

On the menu as G and T, Ladro Enoteca’s gin and tonic ($12) is a cold, smooth sip on a hot summer day. Gin and tonic is the favorite cocktail of owner Thad Morrow, and …

The UIUC Hip Hop Collective released their new album this week, artificialBEAUTY. The new compilation album is jam-packed with music, featuring 24 tracks and 90 minutes of music from over 40 artists. Each track is fresh and …

I was recently shopping in Art Mart for some desserts, and I walked by the cafe and noticed a sign for summer drink specials, including a violet lemonade. I’m a sucker for all floral food …

Software developer and artist Chen Wang is hosting her debut art show at the Independent Media Center beginning this weekend. Wang works in digital art, watercolor, and mixed media, and her show will highlight her use of …

West Side Arts is a free, juried art festival hosted by the Champaign Park District and 40 North. This new arts event is happening on September 17th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in West …

There’s more public artwork going up in C-U. We posted about this one on Green Street in Campustown, this one by Lisa Kesler in Downtown Champaign, and yesterday, I caught wind of this mural being …

519 E Green Street in Campustown is getting a makeover thanks to developer R2 Companies’ Boneyard Area Mural initiative. R2, which along with Concord Capital Partners acquired the Bankier Portfolio at the University of Illinois, is …

There are many ways to celebrate Juneteenth in Champaign-Urbana, and supporting Black-owned restaurants and bakeries with our orders (and patience for wait times) is one awesome way. When we buy food from Black-owned businesses, we support …

Bevier Café is open this summer, Monday through Friday. You can even order your food ahead of time and just pick it up — very convenient if you’re short on time. Lunch is served from …

Shatterglass Studios and the Illinois Film and TV Workforce Development Program are hosting a production course called Central Illinois Film & TV Production Training. This eight week course will teach the basics of television and …

The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation America’s Cup will take place in Brazil July 13-18, and there will be six current and former Illini athletes competing for Team USA.  Brian Bell, Spencer Heslop, and Correy Rossi …