FRIDAY, January 13th
Eat a meatball sub, bacaro, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., or until sold out, $13
When was the last time you had a good meatball sub? Bacaro’s Friday lunch feature this week is the classic sandwich: meatball, mozz, and tomato (sauce, presumably), on a sub roll. It’s served with fries and a fancy soda. Treat yourself! Photo from Facebook. (JH)
Cocktails, pinball, and darts, Bentley’s Pub, open hours
Pay a visit to Bentley’s this weekend at some point if you are a person who enjoys a casual spot to sip on a few drinks, and enjoy some fairly-analog fun: pinball machines and dart boards. As you can see in this photo here, their cocktail menu (well, a portion of it at least) is extremely fair in price, and will help cure any cold-weather woes you might have this time of year. (PS) Photo from Bentley’s Instagram.
SATURDAY, January 14th
Dress up and drink wine, Wine Gala at the Prairie Glass House, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., $25-$35 per person
Art Mart Wines and Lumen Events are presenting a wine gala to benefit (in part) the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Here’s the event description: “Over 150 wine offerings from 25 top vendors will delight guests with varietals from around the world.” VIP tickets are only $10 more, and VIPs get access at 4:30 and “exquisitely paired hors d’oeuvres,” so that’s something to consider. The fundraiser is at the Prairie Glass House, which is pretty darn cool. More info is available on the event’s Facebook page, and you can book tickets here. Photo from Facebook. (JH)
Eat ramen, Sakanaya, $12-15
While Rebecca might’ve posted about soups earlier this week, I can’t stop thinking about the ramen that I devoured at Sakanaya a few days ago. Campustown is still pretty sleepy, though it will pick back up now that the students are getting back to C-U. Whether you make the trip for lunch or dinner, this will be the best choice you make all goddamn day. (PS) Photo from Sakanaya’s Instagram.
Advance Base with Lisa/Liza and Mari3113, Library House, 7 p.m., free/donations suggested for touring artists
Library House is back after a months-long hiatus and they’re offering up some solid acts with this show. Advance Base, formerly known as Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, will bring keyboard pop, and all artists in attendance will contribute to a lo-fi theme amid their own electronic and psychedelic genre leanings. Give this returning show house some love and they might just book more often. Photo from Facebook. (JM)
Top Gun, The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, 7 p.m., $5
Ride into the danger zone all the way back to the eighties on the big screen with Maverick, Goose, IceMan, Kelly McGillis, and Kelly McGillis’ immobile hairstyle. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen this on cable, it’s an entirely different experience giant-sized, in the dark, with a bunch of strangers who love this film as much as you do. And the price is just about as good as anything you paid “back in the day.” (RK)
The Lounge, Guido’s, downtown Champaign, 7:30 p.m., FREE
The Lounge is a curated open-mic night featuring at least a dozen to 16 performances from community members. Dance, recitation, comedy, music, poetry — you name it, you could observe it at this fundraising event to support local and national causes. One People has created and sustrained a free Arts Summer Camp for local kids, so you know they are dedicated to improving the lives of the people around them, and one way your life could be enriched is by attending an evening of artistic experience. (RK)
SUNDAY, January 15th
Tongues Unknown / Phantom Broadcast, Canopy Club, 8 p.m., $8
U of I alum Connor Grant has made a name for himself through various projects, including percussion for Sean Lennon’s band The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger. He’s returning to the area on Sunday for a show as his latest endeavor, a psych-rock project called Tongues Unknown. He’ll share the show with local eclectics Phantom Broadcast, and both acts have fresh material to play. Two more bands are also on the bill, making this a worthwhile show indeed. Photo from Facebook. (JM)
32ndAnnual Dr. MLK Celebration, Foellinger Great Hall, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., free
Celebrate one of our county’s most important figures. In honor the memory of Dr. King with Rev., Dr. Allan Boesak will be a keynote speaker. A little background, since 1988, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Advocacy for Justice Committee has awarded over 200 scholarships to local students attending colleges such as Parkland, University of Illinois, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Get involved in this celebration and support one of the most important movements of our nation. (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.