FRIDAY, April 13
The Boneyard Arts Festival, all over, all weekend, free
The Boneyard Arts Festival is happening this weekend and with over 90 different venues all over town, it’s so easy to participate and support some amazing local artists. Here is a list of all of the venues, so you can decide whether you’re going to check out some art while you’re grabbing coffee, attend a performance, or make the rounds to check out all the little pop up galleries available to you. (KF) Poster from 40 North website.
The Dry Look, Maness Brothers, Mark Porkchop Holder, Primitive Lights, undisclosed house show location, 9 p.m., $5.
If you can find it, this would be worth the visit. I don’t want to give away anything about where this is, but this is an awesome Hogchute bill on Friday night. Primitive Lights is a brand new local project as well— you’ll have to ask around for location. (PS)
Spandrels, Lung, Sleeping Okami, The Iron Post, 9 p.m., $7
Spandrels are back in town, and if you didn’t get a chance to check this out — read up on our Tour Diary Christine Pallon published. They’re joined by Sleeping Okami, which has been fairly active as of late, playing plenty of shows in C-U here and there. Their friends Lung from Ohio join in on the fun at the Post on Friday. (PS)
SATURDAY, April 14
Make your own brunch, your place, all weekend prices vary
This weekend is Mom’s Weekend at the U of I, which means there is much promotion around flowers, pretty things, and brunching, because obviously women have no other interests. Avoid lengthy brunch waits around town by making your own. Try sourcing ingredients from a grocer you’ve not visited before: Best of Africa, Fresh International Market, Green Onion, Ashar African Market, El Progresso). Invite friends, or don’t; treat yourself to something tasty, and feel no guilt about taking a post-brunch nap. (JH) Photo by Jessica Hammie
Spring Open House, Japan House, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., free (tea ceremony $6)
It seems that spring has sprung, though the folks at Japan House are still eagerly awaiting the arrival of their cherry blossoms (seen above in late March last year). Regardless of the blossom status, you will still have the opportunity to tour the house, gardens, and hear a presentation by Sadafumi (Sada) Uchiyama on Japanese gardening. Advance tea ceremony tickets are sold out, but you can purchase tickets on site. Look for more details here. (JM)
Polyvinyl Records Pop-Up Shop, 717 S Neil St., 11 a.m.-3 p.m., free
I posted this earlier this week, but Polyvinyl is hosting their third installment of their pop-up stores at their spot on South Neil. They’ll have all sorts of stuff for you to check out, and buy (ideally), raffles, doughnuts, and coffee, plus more. They even recommend bringing your mom! (PS)
Storytelling Festival, 501 E Daniel St RM 126, 7 p.m., $5/general and $3/student
The Center for Children’s Books is hosting a Storytelling Festival, which will feature both new and seasoned performers “sharing age-old folklore, personal stories, and everything in between.” The performers are iSchool students, alumni, and faculty and will share “ tales from the profound to the profoundly delightful.” Join them for an evening of etertainment. (KF)
14th Annual Festival of Quilts, Cunningham Children’s Home, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., $5 donation
While this event is techinically part of the Boneyard Arts Festival, it’s also Cunnigham’s annual fundraiser. The quilts are kind of an amazing site to see; all the time and love that has gone into them. Some quilts are just for display, but many are for purchase, and the money from those purchases supports the work at Cunningham. There’s also a little gift shop filled with homemade items created by the students and United Methodist Women, who also put a lot of hours into volunteering for the event. You can learn more about it here or from our article on last year’s festival. (JM) Photo by Julie McClure
SUNDAY, April 15
Learn something about science while drinking beer, Riggs, 4 p.m., free entry, buy your beer
As part of their Science on Tap series, Riggs is hosting Nicholas Heller, a crop science grad student, who will talk about how selective breeding of corn has yielded the best corn for beer brewing. The corn-breeding program is in its 117th year, which means that there is (presumably) quite a bit of data. More info is available on Facebook. (JH) Photo from Facebook
Do some spring cleaning and donate your stuff, your house, free, maybe after you’ve had your coffee
This time of year, I always start to look around my house and cringe at the ridiculous amount of stuff. The clutter builds after the holidays and by now I’m done. Take a leisurely Sunday to address a room that is driving you crazy, and fill up a bin or two of stuff to donate to a local charitable organization. You will feel better about your life, and someone may benefit from the items that no longer bring you joy. Just make sure those bins go straight into your car and do NOT drive around with them there for two months. ReStore has expanded hours for this time of year, and will take donations on Mondays. (JM) Photo from ReStore website
Cover photo from Facebook
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All event information is accurate to the best of our abilities, but sometimes we make mistakes and sometimes event information, times, prices, etc., change after we look them up. Whenever possible, we’ve provided a link to the original event page; you should always double-check the source before you make any firm plans. Thanks for your understanding.