Weekender: April 1-3

Friday, April 1st

Explore the 20th Boneyard Arts Festival, throughout C-U, all weekend, free

Boneyard is back with over 70 venues and work from hundreds of local artists. Check out the schedule here and create your own unique art crawl. Don’t forget that Boneyard also includes readings, music, and cultural events. (DD)

Attend Queering Faith 5.0, Community United Church of Christ, 7 p.m., free

Campus Ministry at CUCC is hosting Queering Faith, an annual event that examines the intersection of faith and queerness. This year’s event will feature author and storyteller Ann Kansfield, whose book Being The Brave One us about “what it means to be Queer in predominantly straight spaces.” It’s a hybrid event, so if you’d prefer to attend on Zoom you can register here. People of all faith traditions, or no faith tradition, are welcome to attend. (JM)

Saturday, April 2nd

Photo of a cocktail with clear-colored liquid, some green herb garnishes and a lemon wedge. Photo from the Common Ground Food Co-op Facebook page. — *Photo from the Common Ground Food Co-op Facebook page.*

Drink some art-themed cocktails, Boneyard Arts Market / Common Ground, Lincoln Square Mall, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.. $5 and up

Common Ground will have a little cafe as part of the Boneyard Arts Market. They’ll be slinging snacks and cocktails, which will make you feel very artsy-fartsy and fancy as you wander LSM checking out the vendors with cool art for sale. (JH)

A close up of Sakura buds, light and dark pink buds beginning to pop out of thin brown branches. Image from Japan House Facebook page. — *Photo from Japan House Facebook page.*

Celebrate Spring, Japan House, timed tea ceremony tickets beginning at 12 p.m., $15 for the tea ceremony, otherwise free

Japan House will have a flurry of activity on Saturday, with tea ceremonies scheduled every hour from 12 to 3 p.m. In between ceremonies, limited numbers of guests can enter to view the Kokeshi — traditional Japanese wooden dolls — on display for Boneyard. At 4 p.m., artist-in-residence and boat builder Douglas Brooks will give a presentation on Japanese boat building, and launch a boat created by U of I students into the pond. While you’re there, check for any Sakura bud progress. (JM)

Get your dance on, Independent Media Center, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., free

Part of Boneyard Arts Festival, the IMC will be hosting bla(CK)mau at 2 p.m. The DJ trio is made up of Stacey Robinson, Chris Kinson, and Kamau Grantham. This is great opportunity to hear some great music, dance, and shake off the week. (SW).

On a snowy drive, Watson's black food truck with a giant chicken is parked. Photo provided by Watson's. — *Photo provided by Watson’s.*

Get some fried chicken, Watson’s Food Truck, 5 to 9 p.m., prices vary

During the evening part of the Boneyard Arts Festival, the brand new Watson’s food truck will be serving dinner outside the Rose Bowl Tavern in Urbana. There’s nothing better than a hot chicken sandwich on a cold night. Chain Station and Wildwood String Band will be there if you’d like to enjoy some bluegrass with your hot chicken. (AB)

Enjoy a staged reading of Simpler Hearts, Station Theatre, 7 p.m., free admission

Toss some live theatre into your Boneyard weekend mix with this free, staged reading of Cris Eli Blak’s Simpler Hearts. Directed by Misty Martin, Simpler Hearts “is a Brown-skinned love story focusing on the relationship of Moe ‘Twister’ Cooper, an aspiring big-time boxer, and Nadine Barrera, an aspiring author who wants to tell the stories of her ancestors, told through vignettes og moments during their five-year relationship, from first meeting to the final year.” (DD)

A brick wall with a brightly colored image projected onto it. It appears to show a room with a couch and a door, in red, chartreuse, and light blue. Image from Soundscape's Facebook page. — *Image from Soundscape’s Facebook page.*

Immerse yourself in light and sound, Cohen Building, 7 p.m., free

Soundscapes presents: Submerge, an event featuring video installations as well as live music to accompany. The walls will be painted in projections, and scheduled musicians include Twoleggedzoo, Alex Audiophile, Puddles, Aliens In the Sky, and more. (SW)

Sunday, April 3rd

On a brown table, there are several Chinese dishes. On the far left, there is a long dish of beef and veggies. In the center up top is a small bowl of soy sauce, and below there is a plate of fried dumplings. On the right up top is a noodle dish and the right bottom is a dry chili chicken dish. Photo by Tayler Neumann. — *Photo by Tayler Neumann.*

Enjoy a casual Chinese meal out, Evo Cafe, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., prices vary

Evo Cafe, the unassuming Chinese restaurant on Sixth Street serves delicious food. Read Tayler’s review that published on Wednesday about the dumplings, satay beef, mushroom chow mein, and dry chili chicken. (AB)

Make an appointment to have your birth chart read, Soul Care, in person or virtual, $60 for 60 minute session

Soul Care is an urban retreat center that offers a bunch of different wellness treatments/programs, including quiet pods, reiki, retreats, and spiritual and healing services. They also do astrological birth chart readings, which can offer a different way to understand yourself and personality. (But it’s not fortune telling.) These birth chart readings are personalized to you, determined by the time and location of your birth, so you’ll need that info. Readings are done on Wednesday between 1 and 5 p.m., and you can make an appointment up to a week in advance. (JH)

Top photo from Boneyard Arts Festival Facebook page.

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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.

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