FRIDAY, April 22nd
The Fights, Rose Bowl Tavern, 8 PM, Free
It’s great to see local alt-country group The Fights playing again — if you haven’t seen them yet then Friday night is a great opportunity because they will be playing for free at the Rose Bowl — a classic downtown Urbana venue. (JK)
Shiner w/ Tang Dynasty + Withershins, The Accord, 7 PM, $17 Advance/$20 Door.
Kansas City’s Shiner is reuniting to bring their unique brand of rock to Champaign. Joined by none other than the relatively-new brainchild of Hum guitarist Matt Talbott in Tang Dynasty and local shoegaze outfit Withershins. It’ll probably be loud. It’ll probably be awesome. (BH)
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SATURDAY, April 23rd
Second to last chance to catch Breakfast on the Farm, Prairie Fruits Farm, 9 a.m. until sold out or noon, about $10 per person
The penultimate Spring Open House/Breakfast on the Farm/Baby Goat Breakfast is this Saturday. With the marathon next weekend, this could be your last chance to enjoy a delicious goat’s milk hot chocolate and tasty pastry while admiring and enjoying the quirky baby goats. Don’t miss out! Photo by Jessica Hammie. (JH)
Have a picnic with sandwiches from Cheese & Crackers, all day, choose a picnic park location, about $10 per person
I’ve yet to be convinced that there is a better place for sandwiches in all of C-U. I am very much into Mindy’s Italian (with giardiniera), but I understand that salami isn’t for everyone. Choose your favorite, or go halfsies with a pal, like I recently did (we got Woody’s turkey sub). Some folks have found the Pekara bread too hard in the past, but on my recent visit it was soft and delish. Oh, and don’t forget the fancy soda. Photo by Jessica Hammie. (JH)
Books to Prisoners Book Sale, Independent Media Center (IMC) in Urbana, 12-5 p.m.
Books to Prisoners is a program that sends books free of charge to people incarcerated in Illinois prisons. All proceeds from the book sale this weekend will go to supporting the Books to Prisoners program, so come on and out and support this really cool cause. (JK)
Lost and found Sinfonia da Camera, Krannert Center Foellinger Great Hall, 7:30 p.m., $40 or less.
Two great works by completely different composers have one thing in common: they were tucked away somewhere and found accidentally. Bartok’s Viola Concerto was stuffed in a shoebox, and Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 was loitering in his brother’s attic. Lucky for humanity, they were found, and lucky for us, we can hear them today. Show up at 6:30 with your ticket, to hear the soloist speak. (RK)
Yoga, wine, beer, food, massage, Bar M, 10pm, $20 advanced/$25 at door
Bar M is located in the back of Pizza M/Flying Machine Coffee and this weekend they are hosting an event where you can get limbered up, rubbed down and buzzed all in within the beautifully decorated walls of Bar M. Ticket price includes admission, participation in an all skill level yoga event, a chair massage and either a beer or wine from Bar M, a snack and coffee. Decent price for some decent activity. More info and advanced tickets here. (SL)
So Long Forgotten w/ Greenwood + ZXO, The Accord, 10 p.m., $8 advanced/$10 at door
I’m not that old, so I can’t say I experienced So Long Forgotten mania when it was at its height, but there seems to be some buzz surrounding the return of the Champaign-based rockers to a stage in town. Coming fresh off of a new album, this will be their last show ever, and I’d be kicking myself if I missed it. (BH)
SUNDAY, April 24th
A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Irish and Contemporary Dance, Virginia Theatre, 2 p.m., $13
Champaign Park District’s Dance Arts School presents a new ballet based on the Shakespeare classic, joined by Isle of Erin Irish Dancers performing traditional and contemporary dances. Should prove to be eclectic, but my curiosity is piqued. (RK)
Ride your bike on my personally recommended route
First, go to the Independant Media Center in Urbana to have your bike tuned up by The Bike Project folks (2-5pm). Then glance at this really detailed map of cycling in C-U. Then decide that map is way to complicated and check out my map. Finally, take off riding into the sun making sure to obey traffic laws and stay safe. (SL)
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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.