Smile Politely

Weekender: August 12-14

FRIDAY, August 12th

Watch this amazing speed painter, Monticello IL, 4-7 p.m., free

Karl Jendry will be at the Monticell Celebration this Friday. Check out a video of him doing his thing here.  Here is a list of other events happening this Friday at the celebration: Touch a Truck Display; Monticello Wheels; Square Art Show and Sale; Live Performance from Padgewick, 4pm; Live performance from the MHS Marching Band, 5pm; Live performance from Annie Jr. (5:45pm); Speed Painter, Karl Jendry; Live performance from the Nastics, 6pm; Human Foosball Tournament, 6pm; Mayor vs. Police Chief pie-in-the-face Fundraiser, 6:45pm. See more details here. (SL)

Watch the Perseid meteor shower, anywhere, nighttime, free

The Perseid meteor shower fills up the night sky with stardust every August. This year it’s rumored to be even more spectacular, with a possibility for twice as many meteor sightings as usual. The peak day for the shower will be August 12th, and the best time is after midnight, so get outside and make the best of your summer evening in a classic way. (JM) 

#CUDays Festival, Douglas Park, Friday 6-9 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., free

Celebrate the CU community with us at Champaign-Urbana Days! On Friday, bring the family to enjoy Touch-A-Truck, design cardboard cars, and view a “drive-in” movie in the park. Head back on Saturday to take in the live entertainment, tasty food, children’s activities, sports tournaments, senior luncheon, and more all in the newly remodeled Douglass Park. Use #CUDays when sharing online! Click here for full lineup. (SL)

Mother Nature + Adia VictoriaThe Accord, 9 p.m., $8 advance/$10 door

I first heard T.R.U.T.H. and Klevah at the Pygmalion Festival and while I don’t always respond to hip-hop, their intensity and emotion stopped me cold. I dug into their offerings and have been captured by the messages in their music and their strong will to do good in the community. Oh yeah, and their shows are so amazing it requires the use of slang I am too old to pronounce correctly. Go. (RK)

SATURDAY, August 13th

Pens to LensVirginia Theatre, 1-8ish p.m., $12 festival pass (18 & under FREE). 

This local idea is getting national notice, where kids write scripts that pro-filmmakers make. There are also 3 films screening that are entirely student-made, as well as a Q&A panel with two Disney directors moderated by an Ebertfest VIP. To be clear: both shows will screen different sets of films. The early set is “family friendly” and the later set (beginning at 6 p.m.) is a little more intense. Come for either or both, you won’t be disappointed (RK) 

Tacos & Tequila, Fluid Event Center, 601 N Country Fair Dr, Champaign, 2-10 p.m., $5

This event, brought to you by the same folks as Blues, Brews, and BBQ and Bourbon, Beer, and Bacon, will be an indoor event featuring over 100 tequilas and other Mexican alcoholic beverages. Tastings of booze will require tickets ($0.75 each) and be in 3oz. pours. Tacos and other snacks will be available with cash monies. Image from Facebook. (JH)

Mabel’s Night, Brother’s Bar and Grill, 7 p.m., $17 advance/$20 door

This Saturday night, Brother’s will fall into a time warp and become Mabel’s again, the legendary bar that hosted famed rock, punk and power pop acts throughout the 1980’s and 90’s. At least six bands will be there to help take you back in time. This event is also key to a huge local project: a documentary on music in C-U over that time period. Filming will be happening, and your attendance may very well be immortalized. Don’t you want to be a part of C-U music history? (JM)

Summer Movie Night: My Neighbor Totoro, Busey (201 W. Main, Urbana), 8:30 p.m. (approximately), free

Urbanalove is at it again with another summer movie night. They’re presenting My Neighbor Totoro, a Japanese animated fantasy film, in conjunction with the Urbana Free Library’s Comic Con. The screening will start at dusk and runs for just shy of two hours. (RP)

SUNDAY, August 14th

Speak German, drink beer, Rigg’s Beer Company, 1 to 3 p.m., cost of your beer(s)

Rigg’s, the newest local brewery specializing in German style beers, now hosts a regular German-language get together each Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring some food, or get some from the food trucks on hand (this Sunday is Fusilli Tony’s). This sounds like a fun way to practice your German language skills, and drink beer, and maybe even make some new friends. Don’t speak German? You can still go drink beer. Image from Facebook. (JH)

Roll to Rio, West Side Park, 4-9 p.m., free

The Paralympic Games begin in Rio on September 7th, and Josh George, the world champion, gold medalist, and 2016 Rio Summer Paralympics Racing Team Member is hosting a “Roll to Rio” event to cheer on our local athletes. Bring your bike, skateboard, kick scooter or anything that rolls and help Champaign-Urbana celebrate its Paralympic athletes. Event start at West Side Park, rolls through the streets of Chamapign and ends at The Accord with a toast to the athletes, where there will be guest speakers, music, and an athlete meet & greet. (RP)

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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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