FRIDAY, July 24th
An Artifact Speaks, Spurlock Museum, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., free but registration is required
Educators of all stripes (this includes parents), come out to this workshop to learn more about museum materials, touch some cool objects, and get a sense of how to better teach with ancient and contemporary things. Replicas from Egypt, Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, China, and India will be present, as well as lesson plans and activity sheets you can study and use later. (AH)
Fried Walleye Sandwich, bacaro, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (or sold out), $15
Served with spicy tartar sauce on a butter bun, house chips and fancy soda included. Photo of soft shell crab sandwich from bacaro’s Facebook page. (JH)
AIR Program Open House, Figure One, Champaign, 6-8 p.m., free
The three Artists-In-Residence at Figure One gallery downtown will be present and fielding questions about their work. Sue Kay Lee, Jenna Richards, and Jade Williams are diverse artists with unique styles, and they will return next month to demonstrate the progress they’ve made. (RK)
The Basement Gallery presents Laura Anne Welle, Champaign, RSVP required, 6-9:45 p.m.
The Basement Gallery‘s second show features work by Laura Anne Welle entitled “Pop Nouveau.” Stop by Quality from 6-7:30 p.m. to enjoy a beverage and register for the event. Then guests will be escorted to the gallery location. Here’s what Welle says about her work: “I will be displaying an abundance of multi-colored paintings and drawings. Inspired by the heavy lined quality of pop art and graphic novels, My multi-media pieces try to evoke a sense of wildness and joy. Expect to see female figures inspired by the aesthetic of Art Nouveau with paint application inspired by graffiti artists.” RSVP in advance via the Facebook event. (RP)
Champaign County Fair, Crystal Lake Park, 1302 N Coler Ave, Urbana, 7 p.m., $6 general admission
Tractor pulls and corndogs, you name it, the Champaign County Fair has it. The CCF has been going strong since 1852, and now’s no time to stop. The fair starts Friday, 7/24 and goes through 8/1. Welcome the CCF by coming out on Friday night at 7 p.m. for stock car racing. Or stuff yourself full of fried things and waddle home to Netflix, satisfied. (AH)
Stardeath and the White Dwarfs, Applied Music Program, Truck Parts, doors at 8 p.m., Mike N Molly’s, $8
Each band on this bill is interesting for a different reason — Stardeath and the White Dwarfs are a Flaming Lips-affiliated psych-pop group, Applied Music Program has the post-punk synth jams, and Truck Parts is a brand new local band. All three in one show is worth checking out. (MR)
SATURDAY, July 25th
Bike, roads, anytime, free
If you haven’t spent much time on two wheels yet this summer, you should consider amending that by spending some time on your bike this weekend. Many places are great, but it might be especially to take a spin around Hessel Park, or out along Curtis Road if you’re feeling particularly frisky. (RP)
Fish for free, Boathouse Peninsula, Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve (Mahomet), 9-11 a.m., free
The forest preserve folks are providing rods, reels, bait, and fishing instructions this Saturday morning. The event is open to all ages but there is going to be contest winners for kids (biggest fish, most fish, etc). This is a great opportunity for you to get a taste of the outdoors and try your hand at fishing. Plus it’s free. (SL)
Free yoga in the park, Meadowbrook Park (Vine Street entrance), 9 a.m., free
The Urbana Park District is hosting free yoga in the park. There will be instructors on site to lead the class, help you and modify the poses based on your level of skill, and even provide mats if need be. This is a great opportunity for you to try out yoga plus its going to be in a beautiful park and the park district says you can bring a friend. You have no excuse not to go. (SL)
Tacos and Beer, Triptych Brewing, Savoy, 3-7 p.m., $10-$15
ROKs Tacos will be parked at Triptych until 7 p.m., and with good weather and that nice, new beer patio, Triptych will be a lovely place to spend an afternoon. They will also be pouring hazelnut coffee infused Dirty Hippy into your glasses or growlers starting at 3 p.m. until it’s gone. (JH)
Dingbat Dungeon 2nd Birthday Bash, 6 p.m., Dingbat Dungeon $7-10
Bands are coming from all over the place to play a birthday party for the Dingbat Dungeon — celebrating its second year as a venue (well, the third really, as it was formerly called Shangri-La). Nine bands provide non-stop punk starting at 6 p.m. punk time. (MR)
The Pajama Game, Harold and Jean Miner Theatre at Parkland College, Champaign, 7 p.m., $7-$14.
Urbana Park District’s Youth Summer Theatre presents a classic musical that’s still pertinent to modern times. Support the arts and encourage youth from 8-18 who have spent the past “seven-and-a-half-weeks” (yup, really) perfecting this story about the power of a union. (RK)
SUNDAY, July 26th
Grab some pizza, Pizzeria Antica, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (or until they run out of dough), $11-15
I finally was able to get myself into Pizzeria Antica earlier this week to check it out, and of course, try some pizza. I nearly made the mistake of taking the pizza to-go, which was highly discouraged because of the freshness when it comes out of the oven after being cooked at such a high temp. I’m glad I sat myself down and ate it there, so I’m guessing you might be a person who hasn’t tried it yet either. Make a trip over there and see what’s what, and read the recap of what Jess thought while you’re at it. (PS)
Photo from Jess Hammie’s recap linked in the post.
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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.